Joshua

“More Abundantly”

I. Chp. 1-5 Preparing the person for the promises

A. Chp 1 Remember the word

B. Chp 2 Stepping out in faith

C. Chp. 3-4 Keeping the crossing

D. Chp. 5 Consecration to the commander

II. Chp. 6-12 Conquering our Canaan

A. Chp. 6-9 Central campaign

1. Chp. 6 Tearing down walls

2. Chp. 7-9 No small things (Ai and Gibeonites)

B. Chp. 10 Southern campaign

1. Victory from the camp of Gilgal

C. Chp. 11 Northern Campaign

1. Doing battle a long time (verse 18)

D. Chp. 12 Conquered kings

1. 12:1-6 Two defeated kings before the land of promise

2. 12:7-24 Thirty One defeated kings in the land of promise 

III. Chp. 13-21 Settling the settlers 

1. Chp. 13:1-7 There’s still work to do

2. Chp. 13:8-33 East of the Jordan

3. Chp. 14-19 West of the Jordan

4. Chp. 20-21 Law and order (Cites of refuge and cites for the Levites)

IV. Chp. 22-24 Abundantly altered

1. Chp. 22 An altar at the boarder

2. Chp. 23 A word to the leaders from history

3. Chp. 24 A word to the nation, choose whom you will follow 

Joshua

“More Abundantly”

I. Chp. 1-5 Preparing the person for the promises
B. Chp 1 Remember the word

I. Intro

II. Vs. 1-5 Every place I have given

I. Intro

In John 10:10 Jesus said “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” It is apparent by this statement from Jesus that His heart for us is far more than just salvation and eternal life it is “Abundant life” by which we enter into all that He has for us now. But be aware that though abundant life is to be found in the land of grace it still has many obstacles and enemies that must be defeated to be enjoyed. Based upon Numbers 13 clearly the 12 spies saw the fruitfulness of the land of promise but they were also very aware of the obstacles in possessing the blessings as well and like many Christians ten of them chose to live outside the blessings for fear of the obstacles.  

There is an interesting observation to make with regards to this and it is to be found in the two water crossings, to which Paul references as a typology of a baptism in 1 Cor. 10:1-4, 11. The first such crossing was the Red Sea crossing in Exodus which symbolizes our being set free from the bondage of the world of sin and death and having passed through the Red Sea they made short order of the journey to the land of promise only to choice to live outside the blessings for fear of the obstacles and there they wondered 40 years. Forty years of living life outside the promises because of fear and 40 years of eating dust wandering around getting to the end of themselves. Now listen up saints as that is where this book brings into yet another baptism this baptism is through the Jordan the river of life and doesn’t speak of salvation but rather the Holy Spirit’s baptism to enter into the promises. Power granted for them to face the obstacles and enemies of abundant life. So how about it, are you tired of wilderness living? Are you ready to step into the river of the victorious Christian life?  

Overview

In Deut. 34:7-8 we read that “Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died. His eyes were not dim nor his natural vigor diminished. And the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days. So the days of weeping and mourning for Moses ended.” Then in Deut. verses10-12 we are told “But since then there has not arisen in Israel a prophet like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, in all the signs and wonders which the Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt, before Pharaoh, before all his servants, and in all his land, and by all that mighty power and all the great terror which Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.” And into this dramatic scene the 9th verse records “Now Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him; so the children of Israel heeded him, and did as the Lord had commanded Moses.” 

            It is beneficial to look at a time line with regards to this part of history prior to getting into the book of Joshua. From the Exodus from Egypt to the first census taken of the people at the foot of Mount Sinai 13 months had passed. The book of Numbers or as it is known to the Jews “In the wilderness” has an interesting time line which sheds some light upon Joshua.

• From chapter 1 to chapter 10 of Numbers where they are at the foot of the Mount Sinai around 20 days.
• From chapter 10 to chapter 22 they travel to Kadesh Barnea which is the boarder of Canaan and the promise land around 100 miles. And there they would remain for 38 years 3 months and 10 days. 
• From chapter 23-36 Deal with primarily with the events of the 40th year of wanderings.  

Moses said in Numbers 10:29 to his father-in-law, “We are setting out for the place of which the Lord said, 'I will give it to you.' Come with us, and we will treat you well; for the Lord has promised good things to Israel.” Yet 40 years would transpire and only two of the original 2 million or better that left Egypt would enter into the land of promise. Simple put the generation that came from the exodus was not the generation of conquest as their unbelief brought discipline not blessing. That generation that departed Egypt spent their life “killing time” in the wilderness instead of enjoying the land of promise as they were given 1 year for every one day that the 12 spies spent in the land of promise. Their earthly experience became one characterized by aimless wandering instead of a walk of anticipation.     

