Theme: The Importance of the Book of Joshua
This week’s lessons show why Joshua should be studied today, and what things God considers necessary for godly leadership.
SCRIPTURE
Joshua 1:1-9
After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, “Moses my servant is dead.
Theme: The Importance of the Written Word of God
This week’s lessons show why Joshua should be studied today, and what things God considers necessary for godly leadership.
SCRIPTURE
Joshua 1:1-9
After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, “Moses my servant is dead.
Theme: The Nature of God’s Commissioning of Joshua
This week’s lessons show why Joshua should be studied today, and what things God considers necessary for godly leadership.
SCRIPTURE
Joshua 1:1-9
After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, “Moses my servant is dead.
Theme: The Nature of God’s Commissioning of Joshua
This week’s lessons show why Joshua should be studied today, and what things God considers necessary for godly leadership.
SCRIPTURE
Joshua 1:1-9
After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, “Moses my servant is dead.
Theme: A Faithful Past
This week’s lessons describe how Joshua got to be the faithful and courageous leader for God that he was.
Theme: From Faithful Past to Present Commissioning
This week’s lessons describe how Joshua got to be the faithful and courageous leader for God that he was.
Theme: God’s Specific Call
This week’s lessons describe how Joshua got to be the faithful and courageous leader for God that he was.
Theme: God’s Objective Revelation
This week’s lessons describe how Joshua got to be the faithful and courageous leader for God that he was.
Theme: Genuine Faith in God
This week’s lessons describe how Joshua got to be the faithful and courageous leader for God that he was.
Theme: Rahab’s Story and Our Own
This week’s lessons describe how by faith Rahab became an unexpected recipient of the grace of God.
SCRIPTURE
Joshua 2:1-24
And Joshua the son of Nun sent two men secretly from Shittim as spies, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.” And they went and came into the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab and lodged there.
Theme: Rahab and Her Encounter with the Spies
This week’s lessons describe how by faith Rahab became an unexpected recipient of the grace of God.
SCRIPTURE
Joshua 2:1-24
And Joshua the son of Nun sent two men secretly from Shittim as spies, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.” And they went and came into the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab and lodged there.
Theme: Mercy Even to Rahab
This week’s lessons describe how by faith Rahab became an unexpected recipient of the grace of God.
SCRIPTURE
Joshua 2:1-24
And Joshua the son of Nun sent two men secretly from Shittim as spies, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.” And they went and came into the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab and lodged there.
Theme: Rahab’s Faith
This week’s lessons describe how by faith Rahab became an unexpected recipient of the grace of God.
SCRIPTURE
Joshua 2:1-24
And Joshua the son of Nun sent two men secretly from Shittim as spies, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.” And they went and came into the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab and lodged there.
Theme: Rahab’s Salvation and Ours
This week’s lessons describe how by faith Rahab became an unexpected recipient of the grace of God.
SCRIPTURE
Joshua 2:1-24
And Joshua the son of Nun sent two men secretly from Shittim as spies, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.” And they went and came into the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab and lodged there.
Theme: God’s Promise Fulfilled
This week’s lessons teach us about the character of God, as seen in the ark of the covenant which went before the Israelites through the Jordan.
SCRIPTURE
Joshua 3:1-17
Then Joshua rose early in the morning and they set out from Shittim. And they came to the Jordan, he and all the people of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over.
Theme: God’s Providence
This week’s lessons teach us about the character of God, as seen in the ark of the covenant which went before the Israelites through the Jordan.
SCRIPTURE
Joshua 3:1-17
Then Joshua rose early in the morning and they set out from Shittim. And they came to the Jordan, he and all the people of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over.
Theme: God’s Power and Holiness
This week’s lessons teach us about the character of God, as seen in the ark of the covenant which went before the Israelites through the Jordan.
SCRIPTURE
Joshua 3:1-17
Then Joshua rose early in the morning and they set out from Shittim. And they came to the Jordan, he and all the people of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over.
Theme: God’s Justice and Mercy
This week’s lessons teach us about the character of God, as seen in the ark of the covenant which went before the Israelites through the Jordan.
SCRIPTURE
Joshua 3:1-17
Then Joshua rose early in the morning and they set out from Shittim. And they came to the Jordan, he and all the people of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over.
Theme: God with Us Always
This week’s lessons teach us about the character of God, as seen in the ark of the covenant which went before the Israelites through the Jordan.
SCRIPTURE
Joshua 3:1-17
Then Joshua rose early in the morning and they set out from Shittim. And they came to the Jordan, he and all the people of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over.
Theme: The Crossing of the Jordan Continued
This week’s lessons tell about the importance of God’s memorial as they crossed the Jordan and into the Promised Land.
SCRIPTURE
Joshua 4:1-24
When all the nation had finished passing over the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, “Take twelve men from the people, from each tribe a man, and command them, saying, ‘Take twelve stones from here out of the midst of the Jordan
Theme: Following the Lord
This week’s lessons tell about the importance of God’s memorial as they crossed the Jordan and into the Promised Land.
SCRIPTURE
Joshua 4:1-24
When all the nation had finished passing over the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, “Take twelve men from the people, from each tribe a man, and command them, saying, ‘Take twelve stones from here out of the midst of the Jordan, from the very place wh
Theme: The Need for Careful Bible Study
This week’s lessons tell about the importance of God’s memorial as they crossed the Jordan and into the Promised Land.
SCRIPTURE
Joshua 4:1-24
When all the nation had finished passing over the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, “Take twelve men from the people, from each tribe a man, and command them, saying, ‘Take twelve stones from here out of the midst of the Jordan, from the
Theme: The Crossing of the Jordan Continued
This week’s lessons tell about the importance of God’s memorial as they crossed the Jordan and into the Promised Land.
SCRIPTURE
Joshua 4:1-24
When all the nation had finished passing over the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, “Take twelve men from the people, from each tribe a man, and command them, saying, ‘Take twelve stones from here out of the midst of the Jordan,
Theme: The Crossing of the Jordan Continued
This week’s lessons tell about the importance of God’s memorial as they crossed the Jordan and into the Promised Land.
SCRIPTURE
Joshua 4:1-24
When all the nation had finished passing over the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, “Take twelve men from the people, from each tribe a man, and command them, saying, ‘Take twelve stones from here out of the midst of the Jordan,
Theme: The Final Aspect of the Crossing of the Jordan
This week’s lessons teach the importance of Israel’s consecration before they began their conquest of the Promised Land.
SCRIPTURE
Joshua 5:1-12
As soon as all the kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan to the west, and all the kings of the Canaanites who were by the sea, heard that the Lord had dried up the waters of the Jordan for the people of Israel until they
Theme: The Circumcision of the Next Generation
This week’s lessons teach the importance of Israel’s consecration before they began their conquest of the Promised Land.
SCRIPTURE
Joshua 5:1-12
As soon as all the kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan to the west, and all the kings of the Canaanites who were by the sea, heard that the Lord had dried up the waters of the Jordan for the people of Israel until they had cro
Theme: Circumcision and Faith
This week’s lessons teach the importance of Israel’s consecration before they began their conquest of the Promised Land.
