• The Book of Joshua reveals that victory, success, and progress result when God's people trust and obey Him consistently.
• The Book of Judges shows that defeat, failure, and retrogression follow when they fail to trust and obey Him consistently.
• In this respect Joshua and Judges are like two sides of one coin.

"This book is … quite negative: it begins bleakly, continues darkly, and ends horribly."
 
Judges 1-3 sets the stage for the period of the judges in Israel's history, highlighting the challenges the Israelites face in the Promised Land and the beginning of the cycle of disobedience and deliverance.

• Judges settled civil disputes but sometimes also served as military leaders.

1. Judges 1: After Joshua's death, the Israelites continued their efforts to conquer the remaining Canaanite territories.

• The tribe of Judah led the charge, achieving some victories, but many tribes failed to fully drive out the Canaanites.
• This incomplete obedience led to the Israelites living among the Canaanites, which set the stage for future idolatry and conflict.

1. Judges 2 : An angel of the Lord rebukes the Israelites for not obeying God's command to completely remove the Canaanites.

• The chapter outlines the cycle that will characterize the book of Judges: Israel's disobedience, oppression by enemies, crying out to God, and deliverance by judges.
• Chart of judges
• The chapter also notes the death of Joshua and the rise of a new generation that does not know the Lord, leading to their worship of other gods.

1. Judges 3 : The first judges are introduced.

• Othniel, the first judge, delivers Israel from the king of Aram, bringing peace for 40 years.
• Ehud, the second judge, delivers Israel from the Moabites by assassinating King Eglon, leading to 80 years of peace.
• Shamgar, the third judge, delivers Israel from the Philistines, though his story is briefly mentioned.

These chapters highlight the Israelites' struggle to remain faithful to God amidst the influences of the surrounding nations and set the pattern of recurring cycles of disobedience and deliverance that define the era of the judges.
 
 
DEBORAH AND BARAK
JUDGES 4
1 The Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord after Ehud had died. 2 So the Lord sold them to King Jabin of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. The commander of his army was Sisera who lived in Harosheth of the Nations.

• Northern Galilee area
• Hazor was one of the largest cities in the Promised Land – controlled by Canaanites.

3 Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord, because Jabin had nine hundred iron chariots, and he harshly oppressed them twenty years.
4 Deborah, a prophetess and the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time.

•  Her name means "Bee," and she did what often typifies a bee: She stung the enemy, and she brought sweet refreshment (as honey refreshes one's spirit and strength) to her people.

5 She would sit under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites went up to her to settle disputes.
6 She summoned Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali and said to him, “Hasn’t the Lord, the God of Israel, commanded you, ‘Go, deploy the troops on Mount Tabor, and take with you ten thousand men from the Naphtalites and Zebulunites?

• On this occasion, Israel's forces were very numerous.
• They had perhaps a 10 to one advantage over the Canaanites.

7 Then I will lure Sisera commander of Jabin’s army, his chariots, and his infantry at the Wadi Kishon to fight against you, and I will hand him over to you.’ ”
8 Barak said to her, “If you will go with me, I will go. But if you will not go with me, I will not go.”

• Most Israelite commanders called on God to help them but Barak called on Deborah.

9 “I will gladly go with you,” she said, “but you will receive no honor on the road you are about to take, because the Lord will sell Sisera to a woman.” So Deborah got up and went with Barak to Kedesh.

• Whatever his motivation may have been, Barak put a condition on obeying God.
• The will of God was clear.
• He even had God's promise of victory.
• Nevertheless he refused to obey unless Deborah accompanied him.
• Barak would defeat the Canaanites, but a woman would get the honor for defeating the commander, Sisera.
• This was Barak's punishment for putting a condition on his obedience to God.

10 Barak summoned Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh; ten thousand men followed him, and Deborah also went with him.
11 Now Heber the Kenite had moved away from the Kenites, the sons of Hobab, Moses’s father-in-law, and pitched his tent beside the oak tree of Zaanannim, which was near Kedesh.
12 It was reported to Sisera that Barak son of Abinoam had gone up Mount Tabor. 13 Sisera summoned all his nine hundred iron chariots and all the troops who were with him from Harosheth of the Nations to the Wadi Kishon. 14 Then Deborah said to Barak, “Go! This is the day the Lord has handed Sisera over to you. Hasn’t the Lord gone before you?” So Barak came down from Mount Tabor with ten thousand men following him.
15 The Lord threw Sisera, all his charioteers, and all his army into a panic before Barak’s assault. Sisera left his chariot and fled on foot. 16 Barak pursued the chariots and the army as far as Harosheth of the Nations, and the whole army of Sisera fell by the sword; not a single man was left.
17 Meanwhile, Sisera had fled on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, because there was peace between King Jabin of Hazor and the family of Heber the Kenite. 18 Jael went out to greet Sisera and said to him, “Come in, my lord. Come in with me. Don’t be afraid.” So he went into her tent, and she covered him with a blanket. 19 He said to her, “Please give me a little water to drink for I am thirsty.” She opened a container of milk, gave him a drink, and covered him again.

• Sisera had violated every part of the code governing the actions of host and guest.
• Sisera should have gone directly to Heber, the head of the household, not to his wife's tent.
• This violation of hospitality customs would have alerted Jael that something was amiss.
• Furthermore, Sisera should not have accepted Jael's offer of hospitality.
• But when he did, this doubtless indicated to Jael again that his intentions were not right.

20 Then he said to her, “Stand at the entrance to the tent. If a man comes and asks you, ‘Is there a man here?’ say, ‘No.’ ” 21 While he was sleeping from exhaustion, Heber’s wife, Jael, took a tent peg, grabbed a hammer, and went silently to Sisera. She hammered the peg into his temple and drove it into the ground, and he died.

• To die by the hand of a woman was a disgrace in the ancient Near East (cf. 9:54 - Abimelech).

22 When Barak arrived in pursuit of Sisera, Jael went out to greet him and said to him, “Come and I will show you the man you are looking for.” So he went in with her, and there was Sisera lying dead with a tent peg through his temple!

• The man who should have taken the initiative in attacking Israel's enemy years earlier now got another order from a woman—a seemingly "ordinary housewife," who had conquered General Barak's mighty enemy: General Sisera.

23 That day God subdued King Jabin of Canaan before the Israelites. 24 The power of the Israelites continued to increase against King Jabin of Canaan until they destroyed him.[1]
 
DEBORAH’S SONG
JUDGES 5
1 On that day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang:
2 When the leaders lead in Israel,
when the people volunteer,
blessed be the Lord.
3 Listen, kings! Pay attention, princes!
I will sing to the Lord;
I will sing praise to the Lord God of Israel.
4 Lord, when you came from Seir,
when you marched from the fields of Edom,
the earth trembled,
the skies poured rain,
and the clouds poured water.
5 The mountains melted before the Lord,
even Sinai, before the Lord, the God of Israel.
6 In the days of Shamgar son of Anath,
in the days of Jael,
the main roads were deserted
because travelers kept to the side roads.
7 Villages were deserted,
they were deserted in Israel,
until I, Deborah, arose,
a mother in Israel.
8 Israel chose new gods,
then there was war in the city gates.
Not a shield or spear was seen
among forty thousand in Israel.
9 My heart is with the leaders of Israel,
with the volunteers of the people.
Blessed be the Lord!
10 You who ride on white donkeys,
who sit on saddle blankets,
and who travel on the road, give praise!
11 Let them tell the righteous acts of the Lord,
the righteous deeds of his villagers in Israel,
with the voices of the singers at the watering places.
Then the Lord’s people went down to the city gates.
12 “Awake! Awake, Deborah!
Awake! Awake, sing a song!
Arise, Barak,
and take your prisoners,
son of Abinoam!”
13 Then the survivors came down to the nobles;
the Lord’s people came down to me against the warriors.
14 Those with their roots in Amalek came from Ephraim;
Benjamin came with your people after you.
The leaders came down from Machir,
and those who carry a marshal’s staff came from Zebulun.
15 The princes of Issachar were with Deborah;
Issachar was with Barak;
they were under his leadership, in the valley.
There was great searching of heart
among the clans of Reuben.
16 Why did you sit among the sheep pens
listening to the playing of pipes for the flocks?
There was great searching of heart
among the clans of Reuben.
17 Gilead remained beyond the Jordan.
Dan, why did you linger at the ships?
Asher remained at the seashore
and stayed in his harbors.
18 The people of Zebulun defied death,
Naphtali also, on the heights of the battlefield.
19 Kings came and fought.
Then the kings of Canaan fought
at Taanach by the Waters of Megiddo,
but they did not plunder the silver.
20 The stars fought from the heavens;
the stars fought with Sisera from their paths.
21 The river Kishon swept them away,
the ancient river, the river Kishon.
March on, my soul, in strength!
22 The horses’ hooves then hammered--
the galloping, galloping of his stallions.
23 “Curse Meroz,” says the angel of the Lord,
“Bitterly curse her inhabitants,
for they did not come to help the Lord,
to help the Lord with the warriors.”
24 Jael is most blessed of women, is Jael,
the wife of Heber the Kenite;
she is most blessed among tent-dwelling women.
25 He asked for water; she gave him milk.
She brought him cream in a majestic bowl.
26 She reached for a tent peg,
her right hand, for a workman’s hammer.
Then she hammered Sisera--
she crushed his head;
she shattered and pierced his temple.
27 He collapsed, he fell, he lay down between her feet;
he collapsed, he fell between her feet;
where he collapsed, there he fell—dead.
28 Sisera’s mother looked through the window;
she peered through the lattice, crying out:
“Why is his chariot so long in coming?
Why don’t I hear the hoofbeats of his horses?”
29 Her wisest princesses answer her;
she even answers herself:
30 “Are they not finding and dividing the spoil--
a girl or two for each warrior,
the spoil of colored garments for Sisera,
the spoil of an embroidered garment or two for my neck?”
31 Lord, may all your enemies perish as Sisera did.
But may those who love him
be like the rising of the sun in its strength.
And the land had peace for forty years. [2]

• This chapter celebrates the fact that God gave His people a great victory through these women.

