Sermon Tone Analysis

BOOK OF JOAHUS CHAPTER ONE

Major characters in the passage.

a. Moses

b.

Joshua

c. Israelites.

2. IMPORTANT PASSAGES CORRESPOND TO TO LET THE SCRIPTURE INTERPRET SCRIPTURES

, ; ; ; ; ; ; ; .

Be strong and of good courage was repeated by God again to Joshua.

God has said this to him through Moses before he died.

3. SUMMARIZE YOUR PASSAGE

4. BIBLE COMMENTARY ON THE PASSAGE

NASB-

COMMENTARY

I.

The Invasion of Canaan (1:1–5:12)

A. The commissioning of Joshua (chap. 1)

1. joshua’s listening to the lord (1:1–9)

1:1.

The words, After the death of Moses, link this book with Deuteronomy (cf. ).

Before Moses’ death Joshua was designated his successor (cf.

; ; ).

Joshua had been Moses’ young aide for a number of years (; ; ).

Joshua was from the tribe of Ephraim (), and lived 110 years ().

Joshua may have felt a sense of loneliness, and waited expectantly near the Jordan River to hear the voice of God.

He was not disappointed.

When God’s servants take time to listen, He always communicates.

In the present Age He usually speaks through His written Word.

But in the Old Testament He spoke in dreams by night, in visions by day, through the high priest, and occasionally in an audible voice.

1:2.

In whatever way God communicated with Joshua, the message came through clearly.

Moses God’s servant was dead.

(Interestingly Moses is called “the servant of the Lord” 3 times in [vv. 1, 13, 15; cf.

], and 13 times elsewhere in the Book of Josh.

And at the end of Joshua’s life he too was called “the servant of the Lord” [].)

But though Moses was dead, God’s purpose was quite alive, and Joshua was now the key figure to fulfill God’s program.

His instructions were explicit.

Joshua was to assume immediate command of all the people and lead them across the Jordan River into the land God was about to give to them.

No one can question God’s right to give Canaan to the Israelites for He owns all the earth.

As a psalmist later affirmed, “The earth is the Lord‘s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it” ().

1:3–4.

Though the land was God’s gift to Israel, it could be won only by hard fighting.

The Lord gave them title to the territory but they had to possess it by marching on every part.

The boundaries established by God and promised to Abraham () and Moses () were to extend from the wilderness on the south to the Lebanon mountain range on the north, and from the Euphrates River on the east to the Great Sea, the Mediterranean, on the west.

The added expression, all the Hittite country, probably refers not to the extensive empire of that name north of Canaan but to the fact that in ancient times the whole population of Canaan or any part of it was sometimes called “Hittite” (cf.

).

“Pockets” of Hittite peoples existed here and there in Canaan.

Thirty-eight years earlier Joshua had explored this good and fruitful land as 1 of the 12 spies (; there [] he is called “Hoshea,” a variant spelling of his name).

The memory of its beauty and fertility had not dimmed.

Now he was to lead the armies of Israel to conquer that territory.

What is the extent of these boundaries?

The territory actually conquered and possessed in the time of Joshua was much less than what was promised in .

Even in the time of David and Solomon, when the land reached its greatest extent, the outlying districts were only within Israel’s sphere of influence.

When will the nation of Israel fully possess the land?

The prophets have declared that at the time of Christ’s return to earth He will regather the Jews and reign in the land over a converted and redeemed Israel.

Full and complete possession of the land awaits that day (cf.

; ; ).

1:5.

As Joshua faced the tremendous task of conquering Canaan, he needed a fresh word of encouragement.

From personal observation Joshua knew that the Canaanites and others were vigorous people who lived in strongly fortified cities (cf.

).

Frequent battles kept their warriors in trim fighting condition.

And for the most part the land was mountainous, a fact that would make war maneuvers most difficult.

But when God gives a command He often accompanies it with a promise, so He assured Joshua a lifetime of continuous victory over his enemies, based on His unfailing presence and help.

The words I will never leave you (cf. ) may be rendered, “I will not drop or abandon you.”

God never walks out on His promises.

1:6.

Flowing from this strong affirmation that God would never let Joshua down was God’s threefold call to courage.

First, Joshua was commanded to be strong and courageous (cf.

vv. 7, 9, 18) because of God’s promise of the land.

Strength and fortitude would be required for the strenuous military campaign just ahead, but Joshua was to keep uppermost in his mind the fact that he would succeed in causing Israel to inherit the land because it had been promised to their forefathers, that is, to Abraham (; ; ; ), Isaac (), Jacob (; ), and the entire nation, the seed of Abraham (), as an eternal possession.

And Joshua now at last was to lead the children of Israel into possession of this Promised Land.

What a strategic role he was to play at this crucial time in his nation’s history!

While in any given generation the fulfillment of this great and significant promise depends on Israel’s obedience to God, there can be no question that the Bible affirms her right to the land.

By divine contract the title is hers even though she will not possess it totally and enjoy it fully until she is right with God.

1:7–8.

Second, Joshua was again commanded to be strong and very courageous, being careful to obey all the Law of Moses.

This command is based on God’s power through His Word.

This is a stronger exhortation, indicating that greater strength of character would be required to obey God’s Word faithfully and fully than to win military battles!

The emphasis in these verses is clearly on a written body of truth.

Many critics argue that the Scriptures did not appear in written form until several centuries later but here is a clear reference to an authoritative Book of the Law.

To enjoy prosperity and be … successful in the Conquest of Canaan Joshua was to do three things with regard to the Scriptures: (a) The Law was not to depart from his mouth; he was to talk about it (cf.

); (b) He was to meditate on it day and night, to think about it (cf.

; ); (c) He was to do everything written in it, to obey its commands fully and to act by it (cf.

; ).

Joshua’s life demonstrates that in a practical way he lived according to the teachings of the Law of Moses, the only portion of the Word of God then in written form.

This alone explains the victories he achieved in battle and the success that marked his entire career.

In one of his farewell addresses to the nation just before he died he urged the people to live in submission to the Scriptures ().

Tragically they heeded this charge for only a short time.

In succeeding generations the people of Israel refused to be guided by God’s authoritative revelation, and they all did what they chose (Jud.

21:25).

Rejecting an objective standard of righteousness, they chose a subjective one characterized by moral and spiritual relativism.

This in turn plunged the nation into centuries of religious apostasy and moral anarchy.

1:9.

The third call to courage addressed to Joshua was based on the promise of God’s presence.

This did not minimize the task Joshua faced.

He would encounter giants and fortified cities, but God’s presence would make all the difference.

Joshua probably had times when he felt weak, inadequate, and frightened.

Perhaps he considered resigning before the Conquest even began.

But God knew all about his feelings of personal weakness and fear and told Joshua three times, Be strong and courageous (vv.

6–7, 9; cf.

v. 18).

God also urged him not to be afraid or discouraged (cf.

; ; ).

These charges with their accompanying assurances (God’s promise, God’s power, and God’s presence) were sufficient to last a lifetime.

Believers in all ages can be uplifted by the same three assurances.

2. joshua’s commanding the officers (1:10–15)

The Lord had spoken to Joshua.

Now Joshua was to speak to the people, which he did without delay.

Joshua’s commands had a ring of certainty.

The new leader had taken charge with confidence.

The situation Joshua and the people faced was not easy.

In fact his situation closely paralleled the dilemma Moses and the Israelites encountered at the Red Sea ().

In both cases the obstacle occurred at the beginning of the leaders’ ministries.

Both were impossible to overcome by natural means.