A.     The Israelites prepared to cross the river, Jordan (chapter 1).

1.       Moses died (1, 2; Deut 34: 1-8; Heb 3:3-5; Mt 17:1-5).

 a.       Precious is the death of the saints (Ps 116:15; Heb 11:25-27).

 b.       Prefigures that the laws could not triumph over sins (Heb 7:19; Rom 6:14). Only the salvation of the Lord enables man to enjoy true rest (Rom 8:2-4, 10:4; Mt 11:28-29).

2.       God instructed Joshua to lead the people to cross the river (1-9).

 a.        Arise, cross the river and conquer the land (2).

(a)     The importance of, and the difficulty in, crossing the river.

 b.       The bountiful, great land (3, 4).

(a)     Promised blessings to be obtained by faith (Eph 3:18-20, 1:17-19).

 c.       Be strong and full of courage by relying on God (5, 6).

(a)       None of the enemies could stand before (include the Arabs).

(b)      If the Lord in with us, there will be triumphant over triumphant (Rom 8:31; Zech 4:6-8).

 d.       Observe the commandments and be prosperous in everything (7-9).

(a)      Like a tree planted besides the water and it will bear fruits unceasingly (Ps 1:2, 3; Jas 1:22-25).

3.       The people were instructed to prepare to cross the river (10-18).

 a.       Preparation of foods (10-11; cf. Eph 4:28; 2 Thess 3:8-12).

 b.      The warriors from the two and a half tribes shall carry the weapons to assist their brethren (12-15; Phil 2:4; Rom 15:1; Num 32:16-27, 30:2; Ps 15:4).

 c.       The people were of one heart and they were submissive (16-18).