Joshua 1-5

Chapter 1
God is getting Joshua prepared to lead the people over the Jordan to claim the Promised Land. God tells them the boundaries of the land that will be theirs, and tells Joshua repeatedly that He will not fail them or forsake them.

Joshua 1:9
Have I not commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee withersoever thou goest.

A couple of the tribes had previously asked Moses if they could have the land on the east of the Jordan instead. God told Moses that yes, they could have the land on the east of the Jordan, but only if they crossed over with the other tribes to help them fight for the land. Then they could go back. So Joshua reminds these tribes of their duty. The people told Joshua that they would obey his command.

Chapter 2
Joshua has two men scout out a city named Jericho. These two men end up meeting a woman named Rahab. The king of Jericho finds out that there are spies from the children of Israel in his city, so he sends men to Rahab's house to find the scouts. Rahab hides the scouts on her roof and tell the men that the scouts had left the city already. The men leave the city to pursue them, and Rahab then tells the scouts how the fame of their God has reached the inhabitants of the city, and she knows that God has given them the land. Rahab says:

Joshua 2:11
And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in a any man, because of you: for the Lord your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath.

She makes the scouts promise that her family will be spared when they inavde the city, and helps them escape to the mountains. The scouts then make it back to Johsua and the camp and report back all that has happened.

Chapter 3
The children of Israel move right next to the river Jordan to prepare to cross it. They are instructed to follow the ark of the covenant (a special container, box-like- which held holy objects, like the Ten Commandments) wherever it goes, because they are in a new land and don't know where they are going.

Joshua tells the people that when the priests carrying the ark step into the water, that the flow from upriver would cease and the priests would stand on dry land.

Joshua 3:17
And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over ond ry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan.

Chapter 4
After the people crossed the river, God told Joshua to have one man from each tribe go back to the dry river and take one stone each from it to be a memorial of the miracle that had happened there. God then told Joshua to have the priests with the ark cross over the Jordan, and when they did, the waters started to flow again. They set up the 12 stones at their next camp site.

Chapter 5
The news of this miracle spread to the kings in the land, who became discourged because of it.

Next, God told Joshua all the men were to be circumcised, and then the Israelites celebrated the yearly festival of Passover at the normal time. The manna (bread-like substance) that had been on the ground every day for the people for 40 years ceased to be there, because now they would eat of the food of Canaan instead. Look how God always meets a need!

Jeeze this is a great story I can't wait to read what happens next.