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

Deuteronomy is the fifth book of the Bible and the final book of the Pentateuch, traditionally attributed to Moses. It serves as a series of speeches by Moses to the Israelites as they prepare to enter the Promised Land. Here’s a brief summary:
 
Reiteration of the Law (Chapters 1-11):
DEUTERONOMY 1:3
3 In the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first of the month, Moses told the Israelites everything the Lord had commanded him to say to them.[1]

• Moses begins by recounting the journey of the Israelites from Egypt to the edge of the Promised Land.

DEUTERONOMY 1:12-18
12 But how can I bear your troubles, burdens, and disputes by myself? 13 Appoint for yourselves wise, understanding, and respected men from each of your tribes, and I will make them your leaders.
14 “You replied to me, ‘What you propose to do is good.’
15 “So I took the leaders of your tribes, wise and respected men, and set them over you as leaders: commanders for thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens, and officers for your tribes. 16 I commanded your judges at that time: Hear the cases between your brothers, and judge rightly between a man and his brother or his resident alien. 17 Do not show partiality when deciding a case; listen to small and great alike. Do not be intimidated by anyone, for judgment belongs to God. Bring me any case too difficult for you, and I will hear it. 18 At that time I commanded you about all the things you were to do.[2]

• Leavener Small Groups

DEUTERONOMY 1:22-28
22 “Then all of you approached me and said, ‘Let’s send men ahead of us, so that they may explore the land for us and bring us back a report about the route we should go up and the cities we will come to.’ 23 The plan seemed good to me, so I selected twelve men from among you, one man for each tribe. 24 They left and went up into the hill country and came to Eshcol Valley, scouting the land. 25 They took some of the fruit from the land in their hands, carried it down to us, and brought us back a report: ‘The land the Lord our God is giving us is good.’
26 “But you were not willing to go up. You rebelled against the command of the Lord your God. 27 You grumbled in your tents and said, ‘The Lord brought us out of the land of Egypt to hand us over to the Amorites in order to destroy us, because he hates us. 28 Where can we go? Our brothers have made us lose heart, saying: The people are larger and taller than we are; the cities are large, fortified to the heavens. We also saw the descendants of the Anakim there.’ [3]

• Moses then reminds the Israelites about their wandering in the wilderness and all the battles they had to endure.

DEUTERONOMY 3:23-29
23 “At that time I begged the Lord: 24 Lord God, you have begun to show your greatness and your strong hand to your servant, for what god is there in heaven or on earth who can perform deeds and mighty acts like yours? 25 Please let me cross over and see the beautiful land on the other side of the Jordan, that good hill country and Lebanon.
26 “But the Lord was angry with me because of you and would not listen to me. The Lord said to me, ‘That’s enough! Do not speak to me again about this matter. 27 Go to the top of Pisgah and look to the west, north, south, and east, and see it with your own eyes, for you will not cross the Jordan. 28 But commission Joshua and encourage and strengthen him, for he will cross over ahead of the people and enable them to inherit this land that you will see.’ 29 So we stayed in the valley facing Beth-peor. [4]
 

• He emphasizes the importance of obedience to God’s commandments and reminds the people of their covenant relationship with God.

DEUTERONOMY 4:1-2
1 “Now, Israel, listen to the statutes and ordinances I am teaching you to follow, so that you may live, enter, and take possession of the land the Lord, the God of your ancestors, is giving you. 2 You must not add anything to what I command you or take anything away from it, so that you may keep the commands of the Lord your God I am giving you.[5]
 
DEUTERONOMY 4:9-14
9 “Only be on your guard and diligently watch yourselves, so that you don’t forget the things your eyes have seen and so that they don’t slip from your mind as long as you live. Teach them to your children and your grandchildren. 10 The day you stood before the Lord your God at Horeb, the Lord said to me, ‘Assemble the people before me, and I will let them hear my words, so that they may learn to fear me all the days they live on the earth and may instruct their children.’ 11 You came near and stood at the base of the mountain, a mountain blazing with fire into the heavens and enveloped in a totally black cloud. 12 Then the Lord spoke to you from the fire. You kept hearing the sound of the words, but didn’t see a form; there was only a voice. 13 He declared his covenant to you. He commanded you to follow the Ten Commandments, which he wrote on two stone tablets. 14 At that time the Lord commanded me to teach you statutes and ordinances for you to follow in the land you are about to cross into and possess. [6]
 
