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Nevi'im Rishonim Weekly Study Series

Sefer Yehoshua Week: 1Chapters 1-3

Introduction- Sefer Yehoshua

At the start of each Book or Sefer in Hebrew, that we go thru in this study of the Neviim I will givea brief introduction and summary of the transition from one book to the other. In this case, it is

necessary to give a small biography of Scriptures in reference to Yehoshuas life leading up to the book

that bares his name.

Exodus 17 is where we first encounter Yehoshua as he waged war with Amalek and prevailedagainst him.

9And Mosheh said to Yehoshua, Choose for us men and go out, fight with Amaleq. Tomorrow I amstationing myself on the top of the hill with the rod of Elohim in my hand. 10AndYehoshua did as Mosheh said to him, to fight with Amaleq. And Mosheh, Aharon, and Hurwent up to the top of the hill. 11And it came to be, when Mosheh held up his hand, that Yisraelprevailed. And when he let down his hand, Amaleq prevailed. 12But Moshehs hands wereheavy, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aharon and Hur support- ed hishands, one on one side, and the other on the other side. And his hands were steady until the

going down of the sun.13

And Yehoshua defeated Amaleq and his people with the edge of thesword. 14And said to Mosheh, Write this for a remembrance in the book and recite it in the hearingof Yehoshua, that I shall completely blot out the remembrance of Amaleq from under theheavens. 15And Mosheh built an altar and called its name, Nissi, 16for he said, Because a hand is onthe throne of Yah, is to fight against Amaleq, from generation to generation.

In Exodus 24:13 Yehoshua accompanies Moshe up Mount Sinai and again coming down mount

Sinai in Exodus 32:17 at the sinful event of the golden calf.

From this point we find 2 references to Yehoshua being Moshes servant from his youth.One in

Exodus33:11 and the other inNumbers 11:28.

Numbers 13 verses 8 and 16 have been a topic of discussion for many years among Jewish Sagesand rabbis as well as those alike.It is these Scriptures that we find out Yehoshuas name was changed

from Hoshea by Moshe. Interesting enough is the fact that he is mentioned by his name change of

Yehoshua in prior Scriptures up to these in Numbers.It is right before the mission of the 12 spies thathis name is changed by Moshe. Another interesting note is within the meanings of both names. Hoshea

meaning deliverer and Yehoshua(Yahushua) meaning YAH is salvation. Both of these attributes

that Yehoshua Ben Nun aspired to on at least some level as the appointed replacement of Moshe andleader of the nation of Israel. There are countless commentaries and midrashim on the deeper

Sefer Yehoshua: Chapters 1-3 Page 1


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meanings and understandings on this very subject,but for the sake of time, a more in depth study on the

names of Hoshea and Yehoshua may be best investigated individually or at the time of its appropriateTorah portion of Shelach.

Now immediately after his name change in Numbers 13:16, as mentioned above we encounter

the mission of the 12 spies sent into scope out the Land. As many of you recall, Yehoshua is one of only

2 of the 12 sent that come and give a good and faithful report of what is there and can be expected.Yehoshuas counterpart Caleb is the other witness to his reportthere fore establishing the mitzvoth of

every matter is to be established by at least 2 witnesses. The significance of these two specific men

being those of the good reports lay within their own tribe affiliationsat least to this reader. Calebbeing from the Tribe of Judah, and Yehoshua from the Tribe of Ephrayim. This is just one of countless

references within the Tanak and Brit Hadesha to the 2 Houses of Israel which will ultimately be

restored as One House upon the return of Yahushua Ha Mashiach.

As we move forward in the Book of Numbers to Chapter 27 verses18-23, we find a verysignificant highlight in the life of Yehoshua. It is here we find Moshe seeking YaHuWaH (YHWH) to

appoint someone over the people as a shepherd. Abba YAH in turn chooses Yehoshua ben Nun.

