Download to read offline
![TRAPP, " ow after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD it came to pass,
that the LORD spake unto Joshua the son of un, Moses’ minister, saying,
The Book of Joshua] Who was a book man as well as a sword man: (a) and might
well give for his motto, Ex utroque Caesar. Julius Caesar wrote his own acts;
witness his learned Commentaries - for so he called them, in modesty, rather than
histories; and the like did his successors, Augustus Caesar, in four books, and
Adrian the Emperor, with great diligence. That Joshua himself was penman of this
book, or of most part of it, is probably gathered from Joshua 24:26, and that he
wrote also the end of Deuteronomy - viz., from the death of his master Moses - may
be gathered from the copulative and, wherewith this book beginneth - And it came
to pass, &c.; so the original hath it. See the like in 1:1, Ruth 1:1, 1 Samuel 1:1, 2
Samuel 1:1, &c. Indeed, the whole law - so the whole Scripture - is but one
copulative, say the schoolmen; and "God spake by the mouth" - not mouths - "of his
holy prophets which have been since the world began." [Luke 1:1-4] Joshua is here
set forth both as a pattern to princes - far beyond Xenophon’s Cyrus or Machiavel’s
Borgia - and as a type of Christ, the great Conqueror. [Revelation 6:2] He had his
name changed, when he was sent as a spy into Canaan, [ umbers 13:16] from
Oshea to Joshua; from Let God save, to God shall save. Under the Law, which
bringeth us as it were into a wilderness, we may desire and pray that there were a
Saviour: but under the Gospel we are sure of salvation; and that our Jehoshua hath
bound himself to fulfil all righteousness, and to land us safe at the key of Canaan, at
the kingdom of heaven.
Ver. 1. ow after the death of Moses.]
“ Sic uno avulso non deficit alter Aureus. ” - Virgil.
The Church shall never want a champion of Christ’s own providing; but Moses
shall revive in Joshua, and there shall be a succession of godly governors, till the
headstone be laid with, "Grace, grace unto it." [Zechariah 4:7]
That the Lord spake unto Joshua.] ot immediately, as to Moses, but some other
way, [ umbers 12:7-8] probably by Urim and Thummin, as in umbers 27:18;
umbers 27:21. ot so to Saul [1 Samuel 28:6] - for the high priest Abiathar was
fled from him to David, with an ephod in his hand. [1 Samuel 23:6] Similarily,
Christ answered nothing to Herod, [Luke 23:9] who had cut off the head of the
Baptist, that was vox clamantis, the voice whereby he had cried.
COKE, "Ver. 1. ow after the death of Moses, &c.— The Hebrew is, and after, &c.
This conjunction points out the connection of this book with the foregoing, of which,
indeed, it is a continuation. The book of Judges is connected with that of Joshua,
and the book of Ruth with that of Judges, in the same plain manner. Thus too the](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/joshua1commentary-160713144605/75/Joshua-1-commentary-23-2048.jpg)
![have been perilous to a people so inexperienced in the art of self-government.
The Lord spake — Whether by a direct communication through his angel, as in
Joshua 5:13-15, (see Joshua 6:2,) or by the urim of the high priest, is uncertain, but
probably the latter, inasmuch as this manner of speaking is prescribed to him in
umbers 27:21. The urim (lights) and thummim (perfections) are always alluded to
as well known, but nowhere described. They were a part of the ephod, the sacred
robe of the high priest, and were either the twelve gems on the breastplate or some
objects intimately connected with them, and were a divinely appointed medium of
revelation. Whether the gems became luminous, or whether there was an audible
voice, or whether the priest when arrayed in the ephod was endowed with a
miraculous insight similar to the vision of the inspired prophet, cannot now be
determined, See note on Exodus 28:30.
Joshua — Before the death of Moses this great warrior had been clothed with
authority and designated as the commander-in-chief of the Israelitish armies. See
Introduction.
Son of un — othing more is known of un than that he was of the tribe of
Ephraim. Great military genius is often cradled in obscurity. un lived and died
undistinguished from the thousands of his brethren, who passed all their days in the
Egyptian bondage; but his son, by his valour and piety, rescued his father’s servile
name from oblivion. So the poet Horace, by his genius, immortalized the Roman
bondman who begat him.
Moses’ minister — ot his menial, but his premier in peace, his lieutenant in war. It
was customary for great prophets to be thus attended by ministers or servants, as
Elijah was ministered to by Elisha. In this relation Joshua had witnessed Moses’
conversation face to face with Jehovah, (Exodus 33:11,) and had been pavilioned
with his master in the cloud of Sinai. Exodus 24:13. Thus had he been trained in the
best possible school, and the people were prepared, by the public honour bestowed
upon him, to yield him obedience when their great emancipator was taken away.
[In this verse we notice that Moses is called the servant of Jehovah, and Joshua
minister of Moses. A servant is less honourable than a minister, but it is
unspeakably greater to be Jehovah’s servant than merely the prime minister of any
earthly potentate however good and mighty. The phrase servant of Jehovah is
applied in the Old Testament to patriarchs, prophets, kings, the whole body of the
chosen people, and in some prophetical passages to Messiah. The highest type of
man under the Law was a servant of God; it was reserved for the Gospel to develop
the son of God, and perfect man in Christ.]
PETT, "Moses was dead! This was a new beginning. For so long Moses had led the
people (over forty years). He had spoken to them on God’s behalf. He had always
been there. Through him God had performed His wonders. He had been uniquely
the Servant of YHWH. And now he was dead. We can imagine the effect that this
devastating news would have had on the people of Israel. He had been the bulwark](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/joshua1commentary-160713144605/75/Joshua-1-commentary-25-2048.jpg)
![commission of Joshua (Joshua 1:1-9), the preparations for crossing the Jordan
River (Joshua 1:10-11), and the renewal of the pledge of the trans-Jordanic tribes
(Joshua 1:12-18).
" ow it came to pass after the death of Moses the Servant of Jehovah, that Jehovah
spake unto Joshua the son of un, Moses' minister, saying." Jehovah spake unto
Joshua the son of un, Moses' minister, saying."
" ow it came to pass ..." "The form of the Hebrew word here rendered `now' shows
that Joshua is intended to be a CO TI UATIO of the Book of Deuteronomy";[1]
but, "Joshua is distinct from the Pentateuch. There is no ancient Jewish tradition or
manuscript evidence that the book ever formed a unit with the five books of the
Law,"[2] as the critics have alleged regarding their speculative "Hexateuch."
Unger's comment on the hypothetical Hexateuch is as follows:
"Unbelieving critical scholarship of necessity must explain away the large number
of miracles in the book as legends and treat the history as idealized, as they must
also do with the Pentateuch. That is why they have lumped Joshua with the
Pentateuch in a so-called `Hexateuch' and subjected it to analysis on the basis of late
literary sources (the alleged sources of the Pentateuch ). This is only a rationalistic
attempt to explain away the miraculous element."[3]
"The servant of Jehovah ..." This was, above all other designations, the title of
Moses (Deuteronomy 34:5), and it was carried over into the ew Dispensation by
the author of Hebrews. "Moses was indeed faithful over all his (God's) house as a
servant" (Hebrews 3:5). The meaning of the term "servant" is very close to that of
"slave," but it was the accepted designation of the highest plenary officers of kings
and rulers of the world. Christ himself was prophetically presented in Isaiah as the
"Suffering Servant" of God, and Jesus stated that the greatest in God's kingdom
would be the servant of all (Matthew 23:11).
"Jehovah spake unto Joshua ..." We are not told exactly how God spoke to Joshua.
Hebrews 1:1 declares that God of old times spake "in divers portions and in divers
manners," meaning "in different portions and various ways." What is important
here is that God did indeed speak to Joshua, gave him his orders for the conquest of
Canaan, and commissioned him to lead the Israelites in that conflict, which in the
fullest sense, was indeed a "holy war." "The invasion and conquest of Canaan were
accomplished by Israel under Joshua's leadership, in response to God's direct
command and in His never failing strength."[4]
ot only that, this expression, `Jehovah spake unto Joshua,' is the equivalent in the
earlier books of the O.T. of the constantly recurring expression in the later
prophets, `thus saith the Lord.' This distinguishes the literature of the Hebrews
from that of all other nations, and marks out the Jewish claim of having in their
possession in a very special way the true will of Almighty God. As Dummelow said,
"This is one of the most obvious indications of what we call inspiration ... the
importance of this does not derive from any knowledge of how God spoke to Joshua,
but in its testimony to the fact of it."[5]](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/joshua1commentary-160713144605/75/Joshua-1-commentary-27-2048.jpg)
![Morton declared that the resemblance of many passages in Joshua to certain
sections of Deuteronomy, "makes it clear that a Deuteronomic editor is responsible
for the present form of Joshua."[6] However, it should always be remembered that
such statements are without objective evidence, that the "editors" and "redactors"
so frequently mentioned by some commentators EVER EXISTED. Every appeal to
such non-existent persons indicates merely the U BELIEF of Biblical enemies. We
fully agree with Woudstra that the calling of this introduction Deuteronomic
"carries with it implications of authorship and composition that should be
avoided."[7]
"Joshua the son of un ..." The original name of this leader was Oshea ( umbers
13:8), but just as the names of Abram, Sarai, etc were changed, so was that of
Joshua. It was changed to Jehoshua (or, Joshua). The Greek form of the name is
Jesus,[8] and it means "Jehovah is deliverance," or "Jehovah is salvation." ot
merely in this name, but in a few other salient particulars, Joshua represents the
Lord Jesus Christ in his life and achievement.
(1) Like Christ, Joshua did what Moses and the Law could not do.
(2) He led the people into Canaan; Christ leads his people into heaven.
(3) Both Joshua and Jesus began their commission on the banks of the Jordan
River.
EXPOSITOR'S DICTIO ARY, "Joshua Encouraged
Joshua 1:1-11
"Be strong and of a good courage" ( Joshua 1:6). When Luther was summoned
before the Diet of Worms, his friends did all that they could to dissuade him from
going. They were afraid that his safe-conduct would not be respected. But nothing
would keep the brave Reformer back, and what was thought of his courage is shown
in the words which a great captain is said to have addressed to him: "Little monk!
little monk! you are venturing today on a more hazardous march than I or any
other captain ever did. But if your cause is right, and you are sure of it, go on in
God"s name, and be of good comfort. He will not forsake thee." And it was in the
same spirit that in the presence of his enemies Luther himself uttered the famous
words: "I cannot do otherwise. Here I stand; God help me! Amen."
"In a large party at the Grand Master"s Palace in Malta, I had observed," says the
poet Coleridge, "a naval officer of distinguished merit listening to Sir A. Ball,
whenever he joined in the conversation, with a mixed expression of awe and
affection that gave a more than common interest to so manly a countenance. This
officer afterwards told me that he considered himself indebted to Sir Alexander for
that which was dearer to him than his life. "When he was Lieutenant Ball," said
Hebrews , "he was the officer I accompanied in my first boat expedition, being then](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/joshua1commentary-160713144605/75/Joshua-1-commentary-28-2048.jpg)
![a midshipman, and only in my fourteenth year. As we were rowing up to the vessel
which we were to attack, amid a discharge of musketry, I was overpowered by fear,
and seemed on the point of fainting away. Lieutenant Ball, who saw the condition I
was in, placed himself close beside me, and still keeping his countenance directed
towards the enemy, pressed my hand in the most friendly manner, and said in a low
voice, "Courage, my dear boy; you will recover in a minute or so. I was just the
same when I first went out in this way." Sirach ," added the officer to me, "it was
just as if an angel had put a new soul into me.""
The Character of Joshua
Dr. W. G. Blaikie writes: "We must earnestly desire... to draw aside the veil that
covers the eight-and-thirty years and see how he [Joshua] was prepared for his
great work.... A religious warrior is a peculiar character; a Gustavus Adolphus, an
Oliver Cromwell, a Henry Havelock, a General Gordon; Joshua was of the same
mould, and we should have liked to know him more intimately; but this is denied to
us. He stands out to us simply as one of the military heroes of the faith. In depth, in
steadiness, in endurance his faith was not excelled by that of Abraham or of Moses
himself. The one conviction that dominated all in him was that he was called by God
to his work. If that work was often repulsive, let us not on that account withhold our
admiration from the man who never conferred with flesh and blood, and who was
never appalled either by danger or difficulty, for he "saw Him who is invisible"."
References.—I:1-11.—A. Maclaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture— Deuteronomy ,,
Joshua , etc, p87. I:2.—J. F. Cowan, Christian World Pulpit, vol. lxxii1907 , p365.
I:2 , 3.—Spurgeon, Sermons, vol. xxxv. o2086.
MACLARE , "THE EW LEADER’S COMMISSIO
Joshua 1:1 - Joshua 1:11.
The closest connection exists between Deuteronomy and Joshua. The narrative may
be read as running on without a break. It turns away from the lonely grave up on
the mountain to the bustling camp and the new leader. o man is indispensable.
God’s work goes on uninterrupted. The instruments are changed, but the Master-
hand is the same, and lays one tool aside and takes another out of the tool-chest as
He will. Moses is dead,-what then? Does his death paralyse the march of the tribes?
o; it is but the ground for the ringing command, ‘Therefore arise, go over this
Jordan.’ The immediate installation of his successor, and the uninterrupted
continuance of the advance, do not mean that Moses is not honoured or is forgotten,
for the narrative lovingly links his honorific title, ‘the servant of the Lord,’ with the
mention of his death; and God Himself does the same, for he is thrice referred to in
the divine command to Joshua, as the recipient of the promise of the conquest, as the
example of the highest experience of God’s all-sufficing companionship, and as the
medium by which Israel received the law. Joshua steps into the empty place,
receives the same great promise, is assured of the same Presence, and is to obey the
same law. The change of leaders is great, but nothing else is changed; and even it is
not so great as faint hearts in their sorrow are apt to think, for the real Leader lives,
and Moses and Joshua alike are but the transmitters of His orders and His aids to](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/joshua1commentary-160713144605/75/Joshua-1-commentary-29-2048.jpg)
![Israel.
The first command given to Joshua was a trial of his faith, for ‘Jordan was in flood’
[Joshua 3:15],-and how was that crowd to get across, when fords were impassable
and ferry-boats were wanting, to say nothing of the watchful eyes that were upon
them from the other bank? To cross a stream in the face of the enemy is a ticklish
operation, even for modern armies; what must it have been, then, for Joshua and his
horde? ot a hint is given him as to the means by which the crossing is to be made
possible. He has Jehovah’s command to do it, and Jehovah’s promise to be with
him, and that is to be enough. We too have sometimes to face undertakings which
we cannot see how to carry through; but if we do see that the path is one appointed
by God, and will boldly tread it, we may be quite sure that, when we come to what
at present seems like a mountain wall across it, we shall find that the glen opens as
we advance, and that there is a way,-narrow, perhaps, and dangerous, but
practicable. ‘One step enough for me’ should be our motto. We may trust God not
to command impossibilities, nor to lead us into a cul de sac.
The promise to Moses [Deuteronomy 2:24] is repeated almost verbally in Joshua
1:4. The boundaries of the land are summarily given as from ‘the wilderness’ in the
south to ‘this Lebanon’ in the north, and from the Euphrates in the east to the
Mediterranean in the west. ‘The land of the Hittites’ is not found in the original
passage in Deuteronomy, and it seems to be a designation of the territory between
Lebanon and the Euphrates, which we now know to have been the seat of the
northern Hittites, while the southern branch was planted round Hebron and the
surrounding district. But these wide boundaries were not attained till late in the
history, and were not long retained. Did the promise, then, fail? o, for it, like all
the promises, was contingent on conditions, and Israel’s unfaithfulness cut short its
extent of territory. We, too, fail to possess all the land destined for us. Our charter is
much wider than our actual wealth. God gives more than we take, and we are
content to occupy but a corner of the broad land which He has given us. In like
manner Joshua did not realise to the full the following promise of uniform victory,
but was defeated at Ai and elsewhere. The reason was the same,-the faithlessness of
the people. Unbelief and sin turn a Samson into a weakling, and make Israel flee
before the ranks of the Philistines.
The great encouragement given to Joshua in entering on his hard and perilous
enterprise is twice repeated here: ‘As I was with Moses, so will I be with thee.’ Did
Joshua remember how, nearly forty years since, he had fronted the mob of cowards
with the very same assurance, and how the answer had been a shower of stones?
The cowards are all dead,-will their sons believe the assurance now? If we do believe
that God is with us, we shall be ready to cross Jordan in flood, and to meet the
enemies that are waiting on the other bank. If we do not, we shall not dare greatly,
nor succeed in what we attempt. The small successes of material wealth and
gratified ambition may be ours, but for all the higher duties and nobler conflicts
that become a man, the condition of achievement and victory is steadfast faith in
God’s presence and help.
That assurance-which we may all have if we cling to Jesus, in whom God comes to
be with every believing soul-is the only basis on which the command to Joshua,
thrice repeated, can wisely or securely be rested. It is mockery to say to a man](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/joshua1commentary-160713144605/75/Joshua-1-commentary-30-2048.jpg)
![Master is not: he lives for ever. (2.) “Because Moses is dead, therefore the work devolves
upon thee as his successor, for hereunto thou wast appointed. Therefore there is need of
thee to fill up his place; up, and be doing.” Note, [1.] The removal of useful men should
quicken survivors to be so much the more diligent in doing good. Such and such are
dead, and we must die shortly, therefore let us work while it is day. [2.] It is a great
mercy to a people, if, when useful men are taken away in the midst of their usefulness,
others are raised up in their stead to go on where they broke off. Joshua must arise to
finish what Moses began. Thus the latter generations enter into the labours of the
former. And thus Christ, our Joshua, does that for us which could never be done by the
law of Moses, - justifies (Act_13:39), and sanctifies, Rom_8:3. The life of Moses made
way for Joshua, and prepared the people for what was to be done by him. Thus the law is
a schoolmaster to bring us to Christ: and then the death of Moses made room for
Joshua; thus we are dead to the law, our first husband, that we may be married to
Christ, Rom_7:4.
3. The particular service he was now called out to: “Arise, go over this Jordan, this
river which you have in view, and on the banks of which you lie encamped.” This was a
trial to the faith of Joshua, whether he would give orders to make preparation for
passing the river when there was no visible way of getting over it, at least not at this
place and at this time, when all the banks were overflown, Jos_3:15. He had no
pontoons or bridge of boats by which to convey them over, and yet he must believe that
God, who had ordered them over, would open a way for them. Going over Jordan was
going into Canaan; thither Moses might not, could not, bring them, Deu_31:2. Thus the
honour of bringing the many sons to glory is reserved for Christ the captain of our
salvation, Heb_2:10.
4. The grant of the land of Canaan to the children of Israel is here repeated (Jos_1:2-
4): I do give it them. To the patriarchs it was promised, I will give it; but, now that the
fourth generation had expired, the iniquity of the Amorites was full, and the time had
come for the performance of the promise, it is actually conveyed, and they are put in
possession of that which they had long been in expectation of: “I do give it, enter upon it,
it is all your own; nay (Jos_1:3), I have given it; though it be yet unconquered, it is as
sure to you as if it were in your hands.” Observe, (1.) The persons to whom the
conveyance is made: To them, even to the children of Israel (Jos_1:2), because they are
the seed of Jacob, who was called Israel at the time when this promise was made to him,
Gen_35:10, Gen_35:12. The children of Israel, though they had been very provoking in
the wilderness, yet, for their fathers' sakes, should have the entail preserved. And it was
the children of the murmurers that God said should enter Canaan, Num_14:31. (2.) The
land itself that is conveyed: From the river Euphrates eastward, to the Mediterranean
Sea westward, Jos_1:4. Though their sin cut them short of this large possession, and
they never replenished all the country within the bounds here mentioned, yet, had they
been obedient, God would have given them this and much more. Out of all these
countries, and many others, there were in process of time proselytes to the Jewish
religion, as appears, Act_2:5, etc. If their church was enlarged, though their nation was
not multiplied, it cannot be said that the promise was of no effect. And, if this promise
had not its full accomplishment in the letter, believers might thence infer that it had a
further meaning, and was to be fulfilled in the kingdom of the Messiah, both that of
grace and that of glory. (3.) The condition is here implied upon which this grant is made,
in those words, as I said unto Moses, that is, “upon the terms that Moses told you of
many a time, if you will keep my statutes, you shall go in and possess that good land.
Take it under those provisos and limitations, and not otherwise.” The precept and
promise must not be separated. (4.) It is intimated with what ease they should gain the](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/joshua1commentary-160713144605/75/Joshua-1-commentary-74-2048.jpg)
![possession of this land, if it were not their own fault, in these words, “Every place that
the sole of your foot shall tread upon (within the following bounds) shall be your own.
Do but set your foot upon it and you have it.”
JAMISO 2-9, "now therefore arise, go over this Jordan — Joshua’s mission
was that of a military leader. This passage records his call to begin the work, and the
address contains a literal repetition of the promise made to Moses (Deu_11:24, Deu_
11:25; Deu_31:6-8, Deu_31:23).
K&D, "As Moses had died without having brought the Israelites to Canaan, Joshua
was to arise and go with all the nation over this Jordan (i.e., the river then before him)
into the land which the Lord would give them.
CALVI , "2.Moses my servant, etc A twofold meaning may be extracted — the one,
since Moses is dead, the whole burden has now devolved upon thee, take the place of
him to whom thou has been appointed successor; the other, although Moses is dead,
do not desist, but go forward. I prefer the former, as containing the inference that
he should, by right of succession, take up the office which Moses had left vacant.
(15) The epithet or surname of servant applied to Moses, has respect to his
government of the people and his exploits; for it ought to be accommodated to
actual circumstances. (16) The allusion here is not to the Law but to the leadership,
which had passed to Joshua by the decease of Moses, and God thus acknowledges
his servant, not so much with the view of praising him, as of strengthening the
authority of Joshua, who had been substituted in his place. And as the people might
not have acquiesced sufficiently in a bare command, he promises, while ordering
them to pass the Jordan, to give them peaceable possession of the whole country,
and of every spot of it on which they should plant their foot. For as nothing tends
more than distrust to make us sluggish and useless, so when God holds forth a
happy issue, confidence inspires us with rigor for any attempt.
It may be added, that he does now begin for the first time to give them good hopes,
by making a promise of which they had not previously heard, but recalls to their
remembrance what Moses had formerly testified. He says, therefore, that the time
had now come for exhibiting and performing that which he had promised to Moses.
Should any one object that the same thing had been said to Abraham long before
Moses was born, nay, that the perpetual covenant deposited with Abraham included
everything which was heard by Moses four hundred years after; (17) I answer, that
here no notice is taken of the ancient promise which was everywhere known and
celebrated, and that Moses is produced as a witness whose memory was more
recent, and by whose death the confidence of the people might have been shaken,
had not God declared that the accomplishment of all which he had said was at hand.
TRAPP, "Joshua 1:2 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.](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/joshua1commentary-160713144605/75/Joshua-1-commentary-75-2048.jpg)
![Ver. 2. Moses my servant.] My menial servant, faithful in all my house. This was a
higher title than that of king in Jeshurun. [Deuteronomy 33:5] {See Trapp on
"Psalms 36:1"}
ow therefore arise, go.] Up, and act vigorously: surge, age, summe Pater, said
Mantuan to the Bishop of Rome, stirring him up to withstand the Turk.
Go over this Jordan.] A famous river rising from a double fountain, Jor and Dan,
say some, (a) and falling into the Dead Sea, with which it mingleth. Whereas some
rivers will not do so: as the Danube and Sava in Hungary, whose waters meeting
mingle no more than water and oil, as an eye-witness affirmeth: so the river Dee, in
Merionethshire in Wales, running through Pimblemeer remaineth entire, and
mingleth not her streams with the waters of the lake. (b)
PETT, "“Moses, my servant is dead, now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you
and all this people, into the land which I give to them, to the children of Israel.”
Because of Moses’ prior disobedience God had said that Moses would not be
allowed even to enter the land of Canaan ( umbers 20:12; umbers 27:13-14;
Deuteronomy 1:37; Deuteronomy 3:26-27; Deuteronomy 32:52; Deuteronomy 34:4).
Thus until Moses’ death invasion was not possible. There is a warning in this that
even a great man can falter and can become a hindrance to the work of God. But
now Moses was dead. To the children of Israel the death of Moses was a tragedy.
They must have felt deeply bereft. To God it presented them with an opportunity.
“ ow therefore arise.” With God every tragedy is an opportunity. An opportunity
to rise by His power over it and use it as a stepping stone to better things. There was
first sufficient mourning (Deuteronomy 34:8). Due respect was paid to Moses. And
then God expected Joshua to go forward.
“Go over this Jordan.” Interestingly this is a phrase only found on the lips of
YHWH (Deuteronomy 3:27; Deuteronomy 31:2). The River Jordan lay before them,
making its way through the deep Rift Valley (the Arabah). There were no fords at
this time for the river was overflowing its banks (Joshua 3:15). Thus it appeared a
great obstacle, and beyond it lay their destiny. However, the obstacle could be
overcome with God’s help, and the destiny achieved. It was a momentous situation.
That river, overflowing its banks and difficult to cross, was the stepping stone into
their future. We too should remember that whatever equivalent of Jordan we face,
even if it overflow its banks, if God go with us we need fear nothing.
“You and all this people.” That was both Joshua’s encouragement and his
responsibility. He had strong forces behind him, but he was responsible for their
future. They were his strength but they were also his problem. How was he to get so
many, with their wives and children and provisions, across the flooded waters of the
Jordan?](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/joshua1commentary-160713144605/75/Joshua-1-commentary-76-2048.jpg)
![Was not this view of the glory of Moses as God's servant a foreshadow of what was
afterwards taught more fully and on a wider scale by our Lord? ''The Son of man
came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for
many." Jesus sought to reverse the natural notions of men as to what constitutes
greatness, when He taught that, instead of being measured by the number of
servants who wait on us, it is measured rather by the number of persons to whom
we become servants. And if it was a mark of Christ's own humiliation that ''He took
on Him the form of a servant," did not this redound to His highest glory? Was it not
for this that God highly exalted Him and gave Him a name that is above every
name? Happy they who are content to be God's servants in whatsoever sphere of life
He may place them; seeking not their own, but always intent upon their Master's
business!
And now Joshua must succeed Moses and be God's servant as he was. He must aim
at this as the one distinction of his life; he must seek in every action to know what
God would have him to do. Happy man if he can carry out this ideal of life! o
conflicting interests or passions will distract his soul. His eye being single, his whole
body will be full of light. The power that nerves his arm will not be more
remarkable than the peace that dwells in his soul. He will show to all future
generations the power of a "lost will," - not the suppression of all desire, according
to the Buddhist's idea of bliss, but all lawful natural desires in happy and
harmonious action, because subject to the wise, holy, and loving guidance of the will
of God.
Thus we see among the other paradoxes of His government, how God uses death to
promote life. The death of the eminent, the aged, the men of brilliant gifts makes
way for others, and stimulates their activity and growth. When the champion of the
forest falls the younger trees around it are brought more into contact with the
sunshine and fresh air, and push up into taller and more fully developed forms. If
none of the younger growth attains the size of the champion, a great many may be
advanced to a higher average of size and beauty. If in the second generation of any
great religious movement few or none can match the "mighties" of the previous age,
there may be a general elevation, a rise of level, an increase of efficiency among the
rank and file.
In many ways death enters into God's plans. ot only does it make way for the
younger men; but it has a solemnizing and quickening effect on all who are not
hardened and dulled by the wear and tear of life.
"Can death itself when seen in the light of this truth [the adjustment of every being
in animated nature to every other] be denied to be an evidence of benevolence? I
think not. The law of animal generation makes necessary the law of animal death, if
the largest amount of animal happiness is to be secured. If there had been less death
there must also have been less life, and what life there was must have been poorer
and meaner. Death is a condition of the prolificness of nature, the multiplicity of
species, the succession of generations, the co-existence of the young and the old; and](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/joshua1commentary-160713144605/75/Joshua-1-commentary-81-2048.jpg)
![3 I will give you every place where you set your
foot, as I promised Moses.
CLARKE, "The sole of your foot shalt tread upon - That is, the whole land
occupied by the seven Canaanitish nations, and as far as the Euphrates on the east; for
this was certainly the utmost of the grant now made to them; and all that was included in
what is termed the promised land, the boundaries of which have already been defined.
See Deu_34:1-4, and see Jos_1:4 (note) below. It has been supposed that the words,
Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, were intended to express the ease
with which they were to conquer the whole land, an instance of which occurs in the
taking of Jericho. It was only their unfaithfulness to God that rendered the conquest in
any case difficult.
GILL, "Every place that the sole of your feet shall tread upon,.... That is, in the
land of Canaan:
that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses: See Gill on Deu_11:24; though
the Jews extend this to all without the land subdued by them, and even to all the
countries they now tread on, and are exiles in; but the limits of what the Lord gave them
are fixed in Jos_1:4.
JAMISO , "Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon that
have I given you — meaning, of course, not universal dominion, but only the territory
comprised within the boundaries here specified (see on Deu_19:8).
K&D, "“Namely, every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon,” i.e., I have
given you the whole land, not excepting a single foot's breadth. The perfect, “I have
given,” refers to the counsel of God as having been formed long before, and being now
about to be carried into execution. These words, which are connected with Deu_11:24, so
far as the form is concerned, rest upon the promise of God in Exo_23:30-31, to which
the words “as I said unto Moses” refer.
ELLICOTT, "(3) Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I
given unto you.—The conquest of Canaan was the special duty assigned to Joshua
by the word of Moses. (Hence the order for the extermination of Amalek was
written for Joshua [Exodus 17:14] as the representative conqueror, though he did
not actually carry it out.) But the conquest of Canaan, as effected by Joshua, must
be carefully defined. It was a limited conquest. He took a certain number of
strongholds throughout the country, and utterly crushed the armies that were](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/joshua1commentary-160713144605/75/Joshua-1-commentary-89-2048.jpg)
![opposed to him in the field. He established the people of Israel in the position that he
had won. (See Joshua 12:9-24 for an outline of the position.) He then divided to the
tribes of Israel the whole territory, conquered and unconquered alike (see Joshua
13:1-7). The Philistines and Sidonians (or Phoenicians) are examples of two great
nations not conquered by Joshua, but assigned to Israel for an inheritance. Thus it
appears that what Israel would conquer, the sole of his foot must tread. The
conquest which Joshua began for the people, must be carried out in detail by the
several tribes themselves. For a further discussion of the relation of Joshua’s
conquest to the whole history of Israel, see ote on Joshua 13:2.
TRAPP, "Joshua 1:3 Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that
have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses.
Ver. 3. Every place that the sale, &c.] I, who am the true proprietary and lord
paramount, [Psalms 24:1] do give you this land, but yet you must fight for it: and so
must the saints for the heavenly Canaan.
“ unquam bella bonis, nunquam diserimina desunt. ”
PETT, "“Every place that the sole of your feet shall tread on, to you I have given it,
as I said to Moses.”
The land was to be theirs, but it had to be possessed. Step by step they would receive
it as they went forward by faith in YHWH. Sometimes it would be two steps
forward and one step back, but always they should go onwards until the whole was
theirs. For once they had trodden it, it belonged to them. And all this was in
accordance with His promise to Moses. Moses may be dead but God had not
forgotten Moses, and He had not forgotten His promises to him. They still stood
firm.
These verses (Joshua 1:3-5) echo the words of Moses in Deuteronomy 11:24-25.
There too possession would depend on going forward in obedience to YHWH.
We too must remember that those who would accomplish things in God’s name
must be prepared to go forward step by step. As we do so He will lead us in the way
(Genesis 24:27) and grant us our part in His work.
BE SO , "Verse 3-4
Joshua 1:3-4. Every place — That is, within the following bounds. This Lebanon —
Emphatically, as being the most eminent mountain in Syria, and the northern
border of the land: or this which is within thy view. Hittites — Of the Canaanites,
who, elsewhere, are called Amorites, (Genesis 15:16,) and here Hittites, the Hittites
being the most considerable and formidable of them all. The greater sea — The
midland sea, great in itself, and especially compared with those lesser collections of
waters, which the Jews called seas. “But the Israelites never possessed all this land.”
To which it may be answered, 1st, That was from their own sloth and cowardice,
and disobedience to God, and breach of those conditions upon which this promise
was suspended: 2d, Though their possessions extended not to Euphrates, yet their](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/joshua1commentary-160713144605/75/Joshua-1-commentary-90-2048.jpg)
![dominions did, and all those lands were tributary to them in David’s and Solomon’s
time.
COFFMA , ""Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, to you have I
given it, as I spake unto Moses. 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 border."
A number of scholars make something big out of the fact that the Septuagint (LXX)
omits here in Joshua 1:4 the words "all the land of the Hittites," affirming on that
basis that, the words "are possibly a later interpolation."[9] However, the
MAJORITY of the ancient manuscripts have the words, and there is no logical
reason for rejecting them on the basis of their omission in the Septuagint (LXX) and
the Vulgate. A check of the Septuagint (LXX) shows that of the eighteen verses in
this chapter, only seven of them, namely, Joshua 1:3,9,10,12,13,14, and 16, escaped
mutilation in the LXX.[10] In some verses the person was changed; in others the
number was changed from singular to plural, or the other way around, and in other
changes, words, clauses, or phrases were omitted as in the instance here. In fact, on
this basis, we may conclude that the Septuagint (LXX) is, on this chapter, little more
than a poor paraphrase of the text, affording no basis whatever for challenging the
accepted text.
o doubt a part of the objection to the acceptance of "all the land of the Hittites" is
due to failure to discern that "the land of the Hittites" was a general name for "all
of Palestine" during the time when Joshua wrote.[11] We have checked a half dozen
scholars including, Cook, Keil, and Plummer, and all of them concur in this general
usage: "the land of the Hittites" is a designation of Canaan, or Palestine, generally.
It is hard to understand why the critics appear to remain ignorant of this!
EXPOSITOR'S DICTIO ARY, "The Message of the Book of Joshua
Joshua 1:3
In the book of Joshua we have three sections; the first containing the story of the
conquest of the land; the second containing the story of the distribution of the land;
while the third gives us an account of the great leader"s farewell to his beloved
people.
I. The story of the conquest is contained in the first twelve chapters.
1. In the story of the conquest there are, I think, three keynotes; the first of these is
Prepare. The account of the preparation is given in the opening chapters, and given
in such a way as to teach us the solemn lesson that God"s soldiers must be right with
God before they can fight God"s battles.
2. The second is Pass over. This is the note specially sounded at Jordan, when the
people drew their swords and flung away their scabbards, and by crossing the river](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/joshua1commentary-160713144605/75/Joshua-1-commentary-91-2048.jpg)
![transferred to Joshua; and Jos_1:5 is repeated from Deu_31:8, as compared with Jos_
1:6.
CALVI , "4.From the wilderness and this Lebanon, etc How the truth and
fulfillment of this promise surmounted all the obstacles interposed by the
wickedness of the people, though they did not obtain immediate possession of the
whole territory, I have explained in the Argument. For although God had unfolded
the inestimable treasures of his beneficence by constituting them lords of the
country, it did not follow that their misconduct was not to be chastised. ay, there
behooved to be a fulfillment of the threatening which Moses had denounced, viz.,
that if the nations doomed to destruction were not destroyed, they would prove
thorns and stings in their eyes and sides. But as the promise was by no means
broken or rendered void by the delay of forty years, during which they were led
wandering through the desert, so the entire possession, though long suspended,
proved the faithfulness of the decree by which it had been adjudged.
The people had it in their power to obtain possession of the prescribed boundaries
in due time; they declined to do so. For this they deserved to have been expelled
altogether. (18) But the divine indulgence granted them an extent of territory
sufficient for their commodious habitation; and although it had been foretold that,
in just punishment, the residue of the nations whom they spared would prove
pernicious to them, still, they suffered no molestation, unless when they provoked
the Divine anger by their perfidy and almost continual defection: for as often as
their affairs became prosperous, they turned aside to wantonness. Still, owing to the
wonderful goodness of God, when oppressed by the violence of the enemy, and, as it
were, thrust down to the grave, they continued to live in death; and not only so, but
every now and then deliverers arose, and, contrary to all hope, retrieved them from
ruin. (19)
The Great Sea means the Mediterranean, and to it the land of the Hittites forms the
opposite boundary; in the same way Lebanon is opposed to the Euphrates; but it
must be observed that under Lebanon the desert is comprehended, as appears from
another passage. (20)
TRAPP, "Joshua 1:4 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.
Ver. 4. From the wilderness.] Here we have the topography of the promised land, as
it hath the wilderness of Arabia on the south, Mount Lebanon on the north, the
Mediterranean Sea on the west, and Euphrates on the east.
All the land of the Hittites.] Those sturdiest of all the Canaanites.
COKE, "Ver. 4. From the wilderness and this Lebanon—shall be your coast— That](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/joshua1commentary-160713144605/75/Joshua-1-commentary-95-2048.jpg)
![CALVI , "5.There shall not any man, etc As a contest was about to be waged with
numerous and warlike enemies, it was necessary thus to inspire Joshua with special
confidence. But for this, the promise of delivering over the land which God had
given, would ever and anon have become darkened; for how vast the enterprise to
overthrow so many nations! This objection therefore is removed. And the better to
free him from all doubt, he is reminded of the victories of Moses, by which God had
made it manifest that nothing was easier for him than utterly to discomfit any host
however great and powerful. Joshua, therefore, is ordered to behold in the
assistance given to Moses the future issue of the wars which he was to undertake
under the same guidance and protection. For the series of favors is continued
without interruption to the successor.
What follows is to the same effect, though it is more fully expressed by the words, I
will not fail thee, etc Hence the Apostle, (Hebrews 13:5,) when wishing to draw off
believers from avarice, makes an application of these words for the purpose of
calming down all anxieties, and suppressing all excessive fears. And in fact, the
distrust which arises from anxiety kindles in us such tumultuous feelings that on the
least appearance of danger, we turmoil and miserably torment ourselves until we
feel assured that God both will be with us and more than suffice for our protection.
And, indeed, while he prescribes no other cure for our timidity, he reminds us that
we ought to be satisfied with his present aid.
CO STABLE, "Many students of the book have called this the key verse. Here God
promised Joshua His unfailing power and presence so that he might be completely
successful in subduing the Canaanites. Joshua"s failure to be entirely successful was
not God"s fault but the Israelites".
"This text [ Joshua 1:2-5] summarizes the book. Joshua 1:2 describes the crossing of
the Jordan as found in Joshua 1:1 to Joshua 5:12. Joshua 1:3 outlines the
"conquest" of Joshua 5:13 to Joshua 12:24. Joshua 1:4 implies the distribution of
the land in Joshua 13:1 to Joshua 22:34. The emphasis on all the days of Joshua"s
life in Joshua 1:5 is found at the end of Joshua"s life in the final two chapters of the
book. These verses also introduce the character of the LORD God of Israel. He is
one of the main actors in the book. Here he reveals himself through his promises on
behalf of Joshua and Israel." [ ote: Hess, p68.]
TRAPP, "Joshua 1:5 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.
Ver. 5. I will not fail thee.] This promise is five times, at least, found in Scriptures,
and in Hebrews 13:6, applied to all true believers. As for others, let them read that
terrible text, Ezekiel 22:20; Ezekiel 29:5; - "I will gather you in mine anger and in
my fury, and I will leave you there." Lord, "leave us not," saith the Church,
[Jeremiah 14:9] and, "Let him not leave us, nor forsake us," saith Solomon in his](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/joshua1commentary-160713144605/75/Joshua-1-commentary-105-2048.jpg)
![prayer. [1 Kings 8:57] The promises must be sued out. {See Trapp on "Hebrews
13:6"}
WHEDO , "5. ot any man be able to stand before thee — Literally, There shall
not place himself a man before thee, that is, for the purpose of opposition. Compare
Deuteronomy 7:24; Deuteronomy 9:2; Deuteronomy 11:25. Divine promises often
imply a condition, in this case the condition is found in the next verse — “Be
strong.”
I will be with thee — He needs no other allies who is allied with the Almighty. All
that He has done for Moses He pledges to do for Joshua, and all his successors who
possess like precious faith. Joshua needed these strong and cheering assurances; for
he appreciated the magnitude of the nation’s loss in the death of Moses, and knew
that a crisis had arrived in the history of the Hebrew nation. They had advanced to
the borders of the Promised Land. and found it bristling with armed foes. Years of
peril, warfare, and suffering were awaiting them. Although Moses had laid his
hands upon him, consecrating him to the headship of his people, ( umbers 27:18,)
he was justified in waiting for the imposition of a mightier hand.
PETT, "“There shall not any man be able to stand before you all the days of your
life. As I was with Moses, so will I be with you, I will not fail you, nor forsake you.”
God’s promise to Joshua was that he would triumph wherever he went, not
necessarily always immediately, but always in the end. Furthermore He would also
be with him as He had been with Moses, guiding, advising and strengthening,
protecting against all comers. He would not fail him. He would not desert him. He
would always be able to be sure of YHWH’s backing.
“There shall not any man be able to stand before you.” Compare for this
Deuteronomy 7:24. ‘All the days of your life.’ Compare Deuteronomy 4:9;
Deuteronomy 6:2. These promises are always available to those who look to Him
and obey Him when they are engaged in serving Him truly.
COFFMA , ""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. Be strong and of good courage; for thou shalt cause this people to inherit the
land which I sware unto their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very
courageous, to 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
have good success whithersoever thou goest. This book of the law shall not depart
out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate thereon 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. Have not I commanded
thee? Be strong and of good courage; be not affrighted, neither be thou dismayed:
for Jehovah thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest."
"Be strong and of good courage ..." The recurrence of these words, almost like the
refrain of a song, should be noted in Joshua 1:6,7,9,18. It was indeed an incredibly](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/joshua1commentary-160713144605/75/Joshua-1-commentary-106-2048.jpg)
![ISAIAH: This prophet spoke of Sodom and Gomorrah; and throughout, his
conceptions of God, the terminology that he used (as is also true of Jeremiah), and
other powerful echoes of the Pentateuch thunder throughout the prophecy.
JEREMIAH: "The resemblances between Jeremiah and Deuteronomy are marked.
There are words used in both that are found nowhere else. Passages in one are
identical with or closely similar to passages in the other, and in general tone and
form of thought, the two remarkably resemble each other.EZEKIEL: All of this
applies to Ezekiel. Where did he learn about Satan and about Eden, the Paradise of
God, if not from the Pentateuch? There are details of the burnt-offering and many
other instructions lifted right squarely out of the Pentateuch.
DA IEL: It was the observance of the Pentateuchal diet of the Jews that led to
Daniel's success in Babylon.
HOSEA: Hosea 8:12 has this, "Though I wrote for him my Law in ten thousand
precepts! ... Many parallels of idiom and language are found between Hosea and the
Pentateuch, which show that the latter was extant in the northern Israel, and these
can only be accounted for by its existence in a prior written form."[13]
JOEL: This prophet mentioned Eden (Joel 2:3), and the meal-offering, and the
drink offering (Joel 2:14), none of which he could have known apart from the
revelation in the Pentateuch.
AMOS: Amos is absolutely loaded with all kinds of references to the Pentateuch.
"The significance of them lies not in the actual number of references, but in the kind
of references and the implications involved in the individual references."[14] The
knowledge of the Pentateuchal prohibition against keeping the pledge of a man's
garment after sundown (Amos 2:8), mention of the Exodus from Egypt and the forty
years of wandering (Amos 2:10), the reference to the vows of the azarites (Amos
2:11), the citation of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, and the reference to
burnt-offerings, peace-offerings, meal-offerings, tithes, the horns of the altar, etc. -
these are but a few of the scores of Pentateuchal echoes in Amos.
JO AH: His knowledge of the Pentateuch is seen in his promise to pay his vows and
in the declaration that, "Salvation is of Jehovah."
OBADIAH: There is a reference to umbers 20:14-21 in Obadiah 1:1:10.
MICAH: In Micah 6 of this prophecy represents the shameful apostasy of Israel as a
"breach of their contract with God," and what could that contract possibly be if it is
not the Pentateuchal covenant? In this chapter the whole Pentateuchal history of
Israel is rehearsed! The Exodus, Moses, Aaron, Miriam, even the disaster in
umbers 26 - all these, and many other things revealed only in the Pentateuch, are
mentioned.
AHUM: Here is the application of the Pentateuchal teachings of the justice, the](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/joshua1commentary-160713144605/75/Joshua-1-commentary-109-2048.jpg)
![it to them, he must first take it out of the hands of the present inhabitants, and deliver it
into the hands of the children of Israel, to be possessed by them, dividing to e
HENRY, " That he encourage himself herein with the promise and presence of God,
and make these his stay (Jos_1:6): Be strong and of a good courage. And again (Jos_
1:7), as if this was the one thing needful: Only be strong and very courageous. And he
concludes with this (Jos_1:9): Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither
be thou dismayed. Joshua had long since signalized his valour, in the war with Amalek,
and in his dissent from the report of the evil spies; and yet God sees fit thus to inculcate
this precept upon him. Those that have grace have need to be called upon again and
again to exercise grace and to improve in it. Joshua was humble and low in his own eyes,
not distrustful of God, and his power, and promise, but diffident of himself, and of his
own wisdom, and strength, and sufficiency for the work, especially coming after so great
a man as Moses; and therefore God repeats this so often, “Be strong and of a good
courage; let not the sense of thy own infirmities dishearten thee; God is all-sufficient.
Have not I commanded thee?” [1.] “I have commanded the work to be done, and
therefore it shall be done, how invincible soever the difficulties may seem that lie in the
way.” Nay, [2.] “I have commanded, called, and commissioned, thee to do it, and
therefore will be sure to own thee, and strengthen thee, and bear thee out in. it.” Note,
When we are in the way of our duty we have reason to be strong and very courageous;
and it will help very much to animate and embolden us if we keep our eye upon the
divine warrant, hear God saying, “Have not I commanded thee? I will therefore help
thee, succeed thee, accept thee, reward thee.” Our Lord Jesus, as Joshua here, was borne
up under his sufferings by a regard to the will of God and the commandment he had
received from his Father, Joh_10:18.
K&D, "The promise is followed by the condition upon which the Lord would fulfil His
word. Joshua was to be firm and strong, i.e., well-assured, courageous, not alarmed
(vid., Deu_31:6). In the first place (Jos_1:6), he was to rely firmly upon the Lord and His
promise, as Moses and the Lord had already told him (Deu_31:7 and Deu_31:23), and as
is again repeated here, whilst at the same time the expression, “thou shalt divide for an
inheritance,” recalls to mind Deu_1:38; Deu_3:28; and in the second place (Jos_1:7,
Jos_1:8), he was to strive to attain and preserve this firmness by a careful observance of
the law. “Observe to do,” etc., as Moses had already impressed upon the hearts of all the
people (Deu_5:29, cf. Deu_28:14 and Deu_2:27). The suffix in וּ ֶ ִמ is to be explained on
the supposition that the speaker had the book of the law in his mind. The further
expansion, in Jos_1:8, is not only attached to the exhortations, with which Moses urges
upon all the people in Deu_6:6-7, and Deu_11:18-19, an uninterrupted study and laying
to heart of the commandments of God, but even more closely to the directions to the
king, to read every day in the law (Deu_17:19). “Not to depart out of the mouth,” is to be
constantly in the mouth. The law is in our mouth, not only when we are incessantly
preaching it, but when we are reading it intelligently for ourselves, or conversing about it
with others. To this there was to be added meditation, or reflection upon it both day and
night (vid., Psa_1:2). הָג ָה does not mean theoretical speculation about the law, such as
the Pharisees indulged in, but a practical study of the law, for the purpose of observing it
in thought and action, or carrying it out with the heart, the mouth, and the hand. Such a
mode of employing it would be sure to be followed by blessings. “Then shalt thou make
they way prosperous,” i.e., succeed in all thine undertakings (vid., Deu_28:29), “and act](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/joshua1commentary-160713144605/75/Joshua-1-commentary-114-2048.jpg)
![be "strong" and "courageous" (cf. Deuteronomy 31:6). Ownership of the land
depended on God"s faithfulness, but occupation of the land depended on Israel"s
faithfulness (cf. Deuteronomy 30:20).
The writer stressed two major theological points in this book: Yahweh"s
faithfulness in giving Israel the Promised Land, and Yahweh"s hatred of sin. [ ote:
Constable, p103.]
"The word "inherit" ["possession" in the ASB] used to describe the future
possession of the land, is of rich theological significance. It has subsequently become
a T term for the enjoyment of the spiritual blessings of salvation (e.g, 1 Peter
1:4)." [ ote: Martin H. Woudstra, The Book of Joshua , p61. See Joseph C. Dillow,
The Reign of the Servant Kings, pp43-91 , for an excellent explanation of the Old
and ew Testament revelation concerning believers" inheritance.]
The same Hebrew word (nahal [verb] or nahala [noun]) also appears in
Deuteronomy 1:38; Deuteronomy 12:10; Joshua 11:23; Joshua 14:13; Joshua 16:4;
and Joshua 17:6.
TRAPP, "Joshua 1:6 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.
Ver. 6. Be strong and of a good courage.] This is often charged upon Joshua, though
he were very valiant, and of the best mettle; because he was sure to be put to it. (a)
Stand fast, for ye shall be shaken, said that prophetic Simeon in the ecclesiastical
history, to the pillars which he whipped before the earthquake.
Si tamen horteris, fortior ibit equus. ” - Ovid.
COKE, "Ver. 6. Be strong and of a good courage— However courageous and
valiant Joshua might be, it was, nevertheless, very necessary to animate him to the
undertaking of so difficult an enterprize as was here entrusted to him; nothing less
than such a divine assurance could indeed have supported his courage in so arduous
a talk. 'Tis true, he was now ninety-three years of age, and had been trained up
under Moses at least one third part of that time; so that he wanted neither the
experience nor the sagacity necessary to foresee all the difficulties he was to
encounter. He saw himself too at the head of 600,000 fighting men: but, not to
mention the prodigious number of old men, women, and children; not to reckon
servants, cattle, and baggage, wherewith the army was incumbered; his first step
was the crossing of a large river; in doing of which, he knew himself equally exposed
to the arms of those whom he went to attack, and of those whom he left behind. The
nations that he was to subdue were naturally warlike, of a gigantic stature and
strength; their towns well fortified by nature and art; their forces and interests
united by the strongest ties and alliances: besides, they had all long ago taken the
alarm, and had made the greatest preparations against him, determined either to
obstruct his conquest of their country, or to lose their lives in its defence. See Univ.](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/joshua1commentary-160713144605/75/Joshua-1-commentary-117-2048.jpg)
![Hist. vol. 3:
WHEDO , "6. Be strong and of a good courage — [Better, Be strong and firm.
Michaelis remarks that the verb ,חזק to be strong, denotes strength of hand and arm
to lay hold of and retain any thing within one’s grasp; while ,אמצ to be firm, denotes
rather firmness in the knees, and ability to maintain one’s position against the
attack of foes. The expression occurs with increasing emphasis four times in this
chapter, and is rather a command than an exhortation. Compare Isaiah 35:3 :
“Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees.”] It is a command as
imperative as any in the Decalogue, for strength of will and indomitable firmness
must constitute the state of mind out of which all acts of obedience spring.
For unto this people shall thou divide — Or, thou shalt cause this people to inherit
the land. The Lord would inspire Joshua with strength of soul by disclosing to him
the grandeur of his mission. He reveals to him that his agency is the last link in the
chain which unites prophecy and fulfilment, hope and fruition: that all the glorious
possibilities of his nation hinge upon his own personal valor and fidelity.
PETT, "“Be strong, and of good courage, for you will cause this people to inherit
the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.”
Joshua was to be ‘strong’, the word often indicates strength of hand. But his hand
was to be strong because his spirit was strong. ‘Of good courage.’ This word also
indicates being strong, and especially strong in spirit. Thus ‘be doubly strong’.
Strong in action, strong in heart, strong in spirit. (Compare Deuteronomy 31:7).
“For you will cause this people to inherit the land which I swore to their fathers to
give them.” otice the word ‘inherit’. It links closely with the word covenant. The
land was to be theirs because YHWH had covenanted it to them by an oath. Because
of this covenant it was theirs by right as a result of God’s gracious covenant love.
Thus their possession of it was inevitable. Compare Deuteronomy 31:7. The same
idea is applied in the ew Testament to our calling in Christ. That too we ‘inherit’
because chosen and endowed by Him (Ephesians 1:11; Colossians 1:12; 1 Peter 1:4).
In these two verses YHWH brings to the mind of Joshua words of Moses spoken
earlier as recorded in Deuteronomy. As he lay there in his dream they echoed and
re-echoed in his mind. This is also true in the following two verses.
EXPOSITOR'S DICTIO ARY, "Joshua 1:6; Psalm 37:14; Psalm 31:24; 2
Chronicles 32:7
Courage, my soul! now learn to wield
The weight of thine immortal shield;
Close on thy head thy helmet bright;
Balance thy sword against the fight;](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/joshua1commentary-160713144605/75/Joshua-1-commentary-118-2048.jpg)
![GILL, "Only be thou strong, and very courageous,.... For though Joshua was a
man of valour and courage, as appears by his war with Amalek, yet there was need of this
exhortation, and of repeating it, since he was to engage with a people more and mightier
than those with him, and who dwelt in strong and fortified places, and had been
preparing for some time, having had notice, and were in expectation of the Israelites'
attempt upon them:
that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law which Moses my
servant commanded thee; not only as a private man obliged to observe the whole
law, and act according to it in all things; though no mere man is capable of it, only
Joshua's antitype, who is the end of it for righteousness to all that believe, having
fulfilled it in all respects; but as the supreme magistrate under God, who was to see that
the law was obeyed by the people in all things, and particularly as the general of the
army, who was to observe to do what had been ordered, with respect to the Canaanites,
see Deu_7:1,
turn not from it to the right hand or to the left: from the law, by adding to it, or
taking from it; so Ben Gersom explains it,"turning to the right hand is, when any adds to
its words; and turning to the left hand, when he diminishes from them;''or "from him"
(k), that is, from Moses; from his good way, as Kimchi; though he adds, or else from the
book of the law; for though he does not mention the book, he does the law; so Ben
Melech:
that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest; succeed in every battle he
engaged in; it would be well if generals of armies would observe this; the way to obtain
victory over enemies being to be observant of the laws of God themselves, and to take
care that they be observed by the soldiers under their command: or "that thou mayest
act wisely" (l); the word of God furnishing out instruction to men in every station of life,
see Luk_3:10.
HE RY 7-8, "The charge or command he gives to Joshua, which is,
(1.) That he conform himself in every thing to the law of God, and make this his rule v.
7, 8. God does, as it were, put the book of the law into Joshua's hand; as, when Joash
was crowned, they gave him the testimony, 2Ki_11:12. And concerning this book he is
charged, [1.] To meditate therein day and night, that he might understand it and have it
ready in him upon all occasions. If ever any man's business might have excused him
from meditation, and other acts of devotion, one would think Joshua's might at this
time. It was a great trust that was lodged in his hands; the care of it was enough to fill
him, if he had had ten souls, and yet he must find time and thoughts for meditation.
Whatever affairs of this world we have to mind, we must not neglect the one thing
needful. [5.] Not to let it depart out of his mouth; that is, all his orders to the people, and
his judgments upon appeals made to him, must be consonant to the law of God; upon all
occasions he must speak according to this rule, Isa_8:20. Joshua was to maintain and
carry on the work that Moses had begun, and therefore he must not only complete the
salvation Moses had wrought for them, but must uphold the holy religion he had
established among them. There was no occasion to make new laws; but that good thing
which was committed to him he must carefully and faithfully keep, 2Ti_1:14. [3.] He
must observe to do according to all this law. To this end he must meditate therein, not
for contemplation sake only, or to fill his head with notions, or that he might find](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/joshua1commentary-160713144605/75/Joshua-1-commentary-125-2048.jpg)
![What follows in the second clause of the verse shows, that, everything which profane
men endeavor to accomplish in contempt of the word of God, must ultimately fail of
success, and that however prosperous the commencement may sometimes seem to
be, the issue will be disastrous; because prosperous results can be hoped for only
from the divine favor, which is justly withheld from counsels rashly adopted, and
from all arrogance of which contempt of God himself is the usual accompaniment.
Let believers, therefore, in order that their affairs may turn out as they wish,
conciliate the divine blessing alike by diligence in learning and by fidelity in
obeying.
In the end of the verse, because the term used is ambiguous, as I have already
observed, the sentence is repeated, or a second promise is added. The latter is the
view I take. For it was most suitable, that after the promised success, Joshua should
be reminded that men never act skillfully and regularly except in so far as they
allow themselves to be ruled by the word of God. Accordingly, the prudence which
believers learn from the word of God, is opposed to the confidence of those who
deem their own sense sufficient to guide them aright. (23)
CO STABLE, "Joshua"s responsibility included unswerving obedience to the
Mosaic Law. This would be the key to his success. Knowing the law was only the
first step. Practicing it was what would make Joshua effective (cf. Deuteronomy
5:32-33).
"The important lesson which we hence learn Isaiah , that in nothing is there more
scope for the display of the highest moral heroism than in daring, in all
circumstances, to cleave steadfastly to the word of God as the rule of our conduct. It
is in this chiefly that the fortitude of the Christian soldier is to evince itself." [ ote:
Bush, p20.]
TRAPP, "Joshua 1:7 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.
Ver. 7. Only be thou strong.] {See Trapp on "Joshua 1:6"}
That thou mayest observe to do.] Heb., To observe in doing; (a) as minding the
manner, which either maketh or marreth any action.
According to all the law.] Integrity is the best ground of fortitude. "The spirit of
power and of a sound mind," are fitly joined together by the apostle. [2 Timothy
1:7] A rotten rag hath no strength; a corrupt conscience no true courage. See
Proverbs 28:1.](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/joshua1commentary-160713144605/75/Joshua-1-commentary-127-2048.jpg)
![That thou mayest prosper.] Or, Do wisely; (b) for a good man ordereth his affairs
with discretion, [Psalms 112:5] and speedeth accordingly for most part. Gaius’s
prosperity he is sure of. The prudent person cannot be unprosperous. Of Cato,
Censorius Paterculus saith, (c) that being homo virtuti simillimus semper fortunam
in sua potestate habuit, a very virtuous man, he had what fortune soever he pleased.
Scipio Africanus was wont before day to go into the capitol in cellam Iovis, and
there to stay a great while, as it were to consult with Jupiter, concerning the
government of the commonwealth: whence his deeds were plaeraque admiranda,
saith Gellius, most of them very admirable and successful. (d)
COKE, "Ver. 7. Only be thou strong and very courageous, &c.— God requires of
Joshua fortitude and courage; which, indeed, ought necessarily to adorn the
character of every person raised to the government of a nation; that so, being always
faithful in the cause of religion, he may enforce its duties on his subjects, both by his
injunctions and his example. Jehovah requires his observance of no other rule for
his conduct, than that law which had been deposited with him. He forbids him in
any thing to deviate from that law; and, on this condition, assures to him the most
happy success.
That thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest— The sense given to this
passage by the LXX, is very fine: That thou mayest perform wisely whatsoever thou
hast to do. It is the greatest policy to be truly religious. Princes who govern by
pretended reasons of state, in contempt of the commands of God, are strangers both
to true wisdom and their real interest.
Joshua was to entertain far other sentiments. It was essential to the success of his
ministry and arms, that his whole disposition, from the very beginning, should
display his fear of God. We should observe, however, that the expression in the
original, which primarily signifies to have intelligence, signifies also, frequently, to
prosper; inasmuch as prudence is the path to success.
WHEDO , "7. All the law — The Torah, the body of moral, ceremonial, and
political precepts given from Jehovah by the hand of Moses. The very conception of
a moral agent involves the idea of a law. They who have not the written law are a
law unto themselves. Their own conscience perceives the immutable distinction
between right and wrong. In addition to this, God has added positive commands
and prohibitions. These from the days of our first parents till the completion of the
Torah, were of a fragmentary character; as, for example, the penalties against
murder, adultery, and fornication, (Genesis 9:6; Genesis 38:24,) the Levirate law,
(Genesis 38:8,) the distinctions of the clean and unclean beasts, (Genesis 8:20,) and
the sacredness of the Sabbath, (Exodus 16:23-29.) The first revelation of the law in
any thing like a perfect form is found in the Book of Deuteronomy at a period when
the people, educated to freedom and national responsibility, were prepared to
receive it, and carry it with them to the land of promise. In this present passage we
are assured that it was written in the form of a book, and appealed to as of supreme
authority. When we consider the reverence with which all subsequent generations of](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/joshua1commentary-160713144605/75/Joshua-1-commentary-128-2048.jpg)
![bade the Levites, "take this Book of the Law and put it in the side of the ark of the
covenant of the Lord your God, that it may be there for a witness against them". It
is clear from verse 19 that copies were made of parts of it at least, but the standard
copy was preserved in the side of the ark, which vessel was kept in the holy of holies.
From that Standard copy each king of Israel was required to "write him a copy of
this Law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites" (Deut. 17:18).
Once every seven years the whole of the Book of the Law was to be read in the
hearing of the entire congregation. "And Moses commanded them, saying, At the
end of every seventh year, in the solemnity of the year of release, in the feast of
tabernacles, when all Israel is come to appear before the Lord their God in the place
which He shall choose, thou shalt read this Law before all Israel in their hearing . . .
that they may learn and fear the Lord your God and observe to do all the words of
this Law" (Deut. 31:11-13). This was the Book by which Joshua was to be regulated.
At a later date, the Spirit moved him to write therein (Josh. 24:26), as Samuel also
added portions thereto (1 Sam. 10:25). It was this Book Davit] had in mind when he
prayed "teach me Thy statutes"; "order my steps in Thy Word" (Ps. 119:12, 133).
When David drew nigh unto death, he gave this commission unto Solomon: "Keep
the charge of the Lord thy God, to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes and His
commandments . . . as it is written in the Law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in
all that thou doest" (1 Kings 2:1-4).
Alas, Solomon failed to heed that injunction, following too much the evil devices of
his heart. The decline which began in his reign accelerated and continued many
generations, and during that time "this Book of the Law" was lost to the people. In
the days of Josiah, the high priest "found the Book of the Law in the house of the
Lord" (2 Kings 22:8), for He had guarded and preserved it despite Israel’s apostasy,
and the godly king himself read "all the words of the Book of the Covenant" in the
hearing of a vast assembly (2 Kings 23:2, 3). Later, we find Ezra doing the same
thing ( eh. 8:1,8, 13:1). Daniel made reference to this Book; "the curse is poured
upon us and the oath that is written in the Law of Moses the servant of God,
because we have sinned against Him" (Dan. 9:11). While the very last chapter of the
O.T. contains this injunction, "Remember ye the Law of Moses, My servant, which I
commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments" (v.
4); which completes the cycle.
8 Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips;
meditate on it day and night, so that you may be
careful to do everything written in it. Then you](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/joshua1commentary-160713144605/75/Joshua-1-commentary-138-2048.jpg)
![will be prosperous and successful.
CLARKE, "This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth - The law
which had already been written by Moses, and from which he and the people were to
take all those precepts by which their lives were to be governed. Though there was a copy
of the law laid up in the sanctuary, yet this was not sufficient. Joshua must have a copy
for himself, and he was to consult it incessantly, that his way might be made prosperous,
and that he might have good success. If he kept God’s word, God would keep him in
body and soul; if he should observe to do according to that word, then God would cause
all his way to be prosperous. Those who are obedient to God lack no manner of thing
that is good.
GILL, "This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth,.... He was often
to read it, frequently repeat it, and speak of it, to refresh his own memory with it, and the
memory of those about him. Jarchi restrains it to the book of Deuteronomy now before
him:
but thou shalt meditate therein day and night; whenever he had any leisure from
the important business of his office, whether by day or night, see Psa_1:2,
that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein; which
frequent speaking of it, and constant meditation on it, would lead unto:
for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good
success; in his wars with the Canaanites.
CO STABLE, "Moses had left Israel a written document that the Israelites
regarded as authoritative law, namely, the Mosaic Law. The Lord commanded
Joshua to keep this Word in mind constantly so he would remember his
responsibilities under God and find encouragement to keep them (cf. Psalm 1:2;
Isaiah 59:21).
"The phrase "from your mouth" refers to the custom of muttering while studying
or reflecting. The Hebrew word translated "meditate" (hagah) literally means
"mutter." When one continually mutters God"s Word to himself, he is constantly
thinking about it." [ ote: Madvig, p257.]
". . . [Meditation] does not mean theoretical speculation about the law, such as the
Pharisees indulged in, but a practical study of the law, for the purpose of observing](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/joshua1commentary-160713144605/75/Joshua-1-commentary-139-2048.jpg)
![it in thought and action, or carrying it out with the heart, the mouth, and the hand.
Such a mode of employing it would be sure to be followed by blessings." [ ote: Keil
and Delitzsch, p30.]
We should never view Bible study and memorization as ends in themselves. They
are important methods of obtaining the end of being obedient to God"s Word. We
cannot obey it unless we understand it and are consciously aware of it as we make
decisions day by day.
"The higher any man is raised in office, the more need has he of an acquaintance
with the sacred oracles, and the better will he be qualified by the study of them for
the discharge of his arduous duties." [ ote: Bush, pp21-22.]
ELLICOTT, "(8) Thou shalt meditate therein day and night . . . then thou shalt
make thy way prosperous.—These words are taken up again in Psalms 1:2-3, and a
blessing is pronounced on every man who takes Joshua’s position in relation to the
written law of God (see ote, Joshua 1:1). Thus the true significance of Joshua’s
position appears, and also the difference between Moses and all who followed him.
Moses was the prophet “whom the Lord knew face to face.” Joshua and all his
successors, from the least to the greatest, find their blessing and their portion in the
careful study and fulfilment of the written word of God. It is also worthy of notice
that God’s Word, from its very first appearance as a collective book (viz., the law),
occupies the same position. It is supreme. It is set above Joshua. It is never
superseded. And its authority is independent of its quantity. “The law of Moses,”
“Moses and the prophets,” “The law, the prophets, and the Psalms,” are
descriptions of the Bible differing in the quantity of the matter, but not differing in
the authority they exercise or in their relation to the living church. “Blessed is he
that readeth and they that hear the words of the prophecy of this book, and keep
those things that are written therein,” are words that apply to Holy Scripture
equally, in every stage, from the completion of the law of Moses to the completion of
the entire book.
TRAPP, "Joshua 1:8 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.
Ver. 8. This book of the law shall not depart.] Lex sola omnis sapientiae fons est.
The Scripture is the only fountain of all wisdom, saith Luther: (a) who in the same
place affirmeth, that he hated his own writings, and wished they were all burnt,
because he feared that the reading of them kept men from reading the Bible, that
book of books, in comparison whereof all other books are but as waste paper.
Charles V, emperor, liked to read three books especially, - Polybius’s history,
Machiavel’s Prince, and Castalian’s Courtier. He took such delight in the
mathematics, that even in the midst of his whole army, in his tent, he stayed close at
this study; having for that purpose, as his instructor, Turrianus of Cremona
evermore with him. How well versed he was in the Scriptures, I know not, but at his](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/joshua1commentary-160713144605/75/Joshua-1-commentary-140-2048.jpg)
![baptism, among other great gifts bestowed upon him by his father’s friends - as a
golden sword, a silver head piece, a charger of gold filled with pearls, &c. - the
Abbot of Gaunt, where he was born, gave him a fair Bible with this inscription,
scrutamini Scripturas, search the Scriptures. (b) Queen Elizabeth, soon after her
coronation, being presented by the Londoners in Cheapside with a Bible, received it
with both her hands; and kissing it, laid it to her breast, saying, that the same had
ever been her chiefest delight, and should be the rule by which she meant to frame
her government. (c) Alphonsus, king of Arragon, is said to have read over the Bible
fourteen times with Lyra’s notes. And Charles the Wise of France, not only caused
the Bible to be translated into French, but was himself very studious in "the holy
Scriptures, which are able to make" a man "wise to salvation."
For then thou shalt make thy way prosperous.] Piety hath prosperity. {See Trapp on
"Joshua 1:7"}
COKE,"Ver. 8. This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, &c.— "This
law, whose original is laid up in the sanctuary, shall never cease to be the subject of
thy meditations and discourses, that so all thy conduct may be perfectly
conformable thereto." By which it is evident, that Joshua had a copy of the law for
his private use; and that it was the intention of God, that he should set an example
to all kings and governors who should come after him, of a devout application to the
study of its principles for their government. However weighty and numerous the
occupations of Joshua might be, God means not that they should dispense him from
reading, meditating, and digesting of his law: on the contrary, he requires him
constantly to derive from thence his rule of conduct, as well in his private
transactions, as in his public administration. Happy the people who have Joshuas at
their head! If ever they can rely on the prudence of their governors, and promise
themselves advantage from their ministry, it must be under such a supposition.
WHEDO , "8. This book of the law — Already had revelation solidified itself into a
book form. The wisdom of God in selecting this form will be evident when we
consider, (1) That the human race instinctively put into monumental form all the
great truths, laws, discoveries, and historic events which they wish to perpetuate; (2)
The untrustworthy character of oral traditions; (3) The difficulty of corrupting
documents intrusted to the guardianship of a class solemnly set apart for that
purpose, and imbued with a religious awe for the very letter of the sacred
manuscript, or as published to the world by the multiplication of copies scattered
abroad through all lands.
Shall not depart — The written divine law shall be a theme of constant study,
thought, and conversation, the rule of both his private and official life.
Shall meditate — The Hebrew word ,הגה sometimes means to mutter, speak aloud,
but “we are not to think of this meditation as a learned study, nor as a ‘reading
aloud,’ as Bunsen explains it, but rather as a mature reflection upon the law, by
which Joshua should penetrate more deeply into its meaning.” — Fay. Happy is the](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/joshua1commentary-160713144605/75/Joshua-1-commentary-141-2048.jpg)
![GILL, "Have not I commanded thee?.... The above things, to go over Jordan with
the people into the land of Canaan, and to observe the law of Moses in all things, and to
be of good courage, which is again repeated; consider who it is that has given these
orders and instructions, the great Jehovah, the everlasting I AM, who is faithful to his
promises, and able to perform. The consideration of which would serve to animate him
to the work he was called unto, to encourage his faith in God, to engage in his service
cheerfully and readily:
be strong, and of a good courage; See Gill on Jos_1:6; See Gill on Jos_1:7.
be not afraid, nor be thou dismayed; at his enemies, numerous and powerful, nor
discouraged at anything in himself, any unfitness for such service, as he might think, or
at any difficulties he might fear from the people he had the government of, and was to
lead on; it was enough that the divine Presence was promised him, and which is
repeated:
for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest: or, as the Targum
of Jonathan,"for thy help is the Word of the Lord thy God;''See Gill on Jos_1:5.
HE RY, " That he encourage himself herein with the promise and presence of God,
and make these his stay (Jos_1:6): Be strong and of a good courage. And again (Jos_
1:7), as if this was the one thing needful: Only be strong and very courageous. And he
concludes with this (Jos_1:9): Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither
be thou dismayed. Joshua had long since signalized his valour, in the war with Amalek,
and in his dissent from the report of the evil spies; and yet God sees fit thus to inculcate
this precept upon him. Those that have grace have need to be called upon again and
again to exercise grace and to improve in it. Joshua was humble and low in his own eyes,
not distrustful of God, and his power, and promise, but diffident of himself, and of his
own wisdom, and strength, and sufficiency for the work, especially coming after so great
a man as Moses; and therefore God repeats this so often, “Be strong and of a good
courage; let not the sense of thy own infirmities dishearten thee; God is all-sufficient.
Have not I commanded thee?” [1.] “I have commanded the work to be done, and
therefore it shall be done, how invincible soever the difficulties may seem that lie in the
way.” Nay, [2.] “I have commanded, called, and commissioned, thee to do it, and
therefore will be sure to own thee, and strengthen thee, and bear thee out in. it.” Note,
When we are in the way of our duty we have reason to be strong and very courageous;
and it will help very much to animate and embolden us if we keep our eye upon the
divine warrant, hear God saying, “Have not I commanded thee? I will therefore help
thee, succeed thee, accept thee, reward thee.” Our Lord Jesus, as Joshua here, was borne
up under his sufferings by a regard to the will of God and the commandment he had
received from his Father, Joh_10:18.
K&D, "In conclusion, the Lord not only repeats His exhortation to firmness, but the
promise that He gave in Jos_1:5 and Jos_1:6. “Have I not” (nonne) is a rhetorical mode
of saying, “Behold, I have,” the assurance being clothed in the form of an affirmative
question. On the words “be not afraid,” etc., see Deu_31:6 and Deu_31:8.](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/joshua1commentary-160713144605/75/Joshua-1-commentary-146-2048.jpg)
![B" Be strong and courageous ( Joshua 1:9).
A" The Lord your God is with you ( Joshua 1:9).
This structure emphasizes the centrality of the book of the law of God as the key to
Israel"s success, Joshua"s effective leadership, and God"s enabling presence with
His people. With this challenge Joshua could advance into Canaan confidently.
This passage contains the principles necessary for spiritual success in every age. We
must know what God requires, maintain perpetual awareness of that, and be
consistently and completely obedient to it in our daily experience to gain victory
over our spiritual adversaries. [ ote: See Harry Foster, " Joshua , Walking into
Battle," Toward the Mark 11:6 ( ovember-December1982):116-19.]
COKE, "Ver. 9. Have not I commanded thee? &c.— These are the grounds of that
intrepid courage which was to animate the soul of Joshua 1 st, The calling
wherewith God had dignified him. 2nd, The positive promise of a lasting protection.
REFLECTIO S.—Moses had been a faithful servant; but death is the common lot
of man. By removing from the people this most useful minister, God will call them
off from dependance on, and attachment to men. Joshua must arise; and, though
conscious of great inferiority of abilities, yet at God's command he may comfortably
address himself to the work, assured that he who sends will strengthen him. ote;
(1.) It is a comfort to the people of God, that, though ministers die, Jesus their Lord
for ever lives to provide for and direct them. (2.) Those whom God calls to succeed
eminent ministers, though they may feel their own insufficiency, must not be
discouraged, but rely upon his grace and strength who gives the mission. 1. Here is
the work enjoined him, to pass Jordan, and to possess the land of Canaan. An
arduous task! how shall he cross this deep river, without bridge or pontoons,
especially now, when overflowing its banks? and how possess a land where all the
inhabitants are mighty? here he must rely upon God: if he commands, he will make
the way plain and easy. ote; Divine faith overcomes the greatest difficulties; and
they can do all things, who have Christ strengthening them. 2. The promises made
to him for his encouragement, [1.] The gift of the land is confirmed to the children of
Israel. It was their own, as certainly as if they were in possession. The bounds are
wide and extended; and had they been faithful to God, he had not suffered a tittle to
have been unfulfilled: if they never occupied the whole, they must blame their own
unbelief and disobedience. [2.] God assures Joshua, that his never-failing presence
and blessing shall be with him, as they had been with Moses; and the consequence of
these must be victory. He shall tread on the necks of his enemies, and divide the
land, to be possessed in peace by the tribes of Israel. ote; They who have God's
presence with them, may cheerfully and confidently go forth against a host of
enemies. (3.) Victory over all the powers of evil is obtained for us by our divine
Joshua, and we may triumph already in our glorious head over sin, and death, and
hell, as vanquished enemies. (4.) He bids him be of good courage, repeats it again
and again, and urges it with renewed assurances that he would be with him: and](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/joshua1commentary-160713144605/75/Joshua-1-commentary-148-2048.jpg)
![The closest connection exists between Deuteronomy and Joshua. The narrative may
be read as running on without a break. It turns away from the lonely grave up on
the mountain to the bustling camp and the new leader. o man is indispensable.
