If you
remember, Joshua was a helper to Moses for many years. God chose him to be Moses’ replacement as
leader of Israel. He was filled with the
Spirit of wisdom because Moses Had laid hands on him. (Deut. 34:9). Joshua’s name
means “Lord is my Savior” in Hebrew. The
name Jesus means the same thing in Greek.
The
author of the book is thought to be Joshua.
The purpose of the book is to give the history of the conquering of the
Promised Land and to show that God fulfilled His promise of providing the land
to His people. It is the first of the 12
historical books: Joshua, Judges, Ruth,
1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra,
Nehemiah and Esther.
Joshua 1 – Joshua Prepares the People
In the
first chapter Joshua prepared the people to cross the Jordan. Moses and the entire generation of
disobedient Israelites were now dead.
God has Joshua lead the people into Canaan. God assured Joshua that He would be with him
and never leave.
“As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you or
forsake you.” – Joshua 1:5. God told him to be strong and courageous and
to not let the Book of the Law depart from his mouth. He was to meditate on it day and night and do
everything that was in it. (Joshua 1:8). God told Joshua to remember what He commanded
him. “Be strong
and courageous. Do not be terrified; do
not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
– Joshua 1:9
Going
into a foreign unknown land can be dangerous and would require the Israelites
to set their hearts on the Lord. God
warned them to not forget the things they have seen and to keep them in their
hearts. They were to teach their
children and pass God’s truths to the generations. It was by God’s design that Israel would
march alone to conquer Canaan. God would
always be with them and give them success.
How
often do you spend time in the Word? How
do you let it be your source of encouragement and guide for living? How can you be strong and courageous?
Principle: God will never leave you or forsake you.
Joshua 2 – Joshua Sends Spies
Joshua
was very clever soldier. He trusted God
and he knew he had to show his trust by his actions. The best way to enter the land was to destroy
the city of Jericho. Joshua sent 2 spies to check out the land. The king of Jericho heard the spies were in
the city and went to look for them. God probably
brought the spies to Rehab’s house, because He knew her faith. Rehab, who was a prostitute, protected them
and hid them on the roof of her house. She
risked her life. This showed great
courage.
Why
would they have gone to a prostitute’s house? Maybe it was because her house was part of
the city wall and they could reach it easily and it was a good way of
escape. Another reason may be since she
was prostitute, the townspeople wouldn’t be surprised that 2 strangers came to
see her.
She
told the spies that she knew God had given them the land and how God had parted
the Red Sea so the Israelites could escape Egyptian slavery. She acknowledged that their God was the God
of heaven and on earth. She asked them
to promise to protect her family, because she had shown kindness to them. The spies agreed. (Joshua 2:1-14).
The
king locked the gates to trap the spies inside Jericho. Rahab helped the spies escape by letting then
down from her window by a rope and told them to hide in the hills. She would bring her family into her house and
when the Israelites came back to destroy the city. She tied a scarlet cord from her window so
when they returned those in her house would be spared. The men returned to Joshua and told him everything
that happened. They said the people of
Jericho were melting in fear. They were
sure that God would bless them and they would be able to enter the land. (Joshua 2:15-22).
The
scarlet cord reminds us of the blood put on the doors in Egypt at the first
Passover when God killed every firstborn in Egypt as judgment. God told the Israelites to put blood of a
sacrificed animal on their doors for a sign.
When God saw the blood, He passed over that house and no one in that house
was killed (Ex. 12:12-13). This
also reminds us of the blood of Jesus who saved us from God’s punishment for
our sins when He died on the cross.
Rahab
is mentioned in Matthew as an ancestor of Jesus. She was not an Israelite, but God chose her
because of her faith. Rahab became the
wife of Salmon, the great-great-grandmother of King David. She is mentioned again in Hebrews 11:31 as one of great faith. Then she is mentioned again in James 2:25 for what she did for the
spies.
James 2:26 tells
us that “faith without deeds is dead”. Rahab’s faith was definitely alive. Her actions defined her faith in God. She showed faith, courage and love. She is a heroine for all believers.
How do
you show your trust in God? Do your
actions show it? How do you have faith
like Rahab?
