The Fall of Jericho

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Joshua 6:1) Now Jericho was straitly shut up because of the children of Israel; none went out and none came in.

In the last chapter and post, the Israelites had come into their promised land and were camped at Gilgal.  The kings and all their people in the Canaanite lands were terror-stricken because of the Israelites and all the miracles the Lord had wrought for them.  Jericho was nearest the Israelites' camp and where spies had gone to check out the land.  Now the city of Jericho was securely shut so that no one could go in nor go out.  This was surely due to their fear of the Israelites.

(2) And the Lord said to Joshua, "See, I have given into your hand Jericho and its king and the mighty men of valor."

The Lord, who appears to be the Lord Jesus as discovered at the end of the last chapter, spoke to Joshua and told him he could see that Jericho, its king, and its soldiers, had already been delivered into his hand, as was evident by their fear.

(3) "And you shall compass the city, all men of war, and go round about the city once. This you shall do six days."

The Lord told Joshua he and all the Israelite men of war, those of fighting age and fit, were to surround the city of Jericho, and march around the city one time.  They were to do that same thing for six days in a row.

(4) "And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams' horns, and the seventh day you shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets."

The Lord instructed Joshua that seven priests were to go before the ark of the covenant that was carried by other priests.  The seven priests would carry trumpets of rams' horns and blow their trumpets as the army marched around Jericho.  This was to bring attention to and proclaim the Lord represented by the ark was leading His people around Jericho, so there would be no doubt that the Lord Himself performed the coming miracle for His people.  On the seventh day the Israelites were to march around Jericho seven times.  All these sevens, seven priests, seven trumpets, seven days, were surely significant.  In the Bible, seven usually signifies completion and/or perfection.

(5) "And it shall come to pass that when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, when you hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout, and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him."

On the seventh day, after going around Jericho seven times, the priests or one priest, as the horn is singular, would make one long blast, and when they heard that, all the people were to shout with a great shout and the wall of the city would fall down flat.  It probably wasn't the entire wall of the city, so that the inhabitants could not escape, but a section perhaps just large enough for the Israelite army to go up into the city in a procession just as they had been going around the wall of the city.

(6) And Joshua the son of Nun called the priests and said to them, "Take up the ark of the covenant and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the Lord."

Joshua the son of Nun, or Joshua, the understanding one (Joshua 2:1 notes), called the priests and told them to take up the ark of the covenant of the Lord and let seven of them bear trumpets of rams' horns and go before the ark.

(7) And he said to the people, "Pass on and compass the city, and let him who is armed pass on before the ark of the Lord."

Joshua told the people to go forward and encircle the city.  The armed soldiers were to go before the ark probably to clear and make safe the way, then would go the seven priests with trumpets immediately before the ark, and the people would follow the ark.

(8) And it came to pass, when Joshua had spoken to the people, that the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams' horns passed on before the Lord and blew with the trumpets, and the ark of the covenant of the Lord followed them. (9) And the armed men went before the priests who blew with the trumpets, and the rear guard came after the ark while the trumpets went on blowing.

After Joshua spoke to the people, the armed men went out before the ark, followed by the seven priests with their trumpets sounding before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and the rear guard, or assembly, the people, followed the ark, while the trumpets continually blew.

(10) And Joshua had commanded the people, saying, "You shall not shout, nor make any noise with your voice, neither shall a word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I bid you, 'Shout!' Then you shall shout."

Joshua had commanded the people before they started forth that they were not to shout, nor utter any word or make any sound until Joshua gave the order to shout, and only then were they to shout.

(11) So the ark of the Lord compassed the city, going around it once, and they came into the camp and lodged in the camp.

The ark of the Lord carried by the priests who followed the seven priests who followed the army, and with the people following it, went around the walls of the city of Jericho one time, and then returned to their camp where they lodged for the night.

(12) And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the Lord.

The next morning Joshua rose up early, and the priests took up the ark of the Lord, prepared to go around the city for a second time.

(13) And seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the Lord went on continually and blew with the trumpets, and the armed men went before them, but the rear guard came after the ark of the Lord, while the trumpets continually blew.

Then gathered the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets to go before the ark, and the armed men went before them, and the assembly of people making up the rear guard went after the ark, while the trumpets continually blew.

(14) And the second day they compassed the city once and returned to the camp; so they did six days.

That second day the people went around the city walls one time and then returned to their camp.  They did that for six days.

(15) And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they rose early about the dawning of the day and compassed the city after the same manner seven times; only on that day they compassed the city seven times.

Then on the seventh day, the people rose early and went around the city seven times.  That was the only day they had gone around seven times.

(16) And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, "Shout! For the Lord has given you the city!"

Then after the seventh time around, the priests blew one long blast with their trumpets, and Joshua told the people to shout because the Lord had given them the city of Jericho.

(17) "And the city shall be accursed, it and all that are in it, to the Lord; only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all with her in the house because she hid the messengers that we sent."

It's interesting, the original word "cherem" that was translated as "accursed" can mean "cursed or doomed" or "devoted or dedicated to," seemingly opposite meanings.  However, it absolutely describes Jericho at that point.  The city was doomed and completely dedicated to the Lord to do with it as He wished.  Not only the city, but all who were in it, except Rahab and her family within her house, because of the kindness she had shown the spies.

(18) "And you, in any way, keep from the accursed thing, lest you become accursed when you take of the accursed thing and make the camp of Israel a curse and trouble it."

Joshua went on to tell the people that they were to avoid in every way possible the cursed thing of Jericho.  Mainly, that was taking of anything in Jericho that was cursed and bringing it into the Israelite camp to curse and trouble it.

(19) "But all the silver and gold and vessels of brass and iron, consecrated to the Lord, they shall come into the treasury of the Lord."

All the silver and gold, brass and iron, again both cursed and dedicated, were cursed for anyone in Jericho and for any of the Israelites, but they were dedicated only to the Lord to be brought into the treasury of the Lord.

(20) So the people shouted when the long blast of the trumpets blew, and it came to pass when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.

The people did as Joshua told them and they shouted with a great shout when the long blast of the trumpets blew, and the city wall of Jericho fell down flat so that the people went up into the city in a procession, and they were able to take the city.  There was no doubt that God had toppled that wall.  Nothing that the people had done the past seven days should have made that wall fall except that God willed it.  However, He did command obedience from the Israelites to do as He instructed with regard to going around the wall seven days.  He taught them to trust in Him even when it seemed impossible or didn't make sense.  Just trust God.  He taught patience.  God said the wall would fall when they did as He commanded.  If some soldiers had decided that marching around a wall was fruitless and decided they had a chance to go over the wall and catch the enemy unaware, they would have demonstrated lack of faith in God and displayed faith only in themselves, and their actions would have surely failed.  By trusting in their Lord and obeying His word and believing it even though it took time, they were able to take the city.

