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The Call Of Joshua
The Lord called Joshua the son of Nun, to lead the children of Israel into the promised land after the death of Moses. The Lord promised Abraham that his descendants will inherit the land and dwell there.
To guide the children of Israel the Lord used Moses and he had done many miracles before the Israelites to make them understand that he is their almighty God.
Joshua was Moses’s helper and whenever Moses used to go to lead the people at that time Joshua also took the responsibility to lead them.
The Lord remembered Joshua when Moses was dead and he asked him to gather all the Israelites near Jordan as he would give them the land that was foretold to their grandparents.
The Lord told them that all the land around them will be their territory and no man shall be able to stand before them. The Lord also comforted Joshua by saying that as he was with Moses thus he will also be with him and he will not forsake him.
Joshua was commanded to be strong and of good courage so that he can become a good leader to lead such people into the promised land and he was also assigned to divide the land for every tribe.
Moses received the law from the Lord and it was the guidebook for Israel. Joshua was informed that he should be very courageous and strong as he was appointed as a leader to guide the children of Israel into a promised land.
Though Joshua worked with Moses earlier that time he was just an assistant but now he alone had to do everything. The Lord knew his heart and that is why several times he warned him to be strong and courageous.
To become successful and wise he must meditate upon the law book by day and night to understand God’s will so that he will be enriched with the heavenly wisdom by which he can be able to lead the children of God.
The Lord also assured him that his presence will always protect him.
Crossing The Jordan River
After which Joshua commanded the officers of the Israelites that they are about to possess the land which was promised by the Lord. To inherit the land they must get ready for the land and they will be crossing the Jordan within three days.
Departing from Egypt the children of Israel were tired as they traveled various places in that time Joshua told them to remember what Moses the servant of the Lord commanded them concerning the land which will be given to them for their rest.
Moses told the tribes of Reubenites, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh to assist them to capture the land.
They also agreed with Joshua and said that we will be with you as long as the Lord will walk with you and we will listen to your single every word and if anyone disobeys you he will be sentenced to death.
Rahab Hides The Spies
Joshua started preparing for the mission that was given to him to accomplish. Before starting their journey he has sent out two people to take a report of the land secretly, especially the land of Jericho.
The two people from Israel went down to Jericho and they lodged in the house of a harlot named Rahab. The people of Jericho got the news that two people had come from Israel to verify and observe our land.
The king of Jericho sent his people to the house of Rahab to get information about those two people.
Rahab told them that yes they came to me but they also left our city before the evening so if you follow him then you can get them. Listening to this the people of Jericho ran towards Jordan to search those Israelites who came as spies to search the land.
At night Rahab approached those Israelites who had come to visit their land and she told them that we all have heard about your God and we all are extremely worried about the destruction that will happen to us.
Every inhabitant of this land is afraid because of your God. Every inhabitant of this land is well known about the incident of the Red sea where your God dried up the water of the Red sea and you all were delivered from the Egyptians and we all heard about your God who helped you destroy the kings of Amorites, Sihon, and Og.
Rahab also said that the moment they heard of these incidents their hearts melted and everyone was afraid of them.
Rahab urged them not to destroy as she had shown kindness to them by giving shelter and she did not tell the people of the king that they were taking rest at her house. She made them swear by the name of the Lord so that they could forsake them in the time of their attack.
Then the children of Israel told her that we will remember you if you keep it secret and if you do not make it publish only then we will kindly be with you when the Lord will give us this land.
After that, she helped them to get down through the window by using a scarlet rope as her house was on the city wall. She also guided them on how to reach their destination and she told them to reach the mountain first and they must hide for three days until the king’s people have returned.
The children of Israel told her that we will be free from sin concerning your promise which you made us by taking the name of the Lord if you fail to bind this scarlet rope in the window.
They also told her that she must bring her father and all of her family members together and they must stay at the home when the children of Israel will attack the city and they must not go out of their home.
If they stay at home they will be safe from the wrath of God but if they stay outside of their home then they will see death.
As soon as the spies from Israel left the city, Rahab bound the scarlet rope in the window. Israelites spies did according to what Rahab told them to do by hiding themselves on the mountain until the king’s people departed.
After reaching Joshua they explained everything that happened there in Jericho and they also told them that everyone in the land is afraid of them.
Israel Crosses The Jordan
Early in the morning Joshua started his journey from Acacia Grove to Jordan and he gathered all the children of Israel and they stayed there before they crossed the river Jordan.
This is the time by which Lord has revealed himself before Israel again that his presence will be with them as he was with Moses. Joshua was told to the people to be satisfied that they will be crossing the River Jordan under the guidance of the Lord.
