God carefully prepared Joshua for the assignment of leading the Israelites.

• He caused Joshua to remember the past (1:3, 5).
• He commissioned Joshua with a responsibility to perform (1:2–4).
• He challenged Joshua to respond with poise (1:6–7, 9).
• He...

When Israel was poised on the east bank of the Jordan River, ready to cross over into Canaan, God gave Joshua the often quoted words of encouragement, "Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you...

Israel had already felt the terrible sting of delayed obedience. They had been captives in Egypt for 400 years. Moses had been called to lead them out of their bondage, to bring them to the Promised Land. They traveled out of Egypt to...

The conquest of Canaan was mostly complete, so the religious center of Israel was moved from Gilgal to a more central location, Shiloh—the tabernacle's first permanent site. The tabernacle remained there for several hundred years, throughout the period of the judges,...

This was a precarious moment for Israel: they had stayed true to the Lord when they had to depend on Him to fight their battles, but now they were entering a time of peace and prosperity. In order for them to survive spiritually during this season...

The last thing Moses did before his death was to call the nation of Israel—camped on the plains of Moab waiting to inherit Canaan—to confess their allegiance to God and His covenant. The book of Deuteronomy represents that call to covenant renewal, with the...