Principle: God protects the faithful.
We can
learn a lot for the story of Rahab:
God
uses common people to help us support our faith.
God uses all circumstances to stretch our
faith.
God
uses many methods to sustain our faith.
What
unusual person has God sent in your life to speak to you? Through what circumstance is God stretching
your faith? When has God put you in
danger and how did you react? Who has
God put in your life to get your attention?
Joshua 3 – Another Miraculous Crossing
The
Israelites camped for 3 days by the Jordan.
Then Joshua told the people to follow the ark as they crossed the Jordan
leaving about 1,000 yards between them and the ark. They were not to go near it. They were to follow it because they didn’t
know the way since they had never been that way before (Joshua 3:1-4). This is a
picture for us to follow Jesus’ every step. “To this you were called, because Christ
suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.”
– 1 Peter 2:21.
Joshua
told the people to “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow
the Lord will do amazing things among you.” – Joshua 3:5. God wanted them
to be holy and ready. They probably
needed to wash themselves and offer sacrifices to Him to show they were sorry
for their sins. We need to confess our
sins and be ready for Him. We can’t work
for God if we are sinful.
Are you
willing to consecrate yourself to God’s purposes? What sin do you need to confess? Are you ready for God to use you?
The
priests were to carry the ark and walk into the river. They had to step out in faith and stand in
the middle of the rushing river. They
had to be strong and courageous. They
would be the last ones to cross. There
are times when we, too have to step out in faith not knowing what will
happen. We just need to trust God.
The ark
was a wooden box and in it were the 10 Commandments. It symbolized the presence and power of God
being with His people. God has always
led the people and was still leading them.
By following the ark they were allowing God to lead them. If they didn’t follow the ark they would get
lost and wouldn’t know where to go or how to live.
How are
you allowing God to lead you?
(Joshua 3:9-13) Joshua told them that God was the one giving
the instructions. He didn’t want the
honor for himself. He wanted God to get
the honor. He told them that God was
alive and not like the gods of the Canaanites who could not do anything. God is still alive today. Jesus is alive and will help us each day of
our lives. God would help them with
their enemies. We have enemies today,
too. We have mostly spiritual enemies. “For our struggles is
not against flesh and blood but against the rulers, against the authorities,
against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil
in the heavenly realms.” – Eph
6:12.
When
the priests reached the water and their feet touched the water, the water
stopped flowing. God stopped the water
and gathered it up in a heap. This
sounds a lot like the miracle of the parting of the Red Sea when they fled
Egypt. The priests stood in the middle
of the dry Jordan with the ark while everyone else crossed over. (Joshua 3:14-17)
How do
you consecrate yourself and wait on the Lord to do wonders? How do you step out in faith? Do you trust God and put your feet in the
water?
Principle: God is sovereign and controls all of nature
and circumstances.
God
does miracles all around us every day.
He not only does big ones, but many small ones. We just need to look for them and recognize
them in all situations. There are
miracles we can see and those we can’t see.
We can see the miracles of nature.
The trees and grass becomes green in springtime, the flowers bloom, the
sun shines, the rain falls, the cool breeze blows – these are miracles! There are many unseen miracles, too. The guardian angel that protects you from
accidents, the phone rings with that long awaited job offer, that raise in salary you’ve been
waiting for, that good report from your doctor, that perfect dress you found,
and on and on – these are miracles!
Do you
prepare each day for what God has in store for you? Do you expect His miracles? Do you spend time in prayer asking him to
open your eyes to see His miracles?
Joshua
was a man of faith and believed that God would help the Israelites cross the
Jordan. The priest showed their faith
and obedience by standing in the middle while everyone else crossed. The people showed their faith and courage and
crossed the river. The book of James
tells us that faith is dead without action.
God wants us to step out in faith and do what He commands.
Joshua 4 – The Memorial Stones
After
they had crossed the Jordan, the Lord commanded Joshua to have a man from each
of the 12 tribes were to take a stone from the middle of the Jordan to use as a
visible monument and would serve as a remembrance that God had cut off the
waters of the Jordan for the people to cross. “That day the Lord exalted Joshua in the
sight of all Israel; and they revered him all the days of his life, just as
they had revered Moses.” – Joshua
4:14.
