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.
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