15And Mosheh spoke to , saying, 16Let , the Elohim of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a manover the congregation, 17who goes out before them and comes in before them, who leads themout and brings them in, so that the congregation of be not like sheep without a

shepherd. 18And said to Mosheh, Take Yehoshua son of Nun with you, a man in whom isthe Spirit. And you shall lay your hand on him, 19and shall set him before Elazar the priest andbefore all the congregation, and give him charge before their eyes, 20and shall put some of your esteem

upon him, so that all the congregation of the children of Yisrael obey him.21

And he is to standbefore Elazar the priest, who shall inquire before for him by the right-ruling of the Urim. At hisword they go out, and at his word they come in, both he and all the children of Yisrael withhim, all the congregation. 22And Mosheh did as commanded him, and took Yehoshua and set himbefore Elazar the priest and before all the congregation, 23and laid his hands on him and commis-sioned him, as commanded by the hand of Mosheh.

Yehoshua served YaHuWaH faithfully.

Numbers 32:12

12except Kaleb son of Yephunneh, the Qenizzite, and Yehoshua son of Nun, for they havefollowed completely.

In Deuteronomy 31:23 we see Abba YAH encouraging Yehoshua to be strong and courageous as

well as

assuring Yehoshua that HE is with him. As we arrive at the last chapter of Deuteronomy, Moshe has

now died and



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Yehoshua takes over the position of leading the children of Israel. A position that we can clearly see

that YHWHand Moshe have been molding Yehoshua into for quite some time.

Sefer Yehoshua in my own opinion, has one specific dynamic within it that stands out in my eyes apart

from other books of the TANAK.That dynamic is the first generation to enter into the Land Promised

by the Creator and Author of the Covenant. Furthermore it is the first generation that will encounterobeying all of the commands and terms of the covenant giving life to when you enter the Land in

which I am giving you to possess. We all are aware and will soon see that as we go thru this study,

that this is a very short lived time of obedience as a Nation and is primarily the similar reasons and

consequences we are still dealing with today in exile in our own generation. Ultimately, we areawaiting the time of the Second Exodus and Restoration of the Covenant nation of Israel which in turn

we will also most likely re-live many of theses same events we read about in the Torah, but on a

different level and scale. I pray that we all are found to be a generation of good and faithful servantsand are working to keep our oil lamps full as we await our BrideGroom Yahushua the Mashiach and

Right Arm of YaHuWaH.

Yehoshua Chapter 1

Jos 1:1 And it came to be, after the death of Mosheh the servant of , that spoketo Yehoshua son of Nun, the assistant of Mosheh, saying,

Jos 1:2 Mosheh My servant is dead, so now, arise, pass over this Yardn, you and all thispeople, to the land which I am giving to them, to the children of Yisral.

Jos 1:3 Every place on which the sole of your foot treads I have given you, as I spoke toMosheh.

Jos 1:4 F RGsun, is your border.

Jos 1:5 No man is going to stand before you all the days of your life. As I was withMosheh, so I am with you. I do not fail you nor forsake you.

Jos 1:6 Be strong and courageous, for you are to let this people inherit the land which Iswore to their fathers to give them.

Jos 1:7 Only be strong and very courageous, to guard to do according to all the Torah



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which Mosheh My servant commanded you. Do not turn from it right or left, so that you act

wisely wherever you go.Jos 1:8 Do not let this Book of the Torah depart from your mouth, but you shall meditateon it day and night, so that you guard to do according to all that is written in it. or thenyou shall make your way prosperous, and act wisely.

Jos 1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid, nor be

discouraged, for your Elohim is with you wherever you go.

Jos 1:10 And Yehoshua commanded the officers of the people, saying,

Jos 1:11 Pass through the midst of the camp and command the people, saying, Preparefood for yourselves, for within three days you are passing over this Yardn, to go in to

possess the land which your Elohim is giving you to possess.