And today, the fighting between Israel and it’s enemies ceases for another season as the peace treaty goes into effect between Israel and Gaza.

[1] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jdg 4:1–24.
[2] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jdg 5:1–31.

Joshua 9-10 left the Israelites conquering kings but not overtaking the land.
In Joshua 11-12 they defeat all the kings and take over most of the land of Israel.
 
UNCONQUERED LANDS
JOSHUA 13
1 Joshua was now old, advanced in age, and the Lord said to him, “You have become old, advanced in age, but a great deal of the land remains to be possessed. 2 This is the land that remains:
All the districts of the Philistines and the Geshurites: 3 from the Shihor east of Egypt to the border of Ekron on the north (considered to be Canaanite territory)—the five Philistine rulers of Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron, as well as the Avvites 4 in the south; all the land of the Canaanites, from Arah of the Sidonians to Aphek and as far as the border of the Amorites; 5 the land of the Gebalites; and all Lebanon east from Baal-gad below Mount Hermon to the entrance of Hamath,--6 all the inhabitants of the hill country from Lebanon to Misrephoth-maim, all the Sidonians.
I will drive them out before the Israelites, only distribute the land as an inheritance for Israel, as I have commanded you. 7 Therefore, divide this land as an inheritance to the nine tribes and half the tribe of Manasseh.”

• Having successfully removed the major military threats to Israel’s survival in Canaan, Joshua the aged soldier now became an administrator.
• The land conquered by bloody warfare had to be assigned to the various tribes and Joshua would oversee this important transaction.
• It would be a service less exhausting and more suited to his advancing years.
• To many people this section of the Book of Joshua, with its detailed lists of boundaries and cities, seems tedious.
• Someone has said, “Most of this long section reads like a real estate deed.”
• And that is precisely what is found in these lengthy narrations—legal descriptions (after the manner of that ancient day) of the areas allocated to the 12 tribes.
• Title deeds are important documents so these should not be regarded as insignificant or superfluous.
• This was a climactic moment in the life of the young nation.
• After centuries in Egyptian bondage, decades in the barren wilderness, years of hard fighting in Canaan, the hour had arrived when the Israelites could at last settle down to build homes, cultivate the soil, raise families, and live in peace in their own land.
• The days of land allotment were a happy time for Israel.[1]

8 With the other half of the tribe of Manasseh, the Reubenites and Gadites had received the inheritance Moses gave them beyond the Jordan to the east, just as Moses the Lord’s servant had given them[2]
 
14 He did not, however, give any inheritance to the tribe of Levi. This was their inheritance, just as he had promised: the food offerings made to the Lord, the God of Israel.[3]
 
23 The border of the Reubenites was the Jordan and its plain. This was the inheritance of the Reubenites by their clans, with the cities and their settlements. [4]
 
28 This was the inheritance of the Gadites by their clans, with the cities and their settlements. 29 And to half the tribe of Manasseh (that is, to half the tribe of Manasseh’s descendants by their clans) Moses gave 30 this as their territory: [5]
 
ISRAEL’S INHERITANCE IN CANAAN
JOSHUA 14
1 The Israelites received these portions that the priest Eleazar, Joshua son of Nun, and the family heads of the Israelite tribes gave them in the land of Canaan. 2 Their inheritance was by lot as the Lord commanded through Moses for the nine and a half tribes, 3 because Moses had given the inheritance to the two and a half tribes beyond the Jordan. But he gave no inheritance among them to the Levites. 4 The descendants of Joseph became two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim. No portion of the land was given to the Levites except cities to live in, along with pasturelands for their cattle and livestock. 5 So the Israelites did as the Lord commanded Moses, and they divided the land.[6]

• Map

 

• Caleb was promised territory by Moses for being a great scout the 2nd time.

13 Then Joshua blessed Caleb son of Jephunneh and gave him Hebron as an inheritance. 14 Therefore, Hebron still belongs to Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite as an inheritance today because he followed the Lord, the God of Israel, completely.[7]

• Map

 
JUDAH’S INHERITANCE
JOSHUA 15
1 Now the allotment for the tribe of the descendants of Judah by their clans was in the southernmost region, south to the Wilderness of Zin and over to the border of Edom.[8]
 
63 But the descendants of Judah could not drive out the Jebusites who lived in Jerusalem. So the Jebusites still live in Jerusalem among the descendants of Judah today.[9]
 
EPHRAIM’S INHERITANCE
JOSHUA 16
8 This was the inheritance of the tribe of the descendants of Ephraim by their clans, together with 9 the cities set apart for the descendants of Ephraim within the inheritance of the descendants of Manasseh—all these cities with their settlements. 10 However, they did not drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer. So the Canaanites still live in Ephraim today, but they are forced laborers. [10]
 
WEST MANASSEH’S INHERITANCE
JOSHUA 17
1 This was the allotment for the tribe of Manasseh as Joseph’s firstborn. Gilead and Bashan were given to Machir, the firstborn of Manasseh and the father of Gilead, because he was a man of war. 2 So the allotment was for the rest of Manasseh’s descendants by their clans,[11]
 
12 The descendants of Manasseh could not possess these cities, because the Canaanites were determined to stay in this land. 13 However, when the Israelites grew stronger, they imposed forced labor on the Canaanites but did not drive them out completely.
 
JOSEPH’S ADDITIONAL INHERITANCE
14 Joseph’s descendants said to Joshua, “Why did you give us only one tribal allotment as an inheritance? We have many people, because the Lord has been blessing us greatly.”
15 “If you have so many people,” Joshua replied to them, “go to the forest and clear an area for yourselves there in the land of the Perizzites and the Rephaim, because Ephraim’s hill country is too small for you.”
16 But the descendants of Joseph said, “The hill country is not enough for us, and all the Canaanites who inhabit the valley area have iron chariots, both at Beth-shean with its surrounding villages and in the Jezreel Valley.”
17 So Joshua replied to Joseph’s family (that is, Ephraim and Manasseh), “You have many people and great strength. You will not have just one allotment, 18 because the hill country will be yours also. It is a forest; clear it and its outlying areas will be yours. You can also drive out the Canaanites, even though they have iron chariots and are strong.”[12]
 
LAND DISTRIBUTION AT SHILOH
JOSHUA 18
1 The entire Israelite community assembled at Shiloh and set up the tent of meeting there. The land had been subdued before them, 2 but seven tribes among the Israelites were left who had not divided up their inheritance. 3 So Joshua asked the Israelites, “How long will you delay going out to take possession of the land that the Lord, the God of your ancestors, gave you?[13]

• They went and surveyed the land and returned to Joshua.

10 Joshua cast lots for them at Shiloh in the presence of the Lord where he distributed the land to the Israelites according to their divisions.[14]
 

• Land distributed to:
• Benjamin – 18:21-28
• Simeon – 19:1-9
• Zebulun – 19:10-16
• Issachar – 19:17-23
• Asher – 19:24-31
• Naphtali – 19:32-39
• Dan – 19:40-48

 
JOSHUA 19
49 When they had finished distributing the land into its territories, the Israelites gave Joshua son of Nun an inheritance among them. 50 By the Lord’s command, they gave him the city Timnath-serah in the hill country of Ephraim, which he requested. He rebuilt the city and lived in it.
51 These were the portions that the priest Eleazar, Joshua son of Nun, and the family heads distributed to the Israelite tribes by lot at Shiloh in the Lord’s presence at the entrance to the tent of meeting. So they finished dividing up the land.[15]
 
CITIES OF REFUGE
JOSHUA 20
1 Then the Lord spoke to Joshua, 2 “Tell the Israelites: Select your cities of refuge, as I instructed you through Moses, 3 so that a person who kills someone unintentionally or accidentally may flee there. These will be your refuge from the avenger of blood. 4 When someone flees to one of these cities, stands at the entrance of the city gate, and states his case before the elders of that city, they are to bring him into the city and give him a place to live among them. 5 And if the avenger of blood pursues him, they must not hand the one who committed manslaughter over to him, for he killed his neighbor accidentally and did not hate him beforehand. 6 He is to stay in that city until he stands trial before the assembly and until the death of the high priest serving at that time. Then the one who committed manslaughter may return home to his own city from which he fled.”
7 So they designated Kedesh in the hill country of Naphtali in Galilee, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah. 8 Across the Jordan east of Jericho, they selected Bezer on the wilderness plateau from Reuben’s tribe, Ramoth in Gilead from Gad’s tribe, and Golan in Bashan from Manasseh’s tribe.
9 These are the cities appointed for all the Israelites and the aliens residing among them, so that anyone who kills a person unintentionally may flee there and not die at the hand of the avenger of blood until he stands before the assembly. [16]
 
