Bible Survey: Joshua
The theme of Joshua is possessing our possessions. Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you (Joshua 1:3). God did not say He would give Israel the land. He said He had given it, and they had only to go in and take it.
Joshua wrote the book as an eyewitness — of the Jordan he says, until we were passed over (Joshua 5:1) — except for the closing verses about his death. He had been Moses' minister and one of the two faithful spies. Moses led Israel up to Canaan, and Joshua led them in.
Canaan is not a picture of heaven, though a good many of our hymns make it sound that way. Heaven has no walled cities, no giants and no chariots of iron. Canaan is a picture of the Christian life, a land of conflict and of conquest. And just as the land was already Israel's, God has already blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ (Ephesians 1:3). Too many Christians live far below what He has given them.
God gave Joshua the key to success, and it costs nothing: This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night (Joshua 1:8). Three times in that first chapter He tells him to be strong and courageous. With so many people fearful today, that word is for us as well.
Joshua holds stories every Sunday School child knows: Rahab and the scarlet thread, the crossing of the Jordan, the walls of Jericho, Achan's sin, and the day the sun stood still, which happened just as it is written. At the end, Joshua called the people to choose whom they would serve: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD (Joshua 24:15).
Next in the series: Judges.
Taught by Brother James Barker in Sunday School at Naples Independent Baptist Church, May 24, 2020. Watch the lesson.
