Introduction to the Book of Joshua

Written by Kevin E. Jesmer 3-5-17

The Book of Joshua is the sixth book in the Bible and covers the period from the death of Moses to the conquest of the Promised Land under the leadership of Joshua. It tells the history of the Israelites conquering of the Promised Land with the help of the Lord.  The beginning of the conquest of the land was in 1406 B.C. forty years after the Exodus. The actual conquest lasted for 7 years or until 1399 B.C. The is the late bronze age. A new generation of God’s people were made ready to claim the Promised Land as their possession. They had endured four hundred years of slavery in Egypt. They spent forty years wandering in the desert. Through all that, they were trained by God in faith and obedience. Now in this book, with the Lord at their side, it was now time to access the Promise Land in order to conquer it.

The book is named after Joshua, Moses’ successor. His name means “the Lord is Salvation.” 1400 years later, Jesus was given the same name. The Book shows the historical fulfillment of God’s promises to the patriarchs and to Moses.

Some facts about the book are as follows: The author is Joshua, except for the last part, which may have been written by a High Priest Phineas. The setting is the land of Canaan.

There are three sections to this book:

1. Entering the Promised Land (1:1-5:12)
2. Conquering the Promised Land (5:13-12:24)
3. Dividing the Promised Land (13:1-24:33)

In part one, Joshua demonstrated his faith in God as he led the nation. The Israelites reaffirmed their commitment to God by obeying the Lord to cross the Jordan to possess the land.

In part two, Joshua and his army fought from city to city, obeying God’s will to bring judgement on the inhabitants of the land. The reason for the judgement was for vile religious practices, and the peoples’ lack of repentance, that God endured for millennia. But that is another story.

In part three, Joshua urged the Israelites to always follow the Lord and worship him exclusively. The people, however were prone to wandering away from their God.

There are four themes:

1. Success. God gave success to the Israelites when they obeyed his redemptive plan. Victory came when they trusted in God and obeyed him, rather than in trusting in their human power and plans.
2. Faith. The Israelites demonstrated their faith by trusting God daily to guide them.
3. Guidance. God’s law guided their daily lives and through faith and obedience the Lord gave them victory in battle.
4. Leadership. Joshua was an excellent example of being a leader on many levels, both spiritually and militarily.
5. Conquest. God commanded his people to conquer the Canaanites, drive them out and take all of their land. They were not to be polluted by their vile religious practices. In accomplishing this God was fulfilling his promises to Abraham.

What is taught in this book is very applicable to Christians today. The struggle that the Israelites experienced, are in many ways, the same for us. In this book, there are accounts of battles as the people of God take hold of the land. There are wonderful accounts of faith and courage. These accounts are significant for us believers today. For example, though we Christians are not taking land from people, we are called to lay hold of the promises of God in and through Jesus Christ. The method of conquest still involves faith, obedience born of faith and absolute dependence on God who faithfully leads his people to victory.  We are called to conquer sin and overcome this world through the Gospel. We need to cross over from the old life to the new life on Christ. In doing so, we put off our selfish desires, and press on to possess all than God has purposed for us. We need courageous faith to live the new life.

Sources:

Sarah Barry of University Bible Fellowship daily bread

An Introduction to the Book of Joshua.  https://bible.org/article/introduction-book-joshua

http://www.jesuswalk.com/joshua/0_intro.htm

Introduction to the Book of Joshua

The Book of Joshua is the sixth book in the Bible and covers the period from the death of Moses to the conquest of the Promised Land under the leadership of Joshua. It tells the history of the Israelites conquering of the Promised Land with the help of the Lord.  The beginning of the conquest of the land was in 1406 B.C. forty years after the Exodus. The actual conquest lasted for 7 years or until 1399 B.C. The is the late bronze age. A new generation of God’s people were made ready to claim the Promised Land as their possession. They had endured four hundred years of slavery in Egypt. They spent forty years wandering in the desert. Through all that, they were trained by God in faith and obedience. Now in this book, with the Lord at their side, it was now time to access the Promise Land in order to conquer it.

The book is named after Joshua, Moses’ successor. His name means “the Lord is Salvation.” 1400 years later, Jesus was given the same name. The Book shows the historical fulfillment of God’s promises to the patriarchs and to Moses.

Some facts about the book are as follows: The author is Joshua, except for the last part, which may have been written by a High Priest Phineas. The setting is the land of Canaan.

There are three sections to this book:

1. Entering the Promised Land (1:1-5:12)
2. Conquering the Promised Land (5:13-12:24)
3. Dividing the Promised Land (13:1-24:33)

In part one, Joshua demonstrated his faith in God as he led the nation. The Israelites reaffirmed their commitment to God by obeying the Lord to cross the Jordan to possess the land.

In part two, Joshua and his army fought from city to city, obeying God’s will to bring judgement on the inhabitants of the land. The reason for the judgement was for vile religious practices, and the peoples’ lack of repentance, that God endured for millennia. But that is another story.

In part three, Joshua urged the Israelites to always follow the Lord and worship him exclusively. The people, however were prone to wandering away from their God.

There are four themes:

1. Success. God gave success to the Israelites when they obeyed his redemptive plan. Victory came when they trusted in God and obeyed him, rather than in trusting in their human power and plans.
2. Faith. The Israelites demonstrated their faith by trusting God daily to guide them.
3. Guidance. God’s law guided their daily lives and through faith and obedience the Lord gave them victory in battle.
4. Leadership. Joshua was an excellent example of being a leader on many levels, both spiritually and militarily.
5. Conquest. God commanded his people to conquer the Canaanites, drive them out and take all of their land. They were not to be polluted by their vile religious practices. In accomplishing this God was fulfilling his promises to Abraham.

What is taught in this book is very applicable to Christians today. The struggle that the Israelites experienced, are in many ways, the same for us. In this book, there are accounts of battles as the people of God take hold of the land. There are wonderful accounts of faith and courage. These accounts are significant for us believers today. For example, though we Christians are not taking land from people, we are called to lay hold of the promises of God in and through Jesus Christ. The method of conquest still involves faith, obedience born of faith and absolute dependence on God who faithfully leads his people to victory.  We are called to conquer sin and overcome this world through the Gospel. We need to cross over from the old life to the new life on Christ. In doing so, we put off our selfish desires, and press on to possess all than God has purposed for us. We need courageous faith to live the new life.

Sources:

Sarah Barry of University Bible Fellowship daily bread

An Introduction to the Book of Joshua.  https://bible.org/article/introduction-book-joshua

http://www.jesuswalk.com/joshua/0_intro.htm