Jos 1:12 R GMenashsheh, saying,

Jos 1:13 emember the word which Mosheh, servant of , commanded you, saying,

your Elohim is giving you rest, and He shall give you this land.Jos 1:14 Let your wives, your little ones, and your livestock stay in the land whichMosheh gave you beyond the Yardn. But you shall pass before your brothers in fives, allyour brave fighters, and shall help them,

Jos 1:15 until has given your brothers rest, as unto you. So shall they also take

possession of the land which your Elohim is giving them. Then you shall return to the

land of your possession, and shall possess that which Mosheh the servant of gave youbeyond the Yardn toward the rising of the sun.

Jos 1:16 And they answered Yehoshua, saying, All that you have commanded us we do,and wherever you send us we go.

Jos 1:17 According to all that we obeyed Mosheh, so we obey you. Only, let yourElohim be with you, as He was with Mosheh.



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Jos 1:18 Whoever rebels against your command and does not obey your words, in all that

you command him, is put to death. Only be strong and courageous.Chapter One begins very similar to the ending of Deuteronomy with YHWH encouraging Yehoshua

to be stong and courageous(chazak ve ematz) and commissioning him to lead the nation of Israel

across the Yarden river to possess the Land which Abba has promised. What is interesting is that in themidst of YAH encouragingYehoshua, HE refers back to obeying the Torah twice, indicating that by

obeying Abba YAHs Covenant, Yehoshua can trust that the Creator of the Universe is faithful to him as

well. When we are in a covenant relationship with YaHuWaH, we do not have to be fearful, or weak inany situation understanding that HE is faithful to those who obey Him.

Jos 1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid, nor be

discouraged, for your Elohim is with you wherever you go.

Chazak Ve-Ematz! - Be strong and courageous!

From here in the text Yehoshua commands the officers to go thru the camp informing the nation to

prepeare, for in 3 days they will be crossing the Yarden.Yehoshua also reminds the tribes ofReuben,Gad and the tribe of Mennashe of their commitment they made to YAH and Moshe back in

Numbers32 to help fight and stand beside their brothers in battle when possessing the Land in

exchange for the territories they wanted on the east side of the Yarden. These 2 Tribes acknowledgeto Yehoshua their promise and pledge allegiance to him and Israel to fulfill their word.

Yehoshua Chapter 2

Jos 2:1 And Yehoshua son of Nun secretly sent out two men from Shittim to spy, saying,GR

Jos 2:2 of Yisral have come here tonight to search out the land.

Jos 2:3 R come to you, who have entered your house, for they have come to search out all the land.

Jos 2:4 But the woman had taken the two men and hid them. So she said, The men cameto me, but I did not know where they were from.

Jos 2:5 Then it came to be as the gate was being shut, when it was dark, that the men wentout. I do not know where the men went. Pursue them quickly, so that you overtake them.



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Jos 2:6 But she had brought them up to the roof and hidden them with the stalks of flax,

which she had laid out on the roof.Jos 2:7 And the men pursued them by the way to the Yardn, to the fords. And they shutthe gate afterwards as soon as the pursuers had gone out.

Jos 2:8 And before they lay down, she came up to them on the roof,

Jos 2:9 and she said to the men, I know that has given you the land, and that the fear

of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away because of you.

Jos 2:10 or we have heard how dried up the water of the Sea of eeds for you

when you came out of Mitsrayim, and what you did to the two sovereigns of the Amorites

Jos 2:11 And when we heard, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in anyone

because of you, for your Elohim, He is Elohim in the heavens above and on earth

beneath.

Jos 2:12 And now, please swear to me by , since I have shown you kindness, that youalso show kindness to my fathers house, and shall give me a true token,

Jos 2:13 and shall spare my father, and my mother, and my brothers, and my sisters, and allthat they have, and shall deliver our lives from death.

Jos 2:14 And the men said to her, Our lives for yours, if you do not expose this matter of

ours, then it shall be, when has given us the land, that we shall treat you in kindnessand truth.

