Bible Study - Joshua: A Faith Rooted in GOD'S Word - Joshua 1:1-9, 16-18 - June 16, 2025 (Enjoy and Be Blessed)

 

Bible Study – Joshua: A Faith Rooted in GOD’S Word – Joshua 1:1-9, 16-18 – June 16, 2025

Change of leadership for the Israelites from Moses to Joshua. Why?

Disobedience to GOD’S instructions. Moses and Aaron had led the Israelites for 40 years by following GOD’S instructions.

What happened?

Let’s explore!

When GOD tells us tells something to do and how to do it, HE expects HIS chosen to follow HIS instructions.

Wandering in the desert has many challenges. The need for water is at the top of the list. Years earlier GOD had demonstrated HIS sufficiency to care for the Israelites need for water as written in Exodus 17:1-7.Top of Form

Let’s read Exodus 17:1-7:

Christian Standard Bible

Water from the Rock – The First Time

17 The entire Israelite community left the Wilderness of Sin, moving from one place to the next according to the Lord’s command. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. ² So the people complained to Moses, “Give us water to drink.”

“Why are you complaining to me?” Moses replied to them. “Why are you testing the Lord?”

³ But the people thirsted there for water and grumbled against Moses. They said, “Why did you ever bring us up from Egypt to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?”

⁴ Then Moses cried out to the Lord, “What should I do with these people? In a little while they will stone me!”

⁵ The Lord answered Moses, “Go on ahead of the people and take some of the elders of Israel with you. Take the staff you struck the Nile with (you) in your hand and go. ⁶ I am going to stand there in front of you on the rock at Horeb; when you hit the rock, water will come out of it and the people will drink.” Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel. ⁷ He named the place Massah^[a] and Meribah^[b] because the Israelites complained, and because they tested the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”

Only GOD can get water from a rock.

Exodus 20:1-17: (This is the Second Time, the Israelites needed water, years later and in a different location.)

Years later, the Israelites were again in the desert as recorded in Exodus 20:1 The entire Israelite community entered the Wilderness of Zin in the first month, and they^[a] settled in Kadesh. Miriam died and was buried there.

² There was no water for the community, so they assembled against Moses and Aaron. ³ The people quarreled with Moses and said, “If only we had perished when our brothers perished before the Lord. ⁴ Why have you brought the Lord’s assembly into this wilderness for us and our livestock to die here? ⁵ Why have you led us up from Egypt to bring us to this evil place? It’s not a place of grain, figs, vines, and pomegranates, and there is no water to drink!”

⁶ Then Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the doorway of the tent of meeting. They fell facedown, and the glory of the Lord appeared to them. ⁷ The Lord spoke to Moses, ⁸ “Take the staff and assemble the community. You and your brother Aaron are to speak to the rock (this was a different rock) while they watch, and it will yield its water. You will bring out water for them from the rock and provide drink for the community and their livestock.”

⁹ So Moses took the staff from the Lord’s presence just as he had commanded him. ¹⁰ Moses and Aaron summoned the assembly in front of the rock, and Moses said to them, “Listen, you rebels! Must we bring water out of this rock for you?” ¹¹ Then Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with his staff, so that abundant water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank.

Oh, my!!! GOD told them to speak to the rock, not to hit it as Moses had done years earlier. Had the faith of Moses begun to wear thin?

GOD knows our hearts, and HE establishes the boundaries for our service. When we stick with the tried-and-true things that worked before rather than walking in faith as GOD instructs us, GOD knows it is time for HIS chosen to step aside and let a new leader take over.

And GOD did that as we read on----

¹² But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust me to demonstrate my holiness in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this assembly into the land I have given them.” 

It was time for GOD’S Chosen to learn that walking by faith by speaking HIS Word would be multiplied and was as powerful as using a visible stick in one person’s hand. GOD was introducing a new level of faith, speaking GOD’S Word accomplishes GOD’S will and purpose.

What did GOD do for Moses? GOD rebuked him and told him that he would not enter the promised land. However, GOD also had compassion on Moses and GOD took Moses to the top of a mountain to let him see the Promised Land, although Moses would not go into the Promised Land.

Was GOD finished with Moses? NO!!!

