After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, it came to pass that the Lord spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ attendant, saying: “Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them—the children of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses.”
— Joshua 1:1-3
I can imagine Joshua, before Moses died, looking over the Jordan and thinking, “We have to go over and take this land because this is the good land God has promised us.” He would go to Moses, who would say, “Let’s pray.” Sometime later he might have spoken to Moses again about this, and again Moses would have said, “Let’s pray.” Joshua was a spiritual man, so he would not have murmured or grumbled. He wouldn’t have tried to find a way around Moses since he was always one with him.
Joshua waited patiently. In fact, he had been waiting a very long time. When he came back from spying out the land, he had said, “Let’s go in and take the land!” But the people and Moses and even God said no. Joshua had to wait until that generation passed away, and the next one was ready. Now, after Moses’ death, God said to Joshua, “Arise, go over this Jordan!”
Adapted from Joshua: A Life of Service, page 40.
Tomorrow: “Arise, Go Over This Jordan (3)”