Joshua 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._ There shall not any man be able to stand before thee. Canaan had been promised to Israel by a divine grant; and the renewed confirmation of that grant to Joshua, when about to lead the people into it, intimated not only a certain, but an easy, conquest. It is remarkable, however, that his courage and hope of victory were made to depend (like those of the future king: see the note at Deuteronomy 17:19) on his firm and inflexible adherence to the law of God; not only to that regarding the extirpation of the Canaanites, but to the whole precepts of the divine code....

5._There shall not any man, _etc As a contest was about to be waged with numerous and warlike enemies, it was necessary thus to inspire Joshua with special confidence. But for this, the promise of delivering over the land which God had given, would ever and anon have become darkened; for how vast the enterprise to overthrow so many nations! This objection therefore is removed. And the better to free him from all doubt, he is reminded of the victories of Moses, by which God had made it manifest that nothing was easier for him than utterly to discomfit any host however great and powerful. Joshua, therefore, is ordered to behold in the assistance given to Moses the future issue of the wars which he was to undertake under the same guidance and protection. For the series of favors is continued without interruption to the successor. What follows is to the same effect, though it is more fully e...

5-9 Joshua is to make the law of God his rule. He is charged to meditate therein day and night, that he might understand it. Whatever affairs of this world we have to mind, we must not neglect the one thing needful. All his orders to the people, and his judgments, must be according to the law of God. Joshua must himself be under command; no man's dignity or dominion sets him above the law of God. He is to encourage himself with the promise and presence of God. Let not the sense of thine own infirmities dishearten thee; God is all-sufficient. I have commanded, called, and commissioned thee to do it, and will be sure to bear thee out in it. When we are in the way of duty, we have reason to be strong and very bold. Our Lord Jesus, as Joshua here, was borne up under his sufferings by a regard to the will of God, and the commandment from his Father....

Verse Joshua 1:5. _BE ABLE TO STAND BEFORE THEE_] Because God shall be _with_ thee, therefore thou shalt be irresistible. This promise was most punctually literally fulfilled....

EXPOSITION THE SOURCE OF JOSHUA'S CONFIDENCE.— JOSHUA 1:5 THERE SHALL NOT ANY MAN BE ABLE TO STAND BEFORE THEE. Literally, _no one_ _shall set himself up against thee, i.e; _successfully resist thee (ἀντιστήσεται, LXX). AS I WAS WITH MOSES. Literally, _as I have been _with Moses: that is to say, was with him and remained with him unto the end. The continuity of the work of God under the old dispensation is thus as clearly marked as that of the new in Matthew 28:20, and John 20:21. The promises made to Abraham, the law given to M

THERE SHALL NOT ANY MAN BE ABLE TO STAND BEFORE THEE ALL THE DAYS OF THY LIFE,.... What is promised to the people in common, Deuteronomy 11:25; is here particularly promised to Joshua their general; and which was fulfilled in him, and still more in Christ his antitype, who made an end of sin, destroyed the devil, spoiled principalities and powers, abolished death, and overcame the world: AS I WAS WITH MOSES, [SO] WILL I BE WITH THEE; to counsel and advise, guide and direct, protect and defend, prosper and succeed; the Targum of Jonathan is, as my Word "was for the help of Moses, so will I be with thee:'' I WILL NOT FAIL THEE, NOR FORSAKE THEE; but grant him his presence, communicate strength unto him, make good his promises, and leave him not till he had made an entire conquest of the land of Canaan, and even not till

ANALYSIS AND ANNOTATIONS I. THE ENTRANCE OF THE PEOPLE INTO CANAAN AND THE CONFLICTS 1. The Entrance Commanded and Success Promised CHAPTER 1 _ 1. The Lord speaks to Joshua (Joshua 1:1)_ 2. Joshua speaks to the people (Joshua 1:10) 3. The answer of the people (Joshua 1:16) The little word “now” with which this book begins is in the Hebrew “and.” It links the book with Deuteronomy and the other books of the Pentateuch. It also shows that the previous books were in existence, for the mention of Moses, his death, and Joshua, the minister of Moses, presupposes that the reader knows all about them. But there is a stronger evidence in the eighth verse of the chapter, that the Pentateuch

I. JOSHUA'S COMMISSION; PREPARATION FOR THE PASSAGE OF THE JORDAN. This chapter does not call for much comment. It is, for the most part, an introduction to the whole book from a Deuteronomic writer. There may have been a Deuteronomic account of the conquest of the land which the compiler of our book used, but more probably the old narrative of JE was taken over by the Deuteronomist, who managed to superimpose his own views by means of an introduction and various additions. These additions are very considerable; hardly any Chapter s have escaped. JOSHUA 1:4. The boundaries of the land are strangely indicated, AND the passage should no doubt read, From the wilderness in the south to Lebanon; and from the river Euphrates to the western sea (_i.e._ the Mediterranean) shall be your border or rather, territory. In reality, the kingdom never extended as far as this from E. to W.

MAN. Hebrew. _'ish_. See App-14. I WILL BE. Hebrew. _'ehyeh._ Compare Exodus 3:14, part of title Jehovah. NOT FAIL THEE. This promise first made to. Jacob, Genesis 28:11. Passed on by Moses, Deuteronomy 31:6. See note on Deuteronomy 4:31....

_as I was with Moses_ "The narrative labours to impress upon us the sense that the continuity of the nation and of its high purpose was not broken by the choice of person and situation." _I will not fail thee_ Comp. Deuteronomy 31:6; Deuteronomy 31:8; 1 Chronicles 28:20. The words are cited in Hebrews 13:5, "Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, _I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee_....