JOSHUA 1

Joshua 1

Author: Some associate him with the author of Deuteronomy (Hexateuch), others with Joshua-II Kings (see Primary History structure)

Date of events: as early as 1400 BC (external evidence), late as 1200 BC (internal evidence)

Lesson 1 is the correlation between being courageous (not afraid) and knowing that God's presence is leading you. That presence is associated with obeying God's laws (v. 7), not necessarily knowing God's precise reason for the circumstances you are in. Why did Joshua need reassurance at this time? Probably the main reason was that he had been the #2 leader serving under Moses. Now he was the man in charge. Quite a different situation.

Lesson 2: God doesn't send us out without preparation. And sometimes he prepares us years in advance. Of all the people ready to cross into Canaan, he and Caleb were the only ones who knew first hand where they had been (lived in Egyptian captivity) and where they were going (as spies to the Promised Land).

Look at the lessons in leadership that God had given Joshua over the whole time of wandering in wilderness. God did not chose Joshua because of his innate qualifications. However, He carefully prepared him ahead of time for his future role and gave him lessons to learn throughout his life and the lives of those around him. As one example, in Numbers 13:16 we learn that Moses renamed him from Hoshea (he saves) to Joshua (God saves).

1. Exodus 17:8-16: In the Battle with Amalek, Aaron's rod was raised. This demonstrated that might is in the hands of God, not military leaders. Here Joshua learned to command, learned that the enemy was not just against them but but was actually opposed to God himself.

2. Exodus 24:9-18: This was the vision of God at the foot of the mountain. He ate and drank in His presence. This demonstrated the reality and glory of God, the fact that there is an unseen and seen world with no barrier between them, and the fact that God accepts man, even his physical body. He saw the glory and might of God along with Moses. “It undoubtedly stood Joshua in good stead many times in the future for him to understand that God was close at hand, that he is the God who exists and who is 'here.'” (F. Schaeffer, Joshua and the Flow of Biblical History, p. 12)

3. Exodus 32:15-20: The golden calf incident demonstrated to Joshua that there is a place for righteous anger and that the consequence of sin in God's people is greater than mere defeat in war. He needed this lesson later with the Achan incident. However, God also demonstrated forbearance.

4. Exodus 33:7-11 He witnessed the personal relationship between God and man, reliance on God's personal guidance.

5. Numbers 11:24-30: God's spirit rested on Moses and his leaders. There was an outcry when two additional men began prophesying. But God corrected the people to demonstrate that one can't put limits on the wideness of God's gift. Leadership is not about man, it is about God.

6. Numbers 13:16; 14:5-10: His name was changed from “He Saves” to “God Saves,” a permanent reminder of who was actually in charge. (Joshua = Jeshua = Jesus) He learned the importance of standing up for principles against the majority, unlike the later King Saul. Joshua had already been to the promised land. Would he be just as confidant as before? Youth vs. “experience.”

7. Numbers 14:4-12: This describes the reception of the spies' report after scoping out the land of Canaan. It served as a lesson to Joshua that the majority is not always right and that one must stand firm in the face of opposition, even from one's own people.

8. Numbers 14:26-30: God's banning the people, except for Joshua and Caleb, from the Holy Land was another powerful lesson on the value of standing firm and the danger in going against God's will.

9. Numbers 27:18-23: The commissioning of Joshua as the new leader of the people demonstrated that true leadership comes from God, not men. He was reminded of God's future guidance through the priests, given official blessing (we don't take charge on our own). Leaders must listen to others. (The best teacher is first a good pupil.)

10. Deuteronomy 31:2-8: Moses' last words to the people were to remind them, and Joshua as their leader, that success only happens if God goes before them. Similar thoughts in NT: recommissioning of Timothy by Paul. Read 2 Timothy 1:6-7. Now look at Joshua 1 on the brink of entering the Promised Land. Read verses 5-7, 9. Next Joshua gives a pep talk to the people, and they reply in verses 16-18. Do you see a common theme here? Look at the two “only” clauses: (1) may God be with you and (2) be strong and courageous.

11. In Deuteronomy 34:9 we see the picture of Joshua fully ready to take on his leadership role.

Some lessons in our lives seem negative or useless at the time, but come in handy later. From my various supervisors at work I learned a number of mistakes to avoid once I got a management role myself.

                                                                  Organization of the Book

I. Conquering the Land (1-11)

A. Introductory Scenes (1:1- 5:15)

B. Cities for the Lord (6:1-8:29)

C. Taking the Inheritance (8:30-11)

D. Summary of Conquered Kings (12)

II. Dividing the Land (13-24)

C'. The Tribes' Inheritance (13-19)

B'. Cities for the Lord (20-21)

A'. Final Scenes (22-24)

Comparison with the Book of Acts

In Joshua, God sets out the three basic tasks to be accomplished by the people of Israel: (a) conquer the land (chapters 1-12), distribute the land (chapters 13-19), and obey the law (chapters 20-24). In a similar manner, Jesus outlines for the disciples in Acts 1:8 the order in which they are to reach the world for him.

Summary statements conclude each section of the two books. Compare Joshua 11:23 with Acts 9:31: “So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was built up; and walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit it was multiplied.”

Another way of dividing the Book of Joshua is by considering the key leadership during the time period covered. It is obvious that the book begins by introducing Joshua as the heir apparent to Moses and ends with the death of both Joshua and the priest Eleazar. Not so obvious is the fact that there is a definite pattern involving those incidents where Joshua's full designation “son of Nun” is used. In the last occurrences of this phrase, Eleazar is also mentioned (before Joshua). In turn, the last appearances of Eleazar's name are those in which he is pointed out as being Phinehas' father. At the end of the book, both Joshua and Eleazar leave the stage to Phinehas alone. This way of looking at the book highlights the fact that from the midpoint on, Eleazar takes the center stage away from Joshua so that it is not Joshua's death, but Eleazar's in 24:33 that marks “the unhappy turning point in Israel's covenant-living before Yahweh.”

The Book of Acts is divided similarly with the first part centering on the leadership of Peter and the Jerusalem Church while the second half concentrates on the ministry of Paul and his companions.

Other parallels can be summarized as below:

1. Achan and Ananias/Sapphira pose early threats to the holiness status of God's people so they must be punished severely.

2. Spies/Saul escape from a city by using ropes lowered down from the walls.

3. Each begins with a divine promise symbolized by a rite (circumcision and baptism).

4. Elaborate preparations are made before beginning the mission.

5. The importance of geography.

6. Consolidation and expansion as a dual theme.

7. Conquering enemy territory.

8. Conflicts with the kings of the earth.

9. A concentration of miraculous events.

10. Both concern a decisive change of leadership.

11. Both books function as bridges from one era to another.