Jos 2:15 So she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was on the citywall and she dwelt on the wall.

Jos 2:16 And she said to them, o to the mountain, lest the pursuers come upon you. Andyou shall hide there three days, until the pursuers have returned, and afterwards go on yourway.

Jos 2:17 And the men said to her, We are released from this oath of yours which you havemade us swear,



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Jos 2:18 unless, when we come into the land, you bind this line of scarlet cord in the

window through which you let us down, and unless you bring your father, and your mother,and your brothers, and all your fathers household to your own home.

Jos 2:19 And it shall be that anyone who goes outside the doors of your house into thestreet, his blood is on his own head, and we are innocent. And anyone who is with you inthe house, his blood is on our head if a hand is laid on him.

Jos 2:20 And if you expose this matter of ours, then we shall be released from your oathwhich you made us swear.

Jos 2:21 And she said, Let it be according to your words. And she sent them away, and

they went. And she bound the scarlet cord in the window.Jos 2:22 So they left and came to the mountain, and stayed there three days until thepursuers returned. And the pursuers sought them in all the way, but did not find them.

Jos 2:23 Then the two men returned and came down from the mountain, and passed over.And they came to Yehoshua son of Nun, and related to him all that had befallen them.

Jos 2:24 And they said to Yehoshua, Truly has given all the land into our hands, andalso, all the inhabitants of the land have melted away because of us.

Chapter 2 is a section of scripture that we could spend countless hours of study on. However, againfor the sake of time I want to point out just a few of the remarkable things within the chapter.

In the beginning of chapter 2 we read about the 2 spies that Yehoshua sends o see the Land of

Yericho. Now the midrash and jewish commentary of who these 2 spies actually are is that of Caleb

and the faithful Kohen Phinehas whom we remember from Numbers 25 when he slayed the man andmidiyanite woman in the Tent of Meeting

Numbers 25

And Yisrael dwelt in Shittim, and the people began to whore with the daughters of Moab,2and they invited the people to the slaughterings of their mighty ones, and the

people ate and bowed down to their mighty ones. 3Thus Yisrael was joined to Baal Peor,and the displeasure of burned against Yisrael. 4And said to Mosheh, Take all the leadersof the people and hang them up before , before the sun, so that the burningdispleasure of turns away from Yisrael. 5And Mosheh said to the judges ofYisrael, Each one of you slay his men who were joined to Baal Peor. 6And see,one of the children of Yisrael came and brought to his brothers a Midyanite



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woman before the eyes of Mosheh and before the eyes of all the congregation of the

children of Yisrael, who were weeping at the door of the Tent of Meeting.7

And whenPinehas, son of Elazar, son of Aharon the priest, saw it, he rose up from among thecongregation and took a spear in his hand, 8and he went after the man of Yisraelinto the tent and thrust both of them through, the man of Yisrael, and thewoman through her belly. Thus the plague among the children of Yisrael came to astop. 9And those who died in the plague were twenty-four thousand. 10And spoke toMosheh, saying, 11Pinehas, son of Elazar, son of Aharon the priest, has turned back Mywrath from the children of Yisrael, because he was ardent with My ardour in theirmidst, so that I did not consume the children of Yisrael in My ardour.

12Therefore say, See, I am giving him My covenant of peace, 13and it shall be to himand to his seed after him a covenant of an everlasting priesthood, because he wasardent for his Elohim, and made atonement for the children of Yisrael. 14And thename of the Yisraelite who was killed, who was killed with the Midyanitewoman, was Zimri, son of Salu, a leader of a fathers house among the Shimonites.15And the name of the Midyanite woman who was killed was Kozbi the daughter of Tsur.

He was head of the people of a fathers house in Midyan. 16And spoke to Mosheh,saying, 17Distress the Midyanites! And you shall smite them, 18for they distressed youwith their tricks with which they deceived you in the matter of Peor and in the matter ofKozbi, the daughter of a leader of Midyan, their sister, who was killed in the day of theplague because of Peor.

