The Bible Series Joshua

The book of Joshua!!!… deriving it’s title from the man who would now lead Israel into the promise land!

Joshua= YAHWEH is Salvation!

Through this book we see God in a powerful way as He delivers His salvation to Israel, fulfills His Promises, and through it’s pages we see Victorious Living displayed in vivid battles and Israel's exemplary obedience and faith!

This book is a segway as we depart from the Pentateuch to other books of history...

History

God engaging with His creation through time and history. It spans the old testament.

5 Pentateuch

God’s expectation & Introduction

3 Theocratic (God King)

3 Monarchical (Man King)

3 Restorative (God Faithful)

Poetry & Wisdom

God revealing Himself to man, extending His wisdom for life and His heart intertwined with the history of man...

Prophets (Major & Minor)

God’s care and warnings not only for His people Israel but for all mankind… God cares about all people. “THE WORLD”

We come tho this study and discover the JOURNEY of a people:

REDEEMED… from Egypt

REMINDED… from God’s Law, & Commands & examples of the past

READY… to follow God and His new leader

They are now longer wandering in a wilderness… they are engaging on a journey following God!!!

Joshua… Israel’s Journey

As we look at the records of this journey we see five crucial areas along this path...

A new leader

Two Key Battles

The military conquest of the land

The boundaries of the 12 Tribes and REST!

Joshua gives some powerful exhortations before his death

Leaving the people and future generations choices to be considered and made!

A New Leader

The opening nine verses of this book capture for us a LIFE OF VICTORY as God commissions this new leader… Joshua 1:1-9

Moses is dead… BUT GOD is alive and working!

Be strong and Courageous!!! (3 Times!)

Joshua will prepare, send out spies, and gets ready to engage

They cross the Jordan River at flood stage!!!

This time the priest step into the flood waters

God parts waters differently… He is not bound to our expectations or comfort.

There is a KEY CONVERSATION that occurs in chapter 5, Joshua sees a stranger and ask a question realizing it is the Lord before Him...

Joshua 5:13-14

Joshua and Israel needed to know… God is NOT on a side

We either join Him or oppose Him!

God does not take sides, man chooses to follow God or not

God’s will is what matters and we need to align ourselves to Him

Joshua, your victory will not depend on your skill, power, or tactics… BUT ON GOD ALONE! Joshua 1:8… you follow God and His word and then you will be prosperous and see success God told them!

Joshua 1:8 NASB95

“This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.

God then tells Joshua how they are to attack Jericho

Walk six days around the city once daily quietly

On the seventh day walk around seven times and blow the trumpets and everyone yell

I will give you victory… THIS IS NOT NORMAL MILITARY STRATEGY!!!

This video clip explains it well I think...Veggie Tale Clip

Two Battles

In chapters 6-8 we seethe first two battles after crossing Jordan… They demonstrate the importance of obeying a righteous Holy God!

Jericho

God commands destroy everything (take nothing)

God demonstrates GRACE with Rahab and her family

God gives them the plan and strategy

God gives them victory!!!

AI

God commands destroy everything (take loot)

We got this! They don’t seek God

Send only a few… Is the battle about army size???

Failure… sin in the camp

Sin impacts those around you

Sin is dealt with

Now… God gives them the plan and strategy

God gives them victory!!!

The lesson of obedience and following God was learned in these two battles as they make a military conquest of the land...

Military Conquest

We see a Righteous HOLY God declare WAR ON EVIL AND SIN!!!

These cities worship “gods” that focus on sexual perversions

They take what God created beautiful and pure and pervert it

They take their babies and kill them as sacrifices for their own pleasures and worship

SEX & CHILD SACRIFICE… sound familiar to the times and land in which we live today!?

In this conquest we see them have victory over powerful people

Some have chariots and horses… God gives victory

Then God commands them to burn the chariots, and cripple the horses Psalm 20:7!!!

Some boast in chariots and some in horses, But we will boast in the name of the Lord, our God.

AND GOD GIVES VICTORY THROUGHOUT THE LAND… not horses & chariots!!!

In Genesis 13:15-17 we read: God’s Promise to Abraham

After the conquest we read in Joshua 11:23

Tribal Boundaries & Rest Ch 13-21

In our bibles at the back we have beautiful images of God’s Promised Word kept…

The twelve tribes are given their allotment of land

The provision for the Levites (The Priestly Tribe) is addressed

Cities of Refuge are established…

The Land finds REST after years of war...

There was still land to conquer

There is still work to do… but for now rest!

Joshua 21:43-45 what a good God we have:

A great bit of detail is given to borders and places. Knowing that there is yet conquest to be done, battles to fight, victories to claim, Joshua leaves the people with some final words of challenge and exhortation...

Joshua’s Final Words

He calls the people together and delivers powerful words to them...

Remember God’s law and commands… Joshua 23:6

He calls them to remember all the way back to Abraham… Joshua 24:2-4

Then he lays before them a choice… not whether they would serve or not, BUT WHO THEY SERVE… Joshua 24:14-15

The people respond that they will serve the Lord!!!

When we keep before us WHO God is and WHAT He has done… serving Him will be more “desirable”!!!

Joshua like all men… dies at the end of this book.

The generations after him would need to choose WHO they would serve and obey...

In the closing of this book I believe we too are presented with a choice…

God… Will You Choose Him???

If after reading through the book of Joshua you still struggle to live this life with VICTORY… then you failed to see some powerful insights into WHO our God is:

Our God is “NEITHER!!!”

He is sufficient and calls us to follow Him

He does not align with you nor I

Our God simply calls us to obey and follow Him, he will work out the details

He is far more concerned with who you are and your obedience than what you do

YAHWEH is Salvation… all the strategy, tactics, good works, and efforts cannot bring salvation only He can

The truth is that we today live in a land with many “gods”… there is still a choice of WHO we will serve

Joshua stated “this day”… it is a daily, moment by moment choice

It’s only in choosing Him that we will find VICTORY!!!