Joshua 1

Joshua 1:1

Come in, and receive God’s promises! An EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary (2800 word vocabulary) on the Book of Joshua www.easyenglish.info Brian Rowlands This commentary has been through Advanced Checking.

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About this book 1 Lessons from the Book of Joshua The Book of Joshua has many lessons for us. It teaches us to accept the good things that God provides for us.

The *Israelites had been slaves in Egypt. God had set them free with the help of Moses. At first, they did not trust that God had done the right thing. Most of them died in the desert because they did not believe. Only Joshua and Caleb believed. ‘The *Israelites had walked about in the desert for 40 years. But all the men had died who were old enough to fight at the beginning of their journey. This happened because they had not obeyed the *Lord’ (Joshua 5:6).

Joshua and Caleb reached the *promised land with those who had been born in the desert. The journey had taken about 40 years. Now they were ready to enter the land.

Moses had said, ‘God brought us out of Egypt. He will bring us in and give us the land’ (Deuteronomy 6:23). The Book of Joshua is all about this. God brought the *Israelites out of Egypt to take them into the *promised land. The *Israelites did not know completely the goodness of God until they entered the *promised land.

When we read the Book of Joshua for the first time, it appears to be all about unpleasant wars. The *promised land already had its own inhabitants. God said that they were evil people because

 they *worshipped false gods (Deuteronomy 20:18);

 they *sacrificed their children to their gods (Deuteronomy 12:31);

 they practised magic (Deuteronomy 18:9-11).

The inhabitants did not want the *Israelites to live in the *promised land. So, the inhabitants would oppose the *Israelites. The *Israelites would have to kill the inhabitants before they could enjoy the promises of God.

In the Book of Joshua, God is saying to his people, ‘Come in! Come in to the *promised land. Come in to all that is best for you.’ ‘I brought you out to bring you in.’

The Book of Joshua is like a lesson for us today. The book shows us what God wants to do for all Christians. Many Christians are like the *Israelites who died in the desert. God has saved them from judgement. But they do not realise all the good things that God has for them. They let other things get in the way of these *blessings.

It is important to read the Book of Joshua with this in mind. It is not just a history book! The Book of Joshua has important lessons for all Christians. And the Book of Joshua shows us what God wants to do for us here and now. God brought us out to bring us in.

‘The *Lord has kept every one of the promises that he gave to you. You know that deep in yourselves. He has not failed to keep one of them. The *Lord has kept every good promise’ (Joshua 23:14, 15). 2 About Joshua Joshua was a helper to Moses. We read a lot about Joshua in the Books of Exodus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. Here are just three examples.

 Joshua led the army against the *Amalekites. While Joshua was fighting, Moses lifted his hands up in prayer to God (Exodus 17:8-16). Joshua knew the value of prayer.

 Joshua went with Moses up Sinai mountain when God gave the *Israelites instructions about the *ark (Exodus 24:13 - 25:8). Joshua had actually been with God.

 Joshua was one of 12 men that Moses sent in secret to look at the *promised land. Only Joshua and Caleb brought good news back (Numbers 13). Joshua had *faith that God would provide.

Joshua’s name in the Hebrew language means The *Lord is my *Saviour. (The Hebrew language is the language of the *Old Testament.) The name Jesus in the Greek language means the same. (The Greek language is the language of the *New Testament.) God used Joshua to save the *Israelites. Jesus is our *Saviour.

Think about this: God was preparing Joshua to be the leader of the *Israelites. Joshua was ready for the job that was ahead of him. We should allow God to prepare us and to use us in his work. 3 What the book is all about

