1. What did God expect Joshua to do after Moses died?
the son of Nun, Moses' minister, saying, Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel” (Joshua 1:1-2). 2. In how many places, that Joshua led the children of Israel to conquer, would they be successful?
Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast. There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee” (Joshua 1:3-5). 3. Did God expect Joshua to be strong, or could Joshua just deviate from God’s plan as he wanted?
(Joshua 1:6). 4. How often was Joshua expected to be mindful of God’s law?
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” (Joshua 1:8). 5. Did Joshua continue to command the children of Gad and Reuben to do as earlier instructed by Moses (cf. Numbers 32:20-25)?
6. Did the children of Israel reject Joshua as their leader?
sendest us, we will go. According as we hearkened unto Moses in all things, so will we hearken unto thee: only the Lord thy God be with thee, as he was with Moses. Whosoever he be that doth rebel against thy commandment, and will not hearken unto thy words in all that thou commandest him, he shall be put to death: only be strong and of a good courage” (Joshua 1:16-18). 7. Who was Rahab?
• She hid the spies from the king of Jericho (Joshua 2:3-4). • She hid the spies and protected them by lying to the king of Jericho’s messengers (Joshua 2:5-7). • She showed that she feared God because she heard of His might (Joshua 2:8-13). • After the promise made that she’d be safe against God’s army, she let them down the wall from her window and advised them to hide three days (Joshua 2:14-17). • She agreed to bind scarlet thread in the window she let the spies escape through to save herself and only those who STAYED in her house (Joshua 2:18-20).
• Some focus on her lie and try to justify their lying by her. What about justifying being a whore by her (Ephesians 5:5)? • Her commendation will be of her faith, not her being a whore or a liar (Hebrews 11:31 and James 2:25; cf. Joshua 2:9-15; 6:17). • By necessary inference, we can know that Rahab would not have been a liar or a harlot had she been taught of God against such. Consider that the fear of God made her put her life on the line to protect God’s people. What would that same fear do if she had known God’s word (Proverbs 1:7; 14:2; 16:6 and Philippians 2:12)? 9. What was the difference of the report these spies gave opposed to the earlier spies of Numbers 13-14?
descended from the mountain, and passed over, and came to Joshua the son of Nun, and told him all things that befell them: And they said unto Joshua, Truly the Lord hath delivered into our hands all the land; for even all the inhabitants of the country do faint because of us” (Joshua 2:23-24). • Thanks to that lying whore, the spies knew of the fear of the people of Jericho: “For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed. And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the Lord your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath” (Joshua 2:10- 11). 10. Why did the children of Israel have to sanctify themselves?
11. Will the Lord do wonders to show the children of Israel that He is with Joshua?
12. What is the Lord going to do to show He will drive out the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and the Jebusites from before Israel?
13. How would you answer someone who said that the Jordan was shallow at the crossing of the children of Israel and no miracle was performed in that crossing?
bearing the ark of the covenant before the people; And as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest,) That the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho. And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan… And it came to pass, when the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord were come up out of the midst of Jordan, and the soles of the priests' feet were lifted up unto the dry land, that the waters of Jordan returned unto their place, and flowed over all his banks, as they did before” (Joshua 3:14-17; 4:18).
and take ye up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according unto the number of the tribes of the children of Israel: That this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones? Then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever” (Joshua 4:5-7). 15. How long did the priests stand in the midst of Jordan?
all that Moses commanded Joshua: and the people hasted and passed over (Joshua 4:10). 16. Who passed over Jordan armed before the children of Israel, as Moses spake unto them?
armed before the children of Israel, as Moses spake unto them: About forty thousand prepared for war passed over before the Lord unto battle, to the plains of Jericho” (Joshua 4:12-13).
the children of Israel, saying, When your children shall ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean these stones? Then ye shall let your children know, saying, Israel came over this Jordan on dry land. For the Lord your God dried up the waters of Jordan from before you, until ye were passed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red sea, which he dried up from before us, until we were gone over: That all the people of the earth might know the hand of the Lord, that it is mighty: that ye might fear the Lord your God for ever” (Joshua 4:20-24). 18. What was the reaction of the kings of the Amorites and all the kings of the Canaanites, which were by the sea, when they heard that the Lord had dried up the waters of Jordan from before the children of Israel?
5:1). 19. Why did Joshua have to circumcise again the children of Israel the second time?
Israel the second time. And Joshua made him sharp knives, and circumcised the children of Israel at the hill of the foreskins. And this is the cause why Joshua did circumcise: All the people that came out of Egypt, that were males, even all the men of war, died in the wilderness by the way, after they came out of Egypt. Now all the people that came out were circumcised: but all the people that were born in the wilderness by the way as they came forth out of Egypt, them they had not circumcised. For the children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, till all the people that were men of war, which came out of Egypt, were consumed, because they obeyed not the voice of the Lord: unto whom the Lord sware that he would not shew them the land, which the Lord sware unto their fathers that he would give us, a land that floweth with milk and honey. And their children, whom he raised up in their stead, them Joshua circumcised: for they were uncircumcised, because they had not circumcised them by the way” (Joshua 5:2-7). 20. Why did the children of Israel stop receiving manna from God?
21. Who did Joshua see standing with a sword drawn in his hand and how did Joshua react?
there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries? And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the Lord am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant? And the captain of the Lord's host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so” (Joshua 5:13-15). • It is not very clear who this captain of the Lord’s host is. In light of the Scriptures, can we say this is an angel (Deuteronomy 4:19, Colossians 2:18, and Revelation 19:9-10; 22:8-9; cf. Exodus 3:4-6). We know it is not the Father (John 1:18 and I John 4:12). |
| Having A Basic Understanding of Some Old Testament Truths Part 30 – After Moses’ Death Through The Captain Of The Lord Appearing (Joshua 1-5) Click Here To Download This Material in a PDF File |
| © 2008 This study was prepared for the midweek studies of the Sunrise Acres church of Christ in El Paso, TX by Brian A. Yeager. |
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