INTRODUCTION TO THE BOOK OF JOSHUA
Scripture Reading: Joshua 1:1-6 After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: 2 “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites. 3 I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. 4 Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Mediterranean Sea in the west. 5 No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. 6 Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.
We are going to start a new series today on the Book of Joshua.
The Book of Joshua is the sixth book in the Old Testament.
The first Book is GENESIS - this is the Book that talks about the birth of the nation Israel, the call and the promises of God to Abraham - (ELECTION of the nation.)
The second Book is EXODUS - this is the Book that talks about how the nation of Israel was delivered out of bondage in Egypt, how they crossed the Red Sea and was given God's Holy Law (REDEMPTION of the nation.)
The third Book is LEVITICUS - how the nation was taught to worship in view of God's holiness (SANCTIFICATION of the nation.)
The fourth Book is NUMBERS - how they were tested and numbered as a nation (DIRECTION and WANDERING of the nation.)
The fifth Book is DEUTERONOMY - the law was reviewed and reiterated and closed with the assurance that Israel would posses the land. (INSTRUCTION of the nation.)
Then, this Book of Joshua is about how the nation crossed over Jordan and took possession of the land (POSSESSION by the nation.)
In this book, they were able to secure the land through conquest and finally get settled in the land through consolidation.
The first five books of the Old Testament were written by Moses, the symbol of deliverance from Egypt.
The sixth book is written by Joshua, the symbol of victory in the Promised Land.
Joshua teaches us that faith "is the victory that overcomes the world." (I John 5:4).
When we have faith and we persevere in our trust with God, we have victory.
This is a book therefore of conquest and occupation.
They conquered the enemy and they occupied the land.
But it was not as simple as that, they went there, experienced discouragement and difficulties that we experienced ourselves but they eventually progressed until the enemy was subdued by God's help.
The primary purpose therefore of this Book is to show the faithfulness of God in fulfilling His promise.
The same promise to Abraham was fulfilled physically and spiritually.
That he would be the heirs of many nations like the stars in the sky and the sand in the seashore.
After many years, it became a reality in the life of Joshua.
Actually, the events of the book of Joshua span about twenty-five years.
It started soon after the death of Moses around 1406 BC, before the conquest commenced.
The conquest of Canaan took about seven years, and Joshua’s final address and subsequent death came almost twenty years later.
The book begins with the nation of Israel poised at the banks of the Jordan River, across from Jericho.
It records the details of numerous military campaigns that defeated the inhabitants of the land.
The book ends with Joshua’s regathering of the nation for his final exhortation.
God is faithful even to the very end.
We will learn lessons from three different points of views:
First is the Land of Promise - Canaan.
Second, the Man that God used to claim the promise - Joshua
Third, the Christians in our spiritual journey to the Promised land or heaven
I. LESSONS LEARNED ABOUT THE PROMISED LAND: CANAAN
There are three symbols for this place of Canaan in the Book of Joshua:
1. PLACE OF REST.
At the latter portion of Joshua, we will find the Israelites dividing Canaan, the Promised land.
They have finally entered and received their inheritance.
They have finally found their place of rest from all their struggles.
After their hundreds of years of their toil in Egypt and their wandering in the wilderness, Israel was finally able to settle down and find a home in Canaan.
There in Canaan, they will function as the people of God.
There, they will become a light to the nations.
They will find rest after conquering their enemies.
They will have fellowship with the Lord.
In the same manner, God will bring us there in heaven where we will rest from our labors.
2. PLACE OF BOUNTY.
More than 16 times in the Scriptures, Canaan was called the land "of milk and honey." Ex. 3:8
It was also called a "good and spacious land."
It was a land of extraordinary fruit, a land of corn and wine, kissed with the dew of heaven. Deut. 33:28
It was the place of bountiful harvest and rich lands.
In the same manner, heaven is our place of bounty.
Revelation 21:18 (NIV) " The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass.
3. PLACE OF TRIUMPH.
In Canaan, Israel defeated enemies that were much mightier than them even if they have never struck a blow.
They have conquered people of much experienced and skillful than they were.
Why? Because their victory comes from God.
The battle is always the Lord's.
It was the Lord led them every step of the way until they received their inheritance.
In the same manner, our destination is heaven.
This is the City not made with hands but eternal in the heavens.
This is our promised Canaan where there is rest from our labor, of bountiful harvest and of spiritual triumph.
God will bring us there after we go through the many conflicts and difficulties on this life.
If the Israelites were brought there by Joshua, even so, Christ will bring us to settle in the land.
May we always focus our thoughts on the place that God is preparing for us.
But it was Joshua, a type of Christ who brought them there.
What can we learn from the life of Joshua?
II. LESSONS LEARNED IN THE LIFE OF JOSHUA
1. HE WAS A MODEL FOR LEADERSHIP
Joshua 1:1 tells us that "After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide"
Joshua was Moses' aide or Moses' second in command who takes over and leads the Israelites into the Promised Land after Moses' death.