We read in Deuteronomy 34:1-12:

Moses’s Death

34 Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which faces Jericho, and the Lord showed him all the land: Gilead as far as Dan, ² all of Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Mediterranean^[a] Sea, ³ the Negev, and the plain in the Valley of Jericho, the City of Palms, as far as Zoar. ⁴ The Lord then said to him, “This is the land I promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have let you see it with your own eyes, but you will not cross into it.”

⁵ So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the Lord’s word. ⁶ He buried him^[b] in the valley in the land of Moab facing Beth-peer, and no one to this day knows where his grave is. ⁷ Moses was one hundred twenty years old when he died; his eyes were not weak, and his vitality had not left him. ⁸ The Israelites wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days. Then the days of weeping and mourning for Moses came to an end.

⁹ Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands on him. So, the Israelites obeyed him and did as the Lord had commanded Moses. ¹⁰ No prophet has arisen again in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face. ¹¹ He was unparalleled for all the signs and wonders the Lord sent him to do against the land of Egypt—to Pharaoh, to all his officials, and to all his land— ¹² and for all the mighty acts of power and terrifying deeds that Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.

Moses died and GOD buried his body, however, we know that GOD had plans for Moses in the confirmation of JESUS regarding the Law on the Mount of Transfiguration.

But Moses was physically dead, or was he?

We read in Matthew 17:1-9:

17 After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother John and led them up on a high mountain by themselves. ² He (JESUS) was transfigured in front of them, and his face shone like the sun; his clothes became as white as the light. ³ Suddenly, Moses (Representing the Law) and Elijah (Representing, The Prophets) appeared to them, talking with him (JESUS). ⁴ Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it’s good for us to be here. If you want, I will set up^[a] three shelters here: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”

⁵ While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud covered^[b] them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased. Listen to him!” ⁶ When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown and were terrified.

⁷ Jesus came up, touched them, and said, “Get up; don’t be afraid.” ⁸ When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus alone.

⁹ As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Don’t tell anyone about the vision until the Son of Man is raised^[c] from the dead.”

Back to our focus scripture Joshua 1:1-9 and 16-18:

Encouragement of Joshua, GOD’S New Leader for the Israelites.

1 After the death of Moses the Lord’s servant, the Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’s assistant: ² “Moses my servant is dead. Now you and all the people prepare to cross over the Jordan to the land I am giving the Israelites. ³ I have given you every place where the sole of your foot treads, just as I promised Moses. ⁴ Your territory will be from the wilderness and Lebanon to the great river, the Euphrates River—all the land of the Hittites—and west to the Mediterranean Sea. ⁵ No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. I will be with you, just as I was with Moses. I will not leave you or abandon you.

A change of GOD’S leader did not change GOD’S promise or mission.

⁶ “Be strong and courageous, for you will distribute the land I swore to their ancestors to give them as an inheritance. ⁷ Above all, be strong and very courageous to observe carefully the whole instruction my servant Moses commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right or the left, so that you will have success wherever you go. ⁸ This book of instruction must not depart from your mouth; you are to meditate on^[a] it day and night so that you may carefully observe everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in whatever you do. ⁹ Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Joshua Prepares the People

¹⁰ Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, ¹¹ “Go through the camp and tell the people, ‘Get provisions ready for yourselves, for within three days you will be crossing the Jordan to go in and take possession of the land the Lord your God is giving you to inherit.’”

¹² Joshua said to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh, ¹³ “Remember what Moses the Lord’s servant commanded you when he said, ‘The Lord your God will give you rest, and he will give you this land.’ ¹⁴ Your wives, dependents, and livestock may remain in the land Moses gave you on this side of the Jordan. But your best soldiers must cross over in battle formation^[b] ahead of your brothers and help them ¹⁵ until the Lord gives your brothers rest, as he has given you, and they too possess the land the Lord your God is giving them. You may then return to the land of your inheritance and take possession of what Moses the Lord’s servant gave you on the east side of the Jordan.”

¹⁶ They answered Joshua, “Everything you have commanded us we will do, and everywhere you send us we will go. ¹⁷ We will obey you, just as we obeyed Moses in everything. Certainly, the Lord your God will be with you, as he was with Moses. ¹⁸ Anyone who rebels against your order and does not obey your words in all that you command him, will be put to death. Above all, be strong and courageous!”

The Israelites were confident in the leadership of Moses and now they had confidence in the leadership of Joshua, who would lead them into the Promised Land.

Obedience is vital to all who will be going forward under the banner of GOD and the leadership of Joshua.