DEUTERONOMY 4:29-31 (God will not leave you)
29 But from there, you will search for the Lord your God, and you will find him when you seek him with all your heart and all your soul. 30 When you are in distress and all these things have happened to you, in the future you will return to the Lord your God and obey him. 31 He will not leave you, destroy you, or forget the covenant with your ancestors that he swore to them by oath, because the Lord your God is a compassionate God.[7]
 

• This section includes the Shema, a central declaration of faith in Judaism:

DEUTERONOMY 6:4-9
4 “Listen, Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one., 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. 6 These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. 7 Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Bind them as a sign on your hand and let them be a symbol on your forehead. 9 Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your city gates.[8]
 
Deuteronomy 8:2-3 (through the wilderness)
2 Remember that the Lord your God led you on the entire journey these forty years in the wilderness, so that he might humble you and test you to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. 3 He humbled you by letting you go hungry; then he gave you manna to eat, which you and your ancestors had not known, so that you might learn that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.[9]
 
DEUTERONOMY 11:26-28 (Blessings & Curses)
26 “Look, today I set before you a blessing and a curse: 27 there will be a blessing, if you obey the commands of the Lord your God I am giving you today, 28 and a curse, if you do not obey the commands of the Lord your God and you turn aside from the path I command you today by following other gods you have not known.[10]
 
Detailed Laws and Regulations (Chapters 12-26):

• Moses restates and expands upon the laws given at Mount Sinai.
• Eat meat
• No idols – Beware of false prophets
• These laws cover various aspects of life, including worship, civil and social regulations, and guidelines for leadership.
• The focus is on living as a holy and distinct people in the land they are about to enter.

DEUTERONOMY 14:22-26 (tithe)
22 “Each year you are to set aside a tenth of all the produce grown in your fields. 23 You are to eat a tenth of your grain, new wine, and fresh oil, and the firstborn of your herd and flock, in the presence of the Lord your God at the place where he chooses to have his name dwell, so that you will always learn to fear the Lord your God. 24 But if the distance is too great for you to carry it, since the place where the Lord your God chooses to put his name is too far away from you and since the Lord your God has blessed you, 25 then exchange it for silver, take the silver in your hand, and go to the place the Lord your God chooses. 26 You may spend the silver on anything you want: cattle, sheep, goats, wine, beer, or anything you desire. You are to feast there in the presence of the Lord your God and rejoice with your family.[11]

• Chapter 16:
• Festival of Passover
• Festival of Weeks
• Festival of Shelters (Booths/Tabernacles)

DEUTERONOMY 18:21-22 (Identifying false prophets)
21 You may say to yourself, ‘How can we recognize a message the Lord has not spoken?’ 22 When a prophet speaks in the Lord’s name, and the message does not come true or is not fulfilled, that is a message the Lord has not spoken.[12]
 
DEUTERONOMY 23:12-14 (Must remain holy)
12 You are to have a place outside the camp and go there to relieve yourself. 13 You are to have a digging tool in your equipment; when you relieve yourself, dig a hole with it and cover up your excrement. 14 For the Lord your God walks throughout your camp to protect you and deliver your enemies to you; so your encampments must be holy. He must not see anything indecent among you or he will turn away from you. [13]
 
DEUTERONOMY 26:16-19 (Covenant summary)
16 “The Lord your God is commanding you this day to follow these statutes and ordinances. Follow them carefully with all your heart and all your soul. 17 Today you have affirmed that the Lord is your God and that you will walk in his ways, keep his statutes, commands, and ordinances, and obey him. 18 And today the Lord has affirmed that you are his own possession as he promised you, that you are to keep all his commands, 19 that he will elevate you to praise, fame, and glory above all the nations he has made, and that you will be a holy people to the Lord your God as he promised.” [14]
 
Blessings and Curses (Chapters 27-30):
DEUTERONOMY 27:1-8 (Posting of commandments)
1 Moses and the elders of Israel commanded the people, “Keep every command I am giving you today. 2 When you cross the Jordan into the land the Lord your God is giving you, set up large stones and cover them with plaster. 3 Write all the words of this law on the stones after you cross to enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, a land flowing with milk and honey, as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, has promised you. 4 When you have crossed the Jordan, you are to set up these stones on Mount Ebal, as I am commanding you today, and you are to cover them with plaster. 5 Build an altar of stones there to the Lord your God—do not use any iron tool on them. 6 Use uncut stones to build the altar of the Lord your God and offer burnt offerings to the Lord your God on it. 7 There you are to sacrifice fellowship offerings, eat, and rejoice in the presence of the Lord your God. 8 Write clearly all the words of this law on the plastered stones.” [15]

• Louisiana schools posting of 10 Commandments
• Moses outlines the blessings that will come from obedience to God’s laws and the curses that will result from disobedience.
• He calls the people to choose life by loving and obeying God, emphasizing the consequences of their choices.