CITIES OF THE LEVITES
JOSHUA 21
1 The Levite family heads approached the priest Eleazar, Joshua son of Nun, and the family heads of the Israelite tribes. 2 At Shiloh, in the land of Canaan, they told them, “The Lord commanded through Moses that we be given cities to live in, with their pasturelands for our livestock.” 3 So the Israelites, by the Lord’s command, gave the Levites these cities with their pasturelands from their inheritance. [17]
 
THE LORD’S PROMISES FULFILLED
43 So the Lord gave Israel all the land he had sworn to give their ancestors, and they took possession of it and settled there. 44 The Lord gave them rest on every side according to all he had sworn to their ancestors. None of their enemies were able to stand against them, for the Lord handed over all their enemies to them. 45 None of the good promises the Lord had made to the house of Israel failed. Everything was fulfilled. [18]
 
JOSHUA 23
1 A long time after the Lord had given Israel rest from all the enemies around them, Joshua was old, advanced in age. 2 So Joshua summoned all Israel, including its elders, leaders, judges, and officers, and said to them, “I am old, advanced in age, 3 and you have seen for yourselves everything the Lord your God did to all these nations on your account, because it was the Lord your God who was fighting for you. 4 See, I have allotted these remaining nations to you as an inheritance for your tribes, including all the nations I have destroyed, from the Jordan westward to the Mediterranean Sea. 5 The Lord your God will force them back on your account and drive them out before you so that you can take possession of their land, as the Lord your God promised you.
6 “Be very strong and continue obeying all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, so that you do not turn from it to the right or left 7 and so that you do not associate with these nations remaining among you. Do not call on the names of their gods or make an oath to them; do not serve them or bow in worship to them. 8 Instead, be loyal to the Lord your God, as you have been to this day. [19]
 
14 “I am now going the way of the whole earth, and you know with all your heart and all your soul that none of the good promises the Lord your God made to you has failed. Everything was fulfilled for you; not one promise has failed. 15 Since every good thing the Lord your God promised you has come about, so he will bring on you every bad thing until he has annihilated you from this good land the Lord your God has given you. 16 If you break the covenant of the Lord your God, which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods, and bow in worship to them, the Lord’s anger will burn against you, and you will quickly disappear from this good land he has given you.” [20]

• Like a masterful preacher, Joshua restated his discourse, this time emphasizing that he was a dying man, hoping that this would make his words sink more deeply into their hearts.
• Once more he spoke of God’s punctilious faithfulness to every promise; once more he warned of the doom caused by disobedience.
• The terrible climax of this message to the nation’s leaders emphasized the fact that Israel’s greatest danger was not military—it was moral and spiritual.
• If Joshua were alive today the strong likelihood is that he would say the same thing to this nation.[21]

 
JOSHUA 24
29 After these things, the Lord’s servant, Joshua son of Nun, died at the age of 110. 30 They buried him in his allotted territory at Timnath-serah, in the hill country of Ephraim north of Mount Gaash. 31 Israel worshiped the Lord throughout Joshua’s lifetime and during the lifetimes of the elders who outlived Joshua and who had experienced all the works the Lord had done for Israel. [22]

[1] Donald K. Campbell, “Joshua,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 355.
[2] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jos 13:1-8.
[3] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jos 13:14.
[4] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jos 13:23.
[5] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jos 13:28–30.
[6] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jos 14:1–5.
[7] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jos 14:13–14.
[8] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jos 15:1
[9] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jos 15:63.
[10] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jos 16:8–10.
[11] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jos 17:1–2.
[12] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jos 17:1–18.
[13] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jos 18:1–3.
[14] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jos 18:10.
[15] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jos 19:49–51.
[16] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jos 20:1–9.
[17] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jos 21:1–3.
[18] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jos 21:43–45.
[19] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jos 23:1–8.
[20] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jos 23:14–16.
[21] Donald K. Campbell, “Joshua,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 368.
[22] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jos 24:29–31.

Joshua 8 left the Israelites recommitting to the Law after they conquered the city of Ai.
 
DECEPTION BY GIBEON
JOSHUA 9
1 When all the kings heard about Jericho and Ai, those who were west of the Jordan in the hill country, in the Judean foothills, and all along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea toward Lebanon—the Hethites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites--2 they formed a unified alliance to fight against Joshua and Israel.
3 When the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai, 4 they acted deceptively. They gathered provisions and took worn-out sacks on their donkeys and old wineskins, cracked and mended. 5 They wore old, patched sandals on their feet and threadbare clothing on their bodies. Their entire provision of bread was dry and crumbly.

• Map
• Gibeon stood seven miles south of Bethel.
• It was "one of the largest towns in the central part of Canaan,” larger than Ai (10:2), and possibly the capital city of the Hivites.
• It later became a Levitical town (18:25; 21:17).
• The Israelites much later pitched the tabernacle there, and it remained at that site until Solomon built his temple (1 Kings 3:4-5; 1 Chron. 16:39; 21:29).
• Hivites inhabited Gibeon at the time of the conquest (v. 7).

6 They went to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal and said to him and the men of Israel, “We have come from a distant land. Please make a treaty with us.”

• God had not forbidden the Israelites from making peace treaties with non-Canaanite peoples (Deut. 20:11), but He had expressly commanded them not to make treaties with the native Canaanites (Exod. 23:32; 34:12; Num. 33:55; Deut. 7:2).

7 The men of Israel replied to the Hivites, “Perhaps you live among us. How can we make a treaty with you?”
8 They said to Joshua, “We are your servants.”
Then Joshua asked them, “Who are you and where do you come from?”
9 They replied to him, “Your servants have come from a faraway land because of the reputation of the Lord your God. For we have heard of his fame, and all that he did in Egypt, 10 and all that he did to the two Amorite kings beyond the Jordan—King Sihon of Heshbon and King Og of Bashan, who was in Ashtaroth. 11 So our elders and all the inhabitants of our land told us, ‘Take provisions with you for the journey; go and meet them and say, “We are your servants. Please make a treaty with us.” ’ 12 This bread of ours was warm when we took it from our houses as food on the day we left to come to you; but see, it is now dry and crumbly. 13 These wineskins were new when we filled them; but see, they are cracked. And these clothes and sandals of ours are worn out from the extremely long journey.” 14 Then the men of Israel took some of their provisions, but did not seek the Lord’s decision.

• The Israelites had failed at Ai because they had confidence in their own strength.
• They failed here because they had confidence in their own wisdom.
• How easy it is even in the service of the Lord to take God's guidance and blessing for granted!

15 So Joshua established peace with them and made a treaty to let them live, and the leaders of the community swore an oath to them.
 
GIBEON’S DECEPTION DISCOVERED
16 Three days after making the treaty with them, they heard that the Gibeonites were their neighbors, living among them. 17 So the Israelites set out and reached the Gibeonite cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath-jearim.

• Wait… what?
• Joshua has been deceived.

18 But the Israelites did not attack them, because the leaders of the community had sworn an oath to them by the Lord, the God of Israel. Then the whole community grumbled against the leaders.

• Here, the wilderness motif had been turned upside down, for in the wilderness, the leaders were justified, while the congregation was guilty.
• Here, the congregation is justified, while the leaders are at fault.

19 All the leaders answered them, “We have sworn an oath to them by the Lord, the God of Israel, and now we cannot touch them. 20 This is how we will treat them: we will let them live, so that no wrath will fall on us because of the oath we swore to them.” 21 They also said, “Let them live.” So the Gibeonites became woodcutters and water carriers for the whole community, as the leaders had promised them.
22 Joshua summoned the Gibeonites and said to them, “Why did you deceive us by telling us you live far away from us, when in fact you live among us? 23 Therefore you are cursed and will always be slaves—woodcutters and water carriers for the house of my God.”

• The reason God forbade His people from allowing the pagan Canaanites to live, and subsequently become incorporated into Israel, was that they might lead the Israelites into idolatry.
• The leaders of Israel therefore punished the Gibeonites for their deception in a way designed to minimize the possibility of their ever doing this:
• They made them servants in the tabernacle, namely, gatherers of firewood and drawers of water for the Israelite congregation.

24 The Gibeonites answered him, “It was clearly communicated to your servants that the Lord your God had commanded his servant Moses to give you all the land and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land before you. We greatly feared for our lives because of you, and that is why we did this. 25 Now we are in your hands. Do to us whatever you think is right.” 26 This is what Joshua did to them: he rescued them from the Israelites, and they did not kill them. 27 On that day he made them woodcutters and water carriers—as they are today—for the community and for the Lord’s altar at the place he would choose.[1]

• This plan probably reinstated the leaders in the good favor of the Israelites.
• Nevertheless, this was not a wise move, because the LORD wanted only authorized Israelites (Levites) to assist in tabernacle worship.
• By bringing these foreigners into tabernacle service, the leaders of Israel violated the holiness of God.
• The Gibeonites never led the Israelites into idolatry, as far as the text records, but their presence in the tabernacle displeased the LORD (cf. Ezekiel 44:7 - 7 When you brought in foreigners, uncircumcised in both heart and flesh, to occupy my sanctuary, you defiled my temple while you offered my food—the fat and the blood. You broke my covenant by all your detestable practices. 8 You have not kept charge of my holy things but have appointed others to keep charge of my sanctuary for you.’ [2]).
• So there really are exact parallels between Rahab the individual and the Gibeonites the corporate unit.
• Rahab (plus her family) was the only individual saved out of Jericho.
• The Gibeonites were the only people saved out of the land.
• Rahab believed, left Jericho and came among the people of God.
• The Gibeonites were the only people in the land who turned to God, and they flowed on through all the years of Jewish history.