So the dilemma with the midrash of the spies being Caleb and Phinehas the Kohen is that I could notfind it in Scripture, which at first lead to doubts in my mind that these two men specifically were thespies until I dug a little deeper. Here again, in my opinion lay some deeper facts as to why would

Yehoshua send spies, and whom could he trust to bring back an honest and faithful report? None other

than his faithful counterpart and former recognissance missionary Caleb along with Phinehas theKohen who we are reminded from above that YAH made a Covenant of peace with and an everlasting

Priesthood! Two men whom he could clearly rely on and trust. Also, as we mentioned in the

Introduction to Sefer Yehoshua above concerning Yehoshua being of the Tribe of Ephrayim and Calebbeing of the Tribe of Yehudah, here we also see Phinehas being from the Priesthood which in turn are

the 3 major dynamic components to make up the House of Israel. So I am now personally a believer

that the evidence does support the 2 spies very well being Caleb and Phinehas.

Now that we have identified the spies , the chapter begins with them arriving at Rahabs inn. She isalso mentioned in several other instances through out the Tanak and Brit Hadesha. The midrash

surrounding the life of Rahab is extensive to say the least. In researching her life for this study I have

seen various midrashim ranging from her conversion to the Covenant, to marrying Yehoshua all the

way down to to her being mentioned in Yahushua ha Mashiyachs lineage listed in Matthew 1:5.Wealso see Rav Shaul mentions her faithfulness in Hebrews 11:30..



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30By belief, the walls of Yeriho fell, having been surrounded for seven days. 31By belief, ahab the

whore did not per ish with those who did not believe, having received the spies with peace.James also mentions Rahabs faithfulness in Chapter 2 of his letter..

25In the same way, was not ahab the whore also declared right by works when she received themessengers and sent them out another way? 26or as the body without the spirit is dead, so also thebelief is dead without the works.

What is clear is that Rahabs life dramatically changed from the state it was in prior to hearing about

Israel and her visit from Caleb and Phinehas. Enough to seek them to save her and her family from the

coming destruction of Yericho that left all its residents in fear of the Israelites.

When I first went thru this chapter, the thing that stood out in my mind the most by far is the

covenant that Caleb and Phinehas make with Rahab and the signature of that covenant with her aswell as her familys safety hinged on the red scarlet cord. Due to the significance of the red cord over,

or in the window being the covenant marker, that immediately sent my mind back to the most

memorable covenant promise back in Mitzrayim involving the blood over the threshold doors of all theIsraelites to show their allegiance to YAH and signified HIS protection as HE came thru and stuck the

Egyptians just prior to the Exodus. This also prompted me to go back and take a look at what Henry

Clay Trumbull had to say on the matter of Rahab and this covenant with the spies. Henry ClayTrumbull has written 3 excellent books on Ancient Covenant rites and how they tie in with Scriptural

concepts. Covenants are the predominating theme and promises through all of the Scriptures.Those 3

books are 1) The Blood Covenant, 2)The Threshold Coveant, and 3 ) The Covenant of Salt.

Henry Trumbull makes mention of Rahab and the Covenant with the spies a few different times in his

works.

One of them is below from The Threshold Covenant page 211.

According to jewish traditions,it was on Passover night when YHWH entered into a cross-over covenant with Abraham on the boundary of his new possessions in Canaan. It was onPassover night that Lot welcomed the angel visitors to his home in Sodom.It was at thepassover season that the Israelites crossed the threshold of their new home in Canaan,whenthe walls of Jericho fell down, and the blood colored thread on the house of ahab was asymbol of the covenant of the Hebrew spies with her and her household

These traditions would seem to show that the pass-over covenant, and a covenant of

welcome at the family and national threshold.

Trumbulls books on Covenant are an absolute must read. If you would like a pdf copy of them, I can

email them at request, or they are very easily found by searching online.