(21) And they utterly destroyed all in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword.

As God had commanded, the Israelites completely destroyed the city, and every living thing in it, regardless of age or gender, humans and animals alike.  The inhabitants of Canaan were an abominably wicked people and deserved the righteous judgment of God.  The Judge of all the earth can do no wrong, so as this was ordered by Him, you can be sure it was righteous.  If any should worry that innocent children were killed, as God knows all, what was, what will be, and what would have been, you can be sure He is just.  If any children would have grown up innocent, then God took them home to be with Him to escape their life among the heathens.

(22) But Joshua had said to the two men who had spied out the country, "Go into the harlot's house and bring out from there the woman and all that she has, as you swore to her."

However, Rahab and her family were spared because Joshua had told the two spies she had hidden to bring them out of the city, as they had sworn to her they would do.

(23) And the young men who were spies went in and brought out Rahab, and her father, and her mother, and her brethren, and all that she had, and they brought out all her kindred and left them outside the camp of Israel.

The men who had been the spies went in the city and brought out Rahab and her entire family and kinsmen to the outside of their camp.  The entire extended family was saved because of the actions of one woman in their family.  Passages like this have always comforted me.  There are many examples in the Bible, even in the New Testament, that say "you and your household will be saved" (Acts 16:31).  However, we know that to be saved an individual must accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior, but if God said all in the family will be saved, then each individual in that family will come to accept Jesus, I have no doubt.  Jesus said in Matthew 10:34-36 that He had come to set family members against each other.  That is because He would bring truth to one that would be in complete opposition to the beliefs of his family, and we all know how passionate those discussions can become.  However, once again, I believe that if God said your entire family would be saved, then those contentious family members will eventually come around.  But did God tell each of us that our entire household would be saved?  Maybe in some cases He did, but even if in doubt, we should continually pray for our family.  God's will is that all be saved (1 Timothy 2:4), so He will be continually drawing people to Himself.  I can't help but wonder sometimes who it was praying for me that I would eventually come to Jesus.

I had always heard that Rahab even became an ancestor of the Messiah Jesus Christ!  What an honor that one act of faith brought to her.  However, in studying that, I now find that may not be true.  In the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1:5, the name is spelled differently.  That in itself doesn't disqualify it from being the same person as Rahab, as Boaz is also spelled differently in the same verse.  Often in the Bible we find different spellings of the same name and person.  However, this very smart article demonstrates that it cannot be automatically assumed that Rachab in Jesus's genealogy was the same as Rahab the harlot.

(24) And they burnt the city with fire and all that was in it; only the silver and the gold and the vessels of brass and iron they put into the treasury of the house of the Lord.

The Israelites burned the entire city of Jericho and everything that was in it, but they brought all the silver, gold, and brass and iron vessels out of the city and put them into the treasury of the house of the Lord.

(25) And Joshua saved Rahab the harlot alive, and her father's household and all that she had, and she dwells in Israel to this day because she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.

Joshua saved Rahab and all her family and all that she had from the destruction of the city.  She still lived in Israel at the time Joshua wrote this account.  This was due to her one faithful act of hiding God's messengers.  This is another passage that gives me great hope and encouragement.  We don't always have to do huge important things for the kingdom of God, but if we are faithful to do His will, whatever it may be, we shall be blessed.

(26) And Joshua charged at that time, saying, "Cursed the man before the Lord who rises up and builds this city Jericho; he shall lay its foundation in his firstborn, and in his youngest he shall set up its gates."

Joshua then pronounced a curse on anyone who rose up to rebuild Jericho.  He would begin building the foundation at the expense of the life of his firstborn and would lose his youngest as he finished the gates, suggesting that all his children would die along the way if he persisted in rebuilding Jericho.  Indeed, that appears to have happened as recorded in 1 Kings 16:34:  

In his days Hiel of Bethel built Jericho. He laid its foundation with Abiram his firstborn, and with his youngest son Segub he set up its gates, according to the word of the LORD, which He had spoken through Joshua the son of Nun.

(27) So the Lord was with Joshua, and his fame was throughout the country.

The Lord was with Joshua as He had been with Moses because of his faith and obedience, and his fame spread throughout the country because of his wisdom and courage, and for the knowledge that the all-powerful God of the universe was with him, and that struck terror in the inhabitants of the land.

A New Generation is Circumcised, and the Captain of the Lord's Host Appears to Joshua

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Joshua 5:1) And it came to pass when all the kings of the Amorites who were on the side of the Jordan westward and all the kings of the Canaanites who were by the sea heard that the Lord had dried up the waters of the Jordan from before the children of Israel until we had passed over, that their heart melted; neither was there spirit in them anymore because of the children of Israel.

In the last chapter and post, the children of Israel, having crossed over the Jordan on dry land, placed twelve memorial stones commemorating the miracle their God had performed for them.  When the kings of the Amorites on this west side of the Jordan (the Amorites having already been conquered on the east side) and the kings of the Canaanites who were by the sea, probably the Mediterranean Sea, heard about how the Lord had dried up the waters of the Jordan River to allow the Israelites to safely cross over, they lost all courage and were completely dejected, concluding it was surely all over for them as they could do nothing against so powerful a God.

(2) At that time the Lord said to Joshua, "Make you sharp knives and circumcise again the children of Israel the second time."

After they had crossed over the Jordan River and were encamped at Gilgal, the Lord told Joshua to make sharp knives and circumcise the children of Israel again.  The original word "tsor" that was translated as "sharp" actually means "stone," so he was to make knives of stone or flint, and I'm sure they were to be made sharp as he was to perform circumcisions a second time.  It's not that the people who had been circumcised the first time would need another circumcision, but most of these people had not yet been circumcised, probably it being neglected while they were in the wilderness, so that is what is meant by a second time.

(3) And Joshua made him sharp knives and circumcised the children of Israel at the hill of the foreskins.

Joshua did as the Lord instructed him and made flint knives and circumcised those children of Israel who were not yet circumcised.  The place was evidently afterward called the hill of the foreskins, possibly because a hill of foreskins was made there as they were heaped one upon another.

(4) And this is the reason why Joshua circumcised them: all the people who came out of Egypt, males, all the men of war, died in the wilderness on the way after they came out of Egypt. (5) Now all the people who came out were circumcised, but all the people born in the wilderness on the way as they came out of Egypt had not been circumcised.

Indeed, Joshua explained why a second circumcision was necessary.  All the men who came out of Egypt had been circumcised, but as they had wandered in the wilderness for forty years, those men had died and a whole new generation had been born, and those had not yet been circumcised.