 
THE DAY THE SUN STOOD STILL
JOSHUA 10

• This chapter records the Canaanites' first aggressive action against the Israelites.
• The Canaanites threw the first stone against God’s people.

1 Now King Adoni-zedek of Jerusalem heard that Joshua had captured Ai and completely destroyed it, treating Ai and its king as he had Jericho and its king, and that the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were living among them. 2 So Adoni-zedek and his people were greatly alarmed because Gibeon was a large city like one of the royal cities; it was larger than Ai, and all its men were warriors. 3 Therefore King Adoni-zedek of Jerusalem sent word to King Hoham of Hebron, King Piram of Jarmuth, King Japhia of Lachish, and King Debir of Eglon, saying, 4 “Come up and help me. We will attack Gibeon, because they have made peace with Joshua and the Israelites.” 5 So the five Amorite kings—the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon—joined forces, advanced with all their armies, besieged Gibeon, and fought against it.

• Here the writer used the name Amorites (v. 6), in a general sense, to describe the Canaanites who were living in the nearby hills, including the Jebusites.
• The Amorites who lived in the mountains were the strongest of all the Canaanites.

6 Then the men of Gibeon sent word to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal: “Don’t give up on your servants. Come quickly and save us! Help us, for all the Amorite kings living in the hill country have joined forces against us.”
7 So Joshua and all his troops, including all his best soldiers, came from Gilgal.

• Map

8 The Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them, for I have handed them over to you. Not one of them will be able to stand against you.”

• This was the first time that Israel went into battle against an alliance of city-states.
• God reassured Joshua that he would be victorious.

9 So Joshua caught them by surprise, after marching all night from Gilgal.

• Their night march covered about 20 miles up steep terrain, with gear, under stress, in the middle of the night, and with a battle still before them.

10 The Lord threw them into confusion before Israel. He defeated them in a great slaughter at Gibeon, chased them through the ascent of Beth-horon, and struck them down as far as Azekah and Makkedah.

• Map

11 As they fled before Israel, the Lord threw large hailstones on them from the sky along the descent of Beth-horon all the way to Azekah, and they died. More of them died from the hail than the Israelites killed with the sword.

• The Amorites and the Israelites realized that the victory came as a result of the supernatural help of Yahweh, and not simply by Israel's own power.
• Yahweh, not just Israel, had devoted the Amorites to destruction.

12 On the day the Lord gave the Amorites over to the Israelites, Joshua spoke to the Lord in the presence of Israel:

• Joshua based his impressive petition on God's promise (v. 8).
• It was a public prayer that he spoke to the LORD in the hearing of the Israelites.

“Sun, stand still over Gibeon,
and moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.”
13 And the sun stood still
and the moon stopped
until the nation took vengeance on its enemies.
Isn’t this written in the Book of Jashar?
So the sun stopped
in the middle of the sky
and delayed its setting
almost a full day.
14 There has been no day like it before or since, when the Lord listened to a man, because the Lord fought for Israel. 15 Then Joshua and all Israel with him returned to the camp at Gilgal.
 
EXECUTION OF THE FIVE KINGS
16 Now the five defeated kings had fled and hidden in the cave at Makkedah. 17 It was reported to Joshua, “The five kings have been found; they are hiding in the cave at Makkedah.”
18 Joshua said, “Roll large stones against the mouth of the cave, and station men by it to guard the kings. 19 But as for the rest of you, don’t stay there. Pursue your enemies and attack them from behind. Don’t let them enter their cities, for the Lord your God has handed them over to you.” 20 So Joshua and the Israelites finished inflicting a terrible slaughter on them until they were destroyed, although a few survivors ran away to the fortified cities. 21 The people returned safely to Joshua in the camp at Makkedah. And no one dared to threaten the Israelites.
22 Then Joshua said, “Open the mouth of the cave, and bring those five kings to me out of there.” 23 That is what they did. They brought the five kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon to Joshua out of the cave. 24 When they had brought the kings to him, Joshua summoned all the men of Israel and said to the military commanders who had accompanied him, “Come here and put your feet on the necks of these kings.” So the commanders came forward and put their feet on their necks. 25 Joshua said to them, “Do not be afraid or discouraged. Be strong and courageous, for the Lord will do this to all the enemies you fight.”
26 After this, Joshua struck them down and executed them. He hung their bodies on five trees and they were there until evening. 27 At sunset Joshua commanded that they be taken down from the trees and thrown into the cave where they had hidden. Then large stones were placed against the mouth of the cave, and the stones are still there today.
 
CONQUEST OF SOUTHERN CITIES
28 On that day Joshua captured Makkedah and struck it down with the sword, including its king. He completely destroyed it and everyone in it, leaving no survivors. So he treated the king of Makkedah as he had the king of Jericho.
29 Joshua and all Israel with him crossed from Makkedah to Libnah and fought against Libnah. 30 The Lord also handed it and its king over to Israel. He struck it down, putting everyone in it to the sword, and left no survivors in it. He treated Libnah’s king as he had the king of Jericho.
31 From Libnah, Joshua and all Israel with him crossed to Lachish. They laid siege to it and attacked it. 32 The Lord handed Lachish over to Israel, and Joshua captured it on the second day. He struck it down, putting everyone in it to the sword, just as he had done to Libnah. 33 At that time King Horam of Gezer went to help Lachish, but Joshua struck him down along with his people, leaving no survivors.
34 Then Joshua crossed from Lachish to Eglon and all Israel with him. They laid siege to it and attacked it. 35 On that day they captured it and struck it down, putting everyone in it to the sword. He completely destroyed it that day, just as he had done to Lachish.
36 Next, Joshua and all Israel with him went up from Eglon to Hebron and attacked it. 37 They captured it and struck down its king, all its villages, and everyone in it with the sword. He left no survivors, just as he had done at Eglon. He completely destroyed Hebron and everyone in it.
38 Finally, Joshua turned toward Debir and attacked it. And all Israel was with him. 39 He captured it—its king and all its villages. They struck them down with the sword and completely destroyed everyone in it, leaving no survivors. He treated Debir and its king as he had treated Hebron and as he had treated Libnah and its king.

• The purpose of Joshua's raids was to destroy the military capability of these city-states, and to instill fear and confusion in the remaining Canaanites.
• Archaeology has confirmed that many of these cities did not suffer complete destruction at this time.
• But beyond inflicting immediate loss, this campaign achieved little else by itself—it was a sweep, not an occupation: 'Joshua returned and all Israel with him, to the camp, to Gilgal' (Joshua 10:15, 43).
• Occupation of the land, to live in it, keep livestock and cultivate crops in it, etc., was a far slower process, visible in part later in Joshua and in Judges.

40 So Joshua conquered the whole region—the hill country, the Negev, the Judean foothills, and the slopes—with all their kings, leaving no survivors. He completely destroyed every living being, as the Lord, the God of Israel, had commanded. 41 Joshua conquered everyone from Kadesh-barnea to Gaza, and all the land of Goshen as far as Gibeon. 42 Joshua captured all these kings and their land in one campaign, because the Lord, the God of Israel, fought for Israel.

• The writer again emphasized the main reason for Israel's military success: "The LORD, the God of Israel, fought for Israel".

43 Then Joshua returned with all Israel to the camp at Gilgal.[3]

• Israel did not defeat every town or kill every Canaanite without exception.
• However, Joshua did remove the military threat to Israel that the larger cities in the south posed.

 

• The Israelites fought one battle at a time, and so must we.
• We need to do what God puts before us to do—day by day—rather than taking on more responsibility than God wants us to assume at that moment (cf. Matt. 6:25-34).
• The Israelites fought one battle at a time, and so must we.

Matthew 6:25-34
25 “Therefore I tell you: Don’t worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Consider the birds of the sky: They don’t sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they? 27 Can any of you add one moment to his life span by worrying? 28 And why do you worry about clothes? Observe how the wildflowers of the field grow: They don’t labor or spin thread. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was adorned like one of these. 30 If that’s how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and thrown into the furnace tomorrow, won’t he do much more for you—you of little faith? 31 So don’t worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. 34 Therefore don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.[4]

[1] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jos 9:1–27.
[2] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Eze 44:7–8.
[3] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jos 10:1–43.
[4] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Mt 6:25–34.

John 3:16 – “For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”[1] This is the mission of God. The most memorized verse in the Bible. We quote it, we read it, and we hear it many times. It is expressed so much that little thought is put into the mission. Christopher Wright reminds us in The Mission of God’s People that this is God’s mission. Because it is God’s mission, He has chosen how to accomplish His mission. God’s way of achieving His mission is not the way parents would choose as a plan. But God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit’s plan always was. They always knew the whole world because they created them. They love what they created… you. Just as they chose the world by creation and out of love, they gave the world a choice to love in return. They offered eternity with them by a simple choice. Believe in Jesus, the Son of God, as Lord and Savior. But the plan was so much deeper than just a choice. The plan included a blood sacrifice that Jesus made with His own life. God gave up His Son to death so the world could have life. This is God’s mission.

