Joshua 1-8;23-24
Howard W. Hunter
Joshua is remembered as the one who, on the death of Moses, took command and completed the task of giving leadership to the tribes of Israel. Perhaps to comfort Joshua, who now had the responsibility for the children of Israel, who didn’t yet have a homeland, and perhaps to comfort that large body of people who had just lost their leader of more than forty years, the Lord spoke to Joshua and said:
As I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them. (Josh. 1:5–8)
Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest. (Josh. 1:9.)
Joshua would need courage for what he had to do. He would need the Lord’s help at every step.
Joshua 1:5 I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee
Searching the scriptures is not a burden laid upon [us] by the Lord, but a marvelous blessing and opportunity. Note what the Lord Himself has said about the benefits of studying His word. To the great prophet-leader Joshua, He said:
“This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.” (Josh. 1:8; italics added.)
The Lord was not promising Joshua material wealth and fame, but that his life would prosper in righteousness and that he would have success in that which matters most in life, namely the quest to find true joy. (See 2 Ne. 2:25.)…
In the space of four verses in the first chapter of Joshua, the Lord commands Joshua to be strong and courageous—three times! (see verses 6–9). Then the Lord promises Joshua that he will succeed in bringing the Israelites to their land of inheritance, that strength and courage will come to him because of his obedience to all the law, and—most significantly—that the Lord will be with him wherever he goes.
Joshua 2:13 save alive my father, and my mother, and my brethren, and my sisters… and deliver our lives from death
Is the account of Rahab just history or are there lessons to learn here? Truly, Rahab is symbolic in many ways. As a female, a gentile, and a harlot, she represents that which is least worth saving according to ancient Jewish tradition. Why should the soldiers’ spare her life? She was just another harlot in Canaan. There were thousands before her and there would be thousands after. What made Rahab different?
It is quite remarkable as the children of Israel begin their journey in the land of Canaan that such an unworthy individual is the secret to their spies’ success in Jericho. Over ensuing centuries, Satan would distort Israelite nationalism into an ethnocentric egotism that shunned all outsiders. Yet, their story in the land begins with the story of redemption—the salvation of a female Canaanite sinner. Would they remember Rahab? Would they remember her faith? Would they remember her act of kindness?
Joshua 3:3-4 When ye see the ark of the covenant… go after it. Yet there shall be a space between you and it
Matthias F. Cowley
The ark of the covenant represented the presence of the Lord. On one occasion, when Moses spoke with the Lord on Mount Sinai, the people were to watch from a distance but were not to approach the mountain (Ex. 19:10-13). The required distance from the mount suggested they were not holy enough to endure the presence of Jehovah. The distance between the ark and the children in this instance represents the same thing—the children of Israel were to follow the Lord but they were not yet sanctified enough to enter his presence. None of them, save the high priest only, could enter into that part of the tabernacle of Moses which represented the Celestial Kingdom and the presence of God.
Joshua 3:13 the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth
Mark E. Peterson
The Lord then instructed that the priests carrying the ark of the covenant should approach the river first. As Joshua announced this, once again he impressed on the people that the ark was that of the true and living God. When he referred to it he said, "The ark of the Lord—the Lord of all the earth." (Josh. 3:13.)
Joshua 3:15-16 the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water
Neal A. Maxwell
We sometimes must do the hard things we have been asked to do before we will be blessed. Joshua and his priests, in a little-read replication of the parting and crossing of the Red Sea, crossed the flooded Jordan River in another miracle. But the miracle did not begin for ancient Israel until after Joshua and his priests got the soles of their feet wet. (Josh. 3:15-17)
Joshua 3:17 the priests… stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground
Neal A. Maxwell
It had been 40 years since the Israelites had escaped Pharaoh’s army crossing the Red Sea. Only the oldest members of the company, those who were children or youth at the time, could remember the miracle. Most of the vast assembly would have had no personal memory of the event. The Lord was not going to shortchange the next generation. They would get a prophet like unto Moses; they would get a miracle like unto the parting of the Red Sea; they would see the power of God divide the waters “upon an heap.”
Joshua 4:6-7 these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever
Howard W. Hunter
Fathers have been leaving memorials for their children, and children have been raising them to their fathers, since time began. On Temple Square in Salt Lake City we have consciously surrounded ourselves with such memorials—the old Nauvoo bell, the Seagull Monument, statues of the Restoration, Thorvaldsen's Christus, to name just a few. These serve to unite generation with generation, preserving in a long, unbroken chain the important events of our common heritage.