(6) For the children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness till all the people, men of war, who came out of Egypt were consumed because they did not obey the voice of the Lord, to whom the Lord swore that He would not show them the land which the Lord swore to their fathers that He would give us, a land that flowed with milk and honey.

And the reason why the Israelites had to wander in the wilderness for forty years was because they did not have faith in the Lord and disobeyed Him when they would not go into their promised land and take what He had given them, after ten of the twelve spies came to the people with a bad and scary report of the inhabitants of the land.  The Lord said that none of the people then living twenty years old and older would be allowed to enter their promised land, but they would die in the wilderness (Numbers 14:32-34).  Only Joshua and Caleb, who trusted the Lord and gave good reports of their promised land, were allowed to live and see their inheritance.

(7) And their children whom He raised up in their stead, those Joshua circumcised, for they were uncircumcised because they had not circumcised them on the way.

The children of the nonbelievers whom God raised up to replace their fathers and accept the Lord's gift to them, those Joshua circumcised as they had not been circumcised while they wandered in the wilderness.

(8) And it came to pass, when they had done circumcising all the people, that they abode in their places in the camp till they were healed.

After all the circumcisions were performed, the people stayed in their camp until they were all healed.

(9) And the Lord said to Joshua, "This day I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you." Wherefore the name of the place is called Gilgal unto this day.

The Lord then said to Joshua that the reproach of Egypt, that is the reproach of the uncircumcised heathens, had been rolled away from the Israelites.  It appears that this was the time when the place was first named Gilgal which meant wheel, as one rolling away.

(10) And the children of Israel camped in Gilgal and kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month at evening in the plains of Jericho.

The Israelites camped in Gilgal in the plains of Jericho, and on the fourteenth day of the month they celebrated the Passover, according to one of the statutes of the Lord that Moses told the people they were to observe when they came into their promised land (Deuteronomy 12:1, 16:1).

(11) And they ate of the old corn of the land on the day after the Passover, unleavened cakes and parched grain on the very same day.

The day after the Passover, the people ate corn of the past year's harvest that was in the land, as well as unleavened cakes and parched grain.

(12) And the manna ceased on the day after they had eaten of the old corn of the land; neither did the children of Israel have manna anymore, but they ate of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year.

Manna, God's food from heaven, ceased on the day after the Israelites had eaten of the old harvest of the land, and they never had manna again as there was no need because they ate of the fruit of the land of Canaan.

(13) And it came to pass when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, there stood a man opposite him with his sword drawn in his hand, and Joshua went to him and said to him, "Are you for us or for our adversaries?"

It happened that while Joshua was standing at the border of Jericho that he looked up and saw a man with his sword drawn in his hand.  Joshua went to him and because of his warlike posture, asked if he was for the Israelites or for their enemies.

(14) And He said, "No, but as Captain of the host of the Lord, I have now come." And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and worshiped, and said to Him, "What does my Lord say to His servant?"

The man said no, that He was Captain of the angelic host of the Lord.  The commentaries that I study have convinced me that this was the Lord Jesus Himself.  He was captain of all.  Joshua fell on his face and worshiped Him, which a mere angel would have forbidden him to do (Revelation 22:8-9, Matthew 4:9-10).  Joshua seems to have acknowledged Him as His Lord in human form when he called himself His servant and asked what He wished him to do.  Although I have to admit, that since the King James Version never capitalized the pronouns of the Lord, Joshua could have been asking an angel, a representative of the Lord, what message His Lord was sending to him.  But again, since the Man did not rebuke Joshua for worshiping Him, it does appear that He was the Lord Jesus.

(15) And the Captain of the Lord's host said to Joshua, "Loosen your shoe from off your foot, for the place on which you stand is holy." And Joshua did so.

Indeed, the Captain of the Lord's host told Joshua to remove his shoes for he was standing on holy ground, another indication that he was in the presence of the Lord Jesus Himself.  Joshua did as He told him.  The Lord appearing before Joshua would have served as a great encouragement to him, and therefore, to the people of Israel.  After all, the Lord stopping the manna may have looked as if He was withdrawing His help from His people, but by sending Jesus Himself, He showed that He Himself was leading the people to their victory, and they had nothing to fear.

The Twelve Memorial Stones from the Jordan

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Joshua 4:1) And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over Jordan, that the Lord spoke to Joshua, saying,

In chapter 3 of Joshua, the Lord had dried up the Jordan River so that His people could pass over into their promised land.  Now that all the people were completely across the Jordan, the Lord spoke to Joshua. 

(2) "Take you twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man."

In Joshua 3:12, Joshua had instructed the people to select one man from each of their tribes, twelve men in all, but it was not told to us why.  Now the Lord told Joshua to call those twelve men.

(3) "And command them, saying, 'Take out of the midst of the Jordan, out of the place where the priests' feet stood firm, twelve stones, and you shall carry them over with you and leave them in the lodging place where you shall lodge tonight.'"

The Lord told Joshua to command the twelve men to go back to the place where the priests' feet had stood and collect twelve stones, each man a stone, and carry them to the place where they would lodge for the night.

(4) Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man.

Joshua called the twelve men whom he had already prepared in Joshua 3:12; there was one man from each of the twelve tribes.

(5) And Joshua said to them, "Pass over before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of Jordan and take up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel."

Joshua told the men to pass over before the ark in the midst of the Jordan River.  Many commentators took this to mean they were to go back to where the priests were still standing in the Jordan; they were to pass over the Jordan to right before the ark.  To me it sounds as if the priests had already crossed over with the people, and the twelve men were to pass by the ark and go into the midst of the river where the priests' feet had stood, as God had used that past tense in verse 3, not where they were standing at that present time.  Regardless, the twelve men were to take up twelve stones from the place where the priests had stood bearing the ark of the covenant of the Lord, each man a stone, bearing it on his shoulder, according to the number of tribes of the Israelites.

(6) "That this may be a sign among you when your children ask in time to come, saying, 'What do you mean by these stones?'"

The twelve stones were to be placed on this side of the Jordan, the side of their promised land, and they were to be a sign in times to come that would have their children asking what was meant by the stones.

(7) "Then you shall answer them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off, and these stones shall be for a memorial to the children of Israel forever."

When their children asked about the meaning of the stones, they would tell them about how the waters of the Jordan River had been cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord.  Those stones would be an everlasting memorial of how the waters had been cut off from that area where the ark stood where the people crossed over.

(8) And the children of Israel did so and took up twelve stones out of the midst of the Jordan, as the Lord spoke to Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, and carried them over with them to the place where they lodged and laid them down there.