Then
the Lord commanded the priests come out of the Jordan. As soon as they did the water of Jordan
returned. Joshua took the 12 stones and
set them up at Gilgal. They were to tell
their descendants that these stones was represented what God did that day. “He did this so that
all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful
and so that you might always fear the Lord your God.” – Joshua 4:24.
We have
memorial monuments today. We have
communion to remember that Jesus died for us.
We have baptism which memorializes what Jesus has done in our personal
lives. We have church steeples that all
can see and know that is where God is worshiped. We have testimonies from believers of what
God has done for them in their lives. We
need to remember all God has done and never forget that He is always with us
and is doing miracles every day.
How do
you recognize the miracles God does in your life? Do you take them for granted? How do you remember what Jesus has done for
you? What are your memorial stones?
Principle: Setting up physical memorials to spiritual
milestones reinforces the reality of God’s power.
This
crossing of the Jordan event in Israel’s history was important. It signified the cutting off of their past
and entering into a new life. The stones
were to remind them their old life was buried in the Jordan and now they were
able to walk in a new life. Our baptism
signifies we are burying the old life and entering into a new one.
Joshua 5 – Preparing for Victory
All the
Amorite kings heard how God dried up the Jordan so Israel could cross and were
afraid to face Israel. (Joshua 5:1) God told Joshua to make flint knives and
circumcise the people. All the
circumcised men had died in the wilderness because of their disobedience so now
their children who were born in the wilderness needed to be circumcised. After they were circumcised they camped until
they were healed. This time of healing would be a blessing
and protection from God. Circumcision
symbolizes the cutting off of the old life and replacing it with a new
one. It was the reinstating of God’s
covenant with Israel. (Joshua 5:2-9)
Israel
trusted God in this time of vulnerability.
They completely depended on God’s protection. They learned what it meant to trust God
through obedience. We need to recognize
our need for God and depend on Him. He
is in control.
Do you
trust God in all things? How do you
prepare for victory? Do you make
holiness and worship a priority?
While
they were camped, they observed the Passover and ate the first fruits of the
Promised Land. Finally, no more
manna. I am sure they were glad of that. Manna sustained them in the wilderness, but
now they had the fruit of the land. This
was just the beginning of the abundance the land had to offer. (Joshua 5:10-12)
Joshua 5:13 – 6:1-27 – The Battle of
Jericho
When
Joshua was near Jericho, the commander of the Lord’s army appeared to him with
a sword. The commander told Joshua to
take off his sandals because he was standing in a holy place. Joshua fell face down and did as he said. (Joshua
5:13-15)
This
battle at Jericho would be a battle between the Lord and the Canaanites. The Lord Himself will win. God would demonstrate His power. It is the same today. Life is an opportunity for God to demonstrate
His power. He is the Commander and He
gives us orders. We are to listen and
obey. He will give us strength and
defeat our enemies.
Who is
your captain? Do you listen for His
voice? Do you obey His commands? How do you look to Him for strength?
Some
think the commander is Jesus Himself.
The Old Testament mentions someone thought to be Jesus in Gen. 32 – God or Jesus fought with
Jacob, Judges 6 – God visited
Gideon, Dan. 3 – When the king put
the 3 Jews into the fire, he saw God or Jesus with them. There are other passages with appearances of
“the angel of the Lord”, which is also thought to be Jesus or God Himself. Jesus declared Himself in John 8:58 to be existent before
Abraham. It is logical that He would be
active in the world.
Principle: God was active in the Old Testament and is
active in the world today.
Joshua 6 – Victory at Jericho
The
city of Jericho was on lock down. No one
entered and no one left. They were
terrified of the Israelites. God told
Joshua exactly how to capture Jericho.
They were to take the ark and all the armed men and march around the
city wall once a day. The 7 priests were
to blow 7 trumpets, but the people were to be silence. They were to do this for 6 days. Then on the 7th day they were to
march around 7 times with the priest blowing trumpets, but on the 7th
time around when the trumpets sounded all the people were to give a loud shout
and the walls of Jericho would collapse.
