Why Did Joshua Lead Israel Across The Jordan?

When the Israelites came out of Egypt in the Exodus (see Why Did They Go To Goshen? and Moses Of Midian), they first went south to Mount Sinai (see Paul's Geography Lesson), and then northward through the Sinai to the Negev Desert (see The Negev Of Israel). They were to have entered the Promised Land through the Negev, but when they rebelled (just as they had done at Mount Sinai; see The Mount Sinai Riot), the LORD turned them around and had them wander in the Sinai for the next forty years, until the original generation of the Exodus had all died off (see A Journey Without A Destination). It was their children who later entered the Promised Land, not through the south, but from the east, across the Jordan River - when the river had to be stopped to provide for them the dry ground that the Negev had naturally provided earlier. Notice however that, among the generation of rebels, were two who did not rebel - "Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun."

"^14:26 And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, ^14:27 How long shall I bear with this evil congregation, which murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against me. ^14:28 Say unto them, As truly as I live, saith the LORD, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you: ^14:29 Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against me, ^14:30 Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun. ^14:31 But your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have despised. ^14:32 But as for you, your carcases, they shall fall in this wilderness. ^14:33 And your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness. ^14:34 After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise." (Numbers 14:26-34 KJV)

If the Israelites had crossed into their promised land at the first opportunity that the LORD had given them, as described above, Moses would have led them. By the time that the forty years of wandering (as described above) were over however, Moses, at age 120, was no longer able to do so.

"^27:12 And the LORD said unto Moses, Get thee up into this mount Abarim, and see the land which I have given unto the children of Israel. ^27:13 And when thou hast seen it, thou also shalt be gathered unto thy people, as Aaron thy brother was gathered. ^27:14 For ye rebelled against my commandment in the desert of Zin, in the strife of the congregation, to sanctify me at the water before their eyes: that is the water of Meribah in Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.

^27:15 And Moses spake unto the LORD, saying, ^27:16 Let the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation, ^27:17 Which may go out before them, and which may go in before them, and which may lead them out, and which may bring them in; that the congregation of the LORD be not as sheep which have no shepherd." (Numbers 27:12-17 KJV)

So it was that Joshua was given charge to complete the job that the LORD had given to Moses.

"^27:18 And the LORD said unto Moses, Take thee Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay thine hand upon him; ^27:19 And set him before Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation; and give him a charge in their sight. ^27:20 And thou shalt put some of thine honour upon him, that all the congregation of the children of Israel may be obedient. ^27:21 And he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall ask counsel for him after the judgment of Urim before the LORD: at his word shall they go out, and at his word they shall come in, both he, and all the children of Israel with him, even all the congregation.

^27:22 And Moses did as the LORD commanded him: and he took Joshua, and set him before Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation: ^27:23 And he laid his hands upon him, and gave him a charge, as the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses." (Numbers 27:18-23 KJV)

"Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him: and the children of Israel hearkened unto him, and did as the LORD commanded Moses"

Moses then proclaimed that Joshua was to succeed him, as "The LORD thy God, he will go over before thee" into the new homeland.

"^31:1 And Moses went and spake these words unto all Israel. ^31:2 And he said unto them, I am an hundred and twenty years old this day; I can no more go out and come in: also the LORD hath said unto me, Thou shalt not go over this Jordan. ^31:3 The LORD thy God, he will go over before thee, and he will destroy these nations from before thee, and thou shalt possess them: and Joshua, he shall go over before thee, as the LORD hath said. ^31:4 And the LORD shall do unto them as he did to Sihon and to Og, kings of the Amorites, and unto the land of them, whom he destroyed. ^31:5 And the LORD shall give them up before your face, that ye may do unto them according unto all the commandments which I have commanded you. ^31:6 Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

^31:7 And Moses called unto Joshua, and said unto him in the sight of all Israel, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou must go with this people unto the land which the LORD hath sworn unto their fathers to give them; and thou shalt cause them to inherit it. ^31:8 And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed." (Deuteronomy 31:1-8 KJV)

Joshua did not receive a political appointment; he was appointed at the Tabernacle of the LORD, where Moses deposited the Book of the Law that the LORD had decreed to Moses i.e. it wasn't "the Law of Moses, it was the Law of Christ (see The Rock Of The Church).

"^31:14 And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, thy days approach that thou must die: call Joshua, and present yourselves in the tabernacle of the congregation, that I may give him a charge. And Moses and Joshua went, and presented themselves in the tabernacle of the congregation.

^31:15 And the LORD appeared in the tabernacle in a pillar of a cloud: and the pillar of the cloud stood over the door of the tabernacle. ^31:16 And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers; and this people will rise up, and go a whoring after the gods of the strangers of the land, whither they go to be among them, and will forsake me, and break my covenant which I have made with them. ^31:17 Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall befall them; so that they will say in that day, Are not these evils come upon us, because our God is not among us? ^31:18 And I will surely hide my face in that day for all the evils which they shall have wrought, in that they are turned unto other gods.

^31:19 Now therefore write ye this song for you, and teach it the children of Israel: put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the children of Israel. ^31:20 For when I shall have brought them into the land which I sware unto their fathers, that floweth with milk and honey; and they shall have eaten and filled themselves, and waxen fat; then will they turn unto other gods, and serve them, and provoke me, and break my covenant. ^31:21 And it shall come to pass, when many evils and troubles are befallen them, that this song shall testify against them as a witness; for it shall not be forgotten out of the mouths of their seed: for I know their imagination which they go about, even now, before I have brought them into the land which I sware. ^31:22 Moses therefore wrote this song the same day, and taught it the children of Israel.

^31:23 And he gave Joshua the son of Nun a charge, and said, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou shalt bring the children of Israel into the land which I sware unto them: and I will be with thee.