DEUTERONOMY 30:6
6 The Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the hearts of your descendants, and you will love him with all your heart and all your soul so that you will live.[16]
 
DEUTERONOMY 30:16, 19-20
16 For I am commanding you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, statutes, and ordinances, so that you may live and multiply, and the Lord your God may bless you in the land you are entering to possess.[17]
 
19 I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live, 20 love the Lord your God, obey him, and remain faithful to him. For he is your life, and he will prolong your days as you live in the land the Lord swore to give to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.[18]
 
Final Words and Transition of Leadership (Chapters 31-34):
DEUTERONOMY 31:1-3, 6
Then Moses continued to speak these words to all Israel, 2 saying, “I am now 120 years old; I can no longer act as your leader. The Lord has told me, ‘You will not cross the Jordan. 3 The Lord your God is the one who will cross ahead of you. He will destroy these nations before you, and you will drive them out. Joshua is the one who will cross ahead of you, as the Lord has said.[19]

• Kevin Costner not returning to Yellowstone as John Dutton.

6 Be strong and courageous; don’t be terrified or afraid of them. For the Lord your God is the one who will go with you; he will not leave you or abandon you.”[20]
 
DEUTERONOMY 31:14-23
14 The Lord said to Moses, “The time of your death is now approaching. Call Joshua and present yourselves at the tent of meeting so that I may commission him.” When Moses and Joshua went and presented themselves at the tent of meeting, 15 the Lord appeared at the tent in a pillar of cloud, and the cloud stood at the entrance to the tent.
16 The Lord said to Moses, “You are about to rest with your ancestors, and these people will soon prostitute themselves with the foreign gods of the land they are entering. They will abandon me and break the covenant I have made with them. 17 My anger will burn against them on that day; I will abandon them and hide my face from them so that they will become easy prey. Many troubles and afflictions will come to them. On that day they will say, ‘Haven’t these troubles come to us because our God is no longer with us?’ 18 I will certainly hide my face on that day because of all the evil they have done by turning to other gods. 19 Therefore write down this song for yourselves and teach it to the Israelites; have them sing it, so that this song may be a witness for me against the Israelites. 20 When I bring them into the land I swore to give their ancestors, a land flowing with milk and honey, they will eat their fill and prosper. They will turn to other gods and worship them, despising me and breaking my covenant. 21 And when many troubles and afflictions come to them, this song will testify against them, because their descendants will not have forgotten it. For I know what they are prone to do, even before I bring them into the land I swore to give them.” 22 So Moses wrote down this song on that day and taught it to the Israelites.
23 The Lord commissioned Joshua son of Nun, “Be strong and courageous, for you will bring the Israelites into the land I swore to them, and I will be with you.”[21]
 

• Moses appoints Joshua as his successor and delivers his final words to the Israelites.
• He writes down the law and instructs the Levites to read it to the people every seven years.
• The book concludes with the Song of Moses, a blessing for the tribes, and the account of Moses’ death.

DEUTERONOMY 34:1-12
1 Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which faces Jericho, and the Lord showed him all the land: Gilead as far as Dan, 2 all of Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Mediterranean Sea, 3 the Negev, and the plain in the Valley of Jericho, the City of Palms, as far as Zoar. 4 The Lord then said to him, “This is the land I promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have let you see it with your own eyes, but you will not cross into it.”
5 So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the Lord’s word. 6 He buried him in the valley in the land of Moab facing Beth-peor, and no one to this day knows where his grave is. 7 Moses was one hundred twenty years old when he died; his eyes were not weak, and his vitality had not left him. 8 The Israelites wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days. Then the days of weeping and mourning for Moses came to an end.
9 Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands on him. So the Israelites obeyed him and did as the Lord had commanded Moses. 10 No prophet has arisen again in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face. 11 He was unparalleled for all the signs and wonders the Lord sent him to do against the land of Egypt—to Pharaoh, to all his officials, and to all his land— 12 and for all the mighty acts of power and terrifying deeds that Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.[22]
 
Deuteronomy serves as a reminder of God’s faithfulness and the importance of covenant loyalty.

• It calls the Israelites to love and serve God wholeheartedly as they prepare to enter the land promised to their ancestors.