SCRIPTURE
Joshua 5:1-12
As soon as all the kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan to the west, and all the kings of the Canaanites who were by the sea, heard that the Lord had dried up the waters of the Jordan for the people of Israel until they had crossed over, their
Theme: The Meaning of Circumcision and the Passover
This week’s lessons teach the importance of Israel’s consecration before they began their conquest of the Promised Land.
SCRIPTURE
Joshua 5:1-12
As soon as all the kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan to the west, and all the kings of the Canaanites who were by the sea, heard that the Lord had dried up the waters of the Jordan for the people of Israel until they ha
Theme: Covenant Consecration
This week’s lessons teach the importance of Israel’s consecration before they began their conquest of the Promised Land.
SCRIPTURE
Joshua 5:1-12
As soon as all the kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan to the west, and all the kings of the Canaanites who were by the sea, heard that the Lord had dried up the waters of the Jordan for the people of Israel until they had crossed over, t
Theme: Three Changeless Factors
This week’s lessons describe the mysterious encounter Joshua has with a man who identifies himself as the commander of the Lord’s army.
SCRIPTURE
Joshua 5:13-15
When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing before him with his drawn sword in his hand.
Theme: The Divine Leader
This week’s lessons describe the mysterious encounter Joshua has with a man who identifies himself as the commander of the Lord’s army.
SCRIPTURE
Joshua 5:13-15
When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing before him with his drawn sword in his hand.
Theme: The Army of the Lord
This week’s lessons describe the mysterious encounter Joshua has with a man who identifies himself as the commander of the Lord’s army.
SCRIPTURE
Joshua 5:13-15
When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing before him with his drawn sword in his hand.
Theme: Who is the Commander Fighting for?
This week’s lessons describe the mysterious encounter Joshua has with a man who identifies himself as the commander of the Lord’s army.
SCRIPTURE
Joshua 5:13-15
When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing before him with his drawn sword in his hand.
Theme: A Larger View of God
This week’s lessons describe the mysterious encounter Joshua has with a man who identifies himself as the commander of the Lord’s army.
SCRIPTURE
Joshua 5:13-15
When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing before him with his drawn sword in his hand.
Theme: Silence and Obedience
This week’s lessons teach us how Israel was going to achieve their victory over Jericho, and what things God wants from us as well.
SCRIPTURE: Joshua 6:11-16
Theme: Spiritual Battles and Promised Victory
This week’s lessons teach us how Israel was going to achieve their victory over Jericho, and what things God wants from us as well.
SCRIPTURE:Joshua 6:23-27
Theme: Total Obedience to the End
This week’s lessons teach us how Israel was going to achieve their victory over Jericho, and what things God wants from us as well.
SCRIPTURE:Joshua 6:1-27
THEME: God’s Command of Destruction
This week’s lessons show the importance of repentance in view of the certainty of a coming judgment, which in God’s mercy is being delayed.
SCRIPTURE: Joshua 6:24-27
Theme: The Challenge before Them
This week’s lessons teach us how Israel was going to achieve their victory over Jericho, and what things God wants from us as well.
SCRIPTURE: Joshua 6:1-5
THEME: Wickedness Then and Now
This week’s lessons show the importance of repentance in view of the certainty of a coming judgment, which in God’s mercy is being delayed.
SCRIPTURE:Joshua 6:24-27
Theme: The Importance of Preparation
This week’s lessons teach us how Israel was going to achieve their victory over Jericho, and what things God wants from us as well.
SCRIPTURE:Joshua 6:6-10
THEME: Is God Fair in His Judging?
This week’s lessons show the importance of repentance in view of the certainty of a coming judgment, which in God’s mercy is being delayed.
SCRIPTURE: Joshua 6:24-27
THEME: Mercy in the Midst of Judgment
This week’s lessons show the importance of repentance in view of the certainty of a coming judgment, which in God’s mercy is being delayed.
SCRIPTURE:Joshua 6:24-27
THEME: Escaping the Judgment
This week’s lessons show the importance of repentance in view of the certainty of a coming judgment, which in God’s mercy is being delayed.
SCRIPTURE:Joshua 6:24-27
Theme: Victory and DefeatThis week’s lessons show the consequences of Achan’s sin upon the nation of Israel, and how in the midst of God’s judgment, grace and blessing are offered.
SCRIPTURE:Joshua 7:1-8:29
LESSON:
THEME: How Sin ProgressesThis week’s lessons show the consequences of Achan’s sin upon the nation of Israel, and how in the midst of God’s judgment, grace and blessing are offered.
SCRIPTURE:Joshua 7:1-8:29
LESSON:
THEME: How Sin Progresses (continued)This week’s lessons show the consequences of Achan’s sin upon the nation of Israel, and how in the midst of God’s judgment, grace and blessing are offered.
SCRIPTURE: Joshua 7:1-8:29
LESSON:
THEME: The Sin Uncovered
This week’s lessons show the consequences of Achan’s sin upon the nation of Israel, and how in the midst of God’s judgment, grace and blessing are offered.
SCRIPTURE:Joshua 7:1-8:29
THEME: The Promise of Hope
This week’s lessons show the consequences of Achan’s sin upon the nation of Israel, and how in the midst of God’s judgment, grace and blessing are offered.
SCRIPTURE:Joshua 7:1-8:29
LESSON:
THEME: The Wages of Sin
This week’s lessons recount Israel’s victory in their second attempt to conquer Ai.
SCRIPTURE:Joshua 8:1-29
LESSON:
THEME: The Way to Victory
This week’s lessons recount Israel’s victory in their second attempt to conquer Ai.
SCRIPTURE: Joshua 8:1-29
LESSON:
THEME: How God Works
This week’s lessons recount Israel’s victory in their second attempt to conquer Ai.
SCRIPTURE:Joshua 8:1-29
LESSON:
Let me also point out that it’s not merely that God operates in different ways in different people. God also operates in different ways in our own lives, entirely apart from other people. At one point in your life, you have a particularly thrilling experience.
THEME: The Key to Victory
This week’s lessons recount Israel’s victory in their second attempt to conquer Ai.
SCRIPTURE:Joshua 8:1-29
LESSON:
It’s agreed by most Old Testament scholars that the heart of the Old Testament law is the book of Deuteronomy, and that the heart of Deuteronomy is the list of blessings and curses that are found in chapters 27 through 30 of that important book. Deuteronomy presupposes an eternal covenant established by God with His people.
THEME: Curses and Blessings Fulfilled
This week’s lessons recount the renewal of the covenant under Joshua, in fulfillment of God’s words to Moses.
SCRIPTURE:Joshua 8:30-35
THEME: An Important Principle
This week’s lessons recount the renewal of the covenant under Joshua, in fulfillment of God’s words to Moses.
SCRIPTURE:Joshua 8:30-35
THEME: Setting Up the Stones
This week’s lessons recount the renewal of the covenant under Joshua, in fulfillment of God’s words to Moses.
SCRIPTURE:Joshua 8:30-35
THEME: Blessing by Grace through Faith
This week’s lessons recount the renewal of the covenant under Joshua, in fulfillment of God’s words to Moses.