God’s work goes on uninterrupted. The instruments are changed, but the Master-
hand is the same, and lays one tool aside and takes another out of the tool-chest as
He will. Moses is dead,-what then? Does his death paralyse the march of the tribes?
o; it is but the ground for the ringing command, ‘Therefore arise, go over this
Jordan.’ The immediate installation of his successor, and the uninterrupted
continuance of the advance, do not mean that Moses is not honoured or is forgotten,
for the narrative lovingly links his honorific title, ‘the servant of the Lord,’ with the
mention of his death; and God Himself does the same, for he is thrice referred to in
the divine command to Joshua, as the recipient of the promise of the conquest, as the
example of the highest experience of God’s all-sufficing companionship, and as the
medium by which Israel received the law. Joshua steps into the empty place,
receives the same great promise, is assured of the same Presence, and is to obey the
same law. The change of leaders is great, but nothing else is changed; and even it is
not so great as faint hearts in their sorrow are apt to think, for the real Leader lives,
and Moses and Joshua alike are but the transmitters of His orders and His aids to
Israel.
The first command given to Joshua was a trial of his faith, for ‘Jordan was in flood’
[Joshua 3:15],-and how was that crowd to get across, when fords were impassable
and ferry-boats were wanting, to say nothing of the watchful eyes that were upon
them from the other bank? To cross a stream in the face of the enemy is a ticklish
operation, even for modern armies; what must it have been, then, for Joshua and his
horde? ot a hint is given him as to the means by which the crossing is to be made
possible. He has Jehovah’s command to do it, and Jehovah’s promise to be with
him, and that is to be enough. We too have sometimes to face undertakings which
we cannot see how to carry through; but if we do see that the path is one appointed
by God, and will boldly tread it, we may be quite sure that, when we come to what
at present seems like a mountain wall across it, we shall find that the glen opens as
we advance, and that there is a way,-narrow, perhaps, and dangerous, but
practicable. ‘One step enough for me’ should be our motto. We may trust God not
to command impossibilities, nor to lead us into a cul de sac.
The promise to Moses [Deuteronomy 2:24] is repeated almost verbally in Joshua
1:4. The boundaries of the land are summarily given as from ‘the wilderness’ in the
south to ‘this Lebanon’ in the north, and from the Euphrates in the east to the
Mediterranean in the west. ‘The land of the Hittites’ is not found in the original
passage in Deuteronomy, and it seems to be a designation of the territory between
Lebanon and the Euphrates, which we now know to have been the seat of the
northern Hittites, while the southern branch was planted round Hebron and the
surrounding district. But these wide boundaries were not attained till late in the
history, and were not long retained. Did the promise, then, fail? o, for it, like all
the promises, was contingent on conditions, and Israel’s unfaithfulness cut short its
extent of territory. We, too, fail to possess all the land destined for us. Our charter is
much wider than our actual wealth. God gives more than we take, and we are
content to occupy but a corner of the broad land which He has given us. In like](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/joshua1commentary-160713144605/75/Joshua-1-commentary-150-2048.jpg)
![ELLICOTT, "JOSHUA’S FIRST ORDERS (Joshua 1:10-15).
(10) Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people.—Joshua’s first orders to
the people were to prepare for the passage of Jordan within three days. We may
compare this event, in its relation to Joshua, with the giving of the law from Sinai to
Moses. Both were preceded by a three days’ notice and a sanctification of the
people. Both were means employed by God to establish the leaders whom He had
chosen in the position which He designed for them. (Comp. Exodus 19:9; Exodus
19:11 with Joshua 1:11; Joshua 3:7; Joshua 4:14.)
Verse 11
(11) Prepare you victuals.—The question may be asked, what preparation is
intended, since they had the manna, which did not cease until several days after they
passed the Jordan. But it does not seem possible to assign any other meaning to the
word except that of provision for a journey or for a warlike expedition. Perhaps the
order was intended to prepare the Israelites for the transition from the manna to
other food. It may be also that the manna which supported them in their pilgrimage
through the wilderness was not so fit to sustain them in the warfare which they were
about to begin. For the phrase itself, compare Exodus 12:39 : “They were thrust out
of Egypt, and could not tarry, neither had they prepared for themselves any
victual.” When there was a difficulty in obtaining other provision, God gave His
people manna. ow, when they could easily provide food for themselves, He would
not support them in idleness; and perhaps this is the common-sense view of the
order given in the text. If called to any expedition which would take them far from
the camp, the manna would not be within reach of all.
WHEDO , "Verse 10-11
PREPARATIO S FOR THE MARCH, Joshua 1:10-11.
[10. Officers of the people — Shoterim; subordinate magistrates or scribes among
the Israelites, and more or less intimately associated with the administration of
justice. They assisted the Egyptian taskmasters in apportioning and supervising the
work of the Israelitish bondmen, (Exodus 5:10; Exodus 5:14-15,) were associated
with the elders ( umbers 11:16) and with the judges, (Joshua 8:33,) acted as
overseers of levies, (Deuteronomy 20:5,) and from this verse, compared with Joshua
3:2, and Joshua 8:33, it seems to have been a part of their work to notify the tribes
of any public order, and prepare them for action in any emergency.]
PETT, "Verse 10-11
‘Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying “Pass through the midst
of the camp and command the people, saying, ‘Prepare victuals, for in three days
you are to pass over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land which YHWH your
God gives you to possess it.’ ” ’
The officers (shoterim) of the people are mentioned in Deuteronomy 1:15;
Deuteronomy 20:5-9. They were the chief men of the tribes. In Deuteronomy 16:18
they are parallel with the judges. Moved by his dream Joshua told them to prepare
the people for the crossing of the River. Although they were still receiving the](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/joshua1commentary-160713144605/75/Joshua-1-commentary-158-2048.jpg)
![manna (Joshua 5:12), that would not be so easily gatherable on a war footing, and
anyway it would shortly cease, so they needed to ensure that they were well
provisioned. ow that they were out of the wilderness and close to the land, plenty
of food would be available, such for example as they had captured in battles against
the Amorites. The word for ‘victuals’ also includes hunted game.
“In three days.” That is, in a short time. ‘Three days’ is a standard way of saying ‘a
few days, shortly’. (It means any period less than the next step up, ‘seven days’).
Time was not as precise for them as it is for us. Life was more relaxed.
“You are to pass over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land which YHWH your
God gives you to possess it.” Compare Deuteronomy 11:31; Deuteronomy 1:8;
Deuteronomy 3:18. Moses’ words were burned into Joshua’s mind and became
God’s voice to him. otice his encouragement to the people, they were to possess
what God had given them to possess. Thus they could be sure that He would enable
them.
BE SO , "Verse 10-11
Joshua 1:10-11. The officers of the people — Those who commanded under Joshua,
in their respective tribes and families, attended him for orders, which they were to
transmit to the people. Prepare you victuals — For although manna was given them
to supply their want of ordinary provisions in the wilderness; yet they were allowed,
when they had opportunity, to purchase other provisions, and did so, Deuteronomy
2:6; Deuteronomy 2:28. And now, having been some time in the land of the
Amorites, and, together with manna, used themselves to other food, with which that
country plentifully supplied them, they are warned to furnish themselves therewith
for their approaching march. Within three days — These words, though placed
here, seem not to have been delivered by Joshua till after the return of the spies,
such transpositions being frequent in Scripture. And hence it is, that these three
days, mentioned here, are again repeated below, after the history of the spies,
Joshua 3:2.
COFFMA , ""Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying, Pass
through the midst of the camp, and command the people, saying, Prepare you
victuals; for within three days ye are to pass over this Jordan, to go in to possess the
land, which Jehovah your God giveth you to possess it."
"Within three days ..." Here we encounter somewhat of a problem. This is due to
the mention of another "three days" in Joshua 3:2 before Joshua gave the order
mentioned here. This is rather a complicated problem, and scholars have given
conflicting opinions on it for many years. We do not consider it to be of any earth-
shaking importance, because of two reasons:
(1) The Hebrew language had no pluperfect tense, and it was therefore impossible in
that language to declare that "Joshua had done" certain things. Haley stated that,
"Therefore, we should read Joshua 2:1, as `Joshua had sent.'"[15]](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/joshua1commentary-160713144605/75/Joshua-1-commentary-159-2048.jpg)
![(2) Also, the three days mentioned in this verse had already been preceded by the
three days mentioned in Joshua 23:2. o discerning student of ancient documents
can be upset by a minor difficulty such as this. We see no good reason for not
accepting Plummer's explanation:
"Cornelius a Lapide calculated that the spies left the camp of Israel on the 3of
isan, returned on the 6th; and Joshua gave his order on the 7th, and that on the
10th of isan (Joshua 4:19) they crossed the Jordan River."[16]
"Joshua commanded the officers of the people ..." Of very great interest is the
Hebrew word from which "officers" is translated. "It is from the same root of an
Arabic word meaning `to write.'"[17] The word will actually bear the rendition of
"writers" or "scribes," suggesting that these men corresponded to construction
foremen in our own day who keep written records of the hours worked, quantities
of materials used, the kinds and quantities of products produced, and other
pertinent information. What a revealing glimpse we have here of the status of that
civilization. ot only was the science of writing well known to the well educated,
(indeed, writing had already been known for centuries), but here, we see that
literally hundreds of "contact men" for the multi-million Israelites were able to
"write," that being a primary function of their duties.
This order by Joshua also reveals that Israel, at this time, was no longer a
haphazard and disorganized mob like that which came out of Egypt. "It was a well-
disciplined and united army ready to undertake the Lord's battles."[18]
"Prepare victuals ..." In this order is seen the near-approach of the cessation of the
manna. Besides that, there is no statement in the O.T. that declares the Israelites to
have had no other food except manna. They surely had the great flocks and herds so
often mentioned.
EBC, "JOSHUA'S CHARGE TO THE PEOPLE.
Joshua 1:10-18.
GOD has spoken to Joshua; it is now Joshua's part to speak to the people. The
crossing of the Jordan must be set about at once, and in earnest, and all the risks
and responsibilities involved in that step firmly and fearlessly encountered.
And in the steps taken by Joshua for this purpose we see, what we so often see, how
the natural must be exhausted before the supernatural is brought in. Thus, in
communicating with the people through the shoterim, or officers, the first order
which he gives is to "command the people to prepare them victuals." "Victuals "
denotes the natural products of the country, and is evidently used in opposition to
''manna." In another passage we read that ''the manna ceased on the very morning
after they had eaten of the old corn of the land " (Joshua 5:12). This may have been
a considerable time before, for the conquest of Sihon and Og would give the people
possession of ample stores of food out of the old corn of the land. The manna was a](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/joshua1commentary-160713144605/75/Joshua-1-commentary-160-2048.jpg)
![that the spies returned to Joshua at the camp at Shittim? It is not so written, (see
Joshua 2:23,) and we may possibly suppose that when they returned to Joshua they
found him arrived at the Jordan. But even granting that they returned to the camp
at Shittim, as the history most naturally implies, the three days they hid in the
mountain may have been only parts of three days. See note on Joshua 2:22.] The
inspired writers directed their attention more to facts than to chronological order.
In this command Joshua displays a remarkable degree of that faith and courage to
which he had just been exhorted. The rapid Jordan, at its flood, is before him, and
he has no boats, no bridge, no pontoon train, but he assures that vast host that they
and their wives and children and flocks shall, within a few days, safely cross that
angry torrent.
12 But to the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-
tribe of Manasseh, Joshua said,
GILL, "And to the Reubenites, and to the Gadites, and to half the tribe of
Manasseh,.... Who were settled on that side Jordan where Israel now were:
spake Joshua, saying; as follows.
K&D 12-18, "Jos_1:12-18
Joshua's appeal to the two tribes and a half, to remember the condition on which
Moses gave them the land on the east of the Jordan for an inheritance, and to fulfil it,
met with a ready response; to that these tribes not only promised to obey his
commandments in every respect, but threatened every one with death who should refuse
obedience. In recalling this condition to the recollection of the tribes referred to, Joshua
follows the expressions in Deu_3:18-20, where Moses himself recapitulates his former
command, rather than the original passage in Num 32. The expression “this land” shows
that the speaker was still on the other side of the Jordan. ים ִשׁ ֻמ ֲ,ח with the loins girded,
i.e., prepared for war, synonymous with ים ִצ ֻל ֲח in Deu_3:18 and Num_32:32 (see at Exo_
13:18). לִי ַח י ֵּור ִל־ ָⅴ, all the mighty men of valour, i.e., the grave warriors (as in Jos_6:2;
Jos_8:3; Jos_10:7, and very frequently in the later books), is not common to this book
and Deuteronomy, as Knobel maintains, but is altogether strange to the Pentateuch. The
word “all” (v. 14, like Num_32:21, Num_32:27) must not be pressed. According to Jos_](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/joshua1commentary-160713144605/75/Joshua-1-commentary-175-2048.jpg)
![home in charge of the common welfare, or altogether relieved from public duty, if in
any way disabled from performing it.
CO STABLE, "Verses 12-18
The concept of "rest" ( Joshua 1:13; Joshua 1:15) is an important one to grasp to
understand what the conquest of the land gave the Israelites. It also clarifies what
the writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews had in mind when he referred to the rest
that we enjoy as Christians ( Hebrews 3-4). [ ote: See Dillow, pp93-110 , for a good
exposition of the promises of rest that appear in Scripture.] It was not rest in the
sense of freedom from conflict but in contrast to journeying. Even after the seven-
year conquest of the land there was still much land that the Israelites still had to
take from the Canaanites and possess ( Joshua 13:1; Joshua 23:1-13; cf. Joshua
24:1-28; Judges 1:1). Rather, this rest was the entrance into, and initial
participation in, the inheritance the Lord had promised His people (cf.
Deuteronomy 12:10; Deuteronomy 25:19; Joshua 21:44; Joshua 23:1; 2 Samuel 7:1;
2 Samuel 7:11; 1 Kings 8:56; Psalm 95). [ ote: See Hess, p78 , and especially Butler,
pp21-22 , for a fuller discussion of "rest."]
"This theologically significant term [rest] ... is one of the key words for
understanding the book of Joshua as well as later revelation." [ ote: Woudstra,
p65.]
In Christian experience the crossing of the Jordan does not just correspond to the
believer"s death and entrance into heaven, which some popular Christian songs
suggest. It also parallels the believer"s entrance into the enjoyment of his or her
eternal life now through dedication to Jesus Christ ( Romans 6:13; Romans 12:1-2)
and through walking by means of the Spirit ( Galatians 5:16). The wilderness
wanderings resemble the experience of the redeemed believer who has not yet fully
committed himself or herself to God and is walking in the flesh. When the Israelites
crossed the Jordan they encountered enemies and had to contend with their
spiritual adversaries, just as a believer does when he dedicates himself to God and
walks by the Spirit. The Christian"s rest is not the absence of hostility. It is the
beginning of the enjoyment of some blessings God has promised us (i.e, eternal life,
the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, victory over our spiritual enemies, etc.).
"Entering the land does not parallel the believer"s entrance to heaven; it signifies
his willingness to "cross the Jordan" and engage the enemy. In other words, it is a
decision by a regenerate saint to submit to the lordship of Christ and trust God for
victory in the spiritual battle." [ ote: Dillow, p79 , n57. See also Donald K.
Campbell, " Joshua ," in The Bible Knowledge Commentery: Old Testament, p,
335.]
In another sense Canaan corresponds to the additional blessings that believers who
follow God faithfully in this life will receive following death. [ ote: Dillow, p57.]
ot all the warriors from the two and one-half tribes went with (not "before,"](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/joshua1commentary-160713144605/75/Joshua-1-commentary-177-2048.jpg)
![settle there. Moses had agreed, after much heartsearching lest it displease God, on
condition that they assisted in the capture of the land ( umbers 32:1-27).
So this was a solemn formal approach by Joshua as he gathered the leaders of the
three tribes together to establish their commitment to their promise in the form of a
covenant. It was a formal swearing of loyalty and obedience to Joshua in the task
that lay ahead, binding them in the sight of YHWH on penalty of death.
COFFMA , ""And to the Reubenites, and to the Gadites, and to the half-tribe of
Manasseh, spake Joshua saying, Remember the words which Moses the servant of
Jehovah commanded you, saying, Jehovah your God giveth you rest, and will give
you this land. Your wives, your little ones, and your cattle, shall abide in the land
which Moses gave you beyond the Jordan; but ye shall pass over before your
brethren armed, all the mighty men of valor, and shall help them; until Jehovah
have given your brethren rest, as he hath given you, and they also have possessed
the land which Jehovah your God hath given them: then ye shall return unto the
land of your possession, and possess it, which Moses the servant of Jehovah gave
you beyond the Jordan toward the sunrising. And they answered Joshua, saying, All
that thou hast commanded us we will do, and whithersoever thou sendest us we will
go. According as we hearkened unto Moses in all things, so will we hearken unto
thee: only Jehovah thy God be with thee, as he was with Moses. Whosoever he be
that shall rebel against thy commandment, and shall not hearken unto thy words in
all that thou commandest him, he shall be put to death: only be strong and of good
courage."
ote that Joshua (standing east of Jordan) referred to that side of the river as "this
land" (Joshua 1:13), and in the same breath (Joshua 1:14) called it "the land ...
beyond the Jordan!" `Beyond the Jordan' is a technical expression referring to the
geographical section EAST of the Jordan river."[19] This is true enough as Joshua
used it Joshua 1:14, but sometimes it means west of Jordan. It is definitely used both
ways. However, it has no reference whatever to the perspective of the writer and
cannot be used for the purpose of identifying the writer using the expression, nor
for the determination of where the writer lived when the expression was used.
Dummelow, for example, has this: "The writer of this passage was one who lived
west of the Jordan River.[20] Such a judgment is in error. "The use of the phrase in
Joshua 12:1,7 and elsewhere for each side of the river alternately shows that it gives
no evidence for the geographical location of the writer."[21]
The big point of this whole paragraph (Joshua 1:12-18) looks back to that urgent
request made of Moses by the two and one half tribes that he would allot them their
inheritance east of Jordan, and to the consequent promise which they made to
Moses that they would aid their brethren in the conquest of the rest of Canaan. That
promise came due right here; and when Joshua confronted the trans-Jordanic
group with their obligation, they accepted it. Of course, the hardship and the
struggle had not at that time begun. "Obedience is easy when all goes well with us,
and when it makes no demand upon our faith."[22] It does not appear that those
trans-Jordanic tribes fully lived up to their promises. (See a full discussion of this in](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/joshua1commentary-160713144605/75/Joshua-1-commentary-179-2048.jpg)
![Vol. 3 of my commentary (Leviticus and umbers) at umbers 32.)
"Ye shall pass over before your brethren armed ..." (Joshua 1:14). The word
"armed" seems to be a little misleading here. "The idea is probably, `in battle
array.'"[23] The word is translated from a word that suggests, "divided into five
parts."[24] The reference seems to be from the various guards that were deployed in
ancient armies on the march: (1) vanguard; (2) rearguard (Joshua 1:3,4), left and
right guards, and (5) an additional guard at the front or the rear depending upon
the movement of the army, whether on attack, or in retreat.
The pledge of the two and one-half tribes that any rebel against the commandments
of Joshua should be put to death was certainly, for a time at least, literally carried
out, as witnessed by the stoning of Achan soon after their entry into Canaan.
BI 12-18, "Ye shall pass before your brethren armed.
Joshua’s demand for the services of the trans-Jordanic tribes
In making this demand he declares their duty plainly, supports it with reasons, and
enforces it with firmness. The demand he made was authoritative. It was founded on a
past transaction to which they had agreed. He showed that this was nothing more than
the carrying out of an arrangement previously made. From this it would not be lawful to
deviate, for the commandment of Moses in regard to this was the word of the Lord. The
demand was also reasonable. The raw lads and the worn-out soldiers, as well as the
inferior men, may stay at home to do garrison duty, the veterans must march with him.
Surely this is sensible. It is always wise to put the best men to the most difficult work. In
fulfilling this commission of the true Joshua, has the Church always acted with equal
wisdom and fidelity? It did so in the purest and palmiest days of missionary effort, when,
filled with the spirit of wisdom and love and power, it broke forth on the right and left
and speedily overran the known world, Now it seems as if all the mighty men of valour
should stay at home to nurse the feeble spark of the Church’s vitality, while the striplings
go to the wars. Yea, are there not some who, instead of evangelising among the heathen,
expend all their energy in proselytising among Christians? The demand made by Joshua
on the pastoral tribes was also equitable. “You have rest,” he might have said; “your
brethren have not. You got rest through their help, therefore you are bound to help them
to the same blessing. The command of Moses in regard to this was acquiesced in by you,
therefore truth and honour require its faithful carrying out.” Moreover, what an
unseemly picture it would have presented, to have seen part of the nation fighting hard,
while their brethren sat still and looked on in ignoble ease. And how shortsighted would
this policy of idleness have been. Only by the speedy and thorough conquest of all the
land could the heritage of any tribe be kept in pleasant and unquestioned possession. To
march with Joshua was the wisest, as well as the most seemly thing these tribes could
do. Surely the same arguments could be urged with equal force as incentives to the grand
work of world-wide Christian testimony. (A. B. Mackay.)
All that thou commandest us we will do.
Brave responses
The response of the people was as noble in its way as that of their leader. There is a holy](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/joshua1commentary-160713144605/75/Joshua-1-commentary-180-2048.jpg)
![which Moses gave you on this side Jordan,.... This was what they themselves
proposed, agreed unto, and confirmed, Num_32:16,
but ye shall pass over before your brethren armed; bearing arms, to fight for
them; for none but such that were fit to bear arms were obliged to go; and these were to
go "harnessed" (o), as some render the word, or in a military order, in rank and file, by
fives, five in a row; not at the front of the army, for the standard of Judah went first, but
along with them; for "before them" signifies no other than in the presence of them, and
in company with them:
all the mighty men of valour, and help them; to obtain a conquest over the
Canaanites; all, according to the order of Moses, and by their agreement, were to go, all
that were able to bear arms; but Joshua did not take them all, only a select company of
strong and valiant for, out of an hundred thirty thousand, but forty thousand went with
him, Jos_4:13.
JAMISO , "ye shall pass ... armed — that is, officered or marshalled under five
leaders in the old and approved caravan order (see on Exo_13:18).
all the mighty men of valour — The words are not to be interpreted strictly as
meaning the whole, but only the flower or choice of the fighting men (see on Jos_4:12).
WHEDO , "This side Jordan — An incorrect translation of הירדן ,בעבר which can
only mean beyond the Jordan. Our translators were governed, in their rendering,
by the position of Joshua at the time of this address; but the Book of Joshua was
written after the conquest and settlement of Palestine when beyond the Jordan was
the common term for the country east of the Jordan, and so the writer simply
follows the usus loquendi of his time. This eastern section, which in our Saviour’s
time was called Perea, and was the region of much of his ministry, (see notes on
Matthew 4:25 ; Luke 9:51,) is designated in Joshua 1:15 as (Hebrews) beyond
Jordan towards the sunrising; and in Joshua 5:1. Western Palestine is called beyond
Jordan towards the sea.]
Mighty men of valour — The more valiant of the two and a half tribes, not their
entire military strength. From Joshua 4:13 we learn that only forty thousand of
them were required to cross to the western side; the remainder — probably about
seventy thousand, (see umbers 31,) — remaining on the eastern side of the river to
protect the families and substance of the two and a half tribes from the incursions of
their still numerous though defeated enemies dwelling in the wide eastern plains.
Armed — Scholars differ as to the meaning of this word. Some assert that it signifies
“girt about the loins;” hence “ready, equipped, drawn up for battle.” Others, on
very good grounds, believe that it means “in five divisions, namely, the centre, two
wings, vanguard, and rearguard,” according to the usual form in which an army
marches into battle. In Exodus 13:18 (see note) it is rendered harnessed.
PETT, "“Your wives, your little ones, and your cattle, shall remain in the land
which Moses has given you in Beyond Jordan, but you shall pass over before your](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/joshua1commentary-160713144605/75/Joshua-1-commentary-187-2048.jpg)
![GILL, "Until the Lord hath given your brethren rest, as he hath given you,....
Rest from their travels, as they had:
and they also have possessed the land which the Lord your God giveth them:
are settled in the land of Canaan, as they were on that side Jordan:
then ye shall return unto the land of your possession, and enjoy it; the
countries of Sihon and Og, they were put into the possession of:
which Moses the Lord's servant gave you on this side Jordan, toward the
sunrising; the land, given to them lay to the east of Jordan.
HE RY, "It was enjoined them by Moses, the servant of the Lord; he commanded
them to do this, and Joshua his successor would see his commands observed. (3.) It was
the only expedient they had to save themselves from the guilt of a great sin in settling on
that side Jordan, a sin which would one time or other find them out, Num_32:23. (4.) It
was the condition of the grant Moses had made them of the land they were possessed of,
so that they could not be sure of a good title to, or a comfortable enjoyment of, the land
of their possession, as it is here called (Jos_1:15), if they did not fulfil the condition. (5.)
They themselves had covenanted and agreed thereunto (Num_32:25): Thy servants will
do as my Lord commandeth. Thus we all lie under manifold obligations to strengthen
the hands one of another, and not to seek our own welfare only, but one another's.
TRAPP, " Joshua 1:15 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.
Ver. 15. Until the Lord have given your brethren rest.] Whose welfare you are to
tender no less than your own.
“ Et toti genitos vos credere genti. ”
WHEDO , "This side Jordan — An incorrect translation of הירדן ,בעבר which can
only mean beyond the Jordan. Our translators were governed, in their rendering,
by the position of Joshua at the time of this address; but the Book of Joshua was
written after the conquest and settlement of Palestine when beyond the Jordan was
the common term for the country east of the Jordan, and so the writer simply
follows the usus loquendi of his time. This eastern section, which in our Saviour’s
time was called Perea, and was the region of much of his ministry, (see notes on
Matthew 4:25 ; Luke 9:51,) is designated in Joshua 1:15 as (Hebrews) beyond
Jordan towards the sunrising; and in Joshua 5:1. Western Palestine is called beyond
Jordan towards the sea.]
Mighty men of valour — The more valiant of the two and a half tribes, not their
entire military strength. From Joshua 4:13 we learn that only forty thousand of
them were required to cross to the western side; the remainder — probably about
seventy thousand, (see umbers 31,) — remaining on the eastern side of the river to](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/joshua1commentary-160713144605/75/Joshua-1-commentary-189-2048.jpg)
![Corinthians 9:7.) If it is objected that there is little modesty in their boast of having
been obedient to Moses whom they had often contradicted, I answer, that though
they did not always follow with becoming ardor, yet they were so much disposed to
obey, that their moderation was not only tolerable, but worthy of the highest praise,
when it is considered how proudly their fathers rebelled, and how perversely they
endeavored to shake off a yoke divinely imposed upon them. For the persons who
speak here were not those rebellious spirits of whom God complains (Psalms 95:8)
that he was provoked by them, but persons who, subdued by the examples of
punishment, had learned quietly to submit. (28)
Indeed, it is not so much to herald their own virtues as to extol the authority of
Joshua, when they declare that they will regard him in the same light in which they
regarded Moses. The groundwork of their confidence is at the same time expressed
in their wish or prayer, that God may be present to assist his servant Joshua as he
assisted his servant Moses. They intimate that they will be ready to war under the
auspices of their new leader, because they are persuaded that he is armed with the
power and hope that he will be victorious by the assistance of God, as they had
learned by experience how wonderfully God assisted them by the hand of Moses.
We may infer, moreover, that they actually felt this confidence, both because they
call to mind their experiences of God’s favor to animate themselves, and because
they regard Joshua as the successor of Moses in regard to prosperous results.
The epithet thy God (29) is not without weight, as it evidently points to a continued
course of divine favor. The form of expression also is intermediate between the
confidence of faith and prayer. (30) Accordingly, while they intimate that they
cherish good hope in their minds, they at the same time have recourse to prayer,
under a conviction of the arduousness of the work. Immediately after, when they of
their own accord exhort him to constancy, they show that they are ready to follow
and to imitate him in his confidence. Here, it is to be observed, that though Joshua
was a model of courage, and animated all, both by deed and precept, he was in his
turn stimulated onwards, that his own alacrity might be more effectual in arousing
that of the people.
ELLICOTT, "(16) They answered Joshua, saying, All that thou commandest us we
will do.—This promise of obedience may be taken as the reply of the whole people to
Joshua’s orders, not that of the two and a half tribes alone. It is remarkable that
they repeat to him the words of Jehovah, as most appropriate in their judgment:
“Be strong and of a good courage” (Joshua 1:18).
TRAPP, "Joshua 1:16 And they answered Joshua, saying, All that thou commandest
us we will do, and whithersoever thou sendest us, we will go.
Ver. 16. And they answered.] ot the two tribes and half only, but the whole people
promise homage and fidelity to Joshua, and wish well to his government.
All that thou commandest us.] A promise as large as that of Laelius in Lucan made](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/joshua1commentary-160713144605/75/Joshua-1-commentary-192-2048.jpg)
![CLARKE, "Only the Lord thy God be with thee - Provided God be with thee, as
he was with Moses, we will implicitly obey thee. The words however may mean no more
than an earnest prayer for Joshua’s prosperity: May God be with thee, as he was with
Moses!
GILL, "According as we have hearkened unto Moses in all things, so will we
hearken unto thee,.... Not right or wrong, but in all things that were according to the
laws and will of God made known to them; and particularly it may refer to the above
affair, which was settled between Moses and them, to whom they then hearkened, and
now promise to confirm the same, and hearken to whatsoever orders and instructions
Joshua should give them relative to it, according to the plan agreed upon:
only the Lord thy God be with thee, as he was with Moses; which is not
mentioned as a condition of their obedience to him, but rather as a reason of it, and as
an encouraging motive to it; for, according to Kimchi, the true sense and meaning is,"for
the Lord thy God will be with thee, as he was with Moses;''so Noldius renders it,"seeing
the Lord thy God is with thee.''
HE RY, "They pray for the presence of God with him (Jos_1:17): “Only the Lord thy
God be with thee, to bless and prosper thee, and give thee success, as he was with
Moses.” Prayers and supplications are to be made for all in authority, 1Ti_2:1, 1Ti_2:2.
And the best thing we can ask of God for our magistrates is that they may have the
presence of God with them; this will make them blessings to us, so that in seeking this
for them we consult our own interest. A reason is here intimated why they would obey
him as they had obeyed Moses, because they believed (and in faith prayed) that God's
presence would be with him as it was with Moses. Those that we have reason to think
have favour from God should have honour and respect from us. Some understand it as a
limitation of their obedience: “We will obey only as far as we perceive the Lord is with
thee, but no further. while thou keepest close to God we will keep close to thee; hitherto
shall our obedience come, but no further.” But they were so far from having any
suspicion of Joshua's deviating from the divine rule that there needed not such a
proviso.
TRAPP, "Joshua 1:17 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.
Ver. 17. Only the Lord thy God be with thee.] For else we shall stand thee and our
brethren but in small stead.
As he was with Moses.] Who never miscarried in any enterprise.](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/joshua1commentary-160713144605/75/Joshua-1-commentary-194-2048.jpg)
![that he might have strength and courage necessary to the great work he was engaging in,
and which to see would be no small encouragement to follow and obey him.
HE RY, " They pass an act to make it death for any Israelite to disobey Joshua's
orders, or rebel against his commandment, Jos_1:18. Perhaps if such a law had been
made in Moses's time it might have prevented many of the rebellions that were formed
against him; for most men fear the sword of the magistrate more than the justice of God.
Yet there was a special reason for the making of this law now that they were entering
upon the wars of Canaan; for in times of war the severity of military discipline is more
necessary than at other times. Some think that in this statute they had an eye to that law
concerning the prophet God would raise up like unto Moses, which they think, though it
refer chiefly to Christ, yet takes in Joshua by the way as a type of him, that whosoever
would not hearken to him should be cut off from his people. Deu_18:19, I will require it
of him.
IV. They animate him to go on with cheerfulness in the work to which God had called
him; and, in desiring that he would be strong and of a good courage, they did in effect
promise him that they would do all they could, by an exact, bold, and cheerful
observance of all his orders, to encourage him. It very much heartens those that lead in a
good work to see those that follow follow with a good will. Joshua, though of approved
valour, did not take it as an affront, but as a great kindness, for the people to bid him be
strong and of a good courage.
TRAPP, "Joshua 1:18 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.
Ver. 18. Only be strong and of a good courage.] Here Vox populi accordeth Vox Dei:
this was a further confirmation. See Joshua 1:6.
COKE, "Ver. 18. Whosoever he be that doth rebel, &c. he shall be put to death—
He shall be treated as a criminal guilty of high treason: so the words are understood
by Maimonides and most of the rabbis. We may further take notice, that Joshua was
a king and a prophet, as Moses had been; and that, according to the law, he who
transgressed the orders of Moses and of a prophet was worthy of death. The word
only in the latter clause of the verse should rather be translated therefore, which is
the plain signification of the particle רק rak. See chap. Joshua 13:6.
WHEDO , "18. Against thy commandment — Literally, Every man who rebels
against thy mouth; that is, who shows contempt for thy commands.
Shall be put to death — A righteous verdict against the rebel, and in accordance
with the law of the Most High. Deuteronomy 17:12. Resistance to His chosen
representative is a crime no less heinous than avowed rebellion against His
sovereignty. So long as a government is subserving its ends in administering justice
and conserving human society, the attempt to subvert it by violence is a crime of the
greatest enormity, striking at the very foundation of all the earthly interests of
mankind, and opening wide the floodgates of civil war. otes Romans 13:1-7.](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/joshua1commentary-160713144605/75/Joshua-1-commentary-197-2048.jpg)
Uploaded byGLENN PEASE
Joshua 1 commentary
The document compares the structure of the human body to the composition of the Bible, emphasizing the importance of understanding each book's unique contribution to divine revelation. It discusses the themes of key biblical books, particularly Genesis through Deuteronomy, illustrating their roles in the overarching narrative of salvation and God's covenant with Israel. The book of Joshua serves as a pivotal transition, symbolizing the trials and new life of believers, paralleling their spiritual journey towards eternal rest and the responsibility of faithfulness amid spiritual warfare.
More Related Content
![Study of Romans [Week 2]](https://cdn.slidesharecdn.com/ss_thumbnails/jan12intro-1romans-130113185212-phpapp02-thumbnail.jpg?width=640&height=640&fit=bounds)
More from GLENN PEASE
Joshua 1 commentary
- 1. JOSHUA 1 COMMETARY EDITED BY GLE PEASE I TRODUCTIO ARTHUR PI K, "The Significance of Joshua "I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are Thy works" (Ps. 139:14). The reference there is to the physical body of man, which is the product of Omniscience. "Thy testimonies are wonderful: therefore doth my soul keep (treasure and submit to) them" (Ps. 119:29). The Maker of man’s body is the Author of the Word and each is alike "wonderful", evidencing its Divine source. The human body is made up of two halves; two arms and legs, two eyes and ears, two lungs and kidneys etc.; so also the Word is made up of the two Testaments. Each is a living organism: a single and complete entity, yet with many members. Each of those members is necessary to give completeness to the others, and the cutting off of one results in mutilation to the whole. Each of those members has its own function to fulfill and each book in the Scriptures makes its own separate contribution to the sum of Divine revelation. As each physical member is fitted for discharging its own distinctive office, so the substance of each book in the Bible is suited to its own special theme. As there is a real difference between both the texture and purpose of the eye and the ear, so there is between the contents and leading subjects of any two books in the Word. The analogies drawn between the living and physical body of man and the living and holy Word of God might be considerably extended. The design and functions of some members of our bodies are self-evident even to the layman. But there are others which are understood only by a trained physician. In like manner, the purpose and purport of some of the books of the Bible is more or less apparent to the rank and file of God’s people, but the special character and distinctive features of others is discerned only by the Spirit-qualified teacher. That particular parallel may be extended still further: as there are certain glands of the body which still puzzle anatomists, so there are some books of Scripture the theme of which is by no means certain to the most diligent student. After all the centuries that have passed and all the attention that has been devoted to the human body and the Divine Word there yet remains an element of mystery about the one and the other, and only the blatant or the ignorant will deny it. ow it should be evident that in approaching the study of one of the books of Scripture it must be of considerable help to the student if he can ascertain what is its main design and what is its outstanding topic. As we pointed out in these pages over twenty years ago, in our Introduction to Exodus (now out of print), each book in the Bible has a prominent and dominant theme which, as such, is peculiar to itself, around which everything is made to center and of which all the details are but the amplification. What that leading subject may be, we should make it our business to prayerfully and diligently ascertain. This can best be discovered by reading and re- reading the book under review, noting carefully any particular feature or
- 2. expression which occursfrequently in it—such as "under the sun" in Ecclesiastes or "the righteousness of God" in Romans. If other students before us have published the results of their labors it is our bounden duty to closely examine their findings in the light of Holy Writ, and either verify or disprove. Before pointing out the peculiar character and dominant subject of Joshua, let us briefly state that of the books preceding. Genesis is obviously the book of beginnings. Considered historically there is a three- fold beginning recorded: of the heavens and the earth, of the post-diluvian world, of the nation of Israel—in the call of Abram. Viewed doctrinally, it illustrates, as might be expected, the foundation-truth of election, for our salvation began in God’s eternal purpose. Thus we see here that oah (alone of the antediluvians) "found grace in the eyes of the Lord" (Gen. 6:8), and that Shem (rather than Japheth or Ham) was the one selected to be the channel through which should ultimately issue the Savior (Gen. 9:26). Here we see God singling out Abram to be the father of the chosen ation. Here we see God choosing Isaac and passing by Ishmael, loving Jacob but hating Esau. Here we behold God appointing Joseph from the twelve sons of Jacob to be the honored instrument of saving them all from the famine. The same principle appears again in the passing by of Joseph’s older son and bestowing the portion of the firstborn upon Ephraim (Gen. 48:13-20). "God hath from the beginning chosen you unto salvation" (2 Thess. 2:13), and that basic truth is illustrated again and again in that book which begins the Scriptures. Historically the book of Exodus treats of the deliverance and departure of the Hebrews out of Egypt, but doctrinally its theme is clearly that of redemption. That is just what the spiritual mind would expect, for it is by means of the redemptive work of Christ that the Father’s eternal purpose is made good. If the first book of the Bible reveals a sovereign God passing by some and choosing others to salvation, Exodus makes known how that salvation is accomplished, namely, by the mighty power of God and through the blood of the Lamb. Moses was bidden to say unto the children of Israel "I am the Lord, and will bring you out from under the burden of the Egyptians and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm and with great judgments" (Ex. 6:6)—the first clause showing what redemption is from and the last how it is effected. At the Red Sea they sang "Thou in Thy mercy hast led forth the people which Thou hast redeemed. Thou hast guided them in Thy strength unto Thy holy habitation" (Ex. 15:13). Between those two passages comes the record of the slaying of the lamb and the efficacy of its blood, while the remainder of the book is devoted to instructions re God’s habitation. The book of Leviticus covers a period in Israel’s history of less than two months, for the whole of it (as well as the first ten chapters of umbers) treats of what occurred between the first day of the second year and the twentieth day of the second month (Ex. 40:17, umbers 10:11). As we might expect, being the third book of Scripture, it views the people of God as on resurrection ground—regenerated. It is not so much doctrinal as experimental. The key is hung upon its door: "And the Lord called unto Moses and spake unto him out of the tabernacle" (Lev. 1:1). It naturally and necessarily comes after Exodus, informing us what we are redeemed for, being the book of Divine fellowship and worship. Here we are shown the glorious privileges of the believer, the holy requirements of God and the gracious provisions which He has
- 3. made to meetthem. It proclaims that God will be "sanctified in them that draw nigh Him" (Lev. 10:3). Typically it is full of Christ, setting Him before us as our Altar, Sacrifice, and High Priest. The fourth book of Scripture treats of the practical side of the spiritual life, tracing the history of the believer in the world—for four is the number of the earth. Its key is also hung upon the porch: "And the Lord spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai" (Ex. 1:1)—the "wilderness" being a symbol of this world in its fallen condition, alienated from God. It records at greater length than Exodus the history of Israel’s journeyings and sojournings. Its theme then is the walk and wanderings of the believer during this life, depicting his testings and trials in the world. ote well it is preceded by Leviticus, for only as we first commune with God within the veil are we fitted to go out into the world and there walk before Him. Typically it represents the experiences we encounter in this scene of sin and suffering, our repeated and excuseless failures and God’s long-sufferance. It reveals God maintaining His holy government and yet dealing in grace with His own, destroying unbelieving rebels yet preserving the faithful. Deuteronomy is the bridge between the four books which precede and the seven which follow it, for the former deal with Israel before they entered Canaan and the latter with their history after settling there. Its name signifies "a second law"—the ten commandments of Exodus 20 being repeated in Deuteronomy 5: the reason for this being, because of their awful sin at Kadesh-barnea, God swore that all the adult Israelites who came out of Egypt (with the sole exception of Caleb and Joshua) should perish in the wilderness ( um. 14). That fearful threat had now been carried out and in Deuteronomy we find Moses (himself on the eve of death) addressing the generation who had grown up in the wilderness. That new generation required to know on what terms they were about to enter Canaan and on what conditions they should hold and enjoy it. The addresses of Moses therefore centered around two things: reviewing the past and giving instructions for the future, pressing upon them the claims of God (Deut. 10:12): hence the key words are "remember" (14 times), "hear" (over 30) and "do" (about 100). In its application to us it reveals that whole- hearted obedience to God is the grand condition of possessing our possessions. The book of Joshua records one of the most interesting and important portions of Israel’s history. It treats of the period of their estatement as a nation, of which Genesis was prophetic and the rest of the Pentateuch immediately preparatory. The books of Moses would be imperfect without this one: as it is the capstone of them, so it is the foundation of those which follow. Omit Joshua and there is a gap left in the sacred history which nothing could supply. Without it what precedes would be incomprehensible and what follows unexplained. The sacred writer was directed to fill that gap by narrating the conquest and apportionment of the promised land. Thus this book may be contemplated from two distinct but closely related standpoints: first as the end of Israel’s trials and wanderings in the wilderness, and second as the beginning of their new life in the land. It is that twofold viewpoint which supplies the clue to its spiritual interpretation, as it alone solves the problem which so many have found puzzling in this book. As the inheritance which the Lord appointed, promised and gave to Israel, Canaan has rightly been regarded as a type of Heaven, unto which the Church is journeying through this wilderness-world. But Canaan was the scene of fierce battles, and that
- 4. presents a seriousdifficulty unto many, though it should not. They point out that Heaven will not be the place of fighting, but of eternal rest and felicity, and then ask, How could Israel’s history in Canaan prefigure our experience on High? It did not, but it strikingly and accurately foreshadowed what Christians must accomplish if they are to enter and enjoy "the purchased possession". The book of Joshua not only exhibits the sovereign grace of God, His covenant-faithfulness, His mighty power put forth on behalf of His people, but it also reveals what was required from them in the discharge of their responsibility: formidable obstacles had to be surmounted, a protracted warfare had to be engaged in, fierce foes overcome, before they entered into the actual enjoyment of the land. If our conception of what constitutes a Christian or the character of the Christian life be altogether lopsided, little wonder that we have difficulty in rightly applying to ourselves the contents of that book which typically contains so much important instruction for us. If we will confine our viewpoint solely unto the sovereign grace of God in connection with our salvation, and deliberately close our eyes to all that Scripture teaches upon the discharge of our responsibility in relation thereto, then it would indeed be strange if we apprehended how that on the one hand Canaan was a free gift unto Israel, which they entered by grace alone; and on the other, that they had to fight for every inch of it! But when we realize that "eternal life" is both the gift of God (Rom. 6:23) and a "crown" which has to be won by faithfulness (Rev. 2:10), that the Christian inheritance is not only purchased by the blood of the Lamb, but is also the "reward" of those who "serve the Lord Christ" (Col. 3:24), then we should have no trouble in perceiving how the type answers to the antitype. " arrow is the way that leadeth unto Life" (Matthew 7:14) i.e., unto Heaven, unto Glory. There is but one way that "leadeth unto" it, and that is the way of personal and practical holiness (Isa. 35:8), "without which no man shall see the Lord". That "way" is a narrow one for it shuts out the world and excludes self-pleasing. True, the few who tread it have previously been made partakers of spiritual life, for none of the unregenerate walk therein; nevertheless they must persevere in it to the end, resisting temptations to forsake it and overcoming whatever would impede, if they are to enter Life itself. Salvation is indeed by grace, and grace alone, for human merit has no place therein; yet good works are necessary, because it was to fit us for them that grace is given. In Joshua we have a striking and blessed exemplification of the two-foldness of Truth and the perfect balance of its essential parts. The sovereign grace of God and the discharge of His peoples’ responsibility run side by side therein. Canaan was God’s free gift unto Israel, yet they had to fight for possession of it—let that be carefully pondered, and remember it was typical. The reader should keep steadily in mind that Israel’s entrance into Canaan occurred at the end of their trials in the wilderness. Taking that alone, by itself, we have a foreshadowing of our entrance into Heaven at the close of this life (Rev. 14:13); but viewing Israel’s entrance into Canaan in the light of all that is recorded in the book of Joshua, we must regard what precedes as the experiences of the soul prior to conversion, and Israel’s history there as adumbrating his new life. Thus, in Exodus we see the natural man in bondage to sin and Satan; in Leviticus we behold him as one to whom God is speaking, making known His holy requirements; in umbers he finds himself in a great howling wilderness, which is what the world appears to one who has been awakened by the Spirit; while in Deuteronomy he
- 5. learns the strictnessand spirituality of the Law, which cuts into pieces his self- righteousness and reveals that Another than Moses must become the Captain of his salvation if ever he is to be estated in the antitypical Palestine. Let the reader also remember that Israel’s entrance into Canaan marked the beginning of a distinct stage in their history, and there we have a figure of the new life of the converted soul. Observe carefully how definitely and clearly this is brought out in the type. It was a new generation of Israel (the second and not the adult one that came out of Egypt) which is here in view; that they were under a new leader—no longer Moses but Joshua; that they were inducted into a new sphere— delivered from the wilderness, entering into Canaan. Thus we have a picture of those who have passed through a season of conviction of sin, who have felt the terrors of the Law, and have now been brought to put their trust in Jesus Christ, the antitypical Joshua. Conversion dates the end of the old life and the beginning of the new. As Israel’s entrance into Canaan marked the end of their wilderness wanderings, so at conversion the soul experiences the verity of Christ’s promise, "Come unto Me and I will give you rest". Likewise, as Israel’s entrance into Canaan marked the beginning of their life of conquest, so at conversion we begin that "good fight of faith" which is required before we can enter our Eternal Rest. Those two aspects of the Christian’s rest are brought together in Hebrews 4. First, "we which have believed do enter into rest" (v. 3). The moment a regenerated, awakened, convicted soul savingly believes in Christ the burden of his sins roll away, and peace of conscience, rest of soul, assurance of acceptance by God, are his. Yet, he is not there and then taken to heaven. o indeed, he is now made conscious of foes, both within and without, of which previously he knew nothing. He is now called upon to mortify the flesh, resist the Devil, overcome the world: not by his own might, but in the strength of the Lord, under the leadership of the antitypical Joshua; and this in order to an entrance into the promised inheritance. Thus, Second, Hebrews 4:11 bids us "let us labor therefore to enter into that Rest". Yes, "labor" is necessary (cf. John 6:27, 2 Corinthians 5:9): fighting the good fight, finishing our course, keeping the faith is required, if we are to receive the "crown of righteousness" (2 Tim. 4:7, 8)! Joshua’s Earlier Days Joshua was born in the land of Egypt and with the sole exception of Caleb he was the only adult Israelite in the great exodus who survived the forty years wanderings in the wilderness and actually entered Canaan. He is mentioned for the first time in Exodus 17:9, where he is introduced to our notice most abruptly, nothing being told us there of his parentage, early history, or his piety. It was on the occasion when Amalek came and fought against Israel at Rephidim: "Moses said unto Joshua, Choose out men and go fight with Amalek". From that brief statement we gather that our hero had already attracted the notice of Moses, gained his confidence and was therefore a man of valor and competent to be captain over others. The following verse also represents him in a favorable light: "So Joshua did as Moses had said to him": he made no demur, objected not to receive orders from his superior, but obediently complied with his instructions. "And Joshua discomfitted Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword" (v. 13): thus success attended his efforts. What we have briefly glanced at above supplies a most striking illustration of the law of first mention. The initial occurrence of anything in Scripture invariably
- 6. supplies the keyto the later ones, forecasting by means of a broad outline its subsequent usage. In other words, the first time a subject or object, a person or thing, is brought before us in God’s Word what is there said of it or him virtually supplies a definition of its meaning, or at least gives us the principal clue to the significance of its later mentionings. Thus it is here. The very first time Joshua is brought to our notice it is as a successful warrior: and note carefully, not slaying innocent people, but in fighting the enemies of the Lord. How this brief allusion in Exodus 17 foreshadowed the great work which lay before him! The immediate sequel confirms this: "And the Lord said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of (not Israel, but) Joshua, for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven" (Ex. 17:14)—a plain hint of his future work, as an appointed instrument to execute the Divine vengeance upon His foes. Personally we believe there is a definite reference unto Joshua in Exodus 23:20-23, though his name be not specifically mentioned. Those verses contain a Divine prophecy and promise unto Israel, and as is so often the case with similar passages, there is, we conceive, a double allusion. "Behold I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared." o doubt the primary reference is to Christ as the Angel of the Covenant, yet subordinately it points, we think, unto Joshua as God’s "messenger" or "angel", for he was the one who actually brought Israel into the heritage which God had prepared for them. So too it seems clear that there is a double allusion in "My name is in Him" (v. 21): when the Angel of the covenant became incarnate it was said "His name shall be called Immanuel" (Matthew 1:23), and when our hero’s name was changed from "Oshua" to "Jeho-shua" ( um. 13:16), the Divine name was incorporated into his! Israel were ordered to "obey his voice" (Ex. 23:22) and in Joshua 1:16 they affirmed to him "all that thou commandest us we will do"! The next reference to him is found in Exodus 24:13, when in response to Jehovah’s bidding Moses went up unto Him in the mount that he might receive from Him the tables of the Law, we are told that "Moses rose up and his minister Joshua, and Moses went up into the mount of God". From this reference we learn the peculiar and honored position which he occupied even at this early stage in his career: he was the "minister" or assistant of Moses, the personal attendant of that eminent man of God. But there is more in it than that: he was subservient to Moses, yet he was also to complement his work. Moses brought Israel out of Egypt, but Joshua would bring them into Canaan. That the latter was not disconnected from the former is clear from the opening verses of his book, for not only is Joshua there again designated "Moses’ minister" (Josh. 1:1), but when the Lord gave to him his great commission He expressly bade him "do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded thee" (Josh. 1:7). So in the antitype: Christ was "made under the Law" (Gal. 4:4). When Moses left the camp to go unto Jehovah into the mount, his minister Joshua accompanied him, though evidently only a part of the ascent—the attendant being left at some lower level as Moses drew near unto the Lord. In what follows we are furnished with a valuable sidelight on our hero’s character. Joshua was left alone for "forty days and forty nights" (Ex. 24:18)! What a testing of his faith, his patience, and his fidelity was that! His response to that severe test shines out the
- 7. more blessedly whencontrasted from the conduct of Aaron in the camp. Exodus 25 to 31 gives a record of the instructions which Moses received, while the opening verses of 32 show us what transpired in the camp. "When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron and said unto him, "Up, make us gods which shall go before us, for as for this Moses . . . we wot not what is become of him" (v. 1). Apparently Aaron shared their fears that they would see Moses no more, for he yielded to their solicitation. ow in blessed contrast from the unbelief and impatience of the people and of Aaron, Joshua trustfully and perseveringly awaited the return of his master. Thus was he tried and proved, manifested to be "a vessel unto honor, sanctified and meet for the Master’s use" before the grand task of conducting Israel into Canaan was assigned unto him. Proof that Joshua had remained in the mount during those forty days and nights is supplied by Exodus 32:15-18, for there we are informed "And Moses turned and went down the mount . . . and when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted (in their idolatrous and carnal revelry: see verse 6), he said unto Moses, There is a noise of war in the camp. And he said, It is not the noise of them that shout for mastery, neither is it the noise of them that cry for being overcome; but the noise of them that sing do I hear"—observe that though puzzled by what he heard, yet Joshua placed a favorable construction upon it, not supposing the worst. When Moses drew nigh unto the camp and beheld the idolatrous and lascivious scene spread before him, he was filled with righteous indignation, and took the golden calf, burnt it in the fire, ground it to powder, strewed it upon the water and made the children of Israel drink. Under his orders the Levites slew about three thousand men and the Lord "plagued the people". After they had been severely chastened and humbled, Moses "took the tabernacle and pitched it without the camp". Then as he entered into the tabernacle the Cloudy Pillar descended and stood at the door of the tabernacle and the Lord talked with Moses. Later "he turned again into the camp, but his servant Joshua, the son of un, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle" (Ex. 33:11). That is indeed a remarkable statement, yet too brief to warrant inferences. But it at least shows the distinguished favor bestowed upon the honored servant of Moses, that he, rather than Aaron, was here left in charge of the sacred tent of meeting: whether he was inside it when Jehovah stood at its door we cannot say. Another brief mention is made of Joshua in umbers 11. On the occasion when Moses gathered the seventy men of the elders of the people and set them round about the tabernacle, the Lord came down in a cloud and spake unto him, and took of the Spirit that was upon him and gave unto the seventy elders, so that "they prophesied and did not cease". Two others of the elders had for some reason remained in the camp, yet the Spirit now rested upon them, so that they too "prophesied" even in the camp. Evidently deeming this irregular, a young man ran and told Moses of the unusual occurrence. "And Joshua the son of un, the servant of Moses, one of his young men, answered and said, My lord, Moses, forbid them" (v. 28). That too reveals his character: he did not take it upon himself to rebuke the elders, nor did he request Moses to slay them. It was zeal for his master that promoted his petition, as Moses’ reply clearly indicates: "enviest thou for my sake"
- 8. There was nojealousy or self seeking here on the part of Joshua, but only a concern for the honor of the one he served. We turn now to that passage which is probably the most familiar to the reader wherein our hero figures. When the Lord gave order to Moses that he send twelve men to "search the land of Canaan", a ruler from each tribe, Oshua was the one selected from the tribe of Ephraim, and it was on this occasion that his name was changed to "Jeho-shua" ( um. 13:16), or, in its abbreviated form "Joshua": so that he was one of the persons mentioned in Scripture—all of them of eminence—whose name was changed. "Oshua" means "salvation" and "Jeho-shua" he by whom Jehovah will save. We need hardly add that, through the Greek, Joshua is precisely the same as "Jesus"—see Acts 7:45, Hebrews 4:8. When the twelve spies returned to Moses and made report of what they had seen, though they acknowledged the land was one that flowed with milk and honey, yet its inhabitants appeared to them so formidable and their cities so powerful they declared, "We be not able to go against the people, for they are stronger than we". The immediate sequel was most solemn and sad. Though Caleb boldly declared "Let us go up at once and possess it, for we are well able to overcome it", his fellow-spies persisted in their "evil report" and the whole congregation wept, murmured against Moses and Aaron, lamented that they had ever started out on their journey and said one to another "let us make a captain and let us return into Egypt. Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly . . . and Joshua and Caleb . . . rent their clothes". Then it was that our hero (and his faithful companion) evinced his spiritual character and caliber, for we are told that they said unto) the whole company of Israel, "The land which we pass through to search it is an exceeding good land. If the Lord delight in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it us . . . Only rebel not ye against the Lord, neither fear ye the people of the land, for they are bread for us: their defense is departed from them, and the Lord is with us; fear them not" ( um. 14:7-9). Thus we see their confidence in God and their courage, for as the next verse shows they took their lives into their hands in so remonstrating with the people. It was there that that wayward and stiff-necked generation of Israel filled up the measure of their sin. It was then that Jehovah swore in His wrath that they should not enter into His rest (Ps. 95:11, Hebrews 3:18). They had said, "Would God we had died in this wilderness" ( um. 14:2), and now He took them at their word, declaring "your carcasses shall fall in this wilderness, and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, who murmured against Me, doubtless ye shall not come into the land which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of un. But your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye despised" (vv. 29-31). The ten spies who brought an evil report upon the land "died by the plague before the Lord, but Joshua the son of un and Caleb the son of Jephunneh . . . lived" (vv. 37, 38), being the only two adults who came out of Egypt which entered into Canaan. In umbers 27 we have an account of the ordination of Joshua to office as the future leader of Israel. "And the Lord said unto Moses, Take thee Joshua the son of un, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay thine hand upon him (the symbol of identification), and set him before Eleazar the priest, and before all the
- 9. congregation; and givehim a charge in their sight (as proof of his induction into office). And thou shalt put some of thine honor upon him, that all the congregation of the children of Israel may be obedient (to him). And he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall ask for him after the judgment of Urim before the Lord: at his (Joshua’s) word shall they go out and at his word shall they come in, he and all the children of Israel with him, even all the congregation. And Moses did as the Lord commanded him" (vv. 18-22). Thus, to all who feared the Lord and had respect unto His servant Moses, none could henceforth doubt that Joshua was the man appointed to lead Israel after the removal of Moses from this scene. "Surely none of the men that came up out of Egypt . . . shall see the land . . . save Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of un for they have wholly followed the Lord" ( um. 32:11,12). That is another statement which throws light upon the spiritual character and caliber of Joshua. When Jehovah declared he had "wholly followed" Him, He did not signify he had lived a sinless life, but that he had trod the path of obedience, faithfully performed his duty and sincerely aimed at the glory of God in it. He had stood firm and fearless in a day of prevailing unbelief and general apostasy. In passing it may be pointed out, at a later date, Caleb did not hesitate to affirm he had "wholly followed the Lord" (Josh. 14:6-8), upon which Matthew Henry rightly said that "since he had obtained this testimony from God Himself, it was not vain glorious in him to speak of it, any more than it is for those who have God’s Spirit witnessing with their spirit they are the children of God, to humbly and thankfully tell others, for their encouragement, what God has done for their souls" "These are the names of the men which shall divide the land unto you: Eleazar the priest and Joshua the son of un" ( um. 34:17): here we learn that our hero, under the guidance of the high priest (Josh. 14:1), was to apportion the inheritance among the tribes. "Joshua, the son of un, which standeth before thee, he shall go in thither: encourage him, for he shall cause Israel to inherit it" (Deut. 1:38). That was surely necessary, for well might he be discouraged after seeing Moses himself fall under the weight of leadership. A part of the encouragement which Moses gave to his successor is recorded in Deuteronomy 3:21, "I commanded Joshua at that time (namely, when reviewing the overthrow of the powerful monarchs of Bashan and Og), Thine eyes have seen all that the Lord your God hath done unto these two kings: so shall the Lord do unto all the kingdoms whither thou passest", which was as though Moses reminded Joshua, when the Lord begins a work He finishes it—His overthrow of those kings was an earnest of the destruction of all who opposed His people. It is blessed to remember that those whom God calls into His service He also grants "encouragement" along the way. So we have always found it. "And Moses called unto Joshua and said unto him in the sight of all Israel: Be strong and of a good courage, for thou must go with this people unto the land which the Lord hath sworn unto their fathers to give them; and thou shalt cause them to inherit it. And the Lord, He it is that doth go before thee: He will not fail thee, neither forsake thee; fear not neither be dismayed" (Deut. 31:7, 8). Here was further "encouragement" for Joshua and the final charge which he received from his predecessor. That "charge" was a wise mingling of precept and promise, of calling unto the discharge of duty and of informing him where his strength lay for the performance thereof. It is blessed to see that the apostle did not hesitate to apply
- 10. unto all thepeople of God (Heb. 13:5) this promise made specifically to Joshua "He will not fail thee nor forsake thee"—something which should be carefully noted by those who have so much to say about "rightly dividing the Word of Truth"! "And Joshua the son of un was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him; and the children of Israel hearkened unto him and did as the Lord commanded Moses" (Deut. 34:9). This is the final reference to Joshua in the Pentateuch, occurring right after the account of the death and burial of Moses. God may remove His workmen, but He ceases not to carry forward His work. When one of His servants be, removed, He raises up another to take his place—not always to fill his place, for the work may already be completed (for the time being, at any rate) in that particular section of His vineyard, and if so, the new man may be called upon to break soil elsewhere. This was really the case here. Moses was raised up specifically to bring Israel out of the house of bondage—a stupendous and difficult task—and by Divine enablement he accomplished it. He was Israel’s leader throughout their wilderness journeys, but now they were over. An entirely new venture lay before the people of God: their entrance into and taking possession of their heritage, and that called for a new leader. In the preceding paragraphs we have seen how the new leader of Israel had been duly appointed by God (not chosen by the people!) and then publicly ordained or inducted into his office, for God requires all things, especially in connection with His immediate service, to be done "decently and in order". We have seen too something of the qualifications which Joshua possessed for the work assigned him, for when God calls a man to a work, He endows him suitably for the same, equipping him both naturally and spiritually. Pharaoh might require the Hebrews to make bricks without supplying them with straw, but not so the Lord! Joshua was indwelt by the Spirit ( um. 27:18), possessed of unusual faith, patience and courage, and "full of the spirit of wisdom"—that being as necessary as any of the others. Finally, we are told above "and the children of Israel hearkened unto him", for God ever works at both ends of the line: when He fits a man to minister, He also prepares a people for him to minister unto. A General Survey As Moses sent forth the twelve spies to "search the land of Canaan" before Israel sought to enter into occupation of the same, so we propose to now take a bird’s eye view of that book which bears the name of Joshua before examining it in close detail. We shall not give a chapter by chapter summary of its contents, but rather essay a comprehensive sketch of those contents as a whole, pointing out the main design of the book, and some of its leading features. It has already been stated in our Introductory article, that this portion of Scripture treats of the period of Israel’s estatement as a nation in that land which Jehovah gave unto their fathers, and that it forms both the capstone of the Pentateuch and the foundation of the Historical books which follow. The design of its penman, under the superintendence of the Holy Spirit, was to describe the conquest of Canaan by the Hebrews and the apportionment of it among their twelve tribes. It was not Joshua’s intention to give an account of his own life, nor even to undertake a description of his principal exploits and achievements: rather was it his purpose to show how the Lord had made good His promises unto the patriarchs. If that dominant fact be kept steadily in mind it will explain fully and satisfactorily the
- 11. principle of selectionand the arrangement of the materials he was guided to use. We can then the better perceive why Joshua recorded what he did, why he related certain incidents in fullness of detail and merely glanced at others, and why whole years are passed over in silence. He was writing with a definite plan before his mind, and therefore he related only what was pertinent to his scheme and design, omitting everything which was not relevant thereto. The same principle of selection regulated all the sacred penmen, and it is only as we are able to discern the particular plan of each book that we can properly appreciate what is brought into the picture and what is left out. It has been far too little realized that the historians of Scripture were much more than journalists narrating interesting events, more than mere chroniclers writing for the sake of gratifying the curiosity of those who should live in a future age, or even of detailing memorable incidents to please their contemporaries. They were theocratic historians (a theocracy is a government in which the chiefs of state are the immediate servants of God—there has never been but one), whose object was to trace the progress and development of the kingdom of God on earth: to mark its great epochs and record those events which were, from a religious standpoint, of deep importance to their own and future generations. Thus it is with the book that is now to be before us—and equally so with those that follow, for they give not merely the history of Israel, but the history of God’s kingdom in Israel: discover its plan or theme and tire choice or rejection of certain materials becomes patent. The book opens with the Lord’s directions to Joshua, who had already been designated as the successor of Moses, to go over Jordan and take possession of the land which He had sworn to their fathers and to divide it among the people as their inheritance, with the promise that if he faithfully observed the laws given by Moses that God would be with him, and "there shall not a man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life" (Josh. 1:5). Those opening verses supply the key to the whole book. Joshua’s execution of his commission in strict obedience to the Divine directions and God’s gracious fulfillment of His promised assistance are the sum of all it contains. The first twelve chapters treat of the conquest of Canaan. They do not contain a detailed account of all the marches and the battles of each campaign: instead, only the outstanding particulars are narrated—those which marked the progress of events, those which brought out most clearly God’s miraculous help, and those which demonstrated the necessity and inseparable connection between their obedience and that miraculous help. Many other things belonging to the Conquest, such as battles, capture of cities, and even long expeditions which had nothing remarkable about them, are therefore mentioned only summarily, so as to give a general view of the whole line of operations with its ultimate success. The time occupied in the conquest was much briefer, everything considered, than might be supposed. Though we cannot calculate the exact length of it, we may its approximate duration. After Canaan had been subdued and upon the division of its territory, we find Caleb saying "And now, behold, the Lord hath kept me alive as He said these forty and five years, even since the Lord spake this word unto me (in umbers 14:80) while the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness" (Josh. 14:10). From that forty-five years we have to deduct the thirty-eight years spent in the Wilderness (Deut. 2:14), so that the whole campaign lasted less than seven years.
- 12. In chapters 13-21we have the Dividing of the Land among the several tribes, concerning which it is difficult for a commentator to write profitably at any length. In chapter 22 the two and a half tribes who had assisted their brethren in the Conquest and stood by them in the allotting of Canaan, return to their own possession across the Jordan. Then an interval of several years is passed over during which Israel was settled in the Land, an interval which fell not within the scope of the writer to take notice of, for it furnished nothing suited to his particular theme. Finally, we come to the closing scene of Joshua’s life, when he gathered around him the responsible heads of the ation, rehearsed what God had done for them in giving them-such a goodly heritage, and engaged them to renewed pledges of obedience unto Him. Thus the book closes with a recapitulation of Jehovah’s fulfillment of the promise with which it opens and a public covenant-engagement of the people to serve the Lord who had driven out the Amorites and the other nations from before them. After Joshua had received his orders to go up and possess the Land, he at once sent forth two spies. The experiences they met with are described with considerable detail not because of the interest attaching to their hazardous undertaking and their remarkable escape from a perilous situation, but because what occurred vividly exemplified the promise which the Lord had given to Moses’ "there shall no man be able to stand before thee, for the Lord shall lay the fear of you and the dread of you upon all the land that ye shall tread upon" (Deut. 11:25)—a promise, which as we have seen, was repeated in substance to Joshua himself. Hence we fine in striking and full accord therewith Rahab acknowledging to the spies, "I know that the Lord hath given you the land and that your terror is fallen upon us and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you" (Josh. 2:9). The anxious preparations of the king, his vigorous pursuit of the spies, and their language to Joshua upon the accomplishment of their mission (Josh. 2:24) all served to forcibly illustrate that fact. ext follows the passage of the Jordan. Its waters though unusually high, were supernaturally divided, so that the people of God passed over dry shod. Let us pause and ask, What was the design of that remarkable event? God works no trifling miracles. He does not suspend the established order of nature without good reason, nor unless some important end is to be answered by so doing. Wherein lay the necessity for this prodigy? Israel could have crossed the Jordan by natural means, without the intervention of Omnipotence. Though the river was then too high for fording, especially for the women and children, yet boats could have been built or bridges thrown across it, for the Jordan is neither swift nor very wide, and such a delay had been but a brief one. The reason for this miracle was the same as of all others recorded in Holy Writ the necessity for it was not physical but moral. The object of all miracles is to reveal the power and grace of God. The laws of nature which God established at the beginning were amply sufficient to accomplish every physical end it is only to meet our moral and spiritual needs that they are ever interfered with. Israel might have taken Canaan without any miracle, but in such a case there had been no glorious display unto them of God’s all- mightiness, His loving-kindness, His nearness to them. The stupendous marvels which He wrought in Egypt, at the Red Sea, in the Wilderness, and now in Canaan, were designed to teach the covenant people (and the surrounding nations, too) that
- 13. the gods ofthe heathen were no gods and could neither do good nor evil. Jehovah was the living and true God "the Lord of all the earth" (Josh. 3:11, 13)! Those miracles were intended to make them more sensible of the infinite perfections of the One with whom they had to do, and of their complete dependence upon Him. Consequently they were brought into situations from which they could not extricate themselves in order to learn it was the Lord their God who delivered them. In a variety of ways Israel were made to see that it was not their own valor and strength which delivered them, but rather Jehovah’s right hand and mighty arm which secured the victory for them. Canaan did not become theirs so much by their own prowess and conquest as by Divine gift. But there was a special reason why the Lord intervened for them in the extraordinary manner He did at the Jordan, for it was as though He then opened to them the door of that land which He had promised and personally conducted them into it. By that memorable act the Lord pledged to them the subjugation of the whole country. At the same time there was in connection therewith, the public act of Joshua in his new capacity as leader of the people, and thus it gave Divine authority and confirmation to his office in their eyes, and was, in comparison with his predecessor at the Red Sea, a striking verification of that word to him "As I was with Moses, so I will be with thee" (Josh. 1:5). The circumcising of the people and their celebration of the Passover comes next (chapter 5). There should be no difficulty in perceiving the relevancy and significance of these events at this stage in the book we are now reviewing. They belonged to the Conquest, inasmuch as that very conquest was conditioned upon Israel’s punctilious compliance with all that Moses had commanded. After the appearing unto Joshua of the "Captain of the Lord’s host," there follows an account of the capture of Jericho. In connection therewith there stand out plainly the same two features which mark the passage of the Jordan: that an unquestioning obedience to God’s orders was required from them, and that the victory was His and not theirs. In the conquest of Ai the same lesson is taught, though in reverse: there they were made to taste the bitter consequences which followed upon their disobedience to the Divine injunctions. But we will not now further anticipate what we hope to consider in the articles which are to follow. At this point a word needs to be said, perhaps, in reply to the attacks made now upon this book by the enemies of the Lord. The ethical character of the contents of Joshua has been viciously criticized by infidels and agnostics. The Israelites have been regarded as a horde of fierce nomads, falling upon and murdering the Canaanites, and stealing the land of a peaceful people. These critics have asserted it is unworthy of the Divine character to represent Him as sanctioning such injustice and ferocity. In reply it needs to be pointed out that, Canaan was Israel’s by Divine appointment and gift long before (Gen. 15)—a promise repeated to Abraham’s immediate descendants; and it was in fulfillment thereof that they now received the land. They entered and took possession of Canaan by immediate command from God, who has an absolute right to interfere in human affairs as He pleases. Moreover, it was in the exercise of His righteousness (as well as of His sovereignty) that God now took from the Canaanites the land which they had forfeited by their sins, and by His grace gave to Israel with the distinct understanding that they, too, would be deprived of it if they proved unfaithful and disobedient stewards. But why should God give instructions for the utter destruction of the Canaanites?
- 14. Because of theirhorrible depravity and gross idolatry: let the reader turn to Leviticus 18:3, 27, 28 and then see the verses between 3 and 27 for a description of those "abominations," and also remember God did not act in judgment upon them until" the iniquity of the Amorites "had come to the" full" (Gen. 15:16). God now glorified His justice by destroying those who refused to glorify Him by a willing obedience. Israel acted not under the impulse of a lust of conquest but as the executioners of Divine wrath—just as the flood, the pestilence, the earthquake are commissioned by Him to cut off those who provoke His holiness. When He is pleased to do so, He makes use of men as His instruments, rather than the elements. "The Assyrian" was the rod of God’s anger to cut off nations, though he knew not he was being so employed (Isa. 10:5-7). Why then might He not use an elect and godly nation as the conscious instrument of His just vengeance! Israel was manifestly under God’s guidance, and their success mast be attributed to His presence and might. Miraculous power attended them and proved that the commission and commands they had received were no fanatical delusions, but the mandates of the Judge of all the earth. He opened a way for them through the Jordan, threw down the walls of Jericho, smote their enemies with hailstones and even stayed the sun in its course. There could be no mistaking the fact that the living God was in their midst. But there was also a special reason why Israel should be the particular executioner of God’s vengeance in this instance rather than that the land should be totally depopulated by, say, pestilence. In that case, they could not have felt so sensibly their own weakness and entire dependency on the power of God. In such a case they had soon forgotten His agency in giving them the land, and attributed it to secondary causes; nor would the residue of the Canaanites been left as a continual trial to test their faithfulness in the service of the Lord. But why should only the Canaanites be singled out for this summary judgment? Were there not many other idolatrous nations?—why then should they be exempted? The righteous government of God extends over all nations, and each is punished when its iniquities are come to the full: not by the same means or to the same extent, but punished as God deems best. But the Canaanites were not only idolaters, but they were guilty of practices which the heathen themselves regarded with abhorrence. Let it also be remembered that this generation of Israel under Joshua was the most pious one in all their history as a nation, and that they burned with the same holy zeal against Achan as against the degenerate Canaanites; and that later God sorely punished Israel, too, when they turned away from Him. Most important then are the lessons contained in this book. It shows how God intervenes in the affairs of human history. It reveals that He deals with nations as well as individuals—deals with them in mercy or judgment according as they honor or displease Him. The contents of this book and the lessons which they are designed to teach us are greatly needed by our own generation. First, in counteracting the one-sided "evangelism" of our day, which tells the sinner that all he has to do is to accept Christ as his personal Savior and Heaven is then his certain portion—ignoring the fact that there is a fight which must be fought and a race to be run before he can be crowned. Second, in rebutting that doleful view that the Christian should expect nothing but frequent and well-nigh constant defeat in his warfare against the world, the flesh, and the devil—overlooking the truth that if he meets the required
- 15. conditions he may"do all things through Christ strengthening him." Third, in setting before us, by clear exemplifications and striking illustrations, the rules and requirements upon which success is conditioned. Here, as nowhere else in Scripture, are we shown how we may be "over-comers." Fourth, in making known the blessed fact—so little apprehended by Christians today—that it is both their privilege and birthright to enter into a present possession and enjoyment of their Inheritance. O that more of us may do so. CALVI , "ARGUME T OF THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. As to the Author of this Book, it is better to suspend our judgment than to make random assertions. Those who think that it was Joshua, because his name stands on the title page, rest on weak and insufficient grounds. The name of Samuel is inscribed on a part of the Sacred History containing a narrative of events which happened after his death; and there cannot be a doubt that the book which immediately follows the present is called Judges, not because it was written by them, but because it recounts their exploits. Joshua died before the taking of Hebron and Debir, and yet an account of it is given in the 15th chapter of the present Book. The probability is, that a summary of events was framed by the high priest Eleazar, and furnished the materials out of which the Book of Joshua was composed. It was a proper part of the high priest’s duty not only to give oral instruction to the people of his own time, but to furnish posterity with a record of the goodness of God in preserving the Church, and thus provide for the advancement of true religion. And before the Levites became degenerate, their order included a class of scribes or notaries who embodied in a perpetual register everything in the history of the Church which was worthy of being recorded. Let us not hesitate. therefore, to pass over a matter which we are unable to determine, or the knowledge of which is not very necessary, while we are in no doubt as to the essential point — that the doctrine herein contained was dictated by the Holy Spirit for our use, and confers benefits of no ordinary kind on those who attentively peruse it. (1) Although the people had already gained signal victories, and become the occupants of a commodious and tolerably fertile tract of country, the Divine promise as to the land of Canaan still remained suspended. ay, the leading article in the Covenant was unaccomplished, as if God, after cooping up his people in a corner, had left his work in a shapeless and mutilated form. This Book, then, shows how, when the intolerable impiety of the people had interrupted the course of deliverance, God, while inflicting punishment, so tempered the severity of justice as ultimately to perform what he had promised concerning the inheritance of Canaan. This suggests the very useful reflection, that while men are cut off by death, and fail in the middle of their career, the faithfulness of God never fails. On the death of Moses a sad change seemed impending; the people were left like a body with its head lopped off. While thus in danger of dispersion, not only did the truth of God prove itself to be immortal, but it was shown in the person of Joshua as in a bright mirror, that when God takes away those whom he has adorned with special gifts, he
- 16. has others inreadiness to supply their place, and that though he is pleased for a time to give excellent gifts to some, his mighty power is not tied down to them, but he is able, as often as seems to him good, to find fit successors, nay, to raise up from the very stones persons qualified to perform illustrious deeds. First, we see how, when the wandering of forty years in the wilderness had almost effaced the remembrance of the passage of the Red Sea, the course of deliverance was proved to have been uninterrupted by the repetition of the same miracle in the passage of the Jordan. The renewal of circumcision was equivalent to a re- establishment of the Covenant which had been buried in oblivion by the carelessness of the people, or abandoned by them from despair. ext, we see how they were conducted by the hand of God into possession of the promised land. The taking of the first city was an earnest of the perpetual aid which they might hope for from heaven, since the walls of Jericho fell of their own accord, shaken merely by the sound of trumpets. The nations, however, were not completely routed by a single battle, nor in one short campaign, but were gradually worn out and destroyed by many laborious contests. Here, it is to be observed, that arduous difficulties were thrown in the way of the people when the kings entered into a league, and came forth to meet them with united forces, because it became necessary not only to war with single nations, but with an immense body which threatened to overwhelm them by one great onset. Ultimately, however, all these violent attempts had no other effect than to make the power of God more manifest, and give brighter displays of mercy and faithfulness in the defense of his chosen people. In fact, their uninterrupted course of success, and their many unparalleled victories, showed the hand of God as it were visibly stretched forth from heaven. More especially, a signal proof that they were warring under divine auspices was given when the sun was checked in his course at the mere prayer of Joshua, as if the elements had been armed for his assistance, and were waiting ready to obey him. Again, while the delays which occurred in the progress of the war were useful trials of the constancy of the people, we must not lose sight of another admirable use of which Moses, to prevent them from fainting in their minds, had at an earlier period forewarned them, viz., that God was unwilling to destroy the nations at once, lest the country, from being converted into a kind of desert, might be overrun by wild beasts. But the provision which God had thus most graciously made for their security, they wickedly perverted to their own destruction: for having obtained what they deemed a large enough space for commodious habitation, they turned backwards to indulge in sloth and cowardice. This one crime brought others along with it. For after they had been enrolled under the banners of the Lord, they treacherously and disobediently refused to fulfil their period of service, in the very same way as deserters, regardless of the military oath, basely quit their standards. (2) The dominion of the land, which had been divinely offered, they, with flagrant ingratitude, rejected, by taking possession of only a part.