The people did as Joshua had told them to do, as commanded by God.  They had a man from each of their tribes go to the place where the ark had stood while the people crossed over the Jordan River, and each man took up a stone and carried it back over the Jordan to the place where they would lodge that night, and they laid the stones there, one stone representing each tribe of Israel, twelve stones in all.

(9) And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of the Jordan in the place where the feet of the priests who bore the ark of the covenant stood, and they are there to this day.

It appears that Joshua took another twelve stones and set them up in the place in the Jordan River where the priests had stood bearing the ark, as a memorial to the exact spot, and they were still there at the time Joshua wrote this account which was evidently some time afterward.

(10) For the priests who bore the ark stood in the midst of the Jordan until everything was finished that the Lord commanded Joshua to speak to the people, according to all that Moses commanded Joshua, and the people hasted and passed over.

This is a rather difficult verse, but I believe it refers only to the priests standing in the midst of the Jordan until all the people passed over the river, as Moses had not commanded Joshua anything about the setting of the stones.  I believe it must be the general commandment that Joshua would lead the people over the Jordan into their promised land.  While the priests stood in the midst of the Jordan, and the waters were cut off, the people hurried across the river to their promised land.

(11) And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over, that the ark of the Lord passed over, and the priests, in the presence of the people.

Once the people had completely crossed over the Jordan River, then the priests bearing the ark of the covenant crossed over in the presence and sight of all the people.

(12) And the children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh, passed over armed before the children of Israel, as Moses spoke to them.

The men of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh who were settled on the other side of the Jordan, also crossed over the Jordan River, armed and ready for battle, as they had promised Moses they would do (Numbers 32:17).

(13) About forty thousand prepared for war passed over before the Lord to battle, to the plains of Jericho.

40,000 men from those two and a half tribes crossed over the Jordan, prepared for battle with their brethren, to the plains of Jericho.

(14) On that day the Lord magnified Joshua in the sight of all Israel, and they feared him as they feared Moses all the days of his life.

On that day the Lord had magnified Joshua, making him great and honorable in the sight of the Israelites, and the people respected and reverenced him all the days of his life as they had done Moses.

(15) And the Lord spoke to Joshua, saying, (16) "Command the priests who bear the ark of the testimony that they come up out of the Jordan."

Joshua didn't write very smoothly in a clean order, as he already told us in verse 11 that after all the people had crossed over the Jordan, the priests bearing the ark crossed over.  Here he told us that the Lord Himself had told him to command the priests to come out of the Jordan after the people had passed over.

(17) Joshua therefore commanded the priests, saying, "Come up out of the Jordan."

Joshua did as the Lord instructed him and told the priests to come up out of the Jordan River.

(18) And it came to pass, when the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord had come up out of the midst of the Jordan, and the soles of the priests' feet were lifted up onto the dry land, that the waters of Jordan returned to their place and flowed over all its banks as before.

Once the priests carrying the ark stepped onto dry land on the other side of the Jordan River, the waters of the river began flowing downstream again and flowed over its riverbanks as it had before.

(19) And the people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth of the first month and camped in Gilgal on the east border of Jericho.

The people had crossed over the Jordan River into their promised land on the tenth day of their first month, Nissan or Abib, as it was called; from the time of the people's exodus from Egypt, it was appointed the first month of the year (Exodus 12:2).  Now was their new beginning in their promised land in the first month of the year.  They camped in Gilgal on the east border of Jericho.

(20) And those twelve stones which they took out of the Jordan, Joshua pitched in Gilgal.

Joshua set up the twelve stones that the twelve men had taken out of the Jordan River there at their encampment as a memorial of their passage over the Jordan into their promised land.

(21) And he spoke to the children of Israel, saying, "When your children shall ask their fathers in time to come, saying, 'What are these stones?' (22) Then you shall let your children know, saying, 'Israel came over this Jordan on dry land.'" 

As Joshua had already told the people when he instructed them regarding the twelve stones in verses 6 and 7, the stones were to be commemorative and a visual sign that might prompt their children to ask what they meant, and they could then tell them the story about how the Lord dried up the Jordan River to allow them to cross safely into their promised land.

(23) "For the Lord your God dried up the waters of Jordan from before you until you were passed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea which He dried up from before us until we were gone over, (24) That all the people of the earth might know the hand of the Lord, that it is mighty, that you might fear the Lord your God forever."

The way this is worded, describing how the Lord dried up the waters from before you, this appears to be directed to the people who had just crossed over the Jordan, and not part of what they would tell their children when they asked about the stones.  Joshua reminded the people that the Lord had just done for them what He had done in the days of Moses when He parted the Red Sea to allow their safe escape from Egypt, and that He had done these things that all the people of the earth would know the power of the one true God, and that they themselves would always remember and respect and fear their Lord forever.

The words of Adam Clarke, in his Commentary on the Bible, really struck me, especially one part.  In general, he wrote of how important it was to pass down the things of God to the next generation and that it was God's will that we do that.  That has kept the Bible alive in all the earth for thousands of years.  It's a vital part of how we raise our children, teaching them knowledge and truth.  "A spirit of inquiry is common to every child: the human heart is ever panting after knowledge; and if not rightly directed when young, will, like that of our first mother, go astray after forbidden science."  I can't help but think about the forbidden science our world is going after in this day, science that says people can change their genders and artificial intelligence that men seek after to make them immortal and as gods.  As a society, we have neglected to teach the truths of God.  As a matter of fact, we have forcibly pushed God out of schools and the public square.  It's no wonder so many follow after forbidden science, only the things that God Himself has control over.  After all, there is no wisdom apart from God (Proverbs 21:30).

The Earth Trembles at the Presence of the Lord

I am following a chronological Bible study that was ordered by Skip Andrews.  Although this psalm may or may not have been written at this time in chronology, it does speak of the miracle at the Jordan River which was detailed in Joshua 3 in the last post.  God dried up the Jordan River for His people to cross over it into their promised land.  Continuing with the chronological study:

(Psalm 114:1) When Israel went out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of strange language, (2) Judah was his sanctuary, Israel His dominion.

The psalmist began by telling of God's people Israel, the house of Jacob, coming out of Egypt, out of a foreign country of people of foreign language and customs, into Judah, or Israel, their promised land, their sanctuary given them by the Lord.  Because the King James Version never used capital letters when describing Him, the Lord, it's hard to know whether "his" in verse 2 above means Israel or the Lord.  Different translations of the Bible translated it different ways.  Certainly their promised land was the Israelites' sanctuary and a country of their own dominion, not under the control of another country.  However, it could also be considered the Lord's sanctuary where His temple would stand, and His people Israel were certainly under His dominion.

(3) The sea saw and fled; Jordan was driven back.

Describing the Red Sea as having human characteristics, that it saw the will of God and fled, demonstrated how all things were and are subject to the will of God.  The Jordan River was also driven back by the will of God to allow His people to cross over into their promised land.

