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Joshua 1:1–4
“Arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them—the children of Israel” (Josh. 1:2b).
With Israel encamped on the plains of Moab, east of the Jordan River across from Jericho, Moses climbed Mount Nebo to see the land he could not enter. He died there and was buried in a valley of Moab by the Lord God Himself. And the Israelites mourned for their great leader for 30 days (Deut. 34:1–8).
It is upon the conclusion of this season of mourning that the voice of God opens the book of Joshua with a stirring call to action. With this call, God begins to speak to Joshua just as He spoke to Moses, perhaps, as Matthew Henry believes, from the tabernacle of meeting (Lev. 1:1). This divine communication to Joshua marks the final transition to new leadership; Joshua now stands as the one through whom God makes His will known to His people. And in this case, that will is manifestly clear. “Get up,” God says in effect. “Lead the people across the Jordan into the land I have promised them.” Though Moses is gone, the Israelites are still a landless people. God’s promise to them is not yet fulfilled; thus, the work must go on. “When God has work to do, He will either find or make instruments fit to carry it on,” Henry comments. “Moses the servant is dead, but God the Master is not.” He goes on to note that “it is a great mercy to a people, if, when useful men are taken away in the midst of their usefulness, others are raised up in their stead to go on where they broke off.”
God also graciously reaffirms the promised extent of the land and assures Joshua that the people will be able to claim it. A vast tract of territory, from the Euphrates River on the east to the Mediterranean Sea on the west, is ceded to Israel, just as God had told Moses (Deut. 11:24). Furthermore, though they will have to battle for it, any place within that territory on which they place the soles of their feet will become theirs, for God will fight for them. God’s words—“ ‘as I said to Moses’ ”—remind Israel that it must keep His statutes, given through Moses, in order to succeed. But the people will fail to do so, and thus will not come near to occupying all this real estate until the reign of Solomon (1 Kings 4:21).
Thus, Joshua is commissioned to lead the people in the great task of the conquest of Canaan. Here he is given his general’s stars and his marching orders. The battle is his, but God will give the victory.
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
It has been said, “God buries His workers and goes on with His work.” Does that sound cold to you? Or does it evoke praise in your heart to think that God’s great work goes on unimpeded across generation after generation? Thank Him today that He does all He desires in His own time. Ask Him to help you see history as an ongoing work.
For Further Study
- Daniel 4:34
- Acts 1:7
- Romans 5:6
- Hebrews 1:1–2