Joshua 5:2 circumcise again the children of Israel
There are two main points about circumcising the children of Israel at this time. The first, is that the Israelites had not kept this practice while in the wilderness. Circumcision is a token of the covenant of Abraham, not a token of the Law of Moses. However, in the meridian of time, the circumcision would be equated with the Law. The apostle Paul struggled with converted Judaizers falsely requiring the Gentile converts to get circumcised. “Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved,” they taught (Acts 15:1). Well, the Jews had misunderstood the token—it belonged to the covenant of Abraham more than the Law of Moses—the Israelites wandered in the wilderness for 40 years and didn’t even perform any circumcisions! Paul taught that salvation couldn’t come by circumcision, saying, “he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter” (Rom 2:29).
Secondly, the reinstitution of circumcision provided a time to reestablish the covenant relationship with the Lord. The entry into the promised land was symbolic for the Israelites. Elder Gerald N. Lund noted, “Once they entered into the promised land, Joshua was commanded to perform the ordinance of circumcision among the Israelites (see Josh. 5:2-7). While wandering in the wilderness, this token of the Abrahamic covenant had not been performed. Now that they had sanctified themselves and followed Jesus (seen in the types of Joshua and the ark of the covenant) into the promised land, they were once again the true covenant people and therefore the token was reinstituted.” (Jesus Christ, Key to the Plan of Salvation [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1991], 75)
Joshua 5:12 the manna ceased
Imagine how many of the Israelites would have grown up their entire lives with a daily supply of manna. We wake up and expect there will be oxygen to breath. They woke up and expected there would be manna to eat. If it had happened every single day for their entire lives, would it have seemed like a miracle to them? Wouldn’t they have said, “doesn’t everybody eat manna every day?” They would not known anything different. To this generation of Israelites, the loss of daily manna must have been concerning. “What do we do now? What are we going to eat? I don’t have any recipes for corn; all I know how to make are meals of manna.”
Joshua 6:3 ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once [for] six days
Mark E. Petersen
It may be wondered how the spies could have been so readily recognized as they entered Jericho. Archaeologists say that the city occupied only from six to ten acres of land. Strangers therefore were quickly noticed, since all the inhabitants of the city evidently knew each other well. The fact that the circumference of the city was so small also makes more understandable how the Israelite army could march around it so easily each day for a week.
Joshua 6:16 Joshua said unto the people, Shout; for the Lord hath given you the city
Howard W. Hunter
When Joshua was directed to destroy the city of Jericho that lay before them, the great walls of the city stood as an imposing and physically impossible barrier to Israel’s success—or at least so it seemed. Not knowing the means, but assured as to the end, Joshua carried out the instructions he had been given by a messenger of the Lord. His commitment was to complete obedience. His concern was to do precisely as he was instructed, that the promise of the Lord would be fulfilled. The instructions no doubt seemed strange, but his faith in the outcome urged him on. The result, of course, was another in a long series of miracles experienced by the Israelites as they were led over many years by Moses, by Joshua, and by many other prophets who were committed to follow the commandments and the directives of the Lord.
As Joshua and his people approached Jericho, the instructions of the Lord were followed precisely, and according to the scriptural account, “the waIl fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.” (Josh. 6:20.)
Joshua 24:15 Choose you this day whom ye will serve
Howard W. Hunter
Here was a great statement of full commitment of a man to God; of a prophet to the desires of the Lord; and of Joshua the man to his God, who had many times previously blessed his obedience. He was telling the Israelites that regardless of how they decided, he would do what he knew was right. He was saying that his decision to serve the Lord was independent of whatever they decided; that their actions would not affect his; that his commitment to do the Lord's will would not be altered by anything they or anyone else would do. Joshua was firmly in control of his actions and had his eyes fixed on the commandments of the Lord. He was committed to obedience.
Surely the Lord loves, more than anything else, an unwavering determination to obey his counsel. Surely the experiences of the great prophets of the Old Testament have been recorded to help us understand the importance of choosing the path of strict obedience.
Neil L. Andersen
The words of Joshua ring with such relevance today, and yet how we demonstrate our decision to serve the Lord seems to change with each generation. Thirty-five hundred years ago as Joshua spoke, it meant leaving behind false gods, going to battle against the Canaanites, and following with sharp attention the words of the Prophet. We can almost hear the whining of the skeptics as Joshua announced his battle plans for taking the city of Jericho. First, he said, they would quietly, without any speaking, circle the city one time for each of six days. Then on the seventh day they would compass the city seven times. Following, the priests would blow the trumpets, and at that time all the people would shout with a great shout. Then, Joshua assured them, the walls would come down (see Josh. 6). When the walls came down, the skeptics were quiet.
In our world today, one thing has not changed since Joshua spoke: Those who choose to serve the Lord will always listen attentively and specifically to the Prophet. In modern Israel, serving the Lord means carefully following the Prophets.
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