1. Prepare for God’s *blessing 1:1 - 5:12

 God prepares the leader 1:1-9

 Joshua prepares the people 1:10-18

 Joshua sends two men to look over the land 2:1-24

 The people cross the river Jordan 3:1-5:1

 *Circumcision and *Passover 5:1-12

2. Take God’s *blessing 5:13 - 12:24

 The first *victory - Jericho 5:13-6:27

 Defeat then *victory at Ai 7:1-8:29

 Joshua reads God’s law to the people 8:30-35

 The *Israelites become friends with their enemies from Gibeon 9:1-27

 The *Israelites defeat the Amorites 10:1-28

 The *Israelites defeat the towns in the south of the country 10:29-43

 The *Israelites defeat the towns in the north of the country 11:1-23

 A list of all the kings that the *Israelites defeated 12:1-24

3. The extent of the *blessing 13:1 - 21:45

 The land that *Israel had not yet taken 13:1-7  The land that Moses gave to Reuben, Gad and Manasseh 13:8-33  Joshua divides the rest of the land 14:1-19:51

 *Cities of *refuge 20:1-9

 Towns for the *Levites 21:1-45

4. Accept God’s *blessing 22:1 - 24:33

 The *tribes of Reuben, Gad and Manasseh return home 22:1-34

 Joshua says ‘Goodbye’ to his leaders 23:1-16

 Joshua says ‘Goodbye’ to the people 24:1-13

 The people promise to serve God 24:14-27

 The death of Joshua 24:28-33 4 Key verse Joshua 1:8

You must continue to speak about the words of God’s law. Think about what it says, all the time. Then you will be careful to obey it. Then you will help yourselves to do well, and to win. Chapter 1 1. Prepare for God’s *blessing God prepares the leader – Joshua 1:1-9 v1 Moses, the man who had served the *Lord, had died. Then the *Lord spoke to Joshua, son of Nun, who had helped Moses. v2 ‘Moses, my servant, is dead. Now you and all these people must get ready to cross the river Jordan. You, the *Israelites, will go into the land that I intend to give you’, the *Lord said. v3 ‘I have given to you every part of the ground that you walk upon. I promised Moses that I would do this. v4 You will have all the land between the southern desert and the northern mountains of Lebanon. It will be from the river Euphrates, to the Great Sea in the west.

You will have all the land of the Hittite people. v5 No one can stop you from taking this land as long as you live. As I was with Moses, I will always be with you. I will never leave you alone. v6 Be strong and do not be afraid. You will lead these people to take the land. That is the land that I promised to give to their *ancestors. v7 Be strong and do not be afraid. Be careful to do all the things that Moses told you.

Remember to do everything that he told you to do. Then everything will be well with you. You will win, everywhere that you go. v8 You must continue to speak about the words of God’s law. Think about what it says, all the time. Then you will be careful to obey it. Then you will help yourselves to do well, and to win. v9 Remember that I have told you to do this.

So be strong and do not be afraid. Do not be weak but be brave. I, the *Lord your God, will be with you, everywhere that you go.’

Verses 1, 2 Moses had died. Moses had to die before Joshua and the *Israelites could go into the *promised land. (God had told Moses that Moses would not enter the *promised land. This was because he had not obeyed God. See Numbers 20:1-13.) The *Israelites had to enter the *promised land to know completely the goodness of God. Many Christians are like this. Paul wrote, ‘You must not live as you used to live. You must leave behind your old character. It made you live that bad life. The bad things that you did were hurting you. You must have a new mind. You must put on the new character that is like God’s *holy character. You must only do the things that are good and *holy’ (Ephesians 4:22-24).

The death of Moses is like a picture that shows new opportunities. Until now, Joshua had only been a helper. He was the assistant to Moses. Now he had new responsibilities. It was important that he accepted these responsibilities. God’s work could not continue until Joshua accepted his new responsibilities. God could not bless his people until Joshua led them into the *promised land. God brought them out to bring them in.

So it is with us. We must not expect other people to do all the work. God calls each one of us to work for him.

Verses 1-9 God gave Joshua three things to do.

 To lead the people into the *promised land – verse 2. God had promised this country to Abraham (Genesis 12:1; 15:7). Jesus was born in this country.

 To defeat the enemies that lived in the country – verse 5.

 To believe that God would do good things for the *Israelites - verses 3, 7, 9.

God also gave Joshua a promise for each of these instructions.

 ‘You, the *Israelites, will go into the land that I intend to give you’ – verse 2.

 ‘No one can stop you from taking this land as long as you live’ – verse 5.

