Intro to Joshua

"Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."
Joshua 24:14-15

Similar to how the book of Acts links the four Gospels and the Pauline Epistles, the book of Joshua helps the reader transition from the books of Moses (Also known as the Torah or the Pentateuch) with the Historical Books of the Old Testament. It carries us on in the story as the people of God not only enter into the promised land, but begin to conquer it. But this book is so much more than battles; such as the walls coming down at Jericho or the sun and the moon standing still when the Israelites fought against the Amorite kings. Likewise, this book is not meant to serve solely as a historical lesson of how the nation of Israel received the land of promise and it definitely does not serve as an instruction manual for “enhanced” battle strategies. This book’s focal point is that God is sovereign over all, that He is faithful to His promises, and that He calls His people to obedience and holiness.

All throughout this book we read of how, despite all the odds, God miraculously defeats the Canaanite nations. He puts on display His might, and His sovereignty over all things. No king or nation is able to thwart the plan of God. And integral to understanding the book, is that God is a covenant-keeping God. He had not forgotten the covenant He had made with Abraham, a promise that is extended to Moses (Josh 1:2-4), of land that is flowing with milk and honey. But it is not just the covenant of land that God keeps, but also His promise to exalt Joshua (3:7; fulfilled- 4:14), to the daughters of Zelophehad (Num 27:7-11; fulfilled- 17:3-6), and His promise to remove the Canaanites before the nation of Israel (Deut 9:3–5; Josh 3:10; fulfilled- Josh 23:9).

And while we read of the marvelous acts of God, we see how the people of God are called to obedience and purity. Before the campaign begins God commands Joshua to “be strong and very courageous to carefully observe the whole instruction My servant Moses commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right or the left, so that you will have success wherever you go” (Josh 1:7). A command that he echoes to the entire nation (Josh 23:6). There were consequences for moments of disobedience, one of the more prominent events involving Achan (see 6:18-7:1).

As you read through Joshua, meditate on those three truths and rejoice knowing that God has not changed. He is still sovereign and remains faithful to keep His promises. But also remember that we are called to live as holy people, as a people who will “serve the Lord” (Josh 24:15).

Grace and Peace,
Alex Galvez

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