Joshua

Joshua Homework

1.What do you see in this book that tells you about the Original Reader?

Joshua is a history written for the people of Israel who finally, after years and years, have entered into the land that was promised to them. It is likely the 3rd and 4th generation that will be reading it. Their forefathers that were brought out of Egypt died in the wilderness and it was perhaps their own fathers who actually went in a took the promised land.  

This being said, they are entering into finally becoming a nation above nations and it would be easy for them to start becoming comfortable. They are finally there, the land is plentiful, their God is strong, and the Lord through this book is wanting to remind his people how they got to where they are. They needed to know that it was not easy, it was not of themselves, but it was the Lord. 

Likewise, their primary leader that they have been trusting (Moses) is no longer with them. This, while an exciting time for them, was also scary. It is the beginning of a new era for the people of Israel.

2. What do you see in this book that tells you about the author?

Joshua is thought to be the author and through this we have a lot of insight into who he is as a person. With Joshua being the author, he proves to be very humble in his leadership. Throughout each battle, he does not brag on anything but the strength of God. Every plan that works is credited to the Lord and not himself as a military leader. He even gives the details of when more are killed by the hail brought on by God then by the sword of the Israelites (10:11). 

We see that Joshua has true faith before the Lord, trusting who He is, because he is determined that anything can be done with God in command. This is seen in the book of Numbers when he comes back from Canaan with the determination to fight. But it is carried on through his time of leadership as well. “Be strong and courageous!” The Lord exclaims to him. And he is strong and courages in the Lord, not in himself.

3. What are the main themes and repeated ideas in this book, and what is a one sentence summary of the main idea?

In the book of Joshua, God is fulfilling his promise and fighting for his people as they take the land that was promised to them.

God is teaching his people to have faith in his promises. “Be strong and courageous” is his war cry. The people are starting to realize that God is personal. He’s not just the God of Moses, he doesn’t just appear to them through Aaron. Moses and Aaron have passed and the Lord was still among them fighting for them. He is faithful in his promises to his people. He is the same God and will always remain so. 

In the same way, God has a plan. Even after the land is taken, the Lord isn’t going to leave them to squabble over who gets what. He has a plan for which plot of land will be allotted to each tribe. He is a good governor. 

4. What is the primary reason this book was written?

Joshua was written to remind the people that this promised land was fought and given to them by God, not easily attained. The people are reminded through this book that they owe their existence as a nation to their God and nothing more. He even divided the land for them, giving certain plots to each tribe. This was all done by God. He has fulfilled his promise and will continue to do so. 

5. What does this book show about the Character and Nature of God?

God reveals so much of his character through the book of Joshua

He is faithful to his promises- He brought them into the land promised to them. 

He is powerful to defend his people. He took down numbers of kings throughout the land (12:9-24).

He is sovereign, yet trustworthy.

He encourages his people in who he is, acting as a comforter. 

He is the provider who gave them a land that was already prepared for them.

He is protector providing the cities of refuge. 

He is a good governor designating land among them.

6. What does this book show you about God’s redemptive plan for mankind?

God shows us through Joshua that he is faithful to his promises and therefore faithful in his plan to redeem mankind. This was the last of the promises that was made to Abraham to be fulfilled. But God fulfilled every single promise. We can look back to Genesis and see that he has a redemptive plan, and through Joshua we know that he will fulfill those promises and plans. 

7. Personal Application

I absolutely love Joshua, and not just the book. I really admire Joshua as a person and a leader. It’s so easy to feel pressure from the people that you’re leading. It’s easy to let the vibe and mentality of the mass around you determine your next steps. But Joshua never took his eyes off the Lord. He stood strong in what the Lord spoke to him and the same way gave all the glory to God. Personally, I know that I struggle with people pleasing. It’s not so bad that I’ll abandon my values to make people happy, but I do care about what people think about me simply because I want people to be happy. But as a leader in any realm, our devotion needs to be to the Lord. Our fear of the Lord needs to be greater than our fear of man. And even more so, we need to know our place. We are vessels for our Lord. He is the one fighting our battles daily and all we can do is listen and obey. I love Joshua’s example of leadership and my prayer is that I can be as humble as Joshua. 

8. Point of Passion 

Family is so important to God. We can see that in Joshua even as the Lord provides the limits of land for each clan. He knows what they need as an individual family and provides for it. Likewise, these people, although in individual tribes, are a family. God doesn’t want to see them fighting among themselves and provides order. This is a good picture for parents as well. It might be wise for parents to establish their authority in decision making over their children to have peace within the family, at least at a young age.