Joshua 4-6

This passage begins with the rather inspiring conclusion of Israel's crossing of the Jordan River. Here, the Lord instructs Joshua to select one man from each of the twelve tribes; each of these men must take a stone from the middle of the Jordan where the priests have been standing with the ark of the covenant. After they take the stones and cross the Jordan, the priests also cross the Jordan with the ark; the Lord then returns the river to its normal state. Israel camps at Gilgal, which is east of Jericho, and Joshua sets up the stones from the middle of the Jordan; this monument will serve as a reminder for future generations of the Lord's faithfulness.

1. Circumcision at Gilgal
The Lord commands Joshua to make flint knives and circumcise the Israelites. Apparently the current generation had not been circumcised during their time in the desert; this may have stemmed from the spiritual apathy of the previous generation, though this is unclear. After Joshua performs this mass circumcision, Israel celebrates the Passover by gathering food from the Promised Land; it should be noted that the Lord stopped providing manna for them at this time, as they now had no need for it.

2. The Fall of Jericho
The Lord then commands Joshua to lay siege to Jericho. For each of the next six days, the armed men of Israel are to march once around the city walls; during this daily march they are to be followed by seven priests blowing shofars. These priests are to be followed by other priests who are carrying the ark of the covenant, and the latter group of priests are to be followed by a rear guard. On the seventh day this march is to be performed seven times, and then the priests with the shofars are to signal the people of Israel with a long blast; the people will then give a loud shout and the Lord will knock down the walls of Jericho, setting the stage for Israel's devastation of the city and its inhabitants. All of these events then occur as prescribed by the Lord.

While reading this familiar section I came across the following tidbits:

• This question was actually raised in my NIV Study Bible: was the Sabbath ignored during war? This is something that I had completely overlooked during my previous strolls through Joshua; I'm not sure why the Sabbath was not observed in the usual manner at that time.


• In 6:23, we see that Rahab and her family were placed outside the camp of Israel after the sacking of Jericho. This shows that God's decrees regarding the purity of the Israelite camp were being observed, as none of Rahab's family members were Israelites; they would have been classified as aliens.


• In 6:26, we see that the Lord placed a curse on the unfortunate soul who would attempt to rebuild Jericho. In particular, it turns out that this curse was fulfilled over 500 years later in 1 Kings 16:34.

Joshua 1-3 "Entering the Promised Land"

Joshua 1  {Joshua takes control}
After Moses died, God told Joshua that he was now in charge of taking the Israelites across the Jordan to the Promised Land. God encouraged Joshua multiple time, saying "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

But to the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh, he reminded them of a promise God had made earlier to give them THIS land. Their wives and children could settle. However, the fighting men had to go along with everyone else to fight first and take possession of the Promised Land before they could return.

Joshua 2 {Rahab and the Spies}
A few men were sent out to spy on the land, especially Jericho. They stayed at the home of a prostitute named Rahab. The king of Jericho found out that there were spies and tried to ask Rahab to reveal them. Rahab protected the men and hid them.

She then told the men how everybody had heard they were coming and they were really really scared. They had heard the stories about how God had parted sea for them, etc. They knew the Israelites were coming and they were terrified. She asked that they show favor on her and her family since she showed favor to them.

They agreed, telling her to tie a scarlet cord on the door so that they would know not to harm her or her family.

She agreed and the men eventually reported back to the Israelites, “The LORD has surely given the whole land into our hands; all the people are melting in fear because of us.”

Joshua 3 {Crossing the Jordan}
Early the next morning Joshua told everyone to follow the ark of the covenant. God told Joshua to tell the priests who were carrying the ark to step into the water of the Jordan. Miraculously, the water stopped flowing and built up somewhere else upstream. The ground was dry and the Israelites crossed the river on foot.

Deuteronomy 32-35

The Promised Land

Chapter 32
Moses teaches the Israelites a song whose lyrics appear in this chapter. In essence, the song exalts God, summarizes what the Lord has done for Israel, predicts how they will turn away from Him, and then details how they will suffer curses as a result of the Lord's "vindiction."

Moses uses this song to warn the Israelites to obey the Lord. If they do,
"By them you will live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess.”

God then commands Moses to climb up the mountain to die. Moses will never be able to see the Promised Land because he and Aaron "broke faith with [God] in the presence of the Israelites at the waters of Meribah Kadesh in the Desert of Zin," and because they did not uphold God's holiness among the Israelites.

Chapter 33
Moses then blessed each of the tribes one by one:

Let Reuben live and not die
be Judah's help against his foes
Bless Levi's skills and strike down those who rise against him
Let the beloved of the Lord rest in Benjamin
Many many blessings, both material goods and battle strength, were bestowed upon Joseph
Zebulun will feast on the abundance of the seas
Gad chose the choicest land, and blessed is he who enlarges it
Dan is a lion’s cub, springing out of Bashan
Naphthali will inherit southward to the lake
Asher's strength will equal his days

Blessed are you, Israel!
Who is like you,
a people saved by the LORD?
He is your shield and helper
and your glorious sword.

Chapter 34
Then Moses climbed Mount Nebo and the Lord showed him all the land that the Israelites would inherit. Then, Moses died at the age of 120. The Israelites mourned his death for a month. Joshua, who was filled with the spirit of wisdom from the Lord, took over as leader.

I like the ending . . .

10 Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, 11 who did all those signs and wonders the LORD sent him to do in Egypt—to Pharaoh and to all his officials and to his whole land. 12 For no one has ever shown the mighty power or performed the awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.