“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17
“Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.” 2 Peter 1:20 – 2:1
Verse 1-2 Now after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD it came to pass, that the LORD spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ minister, saying, 2 Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel.
The word “minister” in verse one means servant, assistant or helper. Joshua and Caleb were the only two men above the age of twenty who were left alive after the forty year wilderness punishment God brought upon the Hebrew people due to their failure to trust and obey Him. Joshua had been in the Egyptian captivity and had been beside Moses for the entire time he led the people. He had remained faithful to Moses and to the LORD and was the perfect replacement to bring the people into the promised land.
Application: Just as Joshua assisted in the ministry of Moses and appears to have been quietly working in the background, the believer may be faced with assuming a greater area of responsibility in the kingdom of God. It can be assumed that Joshua may have felt inadequate to fill Moses’ leadership position. Yet he obeyed the LORD. The believer may feel intimidated and inadequate, but if the LORD is calling him/her to a greater position of leadership and authority, it is because He knows the believer can be trusted to accomplish His will.
Verses 3-4 Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses. 4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast.
Here the LORD is describing the boundaries of the land the Hebrew people are to inherit and enjoy. These geographical boundaries can be study independently and the findings will show that the land is that which was promised to Abraham back in the book of Genesis. The word “coast” means border, region or country and does not necessarily mean land along a body of water. Note that the Euphrates is the same river located in Iraq today.
Verse 5 There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
This promise must have been so precious to Joshua as he was mourning the loss of his friend and leader, Moses, and facing the tremendous task of managing thousands of Hebrew people in the camp and waging war against the inhabitants of the land they were to enter and conquer.
Application: It should be noted that this promise in verse five was given to Joshua, not to anyone else. Believers today often quote this promise as being their own. But it was not for all believers throughout all time. This was Joshua’s special gift from God. He had assurance that the task he was to be given would not fail because God was with him just as He had been with Moses. The believer can claim the promise from Jesus in the New Testament when He said in Hebrews 13:5, “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.” The believer, like Joshua, has this gift of the assurance of the LORD’s presence in the form of the Holy Spirit who lives inside every believer from the day of conversion until arriving in Heaven for eternity. What a blessing!
Verse 6 Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them.
Here is recorded the first of three statements from God to Joshua to be strong and courageous. Joshua gets assurance that he will be the one to divide up the land for the various tribes to dwell in. After waiting forty years to go back to the land he had seen when the spies were sent out to bring back a report to Moses, he must have been excited and full of anticipation.
Verse 7 Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.
What does it take to be obedient to God? It takes strength of character and courage to say no to the temptations of the world, the flesh and the devils. The believer is to walk the straight path right towards Jesus and not turn aside to other distractions that will cross the path throughout life here on Earth. For the second time God commands Joshua to be strong and courageous.
Verse 8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
Just as Moses spent serious time with the LORD when in the tabernacle, Joshua needed to follow Moses’ example and spend time with the LORD and follow the law. He was to think about it day and night. This disciplined spiritual practice would keep him focused on his LORD and help him to have success as the new leader of the Hebrew people.
Application: Jesus fulfilled the law in its entirety. Today’s believer is not under the law and the old covenant, but under a new covenant written by and in the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. It was and is impossible to keep all of the law. Jesus kept it for His people instead as he had no sin. The law is not just the ten commandments. They have never changed and the believer is required to follow them. But the laws regarding temple worship, sacrifices, dietary rules, health practices, sabbaths etc., are all covered under the new covenant between God and the church as stated in the following verses. John 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments. Mark 12:29-31 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord, And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and will all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Matthew 7:12 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets. Matthew 22:37-40 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. If the believer truly loves Jesus and the people in his/her life with a pure heart, no transgressions will occur and the believer will be like Jesus.
Verse 9 Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
For the third time the LORD commands Joshua to be strong and courageous but He also adds, “be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed.” God knows that man is subject to fear, worry, and depression. Joshua was but a man placed in extraordinary circumstances set in extraordinary times and tasked with an extraordinary job. Of course he could easily be overtaken with fear and doubt and with discouragement. God knew this and is encouraging him with the promise of His presence wherever and to whatever place he goes.