- 17. Moreover, though theyhad been ordered to purge the sacred territory of all pollutions, in order that no profanation of the pure and legitimate worship might remain, they allowed the impious superstitions which God abhorred to be practiced as before; and though they also knew that the order had been partly given as a security for their own safety, lest, through intermixture with the nations, they might be ensnared by their impostures and insidious arts, yet, as if they had determined to court danger, they left them to furnish the fuel of a dire conflagration. Their obstinate incredulity betrays itself in their disregard of the penalty denounced against such transgression. But they at length learned by experience that God had not threatened in vain, that those nations whom they had wickedly (3) spared, would prove to them thorns and stings. For they were harassed by constant incursions, pillaged by rapine, and at length almost oppressed by tyrannical violence. In short, it was not owing to any merit of theirs that the truth of God did not utterly fail. (4) On this point, indeed, a question may be raised: for if the promise given to Abraham was founded on the mere good pleasure of God, (5) then, be the character of the people what it might, it is absurd to say that it could be defeated by their fault. How are we to reconcile the two things, — that the people did not obtain the full and complete inheritance promised to them, and that yet God was true? I answer, that so far was the faithfulness of God (6) from being overthrown, or shaken, or in any way impaired, that we here perceive more clearly how wonderful are His workings, who, in unsearchable wisdom, knows how to bring light out of darkness. It had been said to Abraham, (Genesis 15:18) To thy seed will I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river Euphrates. Joshua affirms that the event drew near, and was actually at hand. But the Israelites, overcome by sloth, do not reach those boundaries; nay, in settling down of their own accord within narrow limits, they in a manner oppose barriers to the divine liberality. In this way the covenant of God seemed to suffer a kind of eclipse. And there is no doubt that pious minds were often filled with anxiety when they saw His work cut short. But the punishment inflicted on the people for their wickedness was so tempered, that what might otherwise have been a grievous and perilous trial of faith, was converted into a powerful support. The apparent failure reminded the children of God that they were to look forward to a more excellent state, where the divine favor would be more clearly displayed, nay, would be freed from every obstruction, and shine forth in full splendor. Hence their thoughts were raised to Christ, and it was made known to them that the complete felicity of the Church depended on its Head. In arriving at this conclusion, they were assisted by new prophecies. For the rehearsal which Joshua here makes of the ancient covenant is applied in the Psalms (Psalms 72:0 and Psalms 89:0) to the Messiah’s reign, unto which time, the Lord had, for the purpose of rendering it more glorious, deferred the full fruition of the promised land. The same thing was exemplified in David, who bore a typical resemblance to Christ, and in whom it was shown that the divine
- 18. promises were onlyestablished and confirmed in the hand of a Mediator. o longer, therefore, does it seem strange that the result promised, after being retarded by the wickedness of the people, was not, fully accomplished till the state of the Church was rightly arranged, seeing that in the person of David the image of the Mediator, on whom the perfect the moderate foretaste which believers received of the divine favor, must have sufficed to sustain (7) them, preparatory to the more complete realization. or, indeed, was the partition made by Joshua and the heads of the tribes, to whom that duty was intrusted, elusory or fallacious; but the inheritance, in possession of which God had placed them by His own hand, was truly and distinctly divided by His orders. In this respect, too, the sacred observance of the covenant made with Abraham was conspicuous. Jacob, when about to die, had destined certain settlements to some of his children. Had each tribe received its portion simply by the determination and suffrages of men, it might have been thought that they had merely followed the directions of the Patriarch. But when the lot, than which nothing is deemed more fortuitous, confirmed the prophecy, the stability of the donation (8) was as clearly ratified as if God had visibly appeared. Accordingly, after the sluggishness of the people put an end to the war, Joshua sent back the tribes of Reuben and Gad, with the half tribe of Manasseh, as if their period of service had expired. ext follows a remarkable narrative, clearly showing how zealous the Israelites who dwelt in the land of Canaan were to maintain the pure worship of God. For when these two tribes and half tribe had erected a monument of fraternal alliance, the others, thinking that it was an altar intended for sacrifice, and consequently an abomination, immediately determine to declare war, and prepare sooner to destroy their kindred (9) than allow religion to be torn asunder by a bastard worship. At the same time they are commended for their moderation, in being so easily appeased on obtaining satisfaction, after a sacred zeal had suddenly roused them to arms. In the end of the book it is shown how anxious Joshua was to advance the glory of God, (10) and how diligently he endeavored to obviate the fickleness and treachery of the people. With this view, not only the most impressive exhortations, but protestations, were employed, and more especially the covenant was renewed in regular form with the solemnity of an oath. Joshua Installed as Leader 1 After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of un, Moses’
- 19. aide: BAR ES, "Now... - Hebrew: “and, ...” The statement following is thus connected with some previous one, which is assumed to be known to the reader. So Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, etc., are by the same means linked on to the books preceding them. The connection here is the closer, since the Book of Deuteronomy concludes, and the book of Joshua opens, by referring to the death of Moses. Moses, the servant of the Lord - On the epithet, see the marginal reference “b.” Moses’ minister - It is impossible altogether to pass by the typical application of this verse. Moses, representing the law, is dead; Joshua, or, as that name is written in Greek, Jesus, is now bidden by God to do what Moses could not - lead the people into the promised land. Joshua was “Moses’ minister,” just as Christ was “made under the Law;” but it was Joshua, not Moses, who worked out the accomplishment of the blessings which the Law promised. On the name Joshua, see Exo_17:9 note, and Num_ 13:16. Saying - No doubt directly, by an immediate revelation, but not as God spake to Moses, “mouth to mouth” Num_12:8. Though upon Joshua’s appointment to be Moses’ successor (Num_27:18 ff), it had been directed that “counsel should be asked” for him through the medium of Eleazar “after the judgment of Urim,” yet this was evidently a resource provided to meet cases of doubt and difficulty. Here there was no such case; but the appointed leader, knowing well the purpose of God, needed to be stirred up to instant execution of it; and the people too might require the encouragement of a renewed divine command to set out at once upon the great enterprise before them (compare Jos_1:13). CLARKE, "Now after the death of Moses - ויהי vayehi, and it was or happened after the death of Moses. Even the first words in this book show it to be a continuation of the preceding, and intimately connected with the narrative in the last chapter in Deuteronomy, of which I suppose Joshua to have been the author, and that chapter to have originally made the commencement of this book, Deu_34:1-12 (note). The time referred to here must have been at the conclusion of the thirty days in which they mourned for Moses. GILL, "Now after the death of Moses,.... Or "and after" (h); the book begins as if something went before, it is connected with; and indeed it seems to be the last chapter of the book of Deuteronomy, which treats of the death of Moses; and Joshua being the penman of Deu_34:5, as say the Talmudists (i), and of this book, as has been seen, having wrote them, he goes on with the history of his own affairs in strict connection with that account, beginning where that ended; namely, at the death of Moses, whose character here given is the servant of the Lord; and a faithful one he was in all things belonging to it, and in whatsoever was enjoined him by the Lord, see Deu_34:5,
- 20. and it cameto pass that the Lord spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses's minister; either in a dream, or vision, or by an articulate voice out of the sanctuary: of Joshua's descent and relation, see Exo_33:11; and of his office under Moses, not as a menial servant, but a minister of state, see Exo_24:13, saying; as follows. HE RY, "Honour is here put upon Joshua, and great power lodged in his hand, by him that is the fountain of honour and power, and by whom kings reign. Instructions are given him by Infinite Wisdom, and encouragements by the God of all consolation. God had before spoken to Moses concerning him (Num_27:18), but now he speaks to him (v. 1), probably as he spoke to Moses (Lev_1:1) out of the tabernacle of the congregation, where Joshua had with Moses presented himself (Deu_31:14), to learn the way of attending there. Though Eleazar had the breast-plate of judgment, which Joshua was directed to consult as there was occasion (Num_27:21), yet, for his greater encouragement, God here speaks to him immediately, some think in a dream or vision (as Job_33:15); for though God has tied us to instituted ordinances, in them to attend him, yet he has not tied himself to them, but that he may without them make himself known to his people, and speak to their hearts otherwise than by their ears. Concerning Joshua's call to the government observe here, I. The time when it was given him: After the death of Moses. As soon as ever Moses was dead, Joshua took upon him the administration, by virtue of his solemn ordination in Moses's life-time. An interregnum, though but for a few days, might have been of bad consequence; but it is probable that God did not speak to him to go forward towards Canaan till after the thirty days of mourning for Moses were ended; not, as the Jews say, because the sadness of his spirit during those days unfitted him for communion with God (he sorrowed not as one that had no hope), but by this solemn pause, and a month's adjournment of the public councils, even now when time was so very precious to them, God would put an honour upon the memory of Moses, and give time to the people not only to lament their loss of him, but to repent of their miscarriages towards him during the forty years of his government. II. The place Joshua had been in before he was thus preferred. He was Moses's minister, that is, an immediate attendant upon his person and assistant in business. The Septuagint translates it hupourgos, a workman under Moses, under his direction and command. Observe, 1. He that was here called to honour had been long bred to business. Our Lord Jesus himself took upon him the form of a servant, and then God highly exalted him. 2. He was trained up in subjection and under command. Those are fittest to rule that have learnt to obey. 3. He that was to succeed Moses was intimately acquainted with him, that he might fully know his doctrine and manner of life, his purpose and long-suffering (2Ti_3:10), might take the same measures, walk in the same spirit, in the same steps, having to carry on the same work. 4. He was herein a type of Christ, who might therefore be called Moses's minister, because he was made under the law and fulfilled all the righteousness of it. JAMISO , "Jos_1:1-18. The Lord appoints Joshua to succeed Moses. Now after the death of Moses — Joshua, having been already appointed and
- 21. designated leader ofIsrael (Num_27:18-23), in all probability assumed the reins of government immediately “after the death of Moses.” the servant of the Lord — This was the official title of Moses as invested with a special mission to make known the will of God; and it conferred great honor and authority. the Lord spake unto Joshua — probably during the period of public mourning, and either by a direct revelation to the mind of Joshua, or by means of Urim and Thummim (Num_27:21). This first communication gave a pledge that the divine instructions which, according to the provisions of the theocracy, had been imparted to Moses, would be continued to the new leader, though God might not perhaps speak to him “mouth to mouth” (Num_12:8). Joshua — The original name, Oshea, (Num_13:8), which had been, according to Eastern usage, changed like those of Abram and Sarai (Gen_17:5-15) into Jehoshua or Joshua (that is, “God’s salvation”) was significant of the services he was to render, and typified those of a greater Saviour (Heb_4:8). Moses’ minister — that is, his official attendant, who, from being constantly employed in important services and early initiated into the principles of the government, would be well trained for undertaking the leadership of Israel. K&D, "The imperfect with vav consec., the standing mode of expressing a continued action or train of thought, “simply attaches itself by the conjunction 'and' to a completed action, which has either been mentioned before, or is supposed to be well known” (Ewald, §231, b.). “After the death of Moses,” i.e., after the expiration of the thirty days of general mourning for him (vid., Deu_34:8). “Servant of Jehovah” is a standing epithet applied to Moses as an honourable title, and founded upon Num_12:7-8 (vid., Deu_34:5; 1Ki_8:56; 2Ki_18:12; Psa_105:26, etc.). On “Joshua, Moses' minister,” see at Exo_17:9 and Num_13:16. Minister (meshareth), as in Exo_24:13, etc. Although Joshua had already been called by the mouth of the Lord to be the successor of Moses in the task of leading the people into Canaan (Num_27:15.), and had not only been presented to the people in this capacity, but had been instituted in this office by the Lord, with the promise of His help (Deu_31:3-7 and Deu_31:23), the word of the Lord came to him a second time after the death of Moses, with the command to enter upon the office to which he had been called, and with the promise that He would help him to fulfil its duties, as he had already helped His servant Moses. “Because even some of the bravest men, although fully prepared beforehand, either stand still or hesitate when the thing has to be done: this exhortation to Joshua, to gird himself at once for the expedition, was by no means superfluous; though his call was ratified again not only for his own sake, but in order that the people might not hesitate to follow him with their minds collected and calm, when they saw that he took no step without the guidance of God” (Calvin). - Joshua received this word of the Lord by a direct address from God, and not through the intervention of the Urim and Thummim of the high priest; for this appointed medium for the revelation of the will of God, to which he had been referred on the occasion of his first call (Num_27:21), whenever difficulties should arise in connection with his office, was not sufficient for the renewal and confirmation of his divine calling, since the thing required here was not merely that the will of God should be made known to him, but that he should be inspired with courage and strength for the fulfilment of it, i.e., for discharging the duties of his office, just as he afterwards was then in front of the fortified town of Jericho which he was directed to take, where the angel of the Lord appeared to him and assured him of its fall (Jos_5:13). Moreover, the conquest of Canaan formed
- 22. part of thework which the Lord entrusted to His servant Moses, and in which therefore Joshua was now Moses' successor. Consequently the Lord would be with him as He had been with Moses (Jos_1:5); and for this reason He revealed His will directly to him, as He had done to Moses, though without talking with him mouth to mouth (Num_12:8). CALVI , "Verse 1 1. ow, after, etc Here, first, we see the steadfastness of God in watching over his people, and providing for their safety. The sanction given to Joshua’s appointment, as new leader by a renewed commission, (13) was intended to indicate the continuance of his favor, and prevent the people from thinking themselves forsaken in consequence of the death of Moses. Joshua, indeed, had already been chosen to rule the people; and not only invested with the office, but also endowed with spiritual gifts. But as the most valiant, however well provided, are apt to halt or waver when the period for action arrives, the exhortation to Joshua to make ready forthwith for the expedition was by no means superfluous. Still, however, the call thus formally given was not so much on his own account, as to inspire the people with full confidence in following a leader whom they saw advancing step by step in the path divinely marked out for him. (14) ELLICOTT, "JOSHUA’S COMMISSIO (Joshua 1:1-9). (1) After the death of Moses . . . the Lord spake unto Joshua . . . Moses’ minister.— Joshua’s commission was the first of its kind, but not the last. o man before Joshua had received orders to regulate his conduct by the words of a written book. Abraham and his household had kept God’s laws. Moses had acted by Divine commission. But Abraham and Moses received their orders from the mouth of Jehovah. Joshua and all his successors must fulfil the orders of “this book of the law.” Thus Joshua was Moses’ minister in more than one sense. He was Moses’ confidential agent and personal attendant while he lived, and afterwards the executor of that which Moses had written. But the position of Joshua, though at first unique and without precedent, was the position designed for all his successors, more especially for that great Personage whose name Joshua was the first to bear. Joshua and the Book of the Law come before us together, without introduction, in the same passage of the law (Exodus 17:9), “Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek;” and in Joshua 1:14, “Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua.” The book was prepared for Joshua; Joshua came to fulfil the words of the book. Compare Psalms 40:7, “Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, I delight to do thy will, O my God.” “Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers” (Romans 15:8; see also Matthew 5:17). For the use of the word “minister” (Heb., m’shârêth) compare 2 Kings 4:43; 2 Kings 6:15; 2 Chronicles 9:4; Ezra 8:17; Psalms 103:21; Psalms 104:4; Proverbs 29:12; Ezekiel 44:11. From these references it will be seen that the word may signify a personal attendant, a minister of state, or a minister of religion.
- 23. TRAPP, " owafter the death of Moses the servant of the LORD it came to pass, that the LORD spake unto Joshua the son of un, Moses’ minister, saying, The Book of Joshua] Who was a book man as well as a sword man: (a) and might well give for his motto, Ex utroque Caesar. Julius Caesar wrote his own acts; witness his learned Commentaries - for so he called them, in modesty, rather than histories; and the like did his successors, Augustus Caesar, in four books, and Adrian the Emperor, with great diligence. That Joshua himself was penman of this book, or of most part of it, is probably gathered from Joshua 24:26, and that he wrote also the end of Deuteronomy - viz., from the death of his master Moses - may be gathered from the copulative and, wherewith this book beginneth - And it came to pass, &c.; so the original hath it. See the like in 1:1, Ruth 1:1, 1 Samuel 1:1, 2 Samuel 1:1, &c. Indeed, the whole law - so the whole Scripture - is but one copulative, say the schoolmen; and "God spake by the mouth" - not mouths - "of his holy prophets which have been since the world began." [Luke 1:1-4] Joshua is here set forth both as a pattern to princes - far beyond Xenophon’s Cyrus or Machiavel’s Borgia - and as a type of Christ, the great Conqueror. [Revelation 6:2] He had his name changed, when he was sent as a spy into Canaan, [ umbers 13:16] from Oshea to Joshua; from Let God save, to God shall save. Under the Law, which bringeth us as it were into a wilderness, we may desire and pray that there were a Saviour: but under the Gospel we are sure of salvation; and that our Jehoshua hath bound himself to fulfil all righteousness, and to land us safe at the key of Canaan, at the kingdom of heaven. Ver. 1. ow after the death of Moses.] “ Sic uno avulso non deficit alter Aureus. ” - Virgil. The Church shall never want a champion of Christ’s own providing; but Moses shall revive in Joshua, and there shall be a succession of godly governors, till the headstone be laid with, "Grace, grace unto it." [Zechariah 4:7] That the Lord spake unto Joshua.] ot immediately, as to Moses, but some other way, [ umbers 12:7-8] probably by Urim and Thummin, as in umbers 27:18; umbers 27:21. ot so to Saul [1 Samuel 28:6] - for the high priest Abiathar was fled from him to David, with an ephod in his hand. [1 Samuel 23:6] Similarily, Christ answered nothing to Herod, [Luke 23:9] who had cut off the head of the Baptist, that was vox clamantis, the voice whereby he had cried. COKE, "Ver. 1. ow after the death of Moses, &c.— The Hebrew is, and after, &c. This conjunction points out the connection of this book with the foregoing, of which, indeed, it is a continuation. The book of Judges is connected with that of Joshua, and the book of Ruth with that of Judges, in the same plain manner. Thus too the
- 24. LXX have joinedthe Lamentations of Jeremiah with the Prophesies of that prophet. This manner of writing is that of a just and exact mind, elevated above the vanity of making a shew of what he composes. He leads the understanding from events to events, without distracting the reader, and without even apprizing him that he who speaks is a new historian. The ancient manner of transcribing the sacred books was conformable to the taste of those who composed them. The works were not distinguished by chapters, and frequently the books had no title; they were written in continuation, those which followed being joined to the foregoing by a conjunction, as we see in this place: see Calmet. With respect to the time here specified by the words, after the death of Moses, it may very probably be placed immediately after the forty days mourning for that holy man were fully elapsed. The servant of the Lord— Respecting this title, see Deuteronomy 34:5. The Lord spake unto Joshua, &c.— He gave him his orders. But whereas he spake to Moses familiarly face to face, as a man speaketh with his friend; he informed Joshua out of the sanctuary, and by the mouth of Eleazar the high-priest; who, being invested with the breast-plate, and presenting himself before the veil, over against the mercy-seat, whereon rested the divine presence, consulted God by the Urim and Thummim; and God answered him by an intelligible voice which issued from the mercy-seat. Moses' minister— i.e. Who had been Moses' minister. The expression in the original gives the idea of an honourable minister, acting by no means in a servile capacity. See Exodus 24:13. Deuteronomy 1:38. WHEDO , "JOSHUA’S DIVI E COMMISSIO , Joshua 1:1-9. The date of these events is, according to the common chronology, 1451 years before Christ. The place was Shittim, in the plains of Moab, about seven miles east of the Jordan, and opposite Jericho. umbers 33:49. Here, in the shade of the acacia groves, Israel had been beguiled to licentiousness by the Midianites, “in the matter of Peor,” ( umbers 25;) here they had been visited by the Divine judgments for their sin; and here they had witnessed the last works and received the last counsels of Moses. 1. ow — More properly, and it came to pass. Hebrews ויהי . With this formula most of the historical books begin. It indicates in each case an intimate connection of the narrative with what immediately precedes. Perhaps the Book of Joshua originally began with the last chapter of Deuteronomy, and, for the purpose of completing the biography of Moses, that chapter, containing the details of his death and burial, was accustomed to be read with the scroll of Deuteronomy, and finally, for convenience, was appended to it. After the death of Moses — These words include the thirty days of mourning in honour of the great lawgiver. Deuteronomy 34:8. At the end of these days the succession to the leadership was revealed by the Lord. A long interregnum would
- 25. have been perilousto a people so inexperienced in the art of self-government. The Lord spake — Whether by a direct communication through his angel, as in Joshua 5:13-15, (see Joshua 6:2,) or by the urim of the high priest, is uncertain, but probably the latter, inasmuch as this manner of speaking is prescribed to him in umbers 27:21. The urim (lights) and thummim (perfections) are always alluded to as well known, but nowhere described. They were a part of the ephod, the sacred robe of the high priest, and were either the twelve gems on the breastplate or some objects intimately connected with them, and were a divinely appointed medium of revelation. Whether the gems became luminous, or whether there was an audible voice, or whether the priest when arrayed in the ephod was endowed with a miraculous insight similar to the vision of the inspired prophet, cannot now be determined, See note on Exodus 28:30. Joshua — Before the death of Moses this great warrior had been clothed with authority and designated as the commander-in-chief of the Israelitish armies. See Introduction. Son of un — othing more is known of un than that he was of the tribe of Ephraim. Great military genius is often cradled in obscurity. un lived and died undistinguished from the thousands of his brethren, who passed all their days in the Egyptian bondage; but his son, by his valour and piety, rescued his father’s servile name from oblivion. So the poet Horace, by his genius, immortalized the Roman bondman who begat him. Moses’ minister — ot his menial, but his premier in peace, his lieutenant in war. It was customary for great prophets to be thus attended by ministers or servants, as Elijah was ministered to by Elisha. In this relation Joshua had witnessed Moses’ conversation face to face with Jehovah, (Exodus 33:11,) and had been pavilioned with his master in the cloud of Sinai. Exodus 24:13. Thus had he been trained in the best possible school, and the people were prepared, by the public honour bestowed upon him, to yield him obedience when their great emancipator was taken away. [In this verse we notice that Moses is called the servant of Jehovah, and Joshua minister of Moses. A servant is less honourable than a minister, but it is unspeakably greater to be Jehovah’s servant than merely the prime minister of any earthly potentate however good and mighty. The phrase servant of Jehovah is applied in the Old Testament to patriarchs, prophets, kings, the whole body of the chosen people, and in some prophetical passages to Messiah. The highest type of man under the Law was a servant of God; it was reserved for the Gospel to develop the son of God, and perfect man in Christ.] PETT, "Moses was dead! This was a new beginning. For so long Moses had led the people (over forty years). He had spoken to them on God’s behalf. He had always been there. Through him God had performed His wonders. He had been uniquely the Servant of YHWH. And now he was dead. We can imagine the effect that this devastating news would have had on the people of Israel. He had been the bulwark
- 26. on which theyhad leaned, the target for their dissension when they were dissatisfied. But he had always been there. Thus both God and the people now looked to another, to Joshua, Moses’ trained assistant, to carry on his work. ote the beginning ‘and’. The Book is seen as a continuation of what has gone before. Moses may be dead but the salvation history goes on. “The servant of YHWH.” This was the prime accolade, only given to Moses, and, once he had proved himself, to Joshua (Joshua 24:29; Judges 2:8), demonstrating the high regard in which they were held. Others, including Caleb, David and the great Servant in Isaiah, would be described as ‘My servant’. But none were described by others in the Old Testament as ‘the servant of YHWH’. The term ‘servant’ so used meant a high official as well as a loyal servant. “YHWH spoke to Joshua the son of un.” We do not know how YHWH did speak to Joshua. This was more than could be communicated by Urim and Thummim, the means by which He communicated His will to Israel in the future. Probably it came to him in a dream of the night, or possibly while he was at prayer, as he considered the future. Either way words which were deeply impressed into his mind from the memorable words of Moses in his speeches in Deuteronomy, which he could never forget, came into his mind. He knew that YHWH was pressing them home on him. It may even have been by hearing the voice of the Angel of YHWH (compare Joshua 5:3-15), for this was a unique moment in history, a time of deliverance. But the constant use of Deuteronomy throughout the book favours the former. The name Joshua means ‘YHWH is salvation’. It translated into Greek as ‘Jesus’. He was originally called ‘Hoshea’ ( umbers 13:8; Deuteronomy 32:44), but Yah was added when he became God’s appointed man ( umbers 13:16). It may, however, be that Hoshea was a shortened name with his full name being Joshua from the beginning. BE SO , ". After the death of Moses — Either immediately after it, or when the days of mourning for Moses were expired. Joshua was appointed and declared Moses’s successor in the government before this time; and here he receives confirmation from God therein. The servant of the Lord — This title is given to Moses here, and Joshua 1:2, as also Deuteronomy 34:5, and is repeated, not without cause, to reflect honour upon him, to give authority to his laws and writings, in publishing whereof he acted as God’s servant, in his name: and that the Israelites might not think of Moses above what was meet, remembering that he was not the Lord himself, but only the Lord’s servant; and therefore not to be too pertinaciously followed in all his institutions, when the Lord himself should come and abolish part of the Mosaical dispensation; it being but reasonable that he, who was only a servant in God’s house, should give place to him who was the son, and heir, and lord of it. The Lord spake — Either in a dream or vision, or by Urim, umbers 27:21. Moses’s minister — Who had waited upon Moses in his great employments, and thereby been privy to his manner of government, and so was prepared for it. COFFMA , "This chapter forms an introduction to Joshua. It has the Divine
- 27. commission of Joshua(Joshua 1:1-9), the preparations for crossing the Jordan River (Joshua 1:10-11), and the renewal of the pledge of the trans-Jordanic tribes (Joshua 1:12-18). " ow it came to pass after the death of Moses the Servant of Jehovah, that Jehovah spake unto Joshua the son of un, Moses' minister, saying." Jehovah spake unto Joshua the son of un, Moses' minister, saying." " ow it came to pass ..." "The form of the Hebrew word here rendered `now' shows that Joshua is intended to be a CO TI UATIO of the Book of Deuteronomy";[1] but, "Joshua is distinct from the Pentateuch. There is no ancient Jewish tradition or manuscript evidence that the book ever formed a unit with the five books of the Law,"[2] as the critics have alleged regarding their speculative "Hexateuch." Unger's comment on the hypothetical Hexateuch is as follows: "Unbelieving critical scholarship of necessity must explain away the large number of miracles in the book as legends and treat the history as idealized, as they must also do with the Pentateuch. That is why they have lumped Joshua with the Pentateuch in a so-called `Hexateuch' and subjected it to analysis on the basis of late literary sources (the alleged sources of the Pentateuch ). This is only a rationalistic attempt to explain away the miraculous element."[3] "The servant of Jehovah ..." This was, above all other designations, the title of Moses (Deuteronomy 34:5), and it was carried over into the ew Dispensation by the author of Hebrews. "Moses was indeed faithful over all his (God's) house as a servant" (Hebrews 3:5). The meaning of the term "servant" is very close to that of "slave," but it was the accepted designation of the highest plenary officers of kings and rulers of the world. Christ himself was prophetically presented in Isaiah as the "Suffering Servant" of God, and Jesus stated that the greatest in God's kingdom would be the servant of all (Matthew 23:11). "Jehovah spake unto Joshua ..." We are not told exactly how God spoke to Joshua. Hebrews 1:1 declares that God of old times spake "in divers portions and in divers manners," meaning "in different portions and various ways." What is important here is that God did indeed speak to Joshua, gave him his orders for the conquest of Canaan, and commissioned him to lead the Israelites in that conflict, which in the fullest sense, was indeed a "holy war." "The invasion and conquest of Canaan were accomplished by Israel under Joshua's leadership, in response to God's direct command and in His never failing strength."[4] ot only that, this expression, `Jehovah spake unto Joshua,' is the equivalent in the earlier books of the O.T. of the constantly recurring expression in the later prophets, `thus saith the Lord.' This distinguishes the literature of the Hebrews from that of all other nations, and marks out the Jewish claim of having in their possession in a very special way the true will of Almighty God. As Dummelow said, "This is one of the most obvious indications of what we call inspiration ... the importance of this does not derive from any knowledge of how God spoke to Joshua, but in its testimony to the fact of it."[5]
- 28. Morton declared thatthe resemblance of many passages in Joshua to certain sections of Deuteronomy, "makes it clear that a Deuteronomic editor is responsible for the present form of Joshua."[6] However, it should always be remembered that such statements are without objective evidence, that the "editors" and "redactors" so frequently mentioned by some commentators EVER EXISTED. Every appeal to such non-existent persons indicates merely the U BELIEF of Biblical enemies. We fully agree with Woudstra that the calling of this introduction Deuteronomic "carries with it implications of authorship and composition that should be avoided."[7] "Joshua the son of un ..." The original name of this leader was Oshea ( umbers 13:8), but just as the names of Abram, Sarai, etc were changed, so was that of Joshua. It was changed to Jehoshua (or, Joshua). The Greek form of the name is Jesus,[8] and it means "Jehovah is deliverance," or "Jehovah is salvation." ot merely in this name, but in a few other salient particulars, Joshua represents the Lord Jesus Christ in his life and achievement. (1) Like Christ, Joshua did what Moses and the Law could not do. (2) He led the people into Canaan; Christ leads his people into heaven. (3) Both Joshua and Jesus began their commission on the banks of the Jordan River. EXPOSITOR'S DICTIO ARY, "Joshua Encouraged Joshua 1:1-11 "Be strong and of a good courage" ( Joshua 1:6). When Luther was summoned before the Diet of Worms, his friends did all that they could to dissuade him from going. They were afraid that his safe-conduct would not be respected. But nothing would keep the brave Reformer back, and what was thought of his courage is shown in the words which a great captain is said to have addressed to him: "Little monk! little monk! you are venturing today on a more hazardous march than I or any other captain ever did. But if your cause is right, and you are sure of it, go on in God"s name, and be of good comfort. He will not forsake thee." And it was in the same spirit that in the presence of his enemies Luther himself uttered the famous words: "I cannot do otherwise. Here I stand; God help me! Amen." "In a large party at the Grand Master"s Palace in Malta, I had observed," says the poet Coleridge, "a naval officer of distinguished merit listening to Sir A. Ball, whenever he joined in the conversation, with a mixed expression of awe and affection that gave a more than common interest to so manly a countenance. This officer afterwards told me that he considered himself indebted to Sir Alexander for that which was dearer to him than his life. "When he was Lieutenant Ball," said Hebrews , "he was the officer I accompanied in my first boat expedition, being then
- 29. a midshipman, andonly in my fourteenth year. As we were rowing up to the vessel which we were to attack, amid a discharge of musketry, I was overpowered by fear, and seemed on the point of fainting away. Lieutenant Ball, who saw the condition I was in, placed himself close beside me, and still keeping his countenance directed towards the enemy, pressed my hand in the most friendly manner, and said in a low voice, "Courage, my dear boy; you will recover in a minute or so. I was just the same when I first went out in this way." Sirach ," added the officer to me, "it was just as if an angel had put a new soul into me."" The Character of Joshua Dr. W. G. Blaikie writes: "We must earnestly desire... to draw aside the veil that covers the eight-and-thirty years and see how he [Joshua] was prepared for his great work.... A religious warrior is a peculiar character; a Gustavus Adolphus, an Oliver Cromwell, a Henry Havelock, a General Gordon; Joshua was of the same mould, and we should have liked to know him more intimately; but this is denied to us. He stands out to us simply as one of the military heroes of the faith. In depth, in steadiness, in endurance his faith was not excelled by that of Abraham or of Moses himself. The one conviction that dominated all in him was that he was called by God to his work. If that work was often repulsive, let us not on that account withhold our admiration from the man who never conferred with flesh and blood, and who was never appalled either by danger or difficulty, for he "saw Him who is invisible"." References.—I:1-11.—A. Maclaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture— Deuteronomy ,, Joshua , etc, p87. I:2.—J. F. Cowan, Christian World Pulpit, vol. lxxii1907 , p365. I:2 , 3.—Spurgeon, Sermons, vol. xxxv. o2086. MACLARE , "THE EW LEADER’S COMMISSIO Joshua 1:1 - Joshua 1:11. The closest connection exists between Deuteronomy and Joshua. The narrative may be read as running on without a break. It turns away from the lonely grave up on the mountain to the bustling camp and the new leader. o man is indispensable. God’s work goes on uninterrupted. The instruments are changed, but the Master- hand is the same, and lays one tool aside and takes another out of the tool-chest as He will. Moses is dead,-what then? Does his death paralyse the march of the tribes? o; it is but the ground for the ringing command, ‘Therefore arise, go over this Jordan.’ The immediate installation of his successor, and the uninterrupted continuance of the advance, do not mean that Moses is not honoured or is forgotten, for the narrative lovingly links his honorific title, ‘the servant of the Lord,’ with the mention of his death; and God Himself does the same, for he is thrice referred to in the divine command to Joshua, as the recipient of the promise of the conquest, as the example of the highest experience of God’s all-sufficing companionship, and as the medium by which Israel received the law. Joshua steps into the empty place, receives the same great promise, is assured of the same Presence, and is to obey the same law. The change of leaders is great, but nothing else is changed; and even it is not so great as faint hearts in their sorrow are apt to think, for the real Leader lives, and Moses and Joshua alike are but the transmitters of His orders and His aids to
- 30. Israel. The first commandgiven to Joshua was a trial of his faith, for ‘Jordan was in flood’ [Joshua 3:15],-and how was that crowd to get across, when fords were impassable and ferry-boats were wanting, to say nothing of the watchful eyes that were upon them from the other bank? To cross a stream in the face of the enemy is a ticklish operation, even for modern armies; what must it have been, then, for Joshua and his horde? ot a hint is given him as to the means by which the crossing is to be made possible. He has Jehovah’s command to do it, and Jehovah’s promise to be with him, and that is to be enough. We too have sometimes to face undertakings which we cannot see how to carry through; but if we do see that the path is one appointed by God, and will boldly tread it, we may be quite sure that, when we come to what at present seems like a mountain wall across it, we shall find that the glen opens as we advance, and that there is a way,-narrow, perhaps, and dangerous, but practicable. ‘One step enough for me’ should be our motto. We may trust God not to command impossibilities, nor to lead us into a cul de sac. The promise to Moses [Deuteronomy 2:24] is repeated almost verbally in Joshua 1:4. The boundaries of the land are summarily given as from ‘the wilderness’ in the south to ‘this Lebanon’ in the north, and from the Euphrates in the east to the Mediterranean in the west. ‘The land of the Hittites’ is not found in the original passage in Deuteronomy, and it seems to be a designation of the territory between Lebanon and the Euphrates, which we now know to have been the seat of the northern Hittites, while the southern branch was planted round Hebron and the surrounding district. But these wide boundaries were not attained till late in the history, and were not long retained. Did the promise, then, fail? o, for it, like all the promises, was contingent on conditions, and Israel’s unfaithfulness cut short its extent of territory. We, too, fail to possess all the land destined for us. Our charter is much wider than our actual wealth. God gives more than we take, and we are content to occupy but a corner of the broad land which He has given us. In like manner Joshua did not realise to the full the following promise of uniform victory, but was defeated at Ai and elsewhere. The reason was the same,-the faithlessness of the people. Unbelief and sin turn a Samson into a weakling, and make Israel flee before the ranks of the Philistines. The great encouragement given to Joshua in entering on his hard and perilous enterprise is twice repeated here: ‘As I was with Moses, so will I be with thee.’ Did Joshua remember how, nearly forty years since, he had fronted the mob of cowards with the very same assurance, and how the answer had been a shower of stones? The cowards are all dead,-will their sons believe the assurance now? If we do believe that God is with us, we shall be ready to cross Jordan in flood, and to meet the enemies that are waiting on the other bank. If we do not, we shall not dare greatly, nor succeed in what we attempt. The small successes of material wealth and gratified ambition may be ours, but for all the higher duties and nobler conflicts that become a man, the condition of achievement and victory is steadfast faith in God’s presence and help. That assurance-which we may all have if we cling to Jesus, in whom God comes to be with every believing soul-is the only basis on which the command to Joshua, thrice repeated, can wisely or securely be rested. It is mockery to say to a man
- 31. conscious of weakness,and knowing that there are evils which must surely come, and evils which may possibly come, against which he is powerless, ‘Don’t be afraid’ unless you can show him good reason why he need not be. And there is only one reason which can still reasonable dread in a human heart that has to front ‘all the ills that flesh is heir to,’ and sees behind them all the grim form of death. He ought to be afraid, unless-unless what? Unless he has heard and taken into his inmost soul the Voice that said to Joshua, ‘I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee: be strong and of a good courage,’ or, still more sweet and peace-bringing, the Voice that said to the frightened crew of the fishing-boat in the storm and the darkness,’ It is I be not afraid.’ If we know that Christ is with us, it is wise to be strong and courageous; if we are meeting the tempest alone, the best thing we can do is to fear, for the fear may drive us to seek for His help, and He ever stretches out His hand to him who is afraid, as he ought to be, when he feels the cold water rising above his knees, and by his very fear is driven to faith, and cries, ‘Lord, save; I perish!’ Courage that does not rest on Christ’s presence is audacity rather than courage, and is sure to collapse, like a pricked bladder, when the sharp point of a real peril comes in contact with it. If we sit down and reckon the forces that we have to oppose to the foes that we are sure to meet, we shall find ourselves unequal to the fight, and, if we are wise, shall ‘send the ambassage’ of a humble desire to the great King, who will come to our help with His all-conquering powers. Then, and only then, shall we be safe in saying,’ I will not fear what man can do unto me, or devils either,’ when we have said,’ In God have I put my trust,’ and have heard Him answering, ‘I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. PI K, " The Call to Faith " ow after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, it came to pass that the Lord spake unto Joshua" (Josh. 1:1). The opening word of this verse, when rightly rendered, supplies to the spiritual mind an indication of the verbal inspiration of the Scriptures. Properly translated it would be "And," and what uninspired writer would ever think of beginning his production with such a connective! John Urquhart in his "The Bible: its Structure and Purpose" (vol. 1) called attention to this feature, which though a minute detail is one of considerable importance, namely, that many of the books of the O.T. commence with the conjunction "ve." This indicates of course that those which open thus are so closely linked with the ones preceding that they are really continuations of them. But, we may say, it does more than that: the employment of "And" at the beginning of quite a number of them signifies that they are not so many books but chapters in the Book. In other words, this binding together of the variously books by the copulative "And" gives more than a hint of their fundamental-unity: that one Author composed them, that one Rule of Faith is found in them Genesis has no "And" at the commencement of its opening verse, for the simple reason that it is the first book or chapter, the beginning. But Exodus opens with this connective "ve"—"and"—rendered there " ow." So does Leviticus, and likewise umbers. Thereby we are taught that those first books are inseparably united together, and form the first division of the Bible. But, as Urquhart pointed out, "It is a surprise at first glance when we find that Deuteronomy, which is regarded as the
- 32. completion of thefour previous books, is, as a fact, disconnected from them." He might also have dwelt on the fact that such a variation or difference is a designed evidence of Divine superintendence. The very fact that Deuteronomy is regarded (and from one standpoint, rightly so) as the completion of the Pentateuch argues that were the first five books of the Bible nothing more than the uninspired productions of Jews, writing in collaboration, the fifth one had been brought into accord with those which precede it. The absence of" and" at the opening of Deuteronomy at once intimates that that book is not a supplement to what has gone before, but rather a new beginning, or a new division of the O.T. It looks forward and not backward: a careful study of its contents will verify this. Joshua comes next and it does open with "And "—and so does every book which follows until 1 Chronicles is reached! Thus, Joshua to the end of 2 Kings is annexed to Deuteronomy, and the whole forms the second division of the O.T. Having pointed out this feature, let us pause and consider its significance. Why are the first four books of the Bible coupled together? why the next eight? and why does Deuteronomy belong to the second group rather than the first? The answer must be sought in the history of Israel, for that is the theme of the O.T. The first four books give us the history of Israel outside the Land which was promised them for an inheritance, the next eight treat of their history in it. Deuteronomy rehearses the past history of the ation and restates the Law in view of their approaching possession of. Canaan, informing them how they must conduct themselves therein. "And after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord" (Josh. 1:1). The removal of Moses from their head was a heavy loss unto Israel. For many years he had been their leader and legislator. It was under him they had been delivered from the cruel bondage of Egypt. It was in answer to his prayers that a way was opened for them through the Red Sea. He was the one who acted as their representative before the Lord and as His mouthpiece unto them. It is true there were times when they distrusted him and murmured against him, yet on the whole they respected and confided in him. A stage had now been reached when it seemed that Israel needed him more than ever, for with practically no fighting experience and possessing scarcely any weapons, they were about to pit themselves against the "seven nations in the land of Canaan" (Acts 13:19). Yet he was no longer to be their commander: death took him from them. That was a deep mystery to carnal reason, a most painful providence, a sore trying of their faith. That they felt it keenly is clear: "the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days" (Deut. 34:10). "And after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, it came to pass that the Lord spake unto Joshua the son of un, Moses’ minister, saying, "Moses My servant is dead: now therefore arise, go over this Jordan" (vv. 1, 2). The work of God is in nowise hindered by the decease of His servants, no matter how eminent they be in office nor how much used in blessing to His people. Though the workmen be removed, His work goes forward to its ordained completion. "God will change hands to show that whatever instruments He uses, He is not tied to any" (Matthew Henry). That does not mean that God will necessarily supply another pastor for a church when one has died, for His work in that particular place may be finished; or that when His time arrives for the work of this magazine to end, that He will provide another; but it does mean that He will continue to maintain His Cause upon
- 33. earth and supplyevery need of His people. That is certain, and it should both comfort and inspire us with courage in these dark days in which our lot is cast. It is to be duly noted that Joshua did not push himself forward to fill the breach made by the departure of Moses, but waited until ordered by the Lord to do so. The relation which he sustained to his predecessor is not only one of interest but also of deep importance, not so much so from a historical standpoint as from the typical and doctrinal. This is the point at which we should amplify that statement at some length, but we are afraid to do so lest some of our readers wonder if we are ever going to ‘get down to business,’ for we have already written three articles without taking up the opening verses of our book. Yet others will say, What does that matter if their contents were instructive and profitable? We will therefore adopt a compromise, and defer our remarks upon that subject until a little later. Meanwhile perhaps a few may be stimulated to ponder and supply answers for themselves to the following questions: What was the varied relationship of Joshua unto Moses? and what important truth is illustrated and illuminated thereby? "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, to the children of Israel" (Josh. 1:2). The appointed time had now arrived, for Jehovah to make good the promises which He had made to Abraham and his children long centuries before. All that had been accomplished through Moses was but preliminary thereto, yet supplying a sure earnest that He would continue to show Himself strong on their behalf, so long as they adhered strictly to the covenant which He had entered into with them at Sinai. For that covenant, and the earlier one constituted the basis of all His dealings with Israel: while they kept it, they prospered: when they broke it, they experienced His judgments. It is to be duly observed that this commission which Joshua here received from the Lord was given to him as the head of Israel: it was made not with him alone, but the nation as well: "thou and all this people." This needs to be borne in mind in connection with all that follows. "Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses" (Josh. 1:3). Here again (see previous verse) the Lord emphasized the fact that Canaan was a sovereign and free gift which He made unto Israel. It was not a portion to which they were in any wise entitled: neither they nor their ancestors had done anything to merit such a heritage, nor would their subsequent prowess in conquering or dispossessing the Canaanites warrant the idea that they had earned it. Thus it is with the eternal inheritance of the spiritual Israel. When they are finally gathered into it, they will with one accord exclaim " ot unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto Thy name give glory" (Ps. 115:1). And even now while upon earth, they frankly aver, " ot by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, which He shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior" (Titus 3:5, 6). They one and all subscribe to that declaration "By grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God; not of works lest any man should boast" (Eph. 2:8, 9). evertheless, though Canaan was a Divine gift unto Israel, yet they did, not enter into possession of it without effort on their part: their concurrence was required, and thereby their responsibility was enforced! Unless that fact be clearly recognized we shall be all at sea in applying the type unto ourselves, and seriously, aye fatally,
- 34. pervert God’s "plan"or way of salvation. There is not the slightest excuse for our doing so, for the teaching of Scripture on this subject—both in the type and the antitype—is as clear as a sunbeam. Canaan was first given unto Abraham, and he is "the father of all them that believe" (Rom. 4:11), and therefore his case is the norm or model after which ours is patterned. Concerning Abraham himself, all room for doubt as to how he obtained Canaan, is removed by Hebrews 11:8: "By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out unto a place (which he should after receive for an inheritance), obeyed, and he went out, not knowing whither he went." It was by faith-obedience that Canaan became his. What has just been pointed out and our placing that clause in parenthesis is clearly confirmed by Genesis 12:1, " ow the Lord had said unto Abraham, Get thee out of thy country and from thy kindred and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will show thee." There was no promise at that time that the land would be made over to him for a possession: it was not until years after that God said to him "I am the Lord that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees to give thee this land to inherit it." Abraham was first required to break completely from his old life and separate from the world, to submit himself unreservedly to God, to walk by faith, to act in unquestioning obedience to His revealed will, before the heritage became his! Yes, my reader, the call which Abraham received from God made very real and definite demands upon him; and since he is "the father of us all" (Rom. 4:16), each of his children must be conformed to the family likeness. Abraham is a figure or prototype of those who have, by grace, been made "partakers of the heavenly calling" (Heb. 3:1). "By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed, and he went out, not knowing whither he went"—still less knowing that the land would be given to him. A saving faith is one which heeds the Divine commandments as well as relies upon the Divine promises. Make no mistake about that, dear friends, Christ is "the Author of salvation unto all them that obey Him" (Heb. 5:9). Abraham obeyed not only in word, but in deed: "he went out." In that he was in marked contrast from the prevaricating one who said "I go, Sir, and went not" (Matthew 21:30). Faith and obedience can no more be severed than can the sun and the light, fire and heat. Therefore we read of "the obedience of faith" (Rom. 1:5 margin). "Obedience is faith’s daughter. Faith hath not only to do with the grace of God, but with the duty of the creature as well. By apprehending grace, it works upon duty: ‘faith worketh by love’ (Gal. 5:6). It fills the soul with apprehensions of God’s love, and then makes use of the sweetness of love to urge us to more work or obedience" (T. Manton). And now the descendants of Abraham were called upon to act by a similar faith and walk by the same implicit obedience unto God which had marked their progenitor! The Jordan must be crossed, cities must be captured, battles must be fought, the Canaanites conquered, before Israel could enter into possession of and enjoy their inheritance. True, blessedly true, they were not required to perform such feats in their own unaided strength: the might of Omnipotence would work on their behalf. Yet also and equally true was it that God would show Himself strong on their behalf only while they yielded to His authority and conducted themselves according to His orders. The Land was indeed His gift—His free and sovereign gift—unto them, yet they would only. obtain possession of the same by their own efforts. There is nothing
- 35. inharmonious between thosetwo things, any more than there is an inconsistency in the Gospel call, "He, every one that thirsteth come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money come ye, buy and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price" (Isa. 55:1)—alas that that repeated buy is totally ignored by modern ‘evangelism.’ "Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon that have I given you, as I said unto Moses. 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" (Josh. 1:3). As we have pointed out in a previous paper, the contents of this book have a twofold application: an initial and a progressive, to the sinner and to the saint. That is intimated, we believe, by the very position Joshua occupies in the Sacred Canon: it sustains a dual relation: coming after, yet being linked to the Pentateuch, and also forming the commencement of the Historical books. That hints strongly at a twofold spiritual significance of its contents. Concerning the land of Canaan Moses said to the Congregation, "Ye are not as yet come to the rest and to the inheritance which the Lord your God giveth you" (Deut. 12:9). In contrast from the wanderings in the Wilderness, Canaan was their "rest," but in actual experience their entrance into the Land marked the beginning of years of hard fighting. The moment a sinner believes in Christ peace of conscience, rest of soul is his; nevertheless, only then begins the fierce battle between the flesh and the spirit. That rest of soul enjoyed by the Christian when he ceases fighting against God and trusts in the Savior is an earnest of his inheritance, a foretaste of the perfect and eternal rest awaiting him on high. The initial act of faith in Christ puts him in possession of an inalienable title to "the purchased possession," but his actual entrance therein is yet future. But it is both his privilege and duty to "possess his possessions" (Obad. 17) even now, to enjoy them by faith and anticipate them by hope. It is his privilege and duty to appropriate by faith and live in the present enjoyment of that rich portion which God has given him in Christ. But the flesh, the world and the Devil will oppose, and seek to keep him out of a present enjoyment of his possession. There is nothing the Devil hates more than to see a saint glorying in God and rejoicing in Christ his Lord, and therefore both directly and by means of indwelling sin, or the allurements and cares of this world, he is ever seeking to deprive him of his rights. But if we mortify the flesh, steadfastly resist the Devil, live a life of faith and walk obediently, we can overcome both self, Satan and the world. In this connection we need to recall that word of the Lord unto Israel at an earlier date: "I will not drive them out from before thee in one year, lest the land become desolate and the beast of the field multiply against thee: by little and little I will drive them out from before thee, until thou be increased and inherit the land" (Ex. 23:20,30), which shows that God does not act arbitrarily, but compassionately with respect to His people. To their short-sightedness it might have appeared a more signal mercy had God exterminated the Canaanites in the first few months after the crossing of its boundary, but that had neither been most for His glory nor their good. There were wild beasts in the land as well as gross idolaters, and even though the latter had been extirpated, Israel were yet too few in number to properly occupy the whole of the country—they must wait for that until they had sufficiently multiplied. Moreover, by driving out the Canaanites from before them" little by
- 36. little," Israel waskept in a state of constant dependence before the Lord. That is one of His principal designs in all His dealings with people: to wean them from self- reliance and teach them to lean more and more upon Himself. The spiritual application to the Christian of the above is simple and informative. God has nowhere promised to give him victory over all his enemies at once, and therefore he should not expect it. or would it be good for him if He did—pride and self-esteem would be the immediate outcome. "Therefore will the Lord wait that He may be gracious unto you" (Isa. 30:18). He has many things to say unto us, but we cannot bear them now (John 15:12); and He has victories to give us, but we are not yet fitted for them. As Israel were not to be discouraged by the slowness of their arms, neither must we be dismayed if victory be not ours at once—still less entertain the thought that success will never be achieved by us. In like manner, the possessing of our possessions, the present entering into and enjoyment of our heritage in Christ, is not attained all in a moment, but it is a progressive experience—"by little and little." Growth in grace is not an instantaneous thing like the new birth, but a gradual one: patience has to have her perfect work. Perhaps some reader may recall another word of Jehovah’s spoken before the Jordan was crossed: "The Lord thy God is He which goeth over before thee: as a consuming fire He shall destroy them and He shall bring them down before thy face; so shalt thou drive them out and destroy them quickly" (Deut. 9:3). We need hardly say that there, is no conflict between this passage and the one in Exodus 23, for there are no" contradictions" in the Word of God. All that is needed is a little careful attention to each passage. The "I will not drive them out before them in one year" of Exodus 23:29 has reference to the Hivites, Canaanites, and Hittites, as the previous verse shows; whereas the "them" of Deuteronomy 9:3 is the Anakim—see verse 2. or does this present any difficulty in the spiritual application: there are some enemies which the Christian is enabled to overcome "quickly," while there are others which continue to try him unto the end of his earthly course. BI 1-9, "NOW after the death of Moses . . . the Lord spake unto Joshua. The death of the old lawgiver I. The death of Moses was ushered in by no decay. In this respect it was a striking exception to the rule. His mental vigour wan unimpaired when he passed away. We have evidence of this in that wonderful book of Deuteronomy, which Jesus loved to ponder and to quote. Witness also the grand swan-song into which he bursts before its close, pouring forth the sum and substance of all his warnings and exhortations in a flood of molten emotion. Witness the beatitudes that follow, wherein the seer pierces with prophetic eye the dark future and perceives the final consummation, when Jehovah shall remove all iniquity from Israel and write His law upon their hearts. Surely such exercises as these betoken a mind in a state of the highest vigour and activity. And as it was with the mind so was it with the body. Moses had no look of a dying man as he left the camp and climbed to Nebo’s brow; no painful and protracted illness, no decrepit old age. What a blessed exodus was this; more a translation than a death. An active, useful, holy life; a speedy death—could there be a
- 37. greater blessing ifwe have to die? II. The death of Moses was embittered by no regret. Moses was not dragged up that hill unwillingly, like a malefactor to his doom. There was no indulgence in rebellious sentiment and anxiety; no nervous and fearful activity in winding up the affairs of life; but contrariwise, there was profound, calm, and courageous submission to the Divine will. In good time let us honestly face all the possible sorrow and disappointment, and learn, like him, to overcome through faith, obedience, and humility. III. His death was darkened by no dismay. Of all the multitude in Israel that loved him, not one was with him. Alone, alone, alone, he has passed into the presence of his Maker. Yes, and we too, whatever the circumstances of our end, however tender and unsleeping the ministry of loving hearts and gentle hands that soothes our dying moments, alone must enter death’s dark door and be ushered into the presence of our God. Alone, yet not unfriended, if we know Jesus who is there; alone, yet undismayed, if like Moses we trust in Him, for He has said, “I will be with thee.” IV. The death of Moses was brightened by great consolation. (A. B. Mackay.) Death enters into God’s plans Joshua must succeed Moses and be God’s servant as he was. He must aim at this as the one distinction of his life; he must seek in every action to know what God would have him to do. Happy man if he can carry out this ideal of life! No conflicting interests or passions will distract his soul. The power that nerves his arm will not be more remarkable than the peace that dwells in his soul. He will show to all future generations the power of a “lost will,” not the suppression of all desire, according to the Buddhist’s idea of bliss, but all lawful natural desires in happy and harmonious action, because subject to the wise, holy, and loving guidance of the will of God. Thus we see among the other paradoxes of His government how God uses death to promote life. The death of the eminent, the aged, the men of brilliant gifts makes way for others, and stimulates their activity and growth. When the champion of the forest falls the younger trees around it are brought more into contact with the sunshine and fresh air, and push up into taller and more fully developed forms. In many ways death enters into God’s plans. Not only does it make way for the younger men, but it has a solemnizing and quickening effect on all who are not hardened and dulled by the wear and tear of life. What a memorable event in the spiritual history of families is the first sudden affliction, the first breach in the circle of loving hearts! First, the new experience of intense tender longing, baffled by the inexorable conditions of death; then the vivid vision of eternity, the reality of the unseen flashing on them with living and awful power, and giving an immeasurable importance to the question of salvation; then the drawing closer to one another, the forswearing of all animosities and jealousies, the cordial desire for unbroken peace and constant co-operation; and if it be the father or the mother that has been taken, the ambition to be useful—to be a help, not a burden, to the surviving parent, and to do what little they can of what used to be their father’s or their mother’s work. Death becomes actually a quickener of the vital energies; instead of a withering influence, it drops like the gentle dew, and becomes the minister of life. (W. G. Blaikie, D. D.) Death makes room for others And some great names must be removed to make way for lesser names that have
- 38. growing sap inthem and real capability of beneficent expansion. Some great trees must be cut down to make room for lesser trees that mean to be great ones in their time. We owe much to the cutting-down power of death, the clearing power of the cruel scythe or axe. (J. Parker, D. D.) Onward, through, and over Moses was dead. His work was done. It was rounded off so far as he was concerned, and so he went to his reward. There is a lesson of no small importance to you and me. Our business is to do the duty that lies next us. That duty may only seem to be a fragment of what we desire to accomplish, but it is all we are answerable for, and to do our portion well is to stand clear with conscience and with God. In the construction of a door, one man makes the panels, another makes the frame, another fits it together, and a fourth hangs it by its hinges. The panel maker has a very imperfect portion of the work to show as the result of his toil, but he has done his part and fulfilled his mission whether the door ever swings in its place or no. Your business and mine is to fulfil the injunction, whether in our daily toil, in the training of our children, in the work of the Church or whatever other duty may fall to us—“Whatsoever thine hand findeth to do, do it with thy might.” Our hearts may find to do a good deal more; if our hand cannot find the opportunity to work out the heart’s desire, we are accepted for what we have done and what we would do and cannot; and whatever and how-much soever remains undone, we shall ascend, like Moses, to our own Mount Nebo and die in a flood of rosy light with Canaan before our eyes and God’s “Well done” sounding in our ears. The man who carries the hod of mortar up the ladder does not lay a single brick, but in his measure his service is essential and as worthy as the architect that planned the building, or the mason that rears its walls. From this point of view, servant is a grander name than seraph or archangel, for what would these be if they did not serve or stand and wait? Their wings would droop and their celestial glory would be quenched in night. “Moses’ minister.” That is what Joshua is called. It is another word for servant. He ministered to, that is, he served Moses; and herein lies another lesson, for he was thereby a servant also of the Lord. He who well serves the Lord’s servant serves that servant’s Master, and He says, “Ye did it unto Me.” Oh for a full and perfect measure of this rich interchange, this interlinking of lives and sympathies, servants of each other, vying in a holy rivalry as to who shall be the lowliest, readiest, willingest servant of the servants of the Lord! “Spake to Joshua.” Joshua was born when Moses was an exile and a stranger hidden for his life among the wilds of Midian. There’s another lesson of great value in this. It did not seem likely then, did it? that Moses should ever be a leader of men, the emancipator of a nation. Providence sees and plans for a long time ahead of our to-day, and holds in reserve agents and forces that we cannot see; and because we cannot see them we doubt and question and in the face of the unlikely we say, “It cannot be.” That solitary pale- faced and half starved monk in a German cell; how is he to shake all Europe and make the Pope tremble on his throne? There is nothing more unlikely: and yet Frederic, Prince of Saxony, is being placed by God upon his throne to be a ready and brave helper when the time came; and before Luther left his cell, Providence had sprung upon the world the printing press, which was to be Luther’s deadliest artillery. God’s plans are laid; His movements are in process, and for the fulfilment of every purpose that He cherisheth there shall come the hour and the man. Now mark, that this is true in our own individual history and experience. Every humble and trustful disciple of the Lord Jesus is the ward of Divine Providence. Listen: “The God of my mercy shall prevent me”; that is, shall go before me, You look forward with an anxious eye and heart to some possible
- 39. contingency, and say,“It is sure to happen.” Time passes, and perhaps it does happen; but you find that meanwhile God hath stationed at that point something or somebody that acts as a buffer to the blow, and although your Moses may fail you at your need, some Joshua comes in to fill the gap and meet the need of the moment to the full. “Therefore arise.” There is an old saying that there is much virtue in an “if”; it appears to me that there is much virtue in this word “therefore.” Moses is dead, therefore arise. Remembering who Moses was and how entirely Moses was depended on, it would seem more natural to say, “Therefore lie still; this is a blow from which you cannot recover.” When he was alive you often asked him to take you back to Egypt for safety’s sake. Now that he is dead, you had better take yourselves back, for if you are not drowned in an attempt to pass the river, the Canaanites will dig your graves on the other side. Now is not that the kind of “therefore” with which the Church of God is sadly familiar, and with which those who have relationship with faint-hearted people have a saddening acquaintance? A stay and pillar of the Church dies or removes, “therefore nothing can be done; what can we do without him?” Here is a man who starts in business. Things do not advance as he wishes. He therefore must shut up his shop, be content to collapse. Surely that logic will be laughed at. Well, do not let us hear it in the Church; do not let us say it in presence of our obstacles. If the axe is blunt, grip it with both hands and put more strength into the blow. No fretting, no retreating, no conferring with doubts and fears. Is Moses dead? Therefore arise! Cross hands over the dead hero’s coffin, and vow to Heaven to take his name as a new watchword, and to cross the Jordan while the earth is still fresh upon his grave. “Go over this Jordan.” In measuring the chances of doing a thing you must take into account who orders it. It was Napoleon who said to the French army, “Go over the Alps.” It would not have been done under anybody else’s guidance. It was God that said to Joshua, “Go over this Jordan.” Then though it be as deep as the sea, though it swirl like a whirlpool, though it rush like Niagara, he will go to yonder side. There is just one other lesson that I would fain gather from these suggestive words— “The land which I do give them.” First, God had said to them while in Egypt, “The land which I will give them.” Oh! what weary years of waiting followed! At last they had given it up. They said, “Where is the promise of His coming?” Then the lash of the taskmaster fell and silenced them. Now they are in sight of it, and He says, “The land which I do give them.” The promise is in the very act of being fulfilled. By and by the waters parted and let them through, and, as they stand on the plains of Sharon, or lie at rest under the shadow of the hills of Lebanon, God says, “The land which I have given them!’ Mark the tenses, how they change: “I will give, I do give, I have given.” Men and brethren, that is God’s order. He is faithful that promised. (J. J. Wray.) Dignity of God’s service The first graveyard which meets the eye in the Moravian cemetery of Herrnhut bears the inscription, “Christian David, the servant of the Lord.” This was in life the high distinction of the humble and apostolic colleague of Count Zinzendorf, and was even recognised by the Imperial Council of Russia when the Moravian carpenter had occasion to appear before it. Moses and Joshua Moses’ work ended at Jordan—Joshua’s began at Jordan. History is vested in the life of its representative men, and has in it no gaps. The mantle of Elijah falls on Elisha, and the next generation was provided for before Moses went up into Nebo. Moses wanted to go over Jordan. It seemed to him, most likely, that he died before his time. And yet his
- 40. work, as wecan see it now, was a completed and a nicely-rounded one. His commission was to bring the Hebrews to the Jordan; Joshua’s commission was to bring them over the Jordan and establish them in Canaan. We are to learn from such representative instances that when a man is interested in nothing but to do the work that God sets him, he will never die till the work is done thoroughly and successfully. Among the little servants of God there are no fallen buds, and among the adult servants of God no broken columns. (C. H. Parkhurst, D. D.) The new leader It has been said, “Great men have no successors.” But if we mean by successor one who takes up the work where his predecessor has left it, and develops it according to the Divine ideal, then all men, great and small alike, have successors. As Pascal puts it, “You cannot produce the great man before his time, and you cannot make him die before his time; you cannot displace nor advance him, nor put him back; you cannot continue his existence, and replace him, for he existed only because he had his work to do; he exists no longer, because there is no longer anything for him to do; and to continue him is to continue a useless part.” A worthy successor to the great leader had been found. The Divine choice, a choice which had been revealed to Moses before his death, and which greatly gladdened his heart, had fallen upon Joshua. There were reasons for this choice of Joshua which we do well to consider; for if his preparation for this high place was not so romantic or so miraculous as that of Moses, it was none the less effective and Divine. His training was, like ours, of a more homely pattern. I. It can scarcely be doubted that Joshua’s lineage had something to do with God’s choice. His parents were slaves, and though the bloody edict enacted in Moses’ infant days had long since been repealed, these serfs had felt to the full the bitterness of bondage. But notwithstanding all, they had not lost faith and hope in God; and we get a glimpse into their souls’ state through the significant name they gave their firstborn. They called him “Hoshea,” that is “Salvation.” Surely their infant’s name is the very echo of their father Jacob’s dying words to Dan, “I have waited for Thy salvation, O Lord.” We can well believe that Joshua was brought up in an atmosphere of hope. It is more than likely, from what we know of the habits of the ancient Egyptians, that in a corner of his father’s lowly dwelling stood an object which often excited his childish wonder and curiosity. It was a mummy case, painted all over with strange devices and curious figures, which with its somewhat faded richness presented a strange contrast to the mean furniture of the dwelling. “Within it,” we can easily imagine his mother telling him, “are preserved the bones of Joseph.” “But why do you keep Joseph’s bones?” “Because when he lay dying he gave commandment concerning them,” &c. The child would listen and ponder, and look with new solemnity on that sacred trust; then he might ask, “Mother, was that true which Joseph said when he was dying?” “Yes, my boy.” “Then why do we not go at once— “‘Mother, oh where is that blissful shore, Shall we not seek it and weep no more’?” “We must wait God’s time. We are His people, and He knows what is best.” “Will it be long till that day comes?” “I cannot tell, but I do not think it will be very long, for God said to our great father Abraham that we would go back to it in the fourth generation, and the time must be near.” Thus the influences that surrounded Joshua in his youth must have moulded his character and prepared him for the place he took, first as Moses’
- 41. lieutenant, then asleader of Israel; and the assurance of the truth of Joseph’s dying words must have mollified the bitterness of that cruel bondage. Every visitation of judgment would be a confirmation of his faith, and every trial a purifying furnace to remove his dross. He would hear from his father and grandfather, who were elders of the important tribe of Ephraim, the precise particulars of the Divine commission, and while they, with the other elders, were under Moses and Aaron attending to the more difficult and important matters in connection with the proposed Exodus, it is very likely that, following his natural bent of mind, he would be actively employed in attempting to organise the people and prepare them for a simultaneous movement. Thus while this champion first steps into the arena when Israel confronts Amalek, we may well suppose that he had done yeoman’s service before, and his fitness and aptness for his life’s work must have depended in great measure on home surroundings. II. Joshua’s character had also to do with this choice. Its constituent elements were noble and simple, easily understood and readily appreciated. He was every inch a soldier, brave and manly, simple in habit, straightforward in speech, cool-headed, warm- hearted, energetic, swift in thought and action. He was firm as a rock, true as steel. Nothing could exceed his fidelity. How true was he, above all, to his God! So was he with his master. He never failed Moses. At all times he was jealous for his honour, and would tolerate nothing derogatory to his dignity and authority. He was even true to his enemies. He kept his word and carried out his engagements, in the spirit as well as the letter, though trapped by guile into the making of them. His courage also was of the loftiest kind. It could face not only enemies, but, harder far, misguided friends. Like all noble natures, Joshua was also unselfish, humble, and modest. He had learned to obey, and was therefore fit to command. His patience and hopefulness were also very marked, and much needed in the leader of such a people as Israel. He was able to endure the fatigues of the march as well as the rush of battle, not fainting under the hardships of the weary campaign, but ever on the alert to push every advantage to its utmost limit, and always, by his cheerful bearing and cheery words, keeping up the hearts of the people. He was a leader alert, circumspect, prudent, leaving nothing to chance or the chapter of happy accidents, but doing everything that foresight could suggest for the attainment of the end in view. III. Joshua’s training had also to do with this choice. When he was put at the head of the people he was no novice. Joshua was the oldest man in the camp with the single exception of Caleb; therefore he was a man of experience and ripened wisdom. We have already spoken about that home school, in which his parents were the teachers. This was the granitic foundation of all his subsequent greatness. He was also taught in the grand and stirring school of the Exodus. Here God Himself was Joshua’s teacher. Great national events have a high educational value. The stimulus of stirring times is deep, formative, and all pervasive. Still another school furnished Joshua with valuable instruction, and that was the camp of Israel. If by the wonders of the Exodus he was taught to know God, by the conduct of Israel he would learn to know man. Day by day he would be learning how to command and lead. Find without doubt the crowning lessons in this long preparatory course would be imparted in the tent of Moses. Moses’ tent was Joshua’s college. And the very fact that he had been associated so long with Moses as his lieutenant would not only prepare himself but also the minds of the people for this change. IV. This choice of Joshua had also reference to the character of the work that had to be done. The great work now before Israel is to conquer and divide the land. This was a kind of work most congenial to Joshua, and for which he had received special preparation. He is the right man for the present work, as Moses was the right man for
- 42. the past. V. Also,this significant choice had reference to the great plan of god in the economy of redemption. “Moses My servant is dead.” Thus said Jehovah. Therefore Moses brought no one into the inheritance. Israel lost sight of him for ever, before they put down a foot in Canaan. If they are to pass over that Jordan, and possess the land, it cannot be under Moses. This act of leadership is deliberately taken out of his hands by God Himself. Surely the lesson is plain to all who know the essence of the gospel. “By the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified in His sight.” The law brings no one into God’s heritage. But what Moses could not do Joshua was raised up to accomplish. If we would enter into God’s inheritance we must turn from Moses and look to Joshua. Who was he? A man in all points made like his brethren; not nurtured in Pharaoh’s palace like Moses, but born with them in Goshen, sharing their burdens, labouring side by side with them, afflicted in all their afflictions, bearing their griefs and carrying their sorrows. Who cannot see here a picture of God’s own Son, “made of a woman, made under the law”? Turn from the law to the gospel. What is your hope of glory, Moses or Jesus? Yet we must never dream that Moses and Joshua are antagonistic. There is no quarrel in God’s economies. Just as Moses and Joshua wrought together for the same great end, so is it with the law and the gospel. (A. B. Mackay.) Whom do I succeed? Every age succeeds an age marked by greatness peculiarly its own. We are born now into a grand civilisation; it admits of no indolence, or reluctance as to work, and it cannot be satisfied by what is petty, perfunctory, and inexpensive as to the strength which is laid out upon it. History brings its responsibilities. To be born immediately after such and such leaders have played their part in the world’s theatre is itself to have a cross of no mean weight laid upon the shoulder. We may close our eyes and think nothing about these things, but we do not thereby make them the less realities, nor do we thereby destroy the standard of judgment which they force upon us and by which our life will be tested. Every man should say, “Whom do I succeed? Whose are these footprints near the place whereon I stand? Has a giant been here—a great leader, a noble sufferer, a patient student, a father great in love, a mother greater still?—then my responsibility begins with their greatness and goodness; what I have to do,” the soliloquist should say, “is to go on: where they have been great, I must try to be greater still—or if not along their line, along some line of my own—so that the ages may not stagger backwards, but with steadiness and majesty of strength advance from one degree to another as the light increases to the perfect day.” (J. Parker, D. D.) Promotion When a merchant has a vacancy in his establishment, he promotes to it that one of his servants who in the post which he has been occupying has displayed the greatest measure of fidelity and perseverance; and, when a youth applies for a situation, the success of his application will depend on the report which his former employer gives regarding him or on the record which he has written for himself in school. But it is not otherwise in the providence of God. Those who fill best the spheres in which they have been placed are, in general, those who are in the long run advanced to higher positions; while they who despise the small things of their present duties are left to sink into still deeper obscurity. (Christian World Pulpit.)
