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Great people of the Bible - Joshua
Joshua – God’s General
Joshua stands before us as another example of faith, courage and service
for God. He was the great general of the Israelite army who directed
the nation’s entry into the Promised Land, the conquering of the
land, and the settlement of the people in the land. For centuries, the
descendants of Abraham had anticipated possessing the land God had promised
to the Patriarch in the Abrahamic Covenant, and then reiterated to Isaac
and Jacob. The life of Joshua is the compelling story of the fulfillment
of that promise. From Joshua’s example, we see that God is faithful,
and that by faith in God’s promises, God’s people can overcome
and experience life-changing deliverance. The message of Joshua can encourage
and have a wonderful impact on one’s life.*1
Background: Joshua was born in Egypt, left there with
the other Jews in the exodus, and was probably about the same age as
Caleb, with whom he is often associated. The first mention of Joshua
is found in Exodus 17:9 “And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us
out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: tomorrow I will stand on the
top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand.” Numbers 13:16
says that Joshua’s original name was Hoshea. Moses apparently renamed
him Jehoshua, which was shortened to Joshua. The name Joshua means, “Yahweh
is his help,” or “Yahweh is the Savior.” His father’s
name was Nun. The NT name Jesus is the Greek version of this Hebrew
name.
The book of Joshua describes the conquest and possession of the land
of Canaan and may be divided into three simple divisions: (1) invasion or
entrance, (2) conquest, and (3) possession or division
of the land. This is the land God had promised Israel through Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob. Here God fulfilled that promise, though not exhaustively
since there still remains a rest for the people of God (Heb 4). Joshua
describes the military triumph of God’s people through faith and
obedience. However, unlike most military histories, in the book of Joshua
the focus is on the commander’s Commander, the Captain of the Lord’s
host (5:15). A study of Joshua’s life demonstrates that Israel’s
victories were due, not to Joshua’s great leadership skills or
to Israel’s military might, but to God’s power and intervention. *2
Life and Times
Joshua became Moses’ minister or servant, and accompanied him part
of the way when he ascended Mount Sinai to receive the two tables (Ex
32:17). He was also one of the twelve who were sent on by Moses to explore
the land of Canaan (Num 13:16-17) and only he and Caleb gave an encouraging
report. Under the direction of God, Moses, before his death, passed to
Joshua the leadership of the nation in a public and solemn ceremony (Deut
31:23). Shortly after Joshua assumed command, the people crossed the
Jordan and entered the Promised Land of Canaan. He then made sure that
all the males in the nation were circumcised according to the Law. They
kept the Passover, and Captain of the Lord’s host arrived and spoke
to encouraging words (Jos 1:1-9).
Then began the wars of conquest which Joshua carried on for many years,
the record of which is in the book which bears his name. He conquered
six nations and thirty-one kings (Jos 11:18-23; 12:24). Having thus subdued
the Canaanites, Joshua divided the land among the tribes, Timnath-serah
in Mount Ephraim being assigned to himself as his own inheritance. His
work being done, he died, at the age of one hundred and ten years, twenty-five
years after having crossed the Jordan. He was buried in his own city
of Timnath-serah (Jos 24).
Joshua’s Character
Leadership: There seemed to be no significant interruption
in leadership when Joshua took over from Moses. There were no rebels
who arose to claim leadership, nor do we find the nation falling apart
through political unrest. Joshua took a firm hold of the reins of leadership.
Courage: One who is the commander of an army obviously must
be courageous. He never shied away from any battle no matter what the
odds against him were. He even carried out discipline against some
of the Israelites without batting an eye.
Faith: Joshua believed in God’s promises, trusting that
God would defeat the armies of Canaan even though the Israelite army
was not very strong. He encouraged the other tribes to conquer the
land that had been allotted to them. “And Joshua said unto the
children of Israel, How long are ye slack to go to possess the land,
which the LORD God of your fathers hath given you?” (Jos 18:3).
Compassion: Joshua chose six cities to be “cities of
refuge” where people who accidentally killed someone could go
and be protected from the avenger of blood. He also designated forty-eight
special cities for the Levites so those who served in the tabernacle
could have some farmland.
