Joshua

Joshua

Finding the Context:

1.     What do you see in this book that tells about the Original Reader?

The original readers would have been the Israelites who were going in to take possession of the land. We can determine this because the second half of the book gives a detailed instruction to the Israelites on how to divide up the land (6-13). The books of Joshua describes a people who were at times excited and ready to conquer the land, and at other times were terrified and too afraid to go in to receive the land the Lord had promised them (1:16-18; 17:16)

2.     What do you see in this book that tells you about the author?

Joshua is the author of this book. The book of Joshua provides the readers with a lot of information and details that few people would have known. The author would have had to be someone who had been around during the time of Moses and would have known the details from that period of time. This book also states that Joshua wrote the closing part of Deuteronomy (24:26). You can see throughout the book that Joshua is a different type of leader than Moses was. He is constantly being encouraged by God and is encouraging the people he is leading. You do not find him being annoyed as often as Moses was. This could partly be due to the fact that Joshua was a former slave whereas Moses was not. Because of this Joshua would have related differently with the people than Moses would have.

3.     What are the main themes, and repeated ideas in this book, and what is a one-sentence summary of the “main idea”?

Ultimately, Joshua is about God showing His people that He has come through on the promise that He gave to them and their fathers while providing them with instructions on how to occupy the land he has given them.

Fear is a repeated theme throughout this book. Over and over again you find God telling Joshua to be strong and courageous. Joshua then tells the Israelites that they are not to fear. You also see that God made all of the nations of Canaan afraid of the Israelites. In this situation God actually used fear to bring about good for His people (1:6-9, 18; 2:9-11,24; 5:1; 9:24,25; 10:2,8; 10:25; 11:6).

Battles are also repeated throughout Joshua and it describes how Israel has to fight over and over to receive the land. Israel does not just cross the Jordan and receive the promise land. They have to fight to receive what God has promised them. Boundaries are also discussed frequently as Joshua goes into detail on where the tribes are supposed to reside (6-12).

There is a theme of giving and receiving throughout this book. Throughout the book you see God giving the land of Canaan to the people of Israel and you see Israel finally receiving the land that has been promised them for hundreds of years (1:11; 6:16; 14:13-15).

4.     What is the primary reason this book was written?

Joshua was written to encourage the people of Israel to continue taking the land that belonged to them. Even in places where they were afraid, they were still to have faith in God and continue to invade and take over what was promised to them. It was also written to provide them with instructions on how to settle in the land that they were being given. The book gives detailed instructions on how to divide up the land between the tribes. At the end of Joshua you also see that it was written to document the covenant that Israel was choosing to make with God. Israel promises that they will follow God and serve Him in the land that they are settling in. Joshua documents this as a testimony against them (23:16-28).

Theme Tracing:

1.     What does this book show about the character and nature of God?

In this book you clearly see that God is trustworthy and that He is faithful to keep His word. For hundreds of years the promise He made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob has been only a promise. In the book of Joshua you finally see the culmination of the promise He made. He has finally made good on His word and done what He said He would do. You also see that He is in control as He works to help them fight to enter into the land. Joshua reveals a God who defends and fights for His people. In this book He is actively fighting on behalf of His people so that they can receive the land. You see this in the battle against Jericho and in the story where God causes the sun to stand still. He even rains hail down on Israel’s enemies (10:9-14).

2.     What does this book show about God’s redemptive plan for mankind?

In Joshua you see God taking one of the first steps in his ultimate redemptive plan. He finally gives the Promised Land to Israel as He said He would. You see him taking steps to put Israel in a land where they can receive the Messiah and bless the rest of the world. God is giving Israel the land of Canaan ultimately so that He can bring the Messiah to them and from there they can allow the knowledge of Him to spread to the rest of the world (21:43-45).

Application Questions:

1.     Personal Application

This book was really encouraging to me because it is a huge reminder that God always keeps His word. Regardless of what the circumstances are, how impossible it may look, how long it takes or how much we mess up, God still keeps His word. What He has promised will happen, eventually does happen. I can confidently believe promises that God has made to me because God is faithful to keep His word and I don’t have to worry about how impossible it may seem because God loves to act on behalf of His people. He loves to fight for His people. He loves to do the impossible. When He promises to do the impossible, I can trust completely that He will.

2.     Point of Passion-Christian Leaders

In this book you see the importance of encouragement regarding leadership. Joshua starts out with God encouraging Joshua who is stepping into a new, giant leadership role. Over and over you find God encouraging Joshua and instructing him not to fear. You also see Joshua as a leader himself encouraging those below Him. You see Him encouraging the people he is leading to take the land and not let fear get in the way of their taking the land (1:6-9; 3:7,8; 8:1,2; 10:8; 11:6)

You also see through examples from this book that it is important for leadership to constantly seek council from the Lord even when they are already following a path He has given them. No matter how small the decision is, it is always crucial to seek the Lord before making a decision. In Joshua you see what happens when Joshua and Israel do not seek the Lord when making decisions about what they already “know” is the Lord’s will (7:6-15; 9:9-22).

The book of Joshua also reveals that God is the ultimate leader. He constantly longs to provide the leaders that He has set in place with instructions on how to precede in the task He has given them. He gives Joshua instructions on how to cross the Jordon, how to take Jericho and He provides Him with battle strategies. In fact the only times that you find God speaking in this book are when he is speaking with Joshua. Even though Joshua already knew that Israel was supposed to take the land, he still needed to receive the detailed steps of how to go about accomplishing the task and God constantly instructs him on how to proceed with the task He has given him (1:2-9; 3:7,8; 4:2,16; 5:2; 6:1-5; 7:10-15; 8:1,2,18; 10:8; 11:6; 13:1-7; 20:1-6).