Joshua

The Bible in 1 Year 15 - Joshua

MEMORY VERSE: Joshua 24:15 And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."

THEME: The Keys to Victory are FAITH and OBEDIENCE

AUTHOR: The Book of Joshua is a combination of Joshua’s first-hand memoirs, the observations of his contemporaries, and the historical notes of a later scribe (either right after Joshua’s death or later, but no later than Samuel).

CONTEXT: This book follows the events of Deuteronomy as seamlessly as the book of Acts follows Luke, and in fact it is similar to Acts in many ways. As Acts describes the effects of the Gospel in the establishment of the Church, Joshua describes the effects of the Mosaic Law in the establishment of the Nation of Israel.

  1. The Conquest of the Promised Land Ch 1-12
  1. Preparing for War Ch 1-5
  1. Joshua is told to be strong and courageous Ch1
  1. God speaks to Joshua and tells him he is to be a leader in the sense MOSES was a leader
  2. God tells Joshua 3 keys to his success

(1)Obey God’s commands

(2)Meditate on God’s Word

(3)Be strong and courageous

  1. Joshua gives mustering instructions to the people
  2. The people commit to OBEY Joshua under pain of death, but adjure him to Be strong and courageous
  1. Rahab the prostitute conspires with the Israelites Ch2
  1. Joshua sent 2 men to spy out Jericho, a great walled city on the West side of the Jordan River
  2. The spies found refuge in the house of a woman named Rahab, who was by profession a PROSTITUTE
  3. Rahab helps the men.
  4. Rahab asks that her household be spared the coming destruction of Israel
  5. The spies tell Joshua that the enemy is FEARFUL of the Israelites.
  1. The Israelites cross the Jordan River, and the Lord causes the waters to part in a manner reminiscent of the manner the Red Sea parted. Ch3
  2. Stones were set up as a MEMORIAL to the miracle of the crossing of the Jordan. Ch4
  3. The new generation seals the Covenant in the shadow of enemy fortresses. Ch5
  1. Conquest of Central Canaan Ch6-9
  1. Jericho Ch6
  1. The strategy –
  2. The implementation – the Israelites did just as God required, and the WALLS of Jericho came down
  3. The consequence – all in Jericho were killed, young and old, man and beast.
  1. Ai Ch 7-8
  1. Israel’s first defeat Ch7

(1)Spies saw that Ai was weak, and so concluded that only 3,000 men were needed to take it.

(2)The enemy routed the Israelites and sent the 3,000 Israelites into retreat.

(3)Joshua inquired of the Lord, who told him that there was one in the camp who had STOLEN some goods from Jericho in disobedience to the word of God.

(4)Joshua made an inquiry and discovered that the culprit was Achan.

(5)Achan and his livestock were stoned and then burned by all the Israelites while his sons and daughters looked on.

  1. The conquest of Ai Ch8
  1. Gibeon Ch9
  1. The Gibeonites were an independent city-state in Canaan some six miles from Jerusalem and were made up of a handful of cities.
  2. They sent diplomats to Joshua claiming to be from a DISTANT country to make a covenant with the Israelites.
  3. Joshua did not inquire of the Lord and was thus deceived.
  4. In spite of the deception, the Israelites HONORED the covenant
  1. Conquest of Southern Canaan Ch 10
  1. Gibeon is attacked.
  2. The Israelites soundly defeated the army of the five kings and pursued those in retreat.
  3. The day lasted an extra 12 -24 hours while the Israelites pursued the enemy.
  4. HAIL wiped out most of the rest of the enemy army.
  5. The Israelites enjoyed one victory after another in the south.
  1. Conquest of Northern Canaan Ch 11
  1. A northern confederacy of Canaanite Kings went to WAR against the Israelites.
  2. Israel utterly defeated the Canaanite armies and subjugated the land.
  3. The land had a rest from war.
  1. The Division of the Promised Land Ch 13-22
  1. Division East of the Jordan River Ch 12
  1. East of Jordan land was given to Reuben, Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh.
  2. A short account of the various victories of Joshua
  1. Division West of the Jordan River Ch 13-19
  1. The remaining nine and a half tribes receive their land inheritance West of Jordan.
  2. The Levites do not receive an inheritance of the land
  3. Various areas of Canaan are not properly RID of the Canaanites.
  1. Establishment of the Cities of Refuge Ch 20
  1. Cities of refuge were appointed for those who had committed MANSLAUGHTER
  2. Three cities West of Jordan and three East of the Jordan were appointed.
  1. Levite Cities Ch 21
  1. The Levites remind Joshua that the Lord spoke to Moses that the Levites should have CITIESto dwell in throughout the Promised Land
  2. 48 cities were given to the Levites.
  1. The People of God fail to Communicate Ch 22
  1. The tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh built a huge ALTAR as a reminder that they, too, were a part of God’s Promised Land
  2. The Israelites learned that Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh had built an illegal altar
  3. Before battle could take place, the two-and-a-half tribes East of Jordan explained their true intent.
  4. The people of God have been guilty of this sort of thing ever since.
  1. Joshua’s final thoughts regarding life in the Promised Land Ch 23-24
  1. Instructions for living in the Promised Land Ch23
  1. Don’t let the CULTURE of the previous inhabitants taint you
  2. Be careful to love God and obey Him
  3. Just as God has blessed you because you have obeyed His commands, He will CURSE you for disobedience
  1. Joshua’s last words
  1. The Lord has brought you through a lot
  2. Decide whom you will serve

TEXTING ALTERNATIVE 1: The Lord will really bless our lives when we stop worshipping the old gods to whom we still cling: money, self, position, and whatever consumes our time.

TEXTING ALTERNATIVE 2: “But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD” Js 24:15c

Small Group Questions

  1. Why did God spare Rahab, a prostitute, over all the other inhabitants of Jericho?
  2. What is the best way to rid your life of the “Canaanites” – the old sins and habits of your life before you were born again?
  3. How could the misunderstanding of Joshua Ch 22 have been avoided?

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