SCRIPTURE:Joshua 8:30-35
THEME: The Gibeonites’ Plan
This week’s lessons show the consequences of relying on our own understanding, rather than looking to God for wisdom and blessing.
SCRIPTURE:Joshua 9:1-27
LESSON:
THEME: The Reality of the Spiritual World
This week’s lessons show the consequences of relying on our own understanding, rather than looking to God for wisdom and blessing.
SCRIPTURE:Joshua 9:1-27
LESSON:
THEME: Israel True to Their Word
This week’s lessons show the consequences of relying on our own understanding, rather than looking to God for wisdom and blessing.
SCRIPTURE:Joshua 9:1-27
LESSON:
THEME:Unexpected Blessing
This week’s lessons show the consequences of relying on our own understanding, rather than looking to God for wisdom and blessing.
SCRIPTURE:Joshua 9:1-27
LESSON:
THEME: Coming to Know the True God
This week’s lessons show the consequences of relying on our own understanding, rather than looking to God for wisdom and blessing.
SCRIPTURE:Joshua 9:1-27
LESSON:
THEME: Preparing for the Attack
This week’s lessons remind us of the unlimited power and ability of God to work for the good of all those who trust in him.
SCRIPTURE:Joshua 10:1-15
THEME: Nothing Is Impossible with God
This week’s lessons remind us of the unlimited power and ability of God to work for the good of all those who trust in him.
SCRIPTURE:Joshua 10:1-15
THEME: Trying to Explain the Miraculous
This week’s lessons remind us of the unlimited power and ability of God to work for the good of all those who trust in him.
SCRIPTURE:Joshua 10:1-15
THEME: Worshipping a Big God
This week’s lessons remind us of the unlimited power and ability of God to work for the good of all those who trust in him.
SCRIPTURE:Joshua 10:1-15
THEME: Faith in Action
This week’s lessons remind us of the unlimited power and ability of God to work for the good of all those who trust in him.
SCRIPTURE:Joshua 10:1-15
THEME: A Change in the Story
This week’s lessons describe another part of the conquest of Canaan, and teach us important qualities of leadership from the life of Joshua.
SCRIPTURE:Joshua 10:16-43
THEME: Victory in the South
This week’s lessons describe another part of the conquest of Canaan, and teach us important qualities of leadership from the life of Joshua.
SCRIPTURE:Joshua 10:16-43
THEME: Focusing on the Long-term Goal
This week’s lessons describe another part of the conquest of Canaan, and teach us important qualities of leadership from the life of Joshua.
SCRIPTURE:Joshua 10:16-43
THEME: Living the Christian Life
This week’s lessons describe another part of the conquest of Canaan, and teach us important qualities of leadership from the life of Joshua.
SCRIPTURE:Joshua 10:16-43
THEME: The Need for Obedience and Faith
This week’s lessons describe another part of the conquest of Canaan, and teach us important qualities of leadership from the life of Joshua.
SCRIPTURE:Joshua 10:16-43
THEME: The Northern Coalition
This week’s lessons conclude the account of the southern and northern campaigns, and show us the necessity of committed obedience to God in all things.
SCRIPTURE:Joshua 11:1-12:24
THEME: Joshua’s Leadership Characteristics
This week’s lessons conclude the account of the southern and northern campaigns, and show us the necessity of committed obedience to God in all things.
SCRIPTURE:Joshua 11:1-12:24
THEME: The Need for Obedience
This week’s lessons conclude the account of the southern and northern campaigns, and show us the necessity of committed obedience to God in all things.
SCRIPTURE:Joshua 11:1-12:24
THEME: Ways to Leave Nothing Undone
This week’s lessons conclude the account of the southern and northern campaigns, and show us the necessity of committed obedience to God in all things.
SCRIPTURE:Joshua 11:1-12:24
THEME: Pleasing God
This week’s lessons conclude the account of the southern and northern campaigns, and show us the necessity of committed obedience to God in all things.
SCRIPTURE:Joshua 11:1-12:24
THEME: The Faithful God
This week’s lessons teach us about God’s faithfulness in settling each of Israel’s tribes in their territories, and what our response needs to be toward his directing of our lives.
SCRIPTURE:Joshua 13:1-19:51
THEME: The Sovereign God
This week’s lessons teach us about God’s faithfulness in settling each of Israel’s tribes in their territories, and what our response needs to be toward his directing of our lives.
SCRIPTURE:Joshua 13:1-19:51
THEME: The Division Completed
This week’s lessons teach us about God’s faithfulness in settling each of Israel’s tribes in their territories, and what our response needs to be toward his directing of our lives.
SCRIPTURE:Joshua 13:1-19:51
THEME: God’s Faithfulness and Ours
This week’s lessons teach us about God’s faithfulness in settling each of Israel’s tribes in their territories, and what our response needs to be toward his directing of our lives.
SCRIPTURE:Joshua 13:1-19:51
THEME: Living in the Kingdom
This week’s lessons teach us about God’s faithfulness in settling each of Israel’s tribes in their territories, and what our response needs to be toward his directing of our lives.
SCRIPTURE:Joshua 13:1-19:51
THEME: Caleb’s History
This week’s lessons teach us about Joshua’s companion in the conquest of Canaan, and what it was that made Caleb a great man.
SCRIPTURE:Joshua 14:6-15
THEME: Observations and Lessons from Hebron
This week’s lessons teach us about Joshua’s companion in the conquest of Canaan, and what it was that made Caleb a great man.
SCRIPTURE:Joshua 14:6-15
THEME: The First Reason for Caleb’s Greatness
This week’s lessons teach us about Joshua’s companion in the conquest of Canaan, and what it was that made Caleb a great man.
SCRIPTURE:Joshua 14:6-15
THEME: The Second Reason for Caleb’s Greatness
This week’s lessons teach us about Joshua’s companion in the conquest of Canaan, and what it was that made Caleb a great man.
SCRIPTURE:Joshua 14:6-15
THEME: A Great Contrast
This week’s lessons teach us about Joshua’s companion in the conquest of Canaan, and what it was that made Caleb a great man.
SCRIPTURE:Joshua 14:6-15
THEME: An Ordained Safety
This week’s lessons teach about the priestly cities of refuge, and how they point the way to our own refuge found only in the Lord Jesus Christ.
SCRIPTURE: Joshua 20:1-3
THEME: The Need for Justice
This week’s lessons teach about the priestly cities of refuge, and how they point the way to our own refuge found only in the Lord Jesus Christ.
SCRIPTURE:Joshua 20:1-3
THEME: The Divine Source of True Justice
This week’s lessons teach about the priestly cities of refuge, and how they point the way to our own refuge found only in the Lord Jesus Christ.
SCRIPTURE: Joshua 20:1-3
THEME: Christ Alone and Always
This week’s lessons teach about the priestly cities of refuge, and how they point the way to our own refuge found only in the Lord Jesus Christ.
SCRIPTURE: Joshua 20:1-3
THEME: Salvation Is for All Who Will Come
This week’s lessons teach about the priestly cities of refuge, and how they point the way to our own refuge found only in the Lord Jesus Christ.
