Joshua – Lesson 7

· Deuteronomy 3:21-22, At that time I commanded Joshua: "You have seen with your own eyes all that the LORD your God has done to these two kings. The LORD will do the same to all the kingdoms over there where you are going. 22 Do not be afraid of them; the LORD your God himself will fight for you."

Confrontation with the enemy began before Israel entered the Promised Land. Looking at a map of the area at this time in history will show that the Israelites, in their wandering, approached what is now Israel, from the east, that is, from what is now the nation of Jordan. The Jordan River is the boundary between Israel and Jordan.

As the Israelites came north, east of the Jordan River, their pathway was blocked by several nations, but God was with them and these nations were defeated. Moses was still the leader at this point and he pointed to these battles as encouragement to Joshua, assuring him that no one could stand against him as he led Israel. One writer describes this as the “earnest “of Joshua’s future victorious leadership.

I’m sure all of you understand the biblical idea of “earnest”, that is, our gift of the Holy Spirit.

· Ephesians 1:13-14, And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession-to the praise of his glory.

The next time we see a reference to Joshua is when Moses gave him his final charge before taking over responsibility of leadership.

· Deuteronomy 31:7-8, Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, "Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land that the LORD swore to their forefathers to give them, and you must divide it among them as their inheritance. 8 The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."

What a great way for Joshua to be given the reins of leadership. But this advice is not limited to Joshua. If you carefully examine what God has said, you will see that these same words are repeated in the New Testament for the benefit of those who are willing to follow Jesus. Joshua was assured that God would go with him, even go before him.

Joshua was also assured that God would not fail him. Now think about that. Do you know anyone that you can say, will never fail you?  

· Hebrews 13:4-5, Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."

Do you believe that? Do you really believe that? Or is God a liar? I realize this is a harsh way of facing the issue but is there any other position? Well, maybe there is. We may very well believe it but we may have no commitment to that belief.

Well that is what this teaching of the Book of Joshua is all about. The objective in this class is that each one of us grows in our commitment to the will of God and finds ways that lead to a true faith in Him and His promises. Faith is a word that is easily discussed and talked about, but one which for many of us is not taken as seriously as did our spiritual ancestors like Joshua.

The last mention of Joshua in the Pentateuch is after he had been called to the leadership of Israel.

· Deuteronomy 34:9, Now Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands on him. So the Israelites listened to him and did what the LORD had commanded Moses.