Commentaries and Other Bible Study Helps - Prayer Tents - Prayer Tents

1:1 After the death of Moses. While beginning a book with a death notice may strike a modern reader as odd, this notice effectively links the book of Joshua to the preceding "five books of Moses" (the Pentateuch), the last of which ends with a description of Moses' death (Deuteronomy 34). In similar fashion, the book of Joshua will end and the book of Judges will begin with references to the death of Joshua (Josh. 24:29; Judg. 1:1; 2:8). These notices link the books together in a continuous chain and suggest the continuity of the Lord's dealing with his people Israel through key leaders. Moreover, just as Moses is called the servant of the Lord here (also Josh. 1:7, 13, 15; 8:31, 33; 11:12; 12:6; 13:8; 14:7; 18:7; 22:2, 4, 5) and in the record of his death (Deut. 34:5), Joshua will receive the same title of honor at the end of his life (Josh. 24:29; Judg. 2:8). That the son of Nun was an Ephraimite is clear from Num. 13:8, but little else is known of Nun. Joshua himself is mentioned some 30 times in the Pentateuch, three times under his original name Hoshea ("salvation") and the remainder under the name Joshua ("Yahweh saves"), given him by Moses in Num. 13:16. His first appearance is as a military commander, fighting the malevolent Amalekites shortly after Israel's exodus from Egypt while Moses sat atop a nearby hill with his hands lifted toward heaven (Ex. 17:8-13). The Amalekite battle not only tested Joshua's military mettle but also underscored a fundamental principle with respect to Israel's wars--namely, that the battle is the Lord's (cf. 1 Sam. 17:47).

That the Lord should explicitly instruct Moses to record the Amalekite battle in a book and "recite it in the ears of Joshua" (Ex. 17:14) anticipates Joshua's future importance. As Moses' assistant, Joshua accompanied him at least partway up Mount Sinai (Ex. 24:13; 32:17), and he also assisted Moses at the tent of meeting, where the Lord would "speak to Moses face to face" (Ex. 33:11). Joshua was among the 12 men sent to explore the land of Canaan (Num. 13:8). He alone joined Caleb in exhorting the people to trust God for victory (Num. 14:6-9)--an act of faith for which only he and Caleb, among their generation, were allowed to enter the Promised Land. More than a mere assistant, Joshua was prepared by these and other experiences to become Moses' successor. Near the time of his death, when Moses requested that a successor be appointed, the Lord instructed him to commission Joshua the son of Nun, "a man in whom is the Spirit," before "all the congregation" (Num. 27:18-19). Joshua was to be the one to lead Israel into the Promised Land (Deut. 1:38; 3:28; 31:23) and to apportion it among the tribes (Num. 34:17). As the book of Joshua opens, Moses has died and the time has finally come for Joshua--"full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him" (Deut. 34:9)--to take the lead.

1:2 the land that I am giving to them. The "patriarchal promise," first uttered to Abraham (Gen. 12:1-3), entailed three key elements: progeny (Abraham's descendants would become a great nation), blessing (Abraham's descendants would enjoy the blessings of living in covenant relationship with Yahweh--and were in turn to be a blessing to the nations), and land (Gen. 12:1, 5-7; 15:18). The Pentateuch ends with the first two elements beginning to be realized, but with Abraham's descendants still on the plains of Moab, east of the Jordan River, outside the Land of Promise (Num. 22:1; Deut. 34:8). The dominant theme of the book of Joshua is the Lord's faithfulness in fulfilling all his "good promises" (Josh. 21:45), especially the third element--the promise of land, which he "swore to their fathers to give them" (1:6; 21:43). Scores of references to the Lord giving the land appear throughout the book, eight in ch. 1 alone.

1:3 Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you. The fact that the Lord is sovereignly giving Israel the land does not negate their responsibility to step out in faith and take what is given (cf. vv. 9, 18).

1:4 The Land of Promise is to stretch from the wilderness in the south to Lebanon in the north, and from the river Euphrates in the (north) east to the Great Sea (the Mediterranean) in the west. This broad-brush description recalls Num. 34:1-12, where the Lord provides Moses a more detailed delineation of the boundaries of Israel's "inheritance" in the land of Canaan (see map; cf. also Gen. 10:19; 15:18; Num. 13:17-22; Deut. 1:7).

1:5-9 Three times the Lord charges Joshua to be strong and courageous, words reminiscent of Joshua's earlier commissioning under Moses (see Deut. 31:6-8, 23). Joshua will need strength and courage to accept his task (you shall cause this people to inherit the land; Josh. 1:6); to obey the Torah (Book of the Law [v. 8]; most likely this would have included at least the book of Deuteronomy or portions thereof [see Deut. 31:26, "this law"]); and to resist being terrified (do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed; Josh. 1:9). Most difficult of all will be the middle responsibility--namely, to make the Lord's instructions (Hb. Torah) integral to who he is and what he does (v. 8a), meditating on them constantly so as to do them (v. 8b). Thus the middle exhortation is made emphatic by the addition of two small words: "only be strong and very courageous." Given Joshua's leadership responsibilities, this charge to be strong and courageous would be daunting were it not for the framing promises: I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you (v. 5); and the Lord your God is with you wherever you go (v. 9). Fortified by these assurances of the Lord's abiding presence, Joshua is empowered to receive his commission with courage. The Hebrew terminology used in these assurances has nothing to do with worldly wealth or worldly success, but has everything to do with accomplishing one's mission and acting with keen insight in any circumstance that presents itself. Only when one fails to "ask counsel from the Lord" (9:14) is such insight lacking.

1:12 For Moses' instructions to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, see Num. 32:6-7, 16-18, 28; Deut. 3:18-20. "All Israel" was to be involved in the conquest.

1:13 Like the OT notion of shalom ("peace, well-being"), rest (Hb. nuakh) suggests freedom from threat, the enjoyment of one's inheritance, security within the borders of the land, and a state of all-around well-being. Rest is typically preceded by work, as in the creation account (Gen. 2:2-3) or in the celebration of the Sabbath (Ex. 20:8-11; Deut. 5:12-15), or even by warfare (Josh. 21:44; 23:1). The author of Hebrews weaves these OT threads together in expectation of a present spiritual and future rest (Hebrews 4) and urges his readers to "strive to enter that rest" (Heb. 4:11).

1:14 Your wives . . . shall remain in the land. Only the men were expected to participate in combat (cf. note on Jer. 50:37).

1:17 as we obeyed Moses . . . so we will obey you. In the ancient Near East, a change of leadership would typically involve a pledge of loyalty to the new leader.