[1] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Dt 1:3.
[2] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Dt 1:12–18.
[3] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Dt 1:22–28.
[4] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Dt 3:23–29.
[5] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Dt 4:1–2.
[6] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Dt 4:9–14.
[7] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Dt 4:29–31.
[8] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Dt 6:4–9.
[9] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Dt 8:1–3.
[10] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Dt 11:26–28.
[11] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Dt 14:22–26.
[12] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Dt 18:21–22.
[13] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Dt 23:12–14.
[14] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Dt 26:16–19.
[15] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Dt 27:1–8.
[16] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Dt 30:6.
[17] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Dt 30:16.
[18] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Dt 30:19–20.
[19] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Dt 31:1–3.
[20] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Dt 31:6.
[21] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Dt 31:14–23.
[22] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Dt 34:1–12.

The book of Numbers is the fourth book of the Bible and part of the Pentateuch, traditionally attributed to Moses.

• It chronicles the journey of the Israelites from Mount Sinai to the edge of the Promised Land, covering a period of about 40 years.

1. Census and Preparation (Chapters 1-10): The book begins with a census of the Israelite men able to go to war, hence the name "Numbers."

 
THE CENSUS OF ISRAEL
NUMBERS 1:1-4
1 The Lord spoke to Moses in the tent of meeting in the Wilderness of Sinai, on the first day of the second month of the second year after Israel’s departure from the land of Egypt: 2 “Take a census of the entire Israelite community by their clans and their ancestral families, counting the names of every male one by one. 3 You and Aaron are to register those who are twenty years old or more by their military divisions—everyone who can serve in Israel’s army., 4 A man from each tribe is to be with you, each one the head of his ancestral family[1]

• God instructs Moses on how to organize the camp and the duties of the Levites.

NUMBERS 3:5-10
5 The Lord spoke to Moses: 6 “Bring the tribe of Levi near and present them to the priest Aaron to assist him. 7 They are to perform duties for him and the entire community before the tent of meeting by attending to the service of the tabernacle. 8 They are to take care of all the furnishings of the tent of meeting and perform duties for the Israelites by attending to the service of the tabernacle. 9 Assign the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they have been assigned exclusively to him from the Israelites. 10 You are to appoint Aaron and his sons to carry out their priestly responsibilities, but any unauthorized person who comes near the sanctuary is to be put to death.”[2]
 
NUMBERS 6

• Nazarite Vow – Samson

 
NUMBERS 8:5-12 (Ordination/Consecration)
5 The Lord spoke to Moses: 6 “Take the Levites from among the Israelites and ceremonially cleanse them. 7 Do this to them for their purification: Sprinkle them with the purification water. Have them shave their entire bodies and wash their clothes, and so purify themselves.
8 “They are to take a young bull and its grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil, and you are to take a second young bull for a sin offering. 9 Bring the Levites before the tent of meeting and assemble the entire Israelite community. 10 Then present the Levites before the Lord, and have the Israelites lay their hands on them. 11 Aaron is to present the Levites before the Lord as a presentation offering from the Israelites, so that they may perform the Lord’s work. 12 Next the Levites are to lay their hands on the heads of the bulls. Sacrifice one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering to the Lord, to make atonement for the Levites.[3]
 
GUIDANCE BY THE CLOUD
NUMBERS 9:15-23
15 On the day the tabernacle was set up, the cloud covered the tabernacle, the tent of the testimony, and it appeared like fire above the tabernacle from evening until morning. 16 It remained that way continuously: the cloud would cover it, appearing like fire at night. 17 Whenever the cloud was lifted up above the tent, the Israelites would set out; at the place where the cloud stopped, there the Israelites camped. 18 At the Lord’s command the Israelites set out, and at the Lord’s command they camped. As long as the cloud stayed over the tabernacle, they camped.
19 Even when the cloud stayed over the tabernacle many days, the Israelites carried out the Lord’s requirement and did not set out. 20 Sometimes the cloud remained over the tabernacle for only a few days. They would camp at the Lord’s command and set out at the Lord’s command. 21 Sometimes the cloud remained only from evening until morning; when the cloud lifted in the morning, they set out. Or if it remained a day and a night, they moved out when the cloud lifted. 22 Whether it was two days, a month, or longer, the Israelites camped and did not set out as long as the cloud stayed over the tabernacle. But when it was lifted, they set out. 23 They camped at the Lord’s command, and they set out at the Lord’s command. They carried out the Lord’s requirement according to his command through Moses. [4]
 

• The Israelites prepare to leave Mount Sinai, where they had received the Law.