(Joshua 6:1-11)
The
people needed to know that God was with them.
They needed to see the ark to help them know He was helping them. We don’t need to see anything. We know God keeps His promises and is with us
at all times. We know God is on our side
and will fight our battles. “If God is for us, who can be against us?” – Rom 8:31.
The
number 7 appears several times in this story.
In the Bible it usually means something is complete or perfect. God’s plans were perfect for Joshua and the
Israelites as they are perfect for us. “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord,
plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
– Jer. 29:11. (This is my favorite verse.)
The
next morning they did exactly what God said.
They didn’t argue. It probably
seemed strange to them as sometimes what God tells us to do seems strange. God always knows best. We shouldn’t doubt, but obey His
instructions. On the 7th day
they marched around 7 times and on the 7th time when they shouted,
the walls came down allowing the army to enter and capture the city. The entire city was destroyed by the sword
and burned. Only Rahab and her household
were spared. (Joshua 6:12-25)
God had
already given the city to them and all they had to do was obey (Joshua 6:16). God has given us victory over our
enemies, too. Our greatest enemy is
sin. Jesus defeated sin and gave us
victory when He died on the cross for us.
Why
would God kill everyone including women and children? The civilization in Canaan was completely
wicked and they had to be destroyed because they did not repent and turn the
God. Deut. 20:18 tells us they did detestable things in worshiping their
gods and would teach the Israelites to do these bad things. God patiently had given Canaan hundreds of
years to repent from the terrible evil that infected every person and every
part of their culture. We cannot begin
to understand God’s ways. All we know is
that His ways are true and just. Only He
is able to judge. None of us are
innocent. We are all guilty of sin and
deserve God’s punishment.
What is
your Jericho? What walls have you put up
against God? How strong is your faith?
Israel
was instructed to keep away from their idols or it would bring trouble on
them. All the silver, gold, bronze and
iron are sacred to the Lord and must be put into His treasury. So they were to give everything to God. (Joshua 6:19)
Joshua
pronounced a curse on anyone who tries to rebuild the city of Jericho. The Lord was with Joshua and his fame spread
throughout the land. (Joshua 6:26-27)
The
book of Joshua tells us many times that God was with Joshua helping him in
everything. God continued to counsel and
direct him as to what to do. All the
inhabitants of the land heard of his wisdom and courage through the power and
presence of God. We need God in
everything we do. We need to seek His
counsel, ask Him for wisdom and be faithful and obedient.
Do
others see the power of God in your life?
Do they see you as faithful and obedient?
Principle: God’s power is unleashed when His people are
faithful and obedient.
There
is no doubt that the wall of Jericho fell by the power of God. It is hard for some to believe this
miracle. The people trusted that if they
did what God said, they would see victory.
They had faith. We are saved by
faith. It too, is hard to
understand. The walls fell by
faith. Faith should motivate our whole
lives. Let us have the kind of faith
that moves us to trust and obey God. The
walls fell because God said they would.
God keeps His promises.
How
strong is your faith? Do you trust God
will do what He says?
Lessons from the story of Jericho:
We
learn that God keeps His promises.
We
learn God’s ways are different from man’s ways.
We
learn the awesome power of God.
We
learn the relation between grace, faith, and obedience.
We
learn that trust and obedience brings victory and rewards.
Joshua 7 – Achan’s Sin
Achan didn’t do as God commanded. He took some of the spoils of Jericho for
himself. I guess he thought no one would
notice. What was he thinking? God knows everything. There is nothing we can keep Him from knowing. “For God will bring
every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or
evil.” – Ecc. 12:14. “… your sin will
find you out.” - Num. 32:23. The Lord’s anger burned against Israel (Joshua 7:1-2). This sin would have a huge effect on what
would follow.
Why was
God angry with all of Israel? God
viewed the nation as a unit. There was
sin in Israel’s camp and God wouldn’t continue to bless them as long as it was
there. This doesn’t mean Achan was the
only one who had sinned, but his sin was a direct disobedience. Our sin impacts everyone. God is holy and no sin is a small matter to
Him. He must deal with us and the sin in
our lives.
