Joshua
Chapter 1
CONQUEST OF THE LAND
The Lord Calls Joshua
The Lord Calls Joshua 1After the death of Moses, the Lord spoke to Joshua, the son of Nun and Moses’ assistant, and said to him:
“My servant Moses is dead; therefore, the time has come for you to cross the Jordan River, and all the people will go with you to the land I am giving to the Israelites.
I am giving you all the places where you set your feet, just as I promised Moses.
Your territory will stretch from the mountain of Lebanon in the north to the desert in the south, as far east as the great Euphrates and west to the Mediterranean Sea.
As long as you live, no one can stand against you. I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not leave you or abandon you.
Be brave and courageous, for I will give these people the land I swore to their ancestors, and I will give it to them.
Therefore, be brave and faithfully keep the law that Moses, my servant, gave you. Do not turn aside from it to the right or the left; you will succeed wherever you go.
Always read and meditate on this law day and night so you can follow its instructions. Then your plans will succeed, and you’ll have success in everything.
It is I who command you; be strong and courageous. Do not tremble or be afraid, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
Joshua ordered the secretaries of the people:
“Pass through the camp and give this command: ‘Store up enough food, because in three days, you will cross the Jordan and enter the land that the Lord your God will give you.’”
To the people of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half of the tribe of Manasseh, Joshua said:
“Remember the command of Moses, the servant of the Lord; the Lord has provided you with a place of rest and has given you all this land.
The women and children, along with the livestock, will stay on this side of the Jordan, in the area Moses assigned to you. However, you who are brave should cross over, armed, ahead of your brothers, and help them until the Lord grants them rest, just as he has given you,
so they can also conquer the land that the Lord, our God, is giving them. Then you will return to the land Moses assigned us and take possession of the land east of the Jordan.”
They answered Joshua: “We will do everything you have commanded us and go wherever you send us. Just as we have obeyed Moses, so shall we obey you.
May the Lord, your God, be with you as he was with Moses.
Whoever contradicts your words and disobeys your orders shall die. But be brave and courageous.”
Commentaries
The Lord Calls Joshua.
We already know from Numbers 34:17 and Deuteronomy 31:23 that Joshua is Moses’ successor in leading the people, so what we find here is simply the divine confirmation of that succession. The purpose of this chapter is mainly instructional: first, it maintains continuity with the people’s liberation, which did not end with leaving Egypt or wandering through the desert; second, it establishes the foundation for divine support in this mission, which will be with Joshua and never abandon him, as long as he follows the Law (8); and third, it reaffirms the tribes of Reuben and Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh in the territory Moses assigned to them (Nm 32), reminding them of their commitment to cross the Jordan with their fellow tribes to help in the conquest.