NUMBERS 10:33-36
33 They set out from the mountain of the Lord on a three-day journey with the ark of the Lord’s covenant traveling ahead of them for those three days to seek a resting place for them. 34 Meanwhile, the cloud of the Lord was over them by day when they set out from the camp.
35 Whenever the ark set out, Moses would say:
Arise, Lord!
Let your enemies be scattered,
and those who hate you flee from your presence.
36 When it came to rest, he would say:
Return, Lord, to the countless thousands of Israel.[5]

1. Journey and Rebellion (Chapters 11-14): As the Israelites journey toward the Promised Land, they face various challenges and rebellions.

• They complain about their hardships, leading to God's provision of quail and the appointment of seventy elders to help Moses.

NUMBERS 11:16-17
16 The Lord answered Moses, “Bring me seventy men from Israel known to you as elders and officers of the people. Take them to the tent of meeting and have them stand there with you. 17 Then I will come down and speak with you there. I will take some of the Spirit who is on you and put the Spirit on them. They will help you bear the burden of the people, so that you do not have to bear it by yourself.[6]
 
NUMBERS 13:1-3
1 The Lord spoke to Moses: 2 “Send men to scout out the land of Canaan I am giving to the Israelites. Send one man who is a leader among them from each of their ancestral tribes.” 3 Moses sent them from the Wilderness of Paran at the Lord’s command.[7]
 
NUMBERS 13:17-33
17 When Moses sent them to scout out the land of Canaan, he told them, “Go up this way to the Negev, then go up into the hill country. 18 See what the land is like, and whether the people who live there are strong or weak, few or many. 19 Is the land they live in good or bad? Are the cities they live in encampments or fortifications? 20 Is the land fertile or unproductive? Are there trees in it or not? Be courageous. Bring back some fruit from the land.” It was the season for the first ripe grapes.
21 So they went up and scouted out the land from the Wilderness of Zin as far as Rehob near the entrance to Hamath. 22 They went up through the Negev and came to Hebron, where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the descendants of Anak, were living. Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt. 23 When they came to Eshcol Valley, they cut down a branch with a single cluster of grapes, which was carried on a pole by two men. They also took some pomegranates and figs. 24 That place was called the Valley of Eshcol because of the cluster of grapes the Israelites cut there. 25 At the end of forty days they returned from scouting out the land.
 
REPORT ABOUT CANAAN
26 The men went back to Moses, Aaron, and the entire Israelite community in the Wilderness of Paran at Kadesh. They brought back a report for them and the whole community, and they showed them the fruit of the land. 27 They reported to Moses, “We went into the land where you sent us. Indeed it is flowing with milk and honey, and here is some of its fruit. 28 However, the people living in the land are strong, and the cities are large and fortified. We also saw the descendants of Anak there. 29 The Amalekites are living in the land of the Negev; the Hethites, Jebusites, and Amorites live in the hill country; and the Canaanites live by the sea and along the Jordan.”
30 Then Caleb quieted the people in the presence of Moses and said, “Let’s go up now and take possession of the land because we can certainly conquer it!”
31 But the men who had gone up with him responded, “We can’t attack the people because they are stronger than we are!” 32 So they gave a negative report to the Israelites about the land they had scouted: “The land we passed through to explore is one that devours its inhabitants, and all the people we saw in it are men of great size. 33 We even saw the Nephilim there—the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim! To ourselves we seemed like grasshoppers, and we must have seemed the same to them.”[8]
 
ISRAEL’S REFUSAL TO ENTER CANAAN
NUMBERS 14:1-10
1 Then the whole community broke into loud cries, and the people wept that night. 2 All the Israelites complained about Moses and Aaron, and the whole community told them, “If only we had died in the land of Egypt, or if only we had died in this wilderness! 3 Why is the Lord bringing us into this land to die by the sword? Our wives and children will become plunder. Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?” 4 So they said to one another, “Let’s appoint a leader and go back to Egypt.”
5 Then Moses and Aaron fell facedown in front of the whole assembly of the Israelite community. 6 Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who scouted out the land, tore their clothes 7 and said to the entire Israelite community, “The land we passed through and explored is an extremely good land. 8 If the Lord is pleased with us, he will bring us into this land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and give it to us. 9 Only don’t rebel against the Lord, and don’t be afraid of the people of the land, for we will devour them. Their protection has been removed from them, and the Lord is with us. Don’t be afraid of them!”
10 While the whole community threatened to stone them, the glory of the Lord appeared to all the Israelites at the tent of meeting.[9]
 