            As believers in God’s mission, we are invited to participate in His mission with Him. There are several aspects of our involvement with God’s mission:
     1) The idea that the world's Creator, the Holy Trinity, would create us to include us in their relationship with them is unfathomable. We were created by God out of His love for us. Every individual in the world is special because we are His creation. Understanding and embracing that truth only causes us to worship God and His Glory. Because of God’s mission, believers choose to worship God. Jesus said, “But an hour is coming, and is now here when the true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and in truth. Yes, the Father wants such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and in truth.”[2] Jesus said genuine worship comes from the heart through understanding God's truths. We journey through this life, learning about God and growing in the knowledge of His mission. When that occurs, it is natural for us to worship the Creator.


     2) Believing that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Lord caused a transformation in our lives. Paul reminds us, “I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved and gave himself for me.”[3] Our old life was put to death, and now we live our life by another source, the Trinity. As we learn and grow in knowledge and wisdom about the Trinity, it begins to impact how we live out our lives. It is not a matter of being taught how we should live our lives but a more natural living out of our journey by the grace administered through the Spirit of God. When the universal Church learns about a spirit-filled life, the mindset changes from legalism to grace. This is the real adventure when we begin to trust God rather than relying on our own strength and abilities. Grace has two aspects to it. There is grace that brings salvation through Jesus. The other aspect of grace is the ability to live each day through God. We will spend the rest of our journey here on earth learning to live in this grace of another source.


     3) Learning to live out of this grace changes our lives. Paul encourages the Church to “Do everything without grumbling and arguing,  so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God who are faultless in a crooked and perverted generation, among whom you shine like stars in the world, by holding firm to the word of life.”[4] Peter also says, “But as the one who called you is holy, you also are to be holy in all your conduct; for it is written, Be holy, because I am holy.”[5] These scripture passages are typically taught as commands to obey in our behavior. But if the Church understands it is about their identity rather than their behavior, these truths become very natural. The Church has been made holy and blameless because of what Jesus did on the cross. We must rest in this truth and just “be” rather than “do.”


     4) When believers discover their identity in Jesus, a transformation in the mind takes place, significantly impacting their behavior. Joy is already present in the Spirit but is now discovered by the believer. It is realizing they are forgiven and made holy. They know they are the righteousness of Christ—not just that God views them as righteous, but they have been made righteous… past tense. When this realization has occurred, it becomes natural for them to talk about the best news ever. Knowing your identity in Christ becomes the most incredible “evangelism tool” and becomes more than just information being communicated. When the Church knows its true identity, it begins to express the Good News to those around it. Our world is being taught that it is more about them than others. So, this focus on what they can become through Jesus is attractive to them.


     5) As the Church grows in spiritual maturity, it is natural for the believers to edify and disciple one another. God intended the Church to live together in community, which was intentional as it created a desire for others to be included in this group. Nobody would want any part of this community if it is focused on something other than God's intentions. This is displayed in the Bible through the role of the Pharisees. For the Pharisees, it was all about their behavior. Their behavior dictated more about what they would become and their role. This is the opposite of God’s intentions. He made believers supernatural beings; we naturally behave and accomplish things from that transformation. As a body of believers, we are to teach and encourage our fellow believers in their identity so they may live out of this daily grace supplied by God. Proverbs says, “Iron sharpens iron, and one person sharpens another.”[6]

     6) The final intention of God’s mission is that the Church lives together in community and fellowship so they can provide for the needs of one another. This is modeled in Acts, “Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and signs were being performed through the apostles. 44 Now all the believers were together and held all things in common. 45 They sold their possessions and property and distributed the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple, and broke bread from house to house. They ate their food with joyful and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. Every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.”[7] This is the model church as God intended it to be. We are to live together in harmony and help one another walk this journey here on earth.

This is God’s mission for the New Covenant Church. Therefore, it is my personal mission as well. I not only have to battle the worldview, but I also have to battle (or avoid) the religiosity of the Church. God never intended for us to be religious. Jesus said, “ A thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.”[8] I believe that we can have a full and abundant life here on earth and not have to wait until we die and go to heaven. May God continue to reveal Himself and empower me to accomplish His mission.

[1] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jn 3:16.
[2] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jn 4:23–24.
[3] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Ga 2:20.
[4] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Php 2:14–16.
[5] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), 1 Pe 1:15–16.
[6] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Pr 27:17.
[7] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Ac 2:43–47.
[8] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jn 10:10.

Joshua 5 left the Israelites crossing through the Jordan River and circumcising the men.

• Maps
• Jericho was not a large city.
• Archaeological excavations have revealed that its walls enclosed only about eight and one-half acres.
• Approximately 10 football fields.

 
THE CONQUEST OF JERICHO
JOSHUA 6
1 Now Jericho was strongly fortified because of the Israelites—no one leaving or entering.

• Tightly shut

2 The Lord said to Joshua, “Look, I have handed Jericho, its king, and its best soldiers over to you. 3 March around the city with all the men of war, circling the city one time. Do this for six days. 4 Have seven priests carry seven ram’s-horn trumpets in front of the ark. But on the seventh day, march around the city seven times, while the priests blow the rams’ horns. 5 When there is a prolonged blast of the horn and you hear its sound, have all the troops give a mighty shout. Then the city wall will collapse, and the troops will advance, each man straight ahead.”

• The writer mentions God’s command first, as he did in chapter 5, and then tells of Joshua’s execution of the plan.
• Believing a promise is like accepting a check, but reckoning is like endorsing the check and cashing it.
• The Israelites had to learn that the land was a gift, to be received by faith, not won by effort.

6 So Joshua son of Nun summoned the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant and have seven priests carry seven rams’ horns in front of the ark of the Lord.” 7 He said to the troops, “Move forward, march around the city, and have the armed men go ahead of the ark of the Lord.”

• Faith is not believing in spite of evidence, for the people of Israel had been given one demonstration after another, proving that God’s Word and God’s power can be trusted.
• The Lord had opened the Red Sea, destroyed the Egyptian army, cared for His people in the wilderness, defeated great kings, given Israel their land, opened the Jordan River and brought His people safely into the Promised Land.
• Joshua did not question God as Moses did.
• How could they do anything other than believe Him?[1]

8 After Joshua had spoken to the troops, seven priests carrying seven rams’ horns before the Lord moved forward and blew the rams’ horns; the ark of the Lord’s covenant followed them. 9 While the rams’ horns were blowing, the armed men went in front of the priests who blew the rams’ horns, and the rear guard went behind the ark. 10 But Joshua had commanded the troops, “Do not shout or let your voice be heard. Don’t let one word come out of your mouth until the time I say, ‘Shout!’ Then you are to shout.” 11 So the ark of the Lord was carried around the city, circling it once. They returned to the camp and spent the night there.
12 Joshua got up early the next morning. The priests took the ark of the Lord, 13 and the seven priests carrying seven rams’ horns marched in front of the ark of the Lord. While the rams’ horns were blowing, the armed men went in front of them, and the rear guard went behind the ark of the Lord. 14 On the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. They did this for six days.

•  The words "LORD" and "ark" occur interchangeably here (v. 8), yet they were different and distinct from each other.
• The LORD was over the ark (above the atoning cover or mercy seat, and between the cherubim), but the ark itself only represented the LORD's presence.
• It was important that the ark of the Lord be in its proper place, for it represented the presence of the Lord with His people.
• When Israel crossed the river, the account mentions the ark sixteen times (Josh. 3–4); and here in 6:6–15, the ark is mentioned eight times.
• Israel could march and the priests blow trumpets until all of them dropped from weariness; but if the Lord wasn’t with them, there would be no victory.
• When we accept God’s plan, we invite God’s presence; and that guarantees victory.[2]

15 Early on the seventh day, they started at dawn and marched around the city seven times in the same way. That was the only day they marched around the city seven times.

• On that fateful seventh day, the procession made the circuit of the walls seven times.
• This parade—consisting of the armed guard, the seven trumpet-blowing priests, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant, and the rear guard—may have taken about three hours.[3]

16 After the seventh time, the priests blew the rams’ horns, and Joshua said to the troops, “Shout! For the Lord has given you the city. 17 But the city and everything in it are set apart to the Lord for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute and everyone with her in the house will live, because she hid the messengers we sent. 18 But keep yourselves from the things set apart, or you will be set apart for destruction. If you take any of those things, you will set apart the camp of Israel for destruction and make trouble for it. 19 For all the silver and gold, and the articles of bronze and iron, are dedicated to the Lord and must go into the Lord’s treasury.”
20 So the troops shouted, and the rams’ horns sounded. When they heard the blast of the trumpets, the troops gave a great shout, and the wall collapsed. The troops advanced into the city, each man straight ahead, and they captured the city. 21 They completely destroyed everything in the city with the sword—every man and woman, both young and old, and every ox, sheep, and donkey.

• Though critics have charged that this destruction is a blemish on the Old Testament, it is clear that Israel was acting on divine command.
• The responsibility for this destruction rests, therefore, with God and not the Israelites.[4]

 
RAHAB AND HER FAMILY SPARED
22 Joshua said to the two men who had scouted the land, “Go to the prostitute’s house and bring the woman out of there, and all who are with her, just as you swore to her.” 23 So the young men who had scouted went in and brought out Rahab and her father, mother, brothers, and all who belonged to her. They brought out her whole family and settled them outside the camp of Israel.
24 They burned the city and everything in it, but they put the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron into the treasury of the Lord’s house.