Application: The Holy Spirit is always with us wherever we are and in whatever place we happen to be. When fear, worry, and depression try to take the believer’s eyes off of Jesus and the things of the kingdom, read the Word, pray and always remember we are never alone. Never.
Verses 10-11 Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying, 11 Pass through the host, and command the people, saying, Prepare you victuals; for within three days ye shall pass over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land, which the LORD your God giveth you to possess it.
There is a saying that an army runs on its stomach. That has always been true. The Hebrew army of over six hundred thousand fighting men would have to be fed. And their families would cross over the Jordan river with them and need food also. They would have to pack up their possessions and camping essentials and prepare a lot of food. One can imagine the hustle and bustle that went on within the camp as everyone prepared with excitement and eager anticipation of crossing the river and finally reaching their destination and new home.
Verses 12-15 And to the Reubenites, and to the Gadites, and to half the tribe of Manasseh, spake Joshua, saying, 13 Remember the word which Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, saying, The LORD your God hath given you rest, and hath given you this land. 14 Your wives, your little ones, and your cattle, shall remain in the land which Moses gave you on this side Jordan; but ye shall pass before your brethren armed, all the mighty men of valour, and help them; 15 Until the LORD have given your brethren rest, as he hath given you, and they also have possessed the land which the LORD your God giveth them: then ye shall return unto the land of your possession, and enjoy it, which Moses the LORD’S servant gave you on this side Jordan toward the sunrising.
These two and one half tribes, because of their large herds of cattle, had been given permission to settle on the one side of the Jordan river where there was good grazing land while the rest of the tribes were to cross over and settle on the other side of the Jordan river. The requirement was that they fight for possession of all the promised land along side of their brothers and they were not to return to their own land until victory was assured for the remaining nine and one half tribes
Application: For the Christian believer, physical land or possessions are not what is being acquired or conquered. The believer’s promised land is in the spiritual kingdom of God. It is eternal life in Heaven. That is a believer’s destination and promised land. Life here on Earth is just a journey to reach that promised land. A believer, like the Hebrews, will have many battles to fight here on Earth while passing through time to eternity. These battles will be won by following the Lord Jesus Christ, His life and actions, His words in the four gospel books of the New Testament, and by faith in His promises for help and guidance in difficult times.
Just as the tribes of Reuben, Gad and Manasseh needed to be present for the whole of Israel to have victory over their enemies, the church body of believers needs to be present to assist each other in reaching their destination and promised land. When someone is joyful, the church body needs to be joyful with them. When someone is going through a crisis, the church body needs to go with them and support them in any way necessary. Life on Earth is a battle against the sinful things of this world, against the desires of the flesh, and against the powers of darkness. and believers need to fight the difficulties together with the help of the LORD. The Christian life should not be one lived in isolation.
Verses 16-17 And they answered Joshua, saying, All that thou commandest us we will do, and whithersoever thou sendest us, we will go. 17 According as we hearkened unto Moses in all things, so will we hearken unto thee: only the LORD thy God be with thee, as he was with Moses.
This was a new generation of Hebrew people. The old, rebellious generation had passed away in the wilderness. These men and women were willing and able to be obedient. Moses can be seen as representative of God in that he was the leader of a chosen people and he loved and guided them and established laws to govern them. Likewise, Joshua is representative of Jesus. His name means salvation. Jesus means salvation. Joshua would lead the people to victory just as the believer has victory in Jesus, the Savior.
Verse 18 Whosoever he be that doth rebel against thy commandment, and will not hearken unto thy words in all that thou commandest him, he shall be put to death: only be strong and of a good courage.
The new generation of Hebrews were not going to risk another failure like that of their parents who refused to follow the commandments of God given to Moses. They were going to follow Joshua into the promised land as they knew he was chosen by God and anointed for the leadership position vacated by Moses at his death. They would kill any dissenters in the camp who refused to follow Joshua’s leadership.
Application: Refusal to follow Jesus and the salvation that He offers will lead to spiritual death and failure to reach the promised land. Only Jesus, through the leading and care of His Holy Spirit, can take a person from this life into eternity in Heaven. Rebellion against Him leads to failure and spiritual death. John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. There are not multiple roads, paths or methods to reach Heaven. Only Jesus.