Joshua 1:1-18

1:1 | At the death of Moses, Israel’s leadership transitioned to Joshua (Deut. 1:38). Moses and Josua, at the end their lives were each called the servant of the LORD by God Himself (24:29). There is no greater compliment.

1:2-4 | God had promised the territory beyond the Jordan (the land of Canaan) to the Israelites in His covenant with Abraham (Gen. 12:7; 13:14-17; 15:18-21; 17:8; 22:17) and repeatedly reminded the people of this during the wilderness years (Ex. 6:4-8).

1:2-3 | To seal Joshua’s purpose, God instructed him to walk every patch of ground in Canaan, realizing that everywhere he walked, God had already given it to him and the people. Israel had no official army and no weapons, and the territory was inhabited by seven more powerful nations than them (Deut. 7:1). Yet because God had promised, Joshua could boldly lead Israel to occupy the land.

1:3 | The words as I said to Moses suggest the importance of pausing to remember God’s past faithfulness before stepping out into an unknown future. What Joshua had witnessed as Moses’ protégé would serve as assurance that God would be with him as He was with Moses.

1:5-6 | Every believer who is doing God’s will can be strong and of good courage, knowing that, just as for Joshua and Israel, God will not leave you nor forsake you (Heb. 13:5). In the Great Commission, Jesus promised His presence with those He sends out to make disciples (Matt. 28:20). The Lord never leaves His people to do His work alone.

1:6-9 | Three times God told Joshua to be strong. The word means to be “firm, resolute, now swayed” by others from the direction to which God has called a person (1 Cor. 16:13; Phil. 1:20-27). God also challenged Joshua to be courageous, or “daring” (10:25; 2 Chron. 32:7). Moses used these words to encourage Joshua in the task of conquering and dividing the land (Deut. 31:6-8), as did David with Solomon when he charged Solomon with building the temple (1 Chron. 22:13; 28:20). In 1:7, this strength and courage is tied directly to obeying God’s law.

1:8 | If Joshua wanted to be successful, he needed to meditate on (repeatedly read and recite) the words of God constantly and continually, follow them exclusively, and accept them totally (Ps. 1:1-3). Obedience begins with a relentless quest to know and take to heart God’s Word. Throughout his life, Josua heeded what God told him in this divine consultation.

1:10-11 | As soon as Joshua received his orders from the Lord, he obeyed. Delay often causes reluctance, and reluctance often breeds disobedience. When God delivers an assignment, His man or woman has only one option, and that is to discharge it with urgency (Ps. 119:60).

1:11-15 | Joshua prepared the people for what would come next, in part by encouraging them that they were going to possess the land God had promised. This is the core of the Book of Joshua: believers must take possession of what God has promised. Those blessings are like a title deed to whatever God is providing, and He wants His people to live within the blessings.

1:16-18 | One test of leadership is to find out if anyone is following; the people’s response (we will do, we will go) showed the mantle had been successfully passed from Moses to Joshua.