Joshua 1:10 - Meaning and Application

Joshua, now fully established in leadership, goes straight to work. He does not turn to status or comfort, but to the task God had given him among the people. As someone who wants the office of a minister wants a good work (1 Timothy 3:1), so anyone who wants the office of a ruler should want useful work, not ease.

I. He gives the people orders to get ready for the march. They had camped in the same place so long that breaking camp would take some effort. The officers who served under Joshua in the tribes and families came to him for instructions, and they were to pass those orders on to the people. Lower officials are just as needed for the public good in their places as the highest ruler is in his. Joshua could not have managed without officers. So we are told to be subject, not only to the king as the highest authority, but also to governors, who are sent by him (1 Peter 2:13, 1 Peter 2:14).

Through these officers, Joshua gives public notice that they will cross the Jordan within three days. I suppose these orders were given after the spies returned with their report from Jericho, though that story is told later in chapter 2. That earlier mission may have shown how cautious Joshua was, which is why he needed to be told so often to be strong and brave. Notice how confidently Joshua speaks to the people, because God had already said it to him: You will cross Jordan and take the land. We honor God’s truth when we speak with that same trust.

He also tells them to prepare food, not travel supplies. The God who carried them out of Egypt on eagle’s wings would also carry them into Canaan to bring them to himself (Exodus 19:4). But those who wanted food other than manna, which had not yet stopped, had to get it ready by the appointed time. Perhaps the manna was not ending all at once, but was slowly decreasing now that they had entered a land where other food could be found (Exodus 16:35). In that case, this order included whatever they would need for the journey. Some Jewish writers say this was also a spiritual picture: they should repent of their sins, make peace with God, and decide to live in a new way, so they would be ready for this great blessing. See (Exodus 19:10, Exodus 19:11).

II. He reminds the two and a half tribes, Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh, of the duty they had taken on to cross over Jordan with their brothers, even though their own families and land stayed behind. The other tribes would gladly go over because they would gain an inheritance there, but for these tribes it meant sacrifice and inconvenience. So Joshua brings forward the agreement Moses had made with them when he gave them land before their brothers (Joshua 1:13): remember the word Moses commanded you.

Some of them may have thought that now Moses was dead, they could escape that duty. They may have felt he had been too strict and hoped to find some excuse, or even persuade Joshua to excuse them. But Joshua holds them to their promise. Though Moses was dead, his command and their agreement were still binding. He reminds them first of the good they had already received. The Lord their God had given them rest. He had given their minds rest, because they knew what they could trust in. They were not waiting, like the other tribes, first for war to end and then for land to be assigned. He had also given rest to their families, their wives and children, which was part of their joy. He had given them rest by giving them this good land, and they already possessed it in peace. When God has given us rest by his providence, we should think about how to honor him with it, and how to help brothers and sisters who are not yet settled. When God gave David rest (2 Samuel 7:1), David was not idle. He stayed restless until he found a place for the ark (Psalm 132:4, Psalm 132:5). When God gives us rest, we must be careful not to become lazy or settle into comfort.

Joshua also reminds them of their agreement to help their brothers in the wars of Canaan until God gave the other tribes rest too (Joshua 1:14, Joshua 1:15). This was reasonable in itself, because all the tribes were so closely joined that they should see themselves as members of one body. It was also commanded by Moses, the servant of the Lord, and Joshua, his successor, would make sure that command was kept. It was the only safe way for them to avoid the guilt of a serious sin, one that would eventually find them out (Numbers 32:23). It was also the condition attached to the land Moses had given them, so they could not be sure of a true title to, or peaceful enjoyment of, their own inheritance if they did not keep that condition. And they had agreed to it themselves: Your servants will do as my lord commands (Numbers 32:25). In the same way, we are all under many obligations to strengthen one another, and to seek not only our own good, but the good of others too.