Joshua: Possessing the Promised Land

The Story of the Book of Joshua

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The book of Joshua tells how God brought Israel into the land He had promised to Abraham. It begins with a new leader beside the Jordan River and ends with a whole nation promising to serve the Lord.

A new leader (Joshua 1). Moses had died, and God chose Joshua to lead His people. God promised, “As I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you” (Joshua 1:5).

Be strong. “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9).

God’s Word first. God told Joshua, “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night” (Joshua 1:8).

Rahab and the spies (Joshua 2). Two spies went to Jericho, and Rahab hid them because she believed in the Lord. A scarlet cord in her window marked her family for rescue.

Crossing the Jordan (Joshua 3–4). The priests carried the ark into the river, and the water stopped. “All Israel crossed over on dry ground” (Joshua 3:17). They set up stones from the river so their children would ask about them and learn what God had done (Joshua 4:21-22).

The Commander (Joshua 5). Near Jericho, Joshua met a Man with a drawn sword who said, “As Commander of the army of the Lord I have now come” (Joshua 5:14). Joshua fell on his face and worshiped.

Jericho (Joshua 6). Israel marched around the city as God commanded, and the walls fell. “By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they were encircled for seven days” (Hebrews 11:30). Rahab and her family were saved.

Achan and Ai (Joshua 7–8). A man named Achan secretly took things God had forbidden, and Israel lost a battle at the town of Ai. God said, “Israel has sinned” (Joshua 7:11). After the sin was judged, God gave Israel the victory.

The Gibeonites (Joshua 9). The people of Gibeon tricked Joshua into a peace treaty, because Israel “did not ask counsel of the Lord” (Joshua 9:14). Even so, Israel kept its promise to them.

The sun stood still (Joshua 10). When Israel defended Gibeon, Joshua prayed, and “the sun stood still” (Joshua 10:13). “For the Lord fought for Israel” (Joshua 10:14).

Taking and dividing the land (Joshua 11–21). Over many years Israel defeated the kings of Canaan. Then each tribe received its own part of the land. Old Caleb received Hebron “because he wholly followed the Lord God of Israel” (Joshua 14:14).

Joshua’s last words (Joshua 23–24). Joshua said, “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve… But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15). The people answered, “The Lord our God we will serve, and His voice we will obey!” (Joshua 24:24).

What we learn. The book of Joshua shows a God who keeps His promises and fights for His people. It calls us to trust Him and obey His Word.

Joshua joins the five books of Moses to the rest of Israel’s history. Genesis promised the land, Exodus through Deuteronomy brought Israel to its edge, and Joshua tells how God gave it.

Three movements. The book falls into three parts: entering the land (chapters 1–5), taking the land (6–12) and dividing the land (13–21). It closes with Joshua’s farewell and a renewed covenant (22–24).

Joshua 1:5-9. The book opens with God’s word to Joshua, not Joshua’s plan. The keys to success are God’s presence, “I will not leave you nor forsake you” (1:5), and God’s Word, “you shall meditate in it day and night” (1:8).

Entering (Joshua 2–5). The spies and Rahab, the Jordan crossing, the memorial stones and the renewal of circumcision and Passover at Gilgal (5:2-12) all prepared Israel spiritually before a single battle was fought.

The stones (4:24). The memorial had a purpose beyond Israel: “that all the peoples of the earth may know the hand of the Lord, that it is mighty.” Rahab had already heard of that hand (2:10).

Jericho (6:2). Before a wall fell, God said, “See! I have given Jericho into your hand.” Israel’s part was to believe and obey. The victory belonged to the Lord.

Ai (7:11). “Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant.” One man’s hidden sin brought defeat on the whole nation. God’s holiness applied to Israel too.

Gibeon (9:14-15). Israel “did not ask counsel of the Lord,” and made a treaty with a Canaanite city that had deceived them. Yet the oath was kept, and in Joshua 10 God defended Gibeon through Israel.

The long day (10:12-14). Joshua prayed, “Sun, stand still over Gibeon,” and “there has been no day like that, before it or after it, that the Lord heeded the voice of a man; for the Lord fought for Israel.”

Dividing (Joshua 13–21). The long lists of borders and towns show that God’s promise was concrete: real fields, real hills, real cities, given tribe by tribe. Caleb, at eighty-five, said of his spying long before, “I wholly followed the Lord my God” (14:8).