- 43. Death and itslessons The man to whom the charge is addressed is the inferior, in every way, of his master. A good man, a brave soldier, a disinterested head of the State—this he is. But the zest and the sparkle has gone out of the history with Moses; the passage of the river is a feeble repetition of the passage of the sea; and the scene to which it admits Israel is one, for the most part, of comparatively “common day”—alternations of fighting and resting, victories imperfectly followed up, acquiescences, languid and faithless, in a virtual partition of Canaan between Israel and Israel’s foe. It is the more lifelike as a picture of the fortunes of our race. It is thus that earth’s history is written, it is thus that the stream of time flows on. The Moses is followed by the Joshua, the morning of promise by the noonday of disappointment, both alike pointing onward, onward still, to a sunset long delayed, and an evening time which shall at last be light. The hero of strategy or prowess—the genius of discovery or imagination—the prophet of earth or heaven—lives not to reap, leaves the harvest to another, looks abroad from his Pisgah upon worlds unconquered, feels at last that he rather stops the onward march of a generation whose turn is come. It is well. Man must be little if he would be great—must see himself but an atom in the universe of life if he would do anything that is real in the work which is all God’s. And he has his reward. The man that “knows the blessedness of being little” is disembarrassed of the self-consciousness which is battling to be great. That energy is all free for action which loses no time in contemplating itself. That “ability” grows apace in vigour which remembers that it is of “God’s giving.” It was so with Moses. His one prayer was, “Let the God of the spirits of all flesh set a man over His congregation.” Upon him, when he was found, he laid his hand, presented him instantly to the congregation as the man of the future, and “put some of his own honour at once upon him, that the congregation might understand and be obedient.” He has his reward. This it is which eases life of its carefulness. This it is which makes greatness endurable as well as possible—the thought that God has no need of it, can raise up even from the stones a workman and a patriot, metes not with man’s measure and reckons not by man’s years. “I am the Lord, I change not”; therefore ye sons of men can both quietly serve and peacefully fall on sleep. “Moses My servant is dead.” Yes, “My servant,” though he once “spake unadvisedly”; yes, “My servant,” though he was refused his heart’s prayer; yes, “My servant,” though he might not go over Jordan. “Moses My servant is dead”: even when we are judged, we are but chastened; yea, if we not only suffer for our sins, but even sleep! “Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan.” The work of God is not ended. Rather are we always on the brink of a river that must be crossed, and in sight of a land that has to be conquered. Who can look around him on the face of this earth, and so much as dream that Jordan is crossed, that Canaan is occupied? Who could live this life if he did not feel and know that effort, that progress, is its law? What we look forth upon, from the spot which is “this present,” is a work, and it is a warfare. With our guides or without them, it is quite evident that there rolls a deep and a rapid river between us and rest, between us and a land of promise, which is that new heaven and earth wherein dwelleth righteousness. We cannot pretend to say that intelligence such as we possess, that civilisation such as we have attained, that religion such as a Christendom realises, is satisfactory, is successful, is victorious, whether in the aspect of happiness or in the aspect of good. Everything is in conflict, everything is in struggle, everything is (at best) in a condition of movement and in a condition of hope. The plain of Moab is our world— a cold, broad stream divides us from any thing that we can call rest, from anything that we can call possession. “My servant is dead, now therefore arise, and go over.” There is a
- 44. vacancy, which youmust fill. That is one lesson of death. It is a summons to the living. God has lost a workman—will you take his place? Terrible would it be for this nation if either growing luxury or spreading vice should diminish the supply of strong men for the carrying on of the work of God in England. It is not the decay of genius which is formidable—it is the decay of strength. Joshua was (in many senses) the inferior of Moses, but that inferiority was no loss, on the whole, to his country; he had his work, as Moses had his—and, like Moses, he did it. “My servant is dead; therefore arise and go over,” If there is a call in death, there is also an encouragement. See, it says to us, what life is. See the blessedness of God’s service. Hear Him say of the departed, “My servant” still. The man who has served God in his generation shall never die. He is in the hands of God, though it be out of the sight of the living. “My servant is dead; arise therefore, and go over,” whither he, we trust, is gone. In the words of the historic parable of Ascension Day, “Take ye up the mantle that fell from him, and with it smite the waters—that, like him, and after him, you in your turn may pass over dryshod.” (Dean Vaughan.) Arise, go over this Jordan. The campaign commenced I. What the Lord spake unto joshua; or, the issue of the order. Never was a mightier task assigned to any man than to Joshua; and yet never did any man start forth better equipped than he, for observe, the Lord gives him— (1) An express warrant; (2) glorious and gracious promises; (3) hearty encouragement; (4) clear directions. II. What Joshua commanded the people; or, his proclamation of the lord’s order. 1. His obedience is prompt and unquestioning. No “wherewith” is interposed; no sign asked. He does not pause or procrastinate, but “then” (verse 10) and there, like a man of activity, he issues the order to the tribes through their officers, bidding the people at once prepare them victuals for the journey; yea, strong in faith, and full of the Holy Ghost, he announces that “within three days” they are to cross the Jordan. 2. As Joshua’s obedience was prompt, so was it thorough. He will not do God’s work by halves, nor go to war without all the army. III. What the people answered Joshua; or, their acceptance of the lord’s order. “Only be strong, and of good courage”! They indicate that Joshua had rehearsed in their ears the charge that God had given him. The key to their import is found in the clause, “thou and all this people” (verse 2). They recognise their union with their captain. Thus their exhortation may be regarded as an echo, and an acceptance of the call to effort and endurance. Lessons: 1. There is great encouragement here for all who, like Joshua, are called to occupy posts of authority, responsibility, or difficulty. 2. The same consolation belongs to every Christian. We all have a warfare to accomplish, a Jordan to pass over, an inheritance to seek. The call of God, the
- 45. promises of God,and the presence of God are our warrant. 3. A deeper lesson remains, respecting the office of Jesus. He is the Captain of the Lord’s host. (G. W. Butler, M. A.) Joshua successor, to Moses 1. Every man who is doing anything worth working at is some one’s successor, and in time must be succeeded by some one. Alas for the man who succeeds only to a place to occupy, and not to a work to do! Joshua was successor to a grand man in wonderful work. 2. Every man’s work is a continuation. “The workmen die, but the work goes on.” 3. Every man’s work is his own. It differs from that of him who went before, and of him who will come after. Moses had been trained in Pharaoh’s court and among Jethro’s flock; Joshua in the brickyards of Egypt and in the army of Israel. Each had been fitted for the work he was to do. And every man’s work is shaped by that of his predecessor. I. God gives men definite work to do. It is important that you know your vocation. God has called you to His likeness and His service; to be as Christ was in the world, with His mind in you and His work upon your hands; to manifest the Father to men, and to lead men to the Father. It is your definite work, your one great aim as Christians, as God’s children, whether you accept it or not—your only worthy aim. II. A definite work demands an equally definite law. If the work be given, the law for its prosecution must be given also from the same source. God has been good to His people in perpetuating for them the written Word, enlarged and modified for their changing conditions. The object-lessons, which were needed in the childhood of the race, gave way to the precepts which might better guide its youth; and these in turn yielded to the statement of the great principles of all right feeling and conduct, with the declaration of which the canon is closed, and which need no addition, because they are adaptable to every variety of condition and culture. III. A divine helper. When the Lord gives a man a work to do which is beyond his power, He always promises the needed aid. “Go over this Jordan, and divide this land among My people,” says the Lord; but God says also, “As I was with Moses, so I will be with thee. I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” But, beside the promise of a Divine Helper, Joshua had both the vision of His person and the experience of His aid. We, too, may listen, and hear the promise coupled with the command. We also may look up and see, not in vision, but in the mirror of His Word, the Captain of our salvation, the Lord of war and righteousness, armed for our defence, at hand for our deliverance. No life is worth the living unless it sets before itself a work worthy to be done. No life tan do a worthy work save as it recognises the Divine law, and avails itself of the Divine Helper. With these three outward conditions of his success, there needed one quality on Joshua’s part to make it sure, and that was— IV. A brave heart. But the courage came from his confidence in the Divine mission, the Divine law, and the Divine Helper. So, too, may it be for us all. If we know that the Lord our God is with us, we shall not be afraid nor dismayed; but we too shall be prospered, and shall have good success. (Sermons by the Monday Club.) The commission of Joshua
- 46. I. The divinecommission is given to men who are peculiarly fitted for the work. In one respect all men are weak; but in their weakness they must not be weaklings. God can use all men; but He never calls one to a burden that is beyond his ability to carry. Man must become worthy or willing before God will commission him to any work. God cannot make much of any man who does not make much of himself. We too often speak as if God gives man his character; it is all wrong. By Divine help every man makes himself and develops his own powers, for the exercise or misuse of which he alone is responsible. It is every man’s privilege to be worthy of receiving the Divine call. II. The source of all strength is God. 1. God wants strong men. There is no strength without symmetry. Samson’s strength was counterbalanced by his moral weakness. Benedict Arnold ranked among the nation’s heroes at Ticonderoga, but the lurking perfidy of his heart betrayed the traitor at last. The intellectual brilliancy of an Aaron Burr could not raise him to any greatness so long as his moral nature was corrupt. Washington was as great a power in national affairs on account of his moral nature as from his civic deeds; so of Lincoln and Grant. 2. All strength springs from within. You cannot make any man stronger than he is. Place him in favouring circumstances, but these cannot control him, except as they mark his weakness. You may bolster men, but this gives no manhood; may extol them above their deserts, but all the puffs of adulation make them no stronger. The whole world cannot make any man to be worth more than he is in himself. This strength is possible to all. Take away bodily fear, or timidity as to others’ opinions, and every man can be strong. There is no sight more sublime than man enduring the flames that scorch him in the path of duty; mightier than the mighty rebukes of millions as he walks alone; undismayed, as Christlike he stands with some repentant child of sin, for Christ’s sake. The “image of God” can surpass in sublimity and divinity all else the world has ever seen, because the measure of the obstacles he overcomes marks the heroism of his own soul. 3. God promises help in thus gaining strength. What power in the words: “As I was with Moses, so I will be with thee,” &c. Stronger yet the promise: “The Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.” There is no strength without God. Power comes only when the watchward is “Immanuel.” “I can do all things,” &c. There is no truly great man who is ungodly. It takes a great hope to give great courage. III. They whose strength is in God are invincible. There is no such bulwark as the truth; no such power as comes from the consciousness of doing right. There is no such strength as the man possesses whose conscience is clear. One such man can chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight. It is not necessary for men with truth on their side to take up the world’s methods in their plans and plottings. Men in whom God dwells are as truly unharmed by evil as they are by the storms that can do no more than wet their cheeks. The world cannot crush God’s children; it can crown with thorns, but it cannot, with all its might, cast off from memory the crown of the just. It can build bonfires, make dungeons, and sharpen sabres, but it cannot weaken the joys that count all these only as symbols of their swift entrance upon a better life. IV. The bounds of all successful service are in the written word. So far as history has a voice, God has never left Himself without a witness of His truth. Sinai’s law was but the expression of principles long before partially known. Twice in the record of this commission of Joshua the condition of prosperity is given as obedience “to all the law” made known through Moses: “Turn not from it to the right hand or to the left,” &c. It
- 47. was this samelaw that should never depart out of his mouth; day and night he should meditate upon its precepts, and watch closely “to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous,” &c. The truth of this grand principle has been stamped upon the world wherever civilisation has gained a hold. (David O. Mears.) Taking possession of our inheritance I. Take a survey of the inheritance. 1. I would say of this inheritance which God has prepared for His saints, and has given to them by a covenant of salt, that it is exceeding broad. All that we can think or desire is ours in the covenant of grace. There are immeasurable breadths and lengths, but we confine ourselves to close quarters. Truly “there is very much land yet to be possessed”! Some graces you must have, or you are not saved; some sins must at once be driven out of your life at the sword’s point, or you are not the Lord’s. As for the choicer graces, you are foolish indeed if you think of doing without them; and as for the less violent sins, you err greatly if you spare one of them. 2. This heritage is exceedingly desirable. When sin is driven out, and we come to live in God’s own land, then we find precious treasure; we dig, and we are enriched. We have all things in Christ; yea, in Him we have all that our utmost want can require. 3. This heritage, upon which we are now looking down from the summit of our faith, is full of variety. Here are Hermons of experience, Tabors of communion, Jabboks of prevailing prayer, and Cheriths of Divine providence. The revelation of God is a blessed country, full of all manner of delights. They that live in Christ dwell in spiritual realms, which for light and joy are as heaven below. Above all things, it is “Thy land, O Immanuel”! II. Glance at the title deeds of our inheritance. I would not mind exhibiting our title before the whole bench of judges, for it has no flaw in it, and will stand in the highest court. 1. First, notice its covenant character: “I have given it to you.” You will find the full conveyance in Gen_15:18-21. Each believer may say, “He hath in Christ Jesus made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and sure; and therefore do I possess all spiritual blessings, and shall possess them world without end.” 2. Observe, next, that this deed of gift is notable for its graciousness. How does it run? Which I do “sell” to them? Ah, no! It is no sale, but a free gift. 3. Note well the righteousness of our title: “Which I do give to them.” The Lord God has a right to give what He pleases, for “the earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof, the world, and they that dwell therein.” Of His own has He given unto us. In the great sacrifice of His dear Son He has satisfied all claims of justice, and He acts justly when He blesses largely those for whom Jesus died. 4. Do not fail to see its sureness: “The gifts and calling of God are without repentance.” “I do give,” saith He, and thus He stands to His act and deed. Oh, children of God, what do you think of your title-deeds? You stand possessed of your kingdom by the gift of Him who has a right to give what He pleases. The kingdom is given you because it is your Father’s good pleasure to give it to you. Not only was it His good pleasure, but it remains so. What great simpletons we are if we do not take
- 48. possession of thebrave country which is ceded to us! III. Let us make a move towards our possessions. There is your land, but Jordan rolls between. 1. The first thing to do in this matter is to go over this Jordan. Come out from the world, and be separate. The land of gracious experience is meant for you to dwell in, so that you may be recognised as the Lord’s peculiar people, separated unto the Most High. Oh, for that decisive step by which, like Abraham, you conic out from your father’s house that you may be a sojourner with God in the land which His grace will show you! 2. Having decided for the Lord, you are next to take possession by an act of simple faith. Every place in the grace country upon which the sole of your foot shall tread is yours. You will remember that the Red Indians agreed to sell to William Penn as much land as a man could walk round in a day; and I do not wonder that at the end of the day they complained that the white brother had made a big walk. I think I should have put my best leg foremost if whatever I could put my foot upon would be mine; would not you? Why, then, do you not hurry up in spiritual matters? Do you value earthly things more than spiritual? Mark, then, that if you put your foot down upon a blessing, and say, “This is mine,” it is yours. What a very simple operation is the claim of faith! (C. H. Spurgeon.) Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you.— The commission for the conquest I. It was divine. It is important to bear this in mind, otherwise we shall misunderstand not only the whole teaching of this book, but the whole history of Israel as a nation. “Deus vult” is written on every page, however stained with blood. Joshua was no bandit or freebooter, eager for plunder; no Alexander or Napoleon, consumed by the lust of power and the greed of empire. He was simply a servant, carrying out the commands of a superior. And in truth there was a Divine necessity for this commission. If the Divine purposes are to be carried out, if He is to keep His place as the Judge of all the earth, some such commission was a necessity. Is there anything analogous to this in the spiritual sphere? There is. God does not in these days call the Christian to any war such as that to which He called Joshua; yet there is a holy war, a glorious crusade, in which He would have us all warriors. Before every one of us He places a double battlefield. There is an outer fight, and the field of battle is the whole world, according to the gospel commission, “Go ye into all the world,” &c. There is also an inner fight, and the field of battle is the heart, according to that holy exhortation which urges us to bring every thought into subjection to the Lord Jesus. III. It was clear in its terms. No doubt could arise in the mind of Joshua as to what God desired him to do. “Arise”! The wilderness journey is at an end; the time to take possession has come. Arise from these weary disciplinary wanderings to high and heroic achievements. Even so our commission as Christians for our twofold fight is clear as day, and as emphatic as the Divine lips could make it. Therefore the removal of every valiant soldier of the Cross should be a mighty stimulus to those left behind. We best revere the memory of the good and great who have passed away by giving all diligence to the work which was so dear to them.
- 49. III. It wasdifficult to carry out. “Go over this Jordan.” Joshua is here put in as great extremity as was Moses at the Red Sea. Aye, and the crossing of the Jordan is only the first great difficulty among many. Often, in like manner, obedience to the gospel commission implies the facing of difficulties which to the eye of sense are insuperable. The fight of faith is never easy. IV. It was terrible in its consequences. When we think of its bearing on these Canaanites, we can conceive nothing more appalling. These nations were like the grass of the field, and Israel was God’s scythe to cut them down. What a contrast to all this have we in the commission of the gospel and the present work of the Lord Jesus. When on earth He said, “I came not to destroy men’s lives but to save them,” and the work He has given His followers now to do is a work of salvation. Surely, then, we should be all the more eager to carry it out. V. It was also righteous. In this case nothing was done in undue haste. The Divine patience that had borne with these evil tenants for four hundred years was marvellous; and they grew worse and worse all the time. The gracious pause of forty years, after He had made bare His mighty arm before all flesh, by the wonders done in Loan’s field, and proclaimed that the time had come when He was to give this land to Israel, should have won submission. If now they resist His action, it is at their peril. If the war in which Joshua was engaged was righteous, how holy is that war by which righteousness and peace, joy and goodwill, are multiplied on the earth. The man who consecrates all his faculties to the downfall of evil, first within and then without, whose life is one long struggle against spiritual wickedness, acts according to the principles of eternal rectitude. VI. It was beneficial in its results. He who reads history cannot fail to see that impure and enfeebled races and nations have been the prey of those who have been comparatively pure and strong; and thus, by conquest, take it all in all, civilisation has been advanced, and the state of the race as a whole ameliorated. Better a bad limb be cut off than the whole body mortify. Such national surgery may be terrible, but it is beneficial. In like manner, by unflinching valour in the fight of faith, the children of God become the world’s best benefactors. In conquering evil within and without, we not only do good to ourselves but to the whole human race. “Ye are the salt of the earth.” Without this preserving salt of Christlike souls how soon would the carcase become corrupt and the eagles of judgment alight. VII. It had also a wide reference and a narrow application. It spoke of the country which stretched “from the wilderness and this Lebanon.” Thus the inheritance of Israel embraced a territory of great richness, beauty, variety, and compactness. Yet while Joshua’s commission embraced the whole land, the land become the possession of Israel only as it was subdued acre by acre. These ancient warriors had not only to take the title- deeds, but also to enter into possession. To do the first was easy; to do the second was hard. Even so is it with the Christian. He has indeed a goodly heritage—a whole heaven of spiritual blessedness. “All things are yours.” “Blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places.” But we cannot enjoy one of these blessings apart from the conflict of faith. (A. B. Mackay.) Ownership and possession Here is a great promise with a sharp limitation: “Every place is yours—but every place only as you tread upon it, occupy, subdue, possess it.” A most instructive parallel might
- 50. be drawn betweenthe subjugation of Palestine by Israel and the settlement of America by the English. In both cases tyranny at home had much to do with the movement, for the Stuarts of England and the Pharaohs of Egypt held essentially the same views of royal prerogative, In both cases the country was already occupied by aborigines, and the free, wild life of the Jebusites and the Amorites was not unlike that of the Iroquois and Sioux Indians. In both cases the land was parcelled out before it was actually possessed. In both cases possession was achieved only through long and obstinate struggle with an enemy continually defeated, but stubbornly refusing to submit. According to the royal grants, Massachusetts and Virginia reached through to the Pacific Ocean. It required five minutes to draw the long parallels on the royal map; it needed two centuries actually to push civilisation across the continent, and the work is not yet finished. Ownership comes before possession, and is useless without it. The Divine giving is always done along this line. In dealing with the fields and the forests, God pours out sunshine and rain unasked, and the earth can only lie helpless, now flooded and now parched with heat. But in dealing with men made in His image, God’s giving is a far finer and more subtle process. There is in it a wondrous delicacy that seems to fear refusal, that is busied chiefly with finding a place in which the gift is wanted. He gives us the title-deed, the motive-power, the strength, the gladness, and then says, “Enter and possess.” We are all familiar with this in the intellectual realm. You put into your son’s hand a Virgil or a Shakespeare. “Now,” you say, “he has the works of Shakespeare, or Virgil.” Has them?—he has the possibility, the opportunity! It is a great thing to have that; thousands have remained ignorant for want of that. But when you possess an author, the book in the hand will be only a subordinate affair. You will know the man himself; lines will flash out upon you at your toil, great sweet thoughts will recur in dreams, passages will intertwine with all your daily task, and when you possess Shakespeare, he will possess you. You give your son teachers and schools—there your power stops. You seat your daughter at the piano, but for musical power, culture, achievement—she must enter into and possess these, or she will for ever stand outside. You buy a home. The papers are signed, the deed is recorded; instantaneously the house is yours. But then comes the process of moving into it. Every season you move a little further in; through days of birth and bridal when the joy bells ring, through days of grief when all the bells are muffled, you are growing into that house, and when men ask, “Why don’t you move up town?” you say, “My heart is here; this place I love.” So Jesus Christ comes to a man at the entrance of Christian life, and puts him into ownership. “To as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God.” He bestows upon us the title-deeds unencumbered. He spreads before us a great territory, and says, “That is yours.” Forgiveness for sins that are past, an inner quietness which naught can ruffle, a balm for life’s hurts and bruises, a daily strength for daily needs, a courage that rises with obstacles and never knows defeat, all this is ours—if we will make it ours. Ours to possess, to enjoy, to experience. There is an old-fashioned phrase that had a deal of truth in it “experiencing religion.” A man has just as much religion as he has experienced; only when talking of our experience let us not go back twenty years—let us review the last twenty-four hours. How was it with me last evening? Was God last night in my soul, was I filled with serenity and courage and devotion to other souls, not twenty years ago, but last night? Our Bible is no larger than our reading of the Bible. Some men have a Bible consisting of a few Psalms and half a dozen chapters in the Gospels. Others have a Bible that is a patchwork of half- remembered texts, put together in childhood and now badly faded. A man with a rich, deep Christian experience cannot be content with a few threadbare chapters, he is ever reaching into new territory. So it is with the various great truths of the Christian religion—all are ours, but ours only as we possess them. The true use of a creed is not to set forth what men must believe, but to record what men do believe. And the man who is
- 51. growing will findhis creed growing too, growing indeed more simple, but growing stronger, and deeper, and broader. A grown man with a child’s religion is like a man trying to content himself with nursery toys—he is soon disgusted with his attempt. But when a man is constantly moving onward, then one truth after another will reveal its inner meaning to his soul. We cannot expect that all truths will be equally precious in any one day. There is a rotation of crops in the spiritual life, and everything is “beautiful in his time.” There is always one truth that shines brightest, as there is always one star on the meridian. Other stars will follow and culminate in their season. I think often with a strange awe of the first settlers of the Atlantic States, as they came across the sea, bearing the maps which gave them rights extending to the Pacific. This is just the conditions of some of us to-day. The boundless possibilities of Christianity lie before us Jesus Christ comes to us saying, “It is all yours—a Christian life, a Christian death, a Christian heaven, it is yours if you will take it.” And if we do not by voluntary act enter into what He offers, then the offer is to us absolutely worthless. The truth heard Sunday after Sunday is then only a genuine damage, making the heart each week less sensitive, less responsive—“it hardens all within and petrifies the feeling.” But let us return to the text again. “Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon”—surely there is a hint here of the slow and toilsome process of spiritual acquisition. I do not hold out before any man a Christian life that is free from effort. Christianity at sight is always a delusion. At sight of Jesus we are indeed ushered into new relation and position. But then comes the path, sometimes winding through the shadow, sometimes leading straight uphill, always leading heavenward and always bright with an unseen Friend. So it is with the entire advance of the Church of Jesus Christ. Sometimes when we are impatient and fretful let us remember that here, too, walking is the normal movement. Why God doesn’t convert India to-day is to us a mystery. That great movements should pace so slowly, and the advance be so measured and unequal, seems to us incomprehensible. One other suggestion is here—a hint that the farther a man travels the richer he becomes. Mountain range or lowly valley, forest or verdant meadow, whatsoever experience of God’s love and grace we pass through, that is ours for ever. We learn more of man’s weakness but more of God’s power, and the more we truly know the gladder shall we really be. New experiences are to be ours, and the best is yet to come. (W. H. P. Faunce.) Foothold There are many curious legends regarding the way in which land grants were given in former times. We read of one man who got from his king as much land as he could ride round while the king slept; of another who was granted as much land as could be covered by a bull’s hide, which he cut into a continuous narrow strip, capable of enclosing a large area; of a third who was promised as much land as a bushel of barley would sow, which he was careful to sow as sparsely as possible, so that it might extend the borders of his farm to the utmost limits. At an annual fair, held in August, at the village of Carnwath, in Scotland, a foot-race is run as the tenure by which the property in the neighbourhood is held by the Lockhart family. The prize is a pair of red hose or stockings, and the proprietor used to have a messenger ready whenever the race was run to tell the result to the Lord Advocate of Scotland. In conformity with these ancient methods of land-measuring, God promised to Moses first, and renewed His promise to Joshua after the death of Moses, that He would give the Israelites every place that the sole of their foot should tread upon. It was a primitive custom to measure out the land that was to be cultivated or built upon by the foot; and a foot is still one of the terms of
- 52. measurement among usderived from the human member. By primitive people the footprint was regarded as the symbol of possession, denoting that the land had been marked out by the foot of the individual, and so acquired as his own property. Some scholars derive the origin of the word “possession” itself from pedis positio, the position of the foot; and it was a maxim of the ancient jurists that whatever a person’s foot touched was his. On the tombs of the ancient Romans, Christians and pagans alike, is often sculptured the symbol of a foot, to indicate that these tombs were the property of the persons who reposed in them. This primitive ceremony will also explain the allusion in Psa_108:1-13., where God speaks of dividing Shechem and meting out the valley of Succoth, casting His shoe over Edom, and triumphing over Philistia, and in this way taking possession for His people of the whole land of Canaan, while the Book of Ruth informs us that taking off the shoe from the foot signified the transfer or renunciation of property or of rights. (H. Macmillan, D. D.) Something to be done to gain possession In all primitive methods of allotting land—strange as some of them may appear to the modern legal mind—there was something to be done by the possessor himself in order to get possession. His tenure was made valid only by some personal act in connection with the property. He could not own a tract of land which he had not seen, as you might do in Australia, or New Zealand, or in the backwoods of America, although you were never there. It was necessary, in order that the land should become his, that he should do something in connection with it which implied a personal appropriation on the spot. This is the true significance of the curious antique rites by which persons got possession of land. They measured it with their feet, not only in marking it off, but also by passing frequently to and fro over its surface in ploughing and sowing, and all the other labours required for its cultivation, and thus literally obtained a foothold in it. And the same principle holds good still, although these quaint archaic customs have long been discontinued. As regards the new lands in the colonies bestowed upon emigrants by Government, it is absolutely necessary that the persons to whom they are allotted should cultivate the ground and erect buildings on it in order to secure their right of possession. They cannot hold their lands merely upon paper, without ever coming near them, or doing anything to reclaim them from the wilderness. It is thus a universally recognised principle that the right of ownership of the earth is acquired by human labour, man bringing himself in some form or other into direct personal contact with the soil. This is the ultimate ground of ownership to which all can appeal. God gave Abraham the promise of possessing the Holy Land, but Abraham did not get the fulfilment of that promise by remaining in Ur of the Chaldees. He had to leave his home, journey over the wide intervening desert, and traverse on foot the land of promise from end to end. God intended the Israelites to measure out with their feet, and so take possession, according to immemorial custom, of the whole region from Lebanon to the desert, and from the Mediterranean to the Euphrates. But they stayed their feet, and actually measured only a little strip of land, which was parcelled out among the twelve tribes; while the Canaanites, the Philistines, and the Syrians, and all the desert tribes, were allowed, by the easy terms which the Israelites made with them, to possess in peace by far the largest part of the heritage of the chosen people. Even in the palmiest days of David and Solomon, when the possessions of the Israelites were most extensive, they never reached the limits which God had intended for them. The great lesson, then, which the text conveys to us is that the Israelites owned only as much of the land of promise as they actually trod with the sole of their foot. They had a large promise, but it was to be made
- 53. good by theirown exertions. It is God’s law, true of your spiritual inheritance as of the ancient literal inheritance of Israel, that only as much as you measure out with the sole of your foot is truly your own. You have the Bible, and you think you know it well; and yet of this vast religious literature you only really know a mere fragment. You confine your reading to your favourite passages, while you leave the rest unstudied; and yet it is in these neglected parts that new truth is most often to be found. Then you have the privileges and blessings of grace! They are great and extensive, but they are conditioned by the same law that only what you live up to, appropriate, and realise of them is your own. God’s superabounding grace is limited by the bounds you yourselves put upon it. If you are made straitly, God’s blessing must needs straiten to you. Your salvation is just as much as, and no more than, you yourselves experience of it. Christ says to you m every case, “According to your faith be it unto you.” Then there is your own individual Christian life. What a vast, unclaimed, untrodden land of promise it is l You have each a boundless capacity; “you are made to seek, to long for the infinite truth, the infinite good, the infinite love.” How little have the greatest saints been able to fill up the grand outline which God sketched out at first when He made man in His own image! How far short have you all come of God’s design for you, and even of your own ideal! You have contracted the bounds of your being and the bounds of your world to the smallest dimensions by your devotion to the petty and passing things of earth. And then there is the heavenly Canaan, the true land of promise, towards which you profess to be walking day by day as pilgrims and strangers on earth. God has given it to all His true Israel; but they shall only possess as much of it as they shall tread with the sole of their foot. You will only get as much of heaven as you are fit for; and in the case of many I fear that will be but a very small bit. (H Macmillan, D. D.) All the land of the Hittites.— The land of the Hittites One geographical expression, in the delimitation of the country, demands a brief explanation. While the country is defined as embracing the whole territory from Lebanon to the Euphrates, it is also defined as consisting in that direction of “all the land of the Hittites.” But were not the Hittites one of the seven nations whose land was promised to Abraham and the fathers, and not even the first in the enumeration of these? Why should this great north-eastern section of the promised domain be designated “the land of the Hittites”? The time was when it was a charge against the accuracy of the Scripture record that it ascribed to the Hittites this extensive dominion. That time has passed away, inasmuch as, within quite recent years, the discovery has been made that in those distant times a great Hittite empire did exist in the very region specified, between Lebanon and the Euphrates. The discovery is based on twofold data: references in the Egyptian and other monuments to a powerful people, called the Khita (Hittites), with whom even the great kings of Egypt had long and bloody wars; and inscriptions in the Hittite language found in Hamah, Aleppo, and other places in Syria. There is still much obscurity resting on the history of this people. That the Hittites proper prevailed so extensively has been doubted by some; a Hittite confederacy has been supposed, and sometimes a Hittite aristocracy exercising control over a great empire. The only point which it is necessary to dwell on here is, that in representing the tract between Lebanon and Euphrates as equivalent to “all the land of the Hittites,” the author of the Book of Joshua made a statement which has been abundantly verified by recent research. (W. G. Blaikie, D. D.)
- 54. There shall notany man be able to stand before thee.— Joshua on the march “There shall not any man be able,” &c. “Well,” you say, “it does not require any great courage to go out with a backing like that.” I reply, God promised Joshua no more than He promises you and me in our conflicts. The framer of the universe, the chieftain of all eternity, has pledged all His resources to see us through, and He promised no more than that to Joshua. His first undertaking was to cross the river Jordan in a spring freshet. You might as well talk of wading across the Hudson river at Yonken as to think of wading the river Jordan at the season of which I am speaking. The Canaanites on the other side felt perfectly secure. But one day Joshua orders out his troops, and tells them to fall into line. “Forward: march!” They pass on towards the river, and it seems as if the light armed troops, and the spearmen, and the archers, and all their leaders, must be swept down in the fearful flood. Let them prepare, you say, for a watery grave. March on. Come to the other bank. They reach the bank, and they pull themselves up its steep, thirty or forty feet in height—they pull themselves up the bank by the oleanders, and the tamarisks, and the willows, until they reach the top. No sooner have they climbed up this high bank than with dash, and roar, and terrific rush, the waters of the Jordan break loose from their strange anchorage. God never makes any provision for the Christian’s retreat. He clears the path to Canaan if we go ahead; if we go back we die. Victory ahead! Darkness, flood, ruin, and death behind! You say: “Why didn’t those Canaanites destroy Joshua and his troops while they had a chance? Here they were, on a bank thirty or forty feel high. There were the Israelites under Joshua down in the bed of the stream. Why didn’t the Canaanites fight back these invaders?” The promise had been given, and the Lord God keeps His promise. “There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life.” But we cannot stop here. It is no place for Joshua’s troops to stay. What is that in the distance? At the end of a grove of palms eight miles long is the chief city Jericho, the great metropolis. Take it Joshua must. “Take it Joshua can’t,” say the unbelievers. Joshua rises up to his full stature, and he gives the command. He feels the right moment has come, and he says: “Shout! for the Lord hath given you the city,” and the command is heard, and the people all together cry: “Down, Jericho! down, Jericho!” and that long line of solid masonry begins to quiver, and then crash go the walls, the temples, the palaces, until the earth quakes, and the heavens are blackened with the dust, and the shriek of the crushed city and the huzza of the victorious Israelites commingle. This is no place to stop. “Forward: march!” There is city of Ai to be taken. “Oh!” says a scouting party just come back from that city, “you can take that very easily. Joshua, you need not go; you stay, and few of us will go and take that city.” They started out in pompous order to take the city of Ai. The men of Ai came out and gave one yell, and away ran the Israelites like reindeer. Our northern troops, at Bull Run, made slow time compared with those Israelites with the men of Ai after them. We have no right to go into the Lord’s conflict having only half our force. Body, mind, soul, reputation, property—everything—must be marshalled, equipped, launched for God, and against our enemies. And soon the retreating army come up. They say: “Oh! general, we are all cut to pieces. Those men of Ai are awful people. We are all cut to pieces.” Joshua falls down on his face in chagrin. But how did God arouse Joshua? Did He address him in some complimentary apostrophe? No. He says: “Get thee up. Why liest thou thus on thy face?” Joshua arose, I suppose, looking mortified; but his old courage came back again. He marshals all the Israelites, and he says: “We will go up en masse, and we will take the city of Ai.” And as I see the smoke of the burning city curling in the sky, and as I hear the groans of the defeated men of Ai, and the victorious shout of the Israelites, Joshua hears
- 55. something better thanthat: “There shall not any man be able,” &c. Joshua’s troops cannot stop yet. “Forward: march!” says Joshua; for there is the city of Gibeon; it has put itself under the wing of Joshua’s protection, and Joshua must defend it. Joshua makes a three days’ march in one night. Prepare now to see the Gettysburgh, the Waterloo, the Sedan of the ancients. It is not yet quite sundown in Joshua’s day, and we will have time for five royal funerals. Who will preach their funeral sermon? Massillon preached the funeral sermon of Louis XIX. Dr. Robert South preached a sermon commemorative of Charles I. Who will preach the funeral sermon of these five bad kings? Joshua. And what shall be his text? “There shall not any man be able,” &c. “Oh,” you say, “it is a pity to bury these five kings so ignominiously.” No, sir; before that rock is sealed up I want to put in five more beings, first having them beheaded—King Alcohol, King Fraud, King Lust, King Superstition, King Bigotry. Have them all in. Cover them over with a mound of broken decanters and the debris of their miserable doings. Roll a rock against that cave so they never can get out. Then chisel for these last five kings the same epitaph you had for the other five kings; and let all the Christian reformers and philanthropists, before the sun of their protracted day of usefulness is ended, come up and read it. (T. De Witt Talmage.) Victory assured There is no foe to your growth in grace, no enemy in your Christian work, no dreaded form of evil dominating and cursing the souls of men, which was not included in your Saviour’s conquests. You need not be afraid of them. When you touch them, they will flee before you. God has promised to deliver them up before you. There shall no man of them be able to stand before you. Neither Anakim nor fenced cities need daunt you. You are one of the conquering legion. Claim your share in the Saviour’s victory. (F. B. Meyer, B. A.) I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.— A great promise I. The import of the promise. 1. It includes in it more than that natural and essential presence of God which surrounds all beings and all things; for the essence of God is diffused through the trackless path of immensity. 2. It refers to God’s special and gracious presence. (1) Friendship; (2) observation; (3) direction; (4) protection; (5) provision. 3. A more than ordinary communication of God’s presence is vouchsafed to those who are called out to services of peculiar difficulty, to offices of high responsibility.
- 56. II. The certaintyof the fulfilment of this promise. I feel assured of its fulfilment when I reflect— 1. On the Author of this promise. “I will be with thee. I will not leave thee,” &c. “God is not a man that He should lie, neither the Son of man that He should repent.” 2. The terms in which the promise is couched. Repetition, but no tautology. 3. Experience. Was not God with Moses? III. The advantages which the fulfilment of this promise will throw over your whole life. Oh, let but this be fulfilled, and you are safe for both worlds, for time and for eternity! Mark its influence— 1. On the hours of solitude. Every real Christian will wish to be alone: he will say, “I am never less alone than when alone.” 2. On your intercourse with society. Others will take knowledge of you, that you have been with Jesus. 3. On your conduct. Prudence; benevolence; sanctity. 4. On afflictions and distresses. If God be with us, no weapon shall prosper against us, no trap shall catch us, no pit shall ensnare us. 5. On the days of life’s decline, and in the immediate prospect of its conclusion. All earthly attachments are doomed to be dissolved; but God is ever with His servants, especially when most needed. Lessons: 1. Admire the astonishing condescension and grace of God, that He should thus address Himself to worms of the earth, to sinful worms, to such as you and I are! 2. Let me ask you if you have an interest in this promise. 3. Be very thankful for any measure of the fulfilment of this promise which you may have enjoyed. (G. Clayton, M. A.) God with us through life I. The interest which God takes in men’s lives. 1. Every event is closely observed by Him. 2. He often comes unsolicited and unthought of. Like the mother who, while attending to the duties of her household, still keeps her eye on the little one at play, that she may interpose in time of danger. II. God appeals to his past conduct to encourage his servant to trust in him. 1. We are influenced more by the past conduct of a friend than by his promises. 2. There are degrees of manifested interest, care, and love. God was with Moses— (1) Continuously, from beginning to end. (2) Notwithstanding a variation of conduct on the part of His servant. (3) Under circumstances of great provocation.
- 57. (4) As aFriend of infinite resources. (5) As an unerring Guide. (6) To uphold his position against any usurpation on the part of others. III. The bestowal of the blessings included in this declaration was made dependent upon Joshua’s obedience. He who will not keep God’s law cannot have the presence of God with him. (A London Clergyman.) A great promise I. It is a great promise. For it includes everything. God’s presence can supply wisdom, can give strength, and will insure success. II. It was to a great man. 1. He was humble. 2. He was trained had followed the Jews from Egypt. 3. He was good. Not one notorious sin or evil habit is recorded of him as there is of nearly every other noted character in Scripture. He was the only one who withstood the test of the wilderness journey. III. It was in reference to a great work. 1. The conquering the promised land. 2. The organising the people. 3. The vindicating the power and glory of God. (Homilist.) Strengthening medicine for God’s servants I. The suitability of the consolation which these words gave to Joshua. “I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” 1. This must have been very cheering to him in reference to himself. Joshua may possibly have been somewhat despondent under a very pressing sense of his own deficiencies; and this cheering assurance would meet his case. If God be with our weakness it waxes strong; if He be with our folly it rises into wisdom; if He be with our timidity it gathers courage. 2. The consolation given to Joshua would be exceedingly suitable in the presence of his enemies. Surely, in the presence of God, Anakim become dwarfs, strongholds become as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, and chariots of iron are as thistledown upon the hillside driven before the blast. “If God be for us, who can be against us?” They that be with us are more than they that be against us, when once the Lord of hosts is seen in our ranks. 3. This consolation, too, was sufficient for all supplies. Perhaps Joshua knew that the manna was no longer to fall. “I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee” was a supply which would meet all the demands of the commissariat. When the Lord opens all His granaries none shall lack for bread, and when He unlocks His wardrobes none shall go bare.
- 58. 4. Surely thisword must often have brought consolation to the heart of Joshua when he saw the people failing him. Oh, what a blessed thing it is in a false and fickle world, where he that eats bread with us lifts up his heel against us, where the favourite counsellor becomes an Ahithophel, and turns his wisdom into crafty hate, to know that “there is a Friend that sticketh closer than a brother,” one who is faithful and gives us sure tokens of a love which many waters cannot quench! II. At what times may we consider this promise to be spoken to ourselves? 1. Surely it is when we are called to do God’s work. Joshua’s work was the Lord’s work. Do you know that God has put you where you are, and called you to do the work to which your life is dedicated? Then go on in God’s name, for, as surely as He called you to His work, you may be sure that to you also He says, as indeed to all His servants, “I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” 2. But I hear some of you say, “We are not engaged in work of such a kind that we could precisely call it ‘ work for God.’“ Well, but are you engaged in a work which you endeavour to perform to God’s glory? Is your ordinary trade one which is lawful— one concerning which you have no doubt as to its honest propriety; and in carrying it on do you follow right principles only? 3. We must, if we are to have this promise, take God into our calculations. A great many persons go about their supposed lifework without thinking about God. You must walk by faith if you are to enjoy the privileges of the faithful. 4. We must also be careful that we walk in God’s ways. Observe that the next verse to the text runs thus, “Be strong and of a good courage,” and then the seventh verse is a singular one, “Only be thou strong,” &c. What for? To obey! Does it want courage and strength to obey? Why, nowadays, that man is thought to be courageous who will have no laws of God to bind him; and he is thought to be strong-minded who ridicules revelation. But let us rest assured that he is truly strong of mind and heart who is content to be thought a fool, and sticks to the good old truth, and keeps the good old way. III. What this promise does not preclude. 1. This promise does not exclude effort. If you want to succeed, use every faculty you have, and put forth all your strength; and if it is a right cause you may then fall back on this promise. 2. Neither does this promise preclude occasional disaster. Yes, and without the violation of any law, the best man in the world must expect in the most successful enterprise that there will be some discouragements. Look at the sea: it is rolling in, it will rise to full tide before long, but every wave that comes up dies upon the shore; and after two or three great waves which seem to capture the shingle there comes a feebler one which sucks back. Very well, but the sea will win, and reach its fulness. So in every good work for God there is a back-drawing wave every now and then. God will certainly test you, but He will not fail you, nor forsake you. 3. Nor, again, does this promise preclude frequent tribulations and testings of faith. In the autobiography of the famous Francke of Halle, who built, and, in the hand of God, provided for, the orphan-house of Halle, he says, “I thought when I committed myself and my work to God by faith, that I had only to pray when I had need, and that the supplies would come; but I found that I had sometimes to wait and pray for a long time.” The supplies did come, but not at once. The pinch never went so far as absolute want; but there were intervals of severe pressure. There was nothing to
- 59. spare. Every spoonfulof meal had to be scraped from the bottom of the barrel, and every drop of oil that oozed out seemed as if it must be the last; but still it never did come to the last drop, and there was always just a little meal left. God has not promised to take any of you to heaven without trying your faith. 4. This promise does not preclude our suffering very greatly, and our dying, and perhaps dying a very sad and terrible death, as men judge. God never left Paul, but I have seen the spot where Paul’s head was smitten off by the headsman. The Lord never left Peter, but Peter, like his Master, had to die by crucifixion. The Lord never left the martyrs, but they had to ride to heaven in chariots of fire. IV. What, then, does the text mean, if we may have all this trial happening to us? 1. Your labour shall not be in vain in the Lord. Press on. We have heard of a minister who added only one to his Church through a long year of very earnest ministry—only one, a sad thing for him; but that one happened to be Robert Moffatt, and he was worth a thousand of most of us. Go on. If you bring but one to Christ, who shall estimate the value of the one? 2. And then there shall be no desertion as to yourself, for your heavenly Friend has said, “I will not forsake thee.” You will not be left alone or without a helper. You are thinking of what you will do in old age. Do not think of that: think of what God will do for you in old age. Oh, but your great need and long illness will wear out your friends, you say. Perhaps you may wear out your friends, but you will not wear out your God, and He can raise up new helpers if the old ones fail. Oh, but your infirmities are many, and will soon crush you down: you cannot live long in such circumstances. Very well, then you will be in heaven; and that is far better. But you dread pining sickness. It may never come; and suppose it should come, remember what will come with it—“I will make all thy bed in thy sickness.” “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee”—so runs the promise. “Fear thou not, for I am with thee; be not dismayed, for I am thy God.” V. Why may we be quite sure that this promise will re fulfilled to us? 1. I answer, first, we may be quite sure because it is God’s promise. Did ever any promise of God fall to the ground yet? 2. Rent ye well assured that if a man be called to do God’s work God will not fail him, because it is not after the manner of the Lord to desert His servants. He will not push His servants into severe conflicts and then fail them. 3. Besides, remember that should God’s servants fail, if they are really God’s servants, the enemy would exult and boast against the Lord Himself. This was a great point with Joshua in after-days (Jos_7:9). If the Lord raises up Luther, and does not help Luther, then it is not Luther that fails; it is God that fails, in the estimation of the world. 4. Besides, if God has raised you up to accomplish a purpose by you, do you think He will be defeated? Were ever any of His designs frustrated? 5. Besides, if we trust God, and live for God, He loves us much too well to leave us. It is not to be imagined that He will ever put a load upon His own children’s shoulders without giving them strength to bear the burden, or send them to labours for which He will not give them adequate resources. Oh, rest in the Lord, ye faithful. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
- 60. Be strong andof a good courage.— A great -promise and a stirring exhortation What the heathen gods are fabled to have done with some of their favourite warriors, God here and now does to this His first soldier-saint, sending him forth to the fray invulnerable, invincible. By faith in this great promise, Joshua is more than conqueror. Poor and tame in comparison is the “Veni, vidi, vici!” of Rome’s great hero. God’s presence is pledged to Joshua unconditionally and unalterably. Oh, highly favoured Joshua! Yes, and also highly favoured saints, for even with a like great and precious promise do we go a warfare against evil. In regard to both the outer and the inner conflict in which we are engaged we should always remember that we are on the winning side. The battle is the Lord’s. “Forward” is the Divine command. We are not to make up our minds for defeat, but to march in the assurance of victory. “My grace is sufficient for thee.” This promise gives us power as we face error of every kind. The enemies of the gospel in these days are proud and boastful. If we were to judge by their shouts, we should think that the whole fabric of Christianity was falling to pieces. Have we anything to pit against these enemies? Most assuredly. The Divine presence, as in the case of Joshua, is pledged to be with us. This great promise given to Joshua was followed up by a stirring exhortation. Courage! this peal of bells rings out in all its changes. Why? Because Joshua was a coward? Nay, he had the heart of a lion, but because courage is the fundamental virtue in every saint of God, in every soldier of righteousness, in every witness for the truth. One of the great wants of the day is courage, courage to confess Christ in every company and on all occasions; courage to hold fast to His every word; courage to do all His will; courage to follow wherever He leads. It is called a good courage, and no virtue better deserves the epithet, for it is good whether we consider its qualities or its achievements, the throne on which it sits or the crown with which it is adorned. It is good courage because it is obedient, not self-willed, obstinate, headstrong. Again and again the greatest exploits of courage have been summed up in the words, “I must obey God.” Such courage is of the highest quality. It can never quail, because conscious of eternal rectitude. It is a good courage also because it is studious and humble. Its aim being to obey all God’s will, in the spirit as well as in the letter, it gives all diligence to know God’s will. Accordingly, the hero of Jehovah meditates in God’s law day and night; takes counsel not with flesh and blood, but with the living oracles, and finds therein all his comfort, strength, and light. This good courage, being obedient and studious, is also intelligent. It observes with watchful care the hints of Providence and the checks of conscience. It learns better every day what God’s will is in all things. Remember that such courage is the great secret of success. This above all things frightens our great adversary the devil. Satan has no dread of learning, or wisdom, or riches, but he does fear tile courage of a soul resting in communion with God. And well he may, for this courage arms the soul with Divine might. (A. B. Mackay.) The sources of Joshua’s strength I. A faithful past The aloe blooms but once in a hundred years, but every hour of all that century is needed to produce the delicate texture and resplendent beauty of the flower. The deed of a Grace Darling is not the sudden outburst of the moment that gives it birth, but the result of long years of self-discipline, courage, and ministry to others. And this summons of Joshua to the leader’s place in Israel was the guerdon of more than eighty years of faithful service. None of us can tell for what God is educating us. We fret and
- 61. murmur at thenarrow round and daily task of ordinary life, not realising that it is only thus that we can be prepared for the high and holy office which awaits us. We must descend before we can ascend. God’s will comes to thee and me in daily circumstances, in little things equally as in great; meet them bravely; be at your best always, though the occasion be one of the very least; dignify the smallest summons by the greatness of your response; so the call will come to you as to Joshua, the son of Nun, Moses’ minister. II. A distinct call The supreme inquiry for each of us, when summoned to a new work, is not whether we possess sufficient strength or qualification for it, but if we have been called to it of God; and when that is so there is no further cause for anxiety. If it is in His plan that we should march through a river, or attack a walled town, or turn to flight an army, we have simply to go forward. Rivers will dry up, walls will fall down, armies shall be scattered as snow in summer. There is no such thing as impossibility when God says, “Forward, soul, arise, go over this Jordan!” III. The sense of the presence of God. There have been generals whose presence on the field of battle has been the presage and guarantee of victory. Not only have they inspired the soldiers with a sense of confidence in their leadership, but they have encouraged them by their personal prowess and bravery. There is a marvellous sense of security and courage when a Christiana, a Mr. Fearing, or a Miss Much-Afraid is assured of the presence of a Greatheart, who has never turned his back on a foe. And a lonely, trembling soul dares to step bravely across the margin of life into the unknown beyond: to go down unabashed into the chill waters of death, because it can sing, “Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me.” IV. The indwelling of the word of God. Coal contains within its texture the strength absorbed from the sun in bygone ages; so words will pass on to men the heroic thoughts which thrilled the souls of those who spake them first. There are words, as there are strains of music, which cannot be uttered without nerving men to dare and do, to attempt and achieve. A woman will be strong to wait and suffer for long years in the strength of a sentence spoken by her lover as he parted from her: An army has before now forgot sleepless nights and hungry marches in the stirring harangue of its general. And is not this what the prophet meant, when he said, “Thy words were found and I did eat them, and Thy words were unto me a joy, and the rejoicing of my heart”? and what Jesus meant when He said, “The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life “? We can do all things when Christ is in us in unthwarted power. The only limit lies in our faith and capacity, or, in other words, in our absolute submission to His indwelling. Little children can overcome when there is within them a Stronger than their foes. Weaklings may do exploits when the Mighty Conqueror who travels in the greatness of His strength makes them the vehicle of His progress. (F. B. Meyer, B. A.) The strength and courage needed for common life “Be thou strong and very courageous.” What to do? To lead the army? To batter down strong walls and enter into the imminent, deadly breach? Nay, all this is left out of sight; the exhortation to be “strong and very courageous” is given solely with a moral application. A man shows himself more brave in an inflexible adherence to the law of God as the the rule of his life in all things than in any feats of arms or deeds of daring. I. A sufficient rule of guidance for life. Joshua had; we have. Our law is the whole gospel, as requiring from us a practical and loving and continuous obedience. To be “strong” is to make endeavour to go forward and grasp something in the Divine life; it is to take up a
- 62. certain position inpractical obedience, and say (not ostentatiously yet clearly), “I am here, I stand by this.” To be “of good courage” is to maintain that position against the force of temptation and opposition of every kind; is to say firmly, “Here I shall abide, I cannot go back from this.” Well, but a life that consists of gaining new positions, and grasping new things, and defending all that is thus attained, is of necessity a life of enterprise and progress. And such a life, in this world, will certainly meet with a great deal of opposition, silent and declared, and will require a great deal of strength and courage in those who seek to lead it. 1. Indeed, we might truly say that strength and courage are needed at home, and with ourselves, before we meet the world at all. The critical point of the struggle is within. Let me be strong, then, against my inferior self! Let me grip him hard, and wrestle with him, until he is overthrown! Let me be very courageous against his withering and insidious suggestions. 2. Then also, strength and courage are needed constantly and much in the Church, i.e., among Christian people. One Christian needs to be strong against other Christians—in this way as well as in others—that every Christian has his own inner thought of what he ought to be and do; his own ideal, as we call it. 3. Then still more is courage needed, and strength, when you go more fully out into the world. Here are certain principles in the law of Christ, as the regulative system of a Christian’s life, principles of honour and-honesty, of purity, sobriety, love, and self- denial, of humility and gentleness, which are clearly different from the principles that obtain in the world generally. Not that contrary principles are professed openly in the world except by a few; but that contrary, or at any rate far inferior, principles are acted upon, through the world, in its different spheres, commercial, political, literary, social, is just as certain as it is that there is a world at all. One great point of duty with Christians just now, I think, ought to be the endeavour to live simple lives, so as, if possible, to pull back this drifting society of ours towards the simplicity it has lost. 4. Again, it is sometimes necessary to speak frankly and boldly in condemnation of the action or in opposition to the speaking of others. II. How we may attain this temper and habit of Christian courage. It is fed by truth, by the law, or the revealed truth of God. What men call “spirit,” the mere clash and effervescence of nature, will soon evaporate; but when the soul has found the flowing fountains of strength, and drinks of the same day by day, her courage will be day by day renewed. Again, not only must we take the Word of God into our daily thought and meditation, but believing the wonderful assurance it gives us of the actual presence of the speaker, the Lord, with those who serve Him, we must make room for Him in our daily life, and lean upon the almighty arm, and even in the darkest and most unsuccessful moments sit silent to hear the great reviving words, “The Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.” (A. Raleigh,D. D.) The charge to the soldier of the Lord I. The duty of courageous strength. Christianity has altered the perspective of human virtues, has thrown the gentler ones into prominence altogether unknown before, and has dimmed the brilliancy of the old heroic type of character; but it has not struck those virtues out of its list. Still, there is as much need in the lowliest Christian life for the loftiest heroism as ever there was. All Christian progress is conflict, and we have to fight,
- 63. not only withthe evils that are within, but if we would be true to the obligations of our profession and loyal to the commands of our Master, we have to take our part in the great campaign which He has inaugurated and is ever carrying on against every abuse and oppression, iniquity and sin, that grinds down the world and makes our brethren miserable and servile. Be strong! Then strength is a duty; then weakness is a sin. Then the amount of strength that we possess and wield is regulated by ourselves. We have our hands on the sluice. We may open it to let the whole full tide run in, or we may close it till a mere dribble reaches us. For the strength which is strength, and not merely weakness in a fever, is a strength derived. “Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.” Let Christ’s strength in. Open the heart wide that it may come. Keep yourself in continual touch with God, the fountain of all power. Trust is strength, because trust touches the Rock of Ages. But courage is duty, too, as well as strength. Power and the consciousness of power do not always go together. In regard of the strength of nature, courage and might are quite separable. There may be a strong coward and a weak hero. But in the spiritual region, strength and courage do go together. The consciousness of the Divine power with us, and that alone, will make us bold with a boldness that has no taint of levity and presumption mingled with it, and never will overestimate its own strength. II. The duty of implicit obedience to the word of command. Courage and strength come first, and on them follows the command to do all according to the law, to keep it without deflection to right or left, and to meditate on it day and night. These two virtues make the perfect soldier—courage and obedience. But the connection between these two is not merely that they must co-exist, but that courage and strength are needed for, and are to find their noblest field of exercise in, absolute acceptance of, and unhesitating, swift, complete, unmurmuring obedience to, everything that is discerned to be God’s will and our duty. For the Christian soldier, then, God’s law is his marching orders. The written Word, and especially the Incarnate Word, are our law of conduct. Christ has given us Him self, and therein has given a sufficient directory for conduct and conflict which fits close to all our needs, and will prove definite and practical enough if we honestly try to apply it. The application of Christ’s law to daily life takes some courage, and is the proper field for the exercise of Christian strength. If you are not a bold Christian you will very soon get frightened out of obedience to your Master’s commandments. Courage, springing from the realisation of God’s helping strength, is indispensable to make any man, in any age, live out, thoroughly and consistently, the principles of the the law of Jesus Christ. No man in this generation will work out a punctual obedience to what he knows to be the will of God, without finding out that all the Canaanites are not dead yet, but that there are enough of them left to make a very thorny life for the consistent follower of Jesus Christ. And not only is there courage needed for the application of the principles of conduct which God has given us, but you will never have them handy for swift application unless, in many a quiet hour of silent, solitary, patient meditation, you have become familiar with them. III. The sure victory of such bold obedience: “thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest”; “thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then shalt thou have good success,” or, as the last word might be rendered, “then shalt thou ‘act wisely.’” You may not get victory from an earthly point of view, for many a man that lives strong and courageous and joyfully obeying God’s law as far as he knows it, and because he loves the Lawgiver, goes through life, and finds that, as far as the world’s estimate is concerned, there is nothing but failure as his portion. The success which my text means is the carrying out of conscientious convictions of God’s will into practice. That is the only success that is worth talking about or looking for. The man that succeeds in obeying and translating
- 64. God’s will intoconduct is the victor, whatever be the outward fruits of his life. (A. Maclaren, D. D.) Strength and courage Joshua must be strong and very courageous. But are strength and courage really within our own power? Is strength not absolutely a Divine gift, and as dependent on God in its ordinary degrees as it was in the case of Samson in its highest degree? No doubt in a sense it is so; and yet the amount even of our bodily strength is not wholly beyond our own control. As bodily strength is undoubtedly weakened by careless living, by excess of eating and drinking, by all irregular habits, by the breathing of foul air, by indolence and self-indulgence of every kind, so undoubtedly it is increased and promoted by attention to the simple laws of health, by activity and exercise, by sleep and sabbatic rest, by the moderate use of wholesome food, as well as by abstinence from hurtful drinks and drugs. And surely the duty of being strong, in so far as such things can give strength, is of far more importance than many think; for if we can thus maintain and increase our strength we shall be able to serve both God and man much better and longer than we could otherwise have done. But in Joshua’s ease it was no doubt strength and courage of soul that was mainly meant. Even that is not wholly independent of the ordinary conditions of the body. On the other hand, there are no doubt memorable cases where the elasticity and power of the spirit have been in the very inverse ratio to the strength of the body. By cheerful views of life and duty, natural depression has been counteracted, and the soul filled with hope and joy. “The joy of the Lord,” said Nehemiah, “is the strength of His people.” Fellowship with God, as our reconciled God and Father in Christ, is a source of perpetual strength. Who does not know the strengthening and animating influence of the presence even of a friend, when we find his fresh and joyous temperament playing on us in some season of depression? The radiance of his face, the cheeriness of his voice, the elasticity of his movements seem to infuse new hope and courage into the jaded soul. When he is gone we try to shake off the despondent feeling that has seized us, and gird ourselves anew for the battle of life. And if such an effect can be produced by fellowship with a fellow-creature, how much more by fellowship with the infinite God!—especially when it is His work we are trying to do, and when we have all His promises of help to rest on. “God is near thee, therefore cheer thee,” is a perpetual solace and stimulus to the Christian soul. (W. G. Blaikie, D. D.) Christian fortitude 1. Fortitude in bearing. 2. Fortitude in attempting or assailing. (D. Featley, D. D.) God’s strength made perfect in human weakness What f must all they whom God uses be strong? Is it essential that there should be strength of limb and muscle in the physical and moral constitution of those who are called to do the Divine biddings in the world? Because, if that be so, we who are like Ehud, left-handed, like Gideon, least in our father’s house, or like Saul of Tarsus, painfully conscious of weakness, can never get beyond the rank and file in the army of the Lord. And yet, may not this reiterated appeal indicate that the heart of Joshua
- 65. misgave him, andthat he was conscious of his utter inadequacy to fulfil the great commission that was thrust upon him? Probably he had never dreamt of so high an honour, so vast a responsibility. When, therefore, the call came to him to assume the office which Moses was vacating, his heart failed him, and he needed every kind of encouragement and stimulus, both from God and man. “Be strong” means that he felt weak; “Be of good courage” means that he was affrighted; “Be not thou dismayed” means that he seriously considered whether he would not have to give up the task. He was a worm and no man; how should he deliver Israel? It is when men are in this condition that God approaches them with the summons to undertake vast and overwhelming responsibilities. Most of us are too strong for Him to use us, too full of our own schemes and plans and ways of doing things. He must empty us, and humble us, and bring us down to the dust of death, so low that we need every straw of encouragement, every leaf of help; and then He will raise us up, and make us as the rod of His strength. The world talks of the survival of the fittest. But God gives power to the faint, and increases might to them that have no strength; He perfects His strength in weakness, and uses things that are not to bring to nought things that are. (F. B. Meyer, B. A. ) Courage necessary It is said of Cromwell that when he had gathered some raw troops, being much in doubt about their courage, he determined to put it to the test before employing them in active service. He therefore placed a number of soldiers in ambush, in a wood through which he had occasion to lead his new regiment, and when these rushed out suddenly upon the new levies all the timid among them turned and fled. These Cromwell sent to their homes as unfit for his service, and so commenced the training of the men who became known to history as his “ Ironsides.” A dauntless spirit Pleopidas hearing that his enemy was coming to give him battle with double the number that he possessed himself, replied to his informant, “So much the better for us: we shall beat so many the more.” So should the Christian view the trials and sorrows of this life, be they never so many. Through Christ they may all be overcome. (Handbook of Illustration.) Unto this people shalt thou divide . . . the land.— The right people for the land First of all, the land had to be conquered; and there is no difficulty in seeing how necessary it was for one who had this task on hand to be strong and of a good courage, and to meditate on God’s law. Then the land had to be divided, and the people settled in their new life, and Joshua had to initiate them, as it were, in that life; he had to bind on their consciences the conditions on which the land was to be enjoyed, and start them in the performance of the duties, moral, social, and religious, which the Divine constitution required. Here lay the most difficult part of his task. They had not only to be planted physically in groups over the country, but they had to be married to it morally, otherwise they had no security of tenure, but were liable to summary eviction. It was no land of rest for idolaters; all depended on the character they attained: loyally to God was the one condition of a happy settlement. Thus we see the connection between Joshua’s devotion to the book of the law and success in the great work of his life—“then thou shalt make
- 66. thy way prosperous,and then thou shalt have good success.” No doubt he would have the appearance of success if he simply cleared out the inhabitants who were so degraded by sin that God was compelled to sweep them off, and settled His people in their room. But that, after all, was but a small matter unless accompanied by something more. It would not secure the people from at last sharing the fate of the old inhabitants; so far at least that though they should not he exterminated, yet they would be scattered over the face of the globe. And so at all times, in dealing with human beings, we can obtain no adequate and satisfying success unless their hearts are turned to God. Your children may be great scholars, or successful merchants, or distinguished authors, or brilliant artists, or even statesmen; what does it come to if they are dead to God, and have no living fellowship with Jesus Christ? (W. G. Blaikie, D. D.) Turn not . . . to the right hand or to the left.— Joshua’s obedience I. Obedience is the highest practical courage. The world counts obedience to be a mean- spirited thing, and speaks of rebellion as freedom. We have heard men say, “I will be my own master; I shall follow my own will.” To be a free thinker and a free liver seems to be the worldling’s glory. Take the world’s own martial rule. Who is accounted to be the boldest and the best soldier but the man who is most thoroughly obedient to the captain’s command? There is a story told of the old French wars which has been repeated hundreds of times. A sentinel is set to keep a certain position, and at nightfall, as he is pacing to and fro, the emperor himself comes by. He does not know the password. Straightway the soldier stops him. “You cannot pass,” says he. “But I must pass,” says the emperor. “No,” replies the man, “if you were the little corporal in grey himself you should not go by,” by which, of course, he meant the emperor. Thus the autocrat himself was held in check by order. The vigilant soldier was afterwards handsomely rewarded, and all the world said that he was a brave fellow. Then surely it is not a mean and sneaking thing for a man to be obedient to Him who is the Commander- in-chief of the universe, the King of kings, and Lord of lords. II. The exactness of obedience is the essence of obedience. The world saith, “We must not be too precise.” As one said to an old Puritan once, “Many people have rent their consciences in halves; could not you just make a little nick in yours?” “No,” he said, “I cannot, for my conscience belongs to God.” “We must live, you know,” said a money- loving shopkeeper, as his excuse for doing what he could not otherwise defend. “Yes, but we must die,” was the reply, “and therefore we must do no such thing.” We are probably better dead if we cannot live without doing wrong. The very essence of obedience lies in exactness. Probably your child, if sometimes disobedient, would still, as a general rule, do what you told him. It would be in the little things that thoroughgoing and commendable obedience would appear. Let the world judge of this for itself. Here is an honest man. Do people say of him, “He is such an honest man that he would not steal a horse”? No, that would not prove him to be very honest; but they say, “He would not even take a pin that did not belong to him.” That is the world’s own description of honesty, and surely when it comes to obedience to God it ought to be the same. If I profess to obey the Lord Jesus Christ, the crucial test will not be in great actions, but in little ones. III. The path of obedience is generally a middle path. There is sure to be a right bond, there is sure to be a left hand, and both are probably wrong. There wilt be extremes on either side. I believe that this is true in ten thousand things in ordinary life, and also true
- 67. in spiritual thingsin very many respects. With regard, for instance, to our words; the course of speech generally is, on the one hand to say too much, or on the other hand to say too little; to be silent when the wicked are before us, or else to be rash with our lips and betray a good cause through our rashness in defending it. There is a time to speak, and there is a time to be silent, and he that judgeth well will mark his opportunities and take the middle course. He will neither be garrulous with advice that is not required, nor will he be cowardly and dumb when he ought to bear testimony, for his Master. The same holds good with regard to zeal. We have some abroad nowadays whoso heads are very hot. They talk as if they would turn the world upside down, whilst it is their own brains that need first to be turned into a right condition. Theirs is a fire which burns down the house instead of burning in the grate and warming the household. But shall we therefore not be zealous? God forbid! There is a middle course of true, sensible, prudent zeal—adhering to the truth, and never believing that people can be converted by lies, however earnestly bawled into their ears; walking within the bounds of God’s truth, and being persuaded that the best seed to sow is that which God puts into the basket of His Word, and that sinners are not to be saved by rash statements nor by extravagant declamation, but that they are brought to Christ, as they were of old, by the simple telling out of the story of the Cross affectionately, and by the power of the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven. Here, again, “turn neither to the right hand nor to the left.” IV. The path of right is the path of true prosperity. God does not invariably make the doing of the right to be the means of pecuniary gain to us. On the contrary, it frequently happens that for a time men are great losers by their obedience to Christ. But the Scripture always speaks as to the long run; it sums up the whole of life—there it promises true riches. If thou wouldst prosper, keep close to the Word of God, and to thy conscience, and thou shalt have the best prosperity. The thief, though he takes a short way to get rich, yet takes such a dangerous way that it does not pay; but he who walks straight along the narrow road shall find it to be the shortest way to the best kind of prosperity, both in this world and in that which is to come. If not, if we get no outward prosperity here, I trust you and I, if we love Christ, and are filled with His Spirit, can do without it. Well, if we must be poor, it will soon be over, and in heaven there shall be no poverty. Let us, then, run all risks for Christ. He is no soldier who cannot die for his country; he is no Christian who cannot lose life itself for Christ. (C. H. Spurgeon.) Obedience the condition of victory Yes, the Lord will be with us in our holy war, but He demands of us that we strictly follow His rules. 1. Our victories will very much depend upon our obeying Him with all our heart, throwing strength and courage into the actions of our faith. If we are half-hearted, we cannot expect more than half a blessing. 2. We must obey the Lord with care and thoughtfulness. 3. We must obey with universal readiness. We may not pick and choose, but must take all the Lord’s commands as they come. 4. In all this we must go on with exactness and constancy. Ours is to be a straightforward courage, which bends neither to the right nor to the left. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
- 68. This book ofthe law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein.— A good working Bible Rare botanical specimens are found by diligent searching. It is by earnest and prayerful study of the Bible theft we discover truths that we may call our own. We have a brother who has been working in the gold mines of California for many years. He has a watch- chain that he greatly values because the gold in it is what he searched and dug out of the mountain himself by hard labour and much sacrifice. Truths discovered as the result of hard study are very precious to us. The Bible should be an every-day book to us. A very handsome and expensive Bible on the parlour stand, covered with a bric-a-brac, is of little value as compared with a good working Bible. A well-known Sunday-school worker tells of going into a house in North Wales. As he sat by a table talking with a little girl, he picked up a Bible, when she instantly said, “That’s my mother’s every-day Bible, sir; I’ll give you the Sunday Bible if you want to read.” We all need an every-day Bible, one that can be handled easily and conveniently—a Bible with every precious promise and every verse that has been especially helpful to us marked. The Jews were commanded to read the Scripture all the time, to write it upon the door-posts; to have it as frontiers between their eyes; to talk of it by the way, and teach it to their children and children’s children. (Home Messenger.) God’s revealed wilt the only safe rule for all individual guidance, and the only legitimate foundation for all national law I. It is of the utmost importance that every man should have a sure guide for the direction of his steps. 1. If you consider the character and condition of man, the truth before us must claim universal acknowledgment. Man is the creature of God. His being, powers, and blessings are all derived from his Maker. He is therefore bound to please Him in all his ways and works. But how is this to be done? By what measure, so to speak, or after what manner, is this love to be expressed, and this obedience to be rendered? 2. If you consider man not only as the mere creature of God, but as a creature endued with an immortal soul, the truth before us will be still more apparent. 3. If you consider man as a sinner before God, exposed to all the dreadful consequences of his rebellion, and utterly without ability to help himself, the truth of this position must still more strikingly appear. 4. If you consider man as exposed to all the vicissitudes of this life—as subject to sorrow, suffering, and pain, as liable to sickness, affliction, and all the other evils incident to our present existence—the truth of this position must claim the approbation of all. 5. If you consider man in reference to death, judgment, and eternity, no voice can ever be lifted up in opposition to this truth. II. Where is this sure guide to be met with? 1. Is man capable of furnishing himself with such a rule? Evidently not; and that not merely as the negative applies to him as he now is, but even supposing him to be
- 69. what he oncewas. 2. Consider the greatness and importance of the matters at stake, and it must be confessed that it would not be safe to trust in any provision coming from such a human source, even supposing it possible that it could be provided. 3. A provision of this kind, coming from any human source, would fall below the circumstances and condition in which we are placed, and therefore could never meet the exigencies of our case, nor, consequently, answer the end proposed. 4. The law, or revealed will of God, is the only safe rule for all individual guidance, as well as the only legitimate foundation for all national law. No man’s ways or works can be acceptable in the sight of God who throws aside that rule and walks by the light of his own fire. III. The benefit and advantages of following that rule and abiding thereby. 1. We shall have a sure guide for the direction of our steps. 2. We shall find everything plain before us. 3. We shall avoid the grievous mistakes and blunders into which others have fallen. 4. We shall find abundant provision for every emergency. 5. We shall be safe and prosperous here, and happy and blessed hereafter. Conclusion: 1. What an invaluable deposit are the sacred Scriptures as committed to any nation or people! 2. How widely have we departed from these sacred rules! 3. How needful it is that we should make these Holy Scriptures our constant study and daily counsellors! (R. Shittler.) The Christian’s law “This book of the law,” saith God to Joshua. And both in our text and in the verse preceding it is set forth as a rule claiming his observance and obedience, from which he may not swerve. In a peculiar sense we apply this term to the five books of Moses, and in a yet more limited one to the Decalogue. And since the New Testament contains so fully and so peculiarly the revelation of the gospel of the grace of God, and thus abounds with the language of invitation, promise, and privilege, it may seem as though to us the oracles of God had no other voice, and that the Bible is not to us the “book of the law” of God. But while we are jealous of God’s grace, let us beware of a dangerous error. The Bible does propound to us a law—the very law of the two tables is unrepealed. Not the Jewish law as our code of worship or practice, not any law as the means of our justification, but the laws of Christian holiness and virtue. Our Bibles must be our lamps, our light, of our counsellors- our oracles of duty no less than of comfort. And while the Cross furnishes the motive, while the Spirit is the Teacher, the Author and Giver alike of will and power, the precepts and prohibitions of the Bible must be our guide, as the by- paths of sin and ruin present themselves on the right hand and on the left. We are not to go to this book of God for our creed or system of theology alone, but for our code of morals and practice. For the Bible is neither all doctrine, nor all promise; it has its rules, its precepts, its prohibitions. Its precepts based upon its doctrine, yoked graciously with
- 70. its promises, butprecepts still. You are placed from day to day amid duties and temptations. Your God, your fellow-men have many claims upon you; you stand in many and varied relationships. You are a pilgrim in a road bestrewed with pitfalls and beset with by-paths of sin and error; a soldier amid many and subtle and mighty foes, with a hard field to fight; a voyager over a stormy sea, amid shoals and rocks and quicksands. Your Bible is your guide, O pilgrim—your sword, O soldier—your chart, O seaman l What else shall preserve you even in sound doctrine in these dangerous days but that ye be “mighty in the Scriptures,” and so reject another gospel, though its preachers wore the garb and semblance of angels, yea, though (were it possible) they were angels of light? Or what, in reference to your practice, shall secure you against the workings of sin’s deceitfulness—against the deep devices of your arch-enemy, the tempter—against the false and unscriptural principles of the world around, the spurious morality which passes current among men—what but “this book of the law”?—this book which in its revelations is pure, unerring, truth—which in its precepts is all pure in holiness, all perfect in virtue. But draw near to it ever as remembering that you are listening to the voice of God. Bow down to its revelations therefore as unerring, to its requirements as authoritative and supreme. (J. C. Miller, D. D.) Meditation and obedience Many devout Christians tell us that they find it profitable to take even a single verse and make it peculiarly the subject of their thoughts throughout each day—to make it the little vein in the mine which they more particularly work out. There can be no doubt that many of the vain and sinful thoughts which pass through our minds and grieve the devout Christian might thus be shut out were the thoughts and memory preoccupied with Divine truth. And if any particularly mourn that their thoughts, when left to themselves, are so discursive and unprofitable, that they know so little of religious meditation, it may be well for them thus to choose one verse of their daily portion and make it, so to say, the text of their day’s thoughts. Let them endeavour to fix its meaning, let them follow out the train of thought to which it leads, let them pray over it in a special manner. And all this with a view more particularly to self-application. But our duty ends not here. The seaman studies his chart and has his compasses on board, not for mere scientific experiments, but that he may voyage in safety to the haven whither he would go, amid the rocks and shoals and quicksands which beset his track. We may not then imagine that all is done when our verses or chapters, our portion, however long, is again punctually gone through. There is a danger of this, as there is a danger of a mere formal lip-service in our prayers. For, as to say prayers is not necessarily to pray, so there is a reading of the Word of God with the mind and the lip only. Our hearts must be the readers, as our hearts must be the petitioners. And then throughout the day the duties here enjoined must be practised, the sins denounced forsaken and shunned, the tempers here set forth as unchristian struggled with, the promises here given lived on, the heaven here proffered sought, the Saviour and the God of whom we read glorified. (J. C. Miller, D. D.) Meditation When the impious King Antiochus entered the temple of Jerusalem to lay it waste, his first act was to remove the golden altar and the candlestick, which was also of gold. The devil acts in the same manner when he intends to deprive of spiritual good that soul
- 71. which is thetemple of the living God: he takes from it the altar that is, fervour of mind; he removes from it the candlestick that is, the light which makes known the eternal maxims. Then thou shalt make thy way prosperous.— The prosperous way God’s blessing is ever upon His people, and lie will ever cause that the way of His commandments shall be found the way of happiness and good. Therefore it is true that His people’s way is a prosperous way, that they “have good success.” The Old Testament promise is—“whatsoever thou doest it shall prosper” the New, “we know that all things work together for good to them that love God.” Is not such a man prospering? All may be disappointment and failure to flesh and blood, and in the estimate of sense. He may not know or see or feel his prosperity at this moment, and while “all things” are working together. But when they have worked and their end is seen, that end shall be found an end of blessing and prosperity. For in the emphatic language of the Psalm, “The Lord knoweth the way of the righteous.” His path with them may be dark, and hard, and thorny, but it is right; for their path towards Him is obedience and holiness. In what but blessedness can that path issue “which the Lord approveth”? Would ye know, then, whether God’s blessing is at this moment upon your path? Is it a path in which you are guided by His Word, in which you are taking it as a lamp to your feet, as your counsellor and your delight? If so—let it be hard—it is blessed l Let it be tedious—your Father’s face of love is shining full upon it. Or if at this moment some cloud is casting over it its gloomy shadow, that cloud will soon be gone, having burst in mercy upon your head. (J. C. Miller, D. D.) The Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.— God with the good The Lord, whose command is universal; God, whose power is invincible; the Lord thy God, whose mercies are incomprehensible, is with thee whithersoever thou goest. If the Lord thy God be with thee, His wisdom is with thee to direct thee, His power to protect thee, His strength to support thee, His goodness to maintain thee, His bounty to reward thee, His word to encourage thee, and if thou die under His banner, His angels presently to carry thee into heaven. Where the Israelites lamentably deplore their ill success in war, they attribute it to God’s absence. “Thou goest not forth,” say they, “with our armies.” The Lacedaemonians, being overtaken by the Persian horse and overwhelmed with great flights of arrows, did notwithstanding quietly sit still, without making any resistance at all, or defence, till the sacrifices for victory were happily ended; yea, though many were sore hurt, and some slain outright before any good sign appeared in the entrails; but as soon as their general, Pausanias, had found good tokens of victory, and persuaded his soldiers of the Divine approbation of their war, they arose, and with excellent courage first received the charge of the barbarians, and after charged them afresh, and slew Mardonius, the Persian general, and many thousands of the rest, and got the day. If the conjectural hope of the aid and assistance of a sainted deity put such courage and resolution into the Lacedaemonians, shall not faith in the true God and confidence in His help breed better blood, and infuse nobler spirits into the hearts of God’s warriors and Christian soldiers? God can save His, and overcome the enemy as well with small forces as with great, but all the forces in the world without Him have no force at all. (D. Featley, D. D.)