Joshua was considered to be one of the Bible's greatest military leader for leading the seven year conquest of the Promised Land.
He is a model for leadership and a source of practical application on how to be an effective leader.
The first time we see Joshua was in Exodus 17 in the battle against the Amalekites.
Exodus 17:13 tells us that Joshua "overwhelmed Amalek and his people."
The word "overwhelmed" means to overpower, to completely devastate the enemy.
How can such a young warrior as Joshua overwhelmed the much superior Amalek?
Was it by his military expertise that saved the day?
Yes, he had that, but it was more than that.
Verse 11 reads: "Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed."
Then, when Moses' arms grew so weary and tired, Aaron had to bring a stone to prop them up.
Hence, we see that Joshua prevailed against his enemy because God was fighting for them.
In the same manner, you and I can learn from his life.
The Lord can use us to overcome the enemy because God will be fighting for us.
2. HE HAD ROCK ROCK SOLID FAITH IN GOD.
Joshua 1:3 (NIV) "3 I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses."
Notice the words: "I will give every place where you set your foot."
That means God's promise is always dependent upon the exercise of our faith.
For the Israelites, this is the time to possess the land that has been promised, conquer it and fulfill their destiny.
After 400 years of slavery in Egypt and 40 years in the desert, they were finally able to enter and settle in the Promised Land.
Remember that it was Abraham who first received the promise from God.
He was a pilgrim and alien all his life, never really possessed the country to which he was sent.
The only piece of ground he owned and he purchased himself was the burial plot for Sarah and his family, the cave of Machpelah in Genesis 23.
Then, we learned from the Book of Exodus that Moses was chosen by God to leave the people out of Egypt.
But he was not allowed to enter the Promised Land.
God was displeased when Moses struck the rock with his staff instead of speaking to the rock.
He only saw it from a distance before the Lord took him.
But it was the Lord who brought Joshua in the Promised Land.
It was the Lord who secured the victory for them.
The leadership qualities of Joshua was dependent upon his rock-solid faith in God.
When the Israelites were on the edge of the promised land in Numbers 13, God commanded Moses to send out twelve people to spy out the land.
Moses selected one person from each of the twelve tribes of Israel.
Upon their return, ten reported that the land, while bounteous as the Lord had promised, was occupied by strong and fierce warriors dwelling in large, fortified cities.
These ten approach the Promised land with negative foresight and weak faith.
However, Joshua and Caleb were the only two who urged the people to take the land.
These two believed in the promised of God.
They were not intimidated by the size of the warriors or the strength of the cities.
They knew that God could take care of them.
Hence, God rewarded Joshua and Caleb's faith by exempting them from the entire generation of Israelites that would perish in the wilderness.
Only these two were able to enter the Promised Land from their own generations because of their faith.
May we be able to have rock solid faith as well like Joshua.
We must not be intimidated by th enemy because God will take care of us.
3. HE WAS FAITHFUL EVEN TO THE END.
And Joshua carried this rock solid faith up to the end of the chapter when he gathers the people together one last time.
There, he urges the people to forsake their idols and remain faithful to the Lord.
Joshua 24:15 But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”
This was the kind of faith that Joshua had.
He was faithful even to the very end.
He did not waver even after much accomplishments.
No wonder, Joshua became the Bible's greatest military leader.
I hope and pray that we will be faithful even to the end as well.
The Book of Joshua therefore portrays the life of the believers resting on his faith in Christ.
He experiences the blessings of his salvation through a conquering faith.
He overcomes the various trials, various temptations, various difficulties of our three enemies: the world, the flesh and the devil.
III. LESSONS LEARNED FOR OUR SPIRITUAL JOURNEY:
There are several lessons we can learn as we Journey through the Promised Land:
1. IN CHRIST, WE ARE BLESSED.
And so, it was actually under the leadership of Joshua that the long anticipated promise became a reality.
Our text tells us that God will give him every place where he will set his foot.
In this Book therefore, we will learn that In Christ, we are blessed with every spiritual blessings.
This is our spiritual bounty.
God has given us in Christ every spiritual blessings in the heavenly places.
Ephesians 1:3 (NIV) "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ."
Under Joshua's leadership, Israel took possession of the Promised Land, flowing with milk and honey.
Under the leadership of Jesus, if we follow in his footsteps as disciples, we will take possession of all that belongs to us.
As Christians, our spiritual blessings in Christ are many.
Here is a list from Ephesians chapter one.
* Being holy and without blame before Him in love, (vs.4)
* Being predestined unto the adoption of children (vs. 5)
* Being made accepted in the beloved. (vs. 6)
* Having redemption through his blood (vs. 7)
* Having forgiveness of sins (vs. 7)
* Having understanding of the mystery of his will (vs. 9)
* Being sealed with the Holy Spirit of Promise (vs. 13)
* Knowledge of the hope of his calling (vs. 18).