Farewell (Joshua 23–24). Joshua reminded Israel, “For the Lord your God is He who has fought for you” (23:3), warned them against other gods (23:16), and led them to renew the covenant at Shechem (24:25).

Application. Read Joshua as the story of God’s faithfulness, not human heroism. The same Lord who fought for Israel calls you to trust His presence and obey His Word.

The God Who Saves

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The book of Joshua is not mainly about how strong Israel was. It is about how faithful God is. Many Christians also see in Joshua a picture of Jesus, whose name is the same as his.

God keeps His promises. God promised the land to Abraham hundreds of years before (Genesis 15:13-16). In Joshua, God gave it, just as He said.

God fights for His people. Joshua told Israel, “For the Lord your God is He who has fought for you” (Joshua 23:3). Israel did not win by being bigger or stronger.

God’s Word matters. When Israel obeyed, God gave victory at Jericho. When Achan hid his sin, Israel lost at Ai. Obeying God is always good for His people.

Judgment on sin. The Canaanites worshiped idols and even sacrificed their children to them (Deuteronomy 12:31). God waited a very long time before judging them (Genesis 15:16). The conquest was God’s judgment on their sin.

The same rule for Israel. Joshua warned that if Israel served other gods, they would “perish quickly from the good land” (Joshua 23:16). God has no favorites when it comes to sin.

Mercy for anyone who turns. Even in a time of judgment, God saved Rahab and her family because she trusted Him. God has always welcomed people who turn to Him.

A name that means rescue. In Hebrew, Joshua’s name means the Lord saves. In Greek, the language of the New Testament, the name Joshua is written the same way as Jesus.

The angel’s words. “You shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).

A greater victory. Joshua led Israel against enemies they could see. Jesus defeated sin, death and the devil when He died on the cross and rose again (Hebrews 2:14-15).

A greater rest. “For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day. There remains therefore a rest for the people of God” (Hebrews 4:8-9). Jesus gives that rest to all who trust Him.

The Commander. Many Christians believe the Commander of the Lord’s army who met Joshua (Joshua 5:14) was the Son of God Himself, long before He was born in Bethlehem.

Choose today. Joshua said, “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve” (Joshua 24:15). Everyone has to decide whom they will follow.

What to do. Make Joshua’s words your own prayer this week: “But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Reading Joshua well means asking what the book shows about God and how it points to Christ. Three threads run through it: promise, holiness and rescue.

Promise. The land fulfilled God’s oath to Abraham (Genesis 15:13-16). Joshua said, “The Lord your God is He who fights for you, as He promised you” (23:10). The conquest was God keeping His word.

Holiness and judgment. The Canaanites’ worship included sacrificing their children (Deuteronomy 12:31), and God waited four centuries before judging (Genesis 15:16). Moses had told Israel that they did not receive the land because of their own goodness (Deuteronomy 9:5).

No favorites. Achan’s sin brought defeat (7:11), and Joshua warned that Israel itself would “perish quickly from the good land” if it served other gods (23:16). God’s holiness applies to everyone.

Mercy inside judgment. Rahab (2:9-14; 6:25) shows that the door of mercy stood open to anyone who turned to the Lord. The Gibeonites, too, were spared because of a sworn treaty (9:15).

Yehoshua. Joshua’s name, Yehoshua (say: yeh-HOH-shoo-ah), means the Lord saves. The Greek Old Testament wrote it Iēsous (say: yay-SOOS), the same Greek name the New Testament gives to Jesus.

Matthew 1:21. “You shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” The first Joshua led Israel into Canaan; Jesus saves His people from sin itself.

Hebrews 4:8-9. “For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day.” The land was real, but it was not the final rest. “There remains therefore a rest for the people of God,” entered by faith in Christ.

The Commander (5:13-15). The Commander accepted Joshua’s worship and called the ground holy, as God did with Moses at the burning bush (Exodus 3:5). Many Christians see Him as the Son of God appearing before His birth.

Victory through death. Joshua’s victories came by the sword. Christ’s victory came through His own death, “that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil” (Hebrews 2:14).

A choice still offered. Joshua 24:15 calls each generation to decide. In Christ the choice is not which land to live in, but which Lord to follow.

Application. Joshua teaches courage built on God’s presence, obedience built on God’s Word and hope built on God’s promises. All three come together in Jesus, the Savior whose name Joshua carried.

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Complete all sections to finish!

Read each section and answer the questions correctly.