Joshua · chapter 1 of 24
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Joshua 1 tells how God calls Joshua to succeed Moses and lead Israel across the Jordan into the promised land. The Lord promises to be with him and commands him to be strong and to meditate on the law. Joshua orders the people to prepare to cross, and the tribes of Reuben, Gad and half of Manasseh pledge to obey him.
The book of Joshua begins where the Pentateuch ends: Moses has died in the plains of Moab, and Joshua, his assistant for many years, must take his place. Israel has spent forty years in the wilderness and now stands before the Jordan, about to receive the land God promised to Abraham. This first chapter lays the foundation for the whole book: God's promise, the law as a guide, and the obedience of the people.
After the death of Moses, the Lord speaks to Joshua son of Nun and tells him to cross the Jordan with all the people into the land he is giving them. He marks out the borders of that land and promises that no one will be able to stand against Joshua as long as he lives, because God will be with him as he was with Moses, never leaving or forsaking him.
Three times God commands Joshua to be strong and courageous. His strength will not come from his own resources but from keeping the whole law Moses gave, turning neither right nor left. He must keep the book of the law on his lips, meditate on it day and night, and obey it; then his way will prosper. God ends by reminding him not to be afraid, because the Lord will be with him wherever he goes.
Joshua then gives orders to the officers of the people: prepare provisions, because in three days they will cross the Jordan. He turns to the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh, who had already received their inheritance east of the river, and reminds them of what Moses commanded: their armed men must cross ahead of their brothers and help them until they find rest. They answer that they will do all Joshua commands and go wherever he sends them, and they ask that the Lord be with him as he was with Moses. They declare that anyone who rebels against his word will die, and they tell him again: be strong and courageous.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
God promises Joshua that no one will be able to stand against him all his life and that he will be with him as he was with Moses, never leaving or forsaking him. The mission is huge, but Joshua's security rests on God's presence, not on his own ability.
The Lord commands that the book of the law not depart from Joshua's mouth, that he meditate on it day and night, and that he do everything written in it. Then his way will prosper. The success promised here grows out of faithfulness to God's word, not out of military strategy.
God repeats the command to be strong and courageous and adds that there is no reason to be terrified or discouraged, because the Lord will be with Joshua wherever he goes. The courage God asks for rests on his company.
The eastern tribes answer that they will do all Joshua commands and go wherever he sends them. They promise to obey him as they obeyed Moses, asking only that the Lord be with him. They show the unity of the people at the start of the conquest.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: He speaks to Joshua son of Nun, Moses' assistant, and tells him to cross the Jordan with all the people into the land he is giving them. — Joshua 1:1-2
Answer: That he will be with him as he was with Moses, and will not leave him or forsake him. — Joshua 1:5
Answer: Keep it on his lips, meditate on it day and night, and do everything written in it. — Joshua 1:8
Answer: To be strong and courageous, and not to fear or be discouraged, because the Lord will be with him. — Joshua 1:9
Answer: In three days, so they must prepare provisions. — Joshua 1:11
Answer: Reuben, Gad and half of Manasseh; their fighting men must cross armed ahead of their brothers and help them until they find rest. — Joshua 1:12-15
Joshua 1 teaches that God does not leave his people without direction when one season ends. Joshua had to take on an enormous task, and what God offers him is not a detailed plan but his presence and his word. In a Sunday school class or small group you can ask which changes, losses or new responsibilities feel bigger than our strength, and remember that God's promise goes with the one who obeys.
The chapter also pictures a concrete way of life: meditating on Scripture day and night, not as a ritual but as the way decisions are guided. And the eastern tribes remind us that God's people advance together: those who already have rest help their brothers who are still fighting. Think about who needs your support today to fulfill their calling.
Joshua 1 leaves the people prepared and united before the Jordan, with a leader whom God has promised his company and to whom the tribes have promised obedience. In Joshua 2 the story moves to Jericho, where two spies sent in secret meet a woman who believes in the God of Israel.
He had been Moses' assistant for many years, was one of the twelve spies sent into Canaan, and with Caleb urged the people to trust God. Moses appointed him successor at the Lord's command, so Joshua came to leadership after a long apprenticeship beside his teacher.
Not necessarily. The promise is addressed to Joshua for a specific mission: leading Israel into the promised land. To prosper means, above all, to advance in God's purpose through obedience. The text ties success to faithfulness to God's word, not to material gain.
Moses had granted their inheritance east of the river on the condition that they help their brothers in the conquest. Joshua reminds them of that commitment: their fighting men would cross armed with the other tribes and return to their families only when everyone had rest.