• Excavations at Jericho by John Garstang between 1930 and 1936 and Kathleen Kenyon between 1952 and 1958 have confirmed the collapse of the wall under itself, as recorded.
• They also reveal that the invaders burned the city.

25 However, Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, her father’s family, and all who belonged to her, because she hid the messengers Joshua had sent to spy on Jericho, and she still lives in Israel today.
26 At that time Joshua imposed this curse:
The man who undertakes
the rebuilding of this city, Jericho,
is cursed before the Lord.
He will lay its foundation
at the cost of his firstborn;
he will finish its gates
at the cost of his youngest.
27 And the Lord was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout the land.[5]

• Joshua is perhaps best known as a book of war.
• Israel was at war with the Canaanites, but behind these human soldiers God was waging war against sin.
• Earlier in Israel's history God was compared to a warrior (Ex. 14:14; 15:3; Deut. 1:30, 3:22; 20:4).
• But now Israel experienced His leadership in war as never before.
• God is constantly at war with sin because it is an affront to His holiness and because it destroys people whom He loves and desires to bless (cf. Rom. 6:23).

DEFEAT AT AI
JOSHUA 7
 - We are never in greater danger than right after we have won a great victory.
1 The Israelites, however, were unfaithful regarding the things set apart for destruction. Achan … of the tribe of Judah, took some of what was set apart, and the Lord’s anger burned against the Israelites.

• Joshua sent men to scout Ai.
• Small town… only need 2-3,000 men
• Joshua sent them, and they returned defeated after 36 men were struck down by the men of Ai
• Joshua mourned, tore his clothes, poured dirt on his head, and prayed.
• Feared the Canaanites would defeat them now.
• God reminded Joshua that he should not look for the reason for Israel's defeat in God—but in Israel!
• Israel needed to repent; Joshua did not need to pray ("Why is it that you have fallen on your face?" v. 10).
• Prayer is no substitute for repentance when repentance is needed.
• Lord told Joshua to “Stand up”! Israel has sinned.
• They violated God’s covenant by taking what was to be the Lord’s.
• Present yourself, tribe, by tribe, until you find the man who stole from God.
• Joshua got to Achan and told him to confess.
• Achan confessed he took a cloak, 5 lbs of silver, and a bar of gold weighing 1.25 lbs.
• He hid them in the ground of his tent.

24 Then Joshua and all Israel with him took Achan son of Zerah, the silver, the cloak, and the bar of gold, his sons and daughters, his ox, donkey, and sheep, his tent, and all that he had, and brought them up to the Valley of Achor. 25 Joshua said, “Why have you brought us trouble? Today the Lord will bring you trouble!” So all Israel stoned them to death. They burned their bodies, threw stones on them, 26 and raised over him a large pile of rocks that remains still today. Then the Lord turned from his burning anger. Therefore that place is called the Valley of Achor (trouble) still today.[6]
 
CONQUEST OF AI
JOSHUA 8
1 The Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid or discouraged. Take all the troops with you and go attack Ai. Look, I have handed over to you the king of Ai, his people, city, and land. 2 Treat Ai and its king as you did Jericho and its king, except that you may plunder its spoil and livestock for yourselves. Set an ambush behind the city.”
3 So Joshua and all the troops set out to attack Ai. Joshua selected thirty thousand of his best soldiers and sent them out at night. 4 He commanded them, “Pay attention. Lie in ambush behind the city, not too far from it, and all of you be ready. 5 Then I and all the people who are with me will approach the city. When they come out against us as they did the first time, we will flee from them. 6 They will come after us until we have drawn them away from the city, for they will say, ‘They are fleeing from us as before.’ While we are fleeing from them, 7 you are to come out of your ambush and seize the city. The Lord your God will hand it over to you. 8 After taking the city, set it on fire. Follow the Lord’s command—see that you do as I have ordered you.” 9 So Joshua sent them out, and they went to the ambush site and waited between Bethel and Ai, to the west of Ai. But he spent that night with the troops.

• Joshua did exactly as he was instructed by God.
• Sent 30,000 men to Ai and they retreated as before.
• When Ai was left unprotected, the men waiting to ambush attacked Ai, captured the king and burned the city.
• The men of Ai chasing the fleeing soldiers turned and saw their city burning.
• They were now in between the fleeing soldiers and the ambush soldiers.
• They were slaughtered

24 When Israel had finished killing everyone living in Ai who had pursued them into the open country, and when every last one of them had fallen by the sword, all Israel returned to Ai and struck it down with the sword. 25 The total of those who fell that day, both men and women, was twelve thousand—all the people of Ai. 26 Joshua did not draw back his hand that was holding the javelin until all the inhabitants of Ai were completely destroyed. 27 Israel plundered only the cattle and spoil of that city for themselves, according to the Lord’s command that he had given Joshua.
28 Joshua burned Ai and left it a permanent ruin, still desolate today.

• Many archeologists have identified Ai with the site et-Tell (“the ruin”).
• Excavations at et-Tell, however, have not yet produced evidence of a settlement there in the time of Joshua.
• The geography of the area fits perfectly with the details found in Joshua 8.[7]

29 He hung the body of the king of Ai on a tree until evening, and at sunset Joshua commanded that they take his body down from the tree. They threw it down at the entrance of the city gate and put a large pile of rocks over it, which still remains today.
 
RENEWED COMMITMENT TO THE LAW
30 At that time Joshua built an altar on Mount Ebal to the Lord, the God of Israel, 31 just as Moses the Lord’s servant had commanded the Israelites. He built it according to what is written in the book of the law of Moses: an altar of uncut stones on which no iron tool has been used. Then they offered burnt offerings to the Lord and sacrificed fellowship offerings on it. 32 There on the stones, Joshua copied the law of Moses, which he had written in the presence of the Israelites.

• "The method of plastering stones and then printing on them came originally from Egypt.
• Thus, the letters were probably painted in red.
• So we can imagine large whitewashed monoliths with red Hebrew characters spelling out the Ten Commandments and possibly the blessings and curses of the Law as well (cf. Deuteronomy 28).
• This structure was the first public display of the Law."

33 All Israel—resident alien and citizen alike—with their elders, officers, and judges, stood on either side of the ark of the Lord’s covenant facing the Levitical priests who carried it. Half of them were in front of Mount Gerizim and half in front of Mount Ebal, as Moses the Lord’s servant had commanded earlier concerning blessing the people of Israel. 34 Afterward, Joshua read aloud all the words of the law—the blessings as well as the curses—according to all that is written in the book of the law. 35 There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded that Joshua did not read before the entire assembly of Israel, including the women, the dependents, and the resident aliens who lived among them.[8]

• From this point on, the history of the Jews depended on their attitude toward the Law, which had been read in their hearing that day.
• When they were obedient, there was a blessing; when they were disobedient, there was judgment (cf. Deut. 28).[9]
• Memorizing and obeying God’s Law would be equal to our what?

Baptism and Lord’s Supper.

[1] Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Strong, “Be” Commentary Series (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 75.
[2] Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Strong, “Be” Commentary Series (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 75–76.
[3] Donald K. Campbell, “Joshua,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 341.
[4] Donald K. Campbell, “Joshua,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 341.
[5] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jos 6:1–27.
[6] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jos 7:1–26.
[7] Donald K. Campbell, “Joshua,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 343.
[8] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jos 8:1–35.
[9] Donald K. Campbell, “Joshua,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 347.

Joshua 2 left the Israelites standing on the Jordan banks.
 
CROSSING THE JORDAN
JOSHUA 3
1 Joshua started early the next morning and left the Acacia Grove with all the Israelites. They went as far as the Jordan and stayed there before crossing. 2 After three days the officers went through the camp 3 and commanded the people, “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God carried by the Levitical priests, you are to break camp and follow it. 4 But keep a distance of about a thousand yards between yourselves and the ark. Don’t go near it, so that you can see the way to go, for you haven’t traveled this way before.”

• "The ark serves as a kind of 'divine crossing guard,' stopping the Jordan's flow until all Israel, including the priests, have safely crossed into Canaan."
• The writer of Joshua mentioned the ark 17 times in chapters 3 and 4.
• It was the visible symbol that God Himself was leading His people into the land and against their enemies.
• The people were to keep their distance from the ark, however: about 2,000 cubits, or more than half a mile.

5 Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, because the Lord will do wonders among you tomorrow.”

• It would be easier to understand if he had said, “Sharpen your swords and check your shields!”
• But spiritual not military preparation was needed at this time because God was about to reveal Himself by performing a great miracle in Israel’s midst.[1]
• Rid yourselves of any wrong doing.
• The people of Israel were to expect God to work a miracle.
• They were to be eager, gripped by a sense of wonder.
• Israel was not to lose sight of their God who can do the incredible and the humanly impossible.[2]

6 Then he said to the priests, “Carry the ark of the covenant and go on ahead of the people.” So they carried the ark of the covenant and went ahead of them.
7 The Lord spoke to Joshua: “Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, so they will know that I will be with you just as I was with Moses. 8 Command the priests carrying the ark of the covenant: When you reach the edge of the water, stand in the Jordan.”
9 Then Joshua told the Israelites, “Come closer and listen to the words of the Lord your God.” 10 He said, “You will know that the living God is among you and that he will certainly dispossess before you the Canaanites, Hethites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites 11 when the ark of the covenant of the Lord of the whole earth goes ahead of you into the Jordan.