Joshua
planned his next attack by sending men to spy out the small town of Ai. They decided it would take only a few men to
defeat this town so they sent 2-3 thousand.
Israel was defeated and 36 Israelites were killed. This caused Israel to be afraid. Joshua started to blame God since God had
allowed them to be defeated. Joshua
thought other people would hear of this and not think God was great and good. (Joshua
7:6-9)
Then
God told Joshua the real reason they were defeated. He told him that Israel had sinned by taking some
of the valuables found in Jericho when God told them to put them in His
treasure. (Joshua 7:10-12) God gave
instructions and they must be obeyed just as it is important for us to obey
God’s instructions in His Word.
God
revealed that Achan was the one who sinned and told Joshua that he must be
punished. Joshua confronted Achan and he confessed his
sin. Evidence of his sin was found by
finding the things he had stolen. They
were sure of his guilt. Then all of
Israel stoned him and his family. The
punishment was severe, but it was a warning to Israel. They must obey God. Now the Lord’s anger ended and Israel could
expect God to bless them again. (Joshua 7:13-26)
When
have you tried to hide something from God?
What were the results? Have you
repented and asked God for forgiveness?
Lessons from Achan’s sin:
God
will expose and punish sin in His timing.
God
will punish sin severely.
God
gives us examples of His wrath on sinners, so we should walk in fear of God.
God
sanctions capital punishment.
Sin
cannot be hidden from God.
Our sin
can cause trouble for others.
We
should confess our sins before we are caught.
We
should be aware of covetousness which is idolatry.
Principle: “For there is nothing
hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known
or brought out into the open.” – Luke
8:17
Joshua 8:1-29 – Ai Destroyed
God
told Joshua, “Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
– Joshua 8:1. God told him to take the whole army and
attack Ai and He would deliver Ai over to them.
This was very different from the last time they tried to take Ai. God’s anger had ended. They were to do to them as they did to
Jericho. This battle would not be as
easy as the battle at Jericho. This
would be a test of courage. There would
be more danger and more precautions needed to be taken. God told Joshua exactly how to fight the
battle. He was to set an ambush and
destroy the city completely, but this time they could take all the plunder for
themselves (Joshua 8:1-29). Joshua did as the Lord commanded and defeated
Ai.
If you
remember the last time Israel tried to take Ai, God let them be defeated
because there was sin in the camp. The
spoils of previous battle at Jericho had belonged to God, perhaps because it
was the firstfruits of the land captured by Israel. It was this command that Achan had violated
that led to defeat at Ai. This was God’s
punishment on them. Now He changed their
previous defeat into victory. When we
sin and disappoint God, we suffer defeat.
When we confess our sins, God will forgive us and give us victory.
Joshua
made a plan for battle, moved his armies into position, and the fight was
on. God commanded Joshua to stretch out
his javelin toward Ai. “Hold out toward Ai the javelin that is in your hand, for
into your hand I will deliver the city.” – Joshua 8:18. Joshua did as
God commanded and Ai was defeated by the power of God. This is similar to when Moses held out his staff
so the Red Sea would open for Israel. In
Joshua’s first battle against the Amalekites, he was victorious as long as
Moses held up his hands with his staff.
These were symbols God assigned to show the power of God through His
appointed leaders.
The victory
over Ai was complete. All were killed
and destroyed. The people took the
spoils of the city for themselves, just as God said they could. Nothing else is said about further battles in
this part of Canaan. I am sure there
were more, but Jericho and Ai were probably the major battles.
When
have you obeyed and as a result, God gave you victory?
Believers
are in constant warfare with the devil.
God is with us and we can be victorious if we stay faithful to Him. God will see that we have the victory. It may not be easy, because we still have to
fight the war. God guided Joshua in the
battle to victory, just as He will guide us to victory. We just have to listen, have faith and do
what He says.
Joshua 8:30-35 – Renewed Covenant
Now
there was a period of worship. Joshua
built an altar of uncut stones to the Lord on Mt. Ebal. They offered burnt offerings and sacrificed
fellowship offerings on it. Joshua
copied the Law of Moses on the stones.
