Chapter 1 The Call
(God commissions Joshua and commands him to prepare for battle)
There are three things we need from God in order to have a successful Christian life: the promise of God, the presence of God (vs 5) and the pronouncement, or Word of God (vs 8).
There are two things God brings about in us for the victory: strength and courage. If you have strength but not courage you will do nothing, if you have courage without strength you can do nothing.
1:3 "Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you."
1:5 "I will not leave you nor forsake you"
1:9 "Be strong and very courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."
Chapter 2 The Mission & The Mark of the Missionary
(The spies go to Jericho and encounter Rehab, who helps them and marks herself for God)
Make your stand that you belong to God (scarlet cord)
Find allies and ascertain the attitude of the enemy
Realize your weakness, and throw yourself on God’s mercy to obtain victory
Chapters 3 - 4 The Commitment To The Mission
(Crossing the Jordan on a one way trip into battle)
God gives us a task but not necessarily how to accomplish it after we step out
Obey God, commit yourself to the journey - set foot into the Jordan, no turning back
Chapter 5 Cutting Away the Flesh
(The circumcision and celebration of the Passover)
Crucify the flesh - consider it dead and 2) walk in the Spirit - enjoying sweet fellowship with God all the time.
Grow in maturity by eating the meat of God’s Word.
Use God’s weapons, not yours
5:13 "Are you for us, or for our adversaries?" And he said, "No; but I am the commander of the army of the Lord. Now I have come."
Chapter 6 Grand Victories
(The victory over Jericho)
Destroy the world’s hold on your life
6:16 "Shout, for the Lord has given you the city."
Chapter 7 Getting Tripped Up by the Flesh
(Achan "saw" then "coveted", Israel gets defeated at Ai)
Be transparent to God about your weaknesses and let him burn the flesh and temptation out of you
7:10 "The Lord said to Joshua, "Get up! Why have you fallen on your face? Israel has sinned … therefore the people of Israel cannot stand before their enemies" (Ai)
Chapter 8 Your Mistakes, God’s Victories
(Ai falls, partly because the men of Ai think everything is as it was before)
Don’t give up when you make mistakes, but let God move through them
Chapter 9 The Sideways Attack
(Gibeon fakes out Joshua and the leaders into making a treaty with them)
Watch out for the deceptions of the enemy
Keep your promises to God even if it makes you look foolish
9:12 Here is our bread. It was still warm when we took it from our houses as food for our journey on the day we set out to come to you, but now, behold, it is dry and crumbly" (the Gibeonites)
Chapter 10 Getting goaded into Action
(The nations band together to attack Gibeon and Israel gets a great victory - sun stands still)
Let God use your mistakes to win victory
God goes before you and is with you in battle
10:10-11 And the Lord threw them into a panic … the Lord threw down large stones from heaven on them … there were more who died because of the hailstones than the sons of Israel killed with the sword.
Chapter 11 The Enemy’s Hail Mary Play
(Nations in the north comes like the sand on the seashore, but the victory is even easier for Israel)
God makes you ready to face your greatest fear (even the Anakim)
11:19 There was not a city that made peace with the people of Israel except the Hivites, the inhabitants of Gibeon.
Chapters 12 - 13 Fighting Remnants
(Kings destroyed but not their cities, like Jerusalem [12:10])
Watch out for the remnants
Let God decide what area you get in ministry and your walk
Who is your inheritance, really? Be satisfied like the Levites with God.
Joshua 11:23 "So Joshua took the whole land" but then here in 13:1 "There remains yet very much land to possess"
Chapters 14 - 15 In It for the Long Haul
(Caleb gets his inheritance, which happens to be the toughest place to win)
Be like Caleb: sincere faith, great patience, in it for the long haul, willing to take on the tough battles
14:7 "I brought him word again as it was in my heart" (Caleb) "yet I wholly followed the Lord my God."
Chapters 16 - 19 Winning or Whining?
(Joseph complains that they don’t have enough land, but what they lacked was courage)
Clearing forests, fighting chariots. Will we be Eeyore or Winnie the Pooh
17:17-18 "You are a numerous people and have great power. You shall not have one allotment only, but the hill country shall be yours, for though it is a forest, you shall clear it and possess it to is farthest borders. For you shall drive out the Canaanites, though they have chariots of iron, and though they are strong."
Chapters 20 - 21 Making Room
(Creation of the cities of Refuge and the cities allotted to Levi)
Making room for mercy and allowing God to decide what to do with what you get. The other tribes might have taken offense at Levi getting these cities, like when He decides to give away something He has done in or through us to another.
21:44-45 And the Lord gave them rest on every side just as he had sworn to their fathers. Not one of all their enemies had withstood them, for the Lord had given all their enemies into their hands. Not one word of all the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel had failed.
Chapter 22 Flying Solo, Crashing Alone
(Gad, Reuben, and the half tribe of Manasseh go back rewarded, but soon fall into misunderstanding)
Getting what you want or getting what God is giving
Chapters 23 - 24 Reverse Osmosis
(Joshua’s final words - challenging Israel to really serve God)
Securing victory for the long run - watch out for osmosis, always be "the servant of Yahweh", "choose you this day".
23:6-8 Therefore be very strong to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law … that you may not mix with these nations remaining among you or make mention of the names of their gods or swear by them or serve them or bow down to them, but you shall cling to the Lord your God.
24:15 But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
24:19 You are not able to serve the Lord, for he is a holy God
Thoughts on Joshua
A Servant can accomplish great things
From beginning to end, Joshua was only "a servant of Yahweh". He wasn’t in it for the glory or fame or rewards or power. He was in it to see God’s work done. If only that was our main motivation. You don’t have to be a charismatic person or a famous person or a powerful person to accomplish great things, you only need to be an obedient and humble person with the audacity to step out no matter the personal cost.
Great victories happen, but defeat is always lurking
We see over and over God make promises and deliver on them. He did it in creative ways (Jericho) and in ways that didn’t even involve Israel (sending the panic and the hail). But there were several things that always stood ready to trip up a victory and turn it into defeat:
The lure of the forbidden (Aichan)
The lull of complacency (Gibeon)
The curiosity about the foreign (gods of the land)
The pull of selfishness (Joseph wanting more, Reuben, Gad…)
The tendency to coast in our relationship with God ("cling" ch 23-24)
How do we combat them?
Have a lavish relationship with Yahweh - a relationship where you recognize how wonderful He is and how much we lack without Him, accepting what He brings, including the challenges. So fill our lives with Him that simply don’t have room to focus on any temptation in the world around us.
