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!!!