(4) The mountains skipped like rams, the little hills like lambs.

Even the mountains moved according to God's will and quaked at His presence as Mount Sinai did when the Lord descended upon it to give the law in Exodus 19:18.  As the mountains were described as moving greatly like great skipping rams, the smaller hills were described as moving in smaller skips as smaller lambs.

(5) What ailed you, O sea, that you fled? You Jordan, that you were driven back?

The psalmist asked what could have been the matter with the sea that it fled in such haste.  What caused the Jordan River to be driven back?

(6) You mountains, that you skipped like rams, you little hills like lambs?

What caused mountains and hills to skip like rams and lambs?  

(7) Tremble, you earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob, (8) Who turned the rock into a standing water, the flint into a fountain of waters!

All the people of the earth and the earth itself should tremble at the presence of so almighty a God as the God of Israel!  The God who could part the seas and make mountains quake, also turned rocks into fountains of water, a continual supply of water (Exodus 17:6).  How awesome and terrible to His enemies, the inhabitants of Canaan, was Israel's God, that even the earth itself quaked at His presence and did as He commanded?

Israel Crosses the Jordan

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Joshua 3:1) And Joshua rose early in the morning, and they removed from Shittim and came to Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over.

In the last chapter, Joshua had sent two spies into their promised land to check out the land around Jericho.  Rahab hid and protected them and told them that her entire country feared the terror of Israel.  The two spies went back to Joshua and told him that and that they were confident the Lord had delivered that land into their hands.  Joshua rose up the next morning and moved the Israelite camp to the Jordan River where they would soon cross over into their promised land.

(2) And it came to pass after three days that the officers went through the camp, (3) And they commanded the people, saying, "When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God and the priests the Levites bearing it, then you shall remove from your place and go after it."

After three days officers went through the camp telling the people that when they saw the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of the Lord coming through, they were to follow it.

(4) "Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure; do not come near to it, that you may know the way by which you must go, for you have not passed this way before."

The people were to follow after the priests carrying the ark, but there was to remain a distance of about two thousand cubits, which was a good distance of about a thousand yards, between them and the ark.  But they were to follow after it for it would lead them the way they were to go, as they were about to embark on territory they had never been in before.

(5) And Joshua said to the people, "Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you."

Joshua told the people to sanctify themselves, both in body and in soul, by washing and in prayer and repentance, because the next day the Lord was going to do wonders among them.

(6) And Joshua spoke to the priests, saying, "Take up the ark of the covenant and pass over before the people." And they took up the ark of the covenant and went before the people.

This appears to be the next day when Joshua told the priests to take up the ark of the covenant and go forth ahead of the people, and they did as he instructed.

(7) And the Lord said to Joshua, "This day I will begin to magnify you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that as I was with Moses, I will be with you."

The Lord told Joshua that that very day He was going to magnify him in the sight of the Israelites so that they would know that He was with Joshua in the same way He had been with Moses.  

(8) "And you shall command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, saying, 'When you have come to the brink of the water of Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.'"

The Lord told Joshua to command the priests carrying the ark of the covenant that when they had come to the edge of the Jordan River's waters, they were to stop and stand still in the water at the edge of the river.

(9) And Joshua said to the children of Israel, "Come here and hear the words of the Lord your God."

Joshua then called the Israelites to come to attention around him to hear the words of their Lord.

(10) And Joshua said, "By this you shall know that the living God is among you, and He will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Hivites, and the Perizzites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Jebusites."

Joshua told the people that by what they were about to see their God do, they would be assured that He was with them, even there among them, and that He would without fail drive out all the seven tribes that inhabited their promised land from before them.

(11) "Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passes over before you into the Jordan."

He told the people to take notice that the ark of the covenant of the Lord, not just their Lord, but the one true Lord of all the earth, was passing before them into the Jordan River.

(12) "Now therefore, you take twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, out of every tribe a man."

Joshua instructed the people to select twelve men, one from each tribe.  It is not told to us here why they were selected, but they were appointed for a certain work described in chapter 4 of Joshua.

(13) "And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, the waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come from upstream, and they shall stand up as a heap."

Joshua told the people that as soon as the feet of the priests carrying the ark stopped in the waters of the Jordan River, signifying that it was the Lord Himself when His ark reached the river, the waters of the Jordan would be cut off from the waters flowing from upstream and they would stand still in walls on each side.  God would perform the same miracle for Joshua at the Jordan River that He did for Moses when He parted the Red Sea; thus, He would magnify Joshua in the sight of the Israelites, demonstrating that He was with Joshua just as He had been with Moses (v. 7).

(14) And it came to pass, when the people removed from their tents to pass over Jordan, and the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people, (15) And as they who bore the ark came to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests who bore the ark were dipped in the brim of the water (for Jordan overflows all its banks all the time of harvest), (16) That the waters which came down from upstream stood risen up on a heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan, and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, the Salt Sea, failed, cut off, and the people passed over right opposite Jericho.

The people left their tents to follow the priests carrying the ark about 1000 yards behind them.  As soon as the priests who bore the ark reached the water of the Jordan River which had overflown its banks and they stepped into that water, the waters which came from upstream stopped flowing and stood still in big heaps or as walls on either side.  I believe the sense about being very far from the city of Adam which was next to Zaretan was just to indicate that the waters stopped from very far upstream and all the waters that normally flowed down below where the priests then stood were cut off, and the people were able to cross over the Jordan River directly opposite Jericho.

(17) And the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground until all the people were passed clean over the Jordan.

It strikes me that it must have been a very wide path made in the middle of the Jordan River for all the people to pass by the priests bearing the ark of the covenant if they were to stay 1000 yards away from the ark.  The priests stood firm where they were until all the people were completely crossed over the Jordan River.  It was as if it was God present with His ark and He kept the waters at bay while the people passed.  Of course, it was God holding back the waters, but I picture Him at His ark in the middle of the Jordan and the waters had to stay back from Him until all His people passed and He then let them flow again.

It is no wonder the inhabitants of Canaan fainted with fear of the Israelites.  Imagine this sight of them coming into their land and them having no doubt that it was their God in the middle of the Jordan stopping all the waters from flowing and heaping them up on the sides to allow all those people to cross over on dry land.  I had not considered this, but Adam Clarke, in his Commentary on the Bible, wrote that in some respects, this passage over the dry Jordan was more miraculous than the parting of the Red Sea.  With the Red Sea, God caused an east wind to blow all night that caused the waters to separate and make dry land (Exodus 14:21).  This striking miracle at the Jordan could never be explained by any natural means.  There was absolutely no doubt that it was only by the hand of the one true God of the universe, the God of the Israelites.