Commitment: One of the most well-known statements from Joshua
is found in Joshua 24:15 – “Choose you this day whom
ye will serve; … as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” This
expression of faith reveals Joshua’s firm commitment to follow
the way of the Lord no matter what. Both Joshua and Caleb “wholly
followed the Lord” (Jos 14:8-9, 14).
Lessons from the Life of Joshua
Followership is just as important as leadership. Joshua learned
how to be great leader by first being a submissive follower. He was
Moses’ assistant for many years before Moses passed from the
scene. He was ready to lead because he had learned much from the previous
leader.
Application: Before you can be a leader, be a follower. Learn
from your leaders.
Trust God. Joshua was one of only two spies who came back
and encouraged the people to enter Canaan and conquer it. While the
other ten spies were looking at the stone walls and strong armies,
Joshua and Caleb trusted that God was able to overcome all obstacles
(Num 13:30). When it came time to conquer the land, Joshua trusted
God to empower the Israelite army.
Application: Trust God to deliver you – from sin, from
problems, etc. Trust that God will fulfill his promises. Trust God
to do what you cannot do. “With God all things are possible.”
The presence of God gives the believer strength, courage and
stamina. God told Joshua, “As I was with Moses, so I will be
with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Be strong and of
a good courage” (Jos 1:5-6).
Application: God is present in your life if you are a believer.
Cf. Heb 13:5-6.
Value the Word of God. God told Joshua, “This book of
the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate
therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to
all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous,
and then thou shalt have good success” (Jos 1:8). Joshua was
a recipient of the direct revelation of God. He not only heard the
word; he obeyed it.
Application: Read, listen to, memorize, think about and obey
the word of God. You should honor and esteem the Bible. There
is absolutely no victory or chance for us to experience the blessings
of our new life in Christ apart from the Word of God. Whenever any
believer begins to turn away from the Word through indifference or
apathy for whatever reason, he is turning away from the Lord and into
defeat.
Serve God. From beginning to end, the life of Joshua was one
of service. He served Moses, he served the people of Israel, and he
served God. His statement “As for me and my house, we will serve
the Lord” shows his commitment to service.
Application: Commit yourself to serving God no matter what
everyone else is doing. Seek to influence others (“me and my
house”) to do the same.
Be strong and courageous. The Lord told Joshua after the death
of Moses, “Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people
shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their
fathers to give them. Only be thou strong and very courageous…” (Jos
1:6-7). Joshua took these words to heart.
Application: Paul says “Be strong in the Lord and in
the power of his might” (Eph 6:10). Take a strong stand for the
Lord. Don’t be intimidated by scoffers or critics. Be bold in
your witness and testimony even when others ridicule you.
Joshua’s One Failure
Joshua chapter nine tells the story of the wily Gibeonites who tricked the
Israelites into sparing them from destruction. The Israelites were allowed
to make treaties with cities and nations that were outside of the area
they were planning to overthrow. However, Gibeon was located within the
Promised Land, so the Israelites should have conquered it and killed
all the people. The Gibeonites understood this and took steps to prevent
it. Several representatives from the city dressed up as if they had come
from a far distant place and deceived Joshua and the other leaders into
thinking that they were not Canaanites. The Israelites entered into a
treaty with the Gibeonites and “asked not counsel at the mouth
of the LORD” (Jos 9:14). Joshua and the leaders made a treaty with
them and promised not to harm them. Just three days later they found
out who the Gibeonites really were. However, because the Israelites had
made this treaty, they spared the Gibeonites. Rather than being killed,
they became the servants of the Israelites.
Application: Don’t judge a book by its cover, i.e., by
appearances. People may be trying to deceive you. Pray and seek counsel
about decisions before you make them.
Lesson on the Character of God
God is present with believers. Immediately after the death
of Moses, God told Joshua “As I was with Moses, so I will be
with you.” Jesus said, “I am with you always” (Matt
28:20). The believer’s body is the temple of the Holy Spirit,
which should motivate us to glorify God (1 Cor 6:19-20).