SCRIPTURE:Joshua 20:1-3
THEME: The Book of Joshua in Review
This week’s lessons review our study in Joshua, and demonstrate how the grace of God is seen even through His judgment against sin.
SCRIPTURE:Joshua 21:1-45
THEME: Christ Our Refuge
This week’s lessons review our study in Joshua, and demonstrate how the grace of God is seen even through His judgment against sin.
SCRIPTURE:Joshua 21:1-45
THEME: The History behind the Cities
This week’s lessons review our study in Joshua, and demonstrate how the grace of God is seen even through His judgment against sin.
SCRIPTURE:Joshua 21:1-45
THEME: A Great Prophecy
This week’s lessons review our study in Joshua, and demonstrate how the grace of God is seen even through His judgment against sin.
SCRIPTURE:Joshua 21:1-45
THEME: Blessing out of Judgment
This week’s lessons review our study in Joshua, and demonstrate how the grace of God is seen even through His judgment against sin.
SCRIPTURE:Joshua 21:1-45
THEME: The Importance of the Closing Chapters
This week’s lessons remind us of the need to live for God in all the circumstances of life.
SCRIPTURE:Joshua 22:1-34
THEME: Loving the Lord with All Your Heart and Soul
This week’s lessons remind us of the need to live for God in all the circumstances of life.
SCRIPTURE:Joshua 22:1-34
THEME: Dealing with Conflict
This week’s lessons remind us of the need to live for God in all the circumstances of life.
SCRIPTURE:Joshua 22:1-34
THEME: How to Have a Happy Ending
This week’s lessons remind us of the need to live for God in all the circumstances of life.
SCRIPTURE:Joshua 22:1-34
Why did it turn out that way? Why was the ending a happy ending rather than an unfortunate one? Schaeffer says it’s because the people knew how to demonstrate the love of God and a concern for the holiness of God simultaneously, not one without the other. This is how he explains it:
THEME: Joshua’s Charge
This week’s lessons recount Joshua’s charge to Israel’s leaders, which teaches us how we should respond to God in light of what he has done for us in the past, as well as what he promises to do in the future.
SCRIPTURE:Joshua 23:1-16
THEME: Remembering and Forgetting
This week’s lessons recount Joshua’s charge to Israel’s leaders, which teaches us how we should respond to God in light of what he has done for us in the past, as well as what he promises to do in the future.
SCRIPTURE:Joshua 23:1-16
THEME: The Obligation of Obedience
This week’s lessons recount Joshua’s charge to Israel’s leaders, which teaches us how we should respond to God in light of what he has done for us in the past, as well as what he promises to do in the future.
SCRIPTURE:Joshua 23:1-16
THEME: Loving God and His People
This week’s lessons recount Joshua’s charge to Israel’s leaders, which teaches us how we should respond to God in light of what he has done for us in the past, as well as what he promises to do in the future.
SCRIPTURE:Joshua 23:1-16
THEME: Joshua’s Final Message to the People
This week’s lessons describe Joshua’s last address to the Israelites, which emphasizes their need to determine to choose each and every day to serve the Lord.
SCRIPTURE:Joshua 24:1-33
THEME: Who God Is and Who We Are
This week’s lessons describe Joshua’s last address to the Israelites, which emphasizes their need to determine to choose each and every day to serve the Lord.
SCRIPTURE:Joshua 24:1-33
THEME: Idolatry Then and Now
This week’s lessons describe Joshua’s last address to the Israelites, which emphasizes their need to determine to choose each and every day to serve the Lord.
SCRIPTURE:Joshua 24:1-33
THEME: The Need to Make the Right Choice
This week’s lessons describe Joshua’s last address to the Israelites, which emphasizes their need to determine to choose each and every day to serve the Lord.
SCRIPTURE:Joshua 24:1-33
THEME: Remaining Faithful to the End
This week’s lessons describe Joshua’s last address to the Israelites, which emphasizes their need to determine to choose each and every day to serve the Lord.
SCRIPTURE:Joshua 24:1-33
THEME: Determining to Follow God
This week’s lessons recount Joshua’s charge to Israel’s leaders, which teaches us how we should respond to God in light of what he has done for us in the past, as well as what he promises to do in the future.
SCRIPTURE:Joshua 23:1-16
THEME: Responding Rightly to God’s Commands
This week’s lessons remind us of the need to live for God in all the circumstances of life.
SCRIPTURE:Joshua 22:1-34
Theme: The Importance of the Book of Joshua
This week’s lessons show why Joshua should be studied today, and what things God considers necessary for godly leadership.
SCRIPTURE
Joshua 1:1-9
After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, “Moses my servant is dead.
Here we come to Joshua. And we find that this book is named after its chief character, and so it falls in a category of such other books as Ruth, First and Second Samuel, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, and the book of Job. Now, it’s appropriate that this book should be named Joshua because, although it deals with other things, it most certainly introduces us to the character and accomplishments of this really extraordinary man. Joshua, as I say, deals with other things. But here is a character who excelled in his obedience to God and led the people of Israel during a difficult and transitional period.
Yesterday we mentioned that Francis Schaeffer called Joshua “a bridge book.” That leads me to say that as I have studied a large number of the commentaries that deal with the book of Joshua, I’ve detected three basic approaches to this book.
This first section of Joshua 1 that we’re particularly considering in this study, Joshua 1:1-9, is divided into two paragraphs. The first paragraph indicates the transitional nature of the book. It’s what identifies it as a bridge, “After the death of Moses, the Lord said to Joshua…” The second paragraph in this first portion of Joshua 1 deals with the Word of God. And it deals with it in such a way that we recognize at once at the very beginning of the book that this is to be the focus of Joshua’s life and the life of the people.
Now, it’s worth reflecting on the specific things that Joshua was told to do so far as this law is concerned. There are four of them. First of all, he was to know God’s Word.
Yesterday we looked at the first two elements of Joshua’s commission. Today we look at the last two, and also conclude our study of Joshua 1:1-9.
There are two main sections to the first chapter of Joshua. The first part, in verses 1 through 9, contains an account of Joshua’s commissioning by God. The second part, verses 10-18, tells us how Joshua assumed command of the people and began to make preparations for the invasion of the Promised Land.
The third thing that is impressive about the early life in the faithful past of Joshua concerns the earlier incident where Moses sent the spies into the Promised Land.
Secondly, Joshua received a specific call, which we find in Joshua 1. Now when we talk about a call, we have to say that there is a sense in which all of us at all times as Christians have a general call. None of us is left to do nothing. We are all called to be disciples of Jesus Christ.
We’re all called to do good works. That’s just part of what it means to be a Christian. But that’s not what I’m talking about here when I’m talking about a call to leadership. I’m talking about a call to something specific—that is, to a task that a particular individual is given to do.
There’s a third thing I want to mention, and that is that a person who would be a leader must know, and have, and study, and meditate upon God’s objective revelation. It’s important to say that because that subjective and specific call must always be evaluated by, and at times, corrected by, the objective Word of God.
The final thing I want to say is that Christian leaders must also demonstrate genuine faith in God. Joshua was preeminently a man of faith. God told Joshua, “This is the land and I’m going to give it to you.” Joshua believed God, so when he went into the land with the other spies and searched it out, he didn’t care if there were giants. It didn’t bother him that there were walled cities.