Rahab Hides the Israelite Spies

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Joshua 2:1) And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men to spy secretly, saying, "Go view the land, even Jericho." And they went and came into a harlot's house, named Rahab, and lodged there.

In the first chapter of Joshua in the last post, God had commissioned Joshua to take over in the place of Moses to lead the people into their promised land.  The first thing that comes to mind in this, the beginning of chapter 2, is the fact that Joshua is always called the son of Nun, as if Nun was a very important person.  However, I can find nothing that Nun did other than to father Joshua.  He is mentioned 29 times in the Bible, but always "Joshua, the son of Nun."  When would Joshua become important enough in his own right that "son of Nun" could be dropped?  I found a fascinating possible answer on this page:  Why is Joshua referred to in the Torah as “bin” Nun?  It seems that most of the time when someone was referred to as the son of someone, it was written as "ben."  The author of this page wrote that the Torah actually had the word as "bin" with Joshua and suggested that the words were not meant to be "bin Nun," but "binnun," a form of the word "binah" which meant something to the effect of "the understanding one."  Indeed, Joshua seems to have been an excellent student who would not depart from the tabernacle, even after Moses left (Exodus 33:11).  Therefore, this would have been a sort of new name given to Joshua, as the Lord often renamed His servants, Jacob to Israel, Simon to Peter, etc.  And as Judas Iscariot was almost always referred to as the one who betrayed Jesus, and James and John were the sons of thunder, this was Joshua, the understanding one.

Now back to commentary on Joshua 2:1, Joshua sent out two spies from their camp in Shittim in the plains of Moab, telling them to secretly check out the land, especially the land around Jericho.  The two spies went into the land and found lodging at Rahab the harlot's house.

(2) And it was told the king of Jericho, saying, "Behold, there came men here tonight of the children of Israel to search out the country."

It was told to the king of Jericho that men from the Israelites had come into their land that night to search out their country.

(3) And the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying, "Bring forth the men that have come to you, who have entered into your house, for they have come to search out all the country."

It was evidently specifically told to the king that the Israelite men were lodging at Rahab's house, as he sent word to her to bring the men to him because he knew they had come to search out their country.

(4) And the woman took the two men and hid them, and said, "There came men to me, but I knew not where they were from."

However, Rahab hid the two Israelite spies and reported back to the king that men had come to her, but she didn't know where they had come from.  I find it interesting that most of the old commentators I study, John Wesley, Albert Barnes, Matthew Henry, Adam Clarke, and John Gill, made a big deal of Rahab lying, writing that lying was never justified.  I hope that it's not me trying to justify a sin, but I honestly don't read, "Never tell a lie" in the Ten Commandments.  The ninth commandment says, "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor."  You don't tell a lie about someone that will hurt them.  You don't falsely accuse them of something.  Rahab's lie helped the men.  In Hebrews 11:31, Rahab is honored for her act of faith, and there is no caveat that her unjust lie was forgiven her.  I admit that there are other scriptures that specifically say, "Do not lie" (Colossians 3:9, Leviticus 19:11, Proverbs 6:16-17, and others).  However, most of these refer to cheating and defrauding people.  I concede that telling insignificant lies that don't appear to hurt anyone might lead one down a slippery slope of telling lies more easily, so they should always be avoided.  However, as Peter and the apostles said in Acts 5:29, "We ought to obey God rather than men."  Certainly, when we are called to do or say something against God, we are to obey God even if that requires lying.  My point is not to condone lying, but I don't see that lying to the enemies of God to protect His men should be called out as an evil that had to be forgiven.  As a heathen and a harlot, Rahab surely must have been led by the Spirit of God to protect the men.  So was her lying to save them really an evil sin?

(5) "And it came to pass at the shutting of the gate, when it was dark, that the men went out; where the men went, I do not know; pursue after them quickly, for you shall overtake them."

Rahab went on to tell the men looking for the Israelite spies, that when it was dark, the spies left her house, and she did not know where they had gone.  She encouraged them to pursue them quickly, as they might be able to overtake them, but of course, she was still lying and knew that was not the case.

(6) But she had brought them up to the roof of the house and hid them with the stalks of flax which she had laid in order on the roof.

Rahab had actually brought the spies up to the roof of her house and had hidden them under stalks of flax that she had laid on her roof, probably to dry them.

(7) And the men pursued after them the way to Jordan to the fords, and as soon as they who pursued after them were gone out, they shut the gate.

The men went out to the fords of the Jordan, assuming the spies had gone that way back to their camp.  Verse 5 spoke of the shutting of the gate, but apparently Rahab had meant that it was the time for the shutting of the city gate, but it actually wasn't shut until the men pursuing the spies had gone out of it.

(8) And before they lay down, she came up to them on the roof, (9) And she said to the men, "I know that the Lord has given you the land and that your terror has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you."

Before the spies had lain down under the flax, probably meaning to go to sleep, as they were already hiding under the flax, Rahab had gone up to the roof to talk to them.  She said that she knew the Lord had given them their land, which would appear to be a divine revelation to her.  She knew God's people were a formidable people who struck terror in the hearts of the inhabitants of their land.

(10) "For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites on the other side of the Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed."

Rahab told the spies that she and her people had heard how the Lord had dried up the Red Sea to allow His people to escape from the Egyptians, as well as how they had completely destroyed the Amorites and their kings.

(11) "And as soon as we had heard, our hearts melted; neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you, for the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath."

Rahab said that when she and her people had heard what God was doing for the Israelites, their countrymen melted in fear and had no courage.  Whether others did or not, Rahab herself realized that the Israelites' God must be the one true God of heaven and earth.  I still believe there was some divine revelation to Rahab to have her come to this conclusion about their God.

(12) "Now therefore, I pray you, swear to me by the Lord, since I have shown you kindness, that you will also show kindness to my father's house and give me a true token, (13) And you will save alive my father, and my mother, and my brethren, and my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death."

Rahab asked the spies to swear to her that since she had done a great kindness to them in hiding them from their enemies, that they would in return show kindness to her and her father's house.  She asked for some sort of token that would assure her that her entire family would be spared from death.

(14) And the men answered her, "Our life for yours if you do not utter this business of ours. And it shall be, when the Lord has given us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with you."

The spies pledged their lives for hers as long as she (and her family) did not discuss this arrangement with her to anyone else.  Rahab had done what she did because she had faith in the one true God of the spies.  They could not have people trying to mimic Rahab's actions just to save themselves, so she must keep their agreement to herself.  They assured her that when the Lord had given them their land, they would indeed deal kindly and truly with Rahab and her family.

(15) Then she let them down by a cord through the window, for her house was on the town wall, and she dwelt upon the wall.

