Joshua

This book is about one main person. His name is the title of this book. Joshua was the leader after Moses. Joshua led the Jews into Canaan. Other people were living there. And the Jews had to defeat them first. Then they could live in the Promised Land. (Canaan was the land that God promised to give to them.) The book of Joshua tells this story.

Defeating the People of the Land (Chapters 1-12)

The first chapter introduces the story. God encouraged Joshua. He gave him the certainty of:

  • God's presence. This word just means that God is present. (1:5 ‘As I was with Moses, so I will be with you.’)
  • God's promise. (1:5 ‘I will never leave you.’)
  • God's plan. (1:6 ‘You must lead these people so that they can take the land. It is the land that I promised to give to them.’)
  • God's power. (1:7 ‘Be strong and brave. Be sure to obey me. Then you will be successful.’)

The next chapters are about three people.

A Foreigner who Served God (2)

Rahab is a great story about salvation. But remember that it is history. The writer emphasised that it was important to believe three things. He emphasised:

  • God's purpose: nobody can prevent it (2:9).
  • God's power: it will not fail (2:10).
  • God's rule: it has no limits (2:11; 3:11).

Rahab did not know the true God. But she believed the two Jews. And she entered into something new. She did this by faith. Then she knew God's grace for herself. She knew God's salvation.

A Leader who Obeyed God (3-6)

Joshua was the main person here. The ark (3:3) was a sign. It showed that God was present. The people had to follow it as they stepped onto strange territory (3:4). So, the ark would always be in front of them. They crossed the river Jordan at a difficult time. The river was overflowing (3:15). And only God could make it possible for them to cross it safely (3:16).

This was a lesson for them. It taught them things about God (4:1-3). God told them to put 12 rocks in a pile. The rocks must always stay in that place. They would remind God's people about God's power to save them (4:20-24).

The people wanted to love and to serve God. And they showed this in two ways. First, there was circumcision. The Jews began to practise this ceremony again. Second, they remembered the Passover (5). Exodus 12 explains the meaning of this ceremony.

The people were the Lord's army. He was their Captain. And Joshua was the leader. The Lord and Joshua met at Jericho. Joshua must always obey the Captain. Then he would be able to defeat the enemy. The Captain, who always wins, spoke to Joshua. The Lord reminded him about something. Joshua had great spiritual resources. And they were there for him to use (5:13-6:2).

You might have many difficulties in your life. You want to obey God, your Lord. Yet things try to stop you. This is the time for you to remember something. You have spiritual resources too. And they are very great. You must look to the Captain who always wins. Then you will not be afraid. (Compare Romans 8:37 and 1 Corinthians 15:57.) He is always beside you. This fact was the same for the Jews. It explains how they were able to capture Jericho.

  • Joshua worshipped (5:14).
  • Joshua trusted (5:14 ‘What message does my Lord have for his servant?’).
  • Joshua obeyed (5:15; 6:2-26).

A Believer who Robbed God (7)

(A believer is someone who believes and trusts in God. He belongs to God). Rahab and Joshua obeyed the laws of God. They were good examples. Then there is a sad story. It is the story of Achan. God gave a command. Everything in the city of Jericho must be for God. But Achan did not obey. He took things for himself. This story is a warning.

There was a reason for God's command. The Jews would be living in the land. And they needed to have clear rules. They needed rules about property. If someone stole, the Jews must know what to do. Achan chose to forget this. And it caused terrible results. It ruined Achan's life. And it ruined other people's lives too.

This also warns us today. We may refuse to listen to God's word. We might be selfish. We want to live our lives in our own way. We might determine to do this. But it often causes trouble. And we hurt other people too. There is a reason for this fact. It is because we cannot live apart from other people. Our behaviour affects them.

However, there is wonderful news. If you sin, there is pardon. God will forgive you. A prophet of the 8th century refers to this sad story. The reference is in a message of pardon. It is in a message of hope. You can read about it in Hosea 2:15.

The people had to rely on God totally. They must obey God completely. When they recognized these things, they defeated Ai (8). Achan sinned in two ways. He did not obey God. And he was impatient. God knew that his people needed money and clothes. So, the second time that they attacked Ai, things were different. They could take anything that they wanted. (8:2. Compare 8:27.)

Words were very important to God's people, the Jews. The story in chapter 9 showed this. It was about some men from Gibeon. They only lived three days’ journey away. But they pretended something else. They said that they came from far away. Joshua and his men believed this lie. ‘They tasted the old, dry bread. But they did not ask the Lord what they should do’ (9:14). They were happy to have peace with the men from Gibeon. And Joshua agreed not to attack them (9:15). Then Joshua and his men discovered the truth. But they still kept their promise (9:16-19). However, they forced the people of Gibeon to be their slaves (9:21-27).

There were more victories in chapters 10-12. God's people achieved much. They were very afraid of some giants. But they defeated the giants too (11:21-22).

Joshua always obeyed God. And he obeyed immediately. He did everything that God told him to do. (Read 11:12, 15.)

Dividing the Land (Chapters 13-21)

God's people, the Jews, did not control all parts of the land yet (13:2). But Joshua still shared out these parts. He told the 12 tribes which parts would belong to them one day. Chapters 13-19 are about this general subject.

Chapter 20 is about cities where people could be safe. The rules were clear. They showed God's mercy. (The story of Achan was different. That story showed a severe God. Compare Romans 11:22.) Someone might kill a person. But perhaps he did not mean to kill (20:3). It was an accident. Then he could have full protection in one of these cities. And he could stay there until the judges made a decision. The judges would decide if he was innocent or guilty.

Chapter 21 tells us about some special land. God gave it to the Levites.

These chapters tell us about two sorts of people.

Some people sinned against society. Other people were spiritual leaders. But God's care was equal. He cared for them all. And the same things are true today.

Uniting the Land (Chapters 22-24)

These are the book's last chapters. They show how the people united. Chapter 22 tells a story. It describes the danger of not uniting. There were some separate tribes. They lived on the east side of the river Jordan. They built an altar (22:10). And this caused trouble. The other tribes said that they were bad. They were not obeying God. There must be only one central altar (22:16-20).

The separate tribes then explained things. They did not want this altar for sacrifices (22:22-23). They wanted it to be like a witness. It would remind everybody else that the separate tribes were God's people too. They had an equal share in God's provisions. God's kindness was for them all. His goodness was for them all too.

The separate tribes had a fear. They were afraid about the future. Maybe the distance between them would cause trouble. The majority might say that the separate tribes were different. They did not belong with God's people (22:24-25). But this would be wrong. So they all agreed that the altar could stay there. It would be like a witness. It would show that each tribe was important. God had a purpose for the whole nation. But each tribe was part of that purpose (22:34).

Chapter 23 records Joshua's words. God spoke to him first. Then, Joshua was eager to tell everything to the people. He urged them to obey God (23:6). He encouraged them to follow God (23:8). He wanted them to love God (23:11).

The last chapter tells us about a special agreement. Joshua and the people made it. It had three parts:

  • God and the past (24:12-13).
  • God and the present (24:14-28; ‘Now…this day’).
  • God and the future (24:29-33).

It also tells that they buried three people. They were Joshua, Joseph and Eleazar. They had all served the Lord. Their service was completely loyal. And they made it more easy for others to serve God too.