• Evidently the pushing back of the waters of the Jordan was to be a sign to the Israelites that God would push back the Canaanites

12 Now choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one man for each tribe. 13 When the feet of the priests who carry the ark of the Lord, the Lord of the whole earth, come to rest in the Jordan’s water, its water will be cut off. The water flowing downstream will stand up in a mass.”
14 When the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carried the ark of the covenant ahead of the people. 15 Now the Jordan overflows its banks throughout the harvest season. But as soon as the priests carrying the ark reached the Jordan, their feet touched the water at its edge 16 and the water flowing downstream stood still, rising up in a mass that extended as far as Adam, a city next to Zarethan. The water flowing downstream into the Sea of the Arabah—the Dead Sea—was completely cut off, and the people crossed opposite Jericho. 17 The priests carrying the ark of the Lord’s covenant stood firmly on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan, while all Israel crossed on dry ground until the entire nation had finished crossing the Jordan.

• The Israelites crossed the Jordan when the river was at its widest, deepest, and swiftest—in late April or early May.
• As the snow on Mt. Hermon melts and the rainy season ends, the Jordan rises to a depth of 10 to 12 feet, and floods to a width of 300 to 360 feet at this location today.
• Normally it is only 150 to 180 feet wide here.
• However, in Joshua's day, the river may have been full only up to its banks, as the Hebrew text suggests.
• Pictures of the Jordan River (baptisms)
• The people considered swimming across the river at this time of year to be a heroic feat in ancient times (cf. 1 Chron. 12:15).
• This may be how the spies crossed.
• Interestingly, several earthquakes have sent much soil into the Jordan River at this very location in modern times, damming up the river for many hours (in A.D. 1267, 1837, and 1927).
• Perhaps an earthquake is what God used in Joshua's day, too.
• God may have supernaturally used, by divine timing, a natural phenomenon, like an earthquake or a landslide
• The possibility is that the phenomenon was entirely supernatural.
• Two million Israelites could have crossed the river in half a day if their crossing procession was a mile or more wide.
• Since the Jordan River dried up from Adam, 18 miles upstream from where the priests crossed, there would have been plenty of dry riverbeds for two million Israelites to cross.
• To slip away into the wilderness of Sinai by crossing the Red Sea required some faith.
• However, to invade the land of Canaan by crossing the Jordan River took a great deal more faith because, having once crossed the river, there would be no possibility of escape.
• Once in the land, they would have to face the enemy with their armies, chariots, and walled cities. The entire nation took this step together in complete commitment to God."

THE MEMORIAL STONES
4 After the entire nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the Lord spoke to Joshua: 2 “Choose twelve men from the people, one man for each tribe, 3 and command them: Take twelve stones from this place in the middle of the Jordan where the priests are standing, carry them with you, and set them down at the place where you spend the night.”
4 So Joshua summoned the twelve men he had selected from the Israelites, one man for each tribe, 5 and said to them, “Go across to the ark of the Lord your God in the middle of the Jordan. Each of you lift a stone onto his shoulder, one for each of the Israelite tribes, 6 so that this will be a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ 7 you should tell them, ‘The water of the Jordan was cut off in front of the ark of the Lord’s covenant. When it crossed the Jordan, the Jordan’s water was cut off.’ Therefore these stones will always be a memorial for the Israelites.”
8 The Israelites did just as Joshua had commanded them. The twelve men took stones from the middle of the Jordan, one for each of the Israelite tribes, just as the Lord had told Joshua. They carried them to the camp and set them down there. 9 Joshua also set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant were standing. The stones are still there today.
10 The priests carrying the ark continued standing in the middle of the Jordan until everything was completed that the Lord had commanded Joshua to tell the people, in keeping with all that Moses had commanded Joshua. The people hurried across, 11 and after everyone had finished crossing, the priests with the ark of the Lord crossed in the sight of the people. 12 The Reubenites, Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh went in battle formation in front of the Israelites, as Moses had instructed them. 13 About forty thousand equipped for war crossed to the plains of Jericho in the Lord’s presence.
14 On that day the Lord exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel, and they revered him throughout his life, as they had revered Moses. 15 The Lord told Joshua, 16 “Command the priests who carry the ark of the testimony to come up from the Jordan.”
17 So Joshua commanded the priests, “Come up from the Jordan.” 18 When the priests carrying the ark of the Lord’s covenant came up from the middle of the Jordan, and their feet stepped out on solid ground, the water of the Jordan resumed its course, flowing over all the banks as before.
19 The people came up from the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and camped at Gilgal on the eastern limits of Jericho.

• The notation that the crossing took place on the tenth day of the first month is significant.
• It was exactly 40 years earlier, to the day, that God had instructed Israel to prepare to depart from Egypt by setting apart the paschal lambs.

20 Then Joshua set up in Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken from the Jordan, 21 and he said to the Israelites, “In the future, when your children ask their fathers, ‘What is the meaning of these stones?’ 22 you should tell your children, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ 23 For the Lord your God dried up the water of the Jordan before you until you had crossed over, just as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up before us until we had crossed over. 24 This is so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord’s hand is strong, and so that you may always fear the Lord your God.”
 
CIRCUMCISION OF THE ISRAELITES
5 When all the Amorite kings across the Jordan to the west and all the Canaanite kings near the sea heard how the Lord had dried up the water of the Jordan before the Israelites until they had crossed over, they lost heart and their courage failed because of the Israelites.
2 At that time the Lord said to Joshua, “Make flint knives and circumcise the Israelite men again.”

• God specified knives of flint, even though this was the Late Bronze Age (1550-1200 B.C.), and bronze implements were common.

3 So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the Israelite men at Gibeath-haaraloth. 4 This is the reason Joshua circumcised them: All the people who came out of Egypt who were males—all the men of war—had died in the wilderness along the way after they had come out of Egypt. 5 Though all the people who came out were circumcised, none of the people born in the wilderness along the way were circumcised after they had come out of Egypt. 6 For the Israelites wandered in the wilderness forty years until all the nation’s men of war who came out of Egypt had died off because they did not obey the Lord. So the Lord vowed never to let them see the land he had sworn to their ancestors to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey. 7 He raised up their sons in their place; it was these Joshua circumcised. They were still uncircumcised, since they had not been circumcised along the way. 8 After the entire nation had been circumcised, they stayed where they were in the camp until they recovered.
 
9 The Lord then said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the disgrace of Egypt from you.” Therefore, that place is still called Gilgal today.
 
FOOD FROM THE LAND
10 While the Israelites camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, they observed the Passover on the evening of the fourteenth day of the month. 11 The day after Passover they ate unleavened bread and roasted grain from the produce of the land. 12 And the day after they ate from the produce of the land, the manna ceased. Since there was no more manna for the Israelites, they ate from the crops of the land of Canaan that year.

• Lord’s Supper

 
COMMANDER OF THE LORD’S ARMY
13 When Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua approached him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?”
14 “Neither,” he replied. “I have now come as commander of the Lord’s army.”
Then Joshua bowed with his face to the ground in homage and asked him, “What does my lord want to say to his servant?”
15 The commander of the Lord’s army said to Joshua, “Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did that.[3]

• The command to remove his sandals would have convinced Joshua that this was the same Person—the LORD God Himself—who had appeared to Moses at the burning bush (Exod. 3:5).
• Where God was, there was holiness, and where holiness was, there was a need for cleanness.

 
MATTHEW 3:13-17
13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. 14 But John tried to stop him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and yet you come to me?”
15 Jesus answered him, “Allow it for now, because this is the way for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John allowed him to be baptized.
16 When Jesus was baptized, he went up immediately from the water. The heavens suddenly opened for him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming down on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased.”
 
 
THE TEMPTATION OF JESUS
MATTHEW 4
1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.[4]

• Some of you are facing the enemy today.
• Some of you need a miracle today.
• Some of you need to experience the wonder and awe of God.
• There is a good, loving God that resides within you.
• He will battle for you.

 
HEBREWS 4:8-11
8 For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. 9 Therefore, a Sabbath rest remains for God’s people. 10 For the person who has entered his rest has rested from his own works, just as God did from his. 11 Let us, then, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall into the same pattern of disobedience.[5]

[1] Donald K. Campbell, “Joshua,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 333–334.
[2] Donald K. Campbell, “Joshua,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 333–334.
[3] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jos 3:1–5:15.
[4] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Mt 3:13–4:1.
[5] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Heb 4:8–11.

Pacers... finallyThe Book of Joshua is the sixth book in the Old Testament and serves as a historical account of Israel's conquest and settlement in the Promised Land, Canaan.

