Welcome to the WONDERFUL book of Joshua!!! We have just finished the five books of the Law of Moses or the Pentateuch. I hope that those first five books of the Bible have changed forever your walk with the Lord and that you know Him even more intimately for being faithful in your readings! Press on dear sisters, you have no idea the amazing things in store for you!!I am overwhelmed with ALL of the wonderful information I want to share with you as we begin our journey through Joshua, so I have asked the Lord to PLEASE help me keep my post as succinct and brief as possible! Just a little background information on this fantastic book:
- The purpose of this book is to recount, from a theological perspective, the events surrounding Israel's capture and settlement of the land of Canaan with a particular emphasis on God's faithfulness in fulfilling His promise to the patriarchs.
- Joshua is part two of God's grandest work of redemption in the Old Testament. In this part, God as divine Warrior brings his people into the Land of Promise and gives them "rest".
- The leader Joshua has been interpreted as a "type" of Christ, as both the name Joshua and Jesus are rendered as the same name "Jesus" in the Greek.
(all of these points are from the study notes out of the ESV Study Bible)
In chapters one and three of our reading, we find Joshua officially taking over as the leader of the Israelites and subsequently leading the Israelites to cross over the Jordan into the Promised Land. As I read these chapters, I found myself wondering how difficult it might have been for Joshua to take "the reins" (yes, a horse term - I have to throw some in here!) from Moses as the leader of this HUGE amount of people. Have you ever had the daunting task of stepping in and filling another exceptional leader's shoes as they step down? I have and it is NOT AT ALL an easy thing to do. You can feel very inadequate and incompetent in the shadow of the previous leader. No wonder God kept telling Joshua over and over again to be strong and courageous!
In chapter 2 is the infamous story of the prostitute Rahab hiding the spies that Joshua sends in ahead of them to "check out" the Promised Land. What key things can we learn from Rahab? Well, God can use ANYBODY for His purposes no matter what you are or what you do! Secondly, we as GENTILES can be "grafted" into the family of God (thank you Jesus!). Lastly, God loves us no matter what our past failures have been...after all, Rahab is in the lineage of Jesus!!!
Chapter 4 tells us the story of how the Israelites crossed over the Jordan on dry land, which is very reminiscent of them crossing the Red Sea on dry land. Joshua them commands them to take 12 stones out of the Jordan and set up a monument in remembrance of this occasion. Have you noticed how the setting up of monuments to remember important things was quite commonplace in the Old Testament? I wonder, what "monuments" do we have set up in our lives to remember all that the Lord has done for us? I think that we SHOULD do this so that we do NOT forget all of the amazing acts of God in our lives! I have certain pieces of jewelry that mark special acts of God in my life as well as journaling or marking in my Bible(s) certain important and momentous occasions. What "monuments" do you have set up in your life?
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There are some wonderful verses in Joshua that you will want to mark, write down, and memorize. I have posted two of them on my post for you. Get ready for a wonderful journey through Book number 6!!!
P.S. Sorry this is a little late today! I appreciate your patience!!!
I admire you Mindy - you had some amazing chapters to condense and talk about today. I would not have known which to focus on. Great job today. I'm excited that we have gone through five books - can you believe?
ReplyDeleteI know I'm crazy, but I kept thinking in the story about Rahab - what if the spies had had allergies!! Hiding on the roof top in the flax - can you imagine!!
So many good points. I think I will miss Moses, but Joshua is certainly called out by God to lead them further.
I love the part where the Ark of the Covenant is being carried over the Jordan River first, and as soon as the first step is made the water begins to pile up! There's a SERMON in that!!! :) We sometimes have to take the first step of faith, and God does the rest.
ReplyDeleteAnd, can't you just imagine that water "recognizing" it's Creator and literally HOLDING BACK to let Him pass?!!?!? hahhahaaaa!
Joshua is going to be an exciting book. Joshua as a leader and all the events that will occur in this next few chapters. Wow! The plot continues and God reveals so much to us in the book of Joshua. Lessons to learn!!! Mindy you did an excellent job, again!!!!
ReplyDeleteJeanette said....These chapters were so exciting to me, as I put myself in the Israelites sandals & walked thru the Jordan on dry land!! Actually, the 4th chapter means so much to us that a year ago Tom & I collected 12 stones & created a monument out on our children's 10 acre spread so when future generations in our family about them, we can tell them this Bible story, along with recounting the many personal times in our family's history that we were blessed by & protected by God. These stones are stacked along side the entry drive to their home so when we see them we will be reminded of God's continual blessings! God is so GOOD...all the time!! Good job, Mindy!!Jeanette said....These chapters were so exciting to me, as I put myself in the Israelites sandals & walked thru the Jordan on dry land!! Actually, the 4th chapter means so much to us that a year ago Tom & I collected 12 stones & created a monument out on our children's 10 acre spread so when future generations in our family about them, we can tell them this Bible story, along with recounting the many personal times in our family's history that we were blessed by & protected by God. These stones are stacked along side the entry drive to their home so when we see them we will be reminded of God's continual blessings! God is so GOOD...all the time!! Good job, Mindy!!
ReplyDeleteJeanette said......Oops!! Had trouble getting my comment to print, so ya'll got a double dose:)
ReplyDeleteSorry about that!
Mindy, excellent as always! There was SO MUCH in these chapters! Again ladies, I can't recommend Francine Rivers series "lineage of grace" enough. The second book is on the story of Rahab. The grafting in of Rahab only goes to show that it always has been faith that saves us. Rehab believed in the power of the God of the Hebrews, and made the crucial decision to join His side. Remember if God is for us, who can stand against us? He IS for us! Always. Are we fighting on His side?
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