God is omnipotent (all-powerful). There are many events related
in Joshua that point out God’s great power–the walls of
Jericho fell down without human aid, the waters of the Jordan opened
to allow the people to cross over on dry ground, a rag-tag army of
former slaves and desert nomads conquered fortified cities and strong
armies, and perhaps the greatest miracle of all, daylight hours are
extended when the sun refused to set.
God hates sin and judges sinners. When the Israelite
army entered Jericho, they were commanded not to take any of the spoils
of war for themselves. However, a man named Achan took some things
for himself and hid them in his tent. When the Israelite army went
to battle against the city of Ai, they could not prevail and many soldiers
were killed. The Lord revealed that there was “sin in the camp” and
Achan was eventually found to be the guilty party. All of Achan’s
family and possessions were destroyed.
God is faithful to his promises. The primary purpose of the
book of Joshua is to show God’s faithfulness to his promises;
that he had done for Israel exactly what he had promised (cf. Gen 15:18
with Jos 1:2-6 and 21:43-45). The events recorded in Joshua set forth
God’s special intervention on behalf of His people against all
kinds of tremendous odds. The fulfillment of God’s promises is
the work of God and that which man cannot do no matter how hard he
tries.*3
A Note on Interpreting Joshua: Be careful not
to allegorize Joshua to death. Some well-meaning people want to draw
a parallel between the events of Joshua and the Christian life. For example,
an allegorical interpretation of Joshua’s life yields the following: *4
Egypt portrays the world with all its human
ideas, idolatries, mysticism, and antagonism to the salvation,
deliverance, and purposes of God for His people.
Being in Egypt portrays a lost condition,
a slave to Satan, the world, and the flesh.
Coming out of Egypt through the Passover
lamb and the Red Sea portrays deliverance by the death of Jesus
Christ.
A believer going down into Egypt pictures
a believer turning to the world and its substitutes and solutions
rather than turning to the Lord for deliverance.
Israel in the Wilderness is a type or picture
of the believer in carnality, outside of the place of maximum
blessing, out of the will of God and in constant defeat, wandering
about because of failure to trust the Lord and the deliverance He has
promised.
Crossing the Jordan and moving into Canaan is
a type or picture of the believer possessing his or her possessions
by faith in the power and provision of God. It portrays the believer
in fellowship, faced with conflict and enemies, yet able to be
delivered when dependent upon the Lord and walking by faith in the
principles and promises of the Word.
The Canaanites in the Land portray the
believer’s enemies who stand to oppose us in the Christian way
of life, but who are at the same time a defeated foe though we must
appropriate our God-provided victory, the saving life of Christ.
Some believe Jericho may illustrate the world, Achan and Ai the flesh
or the sinful nature, and the Gibeonites may illustrate the deceptions
of Satan and the world system.
Undoubtedly, such sentiments sound spiritual and are certainly valuable
in a sense. However, once you start down the trail of allegorization,
it’s hard to know where to stop. Such a practice usually produces
absurd and foolish results. There is no good reason to drag New Testament
truth into the Old Testament story of Joshua. The timeless principles
underlying Joshua’s story stand on their own without the need of
typology, symbolism or allegory. It’s best to avoid making the
text say something that the author clearly never intended it to say.
Further, it’s necessary and important to keep Israel and the church
distinct. The fact that events occurred a certain way for Israel does
not necessarily imply that the church should follow suit.
Conclusion: The book of Joshua closes with these
words: “Not a word failed from any good thing which the LORD had
spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass” (Jo 21:45). Joshua
is another wonderful example for us to follow. His assistance to Moses
and his leadership should inspire us toward leadership. His commitment
to and zeal for God should motivate us to commit ourselves to God and
to serve him. His unwavering faith in God should instill within us a
stronger trust in God and in his promises.
Discussion:
What was Joshua’s relationship with Moses? He was
his aid
What does the name Joshua mean? “Jehovah is his help,” or “Jehovah
is the Savior.”
Who is often associated with Joshua? Caleb
What is the book of Joshua primarily about? The book of Joshua
describes the conquest and possession of the land of Canaan and may
be divided into three simple divisions: (1) invasion or entrance,
(2) conquest, and (3) possession or division of the land.
What do we learn about the character of God from the book? See
above list
What are some practical applications we can learn from Joshua’s
life? See above list
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