It would be a miracle greater than the Jewish crossing of the Jordan or the falling down of the walls of Jericho if Rahab, the Amorite prostitute, knew Latin. This was because Latin didn’t come to Palestine until the Roman conquest, which was about 1000 years after the days in which she lived. But if Rahab had known Latin, Rahab might well have described her situation in Jericho as “Rahab contra mundum,” which means “Rahab against the world.”
Rahab’s story is set in the midst of a greater story, and this greater story is that of the conquest of the land. And, moreover, it’s entwined with another story which is also part of that greater story, and that is the story of the sending of the spies.
Continuing the idea from yesterday’s study, isn’t it striking that in this story of judgment, the first thing is not of judgment, but of an act of mercy as God reaches out to save this pagan woman. It should direct our attention to the mercy of God, in Rahab’s case and in other cases as well.
Do you know that this woman is praised twice in the New Testament for her faith? One of the places in which she is praised for her faith is the great eleventh chapter of Hebrews, which contains a roster of the heroes and heroines of the faith. It says of her there in verse 31, “By faith, the prostitute, Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.” It’s a short reference, but it’s a good one. And it’s as long as the references that are given for Jacob, and Joseph, and a number of the others who are mentioned.
I started out by saying that this is a story of God’s mercy, which indeed it is. When the spies arranged to save her life, they said that she was to tie a scarlet cord in her window. That was to mark the house, such that no one would touch it when the Israelites came. It was a powerful symbol of her deliverance.
Imagine the intensity of the Israelites’ anticipation as they stood on the banks of the Jordan River and prepared to cross over and go into the Promised Land. Most were part of the new generation that had come from the one who had refused to believe God could give them the land. God had judged them by allowing them to wander in the desert for the 38 years until all of the old generation that were over 20 years old at the time had died. So it was a new generation that was going in, and they had been waiting for this moment for a long time.
The thing that is the most prominent, especially in chapters 3 and 4, is the presence of the Ark of the Covenant. Now we haven’t seen the Ark of the Covenant up to this point, but suddenly here it is as the focal point of the narrative. And it is mentioned again and again. It’s mentioned nine times in chapter 3, seven times in chapter 4, and four more times by the use of a pronoun. What was important about the ark? It was the focal point of the nation of Israel. It was where God symbolically resided among His people.
The second lesson is that the God who goes before us is the same God who has gone before His people at all times. That, too, was symbolized by the ark. He is the God of the exodus who had brought judgment upon the Egyptians, and who had parted the Red Sea, and who had led the people out with a strong hand. This was the same powerful, sovereign God now who was leading them into the Promised Land, just as He had led them out of Egypt.
The third thing that was kept before the eyes of the people was His justice. This God was a God of judgment. You see, the picture of that ark with God symbolically dwelling between the wings of the cherubim over the ark, which contained the law of God, is a picture of judgment because here is portrayed as the holy God and righteous God, staring down upon the law, the expression of His moral character which every single human being has violated. That picture is a picture of judgment. It’s meant to strike terror into the hearts of sinful men and women. God’s standard of justice does not change; and God judges, and will judge all things in the end.
You can ask, “Where is the God of Moses—the God who operated so powerfully in Moses’ day, the God of miracles, the God of redemption, the God who brought His people out of slavery?” “Where is the God of Joshua, the God of conquest who led His people into the Promised Land?” “Where is the God of Elijah?” “Where is the God of Elisha?” “Where is the God is Isaiah?” “Where is the God of any great character in the Old or New Testaments?” The answer is that the God of all these people is the same God to you. He does not change.
Now, we’re looking at those chapters of Joshua that deal with the crossing of the Jordan River. Like all good stories, Joshua is written in episodes. There have been two already. Chapter 1 focuses on the commissioning of Joshua in his first commands to the people. Chapter 2 concerns the sending of the spies into the Promised Land and their meeting with Rahab, and it focuses on Rahab’s act of faith in protecting them and identifying with the people of Israel. And then in chapter 3, we have the beginning of this new episode, which is the crossing of the Jordan.
Last week, when we looked at chapter 3 and the crossing itself, we saw that the most important element in that crossing is the emphasis found there upon the Ark of the Covenant. The ark symbolized the presence of God. It has not been mentioned in Joshua until now, but suddenly in these chapters connected with the crossing of the Jordan, it is mentioned many times. The ark symbolized the presence of God, and as the people crossed the river, they did so with the ark going before them. In other words, God went before them.
Now I need to acknowledge that there’s a bit of a technical problem at this point. It’s perfectly evident from any reading of this chapter that the twelve men chosen by the people were to each lift up a stone from the Jordan, carry it up, and then place it upon the bank. These were then arranged into a memorial. This was a mark of their camp at Gilgal to which they often returned. There’s no question about that. This technical difficulty that I refer to comes from the fact that in the original version of verse 9, the text literally says, “Joshua set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan at the spot where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant had stood.” This has led many commentators to suppose that there were two memorials.
Now where does that leave us? The point I want to make is the one I have already been alluding to, namely, that we all need memorials like this in our lives. The people of Israel needed their memorials, and they needed other memorials besides this one. In 1 Samuel 7:12 we’re told of the prophet Samuel setting up a memorial which he called, “Ebenezer.” It was the occasion of a great victory in which God had intervened in a supernatural way to defeat the Philistines. It says that in the remainder of Samuel’s lifetime the Philistines didn’t invade the territory of Israel ever again. To mark that great victory, Samuel set up this stone, which he called, “Ebenezer,” which means “the Lord helps.” And he said, “We’re naming it ‘Ebenezer’ because hitherto hath the Lord helped us.”
This week we are continuing our study in the third episode of Joshua, which is the crossing of the Jordan River. We learned last week that this third episode has three parts. The first part was the crossing of the Jordan itself, with the Ark of the Covenant going before the people. The second piece was God’s command to set up the memorial stones. Now this week we come to the third of the incidents that are connected with the crossing, and this concerns the consecration of the people once they had passed over into the land and had set up their memorial.
It was bad enough to know that these thousands of Jewish invaders were there in the desert on the far side of the Jordan; but then suddenly, the waters were stopped and the masses passed over. At that point these kings knew it would only be a short time before the city of Jericho and all the other cities of the land would be attacked.
Now it’s worth thinking about these two acts of consecration. Circumcision was the sacrament that had been given to Abraham so many years before. It was the mark of being a member of the covenant people, and it was accompanied by the promises of God. In this particular covenant, it was a case of God establishing the terms by which He would be the God of the Jews and the Jews would be His people.
You see the difference: circumcision is identifying with God in the covenant and receiving by faith the promises of what God will do. The Passover is a looking back and a remembering of what God had done. What God had done in the case of the Passover, of course, was to deliver the people out of Egypt.
So in the sacrament of circumcision we find its parallel in the matter of our baptism. And when we look at the Passover, we find its parallel in our Communion service which looks back to the death of Christ. The Lord’s Supper has the elements of the broken bread and the wine, which signify Christ’s broken body and poured out blood. We see that we are to consecrate ourselves as well, because the God who operated with His people in the past is operating with us today.