- 72. An inspiring presence WhenNapoleon first started to fight our country and Austria, do you know what our soldiers called him? It was “Wee One-hundred-thousand-men.” That was a fine name. It was a grand testimony to the power of the little Napoleon in the midst of his army. They asked one another, “Is ‘Wee One-hundred-thousand-men’ in the army to-day?” He was worth that number of men. Please tell me at what figure you rate the Son of God. Is He in the battle to-day? (J. Robertson.) The presence of the Master Bacon has well said, that a dog is brave and generous when he believes himself backed by his master, but timid and crouching, especially in a strange place, when he is alone and his master away; and a human master, says the philosopher, is as a god to the dog. 2 “Moses my servant is dead. ow then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites. CLARKE, "Moses my servant - The word, servant, as applied both to Moses and Joshua, is to be understood in a very peculiar sense. It signifies God’s prime minister, the person by whom he issued his orders, and by whom he accomplished all his purposes and designs. No person ever bore this title in the like sense but the Redeemer of mankind, of whom Moses and Joshua were types. Go over this Jordan - The account given by Josephus of this river may not be unacceptable here. “Panium is thought to be the mountain of Jordan, but in reality it is carried thither in an occult manner from the place called Phiala. This place lies on the road to Trachonitis, and is one hundred and twenty furlongs from Caesarea, not far out of the road, on the right hand. It has its name Phiala, (a bowl or basin), very justly, from the roundness of its circumference, being round like a wheel. It is always full, without
- 73. ever sinking orrunning over. This origin of the Jordan was not known till the time of Philip, tetrarch of Trachonitis, who having ordered some chaff to be thrown in at Phiala, it was found at Panium. Jordan’s visible stream arises from this cavern, (Panium), and divides the marshes and fens of the lake Semechon; and when it has run another hundred and twenty furlongs, it first passes by the city Julias, and then passes through the middle of the lake Gennesareth, after which, running a long way over the desert, it empties itself into the lake Asphaltites.” - War, book iii. chap. x., sect. 7. See the note on Num_34:12. GILL, "Moses my servant is dead,.... Which was said not for the information of Joshua, but to lead on to, and show the cause and reason of what he was about to say to him: now therefore arise, go over this Jordan; near to which the whole body of the people of Israel were, and very probably were in sight of it: thou, and all this people: which were very numerous, six hundred thousand men or more, besides a great number of women and children, and no boats to carry them over, or pontoons to put across the river: unto the land which I give unto them, even to the children of Israel; and therefore it could be no case of conscience with Joshua, to go and take it out of the hands of the present inhabitants, since the Lord, who had a right to dispose of it, gave it to them. As this land was a type of heaven, and eternal life, which is the free gift of God through Christ, passing over the river of Jordan to it may be an emblem of the passage through death to the heavenly state; both of the death of Christ, the antitypical Joshua, who passed through it, as a surety to make satisfaction for sin, and as a forerunner to set an example, to sanctify death, to open a way into the holiest of holies, and prepare a place for his people; and of the death of the saints, which is necessary to their enjoyment of perfect rest and happiness. HE RY 2-4, " The call itself that God gave him, which is very full. 1. The consideration upon which he was called to the government: Moses my servant is dead, v. 2. All good men are God's servants; and it is no disparagement, but an honour, to the greatest of men to be so: angels themselves are his ministers. Moses was called to extraordinary work, was a steward in God's house, and in the discharge of the trusts reposed in him he served not himself but God who employed him; he was faithful as a servant, and with an eye to the Son, as is intimated, Heb_3:5, where what he did is said to be for a testimony of the things that should be spoken after. God will own his servants, will confess them in the great day. But Moses, though God's servant, and one that could ill be spared, is dead; for God will change hands, to show that whatever instruments he uses he is not tied to any. Moses, when he has done his work as a servant, dies and goes to rest from his labours, and enters into the joy of his Lord. Observe, God takes notice of the death of his servants. It is precious in his sight, Psa_ 116:15. 2. The call itself. Now therefore arise. (1.) “Though Moses is dead, the work must go on; therefore arise, and go about it.” Let not weeping hinder sowing, nor the withering of the most useful hands be the weakening of ours; for, when God has work to do, he will either find or make instruments fit to carry it on. Moses the servant is dead, but God the
- 74. Master is not:he lives for ever. (2.) “Because Moses is dead, therefore the work devolves upon thee as his successor, for hereunto thou wast appointed. Therefore there is need of thee to fill up his place; up, and be doing.” Note, [1.] The removal of useful men should quicken survivors to be so much the more diligent in doing good. Such and such are dead, and we must die shortly, therefore let us work while it is day. [2.] It is a great mercy to a people, if, when useful men are taken away in the midst of their usefulness, others are raised up in their stead to go on where they broke off. Joshua must arise to finish what Moses began. Thus the latter generations enter into the labours of the former. And thus Christ, our Joshua, does that for us which could never be done by the law of Moses, - justifies (Act_13:39), and sanctifies, Rom_8:3. The life of Moses made way for Joshua, and prepared the people for what was to be done by him. Thus the law is a schoolmaster to bring us to Christ: and then the death of Moses made room for Joshua; thus we are dead to the law, our first husband, that we may be married to Christ, Rom_7:4. 3. The particular service he was now called out to: “Arise, go over this Jordan, this river which you have in view, and on the banks of which you lie encamped.” This was a trial to the faith of Joshua, whether he would give orders to make preparation for passing the river when there was no visible way of getting over it, at least not at this place and at this time, when all the banks were overflown, Jos_3:15. He had no pontoons or bridge of boats by which to convey them over, and yet he must believe that God, who had ordered them over, would open a way for them. Going over Jordan was going into Canaan; thither Moses might not, could not, bring them, Deu_31:2. Thus the honour of bringing the many sons to glory is reserved for Christ the captain of our salvation, Heb_2:10. 4. The grant of the land of Canaan to the children of Israel is here repeated (Jos_1:2- 4): I do give it them. To the patriarchs it was promised, I will give it; but, now that the fourth generation had expired, the iniquity of the Amorites was full, and the time had come for the performance of the promise, it is actually conveyed, and they are put in possession of that which they had long been in expectation of: “I do give it, enter upon it, it is all your own; nay (Jos_1:3), I have given it; though it be yet unconquered, it is as sure to you as if it were in your hands.” Observe, (1.) The persons to whom the conveyance is made: To them, even to the children of Israel (Jos_1:2), because they are the seed of Jacob, who was called Israel at the time when this promise was made to him, Gen_35:10, Gen_35:12. The children of Israel, though they had been very provoking in the wilderness, yet, for their fathers' sakes, should have the entail preserved. And it was the children of the murmurers that God said should enter Canaan, Num_14:31. (2.) The land itself that is conveyed: From the river Euphrates eastward, to the Mediterranean Sea westward, Jos_1:4. Though their sin cut them short of this large possession, and they never replenished all the country within the bounds here mentioned, yet, had they been obedient, God would have given them this and much more. Out of all these countries, and many others, there were in process of time proselytes to the Jewish religion, as appears, Act_2:5, etc. If their church was enlarged, though their nation was not multiplied, it cannot be said that the promise was of no effect. And, if this promise had not its full accomplishment in the letter, believers might thence infer that it had a further meaning, and was to be fulfilled in the kingdom of the Messiah, both that of grace and that of glory. (3.) The condition is here implied upon which this grant is made, in those words, as I said unto Moses, that is, “upon the terms that Moses told you of many a time, if you will keep my statutes, you shall go in and possess that good land. Take it under those provisos and limitations, and not otherwise.” The precept and promise must not be separated. (4.) It is intimated with what ease they should gain the
- 75. possession of thisland, if it were not their own fault, in these words, “Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon (within the following bounds) shall be your own. Do but set your foot upon it and you have it.” JAMISO 2-9, "now therefore arise, go over this Jordan — Joshua’s mission was that of a military leader. This passage records his call to begin the work, and the address contains a literal repetition of the promise made to Moses (Deu_11:24, Deu_ 11:25; Deu_31:6-8, Deu_31:23). K&D, "As Moses had died without having brought the Israelites to Canaan, Joshua was to arise and go with all the nation over this Jordan (i.e., the river then before him) into the land which the Lord would give them. CALVI , "2.Moses my servant, etc A twofold meaning may be extracted — the one, since Moses is dead, the whole burden has now devolved upon thee, take the place of him to whom thou has been appointed successor; the other, although Moses is dead, do not desist, but go forward. I prefer the former, as containing the inference that he should, by right of succession, take up the office which Moses had left vacant. (15) The epithet or surname of servant applied to Moses, has respect to his government of the people and his exploits; for it ought to be accommodated to actual circumstances. (16) The allusion here is not to the Law but to the leadership, which had passed to Joshua by the decease of Moses, and God thus acknowledges his servant, not so much with the view of praising him, as of strengthening the authority of Joshua, who had been substituted in his place. And as the people might not have acquiesced sufficiently in a bare command, he promises, while ordering them to pass the Jordan, to give them peaceable possession of the whole country, and of every spot of it on which they should plant their foot. For as nothing tends more than distrust to make us sluggish and useless, so when God holds forth a happy issue, confidence inspires us with rigor for any attempt. It may be added, that he does now begin for the first time to give them good hopes, by making a promise of which they had not previously heard, but recalls to their remembrance what Moses had formerly testified. He says, therefore, that the time had now come for exhibiting and performing that which he had promised to Moses. Should any one object that the same thing had been said to Abraham long before Moses was born, nay, that the perpetual covenant deposited with Abraham included everything which was heard by Moses four hundred years after; (17) I answer, that here no notice is taken of the ancient promise which was everywhere known and celebrated, and that Moses is produced as a witness whose memory was more recent, and by whose death the confidence of the people might have been shaken, had not God declared that the accomplishment of all which he had said was at hand. TRAPP, "Joshua 1:2 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.
- 76. Ver. 2. Mosesmy servant.] My menial servant, faithful in all my house. This was a higher title than that of king in Jeshurun. [Deuteronomy 33:5] {See Trapp on "Psalms 36:1"} ow therefore arise, go.] Up, and act vigorously: surge, age, summe Pater, said Mantuan to the Bishop of Rome, stirring him up to withstand the Turk. Go over this Jordan.] A famous river rising from a double fountain, Jor and Dan, say some, (a) and falling into the Dead Sea, with which it mingleth. Whereas some rivers will not do so: as the Danube and Sava in Hungary, whose waters meeting mingle no more than water and oil, as an eye-witness affirmeth: so the river Dee, in Merionethshire in Wales, running through Pimblemeer remaineth entire, and mingleth not her streams with the waters of the lake. (b) PETT, "“Moses, my servant is dead, now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land which I give to them, to the children of Israel.” Because of Moses’ prior disobedience God had said that Moses would not be allowed even to enter the land of Canaan ( umbers 20:12; umbers 27:13-14; Deuteronomy 1:37; Deuteronomy 3:26-27; Deuteronomy 32:52; Deuteronomy 34:4). Thus until Moses’ death invasion was not possible. There is a warning in this that even a great man can falter and can become a hindrance to the work of God. But now Moses was dead. To the children of Israel the death of Moses was a tragedy. They must have felt deeply bereft. To God it presented them with an opportunity. “ ow therefore arise.” With God every tragedy is an opportunity. An opportunity to rise by His power over it and use it as a stepping stone to better things. There was first sufficient mourning (Deuteronomy 34:8). Due respect was paid to Moses. And then God expected Joshua to go forward. “Go over this Jordan.” Interestingly this is a phrase only found on the lips of YHWH (Deuteronomy 3:27; Deuteronomy 31:2). The River Jordan lay before them, making its way through the deep Rift Valley (the Arabah). There were no fords at this time for the river was overflowing its banks (Joshua 3:15). Thus it appeared a great obstacle, and beyond it lay their destiny. However, the obstacle could be overcome with God’s help, and the destiny achieved. It was a momentous situation. That river, overflowing its banks and difficult to cross, was the stepping stone into their future. We too should remember that whatever equivalent of Jordan we face, even if it overflow its banks, if God go with us we need fear nothing. “You and all this people.” That was both Joshua’s encouragement and his responsibility. He had strong forces behind him, but he was responsible for their future. They were his strength but they were also his problem. How was he to get so many, with their wives and children and provisions, across the flooded waters of the Jordan?
- 77. “Into the landwhich I give to them, to the children of Israel.” Here was the necessary certainty. YHWH was giving them the land. It was thus theirs to possess. And He was here acknowledging that mixed, multi-racial group as being within His promises, as being now ‘the children of Israel’, those who would receive the inheritance promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Israel). ote that they were not called ‘the children of Jacob’. It was Jacob as the new man Israel, the chosen one, who was seen as their ancestor. BE SO , "Joshua 1:2. ow therefore arise — Let not the withering of the most useful hands be the weakening of ours. When God has work to do, he will either find or make instruments fit to carry it on. Moses the servant is dead, but God the master is not, he lives for ever. This Jordan — Which is now near thee, which is the only obstacle in thy way to Canaan. The land which I give — That is, I am now about to give thee actual possession of it, as I formerly gave a right to it by promise. COFFMA , ""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." "Arise, go over this Jordan ..." A summary of God's orders to Joshua is as follows: (1) Cross the Jordan River (Joshua 1:2). (2) Take Israel over the Jordan River (Joshua 1:2). (3) Be strong and courageous (Joshua 1:6). (4) Do not fail to keep the Law of Moses. These dramatic orders came at a time when Israel's enemies probably supposed it was impossible for them to begin the invasion, because the Jordan River at that very time was in the flood stage (Joshua 3:15). EBC, "A SUCCESSOR TO MOSES. Joshua 1:2. THERE are some men to whom it is almost impossible to find successors. Men of imperial mould; nature's primates, head and shoulders above other men, born to take the lead. ot only possessed of great gifts originally, but placed by Providence in situations that have wonderfully expanded their capacity and made their five talents ten. Called to be leaders of great movements, champions of commanding interests, often gifted with an imposing presence, and with a magnetic power that subdues opposition and kindles enthusiasm as if by magic. What a bereavement when such men are suddenly removed! How poor in comparison those who come next after them, and from among whom successors have to be chosen! When the Hebrews mourned the death of Samson, the difference in physical strength between
- 78. him and hisbrethren could not have appeared greater than the intellectual and moral gulf appears between a great king of men, suddenly removed, and the bereaved children that bend helpless over his grave. A feeling of this sort must have spread itself through the host of Israel when it was known that Moses was dead. Speculation as to his successor there could be none, for not only had God designated Joshua, but before he died Moses had laid his hands upon him, and the people had acknowledged him as their coming leader. And Joshua had already achieved a record of no common order, and had been favoured with high tokens of the Divine approval. Yet what a descent it must have seemed from Moses to Joshua! From the man who had so often been face to face with God, who had commanded the sea to make a way for the redeemed of the Lord to pass over, who had been their legislator and their judge ever since they were children, to whom they had gone in every difficulty, and who for wisdom and disinterestedness had gained the profound confidence of every one of them; - what a descent, we say, to this son of un, known hitherto as but the servant of Moses - an intrepid soldier, no doubt, and a man of unfaltering faith, but whose name seemed as if it could not couple with that of their imperial leader! Well though Joshua did his work in after life, and bright though the lustre of his name ultimately became, he never attained to the rank of Moses. While the name of Moses is constantly reappearing in the prophets, in the psalms, in the gospels, in the epistles, and in the apocalypse, that of Joshua is not found out of the historical books except in the speech of Stephen and that well-known passage in the Hebrews (Hebrews 4:8), where the received version perplexes us by translating it Jesus. But it was no disparagement of him that he was so far surpassed by the man to whom, under God, the very existence of the nation was due. And in some respects, Joshua is a more useful example to us than Moses. Moses seems to stand half-way in heaven, almost beyond reach of imitation. Joshua is more on our own level. If not a man of surpassing genius, he commends himself as having made the best possible use of his talents, and done his part carefully and well. The remark has been made that eras of great creative vigour are often succeeded by periods dull and common place. The history of letters and of the fine arts shows that bursts of artistic splendour like the Renaissance, or of literary originality like the Augustan age in Roman or the Elizabethan in English literature, are not followed by periods of equal lustre. And the same phenomenon has often been found in the Christian Church. In more senses than one the Apostles had no successors. Who in all the sub-apostolic age was worthy even to untie the latchet of Peter, or John, or Paul? The inferiority is so manifest that had there been nothing else to guide the Church in framing the canon of the ew Testament, the difference between the writings of the Apostles and their companions on the one hand, and of men like Barnabas, Clement of Rome, Polycarp, Ignatius, and Hermes on the other, would have sufficed to settle the question. So also at the era of the Reformation. Hardly a country but had its star or its galaxy of the first magnitude. Luther and Melancthon, Calvin and Coligny, Farel and Viret, John a Lasco and John Knox, Latimer and Cranmer, - what incomparable men they were! But in the age that followed what names can we find to couple with theirs?
- 79. Of other sectionsof the Church the same remark has been made, and sometimes it has been turned to an unfair use. If in the second generation, after a great outburst of power and grace, there are few or no men of equal calibre, it does not follow that the glory has departed, and that the Church is to droop her head, and wonder to what unworthy course on her part the degeneracy is to be ascribed. We are not to expect in such a case that the laws of nature will be set aside to gratify our pride. We are to recognise a state of things which God has ordained for wise purposes, although it may not be flattering to us. We are to place ourselves in the attitude in which Joshua was called to place himself when the curt announcement of the text as to Moses was followed by an equally curt order to him - "Moses My servant is dead; now, therefore arise." The question for Joshua is not whether he is a fit person to succeed Moses. His mental exercise is not to compare himself with Moses, and note the innumerable points of inferiority on every side. His attitude is not to bow down his head like a bulrush, mourning over the departed glory of Israel, grieving for the mighty dead, on whose like neither he nor his people will ever look again. If there ever was a time when it might seem excusable for a bereaved nation and a bereaved servant to abandon themselves to a sense of helplessness, it was on the death of Moses. But even at that supreme moment the command to Joshua is, " ow therefore arise." Gird yourself for the new duties and responsibilities that have come upon you. Do not worry yourself with asking whether you are capable of doing these duties, or with vainly looking within yourself for the gifts and qualities which marked your predecessor. It is enough for you that God in His providence calls you to take the place of the departed. If He has called you, He will equip you. It is not His way to send men a warfare on their own charges. The work to which He calls you is not yours but His. Remember He is far more interested in its success than you can be. Think not of yourself, but of Him, and go forth under the motto, ''We will rejoice in Thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners." In many different situations of life we may hear the same exhortation that was now addressed to Joshua. A wise, considerate, and honoured father is removed, and the eldest son, a mere stripling, is called to take his place, perhaps in the mercantile office or place of business, certainly in the domestic circle. He is called to be the comforter and adviser of his widowed mother, and the example and helper of his brothers and sisters. Well for him when he hears a voice from heaven, "Your father is dead; now therefore arise!" Rouse yourself for the duties that now devolve upon you; onerous they may be and beyond your strength, but not on that account to be evaded or repudiated; rather to be looked on as spurs provided and designed by God, that you may apply yourself with heart and soul to your duties, in the belief that faithful and patient application shall not be without its reward! Or it may be that the summons comes to some young minister as successor to a father in Israel, whose ripe gifts and fragrant character have won the confidence and the admiration of all. Or to some teacher in a Sunday-school, where the man of weight, of wise counsel, and holy influence has been suddenly snatched away. But be
- 80. the occasion whatit may, the removal of any man of ripe character and gifts always comes to the survivor with the Divine summons, '' ow therefore arise!" That is the one way in which you must try to improve this dispensation; the world is poorer for the loss of his gifts - learn you to make the most of yours! It was no mean impression of Moses that God meant to convey by the designation, ''Moses My servant." It was not a high-sounding title, certainly. A great contrast to the long list of honourable titles sometimes engraved on men's coffins or on their tombs, or proclaimed by royal herald or king-at-arms over departed kings or nobles. One of the greatest of men has no handle to his name - he is simply Moses. He has no titles of rank or office - he is simply "My servant." But true greatness is ''when unadorned adorned the most." Moses is a real man, a man of real greatness; there is no occasion therefore to deck him out in tinsel and gilt; he is gold to the core. But think what is really implied in this designation, "My servant." Even if Moses had not been God's servant in a sense and in a degree in which few other men ever were, it would have been a glorious thing to obtain that simple appellation. True indeed, the term "servant of God" is such a hackneyed one, and often so little represents what it really means, that we need to pause and think of its full import. There may be much honour in being a servant. Even in our families and factories a model servant is a rare and precious treasure. For a real servant is one that has the interest of his master as thoroughly at heart as his own, and never scruples, at any sacrifice of personal interest or feeling, to do all that he can for his master's welfare. A true servant is one of whom his master may say, ''There is absolutely no need for me to remind him what my interest requires; he is always thinking of my interest, always on the alert to attend to it, and there is not a single thing I possess that is not safe in his hands." Does God possess many such servants? Who among us can suppose God saying this of him? Yet this was the character of Moses, and in God's eyes it invested him with singular honour. It was his distinction that he was "faithful in all his house." His own will was thoroughly subdued to the will of God. The people of whom God gave him charge were dear to him as a right hand or a right eye. All personal interests and ambitions were put far from him. To aggrandise himself or to aggrandise his house never entered into his thoughts. ever was self more thoroughly crucified in any man's breast. Beautiful and delightful in God's eyes must have seemed this quality in Moses, - his absolute disinterestedness, his sensibility to every hint of his Master's will, his consecration of all he was and had to God, and to his people for God's sake! It was thus no unsuggestive word that God used of Moses, when he told Joshua that "His servant" was dead. It was a significant indication of what God had valued in Moses and now expected of Joshua. The one thing for Joshua to remember about Moses is, that he was the servant of God. Let him take pains to be the same; let him have his ear as open as that of Moses to every intimation of God's will, his will as prompt to respond, and his hand as quick to obey.
- 81. Was not thisview of the glory of Moses as God's servant a foreshadow of what was afterwards taught more fully and on a wider scale by our Lord? ''The Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many." Jesus sought to reverse the natural notions of men as to what constitutes greatness, when He taught that, instead of being measured by the number of servants who wait on us, it is measured rather by the number of persons to whom we become servants. And if it was a mark of Christ's own humiliation that ''He took on Him the form of a servant," did not this redound to His highest glory? Was it not for this that God highly exalted Him and gave Him a name that is above every name? Happy they who are content to be God's servants in whatsoever sphere of life He may place them; seeking not their own, but always intent upon their Master's business! And now Joshua must succeed Moses and be God's servant as he was. He must aim at this as the one distinction of his life; he must seek in every action to know what God would have him to do. Happy man if he can carry out this ideal of life! o conflicting interests or passions will distract his soul. His eye being single, his whole body will be full of light. The power that nerves his arm will not be more remarkable than the peace that dwells in his soul. He will show to all future generations the power of a "lost will," - not the suppression of all desire, according to the Buddhist's idea of bliss, but all lawful natural desires in happy and harmonious action, because subject to the wise, holy, and loving guidance of the will of God. Thus we see among the other paradoxes of His government, how God uses death to promote life. The death of the eminent, the aged, the men of brilliant gifts makes way for others, and stimulates their activity and growth. When the champion of the forest falls the younger trees around it are brought more into contact with the sunshine and fresh air, and push up into taller and more fully developed forms. If none of the younger growth attains the size of the champion, a great many may be advanced to a higher average of size and beauty. If in the second generation of any great religious movement few or none can match the "mighties" of the previous age, there may be a general elevation, a rise of level, an increase of efficiency among the rank and file. In many ways death enters into God's plans. ot only does it make way for the younger men; but it has a solemnizing and quickening effect on all who are not hardened and dulled by the wear and tear of life. "Can death itself when seen in the light of this truth [the adjustment of every being in animated nature to every other] be denied to be an evidence of benevolence? I think not. The law of animal generation makes necessary the law of animal death, if the largest amount of animal happiness is to be secured. If there had been less death there must also have been less life, and what life there was must have been poorer and meaner. Death is a condition of the prolificness of nature, the multiplicity of species, the succession of generations, the co-existence of the young and the old; and
- 82. these things, itcannot reasonably be doubted, add immensely to the sura of animal happiness." - Flint's "Theism," p. 251. What a memorable event in the spiritual history of families is the first sudden affliction, the first breach in the circle of loving hearts! First, the new experience of intense tender longing, baffled by the inexorable conditions of death; then the vivid vision of eternity, the reality of the unseen flashing on them with living and awful power, and giving an immeasurable importance to the question of salvation; then the drawing closer to one another, the forswearing of all animosities and jealousies, the cordial desire for unbroken peace and constant co-operation; and if it be the father or the mother that has been taken, the ambition to be useful, - to be a help not a burden to the surviving parent, and to do what little they can of what used to be their father's or their mother's work. Death becomes actually a quickener of the vital energies; instead of a withering influence, it drops like the gentle dew, and becomes the minister of life. And death is not alone among the destructive agencies that are so often directed to life-giving ends. What a remarkable place is that which is occupied by pain among God's instruments of good! How many are there who, looking back on their lives, have to confess, with a mixture of sadness and of joy, that it is their times of greatest suffering that have been the most decisive in their lives, - marked by their best resolutions, - followed by their greatest advance! And it sometimes would seem as if the acuter the suffering the greater the blessing. How near God seems at times to come to the height of cruelty when really He is overflowing with love! He seems to select the very tenderest spots on which to inflict His blows, the very tenderest and purest affections of the heart. It is a wonderful triumph of faith and submission when the sufferer stands firm and tranquil amidst it all. And still more when he can find consolation in the analogy which was supplied by God's own act, - "He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?" And this brings us to our last application. Our Lord Himself, by a beautiful analogy in nature, showed the connection, in the very highest sense, between death and life - ''Except a grain of wheat fall into the earth and die, it abideth alone; but if it die it beareth much fruit." "Without shedding of blood there is no remission of sin." When Jesus died at Calvary, the headquarters of death became the nursery of life. The place of a skull, like the prophet's valley of dry bones, gave birth to an exceeding great army of living men. Among the wonders that will bring glory to God in the highest throughout eternity, the greatest will be this evolution of good from evil, of happiness from pain, of life from death. And even when the end comes, and death is swallowed up of victory, and death and hell are cast into the lake of fire, there will abide with the glorified a lively sense of the infinite blessing that came to them from God through the repulsive channel of death, finding its highest expression in that anthem of the redeemed - "Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us TO God by Thy blood."
- 83. EBC, "JOSHUA'S CALL. Joshua1:2-5. JOSHUA has heard the Divine voice summoning him to the attitude of activity - "Arise!" Directions follow immediately as to the course which his activity is to take. His first step is to be a very pronounced one - "Go over this Jordan ": enter the land, not by yourself, or with a handful of comrades, as you did forty years ago, but "thou and all this people." Take the bold step, cross the river; and when you are across the river, take possession of the country which I now give to your people. The time has come for decided action; it is for you to show the way, and summon your people to follow. It was a very solemn and striking moment, second only in interest to that when, forty years before, their fathers had stood at the edge of the sea, with the host of Pharaoh hurrying on behind. At length the hour has come to take possession of the inheritance! At length the promise made so many hundred years ago to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is ripe for fulfilment! You, children of Israel, have seen that God is in no haste to fulfil His promises, and your hearts may have known much of the sickness of hope deferred. But now you are to see that after all God is faithful. He never forgets. He makes no mistakes. His delays are all designed for good, either to chasten or to try, and thus confirm and bless His people. He will now bring forth your righteousness as the light and your judgment as the noon-day. There were two things that might make Joshua and the people hesitate to cross the Jordan. In the first place, the river was in flood; it was the time when the Jordan overflowed its banks (Joshua 3:15), and, being a rapid river, crossing it in such circumstances might well seem out of the question. But in the second place, to cross the Jordan was to throw down the gauntlet to the enemy: It was a declaration of war, and a challenge to them to do their worst. It was a signal for them to assemble, fight for their hearths and homes, and strain every nerve to annihilate this invader who made such a bold claim to their possessions. All the children of Anak whom Joshua had seen on his former visit would now range themselves against Israel; all the seven nations would muster their bravest forces, and the contest would not be like Joshua's battle with Amalek, finished in a single day, but a long succession of battles, in which all the resources of power and skill, of craft and cunning would be brought to bear against Israel. According to appearances, nothing short of this would be the result of comphance with the command, "Go over this Jordan." On the one hand, therefore, compliance was physically impossible, and on the other, even if possible, it would have been fearfully perilous. But it is never God's method to give impossible commands. The very fact of His commanding anything is a proof of His readiness to make it possible, nay, to make it easy and simple to those who have faith to attempt it. ''Stretch out thy hand," said Christ to the man with the withered hand. "Stretch out my hand?" the man might have said in astonishment, - "why, it is the
- 84. very thing Iam unable to do." "Rise up and walk," said Peter to the lame man at the Beautiful gate. "How can I do that?" he might have replied; "don't you see that I have no use of my limbs?" But in these cases the helpless men had faith in those who bade them exert themselves; they believed that if they tried they would be helped, and helped accordingly they were. So too in the present case. Joshua knew that he and the host could not have crossed the Jordan as it then was by any contrivance in his power; but he knew that it was God's command, and he was sure that He would provide the means. He felt as if God and the people were in partnership, each equally interested in the result, and equally desirous to bring it about. Whatever it was necessary for God to do he was assured would be done, provided he and the people entered into the Divine plan, and threw all their energies into the work. ot a word of remonstrance did Joshua offer, not a word of explanation of the Divine plan did he ask; he acted as a servant should; "His not to make reply, His not to reason why; " his only to trust and obey. This faith in Divine power qualifying feeble mortals for the hardest tasks has originated some of the noblest enterprises in the history of the world. It was a Divine voice Columbus seemed to hear bidding him cross the wild Atlantic, for he desired to bring the natives of the distant shores beyond it into the pale of the Church; and it was his faith that sustained him when his crew became mutinous and his life was not safe for an hour. It was a Divine voice Livingstone seemed to hear bidding him cross Africa, strike up into the heart of the continent, examine its structure, and throw it open from shore to shore; and never was there a faith stronger or steadier than that which bore him on through fever and famine, through pain and sickness, through disappointment and anguish, and, even when the cold hand of death was on him, would not let him rest until his work was done. Often in the spiritual warfare it is useful to apply this principle. Are we called to believe? Are we called to make ourselves a new heart and a new spirit? Are we summoned to fight, to wrestle, to overcome? Certainly we are. But is not this to tantalize us by ordering us to do what we cannot do? Is not this like telling a sick man to get well, or a decrepit old creature to skip and frisk like a child? It would be so if the principle of partnership between God and us did not come into play. Faith says, God is my partner in this matter. Partners even in an ordinary business put their resources together, each doing what his special abilities fit him for. In the partnership which faith establishes between God and you, the resources of the infinite Partner become available for the needs of the finite. It is God's part to give orders, it is your part to execute them, and it is God's part to strengthen you so to do. It is this that makes the command reasonable, "Work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God that worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure." Faith rejoices in the partnership, and goes forward in the confidence that the strength of the Almighty will help its weakness, not by one sudden leap, but by that steady growth in grace that makes the path of the just like the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.
- 85. It was agreat thing for God to announce that He was now in the act of turning His old, old promise into reality, - that the land pledged to Abraham centuries ago was now at length to become the possession of his descendants. But the gift could be of no avail unless it was actually appropriated. God gave the people the right to the land; but their own energy, made effectual through His grace, could alone secure the possession. In a remarkable way they were made to feel that, while the land was God's gift, the appropriation and enjoyment of the gift must come through their own exertions. Just as in a higher sphere we know that our salvation is wholly the gift of God; and yet the getting hold of this gift, the getting linked to Christ, the entrance as it were into the marriage covenant with Him involves the active exertion of our own will and energy, and the gift never can be ours if we fail thus to appropriate it. As soon as God mentions the land, He expatiates on its amplitude and its boundaries. It was designed to be both a comfortable and an ample possession. In point of extent it was a spacious region, - ''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, towards the going down of the sun." And it was not merely bits or corners of this land that were to be theirs, they were not designed to share it with other occupants, but ''every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, to you have I given it, as I spake unto Moses." It was in no meagre or stingy spirit that God was now to fulfil His ancient promise, but in a way corresponding to the essential bountifulness of His nature. For it is a delightful truth that God's heart is large and liberal, and that He delights in large and bountiful gifts. Has He not made this plain to all in the arrangements of nature? What more lavish than the gift of light, ever streaming from the sun in silver showers? What more abundant than the fresh air that, like an inexhaustible ocean, encompasses our globe, or the rivers that carry their fresh and fertilizing treasures unweariedly through every meadow? What more productive than the vegetable soil that under favourable conditions teems with fruits and flowers and the elements of food for the use and enjoyment of man? And when we turn to God's provision in grace we find glorious proofs of the same abundance and generosity. We see this symbolized by the activity and generosity of our Lord, as He went about ''preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people." We understand the spiritual reality of which this was the symbol, when we call to mind the Divine generosity that receives the vilest sinners; the efficacy of the blood that cleanses from all sin; the power of the Spirit that sanctifies soul, body, and spirit; the wisdom of the providence that makes all things work together for good; the glory of the love that makes us now "sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be; but we know that when He shall appear we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is." And once more it appears in the glory and amplitude of the inheritance, of which the land of Canaan was but the type, prepared of God's infinite bounty for all who are His children by faith. Our Father's house is both large and well furnished; it is a house of many mansions; and the inheritance which He has promised is incorruptible and undefiled and fadeth not away.
- 86. It is agrand truth, of which we never can make too much, this bountifulness of God, and the delight which He has in being bountiful. It is emphatically a truth for faith to apprehend and enjoy, because appearances are so often against it. Appearances were fearfully against it while the Israelites were groaning in their Egyptian bondage, and hardly less so, despite the manna and the water from the rock, during the forty years' wandering in the desert. But that was a period of correction and of training, and in such circumstances lavish bounty was out of the question. The most bountiful man on earth could not pour out all the liberality of his heart on the inmates of a hospital for the sick; he may give all that sick men need, but he must wait till they are well before he can give full scope to his generosity. While we are in the body we are like patients in a hospital, and the kindest feelings from God toward us must often take the form of bitter medicines, painful operations, close restraint, stinted diet, and it may be silence and darkness. But wait till we are well, and then we shall see what God hath prepared for him that waiteth for Him! Wait till we go over Jordan and take possession of the land! Two things will be seen in the clearest light - the supreme bountifulness of God, and the sinfulness of that impatient and suspicious spirit to which we are so prone. What a humiliation, if humiliation be possible in heaven, to discover that all the time when we were fretting and grumbling, God was working out His plans of supreme beneficence and love, waiting only till we should come of age to make us heirs of the universe! It is natural to ask why, if the boundaries of the promised land were so extensive, if they reached so far on the north-east as the Euphrates, and if they extended from Lebanon on the north to the confines of Egypt on the south, there should have been any difficulty about the two and a half tribes occupying the land east of the Jordan, where only by a special permission they obtained their settlement. For it is plain from the narrative that it was contrary to God's first intention, so to speak, that they should settle there, and that the land west of the Jordan was that to which the promise was held specially to apply. It will hardly do to say, as some have said, that the extension of the land to the Euphrates was a figure of speech, a poetical fringe or ornament as it were, intended to show that places adjacent to the land of Israel would share in some degree the radiance of its light and the influence of the Divine presence among its people. For the promise of God was really of the nature of a charter, and figures of poetry are not suitable in charters. It is rather to be understood that, in the final purpose of God, the possession included the whole of the ample domain contained within the specified boundaries, but that at first it would be confined within a narrower space. If the people should prove faithful to the covenant, the wider dominion would one day be conferred on them; but they were to start and get consolidated in a narrower territory. And the narrower space was that which had already been consecrated by the residence of the fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The country west of Jordan was the land of their pilgrimage; and even when Lot and Abraham had to separate, it was not proposed that either should cross the river. The little strip lying between the Jordan and the sea was judged most suitable for the preparatory stage of Israel's history; but had the nation served God with fidelity, their country would have been extended - as in
- 87. the days ofDavid and Solomon it really was - to the dimensions of an empire. The rule afterwards announced was to be virtually brought into operation - "To him that hath shall be given." Hence the view taken of the settlement of the two and a half tribes east of the Jordan. It was not illegitimate; it was not inconsistent with the covenant made with the fathers; but it was for the time inexpedient, seeing that it exposed them to risks, both material and spiritual, which it would have been better for them to avoid. One geographical expression, in the delimitation of the country, demands a brief explanation. While the country is defined as embracing the whole territory from Lebanon to the Euphrates, it is also defined as consisting in that direction of ''all the land of the Hittites." But were not the Hittites one of the seven nations whose land was promised to Abraham and the fathers, and not even the first in the enumeration of these? Why should this great north-eastern section of the promised domain be designated ''the land of the Hittites"? See "The Empire of the Hittites." By William Wright, D.D., F.R.G.S. London, 1886. The time was when it was a charge against the accuracy of the Scripture record that it ascribed to the Hittites this extensive dominion. That time has passed away, inasmuch as, within quite recent years, the discovery has been made that in those distant times a great Hittite empire did exist in the very region specified, between Lebanon and the Euphrates. The discovery is based on twofold data: references in the Egyptian and other monuments to a powerful people, called the Khita (Hittites), with whom even the great kings of Egypt had long and bloody wars; and inscriptions in the Hittite language found in Hamah, Aleppo, and other places in Syria. There is still much obscurity resting on the history of this people. That the Hittites proper prevailed so extensively has been doubted by some; a Hittite confederacy has been supposed, and sometimes a Hittite aristocracy exercising control over a great empire. The only point which it is necessary to dwell on here is, that in representing the tract between Lebanon and Euphrates as equivalent to "all the land of the Hittites," the author of the Book of Joshua made a statement which has been abundantly verified by recent research. To encourage and animate Joshua to undertake the work and position of Moses it is very graciously promised - ''There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so will I be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee." The invariable success promised was a greater boon than the greatest conquerors had been able to secure. Uniform success is a thing hardly known to captains of great expeditions, even though in the end they may prevail. But the promise to Joshua is, that all his enemies shall flee before him. one of his battles shall be even neutral, his opponents must always give way. o son of Anak shall be able to oppose his onward march; no giant, like Og King of Bashan, shall terrify either him or his troops. He will "onward still to victory go," - the Lord of hosts ever with him, the God of Jacob ever his defence. The promise is not inconsistent with the fact that Joshua's troops were defeated by
- 88. the men ofAi. In such promises there is an implied condition of steadfast regard to God's will on the part of those who receive them, and this condition was violated at Ai, not by Joshua, indeed, but by one of his people. And this was no vague, indefinite assurance. It was sharply defined by a well-known example in the immediate past - ''As I was with Moses, so I will be with thee." In what a remarkable variety of dangers and trials God was with Moses! ow he had to confront the grandest monarch on earth, supported by the strongest armies, and upheld by what claimed to be the mightest gods. Again he had to deal with an apostate people, mad upon idols, and afterwards with an excited mob, ready to stone him. Anon he had to overcome the forces of nature and bend them to his purposes; to call water from the rock, to sweeten the bitter fountain, to heal the fiery bite, to cure his sister's leprous body, to bring down bread from heaven, and people the air with flocks of birds. Moreover, he had to be the messenger of the covenant between God and Israel, to unfold God's law in its length and breadth and in all its variety of application, and to obtain from the people a hearty compliance - '' All that the Lord hath said unto us, that will we do." What a marvellous work Moses did! What a testimony his life presented to the reality of the Divine presence and guidance, and what a solid and indefeasible ground of trust God gave to Joshua when He said, ''As I was with Moses, so will I be with thee." And this is crowned with the further assurance, "I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee," - an assurance which is extended in the Epistle to the Hebrews to all who believe. We are so apt to view these promises as just beautiful expressions that we need to pause and think what they really mean. A promise of Divine presence, Divine protection and guidance and blessing all the days of our life, is surely a treasure of inexpressible value. It is no slight matter to realize that this is in God's heart - that He has a constant, unvarying feeling of love toward us, and readiness to help; but we must believe this in order to get the benefit of it; and, moreover. He must be left to determine the time, the manner, and the form in which His help is to come. Alas for the unbelief, the suspicion, the fear that is so prone to eat out the spirit of trust, and in our trials and difficulties make us tremble as if we were alone! What a profound peace, what calm enjoyment and blessed hope fall to the lot of those who can believe in a God ever near, and in His unfailing faithfulness and love! Was it not the secret alike of David's calmness, of our Lord's serenity, and of the cheerful composure of many a martyr and many a common man and woman who have gone through life undisturbed and happy, that they could say - ''I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved"? God grant us all that, like Abraham, we may "stagger not at the promise of God through unbelief, but that being strong in faith we may give glory to God, and believe that what He hath promised He is able also to perform."
- 89. 3 I willgive you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. CLARKE, "The sole of your foot shalt tread upon - That is, the whole land occupied by the seven Canaanitish nations, and as far as the Euphrates on the east; for this was certainly the utmost of the grant now made to them; and all that was included in what is termed the promised land, the boundaries of which have already been defined. See Deu_34:1-4, and see Jos_1:4 (note) below. It has been supposed that the words, Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, were intended to express the ease with which they were to conquer the whole land, an instance of which occurs in the taking of Jericho. It was only their unfaithfulness to God that rendered the conquest in any case difficult. GILL, "Every place that the sole of your feet shall tread upon,.... That is, in the land of Canaan: that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses: See Gill on Deu_11:24; though the Jews extend this to all without the land subdued by them, and even to all the countries they now tread on, and are exiles in; but the limits of what the Lord gave them are fixed in Jos_1:4. JAMISO , "Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon that have I given you — meaning, of course, not universal dominion, but only the territory comprised within the boundaries here specified (see on Deu_19:8). K&D, "“Namely, every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon,” i.e., I have given you the whole land, not excepting a single foot's breadth. The perfect, “I have given,” refers to the counsel of God as having been formed long before, and being now about to be carried into execution. These words, which are connected with Deu_11:24, so far as the form is concerned, rest upon the promise of God in Exo_23:30-31, to which the words “as I said unto Moses” refer. ELLICOTT, "(3) Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you.—The conquest of Canaan was the special duty assigned to Joshua by the word of Moses. (Hence the order for the extermination of Amalek was written for Joshua [Exodus 17:14] as the representative conqueror, though he did not actually carry it out.) But the conquest of Canaan, as effected by Joshua, must be carefully defined. It was a limited conquest. He took a certain number of strongholds throughout the country, and utterly crushed the armies that were
- 90. opposed to himin the field. He established the people of Israel in the position that he had won. (See Joshua 12:9-24 for an outline of the position.) He then divided to the tribes of Israel the whole territory, conquered and unconquered alike (see Joshua 13:1-7). The Philistines and Sidonians (or Phoenicians) are examples of two great nations not conquered by Joshua, but assigned to Israel for an inheritance. Thus it appears that what Israel would conquer, the sole of his foot must tread. The conquest which Joshua began for the people, must be carried out in detail by the several tribes themselves. For a further discussion of the relation of Joshua’s conquest to the whole history of Israel, see ote on Joshua 13:2. TRAPP, "Joshua 1:3 Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses. Ver. 3. Every place that the sale, &c.] I, who am the true proprietary and lord paramount, [Psalms 24:1] do give you this land, but yet you must fight for it: and so must the saints for the heavenly Canaan. “ unquam bella bonis, nunquam diserimina desunt. ” PETT, "“Every place that the sole of your feet shall tread on, to you I have given it, as I said to Moses.” The land was to be theirs, but it had to be possessed. Step by step they would receive it as they went forward by faith in YHWH. Sometimes it would be two steps forward and one step back, but always they should go onwards until the whole was theirs. For once they had trodden it, it belonged to them. And all this was in accordance with His promise to Moses. Moses may be dead but God had not forgotten Moses, and He had not forgotten His promises to him. They still stood firm. These verses (Joshua 1:3-5) echo the words of Moses in Deuteronomy 11:24-25. There too possession would depend on going forward in obedience to YHWH. We too must remember that those who would accomplish things in God’s name must be prepared to go forward step by step. As we do so He will lead us in the way (Genesis 24:27) and grant us our part in His work. BE SO , "Verse 3-4 Joshua 1:3-4. Every place — That is, within the following bounds. This Lebanon — Emphatically, as being the most eminent mountain in Syria, and the northern border of the land: or this which is within thy view. Hittites — Of the Canaanites, who, elsewhere, are called Amorites, (Genesis 15:16,) and here Hittites, the Hittites being the most considerable and formidable of them all. The greater sea — The midland sea, great in itself, and especially compared with those lesser collections of waters, which the Jews called seas. “But the Israelites never possessed all this land.” To which it may be answered, 1st, That was from their own sloth and cowardice, and disobedience to God, and breach of those conditions upon which this promise was suspended: 2d, Though their possessions extended not to Euphrates, yet their
- 91. dominions did, andall those lands were tributary to them in David’s and Solomon’s time. COFFMA , ""Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, to you have I given it, as I spake unto Moses. 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 border." A number of scholars make something big out of the fact that the Septuagint (LXX) omits here in Joshua 1:4 the words "all the land of the Hittites," affirming on that basis that, the words "are possibly a later interpolation."[9] However, the MAJORITY of the ancient manuscripts have the words, and there is no logical reason for rejecting them on the basis of their omission in the Septuagint (LXX) and the Vulgate. A check of the Septuagint (LXX) shows that of the eighteen verses in this chapter, only seven of them, namely, Joshua 1:3,9,10,12,13,14, and 16, escaped mutilation in the LXX.[10] In some verses the person was changed; in others the number was changed from singular to plural, or the other way around, and in other changes, words, clauses, or phrases were omitted as in the instance here. In fact, on this basis, we may conclude that the Septuagint (LXX) is, on this chapter, little more than a poor paraphrase of the text, affording no basis whatever for challenging the accepted text. o doubt a part of the objection to the acceptance of "all the land of the Hittites" is due to failure to discern that "the land of the Hittites" was a general name for "all of Palestine" during the time when Joshua wrote.[11] We have checked a half dozen scholars including, Cook, Keil, and Plummer, and all of them concur in this general usage: "the land of the Hittites" is a designation of Canaan, or Palestine, generally. It is hard to understand why the critics appear to remain ignorant of this! EXPOSITOR'S DICTIO ARY, "The Message of the Book of Joshua Joshua 1:3 In the book of Joshua we have three sections; the first containing the story of the conquest of the land; the second containing the story of the distribution of the land; while the third gives us an account of the great leader"s farewell to his beloved people. I. The story of the conquest is contained in the first twelve chapters. 1. In the story of the conquest there are, I think, three keynotes; the first of these is Prepare. The account of the preparation is given in the opening chapters, and given in such a way as to teach us the solemn lesson that God"s soldiers must be right with God before they can fight God"s battles. 2. The second is Pass over. This is the note specially sounded at Jordan, when the people drew their swords and flung away their scabbards, and by crossing the river
- 92. committed themselves inface of gigantic odds to victory or death. It teaches us that ere God"s soldiers are fit to fight there must be in their lives a definite decisive consecration of themselves to the Lord. 3. And the third is Possess; and this note we have sounded throughout that brilliant series of campaigns which began with the fall of Jericho, and, proceeding from the South to the orth, ceased not until the whole of the land was subdued. To the story of the conquest of the land follows:— II. The story of the distribution of the land. This is the second section of the book, and extends from chapter XIII. to chapter XXI. It has been aptly compared to the Domesday Book of the orman conquerors of England. At the twenty-third chapter begins:— III. The story of the Leader"s farewell. This section contains two addresses, and is one of the most touching and impressive parts of the whole book. While the first address was delivered specially to the heads of the people—the leaders, the Judges , and the officers—the second address was delivered specially to the people themselves. From this book we learn:— (a) God gives, but we must take possession. As it was with Israel so it is with us. As God gave Canaan to Israel, so He gave Jesus Christ to us. And as the gift of Canaan meant the gift of all that Canaan contained, so the gift of Jesus Christ means the gift of all that He Isaiah , and of all that He has. But our enjoyment of all this is conditioned by the claim of our faith. Christ is to us actually what we trust Him to be. (b) In taking possession of what God has given us our strength is of God. This is the lesson taught by what is in some respects the most singular section of the whole book, the section containing the story of the captain of the Lord"s host. Joshua knew that victory lay before him, but he thought that it lay with him to compass this victory. But on the plains of Jericho he learned that as it was God"s grace which had given them Canaan, so it was God"s power which was to enable them to take possession. For us, in our strength, to live up to our privileges is as impossible as to win the privileges up to which we long to live. (c) There is always power enough at our disposal for taking possession of what God has given to us. When we have honestly set out to subdue the land we shall see the vision of the Captain of the Lord"s host. Every place on which the sole of our feet treads becomes ours. —G. H. C. Macgregor, Messages of the Old Testament, p73.
- 93. 4 Your territorywill extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Mediterranean Sea in the west. BAR ES, "Lebanon is spoken of as “this Lebanon,” because visible from the neighborhood in which Israel was encamped. (Compare Deu_3:8-9.) “The wilderness” of the text is the Desert of Arabia, which forms the southern, as Lebanon does the northern, limit of the promised land. The boundaries on the east and west are likewise indicated; and the intervening territory is described generally as “all the land of the Hittites.” The Hittites are properly the inhabitants of northern Canaan and Phoenicia (see Exo_3:8 note), but the name appears to be used here for the Canaanites in general, as in 1Ki_10:29. On the boundaries of the promised land compare Deu_11:24; Gen_ 15:18. CLARKE, "From the wilderness and this Lebanon - Joshua appears to be standing with his face towards the promised land, and pointing out the different places, or their situation, with his hand, This Lebanon, etc. The utmost of their limits should be from the desert of Arabia Petraea on the South to Lebanon on the North: and from the Euphrates on the East to the Mediterranean Sea on the West. The Israelites did not possess the full extent of this grant till the days of David. See 2Sa_8:3, etc., and 2Ch_ 9:26. Land of the Hittites - These are generally reputed to have been the most hardy and warlike of all the Canaanitish nations; and as they occupied the mountainous countries on the south of the land of Canaan, it is natural to suppose that they would be the most difficult to subdue, and on this account, it is supposed, God particularly specifies these: “Ye shall subdue and possess even all the land of the Hittites,” but it is probable that under this one term all the other nations are included, as it is certain they are in other places under the term Amorites. Great sea: The Mediterranean, called great in respect of the lakes in the land of Judea, such as the sea of Gennesareth, or the sea of Tiberias, and the Dead Sea, which were comparatively small lakes; but the Hebrews gave the name of sea, ים yam, to every large collection of waters.
- 94. GILL, "From thewilderness,.... The wilderness of Kadesh and Sin, on the border of Edom; in the southeast corner, as Jarchi says, see Num_34:3, and this Lebanon; which though on the other side Jordan, and at a considerable distance, being the northern border of the land towards Syria, might be seen afar off; or it is expressed, because it was a well known place, as Kimchi remarks: even unto the great river, the river Euphrates; which was the eastern border of the land, and to which it reached in the times of Solomon, whose dominion extended thither, 1Ki_4:21; according to Jarchi, this was its breadth from south to north: all the land of the Hittites: who, though only one of the seven nations of Canaan, are put for the rest, and the rather mentioned, because, as their name signifies, they were very formidable and terrible; among them dwelt the Anakim, and they themselves were very warlike and populous; or they are taken notice of particularly here, because they dwelt in the western part of the land described by them, so Kimchi thinks; according to Jarchi, this was its length from east to west: and unto the great sea: the Mediterranean sea, which was the western border of the land of Canaan, called great, in comparison of the sea of Tiberias, and the salt sea, which were in it: toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast; the western coast; see Gill on Deu_11:24; this will be more fully verified in Christ, when his kingdom is from sea to sea, Psa_72:8. JAMISO , "all the land of the Hittites — These occupied the southern extremities and were the dominant tribe of Canaan. Their superior power and the extent of their dominions are attested by the mention of them under the name of Khita, on the Assyrian inscriptions, and still more frequently on the Egyptian inscriptions of the eighteenth and nineteenth Dynasties. What life and encouragement must have been imparted to Joshua by the assurance that his people, who had been overwhelmed with fear of that gigantic race, were to possess “all the land of the Hittites”! K&D 4-5, "The boundaries of the land are given as in Deu_11:24, with the simple difference in form, that the boundary line from the desert (of Arabia) and Lebanon, i.e., from the southern and northern extremity, is drawn first of all towards the east to the great river, the Euphrates, and then towards the west to “the great sea, toward the going down of the sun,” i.e., the Mediterranean; and then between these two termini ad quem the more precise definition is inserted, “all the land of the Hittites;” whereas in Deuteronomy the southern, northern, and eastern boundaries are placed in antithesis to the western boundary, and the more precise definition of the country to be taken is given by an enumeration of the different tribes that were to be destroyed by the Israelites (Deu_11:23). On the oratorical character of these descriptions, see at Gen_15:18. The demonstrative pronoun “this,” in connection with Lebanon, may be explained from the fact that Lebanon, or at all events Anti-libanus, was visible from the Israelitish camp. The expression “the Hittites” (see at Gen_10:15) is used here in a broader sense for Canaanites in general, as in 1Ki_10:29; 2Ki_7:6; Eze_16:3. The promise in Jos_1:5 is adopted from Deu_11:25, where it was made to the whole nation, and specially
- 95. transferred to Joshua;and Jos_1:5 is repeated from Deu_31:8, as compared with Jos_ 1:6. CALVI , "4.From the wilderness and this Lebanon, etc How the truth and fulfillment of this promise surmounted all the obstacles interposed by the wickedness of the people, though they did not obtain immediate possession of the whole territory, I have explained in the Argument. For although God had unfolded the inestimable treasures of his beneficence by constituting them lords of the country, it did not follow that their misconduct was not to be chastised. ay, there behooved to be a fulfillment of the threatening which Moses had denounced, viz., that if the nations doomed to destruction were not destroyed, they would prove thorns and stings in their eyes and sides. But as the promise was by no means broken or rendered void by the delay of forty years, during which they were led wandering through the desert, so the entire possession, though long suspended, proved the faithfulness of the decree by which it had been adjudged. The people had it in their power to obtain possession of the prescribed boundaries in due time; they declined to do so. For this they deserved to have been expelled altogether. (18) But the divine indulgence granted them an extent of territory sufficient for their commodious habitation; and although it had been foretold that, in just punishment, the residue of the nations whom they spared would prove pernicious to them, still, they suffered no molestation, unless when they provoked the Divine anger by their perfidy and almost continual defection: for as often as their affairs became prosperous, they turned aside to wantonness. Still, owing to the wonderful goodness of God, when oppressed by the violence of the enemy, and, as it were, thrust down to the grave, they continued to live in death; and not only so, but every now and then deliverers arose, and, contrary to all hope, retrieved them from ruin. (19) The Great Sea means the Mediterranean, and to it the land of the Hittites forms the opposite boundary; in the same way Lebanon is opposed to the Euphrates; but it must be observed that under Lebanon the desert is comprehended, as appears from another passage. (20) TRAPP, "Joshua 1:4 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. Ver. 4. From the wilderness.] Here we have the topography of the promised land, as it hath the wilderness of Arabia on the south, Mount Lebanon on the north, the Mediterranean Sea on the west, and Euphrates on the east. All the land of the Hittites.] Those sturdiest of all the Canaanites. COKE, "Ver. 4. From the wilderness and this Lebanon—shall be your coast— That
- 96. is, from allthat desart which lies south of the place where you now are, to mount Lebanon, fronting you on the north; and from the Euphrates on the east, to the Mediterranean sea on the west. See Genesis 25:18. Deuteronomy 1:7. The Hittites, part of whom were of the race of the giants, inhabited, with the Amorites, the mountainous country to the south of the land of Canaan, and were famous for their valour. To promise Joshua the conquest of their country, was to declare to him the utter defeat of the Canaanites; and this, doubtless, is the reason why they were here named in preference. Joshua drove them out of their country, but did not destroy them utterly; for mention is made of their kings a long time afterwards. See 2 Kings 7:6. The great sea, toward the going down of the sun, i.e. the Mediterranean sea to the west. WHEDO , "4. The wilderness — This word is especially applied to that desert of Arabia Petraea in which the Israelites sojourned under Moses. It stretches from Mount Sinai northward between the two branches of the Red Sea to the Dead Sea, Palestine, and the Mediterranean. Its eastern boundary is Arabia Deserta and Arabia Felix; its western, Egypt and the western arm of the Red Sea. It is a rolling desert, covered generally with loose gravel and stones, and everywhere furrowed and torn with torrents. Says Dr. Robinson, “A more frightful desert it had hardly been our lot to behold. Through the deep gorge on the eastern side, extending from the Gulf of Akaba to the Dead Sea, there is every indication that the Jordan once flowed before the great convulsion which depressed the Dead Sea.” This Lebanon — A double range of mountains, with a valley called Coele (hollow) Syria between, constituting the eastern limit of Phenicia and the northern limit of Palestine. The eastern spur, called Anti-Lebanon, terminates on the south in Mount Hermon, and was visible from Shittim. Hence the expression this Lebanon, like this Jordan in Joshua 1:2, because, though at a distance, it could be pointed out as a definite landmark. The name, which signifies white, is derived from the white appearance caused both by the limestone rocks and the snows. The height is about ten thousand feet. (See note on Hermon Joshua 11:3.) The Hittites — Or children of Heth. A tribe of Canaanites living in Abraham’s time in Hebron and its vicinity, in the southern part of the Land of Promise. As they had been an especial terror to the twelve spies, or to the craven ten, whose report disheartened the people, they are here mentioned by name, and put for the whole body of the Canaanites — Ye shall possess the land of even the dreaded Hittites. This designation of Canaan as “the land of the Hittites” occurs in the Bible only in this passage, though frequently used in the Egyptian records of Rameses II., in which Cheta or Chita appears to denote the whole country of lower and middle Syria. The Euphrates — “The great river” of western Asia, one thousand four hundred miles in length, is mentioned in connection with the garden of Eden, (Genesis 2:14,) and throughout the Scripture history is often mentioned with this adjective. Great sea — The Mediterranean, called great in comparison with the small inland
- 97. bodies of water,such as Genesareth and the Dead Sea. Your coast — Your boundaries. These included a larger territory than the Hebrews ever possessed, except for a short time during the reigns of David and Solomon. The breadth from Lebanon on the north to the desert on the south is one hundred and forty miles; the length from the Mediterranean to the Euphrates is about four hundred miles, making an area of fifty-six thousand square miles, equal to the States of ew York and Vermont. But Canaan proper, or Palestine, was only one hundred and forty miles by forty — an area smaller than the State of ew Jersey. Jehovah devised liberal things for his people, but they failed through unbelief and cowardice to come into immediate possession of the munificent gift. PETT, "‘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 (the west), shall be your border.’ The land was strictly defined. The wilderness is that which they came through on their way from Egypt, the wilderness of Edom, Kadesh and Sin, beyond the egeb up to the Edom border; Lebanon and the land of the Hittites was the land to the north, roughly up to the Euphrates. ‘The land of the Hittites’ was probably northern Syria, called this also in Assyrian inscriptions and the Amarna letters. The Great Sea was the Mediterranean. The fourth border was the Jordan, although some see ‘this Lebanon’ as marking the eastern border and referring to the easternmost of the Lebanon ranges, indicated with a wave of the hand even though not in sight. But ‘all the land of the Hittites’ may be intended to be a general term (like Canaanites and Amorites) to indicate Canaan where there were colonies of Hittites. Thus some see it as signifying Canaan, the one nation standing for the many, of those named as inhabitants of the land. (LXX omits the phrase, finding it difficult). otice the more exact definition of the land to be possessed in umbers 34:1-15 with the northern border at mount Hor (one of the northern summits of the Lebanon range), Lebo-hamath (or the entering in, or border, of Hamath) and Zedad. Lebo- hamath is now testified to as a city archaeologically. Under David and Solomon (1 Kings 4:21) the whole area would come under Israel’s influence by one means or another (apart from Phoenicia, although that became connected through marriage, and Philistia which was subdued), but they did not cast out their inhabitants, they made them tributary or made treaties with them, and thus when Solomon and finally his sons failed to maintain their position, much of it was soon lost to them. For possession was dependent on obedience to YHWH and it was obedience that was lacking. It is always so with God’s gifts. They must be possessed. And if we fail to possess them we lose them. There is an important lesson here. God did at this stage make the whole land available to them. He promised that it was theirs for the taking. When hey failed to possess it, it was not His promise that failed. What failed was obedience. Thus did they lose what was rightly theirs because given to them by God. We never dream
- 98. how much welose through disobedience. PI K, "Divine Assurances It is scarcely possible to overstate the importance of the book of Joshua. Its contents are an intrinsic part of "the children’s bread", which is essential to their well-being. It is of incalculable value to us both doctrinally and practically. Doctrinally it casts clear light on a subject which has deeply exercised the best theologians throughout the centuries, namely, the relation which the Gospel sustains to the Law; yet so far as we are aware, none has ever appealed to this portion of the Word as providing a solution to that problem. Surely it is clear that if we can ascertain what was the precise relations which Joshua bore to Moses, we shall discover the relations which the Gospel sustains to the Law. It has indeed been recognized by many that the relation of those men unto each other indicated in a general way one of the chief distinctions between the Law and the Gospel: that as Joshua rather than Moses was the one who led Israel into Canaan, so it is the merits of Christ and not the works of the Law to which the sinner must look for his justification; but there they stopped. Instead of starting at the beginning and tracing through the subject, they began in the middle and drew a single conclusion. The very first thing told us about Joshua in the book which bears his name is that he was "Moses’ minister" (Josh. 1:1), a statement that looks back to Exodus 24:13. Thus, Joshua is not set before us as antagonistic to Moses, but as his attendant and supporter. Apply that to the antitype and it should at once be evident that it is a serious mistake to regard the Gospel and the Law as being mutual enemies. Perhaps some will object, but is it not derogatory to the Son of God to view Him as subservient to the Law? Our reply is, What saith the Scriptures? Upon that point there is no room for uncertainty: "When the fullness of time was come God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the Law" (Gal. 4:4). It was in order to prevent any mistake upon this point, to allay any fears they might entertain about it, that Christ said to His disciples "Think not that I am come to destroy the Law or the Prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill" (Matthew 5:17)—to "fulfill" it by rendering thereto a perfect obedience and then to endure, on behalf of His sinful people, its unremitting penalty. But second, it is quite clear from the book of Deuteronomy that the mission of Joshua was to complement that of Moses, to bring to a successful issue what he began. Moses had led Israel out of Egypt and he had been their leader all through the wilderness journeyings, but it was left unto Joshua to induct Israel into their promised inheritance. Here too we find no antagonism between Joshua and Moses, but rather the one augmenting the other. Therein we have a blessed and striking adumbration of the relation which the Gospel sustains to the Law: it is not its adversary but its handmaid, not its destroyer but its fulfiller. Christ has not only honored and magnified the Law person ally, but He secures its being honored and magnified in the affections and lives of His redeemed: "For the Law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ" (John 1:17). "For what the Law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: that the righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us" (Rom. 8:3, 4). Under Moses the Law obtained not its due because of the weakness of the flesh in
- 99. those who receivedit. They declared unto Moses "speak thou unto us all that the Lord our God shall speak unto thee, and we will hear and do" (Deut. 5:27). or was the Lord displeased at such an avowal. So far was He from condemning them for a presumptuous boast, we are told, "the Lord said unto me, I have heard the voice of the words of this people which they have spoken unto thee: they have well said all that they have spoken" (v. 28). evertheless, there was a "weakness" of which they were ignorant, but of which He was cognizant, for He went on to say "Oh that there were such a heart in them that they would fear Me and keep all My commandments always, that it might be well with them and with their children forever!" There we learn what their "weakness" consisted of: they lacked a heart for the Lord Himself. That is the lack of the natural man the world over: until he is born again no man has either any filial fear of God nor love for Him, and where those be absent there is neither desire nor sincere effort to keep them. "The carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the Law of God, neither indeed can be" (Rom. 8:7). Inexpressibly solemn are those words: true of writer and reader alike until a miracle of grace was wrought within him. The carnal mind is not subject to the Law of God nor is it capable of being so: it is utterly lawless, determined only on pleasing self and having our own way. The reason for this in-subjection of the carnal mind to the Divine Law is that it is "enmity against God": it is alienated from Him, it hates Him—abhorring His ineffable holiness and despising His sovereign authority. But at regeneration the love of God is shed abroad in the heart by the Holy Spirit (Rom. 5:5): a contrary principle is implanted which opposes that enmity and its reigning power is destroyed. Hence, there is on the part of the regenerated person a radically changed disposition and attitude to the Divine Law, so that he declares "I delight in the Law of God after the inward man . . . with the mind I myself serve the Law of God" (Rom. 7:22, 25). Third, not only was Joshua, originally, "Moses’ minister", not only did he supplement his ministry and bring his mission to successful completion, but when commissioned by Jehovah to conduct His people into Canaan, he was bidden "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. This book of the Law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate therein day and night" (Josh. 1:7,8). Here again we see that so far from the work assigned Joshua being inimical to that of his predecessor, he was enjoined to honor and magnify it. That commission concerned not so much Joshua personally as it did the people entrusted to his charge. If Israel were to "possess their possessions", then under the leader ship of Joshua they must regulate their conduct by the Divine Law. God has not regenerated those for whom Christ died that they might live as they please, but that they "might serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him, all the days of our life" (Luke 1:73, 75). Herein lies the triumph and glory of the Gospel: not merely that transgressors are pardoned and sinners delivered from the wrath to some, but-that they are "created in righteousness and true holiness" (Eph. 4:24), given a nature which delights in the Law and sincerely serves it. The Law is written on their hearts (Heb. 8:10), enshrined in their affections, and under the leadership of the antitypical Joshua their conduct is governed by it. Christ has left them an example that they should
- 100. follow His steps(1 Pet. 2:21), and He respected, honored, and fulfilled the Law. True, they do not perfectly obey the Law, though they long to and honestly endeavor so to do, and where there is that honest endeavor God accepts the will for the deed. So far from the Law’s being set aside, .T. saints are "under the Law to Christ" (1 Cor. 9:21), and just so far as they act in accordance with that fact is "good success" theirs in the spiritual life. Here, then, is the relation between the Law and the Gospel. First, as Moses preceded Joshua, so God employs the Law as an instrument for convicting the sinner of his need of Christ, for "by the Law is the knowledge of sin" (Rom. 3:20). Second, as Joshua was "Moses’ minister", so Christ was made under the Law and satisfied its every requirement, both preceptive and penal, that a perfect righteousness might be provided for His people. Third, as the mission of Joshua supplemented and complemented that of Moses, so when the Gospel of Christ is made the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth, there is communicated to that soul a nature which loves the Law and is subject to it. Fourth, as the success of Israel in Canaan turned upon their obedience to Joshua, who was to be regulated wholly by the Law of Moses, so the Christian enters into possession of his possessions only so far as he is subject to the Law in the hands of the Mediator. This will be made increasingly evident if we are permitted to continue our meditations upon this book of Scripture. In our last we dwelt a little on Joshua 1:1-3. With verse 4 should be compared Genesis 15:18, Exodus 23:31, umbers 34:3-12, Deuteronomy 11:24. Turning now to verse 5 we have the blessed promises which the Lord made unto Joshua as the basis of the great commission he then received. "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". In seeking to ponder them in the light of what immediately follows, we need to bear in mind that the terms of the commission were made with Joshua not simply as a private person, but as leader of the ation, that what God required from him He required from them, and that what He promised him He promised them. We saw this when looking at verse 2, wherein Jehovah said unto Joshua "Moses My servant is dead: now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou and all this people" That "therefore" is most significant and suggestive so far from the loss of their former leader inclining them to sit down in dejection and despair, it was all the more necessary why they should go forward under their new commander. "There shalt not any man be able to stand before thee". That this promise was made unto the ation as here represented by Joshua is clear from a comparison with Deuteronomy 7:24. There we find Moses addressing the whole congregation, assuring it of what the Lord God would do for them when He brought them into the land (see verse 1): "He shall deliver their kings into thine hand, and thou shalt destroy their name from under heaven: there shall no man be able to stand before thee". Thus as Joshua 1:2 gave the Divine call of duty unto Israel—"arise, go over this Jordan, thou and all this people unto the land which I do give thee"—so in verse 5 we see the Divine encouragement given them unto the discharge of their duty. Moses had to face the haughty monarch of Egypt—then the mightiest kingdom on earth—and confront his wise men and magicians; yet none were able to stand before him. Powerful nations were in possession of Canaan, among them the
- 101. giant Anakim (Deut.9:2), but none shall be able to withstand Joshua and those tinder him: "as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee" "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". But was that blessed assurance designed only for Joshua and the Israelites of that day? Is it not recorded also for our sakes (Rom. 4:23, 24). Then are we making practical use of it? Do we frequently remind ourselves of the same? Do we plead it before the throne of grace in time of need and ask God to make it good in our experience? Realizing that we are called upon to "fight the good fight of faith", conscious of our weakness and the might of our foes, have we put God in mind of this word? If not, why not? Is not our failure at this point the explanation of many other failures? It is not enough that we should long to enter more fully into our heritage in Christ, we should also appropriate unto ourselves this blessed assurance and beg God to overthrow whatever is standing in the way and hindering us from a present and personal enjoyment of our spiritual portion. We should be daily and confidently entreating Him to teach us to vanquish the Anakim which are usurping our rightful heritage. Should any doubt the dispensational validity of what we have just pointed out and demur at the idea of Christians today applying to themselves a specific promise made to Joshua thousands of years ago, then all room for a questioning of the same should at once be removed by the final clause of that verse’ "I will not fail thee nor forsake thee" (v. 5). Let the reader very carefully observe that that very promise is quoted in Hebrews 13 and a most important conclusion drawn from it: "For He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my Helper and I will not fear what man shall do unto me" (vv. 5, 6). The very fact that the Holy Spirit moved the apostle to apply unto Christians that promise made unto Joshua is clear proof of its significance for believers in this age. Although the principle of one basic interpretation with many legitimate applications may still be maintained, the promises of God frequently transcend dispensational distinctions. This is particularly true when the promise is restated in another historical context. In such instances the promise definitely pertains to those living in the other era as well and God’s children should rightly partake of this needful portion of their bread. What has just been mentioned ought to be so obvious that it requires no further amplification: but since some of our readers have been wrongly instructed therein, we must labor the point a little further. Are not the needs of believers the same in one age as another? Does not God bear the same relation to them and is He not affected alike unto all of His children—does He not bear them the same love? If He would not fail or forsake Joshua, then He will not us. Are not Christians today under the same everlasting covenant of grace as were the O.T. saints? Then they have a common charter: "For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off—as many as the Lord our God shall call" (Acts 2:39). Let us not forget that "Whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope" (Rom. 15:6). Then let this principle be held tenaciously by us: the Divine promises which were made on special occasions to particular individuals are of general use for all the members of the Household of Faith. "I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee" is one of "the exceeding great and precious
- 102. promises" of God(2 Pet. 1:4) which is addressed to me now as much as it was to Joshua of old, and therefore is available for my faith to lay hold of and enjoy. ote the use which the apostle made of the same: "So that we may boldly say, the Lord is my Helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me" (Heb. 13:6). Those words "so that" point an inference drawn from the promise: a double conclusion is thereby reached—confidence in God and courage against man. That intimates the various and manifold use we should make of God’s promises. The conclusion drawn by the apostle was based upon the character of the Promiser and similarly should faith ever reason. Since God is infinitely good, faithful, all-powerful and immutable, we may boldly or confidently declare with Abraham "the Lord will provide" (Gen. 29:8), with Jonathan "there is no restraint to the Lord to save by many or by few" (1 Sam. 14:6), with Jehoshaphat " one is able to withstand Thee" (2 Chron. 20:6), with Paul "If God be for us, who can be against us" (Rom. 8:31). "So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me". ote attentively the change in number from the plural to the singular: general principles are to be appropriated by us in particular, as general precepts are to be taken by us individually—as the Lord Jesus individualized the "Ye shall not tempt the Lord your God" of Deuteronomy 6: 16 when assailed by Satan (Matthew 4:10)! It is only by taking the Divine promises and precepts unto ourselves personally that we mix faith with the same and make a proper and profitable use of them. It is further to be observe d that "The Lord is my Helper." etc, is a citation from Psalm 118:6. In that quotation the apostle teaches us again that the language of the O.T. is exactly suited unto the case of Christians now, and that they are fully warranted in appropriating the same"; "we may boldly say" just what the Psalmist did! It was in a season of sore distress that David expressed his confidence in the Lord, at a time when it appeared that his enemies were about to swallow him up; but contrasting the omnipotence of Jehovah with the feebleness of the creature his heart was strengthened and emboldened. Ah, but does the reader clearly perceive what that involved? It meant that David turned his mind away from the seen to the unseen. It means that he was regulated by faith rather than by sight or reason. It means that His heart was occupied with the omnipotent One. But it means much more: he was occupied with the relationship of that omnipotent One unto himself. It means that he recognized and realized the spiritual bond there was between them, so that he could rightly and boldly say "the Lord is my Helper". If He be my God, my Redeemer, my Father, then He can be counted upon to undertake for me when I am in, sore straits, when my foes would devour me, or when my barrel of meal is well-nigh empty. But that "my" is the language of faith and "my Helper" is the conclusion which faith’s assurance unhesitatingly drew. Often God so orders His providences and places us in trying circumstances that there may be suitable opportunity for our exercise of faith and that He may be glorified by the same. othing honors Him more than the unquestioning confidence of our hearts when everything outward seems thoroughly against us. Yes, David turned away his eyes from his numerous and powerful enemies unto the omnipotent One, and so should we. God will not disappoint us if we do: He never fails those who really trust Him. Consider another example which illustrates the same principle. On one occasion "the children of Moab the children of Ammon, and
- 103. with them otherbesides the Ammonites, came against Jehoshaphat to battle" (2 Chron. 20:1). The king was quickly informed that "there cometh a great multitude against thee", and we are told that he "feared". But that was not all he did: he "set himself to seek the Lord and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah". Then in the presence of the whole congregation he prayed and pleaded with Jehovah, concluding with "O our God, wilt Thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us, neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon Thee" (v. 12). or did they look unto Him in vain. Read the sequel—verses 14-26: without themselves striking a blow, the Lord smote their enemies with such a spirit of confusion that they fell upon one another and completely destroyed themselves. 5 o one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. CLARKE, "Be able to stand before thee - Because God shall be with thee, therefore thou shalt be irresistible. This promise was most punctually literally fulfilled. GILL, "There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life,.... What is promised to the people in common, Deu_11:25; is here particularly promised to Joshua their general; and which was fulfilled in him, and still more in Christ his antitype, who made an end of sin, destroyed the devil, spoiled principalities and powers, abolished death, and overcame the world: as I was with Moses, so will I be with thee; to counsel and advise, guide and direct, protect and defend, prosper and succeed; the Targum of Jonathan is, as my Word"was for the help of Moses, so will I be with thee:" I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee; but grant him his presence, communicate
- 104. strength unto him,make good his promises, and leave him not till he had made an entire conquest of the land of Canaan, and even not till the end of his days; and was true of Christ in his state of humiliation, in his sufferings and death, and even in the grave, where he was not left so long as to see corruption; as this is applied to particu HE RY, ". The promises God here makes to Joshua for his encouragement. (1.) That he should be sure of the presence of God with him in this great work to which he was called (Jos_1:5): “As I was with Moses, to direct and strengthen him, to own and prosper him, and give him success in bringing Israel out of Egypt and leading them through the wilderness, so I will be with thee to enable thee to settle them in Canaan.” Joshua was sensible how far he came short of Moses in wisdom and grace; But what Moses did was done by virtue of the presence of God with him, and, though Joshua had not always the same presence of mind that Moses had, yet, if he had always the same presence of God, he would do well enough. Note, it is a great comfort to the rising generation of ministers and Christians that the same grace which was sufficient for those that went before them shall not be wanting to them if they be not wanting to themselves in the improvement of it. It is repeated here again (v. 9). “The Lord thy God is with thee as a God of power, and that power engaged for thee whithersoever thou goest.” Note, Those that go where God sends them shall have him with them wherever they go and they need desire no more to make them easy and prosperous. (2.) That the presence of God should never be withdrawn from him: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, v. 5. Moses had assured him of this (Deu_31:8), that, though he must now leave him, God never would: and here God himself confirms that word of his servant Moses (Isa_ 44:26), and engages never to leave Joshua. We need the presence of God, not only when we are beginning our work to set us in, but in the progress of it to further us with a continual help. If that at any time fail us, we are gone; this we may be sure, that the Lord is with us while we are with him. This promise here made to Joshua is applied to all believers, and improved as an argument against covetousness, Heb_13:5, Be content with such things as you have, for he hath said, I will never leave thee. (3.) That he should have victory over all the enemies of Israel (Jos_1:5): There shall not any man that comes against thee be able to stand before thee. Note, There is no standing before those that have God on their side. If he be for us, who can be against us? God promises him clear success - the enemy should not make any head against him; and constant success - all the days of his life. However it might be with Israel when he was gone, all his reign should be graced with triumphs. What Joshua had himself encouraged the people with long ago (Num_14:9) God here encourages him with. (4.) That he should himself have the dividing of this land among the people of Israel, v. 6. It was a great encouragement to him in beginning this work that he was sure to see it finished and his labour should not be in vain. Some make it a reason why he should arm himself with resolution, and be of good courage, because of the bad character of the people whom he must cause to inherit that land. He knew well what a froward discontented people they were, and how unmanageable they had been in his predecessor's time; let him therefore expect vexation from them and be of good courage. JAMISO , "There shall not any man be able to stand before thee — Canaan was theirs by a divine grant; and the renewed confirmation of that grant to Joshua when about to lead the people into it, intimated not only a certain but an easy conquest. It is remarkable, however, that his courage and hope of victory were made to depend (see on Deu_17:18) on his firm and inflexible adherence to the law of God, not only that regarding the extirpation of the Canaanites, but the whole divine code.