So it is obvious from the text in the chapter that there is much more going on beyond the immediate

chapter. other questions or ponderings I have had thus far are



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1. Did Caleb and Phinehas already know beforehand they were specifically going to Rahabs prior tosetting out on their mission?

2. The read threadin my mind it would have been something they would have taken with them.Would

they have agreed to a covenant, and the signature chord being provided by the outsiders,not knowing

where the thread/cord came from??

Another topic in this chapter is Rahabs obvious conversion as well as her familyswhich alsotherefore is another witness to provisions in the Covenant being set by YAH for those outside tribal

bloodlines of Israel who choose to graft themselves into HIS Marriage Covenant by accepting HIS

Torah, or Marriage vows. If Rahab and her family showed any intention of not wanting to become partof Israel, I am not sure that the 2 spies would have entered into a covenant with them. In any case the

chapter concludes with Caleb and Phinehas heading back to camp and giving Yehoshua the news that..

Jos 2:24 And they said to Yehoshua, Truly has given all the land into our hands, and also, all theinhabitants of the land have melted away because of us.

Yehoshua Chapter 3

Jos 3:1 And Yehoshua rose early in the morning, and they set out from Shittim and cameto the Yardn, he and all the children of Yisral, and stayed there before they passed over.

Jos 3:2 And it came to be, after three days, that the officers went into the midst of thecamp,

Jos 3:3 and they commanded the people, saying, When you see the ark of the covenant of

your Elohim, and the priests, the Lwites, bearing it, then you shall set out from yourplace and follow it.

Jos 3:4 Only, keep a distance between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure.Do not come near it, so that you know which way to go, for you have not passed over thisway before.

Jos 3:5 And Yehoshua said to the people, Set yourselves apart, for tomorrow is

doing wonders in your midst.

Jos 3:6 And Yehoshua spoke to the priests, saying, Take up the ark of the covenant andpass over before the people. So they took up the ark of the covenant and went before thepeople.



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Jos 3:7 And said to Yehoshua, This day I begin to make you great before the eyes of

all Yisral, so that they know that I am with you as I was with Mosheh.

Jos 3:8 And you, command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, saying, Whenyou come to the edge of the water of the Yardn, stand in the Yardn.

Jos 3:9 And Yehoshua said to the children of Yisral, Come near, and hear the words of

your Elohim.

Jos 3:10 And Yehoshua said, By this youshall know that the living l is in yourmidst, and that He is certainly driving out from before you the Kena anites and the G

Jos 3:11 See, the ark of the covenant of the Master of all the earth is passing over beforeyou into the Yardn.

Jos 3:12 And now, take for yourselves twelve men from the tribes of Yisral, one manfrom every tribe.

Jos 3:13 And it shall be, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of

, the Master of all the earth, come to rest in the waters of the Yardn, that the waters ofthe Yardn are cut off, the waters that come down from upstream, and stand as a heap.

Jos 3:14 And it came to be, when the people set out from their tents to pass over theYardn, with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people,

Jos 3:15 and as those bearing the ark came to the Yardn, and the feet of the priests bearingthe ark dipped in the edge of the water now the Yardn overflows all its banks during allthe time of harvest

Jos 3:16 that the waters which came down from upstream stood still, and rose in a heap

Jos 3:17 And the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of stood firm on dry groundin the midst of the Yardn. And all Yisral passed over on dry ground, until all the nationhad completely passed over the Yardn.



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We end this weeks study with chapter 3 and the miraculous splitting of the Yarden by YHWH as the feetof Kohanim dip into the water. The entire Nation of Israel then crosses the Threshold of the Land

promised by YaHuWaH to them. In chapter 4 next week we will elaborate more on this theme next

week, as we see the 2 sets of 12 stones being set up

Shabbat Shalom!

Daniel Mcirr

Scripture verses above are used from ISs The Scriptures.



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