Deuteronomy – This is the fifth book in the first five books of the Bible. Just as the Law of Moses had been given to the generation of the exodus, it must now be repeated in giving it to the generation of the conquest. Deuteronomy is not a second law but an adaptation and expansion of much of the original Law given on Mt. Sinai.
Deuteronomy is love, trust, and obey.
Have Respect for the LORD — “And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with your soul, and to observe the LORD’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?” Deut 10:12-13
Love and Obey the LORD — Listen to me. I’m setting a blessing and a curse in front of you today. I’m giving you the commands of the LORD your God today. You will be blessed if you obey them. But you will be cursed if you don’t obey them. Don’t worship other gods. You haven’t known anything about them before. Deut 11:26-28
Blessings for Obeying the LORD – All of the nations on earth will see that you belong to the LORD. And they will be afraid of you.
The LORD will give you more than you need. You will have many children. Your livestock will have many little ones. Your crops will do very well. All of that will happen in the land he promised with an oath to your fathers to give you.
The LORD will open up the heavens. That’s where he stores his riches. He will send rain on your land at just the right time. He’ll bless everything you do. You will lend money to many nations. But you won’t have to borrow from any of them. The LORD your God will make you leaders and not followers.
Pay attention to his commands that I’m giving you today. Be careful to follow them. Then you will always be on top. You will never be on the bottom. Deut 28:10-13 In this book, the people of Israel tested God’s patience, and He in turn tested their endurance and faithfulness. Though the people failed many times, God showed His own faithfulness by His constant presence leading the way: through a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.
Joshua
Joshua – This is the sixth book of the Bible. In the Book of Joshua, the fulfillment of the land promise made to Abraham in Genesis 12:6 was fulfilled. “Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.”
The entire Book of Joshua has to do with the entering, conquering, and occupying the Land of Canaan.It begins with the promise of the conquest. 1: 2 “My servant Moses is dead. Now you and all these people must go across the Jordan River. You must go into the land I am giving to the Israelites. 3 I promised Mose that I would give you this land, so I will give you all the land wherever you go. ERV
Now the gates of Jericho were securely barred because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in.
6:2 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Look, I will let you defeat the city of Jericho. You will defeat the king and all the fighting men in the city. 3 March around the city with your army once every day for six days. 4 Tell seven of the priests to carry trumpets made from the horns of male sheep and to march in front of the priests who are carrying the Holy Box. On the seventh day march around the city seven times and tell the priests to blow the trumpets while they march. 5 They will make one loud noise from the trumpets. When you hear that noise, tell all the people to begin shouting. When you do this, the walls of the city will fall down and your people will be able to go straight into the city.” ERV
6:15 On the seventh day, they got up at dawn and marched around the city seven times. They marched in the same way they had marched on the days before, but on that day they marched around the city seven times. 16 The seventh time they marched around the city, the priests blew their trumpets. Then Joshua gave the command: “Now, shout! The Lord is giving you this city! 17 The city and everything is to be destroyed as an offering to the Lord. Only Rahab the prostitute and everyone in her house will be left alive. These people must not be killed because she helped the two spies. 18 Remember, we must destroy everything else. Don’t take anything. If you take anything and bring it into our camp, you yourselves will be destroyed, and you will cause trouble for the rest of our people. 19 All the things made from silver, gold, bronze, and iron belong to the Lord. They must be put in the Lord’s treasury.” ERV
6:20 So then the priests blew the trumpets. When the people heard the trumpets, they began shouting. The walls fell down, and the people ran up into the city. So the Israelites defeated that city. It ends with the conquest completed in 23:14 NIRV–“Now I’m about to die, just as everyone else on earth does. The LORD your God has kept all of the good promises he gave you. Every one of them has come true. Not one has failed to come true. And you know that with all your heart and soul.”
Joshua’s great challenge: Joshua 24:15 ERV- “But maybe you don’t want to serve the Lord. You must choose for yourselves today. Today you must decide who you will serve. Will you serve the gods that your ancestors worshiped when they lived on the other side of the Euphrates River? Or will you serve the gods of the Amorites who lived in this land? You must choose for yourselves. But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.”