In studying the book of Joshua in preparation for these studies, I have been greatly helped by Francis Schaeffer’s study. And I have been most impressed with Schaeffer’s unique approach to Joshua in using the theme of continuity, that is, the continuity between God’s dealings with Israel under the leadership of Moses, and the way in which God is now operating with the people under the leadership of Joshua. The point of this continuity is that God is the one eternal and immutable God.
At this point, Joshua moves forward quickly and demands to know whether this man is for the host of Israel or for the nation’s enemies. The man replies, “Neither, but as commander of the army of the Lord, I am now come.” We’re told that upon hearing this, Joshua fell down on his face to the ground in reverence.
This commander was no doubt the commander of the armies of Israel. And yet that phrase, “the army of the Lord” or “the hosts of the Lord,” in the Old Testament often means something much more than human armies. It has to do with those heavenly armies, the armies of angels which are there to direct, bless, and protect God’s people. So when this commander comes and says, “I am a commander of the army of the Lord,” we need to understand that identification in the fullest measure of the meaning of that phrase.
But now we need to say something else. All of that in a certain sense is preliminary, at least in my thinking, because the part of the story that really interests me is not so much the identity of this heavenly commander or the identity of the heavenly commander’s troops. What really interests me is what the commander said when Joshua issued his challenge.
We need leaders like that because what makes them leaders is that they are following the leader. Because they’re following Him, they lead us not to narrow views of God that revolve around one’s particular denomination. Instead they lead us to that great God who has revealed Himself in Jesus Christ and who will be the object of our learning, worship, and adoration throughout endless ages.
You notice that Joshua did not do what we would normally expect of a military commander. Joshua did not assemble his war council to determine the best way to attack Jericho. They did not try to take the city using the standard methods of the day. They did not try to construct siege ramps, nor did they try to cut off Jericho’s food supply and starve the city into surrender. Instead, the Lord specifically told Joshua how to go about the conquest of the city, as peculiar as the plan was from the standpoint of military strategy. And Joshua obeyed the Lord’s instructions.
That’s a most unusual set of instructions for taking a city. One might even say that it was utterly unreasonable to think that the walls of Jericho would fall in such a manner. But Joshua obeyed the Lord, and the people obeyed Joshua. The city was encircled according to God’s precise instructions. And on the seventh day at the end of the seventh encirclement, the horns were blown, the people shouted, the walls fell down, and the city was taken as God told Joshua it would be. It was a great victory.
During all this strange silence of the Israelites, I can’t imagine that as they went around this city day after day that the defenders within the walls were silent. Maybe the first day they were. They must have watched by their walls in awed silence at this vast host of invaders silently encircling their city. They must have wondered, “What is this army up to?” What a bizarre situation that must have looked like: a silent city defended by silent soldiers surrounded by a silent army. It must have been the strangest military invasion in history.
There’s a third step in the preparation of the people for their victory, though it overlaps the one I’ve just given. First of all, be silent. Second of all, obey. But thirdly, obey in all things to the very end. I call this “total obedience to the very end.” This third point is important because obedience that is not total and to the end is not true obedience. It’s really disobedience.
We face spiritual challenges that are just as real. We go up against a different form of walled cities, strongholds of that one who is God’s and our enemy, the devil. Sometimes these are in the world. There are great bastions of evil power in this world. Sometimes they’re in the church. Sometimes they are within our own hearts. God is in the business of tearing down those strongholds, and He uses us as His soldiers.
I suppose it’s not really possible to preach through the book of Joshua without dealing at some point with what some people have felt to be a great moral problem. The moral problem lies in the fact that at the direction of God, the Jewish people were commanded by Joshua to exterminate large blocks of the country God had given them to possess. People would call it genocide. It’s a bad thing and people have asked with some perception how it can be possible that in a book that pretends to present to us the character of a good and loving God we could have stories which show God directing His people to do such a thing. This is one of a class of problems that we find in the Bible, and it is the task of apologetics, that is, the defense of the faith, to answer these.
Spiritism and the occult might seem rather remote to us, but they are not treated lightly by people who have lived in areas of the world where this is seriously practiced. It does take place in portions of America, and it’s going to become increasingly a problem for us in years ahead. But for those who have seen in it some way, it is very serious because the demonic is a terrible thing.
All of the wicked practices that Israel was warned against were present in a most perverted and dangerous way in the Canaanite culture. It is, incidentally, something similar to what existed in the time of Noah, and in my view, is one of the reasons for God’s judgment upon that culture as well as upon the Canaanites. God is in the battle against the demonic forces of evil, and where there’s a great outcropping of those in society, God’s judgments are particularly swift. All of that was true of the Canaanites.
Well it’s true, of course that the final judgment has not yet come; God has delayed his final reckoning. But if you look to past history, if you look to these great marks of judgments, these things stand there in history and in the pages of the Word of God as warnings. Certainly, this is true of the Jewish invasion of Canaan. It’s God’s way of saying that there is judgment even among the nations. Righteousness exalts a nation, but a nation that goes the way of sin and perversions is inevitably brought down. These things also stand as a warning of a judgment to come finally at the end of time. We mustn’t think that God will be any different with us than he was for those ancient cultures.
God says the fact that the Canaanites were killed is meant to warn you that God is a judge, that He does take sin seriously, and that you, too, will be punished for your sin unless you come to Jesus Christ. At the same time, the fact that God delays His judgment is meant as an encouragement to you. It’s meant to clearly say that God is nevertheless a God of mercy. Peter says, “God is patient, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to eternal life.”
Have you ever noticed in your life what a short step there often is between a great victory and a great defeat? One moment you’re riding high on the cloud of some great spiritual success, and the next moment you’re plunged into the valley of some grim spiritual failure. One moment you’re like Elijah on Mt. Carmel, calling down the fire of God on the altar. And the next moment you’re like Elijah at Horeb, complaining to God and asking for death. It’s like that in the book of Joshua.
Not only do we learn that sin cannot be tolerated, but I think we learn something else, too. We learn something about the birth and progress of sin. It’s very seldom when we study the Bible and come across a chapter like this that talks about some great spiritual failure, or some sin on the part of an individual or nation, that we don’t find at the same time suggestions as to how sin comes about.
Yesterday we looked at the first step in Achan’s sin, which was dissatisfaction with God. Today we look at the second and third steps. The second is that sin progressed to the point of covetousness; that is, Achan began to desire that which was not his.
Once the lot fell on Achan, Joshua pursued the matter: “My son, give glory to the Lord. Tell me what you have done. Do not hide it from me.” Achan, exposed now before Joshua and the people as well as before God, did confess his sin.
Up to this point, we have dealt largely with sin and judgment. Judgment is a grim note. It is not something that we want when we see it unfolding, especially unfolding on a member of the people of God. We are drawn up short because we recognize that we, too, sin. And judgment is something that must be reckoned with in our own lives. But the note on which I’d like to end is not a note of judgment but of hope.