- 105. CALVI , "5.Thereshall not any man, etc As a contest was about to be waged with numerous and warlike enemies, it was necessary thus to inspire Joshua with special confidence. But for this, the promise of delivering over the land which God had given, would ever and anon have become darkened; for how vast the enterprise to overthrow so many nations! This objection therefore is removed. And the better to free him from all doubt, he is reminded of the victories of Moses, by which God had made it manifest that nothing was easier for him than utterly to discomfit any host however great and powerful. Joshua, therefore, is ordered to behold in the assistance given to Moses the future issue of the wars which he was to undertake under the same guidance and protection. For the series of favors is continued without interruption to the successor. What follows is to the same effect, though it is more fully expressed by the words, I will not fail thee, etc Hence the Apostle, (Hebrews 13:5,) when wishing to draw off believers from avarice, makes an application of these words for the purpose of calming down all anxieties, and suppressing all excessive fears. And in fact, the distrust which arises from anxiety kindles in us such tumultuous feelings that on the least appearance of danger, we turmoil and miserably torment ourselves until we feel assured that God both will be with us and more than suffice for our protection. And, indeed, while he prescribes no other cure for our timidity, he reminds us that we ought to be satisfied with his present aid. CO STABLE, "Many students of the book have called this the key verse. Here God promised Joshua His unfailing power and presence so that he might be completely successful in subduing the Canaanites. Joshua"s failure to be entirely successful was not God"s fault but the Israelites". "This text [ Joshua 1:2-5] summarizes the book. Joshua 1:2 describes the crossing of the Jordan as found in Joshua 1:1 to Joshua 5:12. Joshua 1:3 outlines the "conquest" of Joshua 5:13 to Joshua 12:24. Joshua 1:4 implies the distribution of the land in Joshua 13:1 to Joshua 22:34. The emphasis on all the days of Joshua"s life in Joshua 1:5 is found at the end of Joshua"s life in the final two chapters of the book. These verses also introduce the character of the LORD God of Israel. He is one of the main actors in the book. Here he reveals himself through his promises on behalf of Joshua and Israel." [ ote: Hess, p68.] TRAPP, "Joshua 1:5 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. Ver. 5. I will not fail thee.] This promise is five times, at least, found in Scriptures, and in Hebrews 13:6, applied to all true believers. As for others, let them read that terrible text, Ezekiel 22:20; Ezekiel 29:5; - "I will gather you in mine anger and in my fury, and I will leave you there." Lord, "leave us not," saith the Church, [Jeremiah 14:9] and, "Let him not leave us, nor forsake us," saith Solomon in his
- 106. prayer. [1 Kings8:57] The promises must be sued out. {See Trapp on "Hebrews 13:6"} WHEDO , "5. ot any man be able to stand before thee — Literally, There shall not place himself a man before thee, that is, for the purpose of opposition. Compare Deuteronomy 7:24; Deuteronomy 9:2; Deuteronomy 11:25. Divine promises often imply a condition, in this case the condition is found in the next verse — “Be strong.” I will be with thee — He needs no other allies who is allied with the Almighty. All that He has done for Moses He pledges to do for Joshua, and all his successors who possess like precious faith. Joshua needed these strong and cheering assurances; for he appreciated the magnitude of the nation’s loss in the death of Moses, and knew that a crisis had arrived in the history of the Hebrew nation. They had advanced to the borders of the Promised Land. and found it bristling with armed foes. Years of peril, warfare, and suffering were awaiting them. Although Moses had laid his hands upon him, consecrating him to the headship of his people, ( umbers 27:18,) he was justified in waiting for the imposition of a mightier hand. PETT, "“There shall not any man be able to stand before you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so will I be with you, I will not fail you, nor forsake you.” God’s promise to Joshua was that he would triumph wherever he went, not necessarily always immediately, but always in the end. Furthermore He would also be with him as He had been with Moses, guiding, advising and strengthening, protecting against all comers. He would not fail him. He would not desert him. He would always be able to be sure of YHWH’s backing. “There shall not any man be able to stand before you.” Compare for this Deuteronomy 7:24. ‘All the days of your life.’ Compare Deuteronomy 4:9; Deuteronomy 6:2. These promises are always available to those who look to Him and obey Him when they are engaged in serving Him truly. COFFMA , ""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. Be strong and of good courage; for thou shalt cause this people to inherit the land which I sware unto their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, to 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 have good success whithersoever thou goest. This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate thereon 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. Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of good courage; be not affrighted, neither be thou dismayed: for Jehovah thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest." "Be strong and of good courage ..." The recurrence of these words, almost like the refrain of a song, should be noted in Joshua 1:6,7,9,18. It was indeed an incredibly
- 107. daring and dangerousthing that God called upon Joshua to do. "According to all the law ..." Yes, indeed, according to this testimony, even in the days of Joshua, there was a "Law of Moses," containing all that the Israelites were expected to do! Efforts to make the Pentateuch itself a late book by dating from the times of the judges, or the monarchy, or the post-exilic priesthood are among the most stupid and impossible tasks the so-called "higher critics" ever assigned themselves! This is as good a place as any to take a little closer look at what the Word of God says concerning this: SUBSEQUE T REFERE CES TO THE PE TATEUCH I THE OLD TESTAME T JOSHUA: We do not even get out of the first chapter until we find this clear and undeniable reference to the "Law which Moses my servant commanded." If that is not the Law of Moses - ALL of it - the entire Pentateuch, then it is nothing at all! We reject the arbitrary arrogance with which so-called "scholars" would try to limit this to some little fraction of the Mosaic Law. There is no objective grounds whatever for such an obviously false maneuver. JUDGES: Like every other book in the Bible, the shadow and teaching of the Pentateuch lie over every word of it. Look at Judges 1:27-34, where it is recounted how various tribes of Israel did not "drive out the inhabitants of the land." But, indeed why were they expected to drive them out? It is in the teachings of the Pentateuch that they were commanded to drive them out. RUTH: Where is the implication that the Pentateuch was in existence and well known in Ruth? The whole book is founded on the practical application of the law of Levirate marriage, and down to the very ceremony of "drawing off the shoe," we are looking at the Pentateuchal background in every line of it! 1,2 SAMUEL, 1,2 KI GS, 1,2 CHRO ICLES: In all these books, there are recorded frequent departures from the Pentateuchal Law of God by the kings of the people. But Solomon's marriage with foreign women, contrary to the Law of Moses does not prove that the Law did not exist, but that Solomon wantonly violated it. So with all the other violations. ote the references to the tabernacle. Where could the tabernacle have come from, if not from the Pentateuch? The people complained and kicked against the sacrifices and offerings God had commanded, but why did they think they should make such offerings? It was all taught in the Pentateuch, of course. The Philistines took the ark, but why did Israel consider the ark sacred? The answer is in the Pentateuch. Saul visited the witch of Endor, but he disguised himself because it was illegal to do so. What made it illegal? The Pentateuchal teaching. The tragic death of Abner (2 Samuel 3ff) turned upon his failure to stay strictly within "the city of refuge," called Hebron. Well, how did that tradition about "fleeing for refuge" to certain cities get started? It is all outlined in the Pentateuch. David rescued the ark of the covenant, but he ordered that it be carried on a new cart, instead of by hand, with fatal results to Uzziah. Why was it wrong to
- 108. haul the arkin a cart? The Pentateuch records specific directions for carrying it "by hand." Read all those glorying passages about building the Temple. Where did the design of it come from? The whole thing was a larger and more elaborate replica of the ancient tabernacle, all of the instructions for which are in the Pentateuch. Solomon offered thousands of sacrifices. Why? Such sacrifices were authorized for Israel only in the Pentateuch. Solomon's apostasy is recorded (1 Kings 11). Apostasy from what? The Law of Moses as revealed in the Pentateuch. During the long years of the divided kingdom, some kings were reprimanded for appointing priests "from all the people." Why was it wrong? The Pentateuch has the answer. Elijah engaged in the contests with the prophets of Baal as opposed to the God Jehovah. Where was the superiority of Jehovah taught? In the Pentateuch. A king murdered aboth for his refusal to sell his inheritance. Where did the laws originate that aboth endeavored to keep? In the Pentateuch. Ahaz made a new Altar, and the description and use of it entailed a discussion of the peace-offerings and many other things that could never have been known in those days except for the teachings of the Pentateuch. Josiah's reforms led to a popular observance of the sabbath, and of the Passover, (2 Kings 23:22). How did they know how to keep such laws? Where else but in the Pentateuch could the instructions be found? THE CHRO ICLES: Exhibit the same universal (in Israel) consciousness of the whole Law of Moses. EZRA: Upon what was the cruel edict regarding foreign wives founded? The Pentateuch, of course, and upon nothing else. EHEMIAH: In ehemiah 9, the people remembered the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night in their plea for forgiveness. Where did that memory come from? The Pentateuch. Furthermore, upon what law was the abolition of usury based? It was based on the teaching of the Pentateuch. ESTHER: What emboldened the queen to plead for Israel? Her knowledge of the God revealed in the Law of Moses. JOB: It is the God of the Pentateuch - the Creator, the Helper, the Sustainer, the Personal Intervening God, who shines in every line of Job. The source of such conceptions of God is Biblical, the Pentateuch in particular. THE PSALMS: There are so many references to the Pentateuch in the Psalms that it would take a volume to list them all. As one of a hundred examples, read Psalms 135:8-12. PROVERBS: Many of the Pentateuchal regulations are presented as capsuled wisdom in Proverbs.
- 109. ISAIAH: This prophetspoke of Sodom and Gomorrah; and throughout, his conceptions of God, the terminology that he used (as is also true of Jeremiah), and other powerful echoes of the Pentateuch thunder throughout the prophecy. JEREMIAH: "The resemblances between Jeremiah and Deuteronomy are marked. There are words used in both that are found nowhere else. Passages in one are identical with or closely similar to passages in the other, and in general tone and form of thought, the two remarkably resemble each other.EZEKIEL: All of this applies to Ezekiel. Where did he learn about Satan and about Eden, the Paradise of God, if not from the Pentateuch? There are details of the burnt-offering and many other instructions lifted right squarely out of the Pentateuch. DA IEL: It was the observance of the Pentateuchal diet of the Jews that led to Daniel's success in Babylon. HOSEA: Hosea 8:12 has this, "Though I wrote for him my Law in ten thousand precepts! ... Many parallels of idiom and language are found between Hosea and the Pentateuch, which show that the latter was extant in the northern Israel, and these can only be accounted for by its existence in a prior written form."[13] JOEL: This prophet mentioned Eden (Joel 2:3), and the meal-offering, and the drink offering (Joel 2:14), none of which he could have known apart from the revelation in the Pentateuch. AMOS: Amos is absolutely loaded with all kinds of references to the Pentateuch. "The significance of them lies not in the actual number of references, but in the kind of references and the implications involved in the individual references."[14] The knowledge of the Pentateuchal prohibition against keeping the pledge of a man's garment after sundown (Amos 2:8), mention of the Exodus from Egypt and the forty years of wandering (Amos 2:10), the reference to the vows of the azarites (Amos 2:11), the citation of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, and the reference to burnt-offerings, peace-offerings, meal-offerings, tithes, the horns of the altar, etc. - these are but a few of the scores of Pentateuchal echoes in Amos. JO AH: His knowledge of the Pentateuch is seen in his promise to pay his vows and in the declaration that, "Salvation is of Jehovah." OBADIAH: There is a reference to umbers 20:14-21 in Obadiah 1:1:10. MICAH: In Micah 6 of this prophecy represents the shameful apostasy of Israel as a "breach of their contract with God," and what could that contract possibly be if it is not the Pentateuchal covenant? In this chapter the whole Pentateuchal history of Israel is rehearsed! The Exodus, Moses, Aaron, Miriam, even the disaster in umbers 26 - all these, and many other things revealed only in the Pentateuch, are mentioned. AHUM: Here is the application of the Pentateuchal teachings of the justice, the
- 110. wrath, and thevengeance of God against all wickedness, especially in the forthcoming judgment against ineveh, "Jehovah is a jealous God" ( ahum 1:2). That is a line right out of the Pentateuch. HABAKKUK: In Habakkuk 1:4, we have "The Law is slacked," a plain reference to the Pentateuch. In Habakkuk 1:12, this prophet used three or four Pentateuchal names for God in a single sentence! ZEPHA IAH: This prophet sternly prophesied the final destruction of the earth on the occasion of the Final Judgment when God will "wipe this Adam off the face of the earth!" The knowledge of Genesis, the fall of man, the repeated rebellions of Israel against God's covenant (the Pentateuch), along with mention of Sodom and Gomorrah as an example - all of these show that the Pentateuch was known throughout the whole history of Israel. Every single book of the Bible after the Five Books of Moses (The Pentateuch) reflect salient teachings of the Pentateuch in all such things, as examples chosen, the laws of God violated, the instances of God's prior deliverance, etc., etc. HAGGAI: In this prophecy, we actually have Haggai assembling the priests and asking their opinion of certain things laid down in the Law of Moses (Haggai 2:11- 13). ZECHARIAH: This marvelous prophecy reveals the breaking of Beauty and Bands, the two staves that belonged to Zechariah, and both are squarely related to the Pentateuchal covenant status that belonged to Israel. This whole prophecy would have been impossible without a complete knowledge of the Pentateuch. MALACHI: Here we have such things as the abrogation of the Levitical covenant, the cursing of the Jewish priesthood, the rebuke of Israel for violating the Pentateuchal laws concerning the "unblemished" sacrifices God required, and a dozen other things that are related intimately to a knowledge of the Pentateuch, a law known to all the people, but wantonly violated by many of them. Well, there it is! All of the books of the O.T. which follow the Pentateuch display the most universal acquaintance with the writings of Moses on the part of all Israel. This proves many things: (1) the antiquity of the Pentateuch; (2) the integrity of the Pentateuch; (3) its acceptance as the writing of the Great Lawgiver; (4) its existence as the charter and constitution of the nation of Israel. The whole world has accepted these basic truths for more than 3,000 years, and Christians may be absolutely certain that all the critics on earth shall never be able
- 111. to destroy halfa line of it. PI K, "Divine Injunctions When Jehovah called Moses to go down into Egypt and make known His demand unto Pharaoh He assured His servant "I will be with thy mouth and teach thee what thou shalt say" (Ex. 4:12). When Jeremiah was ordained a prophet unto the nations and he shrank from the task before him, God said "they shall fight against thee, but they shall not prevail against thee, for I am with thee, saith the Lord, to deliver thee" (Jer. 1:19). With such assurances does the Lord fortify the hearts of those whom He commissions to go forth in His name. Similarly, when the risen Redeemer bade His apostles make disciples of all nations and baptize them, He first emphasized the fact that "all power had been given to Him in heaven and in earth", and then comforted them with the declaration "Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world (Matthew 28:18-20). So too when He told Paul to remain at Corinth, He cheered him thus: "Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace, for I am with thee and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee, for I have much people in this city" (Acts 18:9, 10). In like manner did the Lord prepare Joshua for the undertaking to which he was called. First, He gave him the threefold assurance, "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" (Josh. 1:5). The time had arrived when he was to lead the people of Israel across the Jordan and marshal their forces for the conquest of the promised land. On the threshold of that difficult and dangerous task Jehovah had thus encouraged and animated His servant. Great were the obstacles and perils confronting them, but great too were the consolations here vouchsafed him. Highly favored as was Joshua in being made the recipient of such promises, yet they were not designed to set aside the discharge of his own responsibility: he was not to say within himself, These covenant engagements will certainly be fulfilled, so there is no need for me to be exercised. So far from using them as a couch for him to rest upon, they were designed as, a girdle wherewith to gird up his loins for future activities. "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. Only be thou strong and very courageous" (Josh. 1:6,7). The Divine assurance received by Joshua was therefore intended as a spur unto energy, as an incentive to the performance of duty, for the quickening of his heart unto the same. The connection between this exhortation and what immediately precedes it inculcates a most important practical lesson: God’s promises are not meant to set aside His precepts, but rather are given to encourage us to do with all our hearts and might whatever He has bidden us. Assurances of Divine assistance must never be regarded as nullifying our accountability or as rendering needless the putting forth of our utmost endeavors, but instead, are to be taken as so many guarantees that if we be "always abounding in the work of the Lord" (the discharge of our daily duties), then we may know "that our labor is not in vain in the Lord" (1 Cor. 15:58). Those professing Christians who reason, God has promised never to leave nor forsake us and therefore it is quite safe for us to flirt with the world and trifle with Sill, do but make manifest the unregenerate condition of their hearts. They who take
- 112. unto themselves theDivine declaration "He who hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ" (Phil. 1:6), and then conclude there is no need for them to make their calling and election sure, or desire the sincere milk of the Word that they may grow thereby, render it very doubtful that a good work has been begun in them. They who say, God will assuredly fulfill His decrees and draw unto Christ all whom He has ordained unto eternal life, and therefore there is no need for us to be deeply concerned about souls and seek after their salvation, speak not the language of His true children, but wrest the Truth. If our response to God’s promises be that of sloth and carelessness, that is proof we have received them carnally and not spiritually. The use or misuse we make of the Divine cordials affords a good index of the state of our hearts. God had just assured Joshua "as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee" That language was unequivocal and unqualified, yet it was far from signifying that he might take things easily, or simply "stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord"— words which have heed grievously misapplied. o, rather were they designed to inspire him to the performance of duty and to let him know that his efforts should not be in vain. "Be strong and of a good courage"’ that was the first effect which those assurances should work in him, and until they did he was not fitted for the task before him. That task entailed the facing of problems and dangers such as were enough to make the stoutest heart to quake, nevertheless, Joshua was to undertake it without trepidation or hesitation. And why so? Because the living God, the omnipotent Jehovah had declared that not a man should be able to stand before him, that He would not fail nor forsake him. Then what was there to fear? Had not Joshua good ground, sufficient reason, to be strong and to act valiantly? Upon entering Canaan powerful enemies had to be faced, for the land was inhabited by races of giants, men who were famous both for stature and strength. They were a fierce and warlike people, strongly armed, for they had "chariots of iron" (Josh. 17:16). True, but God had said " ot any man shall be able to stand before thee". Formidable obstacles had to be overcome. The cities of the Canaanites were fortified, described by the ten spies as "great and walled up to heaven" (Deut. 1:28) That was the language of unbelief’s exaggeration, yet they were mighty strongholds which had to be overthrown. Even so, God’s "I will not fail thee" was more than sufficient. Again, there was the food problem to be considered. In the wilderness the Israelites had been daily supplied with manna from heaven, but that was now to cease. When the Jordan was crossed that great host of people must quarter on the enemy. Who was to provide for such a multitude? How should they be fed? Was not such a problem enough to make Joshua quail? o, not after he had received such assurances. ot only were the Canaanites a numerous and powerful foe, but those whom Joshua commanded were a most unpromising people. What trouble they had occasioned his predecessor in the desert! Ever ready to murmur, wanting to turn back to Egypt, stiff-necked, and with no faith in Jehovah. What could Joshua expect from their immediate descendants? How far could he count on their loyalty and cooperation? Was it not more than likely that their hearts would turn from him as those of their fathers so often had from Moses? Even so, God had said "I will not forsake thee" How well suited were those Divine assurances to his situation! In view of them what good reason had the Lord to bid him "Be strong and of a good courage". And in
- 113. view of thesame what sufficient ground had Joshua to go forward in full confidence and valor! So he would if he took those promises to heart and mixed faith with them. Ah, it all turned on that. As cause stands to effect so would the laying hold of those promises produce strength of spirit and courageous action. Joshua did receive them by faith, and such was their effect upon him. What bearing does the above have upon us today? In our last we pointed out that the promise of Joshua 1:5 belongs to Christians today, and here we must insist that the precept "Be strong and of a good courage" is also addressed to us personally, that God so enjoins us. "Quit you like men, be strong" (1 Cor. 16:13), "be of good courage" (Ps. 31:24) make known the Divine requirements from us. Those are the graces specially needed by believers if they are to overcome their enemies, surmount the obstacles in their path and possess their possessions. Granted, says the reader, but when you bid me "be strong" you do but tantalize me, seeing that is the very thing I desire to be and yet am conscious I am not. But cannot you see the fault is entirely your own’ that your weakness and fear is due to your failure to mix faith with God’s promises? What more do you want than what God has said to you in Joshua 1:5? If God be for you, who can be against you? Look away from yourself, from your enemies, from your difficulties, unto Him who hath said "I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee": count upon Him, and strength will displace weakness and courage fear. 6 Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them. GILL, "Be strong, and of good courage,.... The same exhortation Moses gave him, Deu_31:7; and is afterwards repeated in this chapter, as being of great moment and importance, as it is in the general of an army to show greatness and strength of mind, valour and courage, and not be dismayed at the number and strength of the enemy. As Joshua's work in fighting with the Canaanites, and conquering their land, so Christ's work in the redemption of his people, and subduing their enemies, required strength and courage, and both were very eminent in him: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land which I sware unto their fathers to give them; and, this promise included and ensured the conquest of it, and the putting the people into the possession of it; for if he was to divide
- 114. it to them,he must first take it out of the hands of the present inhabitants, and deliver it into the hands of the children of Israel, to be possessed by them, dividing to e HENRY, " That he encourage himself herein with the promise and presence of God, and make these his stay (Jos_1:6): Be strong and of a good courage. And again (Jos_ 1:7), as if this was the one thing needful: Only be strong and very courageous. And he concludes with this (Jos_1:9): Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed. Joshua had long since signalized his valour, in the war with Amalek, and in his dissent from the report of the evil spies; and yet God sees fit thus to inculcate this precept upon him. Those that have grace have need to be called upon again and again to exercise grace and to improve in it. Joshua was humble and low in his own eyes, not distrustful of God, and his power, and promise, but diffident of himself, and of his own wisdom, and strength, and sufficiency for the work, especially coming after so great a man as Moses; and therefore God repeats this so often, “Be strong and of a good courage; let not the sense of thy own infirmities dishearten thee; God is all-sufficient. Have not I commanded thee?” [1.] “I have commanded the work to be done, and therefore it shall be done, how invincible soever the difficulties may seem that lie in the way.” Nay, [2.] “I have commanded, called, and commissioned, thee to do it, and therefore will be sure to own thee, and strengthen thee, and bear thee out in. it.” Note, When we are in the way of our duty we have reason to be strong and very courageous; and it will help very much to animate and embolden us if we keep our eye upon the divine warrant, hear God saying, “Have not I commanded thee? I will therefore help thee, succeed thee, accept thee, reward thee.” Our Lord Jesus, as Joshua here, was borne up under his sufferings by a regard to the will of God and the commandment he had received from his Father, Joh_10:18. K&D, "The promise is followed by the condition upon which the Lord would fulfil His word. Joshua was to be firm and strong, i.e., well-assured, courageous, not alarmed (vid., Deu_31:6). In the first place (Jos_1:6), he was to rely firmly upon the Lord and His promise, as Moses and the Lord had already told him (Deu_31:7 and Deu_31:23), and as is again repeated here, whilst at the same time the expression, “thou shalt divide for an inheritance,” recalls to mind Deu_1:38; Deu_3:28; and in the second place (Jos_1:7, Jos_1:8), he was to strive to attain and preserve this firmness by a careful observance of the law. “Observe to do,” etc., as Moses had already impressed upon the hearts of all the people (Deu_5:29, cf. Deu_28:14 and Deu_2:27). The suffix in וּ ֶ ִמ is to be explained on the supposition that the speaker had the book of the law in his mind. The further expansion, in Jos_1:8, is not only attached to the exhortations, with which Moses urges upon all the people in Deu_6:6-7, and Deu_11:18-19, an uninterrupted study and laying to heart of the commandments of God, but even more closely to the directions to the king, to read every day in the law (Deu_17:19). “Not to depart out of the mouth,” is to be constantly in the mouth. The law is in our mouth, not only when we are incessantly preaching it, but when we are reading it intelligently for ourselves, or conversing about it with others. To this there was to be added meditation, or reflection upon it both day and night (vid., Psa_1:2). הָג ָה does not mean theoretical speculation about the law, such as the Pharisees indulged in, but a practical study of the law, for the purpose of observing it in thought and action, or carrying it out with the heart, the mouth, and the hand. Such a mode of employing it would be sure to be followed by blessings. “Then shalt thou make they way prosperous,” i.e., succeed in all thine undertakings (vid., Deu_28:29), “and act
- 115. wisely” (as inDeu_29:8). SBC, "This exhortation to be strong and very courageous is given solely with moral application, is applied to the keeping of the law of God. The words of Divine injunction rise to the point of greatest emphasis and intensity when the thing commanded is a simple, continuous, unswerving obedience. Applying the subject to ourselves, we have— I. A sufficient rule of guidance for life. Joshua had; we have. There was a law of God then by the keeping of which he and all his people might approve themselves to the Lord, and be strong men and heroes. There is a law of God now, fuller, richer, more spiritual, more complete, in the keeping of which we may approve ourselves to the Master, Christ. Our law is the whole Gospel, as requiring from us a practical, and loving, and continuous obedience. To be "strong" is to make endeavour to go forward and grasp something in the Divine life; it is to take up a certain position in practical obedience and say clearly, "I am here: I stand by this." To be "of good courage" is to maintain that position against the force of temptation and opposition of every kind. (1) Strength and courage are needed at home and with ourselves before we meet the world at all. The critical part of the struggle is within. (2) Strength and courage are needed in the Church; i.e. among Christian people. (3) Strength and courage are needed when we go more fully out into the world. We need courage to live honestly, courage to live simply, courage to speak frankly and boldly in condemnation of the speech or the action of others. II. We have in the context direction how we may attain this temper and habit of Christian courage. It is fed by truth, by the law or the revealed truth of God. When the soul has found the flowing fountains of strength, and drinks of the same day by day, her courage will be day by day renewed. A. Raleigh, The Way to the City, p. 89. CALVI , "6.Be strong, etc An exhortation to fortitude is added, and indeed repeated, that it may make the deeper impression. At the same time the promise is introduced in different words, in which Joshua is assured of his divine call, that he might have no hesitation in undertaking the office which had been divinely committed to him, nor begin to waver midway on being obliged to contend with obstacles. It would not have been enough for him diligently to begirt himself at the outset without being well prepared to persevere in the struggle. Although it is the property of faith to animate us to strenuous exertion, in the same way as unbelief manifests itself by cowardice or cessation of effort, still we may infer from this passage, that bare promises are not sufficiently energetic without the additional stimulus of exhortation. For if Joshua, who was always remarkable for alacrity, required to be incited to the performance of duty, how much more necessary must it be that we who labor under so much sluggishness should be spurred forward. We may add, that not once only or by one single expression are strength and constancy required of Joshua, but he is confirmed repeatedly and in various terms, because he was to be engaged in many and various contests. He is told to be of strong and invincible courage. Although these two epithets make it obvious that God
- 116. was giving commandmentconcerning a most serious matter, still not contented with this reduplication, he immediately after repeats the sentence, and even amplifies it by the addition of the adverb very. From this passage, therefore, let us learn that we can never be fit for executing difficult and arduous matters unless we exert our utmost endeavors, both because our abilities are weak, and Satan rudely assails us, and there is nothing we are more inclined to than to relax our efforts. (21) But, as many exert their strength to no purpose in making erroneous or desultory attempts, it is added as a true source of fortitude that Joshua shall make it his constant study to observe the Law. By this we are taught that the only way in which we can become truly invincible is by striving to yield a faithful obedience to God. Otherwise it were better to lie indolent, and effeminate than to be hurried on by headlong audacity. Moreover, God would not only have his servant to be strong in keeping the Law, but enjoins him to contend manfully, so as not to faint under the burden of his laborious office. But as he might become involved in doubt as to the mode of disentangling himself in matters of perplexity, or as to the course which he ought to adopt, he refers him to the teaching of the Law, because by following it as a guide he will be sufficiently fitted for all things. He says, You shall act prudently in all things, provided you make the Law your master; although the Hebrew word ,שכל means to act not only prudently but successfully, because temerity usually pays the penalty of failure. Be this as it may, by submitting entirely to the teaching of the Law he is more surely animated to hope for divine assistance. For it is of great consequence, when our fears are excited by impending dangers, to feel assured that we have the approbation of God in whatever we do, inasmuch as we have no other object in view than to obey his commands. Moreover, as it would not be enough to obey God in any kind of way, (22) Joshua is exhorted to practice a modesty and sobriety which may keep him within the bounds of a simple obedience. Many, while possessed of right intention, sometimes imagine themselves to be wiser than they ought, and hence either overlook many things through carelessness, or mix up their own counsels with the divine commands. The general prohibition, therefore, contained in the Law, forbidding all men to add to it or detract from it, God now specially enforces on Joshua. For if private individuals in forming their plan of life behoove to submit themselves to God, much more necessary must this be for those who hold rule among the people. But if this great man needed this curb of modesty that he might not overstep his limits, how intolerable the audacity if we, who fall so far short of him, arrogate to ourselves greater license? More especially, however, did God prescribe the rule of his servant, in order that those who excel in honor might know that they are as much bound to obey it as the meanest of the people. CO STABLE, "God exhorted Joshua on the basis of this promise ( Joshua 1:5) to
- 117. be "strong" and"courageous" (cf. Deuteronomy 31:6). Ownership of the land depended on God"s faithfulness, but occupation of the land depended on Israel"s faithfulness (cf. Deuteronomy 30:20). The writer stressed two major theological points in this book: Yahweh"s faithfulness in giving Israel the Promised Land, and Yahweh"s hatred of sin. [ ote: Constable, p103.] "The word "inherit" ["possession" in the ASB] used to describe the future possession of the land, is of rich theological significance. It has subsequently become a T term for the enjoyment of the spiritual blessings of salvation (e.g, 1 Peter 1:4)." [ ote: Martin H. Woudstra, The Book of Joshua , p61. See Joseph C. Dillow, The Reign of the Servant Kings, pp43-91 , for an excellent explanation of the Old and ew Testament revelation concerning believers" inheritance.] The same Hebrew word (nahal [verb] or nahala [noun]) also appears in Deuteronomy 1:38; Deuteronomy 12:10; Joshua 11:23; Joshua 14:13; Joshua 16:4; and Joshua 17:6. TRAPP, "Joshua 1:6 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. Ver. 6. Be strong and of a good courage.] This is often charged upon Joshua, though he were very valiant, and of the best mettle; because he was sure to be put to it. (a) Stand fast, for ye shall be shaken, said that prophetic Simeon in the ecclesiastical history, to the pillars which he whipped before the earthquake. Si tamen horteris, fortior ibit equus. ” - Ovid. COKE, "Ver. 6. Be strong and of a good courage— However courageous and valiant Joshua might be, it was, nevertheless, very necessary to animate him to the undertaking of so difficult an enterprize as was here entrusted to him; nothing less than such a divine assurance could indeed have supported his courage in so arduous a talk. 'Tis true, he was now ninety-three years of age, and had been trained up under Moses at least one third part of that time; so that he wanted neither the experience nor the sagacity necessary to foresee all the difficulties he was to encounter. He saw himself too at the head of 600,000 fighting men: but, not to mention the prodigious number of old men, women, and children; not to reckon servants, cattle, and baggage, wherewith the army was incumbered; his first step was the crossing of a large river; in doing of which, he knew himself equally exposed to the arms of those whom he went to attack, and of those whom he left behind. The nations that he was to subdue were naturally warlike, of a gigantic stature and strength; their towns well fortified by nature and art; their forces and interests united by the strongest ties and alliances: besides, they had all long ago taken the alarm, and had made the greatest preparations against him, determined either to obstruct his conquest of their country, or to lose their lives in its defence. See Univ.
- 118. Hist. vol. 3: WHEDO, "6. Be strong and of a good courage — [Better, Be strong and firm. Michaelis remarks that the verb ,חזק to be strong, denotes strength of hand and arm to lay hold of and retain any thing within one’s grasp; while ,אמצ to be firm, denotes rather firmness in the knees, and ability to maintain one’s position against the attack of foes. The expression occurs with increasing emphasis four times in this chapter, and is rather a command than an exhortation. Compare Isaiah 35:3 : “Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees.”] It is a command as imperative as any in the Decalogue, for strength of will and indomitable firmness must constitute the state of mind out of which all acts of obedience spring. For unto this people shall thou divide — Or, thou shalt cause this people to inherit the land. The Lord would inspire Joshua with strength of soul by disclosing to him the grandeur of his mission. He reveals to him that his agency is the last link in the chain which unites prophecy and fulfilment, hope and fruition: that all the glorious possibilities of his nation hinge upon his own personal valor and fidelity. PETT, "“Be strong, and of good courage, for you will cause this people to inherit the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.” Joshua was to be ‘strong’, the word often indicates strength of hand. But his hand was to be strong because his spirit was strong. ‘Of good courage.’ This word also indicates being strong, and especially strong in spirit. Thus ‘be doubly strong’. Strong in action, strong in heart, strong in spirit. (Compare Deuteronomy 31:7). “For you will cause this people to inherit the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.” otice the word ‘inherit’. It links closely with the word covenant. The land was to be theirs because YHWH had covenanted it to them by an oath. Because of this covenant it was theirs by right as a result of God’s gracious covenant love. Thus their possession of it was inevitable. Compare Deuteronomy 31:7. The same idea is applied in the ew Testament to our calling in Christ. That too we ‘inherit’ because chosen and endowed by Him (Ephesians 1:11; Colossians 1:12; 1 Peter 1:4). In these two verses YHWH brings to the mind of Joshua words of Moses spoken earlier as recorded in Deuteronomy. As he lay there in his dream they echoed and re-echoed in his mind. This is also true in the following two verses. EXPOSITOR'S DICTIO ARY, "Joshua 1:6; Psalm 37:14; Psalm 31:24; 2 Chronicles 32:7 Courage, my soul! now learn to wield The weight of thine immortal shield; Close on thy head thy helmet bright; Balance thy sword against the fight;
- 119. See where anarmy, strong as fair, With silken banners spreads the air! ow, if thou be"st that thing Divine, In this day"s combat let it shine, And show that ature wants an art To conquer one resolved heart.— Marvell. EBC, "JOSHUA'S E COURAGEME T. Joshua 1:6-9. GOD has promised to be with Joshua, but Joshua must strive to act like one in partnership with God. And that He may do so, God has just two things to press on him: in the first place, to be strong and of a good courage; and in the second place, to make the book of the law his continual study and guide! In this way he shall be able to achieve the specific purpose to which he is called, to divide the land for an inheritance to the people, as God hath sworn to their fathers; and likewise, more generally, to fulfil the conditions of a successful life - "then shalt thou make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success." First, Joshua must be strong and very courageous. But are strength and courage really within our own power? Is strength not absolutely a Divine gift, and as dependent on God in its ordinary degrees as it was in the case of Samson in its highest degree? o doubt in a sense it is so; and yet the amount even of our bodily strength is not wholly beyond our own control. As bodily strength is undoubtedly weakened by careless living, by excess of eating and drinking, by all irregular habits, by the breathing of foul air, by indolence and self-indulgence of every kind, so undoubtedly it is increased and promoted by attention to the simple laws of health, by activity and exercise, by sleep and sabbatic rest, by the moderate use of wholesome food, as well as by abstinence from hurtful drinks and drugs. And surely the duty of being strong, in so far as such things can give strength, is of far more importance than many think; for if we can thus maintain and increase our strength we shall be able to serve both God and man much better and longer than we could otherwise have done. On the other hand, the feebleness and fitfulness and querulousness often due to preventible illness must increase the trouble which we give to others, and lessen the beneficent activity and the brightening influence of our own lives.
- 120. But in Joshua'scase it was no doubt strength and courage of soul that was mainly meant. Even that is not wholly independent of the ordinary conditions of the body. On the other hand, there are no doubt memorable cases where the elasticity and power of the spirit have been in the very inverse ratio to the strength of the body. By cheerful views of life and duty, natural depression has been counteracted, and the soul filled with hope and joy. ''The joy of the Lord," said ehemiah, “is the strength of His people." Fellowship with God, as our reconciled God and Father in Christ, is a source of perpetual strength. Who does not know the strengthening and animating influence of the presence even of a friend, when we find his fresh and joyous temperament playing on us in some season of depression? The radiance of his face, the cheeriness of his voice, the elasticity of his movements seem to infuse new hope and courage into the jaded soul. When he is gone, we try to shake off the despondent feeling that has seized us, and gird ourselves anew for the battle of life. And if such an effect can be produced by fellowship with a fellow-creature, how much more by fellowship with the infinite God! - especially when it is His work we are trying to do, and when we have all His promises of help to rest on. ''God is near thee, therefore cheer thee" is a perpetual solace and stimulus to the Christian soul. But even men who are full of Christian courage need props and bulwarks in the hour of trial. Ezra and ehemiah were bold, but they had ways of stimulating their courage, which they sometimes needed to fall back on, and they could find allies in unlikely quarters. Ezra could draw courage even from his shame, and ehemiah from his very pride. “I was ashamed," said Ezra, ''to require of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way;" therefore he determined to face the danger with no help but the unseen help of God. And when eherniah's life was in danger from the cunning devices of the enemy, and his friends advised him to hide himself, he repelled the advice with high-minded scorn - ''Should such a man as I flee?" But there is no source of courage like that which flows from the consciousness of serving God, and the consequent assurance that He will sustain and help His servants. Brief ejaculatory prayers, constantly dropping from their lips, often bring the courage which is needed. '' ow, therefore, O God, strengthen my hands," was ehemiah's habitual exclamation when faintness of heart came over him. o doubt it was Joshua's too, as it has always been of the best of God's servants. Again and again, amid the murderous threats of cannibals in the ew Hebrides, the missionary Paton must have sunk into despair but for his firm belief in the protection of God. {eS module note: the exciting biography of missionary John Paton is available at as an eSword module.} The other counsel to Joshua was to follow in all things the instructions of Moses, and for this end, not to let "the book of the law depart out of his mouth, but to meditate on it day and night, that he might observe to do all that was written therein." For Joshua was called to be the executor of Moses, as it were, not to start on an independent career of his own; and that particular call he most humbly and
- 121. cheerfully accepted. Insteadof breaking with the past, he was delighted to build on it as his foundation, and carry it out to its predestined issues. It was no part of his work to improve on what Moses had done; he was simply to accept it and carry it out. He had his brief, he had his instructions, and these it was his one business to fulfil. o puritan ever accepted God's revelation with more profound and unquestioning reverence than Joshua accepted the law of Moses. o Oliver Cromwell or General Gordon ever recognised more absolutely his duty to carry out the plan of another, and, undisturbed himself, leave the issue in His hands. He was to be a very incarnation of Moses, and was so to meditate on his law day and night that his mind should be saturated with its contents. This, indeed, was a necessity for Joshua, because he required to have a clear perception of the great purpose of God regarding Israel. Why had God taken the unusual course of entering into covenant with a single family out of the mass of mankind? A purpose deliberately formed and clung to for more than four hundred years must be a grand object in the Divine mind. It was Joshua's part to keep the people in mind of the solemnity and grandeur of their mission and to call them to a corresponding mode of life. What can more effectually give dignity and self-respect to men than to find that they have a part in the grand purposes of God? To find that God is not asleep; that He has neither given up the world to chance nor bound it with a chain of irreversible law, but that He calls us to be fellow-workers with Him in a great plan which shall in the end tend gloriously to advance the highest welfare of man? This habit of meditation on the law which Joshua was instructed to practise was of great value to one who was to lead a busy life. o mere cursory perusal of a book of law can secure the ends for which it is given. The memory is treacherous, the heart is careless, and the power of worldly objects to withdraw attention is proverbial. We must be continually in contact with the Book of God. The practice enjoined on Joshua has kept its ground among a limited class during all the intervening generations. In every age of the Church it has been impressed on all devout and earnest hearts that there can be no spiritual prosperity and progress without daily meditation on the Word of God. It would be hard to believe in the genuine Christianity of any one who did not make a practice morning and evening of bringing his soul into contact with some portion of that Word. And wherever an eminent degree of piety has been reached, we shall find that an eminently close study of the Word has been practised. Where the habit is perfunctory, the tendency is to omit the meditation and to be content with the reading. Even in pious families there is a risk that the reading of the Scriptures morning and evening may push the duty of meditation aside, though even then we are not to despise the benefit that arises from the familiarity gained with their contents. But, on the other hand, the instances are numberless of men attaining to great intimacy with the Divine will and to a large conformity to it, through meditation on the Scriptures. To many the daily portion comes fresh as the manna gathered each morning at the door of Israel's camp. Think of men like George Mueller of Bristol reading the Bible from beginning to end as many as a hundred times, and finding it
- 122. more fresh andinteresting at each successive perusal. Think of Livingstone reading it right on four times when detained at Manyuema {eS module note: Livingstone's original autobiography is available as an eSword module at www.BibleSupport.com}, and Stanley three times during his Emin expedition. What resources must be in it, what hidden freshness, what power to feed and revive the soul! The sad thing is that the practice is so rare. Listen to the prophet-like rebuke of Edward Irving to the generation of his time: "Who feels the sublime dignity there is in a fresh saying descended from the porch of heaven? Who feels the awful weight there is in the least iota that hath dropped from the lips of God? Who feels the thrilling fear or trembling hope there is in words whereon the eternal destinies of himself do hang? Who feels the swelling tide of gratitude within his breast for redemption and salvation, instead of flat despair and everlasting retribution? . . . This book, the offspring of the Divine mind and the perfection of heavenly wisdom is permitted to lie from day to day, perhaps from week to week, unheeded and unperused; never welcome to our happy, healthy, and energetic moods; admitted, if admitted at all, in seasons of weakness, feeblemindedness, and disabling sorrow. . . . Oh, if books had but tongues to speak their words, then might this book exclaim, Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth! I came from the love and embrace of God, and mute nature, to whom I brought no boon, did me rightful homage. ... I set open to you the gates of salvation and the way of eternal life, heretofore unknown. . . . But ye requited me with no welcome, ye held no festivity on my arrival; ye sequester me from happiness and heroism, closeting me with sickness and infirmity; ye make not of me, nor use me as your guide to wisdom and prudence, but press me into your list of duties, and withdraw me to a mere corner of your time, and most of you set me at nought and utterly disregard me. . . . If you had entertained me, I should have possessed you of the peace which I had with God when I was with Him and was daily His delight rejoicing always before Him. . . . Because I have called and ye refused ... I also will laugh at your calamity and mock when your fear cometh." " For the Oracles of God: four Orations." Pp. 3-6. It is no excuse for neglecting this habitual reading of the Book of God that He places us now more under the action of principles than the discipline of details. For the glory of principles is that they have a bearing on every detail of our life. "Whatsoever ye do in word or in deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks unto God and the Father by Him." What could be more comprehensive than this principle of action - a principle that extends to ''whatsoever we do "? There is not a moment of our waking life, not an action great or small we ever perform where the influence of this wide precept ought not to be felt. And how can it become thus pervasive unless we make it a subject of continual meditation? In the case of Joshua, all the strenuous exhortations to him to be strong and of a good courage, and to meditate on the Divine law as given by Moses by day and by night, were designed to qualify him for his great work - "to divide the land for an inheritance to the people as God had sworn to their fathers." First of all, the land had to be conquered; and there is no difficulty in seeing how necessary it was for one who had this task on hand to be strong and of a good courage, and to meditate
- 123. on God's law.Then the land had to be divided, and the people settled in their new life, and Joshua had to initiate them, as it were, in that life; he had to bind on their consciences the conditions on which the land was to be enjoyed, and start them in the performance of the duties, moral, social and religious, which the Divine constitution required. Here lay the most difficult part of his task. To conquer the country required but the talent of a military commander; to divide the country was pretty much an affair of trigonometry; but to settle them in a higher sense, to create a moral affinity between them and their God, to turn their hearts to the covenant of their fathers, to wean them from their old idolatries and establish them in such habits of obedience and trust that the doing of God's will would become to them a second nature, - here was the difficulty for Joshua. They had not only to be planted physically in groups over the country, but they had to be married to it morally, otherwise they had no security of tenure, but were liable to summary eviction. It was no land of rest for idolaters; all depended on the character they attained; loyalty to God was the one condition of a happy settlement; let them begin to trifle with the claims of Jehovah, punishment and suffering, to be followed finally by dispersion and captivity, was the inevitable result. It was thus that Joshua had to justify his name, - to show that he was worthy to be called by the name of Jesus. The work of Jesus may be said to have been symbolized both by that of Moses and that of Joshua. Moses symbolized the Redeemer in rescuing the people from Egypt and their miserable bondage there; as "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law." Joshua symbolized Him as He renews our hearts and makes us "meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light." For there are conditions moral and spiritual essential to our dwelling in the heavenly Canaan. ''Lord, who shall abide in Thy tabernacle? and who shall dwell in Thy holy hill? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul to vanity, nor sworn deceitfully." The atmosphere of heaven is too pure to be breathed by the unregenerate and unsanctified. There must be an adaptation between the character of the inhabitant and the place of his habitation. "Verily, verily, I say unto you. Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot see the kingdom of God." Thus we see the connection between Joshua's devotion to the book of the law, and success in the great work of his life - "then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success." o doubt he would have the appearance of success if he simply cleared out the inhabitants who were so degraded by sin that God was compelled to sweep them off, and settled His people in their room. But that, after all, was but a small matter unless accompanied by something more. It would not secure the people from at last sharing the fate of the old inhabitants; so far at least that though they should not be exterminated, yet they would be scattered over the face of the globe. How could Joshua get rid of these ominous words in the song of Moses to which they had so lately listened? - "They provoked Him to jealousy with strange gods, with abominations provoked they Him to anger. They sacrificed to devils, not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to new gods that came newly up, whom your fathers feared not. . . . And He said, I will hide My face from them, I will see what their end shall be: for they are a very froward generation,
- 124. children in whomis no faith." But even if in the end of the day it should come to this, nevertheless Joshua might so move and impress the people for the time being, that in the immediate future all would be well, and the dreaded consummation would be put off to a distant day. And so at all times, in dealing with human beings, we can obtain no adequate and satisfying success unless their hearts are turned to God. Your children may be great scholars, or successful merchants, or distinguished authors, or brilliant artists, or even statesmen; what does it come to if they are dead to God, and have no living fellowship with Jesus Christ? Your congregation may be large and influential, and wealthy, and liberal; what if they are worldly, proud, and contentious? We must aim at far deeper effects, effects not to be found without the Spirit of God. The more we labour in this spirit, the more shall our way be made prosperous, the better shall be our success. "For them that honour Me I will honour; but they that despise Me shall be lightly esteemed." 7 “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. BAR ES, "Prosper - See the margin. The literal rendering should be retained here since the notion of prosperity is separately introduced by a different word in Jos_1:8. CLARKE, "Only be thou strong, and very courageous - Ισχυε ουν, και ανδριζου σφοδρα. - Sept. Be strong therefore, and play the man to the uttermost. Though God had promised him that no man should be able to stand before him, yet it was on condition that he should use all his military skill, and avail himself to the uttermost of all the means, natural and providential, which God should place within his reach. God will not have them who refuse to help themselves.
- 125. GILL, "Only bethou strong, and very courageous,.... For though Joshua was a man of valour and courage, as appears by his war with Amalek, yet there was need of this exhortation, and of repeating it, since he was to engage with a people more and mightier than those with him, and who dwelt in strong and fortified places, and had been preparing for some time, having had notice, and were in expectation of the Israelites' attempt upon them: that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law which Moses my servant commanded thee; not only as a private man obliged to observe the whole law, and act according to it in all things; though no mere man is capable of it, only Joshua's antitype, who is the end of it for righteousness to all that believe, having fulfilled it in all respects; but as the supreme magistrate under God, who was to see that the law was obeyed by the people in all things, and particularly as the general of the army, who was to observe to do what had been ordered, with respect to the Canaanites, see Deu_7:1, turn not from it to the right hand or to the left: from the law, by adding to it, or taking from it; so Ben Gersom explains it,"turning to the right hand is, when any adds to its words; and turning to the left hand, when he diminishes from them;''or "from him" (k), that is, from Moses; from his good way, as Kimchi; though he adds, or else from the book of the law; for though he does not mention the book, he does the law; so Ben Melech: that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest; succeed in every battle he engaged in; it would be well if generals of armies would observe this; the way to obtain victory over enemies being to be observant of the laws of God themselves, and to take care that they be observed by the soldiers under their command: or "that thou mayest act wisely" (l); the word of God furnishing out instruction to men in every station of life, see Luk_3:10. HE RY 7-8, "The charge or command he gives to Joshua, which is, (1.) That he conform himself in every thing to the law of God, and make this his rule v. 7, 8. God does, as it were, put the book of the law into Joshua's hand; as, when Joash was crowned, they gave him the testimony, 2Ki_11:12. And concerning this book he is charged, [1.] To meditate therein day and night, that he might understand it and have it ready in him upon all occasions. If ever any man's business might have excused him from meditation, and other acts of devotion, one would think Joshua's might at this time. It was a great trust that was lodged in his hands; the care of it was enough to fill him, if he had had ten souls, and yet he must find time and thoughts for meditation. Whatever affairs of this world we have to mind, we must not neglect the one thing needful. [5.] Not to let it depart out of his mouth; that is, all his orders to the people, and his judgments upon appeals made to him, must be consonant to the law of God; upon all occasions he must speak according to this rule, Isa_8:20. Joshua was to maintain and carry on the work that Moses had begun, and therefore he must not only complete the salvation Moses had wrought for them, but must uphold the holy religion he had established among them. There was no occasion to make new laws; but that good thing which was committed to him he must carefully and faithfully keep, 2Ti_1:14. [3.] He must observe to do according to all this law. To this end he must meditate therein, not for contemplation sake only, or to fill his head with notions, or that he might find
- 126. something to puzzlethe priests with, but that he might, both as a man and as a magistrate, observe to do according to what was written therein; and several things were written there which had particular reference to the business he had now before him, as the laws concerning their wars, the destroying of the Canaanites and the dividing of Canaan; etc.; these he must religiously observe. Joshua was a man of great power and authority, yet he must himself be under command and do as he is bidden. No man's dignity or dominion, how great soever, sets him above the law of God. Joshua must not only govern by law, and take care that the people observed the law, but he must observe it himself, and so by his own example maintain the honour and power of it. First, He must do what was written. It is not enough to hear and read the word, to commend and admire it, to know and remember it, to talk and discourse of it, but we must do it. Secondly, He must do according to what was written, exactly observing the law as his copy, and doing, not only that which was there required, but in all circumstances according to the appointment. Thirdly, He must do according to all that was written, without exception or reserve, having a respect to all God's commandments, even those which are most displeasing to flesh and blood. Fourthly, He must observe to do so, observe the checks of conscience, the hints of providence; and all the advantages of opportunity. Careful observance is necessary to universal obedience. Fifthly, He must not turn from it, either in his own practice or in any act of government, to the right hand or to the left, for there are errors on both hands, and virtue is in the mean. Sixthly, He must be strong and courageous, that he might do according to the law. So many discouragements there are in the way of duty that those who will proceed and persevere in it must put on resolution. And, lastly, to encourage him in his obedience, he assures him that then he shall do wisely (as it is in the margin) and make his way prosperous, Jos_1:7, Jos_1:8. Those that make the word of God their rule, and conscientiously walk by that rule, shall both do well and speed well; it will furnish them with the best maxims by which to order their conversation (Psa_111:10); and it will entitle them to the best blessings: God shall give them the desire of their heart. CALVI , "8.This book of the Law, etc Assiduous meditation on the Law is also commanded; because, whenever it is intermitted, even for a short time, many errors readily creep in, and the memory becomes rusted, so that many, after ceasing from the continuous study of it, engage in practical business, as if they were mere ignorant tyros. God therefore enjoins his servant to make daily progress, and never cease, during the whole course of his life, to profit in the Law. Hence it follows that those who hold this study in disdain, are blinded by intolerable arrogance. But why does he forbid him to allow the Law to depart from his mouth rather than from his eyes? Some interpreters understand that the mouth is here used by synecdoche forface; but this is frigid. I have no doubt that the word used is peculiarly applicable to a person who was bound to prosecute the study in question, not only for himself individually, but for the whole people placed under his rule. He is enjoined, therefore, to attend to the teaching of the Law, that in accordance with the office committed to him, he may bring forward what he has learned for the common benefit of the people. At the same time he is ordered to make his own docility a pattern of obedience to others. For many, by talking and discoursing, have the Law in their mouth, but are very bad keepers of it. Both things, therefore, are commanded, that by teaching others, he may make his own conduct and whole character conformable to the same rule.
- 127. What follows inthe second clause of the verse shows, that, everything which profane men endeavor to accomplish in contempt of the word of God, must ultimately fail of success, and that however prosperous the commencement may sometimes seem to be, the issue will be disastrous; because prosperous results can be hoped for only from the divine favor, which is justly withheld from counsels rashly adopted, and from all arrogance of which contempt of God himself is the usual accompaniment. Let believers, therefore, in order that their affairs may turn out as they wish, conciliate the divine blessing alike by diligence in learning and by fidelity in obeying. In the end of the verse, because the term used is ambiguous, as I have already observed, the sentence is repeated, or a second promise is added. The latter is the view I take. For it was most suitable, that after the promised success, Joshua should be reminded that men never act skillfully and regularly except in so far as they allow themselves to be ruled by the word of God. Accordingly, the prudence which believers learn from the word of God, is opposed to the confidence of those who deem their own sense sufficient to guide them aright. (23) CO STABLE, "Joshua"s responsibility included unswerving obedience to the Mosaic Law. This would be the key to his success. Knowing the law was only the first step. Practicing it was what would make Joshua effective (cf. Deuteronomy 5:32-33). "The important lesson which we hence learn Isaiah , that in nothing is there more scope for the display of the highest moral heroism than in daring, in all circumstances, to cleave steadfastly to the word of God as the rule of our conduct. It is in this chiefly that the fortitude of the Christian soldier is to evince itself." [ ote: Bush, p20.] TRAPP, "Joshua 1:7 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. Ver. 7. Only be thou strong.] {See Trapp on "Joshua 1:6"} That thou mayest observe to do.] Heb., To observe in doing; (a) as minding the manner, which either maketh or marreth any action. According to all the law.] Integrity is the best ground of fortitude. "The spirit of power and of a sound mind," are fitly joined together by the apostle. [2 Timothy 1:7] A rotten rag hath no strength; a corrupt conscience no true courage. See Proverbs 28:1.
- 128. That thou mayestprosper.] Or, Do wisely; (b) for a good man ordereth his affairs with discretion, [Psalms 112:5] and speedeth accordingly for most part. Gaius’s prosperity he is sure of. The prudent person cannot be unprosperous. Of Cato, Censorius Paterculus saith, (c) that being homo virtuti simillimus semper fortunam in sua potestate habuit, a very virtuous man, he had what fortune soever he pleased. Scipio Africanus was wont before day to go into the capitol in cellam Iovis, and there to stay a great while, as it were to consult with Jupiter, concerning the government of the commonwealth: whence his deeds were plaeraque admiranda, saith Gellius, most of them very admirable and successful. (d) COKE, "Ver. 7. Only be thou strong and very courageous, &c.— God requires of Joshua fortitude and courage; which, indeed, ought necessarily to adorn the character of every person raised to the government of a nation; that so, being always faithful in the cause of religion, he may enforce its duties on his subjects, both by his injunctions and his example. Jehovah requires his observance of no other rule for his conduct, than that law which had been deposited with him. He forbids him in any thing to deviate from that law; and, on this condition, assures to him the most happy success. That thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest— The sense given to this passage by the LXX, is very fine: That thou mayest perform wisely whatsoever thou hast to do. It is the greatest policy to be truly religious. Princes who govern by pretended reasons of state, in contempt of the commands of God, are strangers both to true wisdom and their real interest. Joshua was to entertain far other sentiments. It was essential to the success of his ministry and arms, that his whole disposition, from the very beginning, should display his fear of God. We should observe, however, that the expression in the original, which primarily signifies to have intelligence, signifies also, frequently, to prosper; inasmuch as prudence is the path to success. WHEDO , "7. All the law — The Torah, the body of moral, ceremonial, and political precepts given from Jehovah by the hand of Moses. The very conception of a moral agent involves the idea of a law. They who have not the written law are a law unto themselves. Their own conscience perceives the immutable distinction between right and wrong. In addition to this, God has added positive commands and prohibitions. These from the days of our first parents till the completion of the Torah, were of a fragmentary character; as, for example, the penalties against murder, adultery, and fornication, (Genesis 9:6; Genesis 38:24,) the Levirate law, (Genesis 38:8,) the distinctions of the clean and unclean beasts, (Genesis 8:20,) and the sacredness of the Sabbath, (Exodus 16:23-29.) The first revelation of the law in any thing like a perfect form is found in the Book of Deuteronomy at a period when the people, educated to freedom and national responsibility, were prepared to receive it, and carry it with them to the land of promise. In this present passage we are assured that it was written in the form of a book, and appealed to as of supreme authority. When we consider the reverence with which all subsequent generations of
- 129. Hebrews have regardedthis “book of the law” — their jealous care lest it should be corrupted, counting the words and letters, and recording their number, indicating the middle word and the middle letter by peculiar signs — the argument amounts to a certainty that we have in our Hebrew Bibles the very Torah which Joshua is here commanded to take as his authoritative guide. Add to these considerations the respect which Jesus Christ always pays to the law, which he came not to destroy but to fulfil, and we can reasonably demand no stronger proof of the authoritative character of the Torah as a rule of life for us in all things which are not manifestly ceremonial. To the right… or to the left — Perfect obedience is represented by a straight line, and a course of sin by a crooked way. Hence the terms righteousness, rectitude, uprightness, and, in matters of opinion, orthodox; while the word wrong is etymologically akin to wrung, twisted. That thou mayest prosper — Rather act wisely. Sin is the highest folly, virtue is the only true wisdom. PETT, "“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 to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go.” Here the strength and courage is related to the keeping of God’s Instruction, ‘the Law’. He was not only to be strong and courageous in battle but also in life. He was strictly to observe God’s moral law. Obedience was more important than physical strength and physical courage, although it would enable him in both. But failure in obedience would mean that it did not matter whether he was strong in any other way or not. “Observe to do.” See Deuteronomy 5:1; Deuteronomy 5:32; and regularly in Deuteronomy (fourteen times). It is something that requires hard work and deliberate and constant attention and determination. It will not just happen. It requires careful study of the word of God and a heart fully responsive to God. “Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go.” See Deuteronomy 5:32; Deuteronomy 17:11; Deuteronomy 17:20. Success would depend on strict conformity to the will of God. Indeed that would guarantee success. But treating God’s law lightly and deviating from it one way or another would result in disaster, for God would no longer act for him. “Turn not from it.” The ‘it’ is masculine and has in mind the law thought of as ‘the book of the law’ (law is feminine). However LXX omits ‘law’, and the ‘it’ therefore there refers to what Moses had commanded. It may be that that was the original Hebrew reading, but it is more probable that it is simply LXX correcting a seeming difficulty which it does regularly. BE SO , "Joshua 1:7. Commanded thee — Remember, that though thou art the commander of my people, yet thou art my subject, and obliged to observe all my
- 130. commands. To theright hand or to the left — That is, in any kind, or upon any pretence; which plainly shows, that God’s assistance, promised to him and the Israelites, was conditional, and might justly be withdrawn upon their breach of the conditions. Whithersoever thou goest — That is, whatsoever thou doest. Men’s actions are often compared to ways, or steps, by which they come to the end they aim at. This charge, given by God himself to Joshua, highly deserves our notice. Though Joshua was to be, in his place, as great a man as Moses; though the Lord was to do signs and wonders by him, as he did by the hand of Moses; and though he was to settle the people in the promised land, which Moses was not allowed to do, yet he was to do according to all the law which Moses had commanded. And we find that, amid all his successes, and all the wonders that the Lord did by him, Joshua made the book of the law the guide of his conduct, strictly adhering to it in every point, and always recommending the strict observation of it to the people. In this he is an example worthy of the imitation, as of all professors of Christianity in general, so of all Christian magistrates and generals, in particular, who are under equal obligations to make God’s laws or revealed will the rule of their conduct, in all affairs, public and private. For no man’s dignity or dominion, how great soever, sets him above the law of God. MACLARE ,"THE CHARGE TO THE SOLDIER OF THE LORD Joshua 1:7 - Joshua 1:8. This is the central portion of the charge given to the successor of Moses. Joshua was a very small man in comparison with his predecessor. He was no prophet nor constructive genius; he was not capable of the heights of communion and revelation which the lofty spirit of Moses was able to mount. He was only a plain, fiery soldier, with energy, swift decision, promptitude, self-command, and all the military virtues in the highest degree. The one thing that he needed was to be ‘strong and courageous’; and over and over again in this chapter you will find that injunction pealed into his ears. He is the type of the militant servant of the Lord, and the charge to him embodies the duties of all such. I. We have here the duty of courageous strength. Christianity has altered the perspective of human virtues, has thrown the gentler ones into prominence altogether unknown before, and has dimmed the brilliancy of the old heroic type of character; but it has not struck those virtues out of its list. Whilst the perspective is altered, there is as much need in the lowliest Christian life for the loftiest heroism as ever there was. For in no mere metaphor, but in grim earnest, all Christian progress is conflict, and we have to fight, not only with the evils that are within, but, if we would be true to the obligations of our profession and loyal to the commands of our Master, we have to take our part in the great campaign which He has inaugurated and is ever carrying on against every abuse and oppression, iniquity and sin, that grinds down the world and makes our brethren miserable and servile. So, then, in these words we have directions in regard to a side of the Christian character, indispensable to-day as ever, and the lack of which cannot be made up for by any amount of sweet and contemplative graces. Jesus Christ is the type of both. The Conqueror of Canaan and the Redeemer of the world bear the same name. The Jesus whom we trust was a Joshua. And let us learn
- 131. the lesson thatneither the conqueror of the typical and material land of promise nor the Redeemer who has won the everlasting heaven for our portion could do their work without the heroic side of human excellence being manifestly developed. Do you remember ‘He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem’? Do you remember that the Apostle whom a hasty misconception has thought of as the gentlest of the Twelve, because he had most to say about love, is the Apostle that more emphatically than any other rings into our ears over and over again the thought of the Christ, militant and victorious, the Hero as well as the patient Sufferer, the ‘Captain of our salvation’? And so let us recognise how both the gentler and the stronger graces, the pacific and the warlike side of human excellence, have their highest development in Jesus Christ, and learn that the firmest strength must be accompanied with the tenderest love and swathed in meekest gentleness. As another Apostle has it in his pregnant, brief injunctions, ringing and laconic like a general’s word of command, ‘Quit you like men I be strong! let all your deeds be done in love!’ Braid the two things together, for the mightiest strength is the love that conquers hate, and the only love that is worthy of a man is the love that is strong to contend and to overcome. ‘Be strong.’ Then strength is a duty; then weakness is a sin. Then the amount of strength that we possess and wield is regulated by ourselves. We have our hands on the sluice. We may open it to let the whole full tide run in, or we may close it till a mere dribble reaches us. For the strength which is strength, and not merely weakness in a fever, is a strength derived, and ours because derived. The Apostle gives the complete version of the exhortation when he says: ‘Finally, my brethren,’ that Omega of command which is the Alpha of performance, ‘be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.’ Let Christ’s strength in. Open the heart wide that it may come. Keep yourself in continual touch with God, the fountain of all power. Trust is strength, because trust touches the Rock of Ages. For this reason the commandment to be strong and of good courage is in the text based upon this: ‘As I was with Moses, so I will be with thee. I will not fail thee nor forsake thee.’ Our strength depends on ourselves, because our strength is the fruit of our faith. And if we live with Him, grasping His hand and, in the realising consciousness of our own weakness, looking beyond ourselves, then power will come to us above our desire and equal to our need. The old victories of faith will be reproduced in us when we say with the ancient king, ‘Lord! We know not what to do, but our eyes are up unto Thee.’ Then He will come to us, to make us ‘strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.’ ‘Wait on the Lord and He will strengthen thine heart; wait, I say, on the Lord.’ But courage is duty, too, as well as strength. Power and the consciousness of power do not always go together. In regard to the strength of nature, courage and might are quite separable. There may be a strong coward and a weak hero. But in the spiritual region, strength and courage do go together. The consciousness of the divine power with us, and that alone, will make us bold with a boldness that has no taint of levity and presumption mingled with it, and never will overestimate its own strength. The charge to Joshua, then, not only insists upon the duty of strength, but on the duty of conscious strength, and on the duty of measuring the strength that is at my back with the weakness that is against me, and of being bold because I know that more and ‘greater is He that is with me than are they that be with them.’