• It follows the leadership transition from Moses to Joshua and highlights God's faithfulness in fulfilling His promises to the Israelites.
• Joshua – Yahweh saves (Hebrew) – Jesus (Aramaic)
• The date of the Exodus was probably about 1446 B.C. (cf. 1 Kings 6:1).
• Israel spent 40 years in the wilderness (Exod. 16:35; Num. 14:33-34).
• Thus, Israel crossed the Jordan River and entered the land about 1406 B.C.
• The Book of Joshua begins with events in or very close to the year 1406 B.C.
• Chapters 1-12 – The conquest of the land
• Joshua was from the tribe of Ephraim (Num. 13:8; 1 Chron. 7:27)

ENCOURAGEMENT OF JOSHUA
JOSHUA 1
1 After the death of Moses the Lord’s servant,

• For Joshua, this didn’t occur until 24:29.

the Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’s assistant: 2 “Moses my servant is dead.

• They mourned Moses for 30 days.

Now you and all the people prepare to cross over the Jordan to the land I am giving the Israelites. 3 I have given you every place where the sole of your foot treads, just as I promised Moses. 4 Your territory will be from the wilderness and Lebanon to the great river, the Euphrates River—all the land of the Hittites—and west to the Mediterranean Sea. 5 No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. I will be with you, just as I was with Moses. I will not leave you or abandon you.

• Map

6 “Be strong and courageous, for you will distribute the land I swore to their ancestors to give them as an inheritance.

• By Yahweh's appointment, Joshua is probably to wear two hats—that of military commander and that of estate administrator.

7 Above all, be strong and very courageous to observe carefully the whole instruction my servant Moses commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right or the left, so that you will have success wherever you go.

• Knowing the Law was only the first step.
• Practicing it was what would make Joshua effective.

8 This book of instruction must not depart from your mouth; you are to meditate on it day and night so that you may carefully observe everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in whatever you do.

• Talk about it; think about it; do it!

9 Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
A       I will be with you (v. 5).
   B       Be strong and courageous (vv. 6, 7).
      C       That you may have success (v. 7).
         D       This Book of the Law (v. 8).
      C'      Then you will have success (v. 8).
   B'      Be strong and courageous (v. 9).
A'      The LORD your God is with you (v. 9).
 
JOSHUA PREPARES THE PEOPLE
10 Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, 11 “Go through the camp and tell the people, ‘Get provisions ready for yourselves, for within three days you will be crossing the Jordan to go in and take possession of the land the Lord your God is giving you to inherit.’”

• The Jordan River wanders about two hundred miles to cover the sixty-five mile distance from the Lake of Galilee to the Dead Sea, dropping an additional six hundred feet below sea level as it goes.

12 Joshua said to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh,  13 “Remember what Moses the Lord’s servant commanded you when he said, ‘The Lord your God will give you rest, and he will give you this land.

• It was not rest in the sense of freedom from conflict, but rather, resting in contrast to journeying.
• Even after the seven-year conquest of the land, there was still much land that the Israelites had to take from the Canaanites and possess (13:1; 23:1-13; cf. 24:1-28; Judg. 1:1).
• Therefore, this rest was the entrance into, and initial participation in, the inheritance the LORD had promised His people.

14 Your wives, dependents, and livestock may remain in the land Moses gave you on this side of the Jordan. But your best soldiers must cross over in battle formation ahead of your brothers and help them 15 until the Lord gives your brothers rest, as he has given you, and they too possess the land the Lord your God is giving them. You may then return to the land of your inheritance and take possession of what Moses the Lord’s servant gave you on the east side of the Jordan.”

• They are getting ready to cross over into the land and battle their enemies.
• They have to do this in their own physical strength.

16 They answered Joshua, “Everything you have commanded us we will do, and everywhere you send us we will go. 17 We will obey you, just as we obeyed Moses in everything. Certainly the Lord your God will be with you, as he was with Moses. 18 Anyone who rebels against your order and does not obey your words in all that you command him, will be put to death. Above all, be strong and courageous!” [1]

• The Israelites were praying for Joshua!
• They were going to obey or be put to death.
• Four sources of Joshua's strength: (1) a faithful past, (2) a distinct call, (3) the sense of the presence of God, and (4) the indwelling of the Word of God.

 
SPIES SENT TO JERICHO
JOSHUA 2
1 Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two men as spies from the Acacia Grove, saying, “Go and scout the land, especially Jericho.”

• Earlier they had sent the spies to see if they could take the land.
• Now they are being sent, not to see if they can take the land, but to find the best way to enter the land.
• Two young men, according to 6:23.
• Jericho is possibly the lowest city on earth, lying about 750 feet below sea level.
• The spies' object was to determine where to attack, not whether or not to attack.

So they left, and they came to the house of a prostitute named Rahab, and stayed there.

• Less conspicuous because men were always visiting.
• The writer recorded Rahab's name because she became an important person in Israel's history.
• She became an ancestor of David and Jesus Christ, as well as Israel's helper on this occasion (cf. Matt. 1:5 -Salmon fathered Boaz by Rahab)
• Hebrews 11:31 - By faith Rahab the prostitute welcomed the spies in peace and didn’t perish with those who disobeyed.[2]

2 The king of Jericho was told, “Look, some of the Israelite men have come here tonight to investigate the land.” 3 Then the king of Jericho sent word to Rahab and said, “Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house, for they came to investigate the entire land.”
4 But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. So she said, “Yes, the men did come to me, but I didn’t know where they were from. 5 At nightfall, when the city gate was about to close, the men went out, and I don’t know where they were going. Chase after them quickly, and you can catch up with them!” 6 But she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them among the stalks of flax that she had arranged on the roof.

• Rahab lied (sin), but she was also a prostitute.
• Lying in such a case would save a life, whereas not lying might result in an innocent person's death, which would be worse.
• However, God can and has sometimes intervened when people commit to doing the right thing.
• Some have justified Rahab's lying on the basis of holy war: Since the Israelites were commanded to kill the Canaanites, it was legitimate for her to mislead Israel's enemy by telling a lie.

7 The men pursued them along the road to the fords of the Jordan, and as soon as they left to pursue them, the city gate was shut.

• Assuming that the spies had fled back to the Israelite camp, the men of Jericho pursued and searched all along the road from their city to the place where travelers forded the Jordan River —about five miles.

 
THE PROMISE TO RAHAB
8 Before the men fell asleep, she went up on the roof 9 and said to them, “I know that the Lord has given you this land and that the terror of you has fallen on us, and everyone who lives in the land is panicking because of you.

• The Israelites had not even begun to enter the land but everyone in Canaan knew what was about to happen to them.

10 For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two Amorite kings you completely destroyed across the Jordan. 11 When we heard this, we lost heart, and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on earth below.

• The melting of the Canaanites' hearts pictures utter despair.

12 Now please swear to me by the Lord that you will also show kindness to my father’s family, because I showed kindness to you. Give me a sure sign 13 that you will spare the lives of my father, mother, brothers, sisters, and all who belong to them, and save us from death.”

• If Rahab talked too much, her life was in danger; but if we don't talk enough, the lives of lost people around us are in danger.

14 The men answered her, “We will give our lives for yours. If you don’t report our mission, we will show kindness and faithfulness to you when the Lord gives us the land.”
15 Then she let them down by a rope through the window, since she lived in a house that was built into the wall of the city. 16 “Go to the hill country so that the men pursuing you won’t find you,” she said to them. “Hide there for three days until they return; afterward, go on your way.”
17 The men said to her, “We will be free from this oath you made us swear, 18 unless, when we enter the land, you tie this scarlet cord to the window through which you let us down. Bring your father, mother, brothers, and all your father’s family into your house. 19 If anyone goes out the doors of your house, his death will be his own fault, and we will be innocent. But if anyone with you in the house should be harmed, his death will be our fault. 20 And if you report our mission, we are free from the oath you made us swear.”

• The spies gave their solemn promise to spare Rahab and her household, but specified three conditions that Rahab had to meet:
• 1. She had to make her home known to the Israelites when they attacked (v. 18).
• 2. She had to assemble her family into her home before the battle (v. 18).
• 3. She had to keep the mission of the spies a secret (vv. 20, 14).

21 “Let it be as you say,” she replied, and she sent them away. After they had gone, she tied the scarlet cord to the window.

• The color had symbolic significance, too, since red recalls blood and vigorous life.
• Rahab's cord answered, therefore, the same purpose with the blood sprinkled upon the door-posts in Egypt, which secured the first-born from the destroying angel.

22 So the two men went into the hill country and stayed there three days until the pursuers had returned. They searched all along the way, but did not find them. 23 Then the men returned, came down from the hill country, and crossed the Jordan. They went to Joshua son of Nun and reported everything that had happened to them.

• Joshua had learned by experience that spy reports should be brought to the leaders only, for the people did not have sufficient orientation or experience to evaluate such a report correctly.

24 They told Joshua, “The Lord has handed over the entire land to us. Everyone who lives in the land is also panicking because of us.”[3]

• "The spies violated God's explicit command that none of the people living in the land were to be spared (Deut 7:1-6; 20:16-18).
• Rahab, however, turned to God and sought deliverance.
• Her experience is proof of the gracious saving purpose of God.
• His overarching decree is that 'everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved' (Joel 2:32).
• This is one of the most dramatic examples of grace in the OT and is set in bold relief by the questionable aspects of Rahab's profession and conversion.
• "The salvation of Rahab is an example of what God would have done for others.
• The king and the other citizens of Jericho knew all she knew, but they did not turn to Israel's God for mercy.

The fear that drove her to beg for mercy drove them in their stubborn rebellion.

[1] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jos.
[2] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Heb 11:31.
[3] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jos 2:1–24