The Lord told Joshua that on that day he will exalt him in the sight of the children of Israel so that they can understand that he is with him just like he was with Moses.
To cross The River Jordan the Lord gave them some instructions by which they will be successfully delivered for crossing the river.
The priests should be carried the ark and they will stand firm in the midst of the Jordan at that time the water from the upward side will be gathered as a heap and the children of Israel will cross the river on the dry land and thus they would cross the river and at last, the priest will cross the river and by this, they will see God’s mighty hand over them.
The Lord spoke to Joshua when everyone crossed over the Jordan And Joshua was commanded to tell twelve people from each tribe to take a stone from the midst of the Jordan where the priest’s foot stood firm and they shall carry it over with and keep them where they will lodge that night.
They should take the stones to show that in the future when the children of Israel will ask them about this they can speak about the miraculous crossing of Jordan. This will be a sign among them.
On that day the children of God around forty thousand who prepared for the war against Jericho and all of them crossed the Jordan while the priests stood in the midst of the river.
The Second Generation Circumcised
All the kings of Amorites and Canaanites came to know that the Lord had dried up the waters of the Jordan and the children of Israel crossed the river and this news made them so much afraid.
As the Lord made a covenant with Abraham to circumcise as a sign of the covenant. The Lord called Joshua to circumcise the children of Israel as they were born in the wilderness so they were needed to circumcise.
Joshua completely obeyed the Lord by preparing sharp knives and he circumcised the children of Israel. After the circumcision of the children of Israel, they remained there for several days until they were completely healed.
Joshua And The Battle Of Jericho
There in the land of Jericho, the Israelites kept the Passover on the fourteenth day and they ate the food which the land produced for them. The manna ceased to them after they ate the food which was produced from the land.
When Joshua was nearby Jericho he saw that a man stood opposite to him with a sword drawn in his hand. Joshua approached him and asked him are you for our side or are you our enemy?
But that man said that he is the commander of the Lord’s army. Hearing this he just fell down and worshipped him and asked him what the Lord said to him and the commander of the Lord’s army asked him to take off his sandal from his foot as the place is holy.
The people of Jericho were extremely afraid and they shut up all the doors because of the children of Israel. As they heard of their victories and God’s mighty hand by which they were delivered from Egypt and how they defeated all the kings and occupied the lands for themselves.
The Lord remembered Joshua and commanded him that Jericho will be in their hands after a few days.
The Lord gave some instructions to Joshua to destroy the city Jericho.
The Lord told Joshua that you have to march the city once for six days. But on the seventh day, you should walk around the city seven times. The seven priests will bear seven trumpets of ram’s horns and the ark of the covenant will be after them.
After completing seven rounds the priests will blow the trumpets of ram’s horns and the people will also shout followed by them and the city wall will fall down.
Joshua narrated the incident to the children of Israel what the Lord told him concerning the attack of Jericho.
Joshua and his people followed what the Lord told them to do. They marched around the city for six days and on the seventh day they woke up early in the morning and marched around the city for seven times and the priests blew the trumpets and the children of Israel made a great sound and the city wall collapsed.
Joshua commanded them not to touch any accursed things but they were permitted to take iron, good, silver and other materials for the treasury of the Lord.
Joshua remembered Rahab so he sent those two spies who visited the land earlier in her house to bring all her relatives out into Israel’s camp. As they destroyed the city with fire.
Defeat At Ai And Achan
After such a great victory the children of Israel were defeated at Ai. There were few people in the land of Ai so the children of Israel around three thousand went to fight with them but they were chased by them and around six hundred Israelites were slaughtered.
Joshua and the leaders of Israel were perplexed and they asked the reason for their defeat. The Lord told them that Achan took the accursed things from the city of Jericho and as a result of that the Lord left them.
The next day Joshua woke up early and asked the children of Israel to be sanctified so that God can forgive them and walk with them again. Joshua called every tribe along with their families and finally, he confronted Achan and asked him what did he do?
Achan told everything that he took garments, gold, and silvers which he kept hidden under his tent.
Joshua sent his people to get those accursed things before them. And when they gathered all those golds, silvers, and garments then Achan and his families were taken to the valley of Achor where they stoned to death and they were burned with fire.
After this incident, the children of Israel prepared again and they attacked the city Ai and destroyed it with fire.
Till the end of death, Joshua fought against many kings and the children of Israel inherited the promised land.
At the age of one hundred and ten years, Joshua died and his body was buried in Timnath Serah which is in the mountains of Ephraim, on the north side of Mount Gaash (Joshua 24:29).