Blessings!!!

Extra: I tried to get the timeline between GOD instructing Moses to strike the rock for water the first time and GOD instructing Moses to “speak to the rock” for water years later.

The two events of Exodus 17:1-7 and Numbers 20:1-13 occurred in two different regions and two different times.

Physical water is vital for life upon earth and Spiritual water is vital for human Spiritual development and growth.

As you may recall, JESUS told the woman at the well. In John 4: ¹³ Jesus said, “Everyone who drinks from this water will get thirsty again. ¹⁴ But whoever drinks from the water that I will give him/her will never get thirsty again. In fact, the water I will give him/her will become a well^[f] of water springing up in him/her for eternal life.”

This is a foreshadow of the coming of the Holy Spirit to indwell all who are “born-again” through faith in JESUS.

The details of the two events are also different. In the first event, God told Moses to strike the rock with the rod (The Law). In the second event, God told him (Moses) to speak to the rock (Grace).

JESUS fulfilled the law and all who place their faith in JESUS are “born-again” by GOD’S Grace through the shed blood of JESUS. The blood of JESUS paid, in full, the price for sin and opened the door to eternal salvation through faith in JESUS.

The rock was and is a symbol of Christ (Exodus from Egypt – Does this include all people today? YES! How? Through the miracle of faith in JESUS through being “born-again.”

Spiritual birth, through faith in JESUS, results in all who place their faith in JESUS, Jews, and members of GOD’S eternal family.)

Back to our scripture:

Let’s read 1 Corinthians 10:1-4: (This is a foreshadow of all who place their faith in JESUS being Spirit-born into GOD’S eternal Family. The Apostle Paul wrote this. Keep in mind that Paul, before being “born-again,” was a Pharisee and studied Judaism under the Jewish teacher Gamaliel.)

1 Corinthians 10:1: Now I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud (when “our” ancestors left Egypt), all passed through the sea, ² and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. ³ They all ate the same spiritual food, ⁴ and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ. ⁵ Nevertheless God was not pleased with most of them since they were struck down in the wilderness.

The striking of the rock is a foreshadow of JESUS being struck as punishment for sin (The LAW). The next time, in the Wilderness of Zin, God did not want Him struck figuratively again, but to be spoken to (Grace).

The first event occurred in the wilderness of Sin and the second occurred in the wilderness of Zin.

Tragedy Occurred (Source - Never Thirst)

The second event was also tragic as Moses sinned and lost the right to enter the Promised Land. He sinned by becoming angry at the people, but the sin that cost him the right to enter the promised land was his lack of faithfulness. Notice God’s curious statement in Numbers 20:12:

¹² But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust me to demonstrate my holiness in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this assembly into the land I have given them.”

God’s comment that Moses “did not trust Me” is explained in Deuteronomy 32:51-52:

⁵¹ For both of you broke faith with me among the Israelites at the Waters of Meribath-kadesh in the Wilderness of Zin by failing to treat me as holy in their presence. ⁵² Although from a distance you will view the land that I am giving the Israelites, you will not go there.”

The Hebrew word for “broke faith” has the idea of “unfaithful, not loyal, and deceitful.” He was not faithful. In a sense, God was depending on him and he “let God down.” Moses’ sin occurred in his heart before he hit the rock. He was unfaithful.

Conclusion:

There are times in our lives when we have been unfaithful.

What a joy to be secure in GOD’S Grace.

Once a person has been “born-again” through faith in JESUS, he/she is eternally secure, however the person of faith will lose his/her rewards but not his/her salvation.

So why did God punish Moses so severely?

Because Moses’ relationship with God was like no other man’s. He is described as a humble man and a great prophet. God granted him a special relationship and in return GOD expected Moses to be faithful.

What a lesson for us! God calls us to be faithful in all that we do. Let’s ask God to make us faithful men and women. A special relationship with God calls for faithfulness. Let’s ask the Holy Spirit to help us be faithful and trust to the end in JESUS and HIS POWER.

Since the Passion of JESUS, all who place their faith in JESUS are under GOD’S Grace!

Do you want to be under GOD’S Grace? If so, ask JESUS to forgive you for your sins and for JESUS to come into your heart.

This makes you GOD’S SON/DAUGHTER, through the miracle of Spiritual Birth into GOD’S eternal Family.

Blessings!!!