- 132. II. So much,then, for the first of the exhortations here. ow look next at the duty of implicit obedience to the word of command. That is another soldierly virtue, the exercise of which sheds a nobility over the repulsive horrors of the battlefield. Joshua had to be fitted to command by learning to obey, and, like that other soldier whose rough trade had led him to some inkling of Christ’s authority by its familiarising him with the idea of the strange power of the word of command, had to realise that he himself was ‘under authority’ before he could issue his orders. Courage and strength come first, and on them follows the command to do all according to the law, to keep it without deflection to right or left, and to meditate on it day and night. These two virtues make the perfect soldier-courage and obedience. Daring and discipline must go together, and to know how to follow orders is as essential as to know how to despise dangers. But the connection between these two, as set forth in this charge, is not merely that they must co-exist, but that courage and strength are needed for, and are to find their noblest field of exercise in, absolute acceptance of, and unhesitating, swift, complete, unmurmuring obedience to, everything that is discerned to be God’s will and our duty. For the Christian soldier, then, God’s law is his marching orders. The written word, and especially the Incarnate Word, are our law of conduct. The whole science of our warfare and plan of campaign are there. We have not to take our orders from men’s lips, but we must often disregard them, that we may listen to the ‘Captain of our salvation.’ The soldier stands where his officer has posted him, and does what he was bid, no matter what may happen. Only one voice can relieve him. Though a thousand should bid him flee, and his heart should echo their advices, he is recreant if he deserts his post at the command of any but him who set him there. Obedience to others is mutiny. or does the Christian need another law to supplement that which Christ has given him in His pattern and teaching. Men have appended huge comments to it, and have softened some of its plain precepts which bear hard on popular sins. But the Lawgiver’s law is one thing, and the lawyers’ explanations which explain it away or darken what was clear enough, however unwelcome, are quite another. Christ has given us Himself, and therein has given a sufficient directory for conduct and conflict which fits close to all our needs, and will prove definite and practical enough if we honestly try to apply it. The application of Christ’s law to daily life takes some courage, and is the proper field for the exercise of Christian strength. ‘Be very courageous that thou mayest observe.’ If you are not a bold Christian you will very soon get frightened out of obedience to your Master’s commandments. Courage, springing from the realisation of God’s helping strength, is indispensable to make any man, in any age, live out thoroughly and consistently the principles of the law of Jesus Christ. o man in this generation will work out a punctual obedience to what he knows to be the will of God, without finding out that all the ‘Canaanites’ are not dead yet; but that there are enough of them left to make a very thorny life for the persistent follower of Jesus Christ. And not only is there courage needed for the application of the principles of conduct which God has given us, but you will never have them handy for swift application unless, in many a quiet hour of silent, solitary, patient meditation you have become
- 133. familiar with them.The recruit that has to learn on the battle-field how to use his rifle has a good chance of being dead before he has mastered the mysteries of firing. And Christian people that have their Christian principles to dig out of the Bible when the necessity comes, will likely find that the necessity is past before they have completed the excavation. The actual battle-field is no place to learn drill. If a soldier does not know how his sword hangs, and cannot get at it in a moment, he will probably draw it too late. I am afraid that the practice of such meditation as is meant here has come to be, like the art of making ecclesiastical stained glass, almost extinct in modern times. You have all so many newspapers and magazines to read that the Bible has a chance of being shoved out of sight, except on Sundays and in chapels. The ‘meditating’ that is enjoined in my text is no mere intellectual study of Scripture, either from an antiquarian or a literary or a theological point of view, but it is the mastering of the principles of conduct as laid down there, and the appropriating of all the power for guidance and for sustaining which that word of the Lord gives. Meditation, the familiarising ourselves with the ethics of Scripture, and with the hopes and powers that are treasured in Jesus Christ, so that our minds are made up upon a great many thorny questions as to what we ought to do, and that when crises or dangers come, as they have a knack of coming, very suddenly, and are sprung upon us unexpectedly, we shall be able, without much difficulty, or much time spent in perplexed searching, to fall back upon the principles that decide our conduct-that is essential to all successful and victorious Christian life. And it is the secret of all blessed Christian life. For there is a lovely echo of these vigorous words of command to Joshua in a very much more peaceful form in the 1st Psalm: ‘Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, . . . but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law doth he meditate day and night’-the very words that are employed in the text to describe the duty of the soldier-therefore ‘all that he doeth shall prosper.’ III. That leads to the last thought here-the sure victory of such bold obedience. ‘Thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest’; ‘Thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then shalt thou have good success,’ or, as the last word might be rendered, ‘then shalt thou act wisely’ You may not get victory from an earthly point of view, for many a man that lives strong and courageous and joyfully obeying God’s law, as far as he knows it and because he loves the Lawgiver, goes through life, and finds that, as far as the world’s estimate is concerned, there is nothing but failure as his portion. Ah I but the world’s way is not the true way of estimating victory. ‘Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world,’ said Jesus Christ when within arm’s-length of the Cross. And His way is the way in which we must conquer the world, if we conquer it at all. The success which my text means is the carrying out of conscientious convictions of God’s will into practice. That is the only success that is worth talking about or looking for. The man that succeeds in obeying and translating God’s will into conduct is the victor, whatever be the outward fruits of his life. He may go out of the field beaten, according to the estimate of men that can see no higher than their own height, and little further than their own finger tips can reach; he may himself feel that the world has gone past him, and that he has not made much of it; he may have to lie down at last unknown, poor, with all his bright hopes that danced before him in childhood gone, and sore beaten by the enemies;
- 134. but if heis able to say in the strength that Christ gives, ‘I have finished my course; I have kept the faith,’ his ‘way has prospered,’ and he has had’ good success.’ ‘We are more than conquerors through Him that loved us.’ PI K, ""Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the Law, which Moses My servant commanded thee" (v. 7). This exhortation is not a mere repetition of the one in the previous verse, but a particularizing of it or an application of the same to a specific duty. The "be strong and of a good courage" cf. verse 5 was more general, this here relates especially to walking in tee way of God’s commandments. Resoluteness, fortitude, daring and perseverance were required for the great exploits which lay ahead, yet equally necessary and essential—if less apparent unto some today—was strength and courage if Joshua was to be completely submissive to the legislation of his predecessor. The world admires most the man who is independent, strikes out along a line of his own, and counts meekness and submission as a mean-spirited thing. It is the free-thinker and the free-liver who is generally admired by the godless, and obedience is despised as something servile. Joshua was now virtually made king in Jeshurun and it called for real courage for Israel’s commander-in-chief to take his orders from another, and especially so when the carrying out of the same seemed to be a hazardous matter. Let the Christian faithfully apply this exhortation unto himself and perhaps he will the better perceive what it involved for Joshua. "Be thou strong and very courageous, that (in order that) thou mayest observe to do according to all the Law". Is there not an inseparable connection between the two things: is not courage required in order to obedience? Fellow-Christian, if your character and conduct is to be regulated by the Divine standard, if all {he details of your life are to be ordered by God’s statutes, what will men think and say of you? Will they not deem you mad? It calls for courage, courage of a high order, for a preacher to scorn all novelties and disdain the contemptuous sneers of his fellows that he is "behind the times" because he declares only the counsel of God. And it calls for real courage for the private Christian to cleave close to the path of obedience when many professors will sneer at his "strictness" and "strait-lacedness". How many are afraid of being thought "queer" or "puritanical"! Ah, my reader, it requires resolution and valor to swim against the tide of popular opinion, as it does to differ from "our doctrines" if one sees God’s Word requires it. "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" (v. 7). There was the commission which Joshua received from the Lord. He was not to be regulated by his own inclinations nor lean unto his own understanding, he was not to be governed by the principle of expediency nor be seeking to please those under him; instead, he must be actuated in all things by a "thus saith the Lord". For the carrying out of that commission he needed strength and courage, that he might be daring enough to strictly heed the instructions which Moses had left in writing for him. And in order to the exercise of those graces his heart must be constantly occupied with the assuring promises God had given him. So God’s servant today must teach His people to observe all things whatsoever Christ has commanded, resting on His promise "Lo, I am with you
- 135. alway". So toothe private Christian must heed that word "whatsoever He saith unto you, do" (John 2:5), counting on His promise to make his way prosperous. As another has pointed out, "In Joshua’s case, full obedience to the Divine command involved innumerable difficulties, such as besieging fortified cities and fighting against warriors who came to battle in chariots of iron armed with scythes". He who contemplates enlisting under the banner of Christ needs well to sit down and count the cost, for it is no child’s play. to "follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth". A merely nominal profession is easy enough to make and maintain after the manner of the times, but to be a real Christian means to deny self, take up the cross and go forth unto Christ without the camp. Through his obedience Joshua made many enemies. When it became known that Jericho had been captured and Ai vanquished, we read of certain kings confederating together to destroy him. Such will be the experience of the obedient Christian. It will be his desire and effort to make no enemies, but if he is faithful to Christ many of his old friends will turn against him, and he probably prove that his foes are found even in his own household. "Woe unto you" if "all men speak well of you". Joshua’s obedience required strength and courage because it involved years of persevering effort. Rome was not built in a day, nor was Canaan captured in a twelve month. Long marches, protracted campaigns, much heavy fighting was entailed before Israel fully entered into possession of their heritage. As another has said "The days were not long enough for his battles. He bids the sun stand still and the moon is stayed: and even when that long day has passed, yet the morning sees him sword in hand still. Joshua was like those old knights who slept in their armor. He was always fighting". Such is the life of the Christian a warfare from end to end. o sooner does he receive pardon from Christ than the great conflict begins. Every yard of the narrow way which leadeth unto Life is contested—not a foot will Satan yield to him. When victory has been obtained over one lust, another immediately raises its ugly head. When one temptation has been overcome, ten others more subtle menace him. There is no respite, no furlough is granted. "He that endureth unto the end shall be saved", and none other will. Something more than human strength and prowess is called for. "Do according to all the Law which Moses My servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left". As one has well pointed out, "It is the exactness of obedience which constitutes the essence of obedience" The fact is that if we do not desire and earnestly endeavor to keep all of God’s commandments we are totally lacking in the spirit of genuine obedience. He who picks and chooses between them is a self-pleaser and not a God-pleaser. The vast majority in Christendom today say, We must not be too precise: but that is too thin a garb to cover their hypocrisy. At heart they want to turn their backs on God’s Law altogether, but as an open avowal of such a sentiment would at once expose them, they resort to such cant as, We must not be too nice, too strict, too particular. It is this temporizing and compromising which has brought Christendom into the sorry state that it is now in. An omission here and a human addition there opened the flood-gates of evil. As the Lord will have all our hearts or nothing, so He will accept only an obedience which respects "all His commandments" (Ps. 119:6), and not one which is partial and discriminating. Joshua was granted no indulgence, but must adhere rigidly and constantly to the
- 136. Rule set beforehim. o matter how contrary to natural wisdom and prudence might be the carrying out of its precepts, no matter how unpopular it should make him with the people of Israel, God required full and continuous obedience from him. And so He does of us today, and unto those of His nominal disciples who fail to render the same, He asks, "Why call ye Me, Lord, and do not the things which I say?" (Luke 6:46). Yes, "nominal" disciples is all they are, for He Himself declares "that servant which knew his Lord’s will and prepared not, neither did according to His will, shall be beaten with many stripes" (Luke 12:47). t is probable that the apostle had Joshua 1:7 in mind when he said "by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left" (2 Cor. 6:9)—righteousness is right doing, acting according to the standard of right, namely, the Law of God. When one said to a Puritan, "Many people have rent their consciences in halves: could you not just make a little nick in yours?" He answered, " o, I cannot, for my conscience belongs to God" Finally, let us notice that the path of obedience is the path of prosperity: "turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that (in order that) thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest" (v. 7). Conformity unto the revealed will of God may entail trial, but there will be abundant compensation. Of course there shall, for the Lord will be no man’s Debtor. The path of obedience is the path of blessing: the treading thereof may incur the frowns of men, but what matters that if we have the smile of our Master! True, the prosperity may not immediately appear, for faith has to be tried and patience developed, yet in the long run it will be found that in keeping the Divine commandments "there is great reward" (Ps. 19:11). So Joshua found it: he adhered strictly to the Divine Law and success crowned his efforts; and that is recorded for our encouragement. Let us not forget that "Godliness is profitable for all things: having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come" (1 Tim. 4:8), yet that promise is conditioned by our keeping of the precepts. The Primacy of God’s Word We turn now to the closing portion of the great commission which Joshua received frown the Lord. We have already seen that it came to him after the death of Moses, and that it was concerned with Israel’s conquest and occupation of the land of Canaan (v. 1-4). We have contemplated the blessed assurances which Jehovah gave unto His servant, for the comforting of his heart and the strengthening of his hands (v. 5). We have pondered the general injunction which God laid upon the new leader of His people (v. 6), and sought to show its meaning and timeliness. We have also noted the particular application which the Lord made of that injunction unto Joshua, in requiring that he should be very courageous in regulating all his actions by the statutes He had given through Moses and placed on permanent record as an authoritative Rule for all who should succeed him, and how that He enjoined implicit and undeviating obedience from him, (v. 7), and endeavored to indicate the very real and practical bearing all of that has upon our spiritual lives today. In what we are now to ponder, we learn what more was demanded of Joshua in order to ensure a successful realization of all the foregoing. "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
- 137. therein: for thenthou shalt make thy way prosperous and then thou shalt have good success" (Josh. 1:8). Joshua was to be guided and governed wholly by the written Word, which was something unprecedented, unique, o man before Joshua had received orders from God to regulate his conduct by the Words of a Book. True, Abram and his household obeyed God’s voice in keeping His commandments and His statutes (Gen. 26:5). Moses too had acted by Divine authority, but each had received his instructions from the mouth of the Lord, But Joshua, and all who succeeded him, must be governed by "this Book of the Law" It is remarkable that Joshua and the Book come before us together, without any introduction, in the same passage: "and the Lord said unto Moses, Write this in a book and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua" (Ex. 17:14)—the Book was prepared for Joshua; Joshua came to fulfill the words of the Book. The typical significance of that is at once apparent. Let it be carefully noted that God’s Word, from its very first appearance as a book, occupies the same position, namely, the position of unqualified supremacy. It was set above Joshua: all his actions were to be regulated by it. Let us also observe that the authority of this Book is quite independent of its quantity or size. "The law of Moses", "Moses and the Prophets", "The Law, the Prophets and the Psalms" (Luke 24:44), are descriptions of the same Book, differing in the quantity of its matter but not differing in its authority, nor in its relation to the people of God. "Blessed is he that readeth and they that hear the words of this prophecy" (Rev. 1:3), is a declaration that applies with equal force to the Holy Scriptures in every stage of their compilation, from the opening chapters of "The Book of the Law" till the completion of the Sacred Canon. Let us further remark that in this first title given to the Bible in its earliest form, we have emphasized its leading characteristic: it contains more than good advice or salutary counsel—it is a "Law" binding upon us, a Law clothed with Divine authority, a Rule for us to walk by. "This Book of the Law" comprised the entire Pentateuch, the first five books (or chapters) of the O.T. It is not "these books of the Law" for all through the O.T. those five books are regarded as a unit. ow it is very rare indeed that we turn aside and pay any attention to the ravings of skeptics and infidels, but on this occasion we will depart from our custom. It is one of the many erroneous allegations of the self- styled "Higher Critics" that the Pentateuch was not written by Moses, but was composed at a very much later date—some say, in the time of king Manasseh; others, not until the days of Ezra. But over against this assertion, stands the fact that a definite "Book" is spoken of all through the O.T., as being constantly appealed to, with directions how it was to be preserved; and it should be of interest to our readers if we briefly outline the references to the same. The first mention of this "Book" is as stated above, in Exodus 17:14, and there we see it was written by Jehovah’s command, and (in the Hebrew) is designated the Book. "And Moses wrote all the words of the Lord . . . and he took the Book of the Covenant and read it in the audience of the people" (Ex. 24:4,7), tells who was its first penman. "Moses wrote their goings out according to their journeys by the commandment of the Lord" ( um. 33:2), and if we compare Deuteronomy 1:2, 3 and Deuteronomy 2:14 it will be found that those "journeys" were from the early part of the first year after Israel came out of Egypt until the end of the thirty-eighth. "Moses wrote this Law and delivered it unto the priests, the sons of Levi" (Deut. 31:9) entrusting it to their custody, and verse 26 of the same chapter informs us he
- 138. bade the Levites,"take this Book of the Law and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, that it may be there for a witness against them". It is clear from verse 19 that copies were made of parts of it at least, but the standard copy was preserved in the side of the ark, which vessel was kept in the holy of holies. From that Standard copy each king of Israel was required to "write him a copy of this Law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites" (Deut. 17:18). Once every seven years the whole of the Book of the Law was to be read in the hearing of the entire congregation. "And Moses commanded them, saying, At the end of every seventh year, in the solemnity of the year of release, in the feast of tabernacles, when all Israel is come to appear before the Lord their God in the place which He shall choose, thou shalt read this Law before all Israel in their hearing . . . that they may learn and fear the Lord your God and observe to do all the words of this Law" (Deut. 31:11-13). This was the Book by which Joshua was to be regulated. At a later date, the Spirit moved him to write therein (Josh. 24:26), as Samuel also added portions thereto (1 Sam. 10:25). It was this Book Davit] had in mind when he prayed "teach me Thy statutes"; "order my steps in Thy Word" (Ps. 119:12, 133). When David drew nigh unto death, he gave this commission unto Solomon: "Keep the charge of the Lord thy God, to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes and His commandments . . . as it is written in the Law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest" (1 Kings 2:1-4). Alas, Solomon failed to heed that injunction, following too much the evil devices of his heart. The decline which began in his reign accelerated and continued many generations, and during that time "this Book of the Law" was lost to the people. In the days of Josiah, the high priest "found the Book of the Law in the house of the Lord" (2 Kings 22:8), for He had guarded and preserved it despite Israel’s apostasy, and the godly king himself read "all the words of the Book of the Covenant" in the hearing of a vast assembly (2 Kings 23:2, 3). Later, we find Ezra doing the same thing ( eh. 8:1,8, 13:1). Daniel made reference to this Book; "the curse is poured upon us and the oath that is written in the Law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against Him" (Dan. 9:11). While the very last chapter of the O.T. contains this injunction, "Remember ye the Law of Moses, My servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments" (v. 4); which completes the cycle. 8 Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you
- 139. will be prosperousand successful. CLARKE, "This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth - The law which had already been written by Moses, and from which he and the people were to take all those precepts by which their lives were to be governed. Though there was a copy of the law laid up in the sanctuary, yet this was not sufficient. Joshua must have a copy for himself, and he was to consult it incessantly, that his way might be made prosperous, and that he might have good success. If he kept God’s word, God would keep him in body and soul; if he should observe to do according to that word, then God would cause all his way to be prosperous. Those who are obedient to God lack no manner of thing that is good. GILL, "This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth,.... He was often to read it, frequently repeat it, and speak of it, to refresh his own memory with it, and the memory of those about him. Jarchi restrains it to the book of Deuteronomy now before him: but thou shalt meditate therein day and night; whenever he had any leisure from the important business of his office, whether by day or night, see Psa_1:2, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein; which frequent speaking of it, and constant meditation on it, would lead unto: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success; in his wars with the Canaanites. CO STABLE, "Moses had left Israel a written document that the Israelites regarded as authoritative law, namely, the Mosaic Law. The Lord commanded Joshua to keep this Word in mind constantly so he would remember his responsibilities under God and find encouragement to keep them (cf. Psalm 1:2; Isaiah 59:21). "The phrase "from your mouth" refers to the custom of muttering while studying or reflecting. The Hebrew word translated "meditate" (hagah) literally means "mutter." When one continually mutters God"s Word to himself, he is constantly thinking about it." [ ote: Madvig, p257.] ". . . [Meditation] does not mean theoretical speculation about the law, such as the Pharisees indulged in, but a practical study of the law, for the purpose of observing
- 140. it in thoughtand action, or carrying it out with the heart, the mouth, and the hand. Such a mode of employing it would be sure to be followed by blessings." [ ote: Keil and Delitzsch, p30.] We should never view Bible study and memorization as ends in themselves. They are important methods of obtaining the end of being obedient to God"s Word. We cannot obey it unless we understand it and are consciously aware of it as we make decisions day by day. "The higher any man is raised in office, the more need has he of an acquaintance with the sacred oracles, and the better will he be qualified by the study of them for the discharge of his arduous duties." [ ote: Bush, pp21-22.] ELLICOTT, "(8) Thou shalt meditate therein day and night . . . then thou shalt make thy way prosperous.—These words are taken up again in Psalms 1:2-3, and a blessing is pronounced on every man who takes Joshua’s position in relation to the written law of God (see ote, Joshua 1:1). Thus the true significance of Joshua’s position appears, and also the difference between Moses and all who followed him. Moses was the prophet “whom the Lord knew face to face.” Joshua and all his successors, from the least to the greatest, find their blessing and their portion in the careful study and fulfilment of the written word of God. It is also worthy of notice that God’s Word, from its very first appearance as a collective book (viz., the law), occupies the same position. It is supreme. It is set above Joshua. It is never superseded. And its authority is independent of its quantity. “The law of Moses,” “Moses and the prophets,” “The law, the prophets, and the Psalms,” are descriptions of the Bible differing in the quantity of the matter, but not differing in the authority they exercise or in their relation to the living church. “Blessed is he that readeth and they that hear the words of the prophecy of this book, and keep those things that are written therein,” are words that apply to Holy Scripture equally, in every stage, from the completion of the law of Moses to the completion of the entire book. TRAPP, "Joshua 1:8 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. Ver. 8. This book of the law shall not depart.] Lex sola omnis sapientiae fons est. The Scripture is the only fountain of all wisdom, saith Luther: (a) who in the same place affirmeth, that he hated his own writings, and wished they were all burnt, because he feared that the reading of them kept men from reading the Bible, that book of books, in comparison whereof all other books are but as waste paper. Charles V, emperor, liked to read three books especially, - Polybius’s history, Machiavel’s Prince, and Castalian’s Courtier. He took such delight in the mathematics, that even in the midst of his whole army, in his tent, he stayed close at this study; having for that purpose, as his instructor, Turrianus of Cremona evermore with him. How well versed he was in the Scriptures, I know not, but at his
- 141. baptism, among othergreat gifts bestowed upon him by his father’s friends - as a golden sword, a silver head piece, a charger of gold filled with pearls, &c. - the Abbot of Gaunt, where he was born, gave him a fair Bible with this inscription, scrutamini Scripturas, search the Scriptures. (b) Queen Elizabeth, soon after her coronation, being presented by the Londoners in Cheapside with a Bible, received it with both her hands; and kissing it, laid it to her breast, saying, that the same had ever been her chiefest delight, and should be the rule by which she meant to frame her government. (c) Alphonsus, king of Arragon, is said to have read over the Bible fourteen times with Lyra’s notes. And Charles the Wise of France, not only caused the Bible to be translated into French, but was himself very studious in "the holy Scriptures, which are able to make" a man "wise to salvation." For then thou shalt make thy way prosperous.] Piety hath prosperity. {See Trapp on "Joshua 1:7"} COKE,"Ver. 8. This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, &c.— "This law, whose original is laid up in the sanctuary, shall never cease to be the subject of thy meditations and discourses, that so all thy conduct may be perfectly conformable thereto." By which it is evident, that Joshua had a copy of the law for his private use; and that it was the intention of God, that he should set an example to all kings and governors who should come after him, of a devout application to the study of its principles for their government. However weighty and numerous the occupations of Joshua might be, God means not that they should dispense him from reading, meditating, and digesting of his law: on the contrary, he requires him constantly to derive from thence his rule of conduct, as well in his private transactions, as in his public administration. Happy the people who have Joshuas at their head! If ever they can rely on the prudence of their governors, and promise themselves advantage from their ministry, it must be under such a supposition. WHEDO , "8. This book of the law — Already had revelation solidified itself into a book form. The wisdom of God in selecting this form will be evident when we consider, (1) That the human race instinctively put into monumental form all the great truths, laws, discoveries, and historic events which they wish to perpetuate; (2) The untrustworthy character of oral traditions; (3) The difficulty of corrupting documents intrusted to the guardianship of a class solemnly set apart for that purpose, and imbued with a religious awe for the very letter of the sacred manuscript, or as published to the world by the multiplication of copies scattered abroad through all lands. Shall not depart — The written divine law shall be a theme of constant study, thought, and conversation, the rule of both his private and official life. Shall meditate — The Hebrew word ,הגה sometimes means to mutter, speak aloud, but “we are not to think of this meditation as a learned study, nor as a ‘reading aloud,’ as Bunsen explains it, but rather as a mature reflection upon the law, by which Joshua should penetrate more deeply into its meaning.” — Fay. Happy is the
- 142. nation of Biblereaders ruled by one who receives the law at the mouth of God! Have good success — Rather, act wisely. Compare Joshua 1:7. PETT, "“This book of the law shall not depart from 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 will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” The idea here is of learning by heart and then constant spoken repetition (they could not carry written books around in their pockets for the ‘books’ were bulky and not portable). Day and night he was constantly to take the opportunity of repeating to himself the memorised word of God, and that with the aim of observing all that was in it. It is fine to rejoice in the promises of God, but we must also take careful note of the instructions of God. The result will be success in what we do. Joshua’s success would depend on his knowledge of and submission to the word of God. “This book of the law.” See Deuteronomy 28:58; Deuteronomy 28:61; Deuteronomy 29:21; Deuteronomy 30:10. Reference is to ‘the book of the law’ written down either by Moses or under his supervision. It may well be that Joshua had obtained the book from those responsible for watching over it for the very purpose of meditating on it. It was probably written on papyrus brought from Egypt, or possibly on leather. (He may have written it himself on Moses’ instructions). “Meditate in it day and night.” A thought taken up by the Psalmist in Psalms 1:2. If we would succeed with God we must meditate regularly on His word and ensure that we live out every word of it. BE SO , "Verse 8-9 Joshua 1:8-9. This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth — That is, thou shalt constantly read it, and upon occasion discourse of it, and the sentence which shall come out of thy month, shall in all things be given according to this rule. Day and night — That is, diligently study, and upon all occasions consider what is God’s will and thy duty. The greatness of thy place and employments shall not hinder thee from this work, because this is the only rule of thy private actions and public administrations. I command thee — I whom thou art obliged to obey: I who can carry thee through every thing I put thee upon: I of whose faithfulness and almighty power thou hast had great experience! PI K, ""This Book of the Law shall not depart out of thy mouth" (Josh. 1:8). o man, however dignified his position, is above the Law of God. Though exalted to be commander-in-chief over Israel, and thereby given great power and authority, Joshua himself must be in subjection to the Divine Law: he was to issue no orders save those which were authorized by the Rule given to him. He was to invent no new statutes or ordinances, but be regulated solely by what was written. If Joshua was to complete the work which Moses began, then he must maintain the Law which Moses
- 143. had established. Therewas no need for him to make new laws: he was already furnished with a Divine and complete Charter, and that it was his business to heed and enforce. "To the Law and to the Testimony" he was to be held accountable, and if he spake not according thereto, then there was no light in him (Isa. 8:20), and those under him would be left in spiritual darkness. Just so far as he executed this commission would the smile of God be upon him and prosperity attend his efforts. "But thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein" (Josh. 1:8). Meditation upon the Word of God is one of the most important of all the means of grace and growth in spirituality, yea there can be no true progress in vital and practical godliness without it. Meditation on Divine things is not optional but obligatory, for it is something which God has commanded us to attend unto. The order which Joshua received was not restricted to himself, but is addressed to all of God’s people. or does it by any means stand alone. "Set your hearts unto all the words which I testify among you this day" (Deut. 32:46). "Ponder the path of thy feet" (Prov. 4:26); "Consider your ways" (Hag. 1:7). "Let these sayings sink down into your ears" (Luke 9:44), which they cannot do, unless they be frequently turned over in our minds. "Whatsoever things are true, venerable, just, pure, lovely . . . think on these things" (Phil. 4:8). Meditating in God’s Law day and night is one of the outstanding marks of the man whom He calls "Blessed" (Ps. 1:1, 2). It is a holy art and habit commended in the practice and example of the saints: Isaac (Gen. 24:62), David (Ps. 119), the mother of our Lord (Luke 1:19, 51). But though meditation be a duty and a great moral and spiritual aid, it is practiced by few. The usual plea proffered by those who neglect it is, I am too busy, my life is so crowded with a multiplicity of duties and concerns, that, alas, I have not the necessary leisure for quiet ruminating. Our first reply is, Then you are acting in the energy of the flesh and suffering yourself to be little better than a slave. God is no Egyptian taskmaster. Christ’s yoke is easy and His burden is light and if your "burden" be heavy it is a self-imposed one. God calls you to no manner of life which crowds out the needs of your soul and entails the neglect of your eternal interests. "Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth" (Col. 3:2) is His unchanging call, and He has given no harsh and unreasonable precepts. But this plea "I am too busy to engage in regular and spiritual meditation" is an idle excuse, yea it is worse—it is a deceit of your evil heart. It is not because you are short of time, but because you lack a heart for the things of God! "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also" (Matthew 6:21), and that which most occupies our heart will most engage the mind, for our thoughts always follow our affections; consequently the smallest actions, when we have no delight in them, are tedious and burdensome. Is it not money which most absorbs the attention of the miser? The voluptary thinks only of satisfying his senses. The giddy youth is concerned mainly with the pursuit of pleasure. The man of the world devotes his time and energies to acquiring wealth and honors. It is not lack of opportunity but of relish for the Word and a desire to please God which lies at the root of our failure here. Said David "O how love I Thy Law, it is my meditation all the day" (Ps. 119:97)—he evidenced his love for God’s Law by constantly pondering it! To him meditation was not a task but a joy.
- 144. You may seekan extenuation by appealing to numerous obligations and heavy responsibilities, but it is invalid before God. You certainly do not hold a more important position than Joshua did, nor are your tasks more numerous and exacting. Well did Matthew Henry point out, "If ever any man’s business might have excused him from meditation, and other acts of devotion, one would think Joshua’s might at this time. It was a great trust that was lodged in his hands: the conduct of it was sufficient to fill him if he had ten souls, and yet he must find time and thoughts for meditation. Whatever affairs of this world we have on hand, we must not neglect the one thing needful". We cannot expect the God of Truth to be with us if we neglect the Truth of God. or is reading it and hearing it preached sufficient: they produce but a transient effect upon us, but meditating on some portion of the Word, going over it again and again in our minds, deepens the impression, fastens the truth on our memory, and sets our hearts and hands a-work. But let us carefully observe that meditation was not enjoined upon Joshua in a general way, but with a specific design: "thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that (in order that) thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein". His mind was to be exercised upon God’s Word with a specific purpose and practical end: not simply to rest in contemplation, but in order to be regulated by its precepts, through a serious inculcating of them upon his heart. Meditation was not to be an occasional luxury, but the regular discharge of a constant duty—"day and night", and this in order to a prompter, fuller and more acceptable obedience. God requires an intelligent, voluntary, and joyous obedience, and if we are really desirous of pleasing and glorifying Him we shall not only familiarize ourselves with His Word, but habitually ponder how its holy precepts may best regulate all the details of our daily lives. "I will meditate on Thy precepts, and have respect unto Thy ways" (Ps. 119:15) — the latter cannot properly be without the former. It is easy to persuade ourselves we really desire that our lives may be well-pleasing to God, but what evidence can we produce that such a desire is genuine. That which is well-pleasing unto God is made known in His statutes: to what extent are our hearts and minds seriously engaged with them? It is by definitely recalling who is their Author that I am most likely to hold them in greater reverence and esteem, realize they are designed for my good, and bring my walk into fuller accord with them. It is only by repeated and prayerful meditation upon them that I shall perceive their spirituality and scope. For example, that the prohibition of any vice inculcates its opposite virtue: that the thing forbidden is not merely the overt act, but everything leading up to and stimulating the same. It is by meditating on the precepts we come to understand them, that our consciences are impressed by them, that our wills are moved to do them. "My hands also will I lift up unto Thy commandments, which I have loved, and I will meditate in Thy statutes" (Ps. 119:48). The moving cause of David’s respect for the Divine commandments was his love for them, and that produced two practical effects. First, a "lifting up of the hands", which is an expression of varied significance, but here it means to make a diligent application unto the keeping of them. "Without thee shall no man lift up his hand" (Gen. 41:44)—attempt to do anything. "Arise, O Lord; O God, lift up Thine hand: forget not the humble" (Ps. 10:12)—put forth Thine active power for their assistance. "Lift up the hands which
- 145. hang down" (Heb.12:12)—set them to vigorous use. It is, then, a figurative expression which imports a serious and deliberate setting about upon a course of action. "I will lift up my hands unto Thy commandments": I will apply myself diligently to the keeping of them; I will earnestly endeavor to put them into practice; such is my solemn resolution. Second, and in order to the carrying out of that resolution, "I will meditate in Thy statutes". It is not enough to barely approve of them: they must also be performed— see James 1:22, 1 John 2:4. If we would seriously address ourselves to a course of obedience, then we must use much forethought and meditation. God’s chief complaint against Israel of old was, "My people doth not consider" (Isa. 1:3). God’s statutes must be kept in mind and what they require from us constantly pondered. The longer we hold the Divine precept before the conscience, the more powerfully shall we be affected by it. We complain of our forgetfulness, but fail to take the right course to cure it: the Word is only fixed in our minds by turning it over and over in our thoughts. "Be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is" (Eph. 5: 17): grace does not act as a charm, but sets us a-work, and much care and labor is entailed in obtaining spiritual understanding—see Proverbs 2:1-5. "For then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shall have good success". Yes, "then", but only then. We must comply with the required conditions. Walking in the path of God’s commandments alone ensures success in the spiritual warfare. God’s smile of approbation will not be upon us unless we walk as obedient children. or shall we possess our possessions and enjoy our heritage except as we conduct ourselves by the Divinely-given Rule. And in order to "observe to do according to all that is written therein" then we must "meditate therein day and night"! The designed use of this exercise is to bring the heart to a greater detestation of sin and a more diligent care to please God, and thereby we promote both our temporal and eternal welfare. We have dwelt the longer on these verses because they are of incalculable importance to the Christian life. If we would prosper as Joshua did, then we must act as he did! 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
- 146. GILL, "Have notI commanded thee?.... The above things, to go over Jordan with the people into the land of Canaan, and to observe the law of Moses in all things, and to be of good courage, which is again repeated; consider who it is that has given these orders and instructions, the great Jehovah, the everlasting I AM, who is faithful to his promises, and able to perform. The consideration of which would serve to animate him to the work he was called unto, to encourage his faith in God, to engage in his service cheerfully and readily: be strong, and of a good courage; See Gill on Jos_1:6; See Gill on Jos_1:7. be not afraid, nor be thou dismayed; at his enemies, numerous and powerful, nor discouraged at anything in himself, any unfitness for such service, as he might think, or at any difficulties he might fear from the people he had the government of, and was to lead on; it was enough that the divine Presence was promised him, and which is repeated: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest: or, as the Targum of Jonathan,"for thy help is the Word of the Lord thy God;''See Gill on Jos_1:5. HE RY, " That he encourage himself herein with the promise and presence of God, and make these his stay (Jos_1:6): Be strong and of a good courage. And again (Jos_ 1:7), as if this was the one thing needful: Only be strong and very courageous. And he concludes with this (Jos_1:9): Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed. Joshua had long since signalized his valour, in the war with Amalek, and in his dissent from the report of the evil spies; and yet God sees fit thus to inculcate this precept upon him. Those that have grace have need to be called upon again and again to exercise grace and to improve in it. Joshua was humble and low in his own eyes, not distrustful of God, and his power, and promise, but diffident of himself, and of his own wisdom, and strength, and sufficiency for the work, especially coming after so great a man as Moses; and therefore God repeats this so often, “Be strong and of a good courage; let not the sense of thy own infirmities dishearten thee; God is all-sufficient. Have not I commanded thee?” [1.] “I have commanded the work to be done, and therefore it shall be done, how invincible soever the difficulties may seem that lie in the way.” Nay, [2.] “I have commanded, called, and commissioned, thee to do it, and therefore will be sure to own thee, and strengthen thee, and bear thee out in. it.” Note, When we are in the way of our duty we have reason to be strong and very courageous; and it will help very much to animate and embolden us if we keep our eye upon the divine warrant, hear God saying, “Have not I commanded thee? I will therefore help thee, succeed thee, accept thee, reward thee.” Our Lord Jesus, as Joshua here, was borne up under his sufferings by a regard to the will of God and the commandment he had received from his Father, Joh_10:18. K&D, "In conclusion, the Lord not only repeats His exhortation to firmness, but the promise that He gave in Jos_1:5 and Jos_1:6. “Have I not” (nonne) is a rhetorical mode of saying, “Behold, I have,” the assurance being clothed in the form of an affirmative question. On the words “be not afraid,” etc., see Deu_31:6 and Deu_31:8.
- 147. SBC, "This expression"Be strong" does not mean "Be strong in body," but "Be strong in mind;" "Be strong in spirit;" "Be brave." An order like this could not have been a mere mockery, an order which Joshua was unable to obey. The word which bade him be strong was an assurance at the same time that if he would, he might be strong according to his day. I. The first secret of true courage is to know and be sure that we have some power. Hence the wisdom of the maxim of the ancients, "Know thyself"—learn to see what thy real capacity is, and knowing that, shrink not from venturing on putting it to the proof. It is not too much to say that all men go wrong by underestimating themselves? For what deeper self-depreciation is there than for a man to live in the world forgetful of what he is brought here for—forgetful of his Christian privileges, of his Christian name, of his Christian freedom? II. We all have some power; the question is, How much and what? That is the question we should ask ourselves every day; it is the great question of our early life especially, for on the right answering of it all our success depends. Our weaknesses guarded against often become our strength; and our best lessons, if we heed them, are our mistakes. Joshua’s strength was a knowledge of his weakness. Beware of thinking you have no strength because you are not omnipotent. God says to us all, whatever worthy work we are entering upon, "Be of good courage; be strong!" A. Jessopp, Norwich School Sermons, p. 97. CALVI , "9.Have not I commanded, etc Although in Hebrew a simple affirmation is often made in the form of a question, and this phraseology is of very frequent occurrence, here, however, the question is emphatic, to give an attestation to what had previously been taught, while the Lord, by bringing his own authority distinctly forward, relieves his servant from care and hesitancy. He asks, Is it not I who have commanded thee? I too will be present with thee. Observe the emphasis: inasmuch as it is not lawful to resist his command. (24) This passage also teaches that nothing is more effectual to produce confidence than when trusting to the call and the command of God, and feeling fully assured of it in our own conscience, we follow whithersoever he is pleased to lead. CO STABLE, "This was not just good advice. Joshua was receiving orders from his Commander. Trembling or fearing would betray lack of confidence in God. otice the chiastic structure of God"s charge to Joshua. A I will be with you ( Joshua 1:5). B Be strong and courageous ( Joshua 1:6-7). C That you may have success ( Joshua 1:7). D This book of the law ( Joshua 1:8). C" Then you will have success ( Joshua 1:8).
- 148. B" Be strongand courageous ( Joshua 1:9). A" The Lord your God is with you ( Joshua 1:9). This structure emphasizes the centrality of the book of the law of God as the key to Israel"s success, Joshua"s effective leadership, and God"s enabling presence with His people. With this challenge Joshua could advance into Canaan confidently. This passage contains the principles necessary for spiritual success in every age. We must know what God requires, maintain perpetual awareness of that, and be consistently and completely obedient to it in our daily experience to gain victory over our spiritual adversaries. [ ote: See Harry Foster, " Joshua , Walking into Battle," Toward the Mark 11:6 ( ovember-December1982):116-19.] COKE, "Ver. 9. Have not I commanded thee? &c.— These are the grounds of that intrepid courage which was to animate the soul of Joshua 1 st, The calling wherewith God had dignified him. 2nd, The positive promise of a lasting protection. REFLECTIO S.—Moses had been a faithful servant; but death is the common lot of man. By removing from the people this most useful minister, God will call them off from dependance on, and attachment to men. Joshua must arise; and, though conscious of great inferiority of abilities, yet at God's command he may comfortably address himself to the work, assured that he who sends will strengthen him. ote; (1.) It is a comfort to the people of God, that, though ministers die, Jesus their Lord for ever lives to provide for and direct them. (2.) Those whom God calls to succeed eminent ministers, though they may feel their own insufficiency, must not be discouraged, but rely upon his grace and strength who gives the mission. 1. Here is the work enjoined him, to pass Jordan, and to possess the land of Canaan. An arduous task! how shall he cross this deep river, without bridge or pontoons, especially now, when overflowing its banks? and how possess a land where all the inhabitants are mighty? here he must rely upon God: if he commands, he will make the way plain and easy. ote; Divine faith overcomes the greatest difficulties; and they can do all things, who have Christ strengthening them. 2. The promises made to him for his encouragement, [1.] The gift of the land is confirmed to the children of Israel. It was their own, as certainly as if they were in possession. The bounds are wide and extended; and had they been faithful to God, he had not suffered a tittle to have been unfulfilled: if they never occupied the whole, they must blame their own unbelief and disobedience. [2.] God assures Joshua, that his never-failing presence and blessing shall be with him, as they had been with Moses; and the consequence of these must be victory. He shall tread on the necks of his enemies, and divide the land, to be possessed in peace by the tribes of Israel. ote; They who have God's presence with them, may cheerfully and confidently go forth against a host of enemies. (3.) Victory over all the powers of evil is obtained for us by our divine Joshua, and we may triumph already in our glorious head over sin, and death, and hell, as vanquished enemies. (4.) He bids him be of good courage, repeats it again and again, and urges it with renewed assurances that he would be with him: and
- 149. need there wasof such encouragement, though his valour had been tried and known, for his difficulties were now greater than ever. His own insufficiency for such an enterprize, the people's well-known rebellious spirit, his enemies' power and numbers, might shake the most confirmed constancy; but fear is banished, whilst he who supremely commands inspires him with strength and courage irresistible. ote; (1.) The strongest have need of daily support and encouragement from God, or their strength would quickly prove but weakness. (2.) When we go forth to fight the Lord's battles, as ministers, we should take with us that encouraging promise, Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world. (3.) When God is pleased to work, none shall hinder: the mountains of difficulty shall, before our divine Zerubbabel, become a plain. PETT, "“Have not I commanded you? Be strong, and of a good courage. Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for YHWH your God is with you wherever you go.” God had pointed to the land he was to possess (Joshua 1:2-4), He had pointed to the enemy (Joshua 1:5), He had pointed to the purpose (Joshua 1:6), He had pointed to the word of God and the need for obedience (Joshua 1:7-8), now He pointed to Himself. It is He Who has commanded. That is why Joshua can have strength and courage. That is why he need not be afraid, because YHWH his God was with him wherever he went. He had, of course, indirectly pointed to Himself all the way through. ‘I give it to them -- to you I have given it -- I was with Moses -- I will be with you -- I will not fail you or forsake you -- I swore to your fathers to give them’, God was in it all, but here He laid the greatest stress on it, ‘is it not I Who have commanded? -- it is YHWH your God Who is with you’. YHWH, ‘the One Who is there’, ‘the One Who causes to be’, the One Who always is, the God of creation, the God of battle, remember that it is He Who is with you, and with you wherever you go. “Do not be afraid, nor be you dismayed.” He would face many problems, many enemies, many seemingly insurmountable difficulties, but he need not fear any, he need not be dismayed at any, because it was his God YHWH Who would be with him wherever he went. And He can surmount anything. With these words God bolstered the courage of Joshua, who was apprehensive as a result of taking over the role of Moses and apprehensive as he looked across at that unknown land. What did lie before them? But knowing that he had God with him, what else could he need? He was content. These words have much to say to us. Whatever our calling in life God calls us to be strong and courageous. He also calls us to meditate in His word day and night with a view to obeying all His commands. We must remember that obedience is better than sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:22). If we are not obeying Him in the details of our lives there is little point in making great offerings. MACLARE , "THE EW LEADER’S COMMISSIO Joshua 1:1 - Joshua 1:11.
- 150. The closest connectionexists between Deuteronomy and Joshua. The narrative may be read as running on without a break. It turns away from the lonely grave up on the mountain to the bustling camp and the new leader. o man is indispensable. God’s work goes on uninterrupted. The instruments are changed, but the Master- hand is the same, and lays one tool aside and takes another out of the tool-chest as He will. Moses is dead,-what then? Does his death paralyse the march of the tribes? o; it is but the ground for the ringing command, ‘Therefore arise, go over this Jordan.’ The immediate installation of his successor, and the uninterrupted continuance of the advance, do not mean that Moses is not honoured or is forgotten, for the narrative lovingly links his honorific title, ‘the servant of the Lord,’ with the mention of his death; and God Himself does the same, for he is thrice referred to in the divine command to Joshua, as the recipient of the promise of the conquest, as the example of the highest experience of God’s all-sufficing companionship, and as the medium by which Israel received the law. Joshua steps into the empty place, receives the same great promise, is assured of the same Presence, and is to obey the same law. The change of leaders is great, but nothing else is changed; and even it is not so great as faint hearts in their sorrow are apt to think, for the real Leader lives, and Moses and Joshua alike are but the transmitters of His orders and His aids to Israel. The first command given to Joshua was a trial of his faith, for ‘Jordan was in flood’ [Joshua 3:15],-and how was that crowd to get across, when fords were impassable and ferry-boats were wanting, to say nothing of the watchful eyes that were upon them from the other bank? To cross a stream in the face of the enemy is a ticklish operation, even for modern armies; what must it have been, then, for Joshua and his horde? ot a hint is given him as to the means by which the crossing is to be made possible. He has Jehovah’s command to do it, and Jehovah’s promise to be with him, and that is to be enough. We too have sometimes to face undertakings which we cannot see how to carry through; but if we do see that the path is one appointed by God, and will boldly tread it, we may be quite sure that, when we come to what at present seems like a mountain wall across it, we shall find that the glen opens as we advance, and that there is a way,-narrow, perhaps, and dangerous, but practicable. ‘One step enough for me’ should be our motto. We may trust God not to command impossibilities, nor to lead us into a cul de sac. The promise to Moses [Deuteronomy 2:24] is repeated almost verbally in Joshua 1:4. The boundaries of the land are summarily given as from ‘the wilderness’ in the south to ‘this Lebanon’ in the north, and from the Euphrates in the east to the Mediterranean in the west. ‘The land of the Hittites’ is not found in the original passage in Deuteronomy, and it seems to be a designation of the territory between Lebanon and the Euphrates, which we now know to have been the seat of the northern Hittites, while the southern branch was planted round Hebron and the surrounding district. But these wide boundaries were not attained till late in the history, and were not long retained. Did the promise, then, fail? o, for it, like all the promises, was contingent on conditions, and Israel’s unfaithfulness cut short its extent of territory. We, too, fail to possess all the land destined for us. Our charter is much wider than our actual wealth. God gives more than we take, and we are content to occupy but a corner of the broad land which He has given us. In like
- 151. manner Joshua didnot realise to the full the following promise of uniform victory, but was defeated at Ai and elsewhere. The reason was the same,-the faithlessness of the people. Unbelief and sin turn a Samson into a weakling, and make Israel flee before the ranks of the Philistines. The great encouragement given to Joshua in entering on his hard and perilous enterprise is twice repeated here: ‘As I was with Moses, so will I be with thee.’ Did Joshua remember how, nearly forty years since, he had fronted the mob of cowards with the very same assurance, and how the answer had been a shower of stones? The cowards are all dead,-will their sons believe the assurance now? If we do believe that God is with us, we shall be ready to cross Jordan in flood, and to meet the enemies that are waiting on the other bank. If we do not, we shall not dare greatly, nor succeed in what we attempt. The small successes of material wealth and gratified ambition may be ours, but for all the higher duties and nobler conflicts that become a man, the condition of achievement and victory is steadfast faith in God’s presence and help. That assurance-which we may all have if we cling to Jesus, in whom God comes to be with every believing soul-is the only basis on which the command to Joshua, thrice repeated, can wisely or securely be rested. It is mockery to say to a man conscious of weakness, and knowing that there are evils which must surely come, and evils which may possibly come, against which he is powerless, ‘Don’t be afraid’ unless you can show him good reason why he need not be. And there is only one reason which can still reasonable dread in a human heart that has to front ‘all the ills that flesh is heir to,’ and sees behind them all the grim form of death. He ought to be afraid, unless-unless what? Unless he has heard and taken into his inmost soul the Voice that said to Joshua, ‘I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee: be strong and of a good courage,’ or, still more sweet and peace-bringing, the Voice that said to the frightened crew of the fishing-boat in the storm and the darkness,’ It is I be not afraid.’ If we know that Christ is with us, it is wise to be strong and courageous; if we are meeting the tempest alone, the best thing we can do is to fear, for the fear may drive us to seek for His help, and He ever stretches out His hand to him who is afraid, as he ought to be, when he feels the cold water rising above his knees, and by his very fear is driven to faith, and cries, ‘Lord, save; I perish!’ Courage that does not rest on Christ’s presence is audacity rather than courage, and is sure to collapse, like a pricked bladder, when the sharp point of a real peril comes in contact with it. If we sit down and reckon the forces that we have to oppose to the foes that we are sure to meet, we shall find ourselves unequal to the fight, and, if we are wise, shall ‘send the ambassage’ of a humble desire to the great King, who will come to our help with His all-conquering powers. Then, and only then, shall we be safe in saying,’ I will not fear what man can do unto me, or devils either,’ when we have said,’ In God have I put my trust,’ and have heard Him answering, ‘I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. PI K, "The Concluding Charge "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" (Josh. 1:9). This was the concluding part of the charge which Jehovah there laid upon His servant. For the third time Joshua was bidden to be courageous. The
- 152. natural inference todraw from such repetition would be that he was a timid and cowardly man; but his previous record effectively disposes of such a conclusion. He was one of the twelve selected by Moses to spy out the Land. In his bold dissent from the gloomy report of ten of his fellows, and in his fighting of Amalek (Ex. 17) he had manifested himself as one possessed of valor. Yet God saw fit to press this injunction upon him repeatedly: as Matthew Henry pointed out, "Those that have grace, have need to be called upon again and again to exercise grace and improve it". Though that precept did not imply that Joshua was faint-hearted, it did import he would be faced with situations which called for the exercise of sterling qualities. But let it be pointed out that there is a moral courage, as well as a physical, and not all possessing the latter are endowed with the former. How many who flinched not in the face of the enemy’s fire, were afraid to be seen reading God’s Word! There is also strength of mind and will, which refuses to be daunted by difficulties and dismayed by failures. Let it also be noted that that threefold call to act valiantly was not a mere repetition. In verse 6 Joshua was bidden to be strong and of a good courage in view of the task before him—which demanded physical prowess. In verse 7 it was an injunction unto personal and moral courage: "that thou mayest observe to do according to all the Law"—to seek not counsel from his fellows, nor fear their criticisms, but to order all his actions by "the Book". It requires more courage to keep to the old paths than it does to follow after novelties. A stout heart is indispensable in order to tread the path of God’s commandments. "Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage" (v. 9). It seems to us this was more distinctly a call to the exercise of spiritual courage. In proportion as the child of God becomes aware of his own weakness and insufficiency, he is very apt to be cast down; instead, it should make him look outside himself and lay hold of the strength of Another. Was it not as though the Lord said to His servant: It is indeed unto a great undertaking I have commissioned thee, but let not a sense of thine own infirmities deter thee, for "have not I commanded thee"! It would be a great help unto Joshua if he kept his eye on the Divine warrant. The same One who had issued the precept must be looked unto for enablement to the performance thereof. Christ Himself was borne up under His suffering by a regard to the Divine will: "as the Father gave Me commandment, even so I do; Arise, let us go hence" (John 14:31). "Have not I commanded them? Be strong and of a good courage". It is not sufficiently realized that God’s commandments, equally with His promises, are addressed unto faith; yet a little reflection ought to convince us that such is the case. That which we are required to believe and take for our Rule is the Word of God as a whole, and a heart which has been turned unto the Lord and brought into loving subjection to Him does not delight in one part of it and despise another. The fact is we do not believingly receive God’s Word at all, unless we heartily receive everything in it: there are precisely the same reasons for our embracing the precepts as the promises. Yea, in one sense, it should be easier for us to be convinced of our present duty than to be assured of the future things promised us. It is by our obedience to the Divine precepts that our faith is to be tested and measured. Faith without works is dead. Faith worketh by love (Gal. 5:6), and how can I express my love than by doing what God bids me: "he that hath My commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me" (John 14:21).
- 153. "I have believedThy commandments"’ (Ps. 119:66). Have we? Do we clearly understand what is signified and included in that statement? To "believe God’s commandments" is to have a ready alacrity to hear God’s voice in them, for the heart to be suitably impressed and for our actions to be regulated by them. Faith always has to do with God Himself. It is the work of faith to acquaint us with the character of God and His attributes, and to be duly influenced in our souls by a sense of the same. Faith looks to His majesty as truly as it does to His love, and submits to His authority as truly as it delights in His grace. The precepts as much as the promises bind us to trust in God: the one issues from His lips and requires a response from us as much as does the other. The commandments are an expression of God’s will, binding us to our duty, and since they are not addressed unto sense, they must be given unto faith. There can, in fact, be no acceptable obedience unless it proceeds from faith—Hebrews 11:8. Faith views the commandments as what God demands of me and therefore submits to His authority. As the promises are not really esteemed and embraced by us unless they are received as from God, so the precepts do not awe our consciences nor bring the will into subjection to them unless we accept them as Divine fiats binding upon us. If we actually believe God’s promises with a living faith, then our hearts are drawn off from carnal vanities, to seek our happiness in what they pledge us. In like manner, when we actually believe God’s precepts with a lively faith, our hearts are drawn off from a course of self-will, for we accept them as the only Rule to guide and govern us in the obtaining of that happiness; and thereby we submit ourselves to the Divine authority and conduct ourselves "as obedient children". othing produces a real submission of soul but a conscious subjection to a "thus saith the Lord." Faith receives the commandments as coming from an all-mighty Lawgiver and therefore as One who is not to be trifled with, knowing "There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy" (James 4:12). It is because the unregenerate do not believe in the majesty, authority, righteousness and power of God that they so lightly regard and despise His commandments. But faith realizes there is a Day of accounting, a Day of Judgment ahead, and keeps before it the penalty of disobedience. Hebrews 2:1-4 makes it clear that we ought to be as solemnly affected by the Divine Law and the majesty of its Promulgator as though we had been personally present at Sinai. But faith not only recognizes the authority of the Divine precepts but their excellency too. It sets too its seal that "the Law is holy, and the Commandment holy, and just and good" (Rom. 7:12). ay more, it says with the apostle "I delight in the Law of God after the inward man" (Rom. 7:22). When the apostle declared "I consent to the Law that it is good" (Rom. 7:16) he expressed his willingness and desire to be ruled by a perfect Law. A bare assent is not sufficient: there must be a consent too—a readiness to obey. "Consent" is a mixed act, in which the judgment and the will concur. The commandments are not only received as God’s, but they are highly valued and embraced as such. The more we are convinced of their excellency, the easier it is to obey them. "The Lord commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always" (Deut. 6:24). Satan would fain have us think God’s Law is a severe and harsh one; but the Spirit assures us "His commandments are not grievous" (1 John 5:4). God has made an inseparable connection between the precepts and the
- 154. promises: the lattercannot benefit us if we disregard the former—our peace and happiness depend on complying with the one as much as it does with the other. Our assurance of acceptance with God cannot be greater than the diligence of our obedience: see 1 John 2:4. "Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage, be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed". Let it be duly noted that the Divine precepts are to govern our inner man as well as our actions. "Behold, Thou desirest truth in the inward parts" (Ps. 51:6). God’s commands require more than external conformity, including also the state of our hearts, and the spirit in which, we obey. Covetousness is as sinful as lying, anxiety as theft, despair as murder, for each is a disobeying God. The above command is addressed to us as truly as it was to Joshua, and so too is the promise that accompanies it: "For the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest"—with us as "a very present help". How that should encourage us to turn the precepts into believing prayer, looking to the Lord to work in us that which He requireth, and counting upon Him to do so! Then, can we, in the fullest sense say, "I have believed Thy commandments". Here then was an additional reason why the Lord should, three times over, bid Joshua "be strong and of a good courage": "it was not written (not spoken) for his sake alone . . . but for us also" (Rom. 4:23, 24), and that is why we have spent so much time upon these particular verses. The directions given to Joshua for the conquering of Canaan and enjoyment of the promised heritage, are the instructions we must needs follow if success is to be ours in the warfare to which we are called. It is the "good fight of faith" in which we are to engage, and a life of faith consists first and foremost in a life of obedience to the Divine statutes, submitting ourselves to the authority of an invisible God, ordering our lives by the Rule He has given us. It consists in a trustful seeking of strength from Him that we may be enabled to do those things which are pleasing in His sight. It consists in a laying hold of His promises as the incentive of our task. But a life of faith calls for a stout heart, that we may not be daunted by either the difficulties or the dangers of the way. The flesh, the world and the Devil are arrayed against us, seeking our destruction. or are we called upon to engage them for a season only—it is a lifelong battle. or can we expect to avoid hardship or escape being wounded in such a conflict. Let the young Christian realize, then, that if he is to be a good soldier of Jesus Christ" (2 Tim. 2:3) he must "be strong and of a good courage", and faint not though the march wearies, and be not dismayed when the enemy gains an advantage over him. He may be bested in the preliminary skirmishes, he may be hard put to it to so much as hold his ground for days together, but if he "endure to the end"—and for that fortitude, resoluteness, perseverance, as well as trusting in the Lord, are indispensable—victory is certain. 10 So Joshua ordered the officers of the people:
- 155. BAR ES, "Officers- The “scribes.” (See the Exo_5:6 note, and Deu_16:18.) CLARKE, "Commanded the officers - שטרים shoterim. These were different from the שפטים shophetim, who were judges among the people, and whose business it was to determine in all civil cases. The shoterim have been supposed to be subordinate officers, whose business it was to see the decisions of the shophetim carried into effect. Calmet conjectures that the shoterim here may have been the heralds of the army like those so often met with in Homer, who were called the messengers both of the gods and men; who bore sceptres, and whose persons were ever held sacred. See on Deu_1:13-16 (note). GILL, "Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people,.... The same word is used in Deu_16:18; where it seems to design such officers that attended on the judges, and executed their orders; but one would think it should here rather signify officers in the army, as captains, and the like; unless it should design a sort of heralds, who were to make proclamation throughout the camp, each of the orders issued by Joshua, immediately upon his having the above directions and instructions from the Lord: saying; as follows. HE RY, "Joshua, being settled in the government, immediately applies himself to business; not to take state or to take his pleasure, but to further the work of God among, the people over whom God had set him. As he that desires the office of a minister (1Ti_ 3:1), so he that desires the office of a magistrate, desires a work, a good work; neither is preferred to be idle. I. He issues out orders to the people to provide for a march; and they had been so long encamped in their present post that it would be a work of some difficulty to decamp. The officers of the people that commanded under Joshua in their respective tribes and families attended him for orders, which they were to transmit to the people. Inferior magistrates are as necessary and as serviceable to the public good in their places as the supreme magistrate in his. What could Joshua have done without officers? We are therefore required to be subject, not only to the king as supreme, but to governors as to those that are sent by him, 1Pe_2:13, 1Pe_2:14. By these officers, 1. Joshua gives public notice that they were to pass over Jordan within three days. These orders, I suppose, were not given till after the return of the spies that were sent to bring an account of Jericho, though the story of that affair follows, ch. 2. And perhaps that was such an instance of his jealousy, and excessive caution, as made it necessary that he should be so
- 156. often bidden ashe was to be strong and of a good courage. Observe with what assurance Joshua says to the people, because God had said it to him, You shall pass over Jordan, and shall possess the land. We greatly honour the truth of God. 2. He gives them directions to prepare victuals, not to prepare transport vessels. He that bore Egypt upon eagle's wings would in like manner bear them into Canaan, to bring them to himself, Exo_19:4. But those that were desirous to have other victuals besides the manna, which had not yet ceased, must prepare it and have it ready against the time appointed. Perhaps, though the manna did not quite cease till they came into Canaan (Jos_5:12), yet since they had come into a land inhabited (Exo_16:35), where they might be furnished in part with other provisions, it did not fall so plentifully, nor did they gather so much as when they had it first given to them in the wilderness, but decreased gradually, and therefore they are ordered to provide other victuals, in which perhaps was included all other things necessary to their march. And some of the Jewish writer, considering that having manna they needed not to provide other victuals, understand it figuratively, that they must repent of their sins, and make their peace with God, and resolve to live a new life, that they might be ready to receive this great favour. See Exo_ 19:10, Exo_19:11. JAMISO 10-18, "Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people — These were the Shoterim (see on Exo_5:6; see on Deu_20:5). K&D 10-11, "Jos_1:10-11 Preparations for Crossing the Jordan. - Jos_1:10-11. For the purpose of carrying out the commands of the Lord, Joshua first of all directed the officers of the people (shoterim: see at Ex 5-6), whose duty it was, as the keepers of the family registers, to attend not only to the levying of the men who were bound to serve in the army, but also to the circulation of the commands of the general, to issue orders to the people in the camp to provide themselves with food, so that they might cross the Jordan within three days, and take the land that was promised them by God. By zedah, provision for a journey (Gen_42:25, etc.), we are not to understand manna, for that had already ceased (see at Jos_5:12), but simply the natural produce of the inhabited country. The expression “in three days,” i.e., as we may see from comparing Gen_40:13, Gen_40:19, with Gen_40:20, on the third day from the publication of the command, “will ye go over the Jordan,” is not to be regarded as a prediction of the time when the crossing actually took place, but to be taken as the latest time that could be allowed to the people to prepare for crossing: viz., in this sense, “Prepare you victuals for crossing over the Jordan within three days,” i.e., that you may be able to leave Shittim within that time, to cross over the Jordan, and commence the conquest of Canaan. If we understand the words in this way, they are in perfect harmony with Josh 2 and 3. According to Josh 2, Joshua sent out spies from Shittim to Jericho, who were obliged to hide themselves for three days in the mountains after their flight from that city (Jos_2:22), before they could return to the Israelitish camp; so that they were absent three or four days at any rate, and came back at the earliest in the evening or night of the fourth day after they had been sent out. It was not till the morning after this that the Israelites left Shittim and proceeded to the Jordan, where they halted again. Then, three days afterwards, they went across the river (Jos_3:1-2), so that at least 4 + 1 + 3, i.e., eight whole days must have intervened between the day when the spies were sent out and the day on which the people crossed the river. Joshua no doubt intended to proceed to the Jordan and cross it
- 157. within three daysafter despatching the spies; he therefore sent the spies to Jericho on the same day on which he issued the command to the people to prepare for crossing within three days, so that he might reasonably hope that they would fulfil their commission and return in two or three days. But as they were compelled to hide themselves for three days in the mountains, in consequence of the unexpected discovery of their arrival in Jericho, and the despatch of men in pursuit of them, Joshua could not remove with the people from Shittim and proceed to the Jordan till the day after their return; and even then he could not cross the river at once, but waited three days after reaching the bank of the river before he crossed to the other side (vid., Jos_3:1.). (Note: In this way the different statements in the three chapters harmonize perfectly well. But the majority of commentators have arranged the order of succession differently and in a very arbitrary way, starting with the unwarrantable assumption that the time referred to in this verse, “within three days,” is identical with that in Jos_3:2, “it came to pass after three days.” Upon the strength of this groundless assumption, Knobel maintains that there is great confusion in the order of succession of the events described in Josh 1-3, that Jos_1:11 is irreconcilable with Jos_3:1-6, and that accounts written by three different authors have been mixed up together in these chapters. (For the different attempts to reconcile the accounts, see Keil's Commentary on Joshua, pp. 72-75, note, Eng. trans. Clark, 1857.)) CALVI , "10.Then Joshua commanded (25) etc It may be doubted whether or not this proclamation was made after the spies were sent, and of course on their return. And certainly I think it not only probable, but I am fully convinced that it was only after their report furnished him with the knowledge he required, that he resolved to move his camp. It would have been preposterous haste to hurry on an unknown path, while he considered it expedient to be informed on many points before setting foot on a hostile territory. or is there anything novel in neglecting the order of time, and afterwards interweaving what had been omitted. The second chapter must therefore be regarded as a kind of interposed parenthesis, explaining to the reader more fully what had happened, when Joshua at length commanded the people to collect their vessels. After all necessary matters had been ascertained, he saw it was high time to proceed, and issued a proclamation, ordering the people to make ready for the campaign. With the utmost confidence he declares that they will pass the Jordan after the lapse of three days: this he never would have ventured to do, without the suggestion of the Spirit. o one had attempted the ford, nor did there seem to be any hope that it could be done. (26) There was no means of crossing either by a bridge or by boats: and nothing could be easier for the enemy than to prevent the passage. The only thing, therefore, that remained was for God to transport them miraculously. This Joshua hoped for not at random, nor at his own hand, but as a matter which had been divinely revealed. The faith of the people also was conspicuous in the promptitude of their obedience: for, in the view of the great difficulties which presented themselves, they never would have complied so readily had they not cast their care upon God. It cannot be doubted that He inspired their minds with this alacrity, in order to remove all the obstacles which might delay the fulfillment of the promise.
- 158. ELLICOTT, "JOSHUA’S FIRSTORDERS (Joshua 1:10-15). (10) Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people.—Joshua’s first orders to the people were to prepare for the passage of Jordan within three days. We may compare this event, in its relation to Joshua, with the giving of the law from Sinai to Moses. Both were preceded by a three days’ notice and a sanctification of the people. Both were means employed by God to establish the leaders whom He had chosen in the position which He designed for them. (Comp. Exodus 19:9; Exodus 19:11 with Joshua 1:11; Joshua 3:7; Joshua 4:14.) Verse 11 (11) Prepare you victuals.—The question may be asked, what preparation is intended, since they had the manna, which did not cease until several days after they passed the Jordan. But it does not seem possible to assign any other meaning to the word except that of provision for a journey or for a warlike expedition. Perhaps the order was intended to prepare the Israelites for the transition from the manna to other food. It may be also that the manna which supported them in their pilgrimage through the wilderness was not so fit to sustain them in the warfare which they were about to begin. For the phrase itself, compare Exodus 12:39 : “They were thrust out of Egypt, and could not tarry, neither had they prepared for themselves any victual.” When there was a difficulty in obtaining other provision, God gave His people manna. ow, when they could easily provide food for themselves, He would not support them in idleness; and perhaps this is the common-sense view of the order given in the text. If called to any expedition which would take them far from the camp, the manna would not be within reach of all. WHEDO , "Verse 10-11 PREPARATIO S FOR THE MARCH, Joshua 1:10-11. [10. Officers of the people — Shoterim; subordinate magistrates or scribes among the Israelites, and more or less intimately associated with the administration of justice. They assisted the Egyptian taskmasters in apportioning and supervising the work of the Israelitish bondmen, (Exodus 5:10; Exodus 5:14-15,) were associated with the elders ( umbers 11:16) and with the judges, (Joshua 8:33,) acted as overseers of levies, (Deuteronomy 20:5,) and from this verse, compared with Joshua 3:2, and Joshua 8:33, it seems to have been a part of their work to notify the tribes of any public order, and prepare them for action in any emergency.] PETT, "Verse 10-11 ‘Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying “Pass through the midst of the camp and command the people, saying, ‘Prepare victuals, for in three days you are to pass over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land which YHWH your God gives you to possess it.’ ” ’ The officers (shoterim) of the people are mentioned in Deuteronomy 1:15; Deuteronomy 20:5-9. They were the chief men of the tribes. In Deuteronomy 16:18 they are parallel with the judges. Moved by his dream Joshua told them to prepare the people for the crossing of the River. Although they were still receiving the
- 159. manna (Joshua 5:12),that would not be so easily gatherable on a war footing, and anyway it would shortly cease, so they needed to ensure that they were well provisioned. ow that they were out of the wilderness and close to the land, plenty of food would be available, such for example as they had captured in battles against the Amorites. The word for ‘victuals’ also includes hunted game. “In three days.” That is, in a short time. ‘Three days’ is a standard way of saying ‘a few days, shortly’. (It means any period less than the next step up, ‘seven days’). Time was not as precise for them as it is for us. Life was more relaxed. “You are to pass over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land which YHWH your God gives you to possess it.” Compare Deuteronomy 11:31; Deuteronomy 1:8; Deuteronomy 3:18. Moses’ words were burned into Joshua’s mind and became God’s voice to him. otice his encouragement to the people, they were to possess what God had given them to possess. Thus they could be sure that He would enable them. BE SO , "Verse 10-11 Joshua 1:10-11. The officers of the people — Those who commanded under Joshua, in their respective tribes and families, attended him for orders, which they were to transmit to the people. Prepare you victuals — For although manna was given them to supply their want of ordinary provisions in the wilderness; yet they were allowed, when they had opportunity, to purchase other provisions, and did so, Deuteronomy 2:6; Deuteronomy 2:28. And now, having been some time in the land of the Amorites, and, together with manna, used themselves to other food, with which that country plentifully supplied them, they are warned to furnish themselves therewith for their approaching march. Within three days — These words, though placed here, seem not to have been delivered by Joshua till after the return of the spies, such transpositions being frequent in Scripture. And hence it is, that these three days, mentioned here, are again repeated below, after the history of the spies, Joshua 3:2. COFFMA , ""Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying, Pass through the midst of the camp, and command the people, saying, Prepare you victuals; for within three days ye are to pass over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land, which Jehovah your God giveth you to possess it." "Within three days ..." Here we encounter somewhat of a problem. This is due to the mention of another "three days" in Joshua 3:2 before Joshua gave the order mentioned here. This is rather a complicated problem, and scholars have given conflicting opinions on it for many years. We do not consider it to be of any earth- shaking importance, because of two reasons: (1) The Hebrew language had no pluperfect tense, and it was therefore impossible in that language to declare that "Joshua had done" certain things. Haley stated that, "Therefore, we should read Joshua 2:1, as `Joshua had sent.'"[15]
- 160. (2) Also, thethree days mentioned in this verse had already been preceded by the three days mentioned in Joshua 23:2. o discerning student of ancient documents can be upset by a minor difficulty such as this. We see no good reason for not accepting Plummer's explanation: "Cornelius a Lapide calculated that the spies left the camp of Israel on the 3of isan, returned on the 6th; and Joshua gave his order on the 7th, and that on the 10th of isan (Joshua 4:19) they crossed the Jordan River."[16] "Joshua commanded the officers of the people ..." Of very great interest is the Hebrew word from which "officers" is translated. "It is from the same root of an Arabic word meaning `to write.'"[17] The word will actually bear the rendition of "writers" or "scribes," suggesting that these men corresponded to construction foremen in our own day who keep written records of the hours worked, quantities of materials used, the kinds and quantities of products produced, and other pertinent information. What a revealing glimpse we have here of the status of that civilization. ot only was the science of writing well known to the well educated, (indeed, writing had already been known for centuries), but here, we see that literally hundreds of "contact men" for the multi-million Israelites were able to "write," that being a primary function of their duties. This order by Joshua also reveals that Israel, at this time, was no longer a haphazard and disorganized mob like that which came out of Egypt. "It was a well- disciplined and united army ready to undertake the Lord's battles."[18] "Prepare victuals ..." In this order is seen the near-approach of the cessation of the manna. Besides that, there is no statement in the O.T. that declares the Israelites to have had no other food except manna. They surely had the great flocks and herds so often mentioned. EBC, "JOSHUA'S CHARGE TO THE PEOPLE. Joshua 1:10-18. GOD has spoken to Joshua; it is now Joshua's part to speak to the people. The crossing of the Jordan must be set about at once, and in earnest, and all the risks and responsibilities involved in that step firmly and fearlessly encountered. And in the steps taken by Joshua for this purpose we see, what we so often see, how the natural must be exhausted before the supernatural is brought in. Thus, in communicating with the people through the shoterim, or officers, the first order which he gives is to "command the people to prepare them victuals." "Victuals " denotes the natural products of the country, and is evidently used in opposition to ''manna." In another passage we read that ''the manna ceased on the very morning after they had eaten of the old corn of the land " (Joshua 5:12). This may have been a considerable time before, for the conquest of Sihon and Og would give the people possession of ample stores of food out of the old corn of the land. The manna was a
- 161. provision for thedesert only, where few or no natural supplies of food could be found. But the very day when natural stores become available, the manna is discontinued. One cannot but contrast the carefully limited use of the supernatural in Scripture with its arbitrary and unstinted employment in mythical or fictional writings. Often in such cases it is brought in with a wanton profusion, simply to excite wonder, sometimes to gratify the love of the grotesque, not because natural means could not have accomplished what was sought, but through sheer love of revelling in the supernatural. In Scripture the natural is never superseded when it is capable of either helping or accomplishing the end. The east wind helps to dry the Red Sea, although the rod of Moses has to be stretched out for the completion of the work. The angel of God knocks Peter's chains from his limbs and opens the prison gates for him, but leaves him to find his way thereafter as best he can. So now. It is now in the power of the people to prepare them victuals, and though God might easily feed them as He has fed them miraculously for forty years, He leaves them to find food for themselves. In all cases the co-operation of the Divine and the human is carried out with an instructive combination of generosity and economy; man is never to be idle; alike in the affairs of the temporal and the spiritual life, the Divine energy always stimulates to activity, never lulls to sleep. A little explanation is needed respecting the time when Joshua said the Jordan must be crossed - '' within three days." If the narrative of the first two chapters be taken in chronological order, more than three days must have elapsed between the issuing of this order and the crossing of the river, because it is expressly stated that the two spies who were sent to examine Jericho hid themselves for three days in the mountains, and thereafter recrossed the Jordan and returned to Joshua (Joshua 2:22). But it is quite in accordance with the practice of Scripture narrative to introduce an episode out of its chronological place so that it may not break up the main record. It is now generally held that the spies were sent off before Joshua issued this order to the people, because it is not likely that he would have committed himself to a particular day before he got the information which he expected the spies to bring. In any case, it is plain that no needless delay was allowed. Half a week more and Jordan would be crossed, although the means of crossing it had not yet been made apparent; and then the people would be actually in their own inheritance, within the very country which in the dim ages of the past had been promised to their fathers. Yes, the people generally; but already an arrangement had been made for the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh on the east side of the river. How, then, were they to act in the present crisis? That had been determined between them and Moses when they got leave to occupy the lands of Sihon and Og, on account of their suitableness for their abundant flocks and herds. It had been arranged then that, leaving their cattle and their children, a portion of the men likewise, the rest would cross the river with their brethren and take their share of the toils and risks of the conquest of Western Canaan. All that Joshua needs to do now is to remind them of this arrangement. Happily there was no reluctance on their part to fulfil it. There was no going back from their word, even though they might have found a loophole of escape. They might have said that as the conquest of
- 162. Sihon and Oghad been accomplished so easily, so the conquest of the western tribes would be equally simple. Or they might have said that the nine tribes and a half could furnish quite a large enough army to dispossess the Canaanites. Or they might have discovered that their wives and children were exposed to dangers they had not apprehended, and that it would be necessary for the entire body of the men to remain and protect them. But they fell back on no such after thought. They kept their word at no small cost of toil and danger, and furnished thereby a perpetual lesson for those who, having made a promise under pressure, are tempted to resile from it when the pressure is removed. Fidelity to engagements is a noble quality, just as laxity in regard to them is a miserable sin. Even Pagan Rome could boast of a Regulus who kept his oath by returning to Carthage, though it was to encounter a miserable death. In the fifteenth psalm it is a feature in the portrait of the man who is to abide in God's tabernacle and dwell in His holy hill, that he "sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not." One arrangement was made by these transjordanic tribes that was perfectly reasonable - a portion of the men remained to guard their families and their property. The number that passed over was forty thousand (Joshua 4:13), whereas the entire number of men capable of bearing arms (dividing Manasseh into two) was a hundred and ten thousand ( umbers 26:7; umbers 26:18; umbers 26:34). But the contingent actually sent was amply sufficient to redeem the promise, and, consisting probably of picked men, was no doubt a very efficient portion of the force. The actual fighting force of the other tribes would probably be in the same proportion to the whole; and there, too, a section would have to be left to guard the women, children, and flocks, so that in point of fact the labours and dangers of the conquest were about equally divided between all the tribes. Here, then, was an edifying spectacle: those who had been first provided for did not forget those who had not yet obtained any settlement; but held themselves bound to assist their brethren until they should be as comfortably settled as themselves. It was a grand testimony against selfishness, a grand assertion of brotherhood, a beautiful manifestation of loyalty and public spirit; and, we may add, an instructive exhibition of the working of the method by which God's providence seeks to provide for the dissemination of many blessings among the children of men. It was an act of socialism, without the drawbacks which most forms of socialism involve. God has allowed many differences in the lots of mankind, bestowing on some ample means, for which they toiled not neither did they spin; bestowing, often on the same individuals, a higher position in life, with corresponding social influence; setting some nations in the van of the world's march, bestowing on some churches very special advantages and means of influence; and it is a great question that arises - what obligations rest on these favoured individuals and communities? Does God lay any duty on them toward the rest of mankind? The inquiry in its full scope is too wide for our limits; let us restrict ourselves to the element in respect of which the transjordanic tribes had the advantage of the others
- 163. - the elementof time. What do those who have received their benefits early owe to those who are behind them in time? The question leads us first to the family constitution, but there is really no question here. The obligations of parents to their children are the obligations of those who have already got their settlement to those who have not; of those who have already got means, and strength, and experience, and wisdom to those who have not yet had time to acquire them. It is only the vilest of our race that refuse to own their obligations here, and this only after their nature has been perverted and demonized by vice. To all others it is an obligation which amply repays itself. The affection between parent and child in every well-ordered house sweetens the toil that often falls so heavily on the elders; while the pleasure of seeing their children filling stations of respectability and usefulness, and the enjoyment of their affection, even after they have gone out into the world, amply repay their past labours, and greatly enrich the joys of life. We advance to the relation of the rich to the poor, especially of those who are born to riches to those who are born to obscurity and toil. Had the providence of God no purpose in this arrangement? You who come into the world amid luxury and splendour, who have never required to work for a single comfort, who have the means of gratifying expensive tastes, and who grudge no expenditure on the objects of your fancy: - was it meant that you were to sustain no relation of help and sympathy to the poor, especially your neighbours, your tenants, or your workpeople? Do you fulfil the obligations of life when, pouring into your coffers the fruits of other men's toil, you hurry off to the resorts of wealth and fashion, intent only on your own enjoyment, and without a thought of the toiling multitude you leave at home? Is it right of you to leave deserving people to fall peradventure into starvation and despair, without so much as turning a finger to prevent it? What are you doing for the widows and orphans? Selfish and sinful beings! let these old Hebrews read you a lesson of condemnation! They could not selfishly enjoy their comfortable homes till they had done their part on behalf of their brethren, for wherever there is a brotherly heart a poor brother's welfare is as dear as one's own. Then there is the case of nations, and pre-eminently of our own. Some races attain to civilization, and order, and good government sooner than others. They have all the benefit of settled institutions and enlightened opinion, of discoveries in the arts and sciences, and of the manifold comforts and blessings with which life is thus enriched, while other nations are sunk in barbarism and convulsed by disorder. But how much more prone are such nations to claim the rights of superiority than to play the part of the elder brother! We are thankful for the great good that has been done in India, and in other countries controlled by the older nations. But even in the case of India, how many have gone there not to benefit the natives, but with the hope of enriching themselves. How ready have many been to indulge their own vices at the cost of the natives, and how little has it pained them to see them becoming the slaves of new vices that have sunk them lower than before. Our Indian opium
- 164. traffic, and ourdrink traffic generally among native races - what is their testimony to our brotherly feeling? What are we to think of the white traders among the South Sea islands, stealing and robbing and murdering their feebler fellow-creatures? What are we to think of the traffic in slaves, and the inconceivable brutalities with which it is carried on? Or what are we to think of our traders at home, sending out in almost uncountable profusion the rum, and the gin, and the other drinks by which the poor weak natives are at once enticed, enslaved, and destroyed? Is there any development in selfishness that has ever been heard of more heartless and horrible? Why can't they let them alone, if they will not try to benefit them? What can come to any man in the end but the well- merited punishment of those who out of sheer greed have made miserable savages tenfold more the children of hell than before? We pass over the case of the early settlers in colonies, because there is hardly any obligation more generally recognised than that of such settlers to lend a helping hand to new arrivals. We go on to the case of Churches. The light of saving truth has come to some lands before others. We in this country have had our Christianity for centuries, and in these recent years have had so lively a dispensation of the gospel of Christ that many have felt more than ever His power to forgive, to comfort, to lift us up and bless us. Have we no duty to those parts of the earth which are still in the shadow of death? If we are not actually settled in the Promised Land, we are as good as settled, because we have the Divine promise, and we believe in that promise. But what of those who are yet "without Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world"? Have we no responsibility for them? Have we no interest in that Divine plan which seeks to use those who first receive the light as instruments of imparting it to the rest? Infidels object that Christianity cannot be of God, because if Christianity furnishes the only Divine remedy for sin it would have been diffused as widely as the evil for which it is the cure. Our reply is, that God's plan is to give the light first to some, and to charge them to give it freely and cordially to others. We say, moreover, that this plan is a wholesome one for those who are called to work it, because it draws out and strengthens what is best and noblest in them, and because it tends to form very loving bonds between those who give and those who get the benefit. But what if the first recipients of the light fold their hands, content to have got the blessing themselves, and decline to do their part in sending it to the rest? Surely there is here no ordinary combination of sins! Indolence and selfishness at the root, and, with these, a want of all public spirit and beneficent activity; and, moreover, not mere neglect but contempt of the Divine plan by which God has sought the universal diffusion of the blessing. Again we say, look to these men of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh. They were not the elite of the race of Israel. Their fathers, at least in the case of Reuben and Dan, were not among the more honoured of the sons of Jacob. And yet they had the grace to think of their brethren, when so many among us are utterly careless of ours. And not only to think of them, but to go over the Jordan and fight for them, possibly die for them; nor would they think of returning to the comfort of their homes till they had seen their brethren in the west settled in theirs.
- 165. And this readinessof Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh to fulfil the engagement under which they had come to Moses, was not the only gratifying occurrence which Joshua met with on announcing the impending crossing of the Jordan. For the whole people declared very cordially their acceptance of Joshua as their leader, vowed to him the most explicit fidelity, declared their purpose to pay him the same honour as they had paid to Moses, and denounced a sentence of death against any one that would not hearken to his words in all that he commanded them. Joshua, in fact, obtained from them a promise of loyalty beyond what they had ever given to Moses till close on his death. It was the great trial of Moses that the people so habitually complained of him and worried him, embittering his life by ascribing to him even the natural hardships of the wilderness, as well as the troubles that sprang directly from their sins. It is the unwillingness of his people to trust him, after all he has sacrificed for them, that gives such a pathetic interest to the life of Moses, and makes him, more than perhaps any other Old Testament prophet, so striking an example of unrequited affection. After crossing the Red Sea, all the marvels of that deliverance from Pharaoh of which he had been the instrument are swallowed up and forgotten by the little inconveniences of the journey. And afterwards, when they are doomed to the forty years' wandering, they are ready enough to blame him for it, forgetting how he fell down before God and pled for them when God threatened to destroy them. Moreover, his enactments against the idolatry they loved so well made him anything but popular, to say nothing of the burdensome ceremonial which he enjoined them to observe. The time of real loyalty to Moses was just the little period before his death, when he led them against Sihon and Og, and a great stretch of fertile and beautiful land fell into their hands. Moses had just gained the greatest victory of his life, he had just become master of the hearts of his people, when he was called away. For Moses at last did gain the people's hearts, and those to whom Joshua appealed could say without irony or sarcasm, ''According as we hearkened unto Moses in all things, so will we hearken unto thee." In point of fact a great change had been effected on the people at last. Moses had laboured, and Joshua now entered into his labours. The same thing has often occurred in history, and notably in our own. In civil life how much do we owe to the noble champions of freedom of other days, through whose patriotism, courage, and self-denial the hard fight was fought and the victory won that enables us to sit under our vine and under our fig tree. In ecclesiastical life was it not the blood of the martyrs and the struggles of those of whom the world was not worthy, who wandered in deserts and in mountains and in dens and caves of the earth, that won for us the freedom and the peace in which we now rejoice? What blessings we owe to those that have gone before us! And how can we better discharge our obligations to them than by hastening to the aid of those who have but emerged from the period of struggle and suffering, like the Christians of Madagascar or of Uganda, whose fearful sufferings and awful deaths under the merciless rule of heathen kings made Christendom stand aghast, and drew a wail of anguish from her bosom?