* Access to the riches of the glory of his inheritance in us (vs. 18)
* Understanding of the exceeding greatness of his power (vs. 19)
This is just one of the list.
There are many more lists of blessings in other parts of the Bible.
The simple truth is we are blessed in Christ.
We might not be walking in the benefit of these blessings, but they are ours to take possession of in the same way that Israel took their promised territory by faith.
Let me illustrate this.
Imagine, you are a parent and you made a promise to your daughter: "Honey, on your 16th birthday, I will buy you a car. Not just a second hand but brand new."
But in order for that promise to be fulfilled, you have to give a condition. "I will give you a new car on your 16th birthday IF you have straight A's on your report card."
It is still a worthy promise of a parent to her daughter.
The car is not yet there.
The promise will only be fulfilled if the condition is met.
However, in the Book of Joshua, the promise of the Lord is different.
"Honey, I've already bought you a new car for your 16th birthday.
It is there, sitting in our driveway.
You have some work to do.
You must learn to drive and get a license, then, you can have it."
That is why Joshua 1:3 (NIV) says: "I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses."
The Promised Land is there in existence, they only have to learn how to conquer and settle in it.
You are blessed in Christ.
You must always be grateful for such blessings.
2. IN THIS WORLD, WE FACE ENEMIES AND STRUGGLES.
Joshua 1:4 (NIV) "4 Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Mediterranean Sea in the west."
Here in this verse, God told Joshua that his territory will be extended far and wide.
But the verse also said that these are the "Hittite country."
There are present occupants of this land that had to be driven out.
And these will not not just let go of their land without a struggle.
They were much superior in armor and more experienced in battle.
These are the enemies that they face before entering the Land.
It was no simple task.
But God is on their side.
In the same manner, the second thing we can learn from this Book is that we have to go through life with many difficulties.
We have spiritual enemies to fight with: " the world, the flesh and the devil.
We have to realize that the devil is real.
1 Peter 5:8-9 (NIV) "8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith,because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings."
That means, we will be attacked.
And when you are being attacked, welcome to the club.
It is just a proof that you are a genuine believer in Christ.
That means you are making an impact in your Christian witness.
The more you are making an impact for God, the more the devil is going to fight you.
The more you face the enemy, the more you struggle.
It will just grow more intense over the years.
Ephesians 6:16 (NIV) "16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
Look at the words: "flaming arrows."
Other translations calls these as: "fiery darts."
That means Satan had some fiery darts to aim at us particularly if we are involved in the ministry.
What are some of the fiery darts that Satan throws up against Christians in ministry?
Discouragement – that’s probably the biggest one.
Failure – nobody shows up for your ministry.
Opposition – all kinds of resistance. Rumors. Put-downs. Misunderstandings. Distractions. Temptation.
Low self-esteem – attacking your self worth. Compromise. Deceptions. Sin.
Competition. Fatigue. Illness. Fear.
(Does Satan ever throw a dart of fear at you? “What do you think you’re doing in ministry? Who do you think you are?”)
Doubt. Division – Does he ever get Christians working against Christians?
Ridicule. Half-truths. Materialism.
These are the things that we we have to face in this world.
These are the fiery darts of the enemy.
He’s going to throw these things at you.
These were the kinds of oppositions that the Jews experienced before they reached the Promised land.
If you’re going to be effective in ministry, you’ve got to learn how to fight back with faith.
We must acknowledge the presence of the adversary in our conquest for the Promised land.
3. IN OUR STRUGGLE, WE CAN BE VICTORIOUS
Joshua 1:5 (NIV) "5 No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you."
Even if the Hittites are in the land, yet they cannot be able to stand against the Israelites.
God will never leave them nor forsake them.
In the same manner, we might have strong enemies, but the Bible says that God sent Jesus to defeat the works of Satan.
1 John 3:8 (NIV) "The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work."
Christ will bring us victory.
Jesus, at the cross, destroyed the devil’s works.
So Satan is now living on borrowed time.
He’s a lion, he’s roaring, but if you are living and walking with Christ, he can’t harm you if you’re walking in the spirit, walking in the Spirit of Christ.
He’s a lion without teeth, a bee without a stinger.
He’s a snake without fangs.
He has given us the power and authority in this spiritual warfare.
Our faith in Christ will see us through.
We must put on the armor of God that symbolize the four weapons of warfare such as truth, humility, faith and praise.
After we have persevered to the very end, then, someday, we too can possess our spiritual inheritance because of our position in Christ.
2 Timothy 1:7 (NIV) "7 For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline."
Whatever you are going through right now, don't give up.
The Holy Spirit in you will not make you timid.
God has given you the power, the love and the self-discipline.
You can conquer every trials, every difficulties and every battle you are in.
May the Lord be with us...
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