Rahab's house was on the town wall.  Perhaps the back wall of her house was part of the town wall which made it possible for escape even though the town gates were shut.  Rahab let the spies down by a cord through a window on the town wall.

(16) And she said to them, "Get to the mountain, lest the pursuers meet you, and hide yourselves there three days until the pursuers have returned, and afterward you may go your way."

Rahab told the spies to go to a mountain that was obviously near the city and hide themselves there so that their pursuers would not meet them on their way back from the fords.  She advised them that they stay in the mountain for three days to be sure the pursuers had returned, and then they could go on their way.

(17) And the men said to her, "We are blameless of this your oath which you have made us swear."

I believe what the spies meant to say to Rahab was that they would indeed faithfully adhere to the oath they made with her, and in that way they would be blameless, providing she upheld her part of the oath and did not tell a soul about their agreement (v. 14) and that she would do the following:

(18) "Behold, when we come into the land, you shall bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which you let us down by, and you shall bring your father, and your mother, and your brethren, and all your father's household, home to you."

The spies told Rahab that when they came back into her land to conquer it, she was to take a scarlet cord, probably the one by which she had let them down, and hang it in the window, the same one by which she had let them down, and bring all her father's family into her home.

(19) "And it shall be, whoever shall go out of the doors of your house into the street, his blood be on his head and we guiltless, and whoever shall be with you in the house, his blood be on our head if any hand be on him."

The spies went on to tell Rahab that as long as every member of her family stayed inside her house, they would be safe.  However, if any of them went outside her house, it would be their own fault when their blood was spilled, but if anyone within her house was harmed, their blood would be on the heads of the spies for not upholding their oath.

(20) "And if you utter this our business, then we will be quit of your oath which you have made us to swear."

The spies reiterated the fact that Rahab must not utter a word about their agreement, or they would not be bound by their oath.

(21) And she said, "According to your words, so be it." And she sent them away, and they departed. And she bound the scarlet line in the window.

Rahab agreed that she would do as the men said, and she sent them away.  She then went ahead and immediately bound the scarlet cord to her window.

(22) And they went and came to the mountain and abode there three days, until the pursuers were returned. And the pursuers sought them throughout all the way but did not find them.

The spies went to the mountain as Rahab had directed them and stayed there three days until the pursuers returned from searching for the spies throughout all the way from Jericho to the Jordan and back again.  They did not find them, of course, because Rahab had hidden them and then directed that they hide in the mountain.

(23) So the two men returned and descended from the mountain and passed over and came to Joshua the son of Nun and told him all that befell them.

After the three days, the men descended from the mountain, passed back over the Jordan River, and returned to Joshua, where they told him everything that had happened to them.

(24) And they said to Joshua, "Truly the Lord has delivered into our hands all the land, for even all the inhabitants of the country faint because of us."

Unlike the spies Moses sent to search out the land of Canaan back in Numbers 13, who reported that they would be unable to go against the people of Canaan, these two spies were confident that their Lord had delivered the land to them because of Rahab's report that their whole country was terrorized and in fear because of the Israelites.  Whereas the spies of Moses did not have faith enough to trust the word of their Lord that they should go in and possess their land He had given them, these two spies had no need to see or hear anymore, but trusted that God had indeed delivered the land to them.

God Commissions Joshua to Succeed Moses

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Joshua 1:1) Now after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, it came to pass that the Lord spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses's minister, saying, 

After an interlude of psalms, I return to a chronological order of Bible events.  Moses had died and was buried at the end of Deuteronomy.  After his death, the Lord spoke to Joshua, Moses's minister or assistant.

(2) "Moses My servant is dead; now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you, and all this people, to the land which I give to them, to the children of Israel."

The Lord told Joshua that as His servant Moses was dead, Joshua was to lead the people of Israel over the Jordan River and into their promised land.

(3) "Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given to you, as I said to Moses. (4) From the wilderness and this Lebanon even to the great river, the River Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and to the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast."

The Lord told Joshua that every place his foot was about to tread upon He had given to them, from the Wilderness of Zin in the south to the Lebanon mountains in the north to the River Euphrates in the east, all of the land of Canaan, to the Mediterranean Sea in the west.  This is the best map I could find, labelling three of the four boundaries God mentioned:

(5) "There shall not any man be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you."

Imagine getting such a personal promise from God!  He told Joshua that no man would be able to stand against him all the days of his life.  As He had been with Moses, He promised to be with Joshua, to advise, guide, and protect him, and bring him success.  He promised to never fail or forsake him.

(6) "Be strong and of a good courage, for to this people you shall divide for an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them."

The Lord told Joshua to be strong and have good courage, for he was going to take possession of the land the Lord had promised to the Israelites' forefathers, and he would divide it among them.

(7) "Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or the left, that you may prosper wherever you go."

However, to be assured of God's promise to him, he was to be strong and very courageous in upholding the law which Moses had handed down to the people.  God told him not to veer away from the law so that he might prosper wherever he went.

(8) "This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it, for then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall have good success."

The Lord told Joshua His book of the law was to be with Joshua continually.  He was to read it, recite it, and speak it.  He was to meditate on it day and night that he might act according to it and that would make his way prosperous and successful.

(9) "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of a good courage; do not be afraid nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

The Lord repeated His command to Joshua that he be strong and of good courage.  He told him not to be afraid or dismayed of what might come his way as he went forward, for the Lord would be with him wherever he went.

(10) Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying, (11) "Pass through the camp and command the people, saying, 'Prepare provisions, for within three days you shall pass over this Jordan to go in to possess the land which the Lord your God gives you to possess it.'"

Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people to go through the camp and tell all the people to prepare provisions for themselves because within three days they would pass over the Jordan River to go in and possess the land that the Lord was giving them.

(12) And to the Reubenites and to the Gadites and to half the tribe of Manasseh, Joshua spoke, saying, (13) "Remember the word which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, saying, 'The Lord your God has given you rest and has given you this land.'"

Then Joshua spoke to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh, reminding them that Moses had told them in Numbers 32:29 that the Lord would give them the land and rest on that side of the Jordan River if they would agree to send their men into battle with their brethren when they crossed over to their promised land.

(14) "Your wives, your little ones, and your cattle, shall remain in the land which Moses gave you on this side of the Jordan, but you shall pass before your brethren armed, all the mighty men of valor, and help them, (15) Until the Lord has given your brethren rest, as you, and they also have possessed the land which the Lord your God gives them; then you shall return to the land of your possession and enjoy it, which Moses, the Lord's servant, gave you on this side of the Jordan toward the sunrising."