 ‘You will win, everywhere that you go’ – verse 7.

Verses 5, 9 God had been with Moses. Now God promised Joshua that he would be with Joshua also. Before Joshua set out to attack Jericho, God appeared to Joshua to encourage him. We, too, can know that the same God is with us (Matthew 28:20). He is with us as we work for him.

Verse 6 Before Joshua could lead his people, he, too, had to put his *faith into action. He had to be strong and not be afraid. God had to work by him, not just for him. He could not do nothing and watch God do it all.

God has given to us all the good things that we need (see Ephesians 1:3). We must step out with *faith and claim these *blessings. We cannot stand still. The *Israelites could not receive the *blessings of God until they moved forward. We will not enjoy the *blessings of God if we are lazy. We cannot simply do nothing.

Verses 7-8 Joshua only had the first five books of the Bible as God’s law. Moses had written these. They were a guide for the people. It was important to remember them and to repeat them (see Deuteronomy 6:1-9). Joshua could also remember things that Moses had said.

We have the word of God, the Bible. It is our guide for life. We must make it our regular habit to read it. We must obey it. Joshua prepares the people – Joshua 1:10-18 v10 So Joshua spoke to the leaders of the people. v11 ‘Go through all the places where the people live’, he said. ‘Tell them to get food ready for a journey. In three days or less, you will cross the river Jordan. Then you will begin to take the land for yourselves. This is the land that the *Lord, your God, is giving to you’, Joshua said.

v12 Moses had given land east of the Jordan to the *tribes of Reuben, Gad and the *half-tribe of Manasseh. Then Joshua spoke to these *tribes. v13 ‘Remember what Moses told you’, he said. ‘The *Lord your God is giving you a rest. He has given you this land. v14 Your wives, children and animals can stay in this land that Moses gave to you, east of the Jordan. However, your fighting men must cross the river, with their arms. They must go in front of their *Israelite relatives. You must help them v15 until the *Lord gives rest to them. This will be like the rest that he has given to you. When all the other *tribes are safe in the *promised land, you may return to your land. It is the land that Moses gave to you east of the Jordan.’

v16 ‘We will do whatever you tell us. In addition, we will go everywhere that you send us’, they answered Joshua. v17 ‘As we always obeyed Moses, so we will obey you. The *Lord your God was with Moses. We only ask that the *Lord will be with you too. v18 Someone might not agree with your word. He might not obey it. We will make certain that he dies. But be very strong and be brave. Do not be afraid.’

Verse 10, 11 Joshua was a man with *faith. The *promised land was on the west side of Jordan. The *Israelites were still on the east side. He told his people that they should get ready to cross the river Jordan. They had to get food ready. That was all! He did not tell them to make some boats! He did not tell them how they would cross the river. He had *faith to realise that God would take care of everything.

Very often, we want to know all the answers before we trust God to do anything for us. But we should have *faith. We should trust God.

Verses 12-15 The *tribes of Reuben, Gad and the *half-tribe of Manasseh liked the land east of the river Jordan. It was good for their animals. They asked if they could make their home there. Moses had agreed, but first they had to help the rest of the people to fight for their land.

They did not make their home in the *promised land. They failed to have a share in all that God wanted them to have there. The land at the east of the Jordan was only part of what God wanted his people to receive.

This is like Christians who do not get completely involved in Christian things. They do not go to church very often. They do not meet with other Christians. They do not help in their local church. So they do not get all that God wants them to have.

Verse 12 The *tribe of Joseph became two tribes. These tribes came from Joseph’s two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh.

Verses 16-18 The leaders of the people encouraged Joshua in three ways.

 They would obey him – verse 16, 17.

 They would pray for him – verse 17.

 They would support him – verse 18.

We must encourage our Christian leaders in the same way. If we want God to bless us, we must encourage other people. We must pray for our leaders. We must obey them.

© 1997-2005 Wycliffe Associates (UK)

This publication is written in EasyEnglish Level B (2800 words).

April 2005

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var w0 = new Array;w0[0]=’<b%3EIsraelites</b%3E ~ people from Israel. They are also called Hebrews and Jews.