We come now to Joshua 8, which recounts the victory of the Jewish armies over a little fortress high in the mountains that was known as Ai. If you know the book and have read ahead, you know that Joshua has 24 chapters. So the eighth chapter is a third of the way through the book, and yet, the people have only at this point reached the second city. Now there was a long time of preparation, both before and after they crossed the Jordan. There was also a delay in the last chapter, but it was because of a great failure on Israel’s part.
You know, in the Christian life when you and I run into difficulty, we have a tendency to think that probably what the Lord is teaching us is that this isn’t the way we should go. We should bypass the difficulty in order to find an easier road. I think younger people today are particularly susceptible to that kind of thinking, but it’s not that way in the Christian life. God’s way is a difficult way in some respects and easy in others. It’s easy if we depend upon Him because He prepares the way for us. He provides the victories, but He doesn’t shortcut the battles. These still have to be fought.
Now, there are great lessons in how Israel went about the capturing of Ai. One is that God uses different methods when He deals with His people. We don’t like that because we like everything to work exactly the same every time. We like God to be a computer, where as long as you push the buttons in the right way, God responds as you expect. And even if it’s God who pushes the buttons, we really think deep in our hearts that He should always push the same buttons in exactly the same order, at least when He’s dealing with us.
The real growth in the Christian life does not come by a miracle, or even by what we might call a “mountain top experience.” Instead, growth comes by both good and bad times, when we feel like we are high on a cloud and down in the pit of discouragement. Obedience in all circumstances is how we grow and make progress in the Christian life.
So when we look at this battle of the Jewish troops at Ai, we learn a great deal from the fact that there was no miracle this time. But notice that even though it was won by non-miraculous means, the victory was every bit as complete and every bit as much of a triumph as the victory that had been won at Jericho.
It’s agreed by most Old Testament scholars that the heart of the Old Testament law is the book of Deuteronomy, and that the heart of Deuteronomy is the list of blessings and curses that are found in chapters 27 through 30 of that important book. Deuteronomy presupposes an eternal covenant established by God with His people. But it goes on from that fixed point to discuss the principle of blessing and lack of blessing which is based on either the obedience or disobedience of the people to the revealed law of God, which is where this list of blessings and curses comes in.
Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim are in the high country about 25 miles north of Ai and a little bit to the west. Now Ai, as we saw when we were studying these initial battles, was at the high end of the approach road that Joshua and the armies used as they moved into the country from the Jordan. Jericho, that great fortified city, stood at the lower, eastern end of the road. And Ai, a smaller fortified city, stood at the higher western end. After they had taken Ai, the Jewish armies possessed the high country. And they were free to proceed either to the north or to the south in establishing an even stronger hold upon the country. That’s what they would have been expected to do.
This is precisely what we have recorded as being fulfilled in Joshua 8. All Israel were standing on both sides of the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord, facing the priests who carried it. Half of the people stood in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, as Moses, the servant of the Lord, had formerly commanded when he gave instructions to bless the people of Israel. Afterwards, Joshua read all the words of the law—the blessings and the curses just as it is written in the Book of the Law. There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded that Joshua did not read to the whole assembly of Israel, including the women, children, and the aliens who lived among then. It must have been a most stirring moment.
There is also something else we need to see. This matter of the reading of the law at Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim was not only given to teach the principle that blessing follows obedience and judgment follows disobedience; it was also given to explain the way of finding God’s favor when we do disobey.
The other reason why this passage is tremendous is because this altar of uncut stores was not constructed, as we might suspect, in the valley between the two mountains. Rather, they were told to build it on Mount Ebal, the mountain of the curses. Why was it built on the mountain of the curses? It was built there because that was the mountain upon which sinners stood. It was a way of saying that if you’re going to come to God by means of the sacrifice, you come not as one who views himself as righteous, but as a sinner.
What would you do if you were a Gibeonite? Well, what they did was resort to a deception. They decided that because they weren’t strong enough to beat the Jewish armies, they were going to have to fool Israel somehow if their lives were to be spared. So they came up with a plan.
To put it in very basic terms, we cannot say, “This is the path that seems good to me” and, therefore, choose it. What we have to do is inquire of the Lord and follow His direction as we find it in Scripture, regardless of whether or not that is the path that seems good to us personally.
Yesterday, we looked at the first two points from Ephesians 6 about our spiritual warfare. The third is that we’re to carry the offensive weapon, our sword, which is the Word of God. It means we have to know it. We have to be able to use it. We have to have it at our disposal.
Perhaps you can apply how the Israelites regarded their treaty by supplying specifics from your own experiences. You get into something that perhaps was wrong for you, but you said you would do it and now you have to stand by it. You said, “Well, I’m in a business venture, but it’s costing me.” Well, that’s alright. If you said there was something you were going to do, you have to do it. You have to stand by it even though it’s costly.
The point I want to conclude with is simply to say that in many ways, we are like the Gibeonites. All the parallels are there. We were ignorant of the true God, and we worshipped false gods. We were under judgment, but we heard about God and we responded. And so, by the grace of God, we were brought into the fellowship of the covenant people. The same thing can be said about the Gibeonites. Were the Gibeonites liars and deceivers? Yes, they were; but so were we. Were they under judgment? Yes, they were. They had no hope in the world apart from God. But we were as well. Paul tells the Ephesians that as Gentiles they were cut off from the covenant of Israel. They were without God and without hope, just as we were.
There’s a verse in the tenth chapter of Joshua that has been used to a great effect by Leland Wong, an evangelist out in California. It’s Joshua 10:13, which says, “The sun stood still.” At the top of his letterhead, Leland Wong has printed three verses. The first is this one from Joshua 10. The second is II Kings 6:6, which says, “The iron did float.” And the last is Psalm 48:14: “This God is our God.” I’ve often used those verses to stress that we believe in a powerful God, the great God of the Bible who is able to do miracles. But did the iron really float? Did the sun really stand still?
By this time, the battle had gone on for some time. The sun was passing through the sky and perhaps was soon to set over the Mediterranean to his right. He must have recognized as soon as he looked up and saw the sun that he didn’t have enough time to achieve the kind of victory that the military situation presented. So Joshua did an utterly unprecedented thing. He prayed openly in the presence of Israel, “Sun, stand still over Gibeon, and moon, over the Valley of Adullam.” The next verse, verse 13 says, “So the sun stood still. And the moon stopped till the nation avenged itself on its enemies.” And the text goes on to say, “There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the Lord listened to a man, for the Lord fought for Israel.”
Yesterday we concluded our study by mentioning the first explanation for the miracle of the sun and moon standing still. The second explanation is that the sun and moon appeared to actually stop because the earth itself actually stopped. Now as I say, anybody who believes in an omnipotent God in the final analysis doesn’t really have difficulty with that. “Omnipotent” means “all-powerful.” And if “all-powerful” really means what it says, then to God all things are possible. The Lord Jesus Christ said that. He can stop the sun, the moon, and the stars. He can stop the earth; and He can do it without all of the bad effects that we suppose would have to follow on the basis of our knowledge of physics.
The first thing we’re to learn from a passage like this is that nothing is too difficult for our God. If the situation involves miracles, that is not too difficult. If it involves a prolongation of a day, that is not too difficult for Him. Our God is a great God. He’s a big God. He’s a sovereign, omnipotent God.