NUMBERS 14:26-38
26 Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron: 27 “How long must I endure this evil community that keeps complaining about me? I have heard the Israelites’ complaints that they make against me. 28 Tell them: As I live—this is the Lord’s declaration—I will do to you exactly as I heard you say. 29 Your corpses will fall in this wilderness—all of you who were registered in the census, the entire number of you twenty years old or more—because you have complained about me. 30 I swear that none of you will enter the land I promised to settle you in, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun. 31 I will bring your children whom you said would become plunder into the land you rejected, and they will enjoy it. 32 But as for you, your corpses will fall in this wilderness. 33 Your children will be shepherds in the wilderness for forty years and bear the penalty for your acts of unfaithfulness until all your corpses lie scattered in the wilderness. 34 You will bear the consequences of your iniquities forty years based on the number of the forty days that you scouted the land, a year for each day., You will know my displeasure. 35 I, the Lord, have spoken. I swear that I will do this to the entire evil community that has conspired against me. They will come to an end in the wilderness, and there they will die.”
36 So the men Moses sent to scout out the land, and who returned and incited the entire community to complain about him by spreading a negative report about the land--37 those men who spread the negative report about the land were struck down by the Lord. 38 Only Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh (yeh foo nay) remained alive of those men who went to scout out the land. [10]
 

1. Wilderness Wanderings (Chapters 15-25): During the years of wandering, the Israelites experience various events, including further rebellions, the budding of Aaron's staff as a sign of his chosen priesthood, and the story of Balaam, a prophet hired to curse Israel but who ends up blessing them instead.
2. Preparation for the Promised Land (Chapters 26-36): A second census is taken to prepare for entering the land. God gives instructions regarding offerings, vows, and the division of the land among the tribes.

JOSHUA COMMISSIONED TO SUCCEED MOSES NUMBERS 27:12-23 (Ordination)
12 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go up this mountain of the Abarim range and see the land that I have given the Israelites. 13 After you have seen it, you will also be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother was. 14 When the community quarreled in the Wilderness of Zin, both of you rebelled against my command to demonstrate my holiness in their sight at the waters.” Those were the Waters of Meribah-kadesh in the Wilderness of Zin.
15 So Moses appealed to the Lord, 16 “May the Lord, the God who gives breath to all,, appoint a man over the community 17 who will go out before them and come back in before them, and who will bring them out and bring them in, so that the Lord’s community won’t be like sheep without a shepherd.”
18 The Lord replied to Moses, “Take Joshua son of Nun, a man who has the Spirit in him, and lay your hands on him. 19 Have him stand before the priest Eleazar and the whole community, and commission him in their sight. 20 Confer some of your authority on him so that the entire Israelite community will obey him. 21 He will stand before the priest Eleazar who will consult the Lord for him with the decision of the Urim. He and all the Israelites with him, even the entire community, will go out and come back in at his command.”
22 Moses did as the Lord commanded him. He took Joshua, had him stand before the priest Eleazar and the entire community, 23 laid his hands on him, and commissioned him, as the Lord had spoken through Moses. [11]

• The book concludes with the Israelites camped on the plains of Moab, ready to enter the Promised Land.

Throughout Numbers, themes of God's faithfulness, human rebellion, and the importance of obedience are prominent.

• Despite the Israelites' repeated failures, God remains committed to His covenant promises, guiding and providing for them as they journey toward the land He promised to their ancestors.

 
1 John 2:12-14
12 I am writing to you, little children,
since your sins have been forgiven
on account of his name.
13 I am writing to you, fathers,
because you have come to know
the one who is from the beginning.
I am writing to you, young men,
because you have conquered the evil one.
14 I have written to you, children,
because you have come to know the Father.
I have written to you, fathers,
because you have come to know
the one who is from the beginning.
I have written to you, young men,
because you are strong,
God’s word remains in you,
and you have conquered the evil one. [12]

[1] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Nu 1:1–4.
[2] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Nu 3:5–10.
[3] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Nu 8:5–12.
[4] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Nu 9:15–23.
[5] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Nu 10:33–36.
[6] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Nu 11:16–17.
[7] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Nu 13:1–3.
[8] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Nu 13:17–33.
[9] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Nu 14:1–10.
[10] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Nu 14:26–38.
[11] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Nu 27:12–23.
[12] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), 1 Jn 2:12–14.