^31:24 And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law in a book, until they were finished, ^31:25 That Moses commanded the Levites [see Are Levites 'Jews'?], which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, saying, ^31:26 Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee." (Deuteronomy 31:14-26 KJV)

Moses then viewed the land from east of the Jordan River, from atop Mount Nebo.

"^32:44 And Moses came and spake all the words of this song in the ears of the people, he, and Hoshea the son of Nun. ^32:45 And Moses made an end of speaking all these words to all Israel: ^32:46 And he said unto them, Set your hearts unto all the words which I testify among you this day, which ye shall command your children to observe to do, all the words of this law. ^32:47 For it is not a vain thing for you; because it is your life: and through this thing ye shall prolong your days in the land, whither ye go over Jordan to possess it.

^32:48 And the LORD spake unto Moses that selfsame day, saying, ^32:49 Get thee up into this mountain Abarim, unto mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, that is over against Jericho; and behold the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel for a possession: ^32:50 And die in the mount whither thou goest up, and be gathered unto thy people; as Aaron thy brother died in mount Hor, and was gathered unto his people: ^32:51 Because ye trespassed against me among the children of Israel at the waters of Meribah-Kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin; because ye sanctified me not in the midst of the children of Israel. ^32:52 Yet thou shalt see the land before thee; but thou shalt not go thither unto the land which I give the children of Israel." (Deuteronomy 32:44-52 KJV)

Moses then died, in the land east of the Jordan River. Although he did not make it into the promised land west of the Jordan, his burial place is within the territory of the two and a half Israelite tribes who were allotted their territory east of the Jordan (see Beyond Jordan).

"^34:1 And Moses went up from the plains of Moab unto the mountain of Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, that is over against Jericho. And the LORD showed him all the land of Gilead, unto Dan, ^34:2 And all Naphtali, and the land of Ephraim, and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah, unto the utmost sea, ^34:3 And the south, and the plain of the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, unto Zoar. ^34:4 And the LORD said unto him, This is the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy seed: I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither.

^34:5 So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD. ^34:6 And he buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Bethpeor: but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day. ^34:7 And Moses was an hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated. ^34:8 And the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days: so the days of weeping and mourning for Moses were ended.

^34:9 And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him: and the children of Israel hearkened unto him, and did as the LORD commanded Moses. ^34:10 And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, ^34:11 In all the signs and the wonders, which the LORD sent him to do in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh, and to all his servants, and to all his land, ^34:12 And in all that mighty hand, and in all the great terror which Moses showed in the sight of all Israel." (Deuteronomy 34:1-12 KJV)

The Book of Joshua is a historical record of Joshua completing the mission of Moses.

"^1:1 Now after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD it came to pass, that the LORD spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' minister, saying,

^1:2 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. ^1:3 Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses. ^1:4 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. ^1:5 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.

^1:6 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. ^1:7 Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. ^1:8 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.

^1:9 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." (Joshua 1:1-9 KJV)

Fact Finder: What does the land of "milk and honey" mean?
See Milk and Honey

This Day In History, January 10

49 BC: Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon, defying the Roman senate, and plunging Rome into civil war (see The Politics Of Rome and Pax Romana: The Birth Of The Roman Empire).

1430: Charles V (Hapsburg) founded his knights of the "Order of The Golden Fleece" (see also Constantine's Crusades In History And Prophecy).

1538: A statement by Martin Luther regarding the Roman Catholic doctrine of Purgatory: "God has placed two ways before us in His Word: salvation by faith, damnation by unbelief. He does not mention purgatory at all. Nor is purgatory to be admitted, for it obscures the benefits and grace of Christ."

1645: William Laud, the Archbishop of Canterbury, was beheaded for treason.

1863: The world's first underground ("subway") railway service opened, in London, England.

1920: After the First World War (1914-1918; listen to our Sermon The European World Wars), the Treaty of Versailles took effect. The Treaty had also established the League of Nations.

1920: The League of Nations opened, in Geneva. The organization was replaced by the United Nations after the Second World War.

1922: Arthur Griffith was elected President of the newly formed Irish Free State.

1934: Marinus van der Lubbe was guillotined in Germany for allegedly setting fire to the Reichstag (the German Parliament Building). The fire (which many believe was actually started by the Nazis themselves) was used by Adolf Hitler as his excuse to institute wide-ranging "homeland security" measures, including the creation of the infamous Gestapo - a German abbreviation of "The State Police" (see also Presidential Quotes On War, Terrorism, Religion).

1940: German aircraft attacked 12 ships off the British coast; 3 ships sunk, 35 crewmen killed.

1942: Japanese forces invaded the Dutch East Indies.

1946: The League of Nations was officially superseded by the United Nations when the first U.N. General Assembly opened in London.

1947: Two years after the Second World War ended, the Greek ship Himara struck a wartime mine in the Saronic Gulf south of Athens; 393 of the 637 people aboard were killed.

1962: 4,000 people were killed by an eruption and avalanche in Peru.

1970: Russian cosmonaut Pavel Belyayev died at age 45. He was the pilot of the Soviet's Unions 8th manned space mission in 1965 when Belyayev's co-pilot, Aleksey Leonov, became the first man to walk in space.

1984: The U.S. and the Vatican established full diplomatic relations.

2003: Illinois Governor George Ryan commuted the death sentences of 167 prisoners on Illinois' death row after Chicago police were convicted of torturing false murder confessions out of over 200 people between 1972 and 1991.

2008: Edmund Hillary died at age 88. In 1953, the New Zealander, along with his Sherpa (a people of Nepal) guide Tenzing Norgay, became the first to climb Mount Everest.