The final lesson I see is this. Although God intervened here in a great way and gave a marvelous victory to Joshua and the Jewish troops, I notice that this did not relieve Joshua of his own responsibilities. He didn’t cease to be a soldier because God was about to perform a miracle. He didn’t stop fighting just because God had sent the hail. Joshua was preeminently a soldier, and he was faithful in his responsibility from beginning to end.
In the middle of Joshua 10 there’s an interesting change in the nature of the narrative that describes the Israelite conquest of Canaan. Up to this point in the story, there have only been three real battles. There was the attack on Jericho and the destruction of that city; the attack on Ai and its destruction; and then there was the battle at Gibeon that began outside the walls of the city and continued southward as the Jewish armies pursued the retreating armies of the southern coalition. And all of that’s been given in considerable detail.
The routed armies were led by five kings. These five kings were apparently together directing the military operations. And when they saw the battle go against them and recognized that they were in great personal danger themselves, they hid in the cave near the town of Makkedah. And they went in to hide, thinking that in the battle the rush of the troops would pass by. Then after they had passed, the kings could emerge and make their way back to the city. They could regroup their fortresses and prepare to fight another day.
I think this is a good point to look back over this campaign and its details and see what it teaches us about the characteristics of strong leadership, which Joshua showed. There probably are other things that can be said about Joshua on the basis of other texts. But just looking at this one campaign, I see at least six things that are worth mentioning and trying to apply to ourselves.
Growing in the Christian life is no mystery. Christians have known what it is in all ages. It’s studying the Word of God. It’s praying. It’s fellowshipping with Christian people. It’s worshipping. It’s working for God. It’s witnessing. It’s testifying. Those are the things through which you grow. And then in response to these things, people say that it takes a long time, and that it’s difficult to read the Bible regularly. There are so many interruptions. That’s right, of course. Nobody ever said it was easy, but that’s the way it’s done.
This leads to the fifth characteristic, which is that Joshua obeyed the Lord completely. This was the most striking of his characteristics. If you go back to the very beginning of the book, you’ll recognize that in the first words of God to him, this is what he was encouraged to do: “Be careful to obey all the law my servant gave you. Do not turn from it to the right or to the left so that you may be successful wherever you go. Be careful to do everything.” Later on we are told, in 11:15, “As the Lord commanded His servant, Moses, so Moses commanded Joshua. And Joshua did it. He left nothing undone of all that the Lord commanded Moses. He obeyed the Lord completely.”
We already looked in some detail at the southern campaign. The northern one is given in even less detail than the southern one, although it is similar in many respects. Like the southern campaign, the one in the north is also waged against a coalition of kings who gathered together to try and repulse the Israelite conquest of Canaan. We’re told at the very beginning of chapter 11 that there was a king in the north, the king of Hazor, whose name was Jabin. He saw what was happening and decided to respond by getting together all of the forces at his disposal.
In our study of the southern campaign I talked about Joshua’s leadership characteristics. This story of the northern campaign reminds us of the importance of spiritual leadership. The same principles that he put into practice in his military campaigns are principles that you and I need to put into our spiritual campaigns.
In some ways, at least as his story is told to us, Joshua was not a spectacular individual. At least he did not have a lot of spectacular experiences. There were miracles, of course, but basically, Joshua was a soldier. He was told what to do, and he did it. His strength was found in that, and that kind of obedience is a great thing.
Yesterday, we listed the first thing we must do if we are to fulfill Joshua 11:15, which is to truly believe on Jesus Christ by following him as a faithful disciple. The second thing is this. In Matthew 28, at the very end of that chapter where we have the Great Commission, we’re told that if we believe on Jesus, then we have an obligation to tell other people about Him.
Jesus said in Matthew 5:20, “Except your righteousness exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven.” What He is saying is that if you really are a justified man or woman, if His righteousness really has been imputed to you, if you have been made spiritually alive, regenerated by the Holy Spirit, there will be such a power in you and such a desire to please God that your good deeds will exceed the good deeds of the scribes and Pharisees.
The book of Joshua is divided into two main parts. The first part, chapters 1 through 12, tells about the conquest of the land of Canaan. And the second section, chapters 13 through 24, deals with the settlement of the land. As we come now to chapter 13, we are beginning the chapters that tell about the settlement. Now we would think, as we have studied these preceding chapters, that this war of conquest must have taken a relatively short time. Everything we read about seems to indicate speed. And yet, when we come to this chapter, we are aware immediately that there has been a considerable passage of time. The chapter begins by saying, “It was when Joshua was old now and well advanced in years that the Lord gave him instructions for the dividing of the land.”
So what you have in this first division of the land is an effort to settle the strongest peoples, the most numerous tribes on the frontiers of Canaan. It was only after Joshua had first fixed these people on the frontiers of the country that he proceeded to a survey of the land and the casting of the remainder of the lots, which determined how the land would go to the other people.
Once Joshua had made settlement of the frontier areas, he moved into the center of the land and began the second stage of the distribution, which we have in chapters 18 and 19. There are seven tribes remaining. Because Benjamin was a very small tribe, he gave Benjamin a relatively small territory. Ephraim was to the north, and Judah was to the south. And Benjamin is the tribe that filled in that little narrow area in between. But though a small area, it contained important cities. This was where Jericho had been located, as well as Ai, Bethel, and Gibeon. Jerusalem was just to the south of Benjamin, which meant that the people had easy access to the city, which went on to become a great capital of the country. Later on, Benjamin’s location to the tribe of Judah and Jerusalem was very important, spiritually speaking.
In the previous studies when we were looking at the battles in the south and the north, we took time to look at some of the great characteristics of Joshua. This is certainly a point where we can look at his character and say that if anything characterized this man in a complimentary way, it was certainly his faithfulness in duty to the very end. Even at his advanced age, Joshua was carrying out the duty God had assigned him. Here was a man who was given a task to do, and he did it. He kept at it year after year. He didn’t take his hands off and retire to his city until the task that had been assigned to him was completed.
And I ask the question, are you Christ’s? Are you His? Are you following Him? Is He really your Lord? Is He directing what you think, and how you act, and what you say? If that is not the case, you really can’t find a better example of what it means to follow Jesus in that way than this great example of the Old Testament general.
The magnificent old man to which I am referring here in Joshua 14 is Caleb, who was Joshua’s companion and fellow soldier during all these long years of the conquest of Canaan. It’s often the case that in the presence of an outstanding leader, other people are overlooked. And it’s not because the other people are not great in themselves. Sometimes they’re even greater in some ways than the leader who’s getting all the attention. But, for one reason or another, perhaps just because he or she has a position of visibility, the leader gets the attention, and the other people are overshadowed.
Now when Numbers 13 begins to tell us about the work of the spies, it doesn’t give us very much detail as to how they went about their work. We don’t know, for example, whether they toured around in a body or whether they divided up. We might suspect that they divided up so as not to attract too much attention. One thing I suspect as I read about this is that whether they divided up or whether they went around as a group, Caleb must have expressed some particular interest in Hebron. Hebron is the only one of the cities of the land that’s described in any detail in Numbers 13.
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