Joshua

1. What do you see in this book that tells you about the original reader?

The book of Joshua was written to the people of Israel who were walking out the fulfillment of the Lord's promises. We see that it was written fairly close to the occurrence of the time of the events because the author writes “To this day...” several times

2. What do you see in this book that tells you about the author?

We see that the author is a man of detail, he knows a lot of details about the past law and what was spoken directly to Moses. From this we can gather that it must have been either Joshua or Caleb writing the text because they were the only two over the age of 20 that survived the massacre of the Israelites (Numbers 20). And because the rest of the text is all about Joshua's interaction with the people and the Lord specifically talking to him I'd say it is safe to say that the author is Joshua. But obviously, the last chapters about his death would have been written by someone else.

Joshua has only ever known war. And we see him continue to live in a “go-get-em” mentality. “Here's the problem, here's the enemy, here's what God's said, let's go wipe them out!” And he does it. Unlike Moses he doesn't put up with the whininess or lack of faith the Israelites sometimes have. He always responded in a “just do it” sort of way. In Joshua 18:3 he asks the people, “How long are you going to wait before taking possession of the remaining land the Lord, the God of your ancestors, has given to you?”

Though he was very different than Moses in his style of leadership we see that he called by the Lord (1:1-9, 3:7) and is highly respected amongst the Israelites (1:16, 4:14) Even though Joshua is a man of war and has earned the respect of the people we still see hints as to a slight timidity in him. The Lord continually tells him, “Be strong and courageous..” (1:6,7,9)

3. What are the main themes, and repeated ideas in this book, and what is a one sentence summary of the “main idea?”
   The main idea of Joshua is the conquest of the lands they have been promised. The Lord has said, “here are your lands, here's how to conquer them, and here's what to do when you've got them.”
   Some repeated ideas in Joshua are fear, failure to commit, war and remembrance.
   Fear is woven consistently throughout the entire book; whether it be fear of the enemies, fear of uncertainty or enemies being fearful of the Israelites but God continually warns His people, “Do not fear!”
   The Israelites continually committed themselves to the covenant but then broke it.

We see a lot of war and the Israelites going in to take the lands that they had been promised.

And again we see the Lord bringing up the issue of remembrance. Remembering all that He had done for them and him asking them to set up memorials in places where He provided amazing things for them (Crossing the Jordan- chapter 4)

Joshua in one sentence- The book of Joshua is a story about the people of Israel taking the land God promised them and allotting the new land to the different tribes.

4. What is the primary reason this book was written?
   This book shows the fulfillment of the Lord's promise to the Israelites as they war their way to victory over the lands they have been given. We see battles, wars, treaties and a written record of the lands given to each tribe. It's a final testament to the faithfulness of the Lord and is written for the Israelites to look back on and see the journey and fulfillment that their ancestors walked out.
5. What does this book show about the character and nature of God?
   He continually provides big signs and wonders for His people. Again we see Him parting a swelled river to allow His people to cross. He seems to like to do things that the people can't deny or forget. (Joshua 3-4) And He also likes to be honored and remembered (4:2-3). In all of the battles that the Israelites face (in obedience) we see Him show Himself as a defender and that He is in control of all the other nations. He says, “I've given this to you...” or “I've provided this for you... Go in and take it! I'll protect you!” (6:1-5,8:1,10:8,11:6). Because of this, the nations around them lived in fear of God (2:9-11) And in every battle He constantly reminds Joshua and the people to not fear or to not be afraid of the people they will face (1:6,7,9,18, 8:2, 10:8) And again, like in the past books we see that He is a God who does not mess around, there must be obedience and no other idols or gods amongst them. In Chapter 7 the Israelites are defeated by the men of Ai because of the sin of one man and God demands that he be brought to justice (7:15)
   And most of all He is a God who keeps His promises (21:45) “Not a single one of all the good promises the Lord had given to the family of Israel was left unfulfilled; everything he had spoken came true.”
6. What does this book show about God's redemptive plan for mankind?
   Something that caught my eye as we read through Joshua was the mention of “then all the Israelites- foreigners and native-born alive...” (8:33) and the inclusion of Rahab (6:25) with the people. Even those not of Hebrew decent were welcomed into the kingdom if they gave themselves in offering to the Lord and followed the ways of the Israelites and the commands God had given them. His ways are for all people, not just the chosen ones, but they must submit to His authority and chose to live a life of holiness just as we see in the New Testament.

7. Personal Application:
   I think one of the biggest takeaways for me in reading this book is the fact that He fights for us. He's prepared the way, we just have to step into it with great faith that He's already won the battles for us and be obedient to His every word.. His power is on our side even when we fail, we disobey and sin. His love and promises still abound in full force. He's gracious and loving, compassionate and slow to anger.
   There are some things in my life that I hesitate on out of fear, but I need to constantly remember that if I'm in His will, if I'm honoring Him in everything I do then He's always for me. He's preparing the way, and blessing the paths I'll step on to.
   Another thing that rocked me was the teaching from Steve Gregg. When he talked about the strategies used in the battles all being different and each time the leader had to seek the counsel and guidance of the Lord to win. All too often in my life I seek the counsel of other people, of the way things have happened in the past. I read books, seeking insight and knowledge from every source other than the Lord and I always fail; it never works. It's not about a technique, method or a rule. It's about how the Lord is wanting to work in YOUR situation. Every situation is different and each situation is to be used for His glory and we don't know what that looks like. We can't contrive that answer on our own, in order for Him to truly be glorified we have to lay down our own preconceived ideas about what works and how something should be done and get His perspective and His instruction.

8. Point of Passion: Family.
   There is so much to learn and apply to family from the book of Joshua. For one, from all the past books, I've seen men of different standings and statues used for the Lord's glory. This is a good reminder when dealing with others, and especially raising children- each person is gifted in different areas, the Lord speaks to them in different ways and they are individual and unique people with flaws and troubles, but the Lord has created them and called them for a specific purpose. Moses was of Hebrew decent but raised in the home of Pharaoh, he had a different mentality and standing in society, he had weaknesses in speech and leadership, but God called Him and equipped Him for a greater purpose. Joshua was a man of war, we see this all the way back in Exodus 17 when he lead the people into battle against the Amalekites. The way he conversed and carried himself was far different than Moses, but he was still used for the greater good of the Kingdom.

A simple teaching to cling to is the act of remembrance. Taking time within the family and encouraging others to remember the things that the Lord has done. To continually praise Him, honor Him and adore Him. We see where the Israelites lost sight of who God was and what He had done in their lives. This caused them to fall to the sins of the times and lose focus on the God who had redeemed them and called them by name! When we lose focus of God, His promises and the truths of His character we begin to fall away to the things of this world. But when we focus on the truth of God and we focus on having a heart of praise and thanksgiving we transform hearts, families, communities and nations.