Indeed, Joshua went on to remind the two and a half tribes that their wives, children, and livestock, could remain in the land Moses had agreed to give them on their present side of the Jordan River, but their fighting age men were to go into the promised land on the other side of the Jordan to help the other tribes conquer the land until the time the Lord gave them rest from their battles.  Then their brothers could also have rest in their land as the two and a half tribes had in theirs, and they could then return to their land and enjoy it.

(16) And they answered Joshua, saying, "All that you command us, we will do, and wherever you send us, we will go."

The tribes of Reuben and Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh agreed and told Joshua they would do whatever he commanded and would go wherever he sent them.

(17) "According as we hearkened to Moses in all things, so we will hearken to you; only the Lord your God be with you as He was with Moses."

The two and a half tribes told Joshua that just as they listened to and obeyed Moses, they would obey Joshua, as long as the Lord was with him just as He was with Moses.  I don't believe they meant that as a condition for their obedience, as if they would judge whether or not God was with Joshua, but rather it was a desire and a prayer that He would be with Joshua just as He had been with Moses.

(18) "Whoever rebels against your commandment and will not hearken to your words in all that you command him, he shall be put to death; only be strong and of a good courage."

They assured Joshua that if any man refused to do as Joshua commanded and would not go over the Jordan to fight with his brethren. he would be put to death.  They encouraged Joshua to be strong and of a good courage.  Adam Clarke, in his Commentary on the Bible, reminded his readers that the people's fathers had at one time rejected Moses's authority and mutinied against him and even attempted to stone Joshua to death (Numbers 14:4-10).  However, they now assured Joshua they would heed his commands, and anyone who didn't would be put to death.

Praise the Lord!

I have been following a chronological Bible study proposed by Skip Andrews.  About this and the past few psalms, Mr. Andrews wrote, "Although we may not be able to precisely date these Psalms at this time, their general themes fit the topics we have just read in Deuteronomy."  Continuing with Psalm 135:

(Psalm 135:1) Praise the Lord. Praise the name of the Lord, praise, O you servants of the Lord!

The author of this psalm, as well as the occasion on which it was written, is unknown.  Some commentators believe that the first short sentence was meant to be the title of the psalm--Praise the Lord.  The psalmist indeed began his psalm by exhorting the people, God's own people, meant to be His servants, to praise their Lord.  

(2) You who stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God, (3) Praise the Lord for the Lord is good; sing praises to His name for it is pleasant.

Those who stood in the house of the Lord, the priests and Levites, as well as the people who stood in the courts outside the temple, were exhorted to praise the Lord because He was so good.  They were exhorted to sing praises to His name because it was pleasant.  His very name was delightful to His people and cause for praise, but also it was pleasant to sing praises to Him.  Singing songs of praise very definitely lifts the spirit.  

(4) For the Lord has chosen Jacob to Himself, Israel for His special treasure.

The people were to praise the Lord because He was good, and also because He chose Jacob (Israel) to be His own special treasure, His chosen people.

(5) For I know that the Lord is great, and our Lord is above all gods.

The psalmist professed his knowledge that the Lord was great and above all other gods, that is, those who were falsely worshiped as gods, as there is really only one true God.  

(6) Whatever the Lord pleased, He did in heaven and in earth, in the seas and all deep places.

The Lord did and does whatever He pleases in the heavens, all the universe, and in the earth, in the seas and all the deep places of the earth.

(7) He causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth; He makes lightnings for the rain; He brings the wind out of His treasures.

The Lord causes the "nasi" to ascend from all over the earth.  As this verse speaks of weather-related things, "vapor" is the best translation here.  The Lord causes the mist to rise from the earth to water it.  However, interestingly, the word means more generally something raised or exalted and is literally 126 times out of 130 used in the Bible to mean a prince or some other type of ruler.  The Lord raises up all sorts of things and people for His purposes.  The Lord makes the rain and the lightning and the wind.

(8) Who destroyed the firstborn of Egypt, both of man and beast.

The Lord who raises up also brings down or destroys, as He did the firstborn of men and animals in Egypt.

(9) He sent tokens and wonders into the midst of you, O Egypt, upon Pharaoh and upon all his servants.

The Lord sent many signs and wonders, the miracles and plagues, in the midst of Egypt to Pharaoh and all his people.

(10) Who destroyed great nations and killed mighty kings, (11) Sihon king of the Amorites and Og king of Bashan, and all the kingdoms of Canaan, (12) And gave their land a heritage, a heritage to Israel His people.

Their Lord was the one who destroyed great nations and mighty kings, including Sihon king of the Amorites and Og king of Bashan, and all the nations and kings in the land of Canaan, and He gave their lands to His own people as an inheritance to them.

(13) Your name, O Lord, forever; Your memorial, O Lord, throughout all generations.

The Lord's name and His fame endures forever, throughout all generations, to the present when we still read of His glory and that will continue forever.

(14) For the Lord will judge His people, and He will repent Himself concerning His servants.

I believe the sense of "judge" here means that the Lord will rule and govern His people, more specifically, protect and defend them, because the verse went on to say the Lord would repent, which means to turn away, change Himself concerning His people who deserved complete destruction because of their many sins.  However, the Lord always repented from His plan to completely destroy them for their wickedness and always saved at least a remnant.

(15) The idols of the heathen, silver and gold, the work of men's hands.

The idols of the heathen nations were but silver and gold, something mere men fashioned with their hands.

(16) They have mouths, but they do not speak; eyes they have, but they do not see; (17) They have ears, but they do not hear; neither is there breath in their mouths.

Those manmade idols had mouths, but they couldn't speak; they had eyes and ears, but they couldn't see or hear.  They had no living breath in them; they were only objects made by man.

(18) They who make them are like them, and everyone who trusts in them.

Those who made those idols, as well as everyone who trusted in them, were as blind and stupid as those lifeless idols were.

(19) Bless the Lord, O house of Israel; bless the Lord, O house of Aaron.

The psalmist exhorted God's chosen people, Israel, to bless the Lord, and also the house of Aaron, the Levites and the priests, should also bless Him.  I often wonder how mere people can bless the Lord, as it is He who blesses us.  However, we can bless Him with our praise and worship and our adherence to His word.

(20) Bless the Lord, O house of Levi; you who fear the Lord, bless the Lord.

The psalmist indeed included the Levites among those who should bless the Lord, as well as all people who feared the Lord, those who respected and reverenced Him as Lord.

(21) Blessed be the Lord out of Zion who dwells at Jerusalem. Praise the Lord!

The Lord of Zion, representative of the kingdom of the Lord, also the physical city of Jerusalem, where He dwelt among His people, was to be blessed and praised.

This psalm briefly addressed the history of the Israelites but was mainly a psalm of praise.  It both began and ended with an exhortation to praise the Lord.  Matthew Henry called it one of the Hallelujah Psalms that praised the Lord.