- 166. The unanimity ofthe people in their loyalty to Joshua is a touching sight. So far as appears there was not one discordant note in that harmonious burst of loyalty. o Korah, Dathan, or Abiram rose up to decline his rule and embarrass him in his new position. It is a beautiful sight, the united loyalty of a great nation. othing more beautiful has ever been known in the long reign of Queen Victoria than the crowding of her people in hundreds of thousands to witness her procession to St. Paul's on that morning when she went to return thanks for the rescue of her eldest son from the very jaws of death. ot one discordant note was uttered, not one disloyal feeling was known; the vast multitude were animated by the spirit of sympathy and affection for one who had tried to do her duty as a queen and as a mother. It was a sight not unlike to this that was seen in the streets of ew York at the centennial celebration of the inauguration of George Washington as first President of the United States. One was thrilled by the thought that not only the multitude that thronged the streets, but the representatives of the whole nation, gathered in their churches throughout the land, were animated by a common sentiment of gratitude to the man whose wisdom and courage had laid the foundation of all the prosperity and blessing of the last hundred years. Are not such scenes the pattern of that spirit of loyalty which the entire race of man owes to Him who by His blood redeemed the world, and whose rule and influence, if the world would but accept of it, are so beneficent and so blessed? Yet how far are we from such a state! How few are the hearts that throb with true loyalty to the Saviour, and whose most fervent aspiration for the world is, that it would only throw down its weapons of rebellion, and give to him its hearty allegiance! Strange that the Old Testament Joshua should have got at once what eighteen hundred years have failed to bring to the ew Testament Jesus! God hasten the day of universal light and universal love, when He shall reign from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth! "One song employs all nations, and all cry 'Worthy the Lamb, for He was slain for us'! The dwellers in the vales and on the rocks Shout to each other, and the mountain tops From distant mountains catch the flying joy, Till nation after nation taught the strain Earth rolls the rapturous Hosanna round." BI 10-11, "Within three days ye shall pass over this Jordan. Three days’ pause I. What this pause meant. “Three days” is a recognised period in Scripture for death and resurrection. But there was another and deeper reason for the delay, which closely touches one of the greatest principles of the inner life. When Israel reached its banks, the Jordan was in flood, and overflowing the low-lying lands on either side of its bed. Across the river stood Jericho, embosomed in palms and tamarisks, in a very paradise of exquisite vegetation, its aromatic shrubs and gardens scenting the air. But as the people beheld it, all their cherished hopes of taking it by their own energy or courage must have been utterly dissipated. What could they do in face of that broad expanse of rushing, foaming, turbulent waters? Multitudes have come to the brink of that river, and have been left there, waiting on its banks, that they might consider the meaning of those impassable waters, and carry away the sentence of death in themselves. Abraham waited there for more than twenty years face to face with the apparent impossibility of ever
- 167. having a son.David waited there for almost as long, and it must have seemed that the kingdom foretold to him as a youth lay on the other side of insurmountable difficulties. Many a saint since then has been brought down to these same banks, and has stood to witness these flowing streams. What though the promise of God has offered all manner of blessedness and delight! That river! That flooded, fordless, bridgeless, boatless river! Are you there now? Do not hasten from it. Stand still and consider it until the energy and impetuosity of your self-life lies down. You can never reach the blessed life by resolutions, or pledges, or forms of covenant; your good self is as powerless now as your bad self was formerly; you must learn that your strength is to sit still, and that the rich blessings of God stored in Christ for you are an absolute gift to be received by the outstretched hand of faith. II. How this pause was spent. During this space of three days events transpired which are both interesting and typical. Amongst other things Jericho was entered by the two spies. 1. Jericho may fitly stand for the world of men over which judgment is impending, but which goes on its way unheeding. Rahab, the poor outcast of Jericho, who had such strange faith in God, entered in with the people to possess the land that flowed with milk and honey. She is thus the type of Gentile-sinners who are permitted to share in the unsearchable riches of Christ, to sit with Him in the heavenlies, to form part of that new race which is gathering around the true Joshua, the Lord from heaven. 2. During this brief pause Joshua also had an opportunity of ascertaining the feelings of the two tribes and a half. Are not these the type of Christians to whom the land of promise is as freely open as to others, and who make an incursion into it with no thought of remaining? They are willing to meet and measure their strength with the seven nations of Canaan, but they are not prepared to abandon the strong facinations of the world, and to settle down to a life hidden with Christ in God. The end of such is but too clearly suggested by the fate of those Eastern tribes. They had their much grass, but they became gradually cut off from the corporate life of Israel. They gave few great names to the roll of saints and heroes emblazoned on Israel’s story. They fell first beneath the invasions of Assyria, and were swept into captivity, from which they never returned. III. How the pause ended. On the third day the hosts seem to have come nearer the river’s brink, and their tents were pitched for the night within close proximity to the hurrying waters. It was then that Joshua said unto the people, “Sanctify yourselves,” &c. From which it would seem that the wonder-working power of God is dependent upon the sanctification of His people. “Why art Thou as a mighty man that cannot save?” “He could do no mighty works there, because of their unbelief.” We all want to see wonders wrought by God—in our own characters, that the fir-tree may replace the thorn and the myrtle the briar; in our homes, that the desert places may blossom with roses; in our Churches, that they may arise and put on their beautiful garments. Oh! for another Pentecost! Oh! to see converts fly as doves to their windows! And why is it that we strain our eyes for them in vain? Is it not because we have not sanctified ourselves? Sanctification means the cleansing of the soul, and the putting on of the white robes of purity and humility. We are not clean enough for God to use us. We are not humble enough to bear a great success. (F. B. Meyer, B. A.)
- 168. Crossing the Jordan Manygood people daily pray against sudden death, and there are legitimate reasons for so doing; but to a child of God it is of small consequence, for death will never find him unprepared if he is living in communion with God. We will enter into the joy of our Lord, and be for ever with Him. When God’s children have their candle lighted for them, and they know that it is time to go upstairs, they feel glad to end their pilgrimage, and rest in Jesus. We are all of us much nearer home than we think. It will be greatly wise to talk with our last hours, and to anticipate that time when the message shall come, “Within three days ye shall pass over this Jordan.” I. Observe the tenor of this notice. Notice that there are three leading words in it: “prepare,” “pass over,” “possess.” The first word that came to them was, “Prepare.” Be in journeying order. The soldier carries his rations with him when he has to make a quick march: “Prepare you victuals.” Children of God, be ready to go from this world. But inasmuch as he said, “Prepare you victuals” did he not mean “Begin to feed on food of that sort upon which you are henceforth to live”? The manna would cease in three days, and never fall again. After they crossed the Jordan, they would feed on the corn of the land. Feed on Christ, feed on spiritual food, feed on the pure truth of God’s Word, and feed your souls on nothing else. Know the taste of what you eat, and let it be as clear and definite as that of butter and honey, that so you may steadily refuse the evil and choose the good. Joshua meant—Stand ready, for the time is getting very short. There is not long to wait. Soon you will have traversed the stream, and landed on the hither shore. How would you feel if you knew that within three days you must die? The exhortation given in verse 13 is one which may be useful also to us: “Remember the word.” It is a grand help for going over Jordan if we will remember the word of the Lord. Our faith enables us both to live and to die on the promise of God. But then he said also, “Sanctify yourselves” (Jos_3:5). If we knew we were to die in three days, should we not wish to put our hearts, our thoughts, our families, into a better state? Since we may die suddenly, let us purify ourselves of all filthiness of the flesh and of the spirit. The next word was, “Pass over this Jordan.” They were not called to linger on the brink, nor to sit with their feet in the stream, but to cross over it. Israel had been forty years in the wilderness, and surely that was long enough. He who hath served his God with all his heart will not wish to linger a moment after his life-work is done. You are not called to linger on the bed of sickness for ages, but to pass over to your rest. And notice, the call was not to go down into the Jordan to stop there. Blessed be God, we are not going down into the grave to be lost there; but we make use of it as an opened door to paradise. The third word was “possess.” They were to pass the river to possess the land which God had given them. We possess nothing here. Those goods which we think we possess melt away like an icicle from a hot hand. But we have on the other side of Jordan treasures worth owning. By a covenant of salt, God has given us in Christ Jesus everlasting rest, triumph, happiness, glory. II. Observe the sequel of this notice, or what followed upon the summons. The first thing that happened to Israel was this, a singular faith was bestowed. I can hardly believe that the people under Joshua were the children of those unbelieving Jews whose caresses fell in the wilderness; for throughout the early chapters of Joshua it is recorded that they believed Joshua, whatever he said to them. He had strange and strong things to utter, but they did not doubt or demur. Now, when the children of God come to die, those of them who have been poor, trembling things before, receive new courage and unwonted strength, and even minister comfort to those who are stronger than themselves. It is brave to see how Mr. Ready-to-halt puts his crutches away when he is going over Jordan. Mr. Feeble-mind bids them bury his feeble mind in a dunghill, for it
- 169. would be ofno use to anybody. The Lord will give us more grace, and we shall wonder at ourselves that we could have been aforetime so distrustful. “At eventide it shall be light.” Next, a special assurance was given: “To-morrow the Lord will do wonders among you” (Jos_3:5). The Lord is always working marvels; but when we come to cross the Jordan we shall see His wonders in the deep. Next, note that the people had with them a conquering leader. Joshua was at their head, to encourage and direct them. When you and I shall pass over Jordan we shall have Jesus with us. He says, “Be of good cheer. Because I live, ye shall live also.” But what next? The Israelites had a clear guidance afforded them (Jos_3:4). You have been through many experiences, but to die will be a new one. Once for all, you must cross this Jordan, therefore the Divine presence shall go before you, and show you the way. Oh, yes, you shall have Divine direction when the darkness gathers about you! With Israel a forerunner led the way. So our great High Priest has tasted death for every man. Nor did the forerunner quit the scene, for the Divine presence remained. The priests went on till they came to the river-bed, and descended the hollow, going on to the very centre of it. There they stopped till all the host had passed over. The Lord Jesus will go before you as your great High Priest, your propitiation and your covenant; and He will abide with you in the last solemn article until you are safe landed on the shore of the land of promise. In consequence of the priests going down into the river the stream was dried up. Wonderful sight it must have been to behold the waters roll back, and stand in a congealed heap. Thus there was a broad passage-way for the multitudes of Israel to go marching through, and to effect the crossing rapidly. Suppose, when you come to die, the Jordan should turn out to be no river at all. What if you should go over dry-shod? Why should it not be so? Death is a pints prick to many. Death hath lost its terrors. “The sting of death is sin,” and that is forgiven. “The strength of sin is the law,” and that is fulfilled. The black waters have failed; we pass over Jordan dry-shod. Then notice, the people were very quick in crossing. Death is short work. After all, what is the act of death? “What!” cries one, “is there not a terrible amount of pain connected with death?” I answer, “No.” It is life that has the pain; death is the finis of all pain. You blame death for a disease of which he is the cure. You imagine a thing called death which does not really exist. In the twinkling of an eye we shall be up and away! Therefore, because you will haste to pass over, you need not be alarmed at so short a trial, which will actually turn out to be no trial at all. We read in (Jos_4:9) that the Israelites in traversing the Jordan left a memorial behind. You also will bear your testimony in departing: you will set up your memorial for your children after you, and they shall say, “Our father died in sure and certain hope of being with Jesus.” Even if your death-bed should not be so bright as some, even its clouds may not be without their effect. A holy man had prayed much for his boys and girls, but never saw them converted, and this, with the troubles which grow out of their waywardness, made his last hours to be sadly clouded. But mark how the Lord wrought! They buried their father, and when they were met together, the eldest son turned to his brothers and remarked, “If our father, who was so good a man, was so troubled in death, what will become of us when we die?” This most reasonable remark was the means of the conversion of the brothers. I would like to die in the dark if it would bring all my people to the Saviour. Would not you? One thing more: they also raised a memorial on the other shore. They piled twelve stones upon each other in Canaan. You and I, when we get to heaven, shall take our memorials with us, and pile them up. We will make known to angels and principalities and powers the manifold wisdom and goodness of God to us in life and death. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
- 170. Jordan at hand I.The first feeling excited by the announcement must have been that of joy and triumph. It was not alone on the contrast between its fountains and depths springing out of valleys and hills, and the arid desolation of the great howling wilderness, that the thoughts of the Hebrew rested, but on the contrast of its repose. The sorest trials of his life had not probably been the hunger and the thirst, the laborious journey and the tumult of the battle, but the ceaseless motion—the movement ever on and on. Rest, rest! rest anywhere, but, above all, in the land that flowed with milk and honey, must have been the innermost desire of his heart. Is not all this applicable to ourselves? It is not the great sorrows of our experience that constitute, after all, the weariness of life; but it is its change, its sense of uncertainty, the consciousness that we keep nothing, call nothing absolutely our own. II. There must have blended with it a great trial of faith. The chosen land was indeed close at hand. It seemed as if they could almost touch the shore. Just beyond gleamed in the sunshine the towers of Jericho, and blue in the distance were the hills of Judaea. But, close as they seemed, Jordan rolled between, and they could not but ask how they were to cross it. What, then, of that other Jordan, which we all must cross? that death we must all die some time or other, and through which alone we can enter into our Canaan? Let us make sure that what awaits us beyond on the other shore is heaven, and not the darkness. With the act of dying we have nothing whatever to do. It is in God’s hands, not ours, and there we must leave it. Has not the ark gone before? III. An act of preparation needed: “Prepare you victuals.” There is nothing actually corresponding to this in the experience of the Christian when he is called to cross into the better land. Special preparation for heaven, the Christian needs none. If he be in Christ, that is enough; he is safe. If he be a believer, he can have no less; and though he were the highest of saints that ever caught the light of the face of God, he could have no more than to be “found in Him, not having his own righteousness,” &c. For myself I can conceive nothing more blessed than for a saint to pass at once from the midst of his work for his Master into the enjoyment of his Master’s presence. Yet I admit that the near sight of so great a change could not but very solemnly affect us, were the warning given to ourselves. There would be an intense revival of faith and hope, and in that close sight of heaven a flinging away of all earthly and temporal ties. (E. Garbett, M. A.) “Prepare you victuals” Sometimes we have heard words like these fall from Christian workers: “I have faith to believe that God will provide the means necessary to carry on this work,” and straightway they assume liabilities and enter into engagements, and incur debts, in violation of the plain command, “Owe no man anything”; yea, they even sometimes accuse their brethren of lack of faith because they cannot do God’s work in this way. This is not good. To obey is better than to profess great faith; and to hearken than sentimental unthinking zeal. What would we have thought of Joshua if after he had received the Divine order to march forward he had said, “I have faith to believe that God will provide the food necessary for victualling the army all through the campaign; our commissariat is absolutely safe, for it is in Divine hands. God has promised to be with me as He was with Moses, I have no need to think of these things. All I have got to do is to hasten forward.” Nay, nay! Joshua manifested his faith in a much more Divine fashion. “Prepare you victuals,” he said; do not expect that miraculous supply which has been granted for forty years, now that you are in a position to do without it. You are no
- 171. longer helpless children,but grown men able to provide for yourselves. The battle is the Lord’s, and He will not fail us nor forsake us, but we must use all reasonable foresight in carrying on His work. We dare do nothing, we dare omit nothing, out of harmony with His ways. (A. B. Mackay.) Self-help necessary Joshua reminds us of the famous order attributed to Cromwell, “Trust in God, and keep your powder dry.” His piety was very unlike that of a certain Duke of Parma, of whom it is written that, in a great crisis, “while he had been praying, and nothing more, the English had been praying, and something more.” He acted in the spirit of the proverb, “God helps those who help themselves.” (T. W. M. Lund, M. A.) “Ye shall pass over” “Oh,” but they might have said, “we cannot pass over Jordan, because there is Jericho right in front of us, and of course the inhabitants will call in the Jebusites, who are not far off, at Jerusalem, and these will fetch in the Hivites, and the Amorites, and all the other nations; and these will hotly dispute the passage of the river, and it will be out of the question to force our way through that torrent, and fight up the other bank against such foes.” Such a fear would be most natural. When Caesar tried to land in England, what did the Britons do? They rushed into the water off Dover to meet the Romans, and they fought with them in the surf of the sea. It was natural that brave men should fight the invaders in the water, and not suffer them to tread their soil. Do you suppose that the Canaanites were less brave than the ancient Britons? Had there not been a spell upon them, they would have pressed back Israel in the river itself, and would not have allowed them to enter the land. Yet Israel passed over Jordan at the appointed time. God had said, “Ye shall go over,” and they did go over; and no Canaanite, Hivite, or Jebusite dared to molest them. So the poor child of God sighs, “Alas! when I come to die, Satan will meet me, temptations and doubts and fears will rush upon me.” We read in chap. 3:16, “And the people passed over right against Jericho.” Fear not, O, trembling heart. God can so deal with evil spirits, and with the doubts of your own spirit, that they shall be still as a stone till you have passed over. No demon shall dare to peep or mutter. No doubt or fear shall venture near. We read, “All the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan.” Not an arrow or a stone came from over the walls of Jericho. Glory be to the name of the Lord, He made the hearts of Israel’s enemies to melt, so that no more courage remained in them. (C. H. Spurgeon.) 11 “Go through the camp and tell the people, ‘Get your provisions ready. Three days from now you
- 172. will cross theJordan here to go in and take possession of the land the Lord your God is giving you for your own.’” BAR ES, "Prepare you victuals - The order was probably given with the knowledge that the manna would cease when the host crossed the Jordan Exo_16:35, and possibly because amidst their preparations there might not be opportunity to gather it in sufficient quantity. Nor does it appear that manna ever formed the whole and sole sustenance of the people. (Compare Num_20:1 note.) It is the view of the majority of commentators - Jewish and Christian, ancient and modern - that the “three days” here named are identical with those of Jos_3:2; and that the command of Joshua in the text was not in fact given until after the return of the spies. Here, as elsewhere in the Hebrew historical books and frequently in the Gospels, the order of time is superseded by the order of thought. For the purpose if the writer was not historical merely; it was, on the contrary, mainly religious and theoretical. Intending, then, to exhibit God as accomplishing His promises to the covenant-people, he begins by informing us that God gave the word and set Joshua and the host actually in motion to take possession of their inheritance. Having placed this leading fact in the forefront, he returns to mention in Josh. 2 certain transactions closely relevant to the early stages of Joshua’s conquests, but which had in fact happened before the camp was removed from the plains of Moab and immediately after the expiration of the thirty days’ mourning for Moses. Deu_34:8. The order of events was probably the following - 3rd Nisan, the spies are sent out Jos_2:1; 6th, the spies return Jos_2:23; 7th, the camp is removed from Shittim to the bank of Jordan Jos_3:1, and the command Jos_1:11 is issued; 10th, the river is crossed Jos_4:19. CLARKE, "Prepare you victuals - צדה tsedah, such prey or provisions as they had taken from the conquered countries, such as corn, oxen, sheep, etc.; for the word signifies prey, or what is taken by hunting, etc. This was necessary, as they were about to undergo considerable fatigue in marching, and in making preparations for the passage of the Jordan; for although the manna had not ceased to fall, yet such other provisions as are mentioned above were necessary on this occasion. For within three days ye shall pass - Calmet contends, with great appearance of truth, that these three days should be reckoned from the first day of their encamping at Jordan, three days after the return of the spies, i.e., on the eighth day of the first month, on the tenth of which they passed over Jordan. The text therefore is supposed to mean, Prepare victuals for three days’ march, for “on the third day after your decampment from Shittim ye shall pass over this Jordan.”
- 173. GILL, "Pass throughthe host,.... The whole camp of Israel, consisting of six hundred thousand fighting men: and command the people; even all the people of Israel; this includes women as well as men, for the one, as well as the other, were to do what follows, and especially it may seem the business of the former: saying, prepare ye victuals; this must be understood; as Kimchi observes, of other sorts of food besides bread; for they had manna, the bread of heaven, which fell about their tents every morning, so that they were sufficiently provided with that always, and which did not cease until they had entered the land, even until the sixteenth of Nisan, Jos_5:12; though indeed, as Abendana observes, that might be said to be prepared, it being ground in mills, and beat in mortars, and made cakes of, Num_11:8; but rather this designs meat and other provisions, which being upon the borders of Moab and Midian, they could furnish themselves with for their money; and besides, they were in the possession of a fine country, of Bashan and Gilead, they had taken from Sihon and Og. Jarchi interprets it of everything fit for journeying, and arms for war, with which they were supplied from the spoils of their enemies, the Egyptians at the Red sea, Amalek at Rephidim, and the Amorites and Midianites lately smitten by them; and to this sense Josephus (m) seems to agree: for within three days ye shall pass over this Jordan: or at the end of three days, as the Targum of Jonathan; and so Jarchi, while there are yet three days, after that ye shall pass over: but here arises a difficulty to be reconciled, how this could be done three days after, when the spies, which Joshua is afterward said to send into the land, stayed three days in the mountains, besides the time of their going, and returning, and stay at Rahab's house; and it was not till after their return that the camp began to move; to which it may be observed, that though the affair of the spies is afterward related, they might have been sent by Joshua before this order was given to prepare for the journey, and of this opinion are several of the Jewish writers (n): this being the case, they might return before the expiration of these three days, at the end of which Joshua, with the whole host, moved, agreeably to these orders: to go in to possess the land which the Lord your God giveth you to possess it; which must be a great inducement and encouragement to them to observe his instructions, and go over with him. JAMISO 11-13, "command the people, saying, Prepare you victuals — not manna, which, though it still fell, would not keep; but corn, sheep, and articles of food procurable in the conquered countries. for within three days ye shall pass over this Jordan — that is, the third day, according to Hebrew idiom - the time allotted for getting ready before the encampment in Abel-Shittim broke up and they removed to the desert bank of the river where no victuals were available. At the same time Joshua himself convened the two and a half tribes which had settled east of Jordan, to remind them of their promise (Num_32:1-42) to assist their brethren in the conquest of western Canaan. Their readiness to redeem their pledge and the terms in which they answered the appeal of Joshua displayed to great advantage their patriotic and pious feelings at so interesting a crisis.
- 174. COKE, "Ver. 11.Pass through the host, and command the people, saying, Prepare you victuals— They were to make proclamation throughout the several tribes, in all the camps of Israel, to provide themselves with such victuals as the countries of Sihon and Og, which they had lately conquered, afforded. But to what purpose is this precaution, since the Israelites every morning found manna from heaven for their food? Without quoting all the answers given by interpreters to this question, we shall content ourselves with pointing out two or three. 1st, Joshua's order may be founded on his foreseeing that the Israelites would be obliged to decamp too early in the morning, to allow time for collecting manna, as usual; and therefore he judged it prudent to supply them with provisions before they began their march. 2nd, Though the manna daily fell for the accommodation of the poor, the feeble, and all who had no means of procuring themselves other food; yet those who could purchase flour and meat were not forbidden to use it. The Israelites actually had found great store of provisions in the land of the Amorites, which they had now for some time subdued. Calmet prefers this opinion. Le Clerc thinks, that Joshua issued this order, as conjecturing, or being miraculously informed, that the manna would cease so soon as they had passed the Jordan. 3rdly, othing hinders our translating the words, Prepare all necessary provisions, without restraining them to victuals only. The expression, for within three days, occasions new difficulties, which will be removed by a reference to chap. Joshua 3:1-2. Joshua says, ye shall pass over this Jordan; as it was not so far from Shittim, where they now lay encamped, but that they could see it. WHEDO , "11. Prepare you victuals — Provision for a journey; natural produce; not manna, for this became putrid on the second day. The manna did not cease to fall till they had entered Canaan and eaten of the corn of the land. Joshua 5:12. But it was in harmony with the divine economy that the supernatural supply should diminish as the natural supply increased in the fertile trans-Jordanic region. God never works miracles as a premium to indolence. Within three days ye shall pass over this Jordan — If we follow the order of the narrative, and allow that the spies were sent out after this proclamation to the officers, we shall find that the Israelites did not cross the Jordan within three days. The spies were gone three days, and the people paused on the river’s bank three days more, so that the crossing could not have taken place till the seventh day. To meet this difficulty some suppose that the spies had been sent out previous to Joshua’s proclamation to the officers; see note on Joshua 2:1. [But it is not necessary to understand these words of Joshua as a positive prediction that all the people would actually cross over the Jordan and be in the Promised Land within these three days. The words are literally ye crossing, that is, ye will be on your march to cross. He proposed within three days to break up the camp at Shittim and be on his way over the Jordan, and this is all the words can necessarily be made to mean. Keil supposes that because the two spies were detained, and obliged to hide three days in the mountain, (Joshua 2:22,) Joshua was thereby hindered from carrying out his purpose as he at first designed. But why is it necessary to maintain
- 175. that the spiesreturned to Joshua at the camp at Shittim? It is not so written, (see Joshua 2:23,) and we may possibly suppose that when they returned to Joshua they found him arrived at the Jordan. But even granting that they returned to the camp at Shittim, as the history most naturally implies, the three days they hid in the mountain may have been only parts of three days. See note on Joshua 2:22.] The inspired writers directed their attention more to facts than to chronological order. In this command Joshua displays a remarkable degree of that faith and courage to which he had just been exhorted. The rapid Jordan, at its flood, is before him, and he has no boats, no bridge, no pontoon train, but he assures that vast host that they and their wives and children and flocks shall, within a few days, safely cross that angry torrent. 12 But to the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half- tribe of Manasseh, Joshua said, GILL, "And to the Reubenites, and to the Gadites, and to half the tribe of Manasseh,.... Who were settled on that side Jordan where Israel now were: spake Joshua, saying; as follows. K&D 12-18, "Jos_1:12-18 Joshua's appeal to the two tribes and a half, to remember the condition on which Moses gave them the land on the east of the Jordan for an inheritance, and to fulfil it, met with a ready response; to that these tribes not only promised to obey his commandments in every respect, but threatened every one with death who should refuse obedience. In recalling this condition to the recollection of the tribes referred to, Joshua follows the expressions in Deu_3:18-20, where Moses himself recapitulates his former command, rather than the original passage in Num 32. The expression “this land” shows that the speaker was still on the other side of the Jordan. ים ִשׁ ֻמ ֲ,ח with the loins girded, i.e., prepared for war, synonymous with ים ִצ ֻל ֲח in Deu_3:18 and Num_32:32 (see at Exo_ 13:18). לִי ַח י ֵּור ִל־ ָⅴ, all the mighty men of valour, i.e., the grave warriors (as in Jos_6:2; Jos_8:3; Jos_10:7, and very frequently in the later books), is not common to this book and Deuteronomy, as Knobel maintains, but is altogether strange to the Pentateuch. The word “all” (v. 14, like Num_32:21, Num_32:27) must not be pressed. According to Jos_
- 176. 4:13, there wereonly about 40,000 men belonging to the two tribes and a half who crossed the Jordan to take part in the war; whereas, according to Num_26:7, Num_ 26:18, Num_26:34, there were 110,000 men in these tribes who were capable of bearing arms, so that 70,000 must have remained behind for the protection of the women and children and of the flocks and herds, and to defend the land of which they had taken possession. On Jos_1:15 see Deu_3:18; and on the more minute definition of “on this side (lit. beyond) Jordan” by “toward the sun-rising,” compare the remarks on Num_ 32:19. The answer of the two tribes and a half, in which they not only most cheerfully promise their help in the conquest of Canaan, but also express the wish that Joshua may have the help of the Lord (Jos_1:17 compared with Jos_1:4), and after threatening all who refuse obedience with death, close with the divine admonition, “only be strong and of a good courage” (Jos_1:18, cf. Jos_1:6), furnishes a proof of the wish that inspired them to help their brethren, that all the tribes might speedily enter into the peaceable possession of the promised inheritance. The expression “rebel against the commandment” is used in Deu_1:26, Deu_1:43; Deu_9:23; 1Sa_12:14, to denote resistance to the commandments of the Lord; here it denotes opposition to His representative, the commander chosen by the Lord, which was to be punished with death, according to the law in Deu_17:12. CALVI , "12.And to the Reubenites, etc An inheritance had been granted them beyond the Jordan, on the condition that they should continue to perform military service with their brethren in expelling the nations of Canaan. Joshua therefore now exhorts them to fulfil their promise, to leave their wives, their children, and all their effects behind, to cross the Jordan, and not desist from carrying on the war till they had placed their brethren in peaceable possession. In urging them so to act, he employs two arguments, the one drawn from authority and the other from equity. He therefore reminds them of the command given them by Moses, from whose decision it was not lawful to deviate, since it was well known to all that he uttered nothing of himself, but only what God had dictated by his mouth. At the same time, without actually asserting, Joshua indirectly insinuates, that they are bound, by compact, inasmuch as they had engaged to act in this manner. (27) He next moves them by motives of equity, that there might be no inequality in the condition of those to whom the same inheritance had been destined in common. It would be very incongruous, he says, that your brethren should be incurring danger, or, at least, toiling in carrying on war, and that you should be enjoying all the comforts of a peaceful settlement. When he orders them to precede or pass before, the meaning is, not that they were to be the first to enter into conflict with the enemy, and in all emergencies which might befall them, were to bear more than their own share of the burden; he only in this way urges them to move with alacrity, as it would have been a kind of tergiversation to keep in the rear and follow slowly in the track of others. The expression, pass before your brethren, therefore, does not mean to stand in the front of the battle, but simply to observe their ranks, and thereby give proof of ready zeal. For it is certain that as they were arranged in four divisions they advanced in the same order. As he calls them men of war, we may infer, as will elsewhere more clearly appear, that the aged, and others not robust, were permitted to remain at
- 177. home in chargeof the common welfare, or altogether relieved from public duty, if in any way disabled from performing it. CO STABLE, "Verses 12-18 The concept of "rest" ( Joshua 1:13; Joshua 1:15) is an important one to grasp to understand what the conquest of the land gave the Israelites. It also clarifies what the writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews had in mind when he referred to the rest that we enjoy as Christians ( Hebrews 3-4). [ ote: See Dillow, pp93-110 , for a good exposition of the promises of rest that appear in Scripture.] It was not rest in the sense of freedom from conflict but in contrast to journeying. Even after the seven- year conquest of the land there was still much land that the Israelites still had to take from the Canaanites and possess ( Joshua 13:1; Joshua 23:1-13; cf. Joshua 24:1-28; Judges 1:1). Rather, this rest was the entrance into, and initial participation in, the inheritance the Lord had promised His people (cf. Deuteronomy 12:10; Deuteronomy 25:19; Joshua 21:44; Joshua 23:1; 2 Samuel 7:1; 2 Samuel 7:11; 1 Kings 8:56; Psalm 95). [ ote: See Hess, p78 , and especially Butler, pp21-22 , for a fuller discussion of "rest."] "This theologically significant term [rest] ... is one of the key words for understanding the book of Joshua as well as later revelation." [ ote: Woudstra, p65.] In Christian experience the crossing of the Jordan does not just correspond to the believer"s death and entrance into heaven, which some popular Christian songs suggest. It also parallels the believer"s entrance into the enjoyment of his or her eternal life now through dedication to Jesus Christ ( Romans 6:13; Romans 12:1-2) and through walking by means of the Spirit ( Galatians 5:16). The wilderness wanderings resemble the experience of the redeemed believer who has not yet fully committed himself or herself to God and is walking in the flesh. When the Israelites crossed the Jordan they encountered enemies and had to contend with their spiritual adversaries, just as a believer does when he dedicates himself to God and walks by the Spirit. The Christian"s rest is not the absence of hostility. It is the beginning of the enjoyment of some blessings God has promised us (i.e, eternal life, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, victory over our spiritual enemies, etc.). "Entering the land does not parallel the believer"s entrance to heaven; it signifies his willingness to "cross the Jordan" and engage the enemy. In other words, it is a decision by a regenerate saint to submit to the lordship of Christ and trust God for victory in the spiritual battle." [ ote: Dillow, p79 , n57. See also Donald K. Campbell, " Joshua ," in The Bible Knowledge Commentery: Old Testament, p, 335.] In another sense Canaan corresponds to the additional blessings that believers who follow God faithfully in this life will receive following death. [ ote: Dillow, p57.] ot all the warriors from the two and one-half tribes went with (not "before,"
- 178. Joshua 1:14) theirbrethren across the Jordan. Only40 ,000 of the110 ,000 did (cf. Joshua 4:13 and umbers 26:7; umbers 26:18; umbers 26:34). The remainder evidently stayed in Transjordan. We should understand "all" ( Joshua 1:14) in this limited sense. The attitude of the two and one-half tribes was commendable. They followed through with their commitment ( umbers 32:25-27). There were no significant instances of complaining or rebellion among the tribes during Joshua"s lifetime according to what the writer recorded. In this respect the nation enjoyed greater unity during the conquest than it did in its former or later history. To be successful in our corporate task of overcoming our spiritual enemies, God"s people must unite behind the leaders God has raised up to lead us. We should not complain or rebel against them ( Hebrews 13:17). Furthermore, as God"s people we must commit ourselves to entering into conflict with our spiritual enemies, rather than avoiding such conflict, to possess the fullness of God"s inheritance for us. The Christian"s spiritual enemies are the world, the flesh, and the devil ( 1 John 2:15- 17; Romans 7:18-24; 1 Peter 5:8). COKE, "Verses 12-15 Ver. 12-15. And to the Reubenites, &c. spake Joshua— We have elsewhere remarked, that Moses had given to these two tribes and a half settlements on this side Jordan; but on condition, that when it became necessary to pass that river, they should furnish their quota of troops, and march at the head of the whole army into the land of Canaan, properly so called. Here, therefore, Joshua puts them again in mind of this engagement; and seems less to command them, than to remind them of the orders they had already received from Moses. See umbers 32:20; umbers 32:42. Deuteronomy 3:18; Deuteronomy 3:29. We find in ver. 14 the word chamuschim, translated armed: it properly signifies girt, as much as to say, dressed and well equipped. See Exodus 13:18. It is very evident, that Joshua did not require any but those who were able to bear arms in those two tribes and a half, to march in this expedition: nor did Moses mean otherwise; they only supplied about 40,000 men. See Patrick. WHEDO , "Verses 12-15 ADDRESS TO THE TRA S-JORDA IC TRIBES, Joshua 1:12-15. Palestine, east of the Jordan, had already been conquered, and allotted, at their earnest request, to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh, in the order here enumerated, passing from the south toward the north. umbers 32:23. It was a more fertile and attractive country than “the mountain,” as Western Palestine is sometimes appropriately called. PETT, "‘And to the Reubenites, and to the Gadites, and to the half tribe of Manasseh, Joshua spoke saying.’ These were the tribes who had requested permission to stay in Transjordan and
- 179. settle there. Moseshad agreed, after much heartsearching lest it displease God, on condition that they assisted in the capture of the land ( umbers 32:1-27). So this was a solemn formal approach by Joshua as he gathered the leaders of the three tribes together to establish their commitment to their promise in the form of a covenant. It was a formal swearing of loyalty and obedience to Joshua in the task that lay ahead, binding them in the sight of YHWH on penalty of death. COFFMA , ""And to the Reubenites, and to the Gadites, and to the half-tribe of Manasseh, spake Joshua saying, Remember the words which Moses the servant of Jehovah commanded you, saying, Jehovah your God giveth you rest, and will give you this land. Your wives, your little ones, and your cattle, shall abide in the land which Moses gave you beyond the Jordan; but ye shall pass over before your brethren armed, all the mighty men of valor, and shall help them; until Jehovah have given your brethren rest, as he hath given you, and they also have possessed the land which Jehovah your God hath given them: then ye shall return unto the land of your possession, and possess it, which Moses the servant of Jehovah gave you beyond the Jordan toward the sunrising. And they answered Joshua, saying, All that thou hast commanded us we will do, and whithersoever thou sendest us we will go. According as we hearkened unto Moses in all things, so will we hearken unto thee: only Jehovah thy God be with thee, as he was with Moses. Whosoever he be that shall rebel against thy commandment, and shall not hearken unto thy words in all that thou commandest him, he shall be put to death: only be strong and of good courage." ote that Joshua (standing east of Jordan) referred to that side of the river as "this land" (Joshua 1:13), and in the same breath (Joshua 1:14) called it "the land ... beyond the Jordan!" `Beyond the Jordan' is a technical expression referring to the geographical section EAST of the Jordan river."[19] This is true enough as Joshua used it Joshua 1:14, but sometimes it means west of Jordan. It is definitely used both ways. However, it has no reference whatever to the perspective of the writer and cannot be used for the purpose of identifying the writer using the expression, nor for the determination of where the writer lived when the expression was used. Dummelow, for example, has this: "The writer of this passage was one who lived west of the Jordan River.[20] Such a judgment is in error. "The use of the phrase in Joshua 12:1,7 and elsewhere for each side of the river alternately shows that it gives no evidence for the geographical location of the writer."[21] The big point of this whole paragraph (Joshua 1:12-18) looks back to that urgent request made of Moses by the two and one half tribes that he would allot them their inheritance east of Jordan, and to the consequent promise which they made to Moses that they would aid their brethren in the conquest of the rest of Canaan. That promise came due right here; and when Joshua confronted the trans-Jordanic group with their obligation, they accepted it. Of course, the hardship and the struggle had not at that time begun. "Obedience is easy when all goes well with us, and when it makes no demand upon our faith."[22] It does not appear that those trans-Jordanic tribes fully lived up to their promises. (See a full discussion of this in
- 180. Vol. 3 ofmy commentary (Leviticus and umbers) at umbers 32.) "Ye shall pass over before your brethren armed ..." (Joshua 1:14). The word "armed" seems to be a little misleading here. "The idea is probably, `in battle array.'"[23] The word is translated from a word that suggests, "divided into five parts."[24] The reference seems to be from the various guards that were deployed in ancient armies on the march: (1) vanguard; (2) rearguard (Joshua 1:3,4), left and right guards, and (5) an additional guard at the front or the rear depending upon the movement of the army, whether on attack, or in retreat. The pledge of the two and one-half tribes that any rebel against the commandments of Joshua should be put to death was certainly, for a time at least, literally carried out, as witnessed by the stoning of Achan soon after their entry into Canaan. BI 12-18, "Ye shall pass before your brethren armed. Joshua’s demand for the services of the trans-Jordanic tribes In making this demand he declares their duty plainly, supports it with reasons, and enforces it with firmness. The demand he made was authoritative. It was founded on a past transaction to which they had agreed. He showed that this was nothing more than the carrying out of an arrangement previously made. From this it would not be lawful to deviate, for the commandment of Moses in regard to this was the word of the Lord. The demand was also reasonable. The raw lads and the worn-out soldiers, as well as the inferior men, may stay at home to do garrison duty, the veterans must march with him. Surely this is sensible. It is always wise to put the best men to the most difficult work. In fulfilling this commission of the true Joshua, has the Church always acted with equal wisdom and fidelity? It did so in the purest and palmiest days of missionary effort, when, filled with the spirit of wisdom and love and power, it broke forth on the right and left and speedily overran the known world, Now it seems as if all the mighty men of valour should stay at home to nurse the feeble spark of the Church’s vitality, while the striplings go to the wars. Yea, are there not some who, instead of evangelising among the heathen, expend all their energy in proselytising among Christians? The demand made by Joshua on the pastoral tribes was also equitable. “You have rest,” he might have said; “your brethren have not. You got rest through their help, therefore you are bound to help them to the same blessing. The command of Moses in regard to this was acquiesced in by you, therefore truth and honour require its faithful carrying out.” Moreover, what an unseemly picture it would have presented, to have seen part of the nation fighting hard, while their brethren sat still and looked on in ignoble ease. And how shortsighted would this policy of idleness have been. Only by the speedy and thorough conquest of all the land could the heritage of any tribe be kept in pleasant and unquestioned possession. To march with Joshua was the wisest, as well as the most seemly thing these tribes could do. Surely the same arguments could be urged with equal force as incentives to the grand work of world-wide Christian testimony. (A. B. Mackay.) All that thou commandest us we will do. Brave responses The response of the people was as noble in its way as that of their leader. There is a holy
- 181. rivalry between Israeland Joshua. They stir each other up to the great work that has to be done. The outstanding feature in the response of the people is its enthusiasm. It is plain from their response that they are heart and soul in the work before them, that they are only waiting for their leader’s command to march forth a band of heroes. To say that their reply to Joshua was hearty would be to do them injustice; it was enthusiastic. Every soul in the camp was stirred to its utmost depth. This is plain from the readiness with which they replied. They did not hang back, waiting for each other to speak out. Much less did they hunt up excuses why they should not march. They did not modify or minimise their responsibilities. They were as eager to follow Joshua as Joshua was to follow Jehovah. This enthusiasm was also manifested by their cheerfulness. These men had not only promised to put their hands to this work, but also made if plain that they felt it their highest privilege to be able to do so. Oh! for such holy enthusiasm in the work of the Lord in these days! The best of us are but half-hearted at the best, and some, alas! seem utterly unable to get up the least spark of enthusiasm for holy things. If we profess to be Christians, if we profess to do God’s work, if we profess to respond to the call of the true Joshua, let us do it, not like galley-slaves, but like God’s freemen; let us do it as those who think His service our highest honour. Joshua’s followers were also unreserved in acknowledging their allegiance. They kept nothing back and made no reservation. They asked no questions and imposed no conditions. Is obedience, prompt and unquestioning, the first duty of a soldier? See how splendidly it was possessed by these Israelites. They declare that it is not for them to make reply, not for them to reason why, but simply, constantly, to do all that was commanded them. And if such glorious allegiance was due to Joshua, much more it is due to our great Captain of salvation, Jesus Christ. Whatsoever He commands in His Word we should do. Wheresoever He sends us in His providence we should go. The response of the people was also humble, sincere, earnest, and hopeful. A slight transformation in the opening words of verse 17 makes their meaning more clear. It should read thus: “According to all in which we hearkened to Moses so will we hearken unto thee.” They do not here brag of their obedience to Moses. Though better than their fathers, they had nothing to boast of, and conscious of their own weakness they merely said, “We will try to make our best obedience to Moses the model of our obedience to you.” And there is good hope that they will succeed in carrying out this promise, for it is plain that they make it in a prayerful spirit, inasmuch as they follow it up by saying, “Only the Lord be with thee as He was with Moses.” This is no impertinent limitation, qualifying their full allegiance as already given; but an earnest prayer that Joshua might constantly enjoy the Divine guidance, protection, and blessing vouchsafed to Moses. Then they finish their response by words vehement and uncompromising: “Whosoever he be that doth rebel against thy commandment, and will not hearken unto thy words in all that thou commandest him, let him be put to death.” What more could a leader desire than such a spontaneous manifestation of fidelity? How must this declaration have strengthened Joshua’s heart, showing so clearly as it did that his appointment to the leadership by Jehovah was so heartily ratified by all the people. (A. B Mackay.) The moral advantages of good organisation 1. Society must have leadership, and leadership must be a question of competence. There are three things about the true leader which are most notable— (1) He must be directly called of God. Moses was; Joshua was. (2) Being directly called of God, he will walk constantly in the Divine counsel:
- 182. “This book ofthe law shall not depart,” &c. (3) Walking constantly in the Divine counsel, he shall achieve the most distinguished success. This is God’s promise. 2. Organisation is as much required in the Church as in the army. The mature thinker, the new-born Christian, the untried youth, the undisciplined mind, and the cultivated intellect, cannot be equal, and ought not to have equal authority in the Church. I. Such organisation would facilitate the development of individual talent. In the absence of wise organisation, the modest man will be ignored or crushed. He will have no power and no disposition to cope with the self-asserting and blustering men who worship their own infallibility. For the moment insolence will vanquish genius, simply because genius disdains the rude weapons which insolence adopts, and cares not to fight where even victory would be disgrace. II. Such organisation would consolidate the Christian society assembling in one place. The army is a compact confederacy. Its consolidation is its strength. Break up its wisely arranged gradations, and its power is paralysed. The same principle has its bearing upon the Church. III. Such organisation would present the most formidable front to the enemy. Every man in his place, every man moving at the same word of command, every man living for the common good—let that programme be carried out, and no power can withstand the united influence of Christ’s believers. Disorder is weakness; disorder is waste! IV. Such organi sation would promote a most healthful spiritual discipline, The organisation which God appoints is calculated to train men to habits of self-dominion. The young man is held in check; the passionate man is subdued; the lethargic man is quickened; and each nature has the advantage of association with natures of a different type. The organisation thus commended is not merely mechanical; it is the order which comes of a living love, which is willing to do the most good in the least time. (J. -Parker, D. D.) Fidelity to engagements There was no going back from their word, even though they might have found a loophole of escape. They might have said that as the conquest of Sihon and Og had been accomplished so easily, so the conquest of the western tribes would be equally simple. Or they might have said that the nine tribes and a half could furnish quite a large enough army to dispossess the Canaanites. Or they might have discovered that their wives and children were exposed to dangers they had not apprehended, and that it would be necessary for the entire body of the men to remain and protect them. But they fell back on no such afterthought. They kept their word at no small cost of toil and danger, and furnished thereby a perpetual lesson for those who, having made a promise under pressure, are tempted to retire from it when the pressure is removed. Fidelity to engagements is a noble quality, just as laxity in regard to them is a miserable sin. Even pagan Rome could boast of a Regulus who kept his oath by returning to Carthage, though it was to encounter a miserable death. In Psa_15:1-5. it is a feature in the portrait of the man who is to abide in God’s tabernacle and dwell in His holy hill, that he “sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not.” (W. G. Blaikie, D. D.)
- 183. The Lord thyGod be with thee. Prayers for men in public offices Rulers who answer the end of their office as guardians of civil and religious liberty are pillars of a land. They uphold and support it, and keep it from tottering and sinking. We should pray for them— 1. That they may be endued with every grace and virtue which can animate to the faithful and diligent execution of the duties of their office. If piety, true patriotism, and zeal for the interests of religion are at present less conspicuous in many who hold civil or military offices than they have been in some former periods, there is the greater need to beseech Him, with whom is the residue of the Spirit, to pour out abundantly. 2. We should pray that all in offices, civil or military, may be endued with the gifts and talents necessary for the honourable discharge of their several offices. Capacity and genius, as well as good dispositions, are requisite for serving the public. It is from Divine influence that rulers diligently search what conduct is just and wise; hearken to salutary advice, from whatever quarter it comes; and have clear understandings to discern, and sound judgments to choose the right path, even in situations the most intricate and perplexed. 3. We should pray that, in consequence of good dispositions and eminent abilities, rulers may actually adopt the measures which best tend to promote the public good. It is not enough that a ruler avoids, in his own practice, whatever may embolden wickedness, and recommends, by an exemplary conduct, that righteousness which exalteth a nation. He must vigorously enforce and execute the laws already established for restraining wrong and wicked lewdness, and help forward the enacting of such new laws as may be needful for restraining them more effectually. 4. We should pray God to prosper the endeavours of all in civil and military offices for promoting the public good. (John Erskine, D. D.). 13 “Remember the command that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you after he said, ‘The Lord your God will give you rest by giving you this land.’
- 184. CLARKE, "Remember theword - He puts the Reubenites, etc., in remembrance of the engagements they had made with Moses (See Num_32:20) when he granted them their portion on the east side of Jordan. GILL, "Remember the word which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you,.... In Num_32:29; and to which they had solemnly agreed; and, now the time was come to put it into execution, Joshua reminds them of it: saying, the Lord your God hath given you rest: from their travels, and a settlement in a country agreeably to their own desire: and hath given you this land; where they now were, and which they had taken from Sihon and Og, kings of the Amorites, and joined to Moab, on the borders of which Israel lay encamped; and by this it appears, that the settlement of these tribes, on the other side Jordan, was according to the will of God; he gave it to them. HE RY 13-15, " He reminds the two tribes and a half of the obligations they were under to go over Jordan with their brethren, though they left their possessions and families on this side. Interest would make the other tribes glad to go over Jordan, but in these it was an act of self-denial, and against the grain; therefore it was needful to produce the agreement which Moses had made with them, when he gave them their possession before their brethren (Jos_1:13): Remember the word which Moses commanded you. Some of them perhaps were ready to think now that Moses was dead, who they thought was too hard upon them in this matter, they might find some excuse or other to release themselves from this engagement, or might prevail with Joshua to dispense with them; but he holds them to it, and lets them know that, though Moses was dead, his commands and their promises were still in full force. He reminds them, 1. Of the advantages they had received in being first settled: “The Lord your God hath given you rest. He has given your minds rest; you know what you have to trust to, and are not as the rest of the tribes waiting the issue of the war first and then of the lot. He has also given your families rest, your wives and children, whose settlement is your satisfaction. He has given you rest by giving you this land, this good land, of which you are in full and quiet possession.” Note, When God by his providence has given us rest we ought to consider how we may honour him with the advantages of it, and what service we may do to our brethren who are unsettled, or not so well settled as we are When God had given David rest (2Sa_7:1), see how restless he was till he had found out a habitation for the ark, Psa_132:4, Psa_132:5. When God has given us rest, we must take heed of slothfulness and of settling upon our lees. 2. He reminds them of their agreement to help their brethren in the wars of Canaan till God had in like manner given them rest, Jos_ 1:14, Jos_1:15. This was, (1.) Reasonable in itself. So closely were all the tribes incorporated that they must needs look upon themselves as members one of another. (2.) It was enjoined them by Moses, the servant of the Lord; he commanded them to do this, and Joshua his successor would see his commands observed. (3.) It was the only expedient they had to save themselves from the guilt of a great sin in settling on that side
- 185. Jordan, a sinwhich would one time or other find them out, Num_32:23. (4.) It was the condition of the grant Moses had made them of the land they were possessed of, so that they could not be sure of a good title to, or a comfortable enjoyment of, the land of their possession, as it is here called (Jos_1:15), if they did not fulfil the condition. (5.) They themselves had covenanted and agreed thereunto (Num_32:25): Thy servants will do as my Lord commandeth. Thus we all lie under manifold obligations to strengthen the hands one of another, and not to seek our own welfare only, but one another's. ELLICOTT, "(13) Hath given you rest.—Observe this phrase. as applied to the settlement of Israel in the land of promise, on either side of Jordan. Those who condemn the two and a half tribes (or the persons whom they suppose to be spiritually represented by them) for not going far enough, should notice that on both sides of Jordan equally there was the “rest of God.” But this “rest” is only the first stage of several in Israel’s history. We find it again in the reign of David (2 Samuel 7:1), Solomon (1 Chronicles 22:9), Esther (Joshua 9:16-18; Joshua 9:22), and we must not forget the comment in Hebrews 4, obtained from Psalms 95 : “For if Joshua had given them rest, then would He not afterward have spoken of another day.” “These all received not the promise.” “There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.” The last rest is Sabbatical; the rests that precede it are halting- places on the way. WHEDO , "13. The Lord… hath given you rest — He has permitted you to settle your families in fixed abodes on the express condition that you should assist in the subjugation of the land on the western side of Jordan. umbers 32:16-22. The promise of these two and a half tribes, solemnly made to Moses, must now be fulfilled. This land — Like the expressions this Jordan and this Lebanon, (Joshua 1:2; Joshua 1:4,) the land immediately around them east of Jordan, in which all Israel was yet encamped. PETT, "“Remember the word which Moses, the servant of YHWH, commanded you, saying, ‘YHWH your God gives you rest and will give you this land.’ ” Joshua reminded them of their promise made. They had been given their ‘rest’, no longer journeying, no longer always on the move. They could build their homes and permanently pitch their tents, sow their seed, plant their vineyards, and recognise that they had reached ‘home’. BE SO , "Verse 13-14 Joshua 1:13-14. Which Moses commanded you — His charge to you, and your promise to him. Rest — That is, a place of rest, as that word signifies. Before your brethren — In the front of all of them; which was but reasonable; because they had the advantage of their brethren, having actually received their portion, which their brethren had only in hope; because they were freed from those impediments which the rest were exposed to, their wives, and children, and estates being safely lodged;
- 186. and to preventtheir withdrawing themselves from the present service, which they otherwise would have had temptations to do, because of the nearness of their habitations. Armed — For by this time they were well furnished with arms, which they had either from the Egyptians, Amalekites, or Amorites, from whom they had taken them; or, by purchase, from those people by whose borders they passed. Men of valour — All such were obliged to go over, if occasion required it, but Joshua took only some of them, because they were sufficient for his purpose, and because it was proper some should be left, both to secure their own wives, children, and possessions, and to prevent their enemies on that side from giving them disturbance while engaged in their enterprise upon Canaan. 14 Your wives, your children and your livestock may stay in the land that Moses gave you east of the Jordan, but all your fighting men, ready for battle, must cross over ahead of your fellow Israelites. You are to help them BAR ES, "Armed - Rather, “arrayed” (see Exo_13:18 note). On this side Jordan - Compare Deu_1:1, note. CLARKE, "Your wives, your little ones - And with these it appears, from Num_ 32:17, were left behind 70,580 effective men to guard them and their property; only 40,000 having passed over Jordan to assist the nine tribes and half to conquer the land. See Jos_4:13. Armed - חמשים chamushim, by fives; in several lines, five in front, probably the usual method of marching; but it seems to signify arrayed, equipped, accoutred, well-armed, and ready for battle. See the note on Exo_13:18. GILL, "Your wives, your little ones, and your cattle, shall remain in the land
- 187. which Moses gaveyou on this side Jordan,.... This was what they themselves proposed, agreed unto, and confirmed, Num_32:16, but ye shall pass over before your brethren armed; bearing arms, to fight for them; for none but such that were fit to bear arms were obliged to go; and these were to go "harnessed" (o), as some render the word, or in a military order, in rank and file, by fives, five in a row; not at the front of the army, for the standard of Judah went first, but along with them; for "before them" signifies no other than in the presence of them, and in company with them: all the mighty men of valour, and help them; to obtain a conquest over the Canaanites; all, according to the order of Moses, and by their agreement, were to go, all that were able to bear arms; but Joshua did not take them all, only a select company of strong and valiant for, out of an hundred thirty thousand, but forty thousand went with him, Jos_4:13. JAMISO , "ye shall pass ... armed — that is, officered or marshalled under five leaders in the old and approved caravan order (see on Exo_13:18). all the mighty men of valour — The words are not to be interpreted strictly as meaning the whole, but only the flower or choice of the fighting men (see on Jos_4:12). WHEDO , "This side Jordan — An incorrect translation of הירדן ,בעבר which can only mean beyond the Jordan. Our translators were governed, in their rendering, by the position of Joshua at the time of this address; but the Book of Joshua was written after the conquest and settlement of Palestine when beyond the Jordan was the common term for the country east of the Jordan, and so the writer simply follows the usus loquendi of his time. This eastern section, which in our Saviour’s time was called Perea, and was the region of much of his ministry, (see notes on Matthew 4:25 ; Luke 9:51,) is designated in Joshua 1:15 as (Hebrews) beyond Jordan towards the sunrising; and in Joshua 5:1. Western Palestine is called beyond Jordan towards the sea.] Mighty men of valour — The more valiant of the two and a half tribes, not their entire military strength. From Joshua 4:13 we learn that only forty thousand of them were required to cross to the western side; the remainder — probably about seventy thousand, (see umbers 31,) — remaining on the eastern side of the river to protect the families and substance of the two and a half tribes from the incursions of their still numerous though defeated enemies dwelling in the wide eastern plains. Armed — Scholars differ as to the meaning of this word. Some assert that it signifies “girt about the loins;” hence “ready, equipped, drawn up for battle.” Others, on very good grounds, believe that it means “in five divisions, namely, the centre, two wings, vanguard, and rearguard,” according to the usual form in which an army marches into battle. In Exodus 13:18 (see note) it is rendered harnessed. PETT, "“Your wives, your little ones, and your cattle, shall remain in the land which Moses has given you in Beyond Jordan, but you shall pass over before your
- 188. brothers, armed, allthe mighty men of valour, and shall help them.” This was what they had themselves proposed. The ‘all’ was not necessarily to be taken literally. It would be expected that some guards would be left both to arrange for protection and to assist in necessary tasks. And the older men would not be required to go. They were no longer reckoned as ‘mighty men of valour’. This would be a task for the younger men in the prime of life. But the majority of their men of fighting age (forty military units - Joshua 4:13) must accompany the invading party, for they were part of the tribal confederacy. Israel were a confederacy of twelve tribes bound together by the covenant with YHWH and worship at the Tabernacle, the central sanctuary. ‘Before’ means ‘in the presence of, together with’. “Beyond Jordan”. This was the official name given to land east and west of Jordan used at the time of writing, and probably the name by which it was already known by the people of the land. Compare ‘Ebir-nari’ (Beyond the River) a province of the Persian empire (Ezra 5:3; Ezra 5:6). Using it need not mean that the speaker was on the other side of the river. (Just as today we might speak of being ‘in Transjordan’). 15 until the Lord gives them rest, as he has done for you, and until they too have taken possession of the land the Lord your God is giving them. After that, you may go back and occupy your own land, which Moses the servant of the Lord gave you east of the Jordan toward the sunrise.” CLARKE, "Toward the sun-rising - This is the East, as toward the going down of the sun signifies the West.
- 189. GILL, "Until theLord hath given your brethren rest, as he hath given you,.... Rest from their travels, as they had: and they also have possessed the land which the Lord your God giveth them: are settled in the land of Canaan, as they were on that side Jordan: then ye shall return unto the land of your possession, and enjoy it; the countries of Sihon and Og, they were put into the possession of: which Moses the Lord's servant gave you on this side Jordan, toward the sunrising; the land, given to them lay to the east of Jordan. HE RY, "It was enjoined them by Moses, the servant of the Lord; he commanded them to do this, and Joshua his successor would see his commands observed. (3.) It was the only expedient they had to save themselves from the guilt of a great sin in settling on that side Jordan, a sin which would one time or other find them out, Num_32:23. (4.) It was the condition of the grant Moses had made them of the land they were possessed of, so that they could not be sure of a good title to, or a comfortable enjoyment of, the land of their possession, as it is here called (Jos_1:15), if they did not fulfil the condition. (5.) They themselves had covenanted and agreed thereunto (Num_32:25): Thy servants will do as my Lord commandeth. Thus we all lie under manifold obligations to strengthen the hands one of another, and not to seek our own welfare only, but one another's. TRAPP, " Joshua 1:15 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. Ver. 15. Until the Lord have given your brethren rest.] Whose welfare you are to tender no less than your own. “ Et toti genitos vos credere genti. ” WHEDO , "This side Jordan — An incorrect translation of הירדן ,בעבר which can only mean beyond the Jordan. Our translators were governed, in their rendering, by the position of Joshua at the time of this address; but the Book of Joshua was written after the conquest and settlement of Palestine when beyond the Jordan was the common term for the country east of the Jordan, and so the writer simply follows the usus loquendi of his time. This eastern section, which in our Saviour’s time was called Perea, and was the region of much of his ministry, (see notes on Matthew 4:25 ; Luke 9:51,) is designated in Joshua 1:15 as (Hebrews) beyond Jordan towards the sunrising; and in Joshua 5:1. Western Palestine is called beyond Jordan towards the sea.] Mighty men of valour — The more valiant of the two and a half tribes, not their entire military strength. From Joshua 4:13 we learn that only forty thousand of them were required to cross to the western side; the remainder — probably about seventy thousand, (see umbers 31,) — remaining on the eastern side of the river to
- 190. protect the familiesand substance of the two and a half tribes from the incursions of their still numerous though defeated enemies dwelling in the wide eastern plains. Armed — Scholars differ as to the meaning of this word. Some assert that it signifies “girt about the loins;” hence “ready, equipped, drawn up for battle.” Others, on very good grounds, believe that it means “in five divisions, namely, the centre, two wings, vanguard, and rearguard,” according to the usual form in which an army marches into battle. In Exodus 13:18 (see note) it is rendered harnessed. PETT, "“Until YHWH has given your brothers rest, as he has given you, and they also have possessed the land which YHWH your God gives them, then you shall return to the land of your possession and possess it, which Moses, the servant of YHWH, gave you in Beyond Jordan, toward the sunrising.” God’s intention was that all his people should have ‘rest’ and ‘possess’ the land. Possessing it meant working it and making full use of it. Thus His purpose was that they should be able to settle down in peace, security and comfort, sow their fields, care for their flocks and herds, gather their harvests, and worship contentedly. This was now the position of the tribes in Beyond Jordan. They must thus work to ensure that the same became the lot of the whole tribal confederacy. There was here a great lesson in unselfishness. All the tribes were to look out for each other. How quickly this would be forgotten. Had this unity been maintained, and had all the tribes always responded when called on, the future would have been very different. For that was part of the significance of the covenant, immediate response when one member needed help. The aim was that as they all gathered three times a year at the appointed feasts at the central sanctuary, to renew their covenant with YHWH and worship Him together, they would recognise that they were one nation with YHWH as their King. And that therefore each part was as important as the next. Unity would be strength. What did later result, as seen in the Book of Judges, was only a poor imitation, and yet without it Israel would not have survived as such. 16 Then they answered Joshua, “Whatever you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go.
- 191. CLARKE, "All thatthou commandest us we will do - Here they acknowledge the Divine mission of Joshua, as they had done that of Moses, and consequently promise to follow his directions in all things. GILL, "And they answered Joshua,.... The two tribes of Gad and Reuben, and the half tribe of Manasseh, the heads of them, such as were deputed for that purpose, and were their mouths to him: saying, all that thou commandest we will do; with respect to this affair of going over Jordan with their brethren, to assist them in the conquest of the land of Canaan: and whithersoever thou sendest us, we will go; in what position he would have them be in the army, and to whatsoever part of the country he should send them to subdue, and to whatsoever city he should order them to besiege. HE RY, "This answer was given not by the two tribes and a half only (though they are spoken of immediately before), but by the officers of all the people (Jos_1:10), as their representatives, concurring with the divine appointment, by which Joshua was set over them, and they did it heartily, and with a great deal of cheerfulness and resolution. I. They promise him obedience (v. 16), not only as subjects to their prince, but as soldiers to their general, of whose particular orders they are to be observant. He that hath soldiers under him saith to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh, Mat_8:9. Thus the people of Joshua; “All that thou commandest us we will readily do, without murmuring or disputing; and whithersoever thou sends us, though upon the most difficult and perilous expedition, we will go.” We must thus swear allegiance to our Lord Jesus, as the captain of our salvation, and bind ourselves to do what he commands us by his word, and to go where he sends us by his providence. And since Joshua, being humbly conscious to himself how far short he came of Moses, feared he should not have such an influence upon the people and such an interest in them as Moses had, they here promise that they will be as obedient to him as ever they had been to Moses, Jos_1:17. To speak truth, they had no reason to boast of their obedience to Moses; he had found them a stiff-necked people, Deu_9:24. But they meant that they would be as observant of Joshua as they should have been, and as some of them were (and the generality of them at least sometimes) of Moses. Note, We must not so magnify those that are gone, how eminent soever they were, either in the magistracy or in the ministry, as to be wanting in the honour and duty we owe to those that survive and succeed them, though in gifts they may come short of them. Obedience for conscience' sake will continue, though Providence change the hands by which it rules and acts. CALVI , "16.And they answered, etc They not only acquiesce, but freely admit and explicitly detail the obedience which they owe. Our obligations are duly discharged only when we perform them cheerfully, and not in sadness, as Paul expresses it. (2
- 192. Corinthians 9:7.) Ifit is objected that there is little modesty in their boast of having been obedient to Moses whom they had often contradicted, I answer, that though they did not always follow with becoming ardor, yet they were so much disposed to obey, that their moderation was not only tolerable, but worthy of the highest praise, when it is considered how proudly their fathers rebelled, and how perversely they endeavored to shake off a yoke divinely imposed upon them. For the persons who speak here were not those rebellious spirits of whom God complains (Psalms 95:8) that he was provoked by them, but persons who, subdued by the examples of punishment, had learned quietly to submit. (28) Indeed, it is not so much to herald their own virtues as to extol the authority of Joshua, when they declare that they will regard him in the same light in which they regarded Moses. The groundwork of their confidence is at the same time expressed in their wish or prayer, that God may be present to assist his servant Joshua as he assisted his servant Moses. They intimate that they will be ready to war under the auspices of their new leader, because they are persuaded that he is armed with the power and hope that he will be victorious by the assistance of God, as they had learned by experience how wonderfully God assisted them by the hand of Moses. We may infer, moreover, that they actually felt this confidence, both because they call to mind their experiences of God’s favor to animate themselves, and because they regard Joshua as the successor of Moses in regard to prosperous results. The epithet thy God (29) is not without weight, as it evidently points to a continued course of divine favor. The form of expression also is intermediate between the confidence of faith and prayer. (30) Accordingly, while they intimate that they cherish good hope in their minds, they at the same time have recourse to prayer, under a conviction of the arduousness of the work. Immediately after, when they of their own accord exhort him to constancy, they show that they are ready to follow and to imitate him in his confidence. Here, it is to be observed, that though Joshua was a model of courage, and animated all, both by deed and precept, he was in his turn stimulated onwards, that his own alacrity might be more effectual in arousing that of the people. ELLICOTT, "(16) They answered Joshua, saying, All that thou commandest us we will do.—This promise of obedience may be taken as the reply of the whole people to Joshua’s orders, not that of the two and a half tribes alone. It is remarkable that they repeat to him the words of Jehovah, as most appropriate in their judgment: “Be strong and of a good courage” (Joshua 1:18). TRAPP, "Joshua 1:16 And they answered Joshua, saying, All that thou commandest us we will do, and whithersoever thou sendest us, we will go. Ver. 16. And they answered.] ot the two tribes and half only, but the whole people promise homage and fidelity to Joshua, and wish well to his government. All that thou commandest us.] A promise as large as that of Laelius in Lucan made
- 193. to Caesar, “ Iussasequi tam velle mihi quam posse necesse est. ” COKE, "Ver. 16, 17. And they answered Joshua, saying, All that thou commandest us, we will do, &c. according as we hearkened unto Moses— This is a very express acknowledgment of the divinity of Joshua's mission, and an absolute submission to his commands: all the tribes evidently gave the like answer. Only the Lord thy God be with thee, as he was with Moses— As if they had said, "May the Lord thy God grant to thee, as he did to Moses, the glory of a triumph over our enemies!" And so it is rendered by Menochius, Grotius, Calmet, &c. WHEDO , "OATH OF ALLEGIA CE TO JOSHUA, Joshua 1:16-18. 16. That thou commandest we will do — A response not only from the eastern tribes, but also, probably, from the entire nation, encouraging to the spirit of the new commander. He must have regarded it as a formal expression of their loyalty to his authority. Like true patriots, in their nation’s extremity they volunteer under their great captain. BE SO , "Joshua 1:16-17. And they answered — ot the two tribes and a half only, but the officers of all the people, in their name, concurring with the divine appointment, by which Joshua was set over them. Thus must we swear allegiance to our Lord Jesus, as the captain of our salvation. Will we hearken unto thee — The same obedience which we owed to Moses, we promise unto thee. With Moses — This is not a limitation of their obedience, as if they would not obey him any longer than he was prosperous, but an additional prayer for him. As we have hereby promised thee our obedience, so our prayer shall be, that God would bless and prosper thee, as he did Moses. 17 Just as we fully obeyed Moses, so we will obey you. Only may the Lord your God be with you as he was with Moses.
- 194. CLARKE, "Only theLord thy God be with thee - Provided God be with thee, as he was with Moses, we will implicitly obey thee. The words however may mean no more than an earnest prayer for Joshua’s prosperity: May God be with thee, as he was with Moses! GILL, "According as we have hearkened unto Moses in all things, so will we hearken unto thee,.... Not right or wrong, but in all things that were according to the laws and will of God made known to them; and particularly it may refer to the above affair, which was settled between Moses and them, to whom they then hearkened, and now promise to confirm the same, and hearken to whatsoever orders and instructions Joshua should give them relative to it, according to the plan agreed upon: only the Lord thy God be with thee, as he was with Moses; which is not mentioned as a condition of their obedience to him, but rather as a reason of it, and as an encouraging motive to it; for, according to Kimchi, the true sense and meaning is,"for the Lord thy God will be with thee, as he was with Moses;''so Noldius renders it,"seeing the Lord thy God is with thee.'' HE RY, "They pray for the presence of God with him (Jos_1:17): “Only the Lord thy God be with thee, to bless and prosper thee, and give thee success, as he was with Moses.” Prayers and supplications are to be made for all in authority, 1Ti_2:1, 1Ti_2:2. And the best thing we can ask of God for our magistrates is that they may have the presence of God with them; this will make them blessings to us, so that in seeking this for them we consult our own interest. A reason is here intimated why they would obey him as they had obeyed Moses, because they believed (and in faith prayed) that God's presence would be with him as it was with Moses. Those that we have reason to think have favour from God should have honour and respect from us. Some understand it as a limitation of their obedience: “We will obey only as far as we perceive the Lord is with thee, but no further. while thou keepest close to God we will keep close to thee; hitherto shall our obedience come, but no further.” But they were so far from having any suspicion of Joshua's deviating from the divine rule that there needed not such a proviso. TRAPP, "Joshua 1:17 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. Ver. 17. Only the Lord thy God be with thee.] For else we shall stand thee and our brethren but in small stead. As he was with Moses.] Who never miscarried in any enterprise.
- 195. PETT, "“In thesame way as we have obeyed Moses in all things, so will we obey you. Only Yahweh your God be with you, as He was with Moses.” This was rather a rosy view of the relationship that they had had with Moses. They had not always been quite so responsive. But in general it was true. It would of course be much easier to maintain this unity and response when they were moving forwards towards a goal than when, having reached the goal, they had all settled down in different places. That was one reason why the gatherings at the central sanctuary would be so vital. It was to renew their central goal. But here the intention was good. They would obey him as they should have obeyed Moses. But the proviso was that Joshua should prove himself YHWH’s man, and that would be demonstrated by success, the final proof that YHWH was with him. It was not that they doubted that He would be. It was a statement of confidence. They were indicating that really they were committing themselves to YHWH, and to Joshua because he was YHWH’s man. It is ever God Who must be central in our thoughts. Men are but His servants. 18 Whoever rebels against your word and does not obey it, whatever you may command them, will be put to death. Only be strong and courageous!” CLARKE, "He shall be put to death - This was martial law; he who disobeyed the command of his general should be put to death. To this the people agreed, and it was essentially necessary in order that proper discipline should be kept up in this great army. By insubordination their fathers had suffered much in the wilderness; they rejected the authority of Moses, mutinied and made themselves a leader to conduct them back to Egypt. (See Num_14:4). And Joshua himself, for attempting to encourage them against their fears, was near being stoned to death. It was necessary, therefore, that they should give him the most positive assurance that they would not act as their fathers had done. 1. Notwithstanding the great honor God put on his servants Moses, Aaron, Phinehas, and Joshua, yet we find him using every means to induce the people to trust in
- 196. himself alone. Hencehe is ever showing them that even those great men had nothing but what they had received, and that they were as fully dependent upon himself as the meanest of the people. What was even Moses without his God? 2. Is it not strange that at the death of Moses utter despair had not overwhelmed the whole camp, as he whom they expected to give them rest had died before any conquest was made in Canaan? We find, however, that they are not discouraged; he who gave them Moses, has now given them Joshua in his place; and they had now fully learned that if God be for them, none could be successfully against them. 3. From all this we may learn, that when God has a great work to accomplish, he will provide himself suitable instruments; and though one which he has greatly honored, appear to fail, we should know that he is not confined to work by that one alone. He has way every where, and all things serve the purposes of his will. He will as surely support his Church on earth, as he will support the earth itself; and while the sun and moon endure, the Church shall flourish: this is for his own honor, and he certainly is more concerned for his own glory in the administration of justice, judgment, and salvation in the earth, than any of the children of men can possibly be. 4. Though God had so implicitly promised them his help, yet he strongly insists on their own co-operation. He requires the use of every power and talent he has given; even Joshua himself must be strong and very courageous, and the people must obey him in all things, in order that they may go over the Jordan to possess the good land; and without this they had never got into the promised rest. Shall we suppose, then, that if we be not workers together with God we shall be saved? Vain expectation! He works in us to will and to do, i.e., he gives the principle of volition in things that are holy, and the principle of power to bring the acts of will into good practical effect; therefore, says the apostle, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. Will, therefore, under the influence of the gracious principle of volition; act under the influence of the principle of power. Without the power you can neither will nor do; but having the power it is your duty to will and do. It is enough that God gives the power. It is our duty, when we receive these talents, to improve them. In a million of cases a man may be both able to will and to do, and yet do neither to the salvation of his soul. GILL, "Whosoever he be that doth rebel against thy commandment,.... Refuses to go over Jordan with his brethren the children of Israel, when commanded by Joshua so to do: and will not hearken to thy words in all that thou commandest him; or, if he does go over, yet will not obey orders to take such a post, or go against such a city, or march into such a part of the country: he shall be put to death; this part of military discipline they agree to, and hereby declare their entire submission to him as their general; some understand this as spoken by all Israel, and of their promise of obedience to Joshua, as their governor, in all things: only be strong, and of a good courage; which also is not to be understood as a condition of their submission and obedience, but as a hearty wish and prayer for him,
- 197. that he mighthave strength and courage necessary to the great work he was engaging in, and which to see would be no small encouragement to follow and obey him. HE RY, " They pass an act to make it death for any Israelite to disobey Joshua's orders, or rebel against his commandment, Jos_1:18. Perhaps if such a law had been made in Moses's time it might have prevented many of the rebellions that were formed against him; for most men fear the sword of the magistrate more than the justice of God. Yet there was a special reason for the making of this law now that they were entering upon the wars of Canaan; for in times of war the severity of military discipline is more necessary than at other times. Some think that in this statute they had an eye to that law concerning the prophet God would raise up like unto Moses, which they think, though it refer chiefly to Christ, yet takes in Joshua by the way as a type of him, that whosoever would not hearken to him should be cut off from his people. Deu_18:19, I will require it of him. IV. They animate him to go on with cheerfulness in the work to which God had called him; and, in desiring that he would be strong and of a good courage, they did in effect promise him that they would do all they could, by an exact, bold, and cheerful observance of all his orders, to encourage him. It very much heartens those that lead in a good work to see those that follow follow with a good will. Joshua, though of approved valour, did not take it as an affront, but as a great kindness, for the people to bid him be strong and of a good courage. TRAPP, "Joshua 1:18 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. Ver. 18. Only be strong and of a good courage.] Here Vox populi accordeth Vox Dei: this was a further confirmation. See Joshua 1:6. COKE, "Ver. 18. Whosoever he be that doth rebel, &c. he shall be put to death— He shall be treated as a criminal guilty of high treason: so the words are understood by Maimonides and most of the rabbis. We may further take notice, that Joshua was a king and a prophet, as Moses had been; and that, according to the law, he who transgressed the orders of Moses and of a prophet was worthy of death. The word only in the latter clause of the verse should rather be translated therefore, which is the plain signification of the particle רק rak. See chap. Joshua 13:6. WHEDO , "18. Against thy commandment — Literally, Every man who rebels against thy mouth; that is, who shows contempt for thy commands. Shall be put to death — A righteous verdict against the rebel, and in accordance with the law of the Most High. Deuteronomy 17:12. Resistance to His chosen representative is a crime no less heinous than avowed rebellion against His sovereignty. So long as a government is subserving its ends in administering justice and conserving human society, the attempt to subvert it by violence is a crime of the greatest enormity, striking at the very foundation of all the earthly interests of mankind, and opening wide the floodgates of civil war. otes Romans 13:1-7.
- 198. PETT, "“Whoever hebe who will rebel against your commandment, and will not listen to your words in all that you command him, he shall be put to death: only be strong, and of a good courage.” Their covenant was solemn for the penalty for breaking it was death. They agreed that disobedience to Joshua, whether by one or by many, would be punished by death. In a war situation such disobedience would be treason. It could jeopardise the whole venture. “Only be strong, and of a good courage.” Joshua’s part was to have the strength and courage of a good leader resulting from his devotion to YHWH, for that was what YHWH had commanded him. Let him fulfil his commitment to YHWH, then they would fulfil their commitment to him.