They did just as Moses had commanded them to do in Deut. 27-28. Half the people
stood on Mt. Ebal and the other half stood on Mt. Gerizim with the ark in the
middle. By the ark being in the middle
was a sign that God was there in the center of their lives.
The
uncut stones used for the altar were exactly like God had made them – without
any added human workmanship. This shows
we can’t add anything to our salvation.
We can’t add or do anything, because salvation is by grace. Jesus did all the work for us on the cross.
Burnt
offerings were given to show that they had given themselves completely to
God. Fellowship offerings were given as
a way to say thank you to God. These
offerings are like a picture of Jesus’ death.
Because of His death, we can give ourselves completely to God (burnt
offerings); we can have fellowship with God (fellowship offerings).
There
Joshua read all the words of the law, the blessings and the curses just like
Moses commanded. The stones with the law
were there so the people couldn’t forget them, just as we have the Bible
today. This is God’s Word for us and we
should read it often. In the Deut. passage we saw that all the
people agreed and answered with, “Amen”.
This is
like it will be someday. Similar things
will happen. There will be two sides –
those who don’t know Jesus as Savior and those who do know Him as Savior. On that day everyone will acknowledge that
Jesus is Lord regardless of which side they chose. “…at the name of Jesus every knee will bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus
Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” – Phil. 2:10-11.
Which
side will you be on? Have you
acknowledged Jesus as Lord of your life?
Principle: God blesses people who obey Him in faith.
Joshua 9 – Deception of the Gibeonites
When
the kings west of the Jordan heard about Joshua and Israel’s victories, they
became afraid and came together to make war with Israel. The people of Gibeon were also afraid, but
instead of wanting to make war, they wanted to make friends with Israel. Their plan was clever. They loaded their donkeys with worn out sacks
and old wineskins. The men wore patched
sandals and old clothes. They pretended
to be messengers sent from far away, but really they were neighbors from about
25 miles away. They said had heard of
the Israel’s God and they came to make a treaty with Joshua.
Joshua
and the Israelites believed the Gibeonites and made a peace treaty with them
and let them live. He didn’t ask the
Lord if their story was true or what he should do, which was a big
mistake. This was an important decision
that Joshua made. If you remember in Deut. 7, God told Israel not to make
agreements with the inhabitants of Canaan.
They were to kill all the people of the land. We should never make important decisions
unless we ask God first. “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God…” – James 1:5.
Joshua
did what he thought was right. Joshua
was not perfect and neither are we. When
we do what we think is right without asking God first, that is call “being wise
in our own eyes”. “Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a foolish person than
for him.” – Prov. 26:12. God is definitely smarter than we are. He sees and knows everything. He wants the best for us and it is wise to
seek His guidance before we act. Heb. 11:6 says that “he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
What
dangers are there when we do what we think is right instead of asking God
first? Do you seek God before making
decisions, even small ones? What are
some rash decisions you have made? What were the results?
Soon
Israel learned the truth about the Gibeonites and wanted to kill them, but
Joshua and the leaders said they had made a treaty and must keep their
word. They had sworn an oath before the
Lord (Joshua 9:16-19). God takes promises seriously and when a
promise is made it should be kept. So
Joshua let them live. They said they had
heard of God and really wanted to serve Him.
God knew their hearts and their true thoughts. So Joshua made them woodcutters and water
carriers for the community and the altar of the Lord (Joshua 9:26-27).
The
Gibeonites became servants of Israel.
They had lied because they didn’t know the right way to serve God, but
God blessed them. Joshua made a mistake,
but God still used that mistake. He can
use our mistakes, too.
Principle: God rewards those who earnestly seek Him.
Lessons for us:
Your
enemy will surprise you. (Satan is a
master of disguises.)
Don’t
assume everything you hear is the truth.
Deception
will ultimately be exposed.
Appearances
are deceiving.
Seek
counsel from God.
Keep
your promises.
Next
week we will continue our study in Joshua.
See you here.
I hope
you will join me next week for more of Joshua.
__________________________________________
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