Joshua is the sixth book of the bible and serves as the capstone of the first five books of Moses called the Pentateuch. Without this book we would be left with a gap in the history of the nation. The aims of the book are twofold:

1. To proclaim the end of Israel’s wilderness wanderings where by it took a generation to rid the people of the world.
2. To speak of the beginning of the new life in the land of promise.

The book of Joshua not only reveals the grace of God and His power to keep His promises but it also reveals what He requires those who inherit His promises. Make no mistake about it the book is about the land and the people. God required the nation to overcome obstacles and fight battles before they could enjoy what He had given them. The truth concerning the book of Joshua seems to be paradoxical as the land was a free gift to the nation which they received by grace alone yet they had to fight for every square inch of it. In the 4th chapter of Hebrews the author uses this very book as a spiritual illustration for N.T. believers saying in verses 8-11 “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. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience.” The point of the book is not to give account of Joshua’s life but rather to reveal how the Lord made good on His promises. The book covers roughly a 15 year period of time divided between three locations:

1. Chp. 1-5 One Month East of the Jordan to crossing over into the land of promise
2. Chp. 6-13:7 Seven years Conquering the land of Canaan (Chp. 6-8 central Canaan, Chp. 9-10 Southern Canaan, Chp. 11-12 Northern Canaan). Then the first seven verses of chapter 13 he lists the areas yet to be conquered.
3. Chp. 13:8-21 Eight years settling the 12 tribes on both sides of the Jordan River. (In 13:8-33 he settles those 2 ∏ tribes east of the Jordan river. Then in Chp. 14-19:51 he settles the other 9 ∏ tribes west of the Jordan) Then in chapters 20-21 he sets up the judicial and religious community by settling the six cites of refuge and 48 cites given to the Levites which are scattered among the 12 tribes.
4. Finally the book closes with Chapters 22-24 which constitute conditions for the continuance in the land of promise.      

The authorship is believed by most to be the person who bares the title of the book and although it is never stated directly it is inferred by several things:

1. The author was an eyewitness of the things recorded and we know this because of the detail accounts and the use of personal pronouns.
2. It was written soon after the events by use of the phrase “unto this day”.
3. Historical and traditional evidence identifies Joshua as the author.

The Author (Joshua) was born in Egypt and along with Caleb was the only other person to survive the 40 years of wilderness wanderings. He is not your typical hero though being a soldier, he does no daring deeds, commits no great sins yet he follows the Lord at all costs, his life is best characterized by Joshua 1:5 “No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you.” He first is brought into scripture in Exodus 17 where we learn nothing of his ancestry but much about his character as verse 10 records that “So Joshua did as Moses said to him, and fought with Amalek.” As Aaron and Hur held up the hands of Moses upon the hill Joshua prevailed over the enemy. It is an interesting picture of cooperation as God worked through Moses but it was Aaron and Hur who held up his hands while it was Joshua who fought. So what we learn in this first mention is that early on Joshua had caught the eye of Moses for his courage and obedience. Apparently this first mention of Joshua was a foreshadowing of his future as we are given in the 14th verse God’s word to Moses saying, “Write this for a memorial in the book and recount it in the hearing of Joshua that I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.” Then in Exodus 23:20-21 there is yet another prophetic word but this one has a double meaning as we are told, “Behold, I send an Angel (messenger) before you to keep you in the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared. Beware of Him and obey His voice; do not provoke Him, for He will not pardon your transgressions; for My name is in Him.” And they share the same name Joshua or “God with us”. In Exodus 24 as Moses went up into the mount Joshua went with him for awhile but was left in the wilderness of 40 days and 40 nights while Moses communed with the Lord and the people along with Aaron partied and made idols to worship Joshua remained separate and obedient to his calling. Then we read of him again in Exodus 33:11 where it says, “the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. And he would return to the camp, but his servant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the tabernacle.” Of coarse we are familiar Numbers 13 where he was chosen by the Lord along with 11 others to spy out the land of promise but perhaps we may forget that they were chosen from each tribe of their fathers every one a leader among them. All 12 returned with a report that the land was blessed but all but Joshua and Caleb said that the inhabitants of the land were too big and strong to over take. In other words God does indeed bless us but He isn’t big enough to enable us to possess His blessings. So only two of those who came out of the world (Egypt) ever entered the land of promise and such is the case today I’m afraid. In Numbers 27:18 we have his ordination before the nation and listen to how the Lord describes him, “Take Joshua the son of Nun with you, a man in whom is the Spirit”. A further affirmation of Joshua’s character can be found in Numbers 32:11-12 where twice the Lord says of him and Caleb that “they have wholly followed the Lord.” At Joshua’s coronation before the nation Moses said of him in Deut. 1:38 “Joshua the son of Nun, who stands before you, he shall go in there. Encourage him, for he shall cause Israel to inherit it.” The final reference of Joshua prior to this 6th book that bears his name is in the last chapter of Deut. 34:9 where we are told that “Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him; so the children of Israel heeded him, and did as the Lord had commanded Moses.”  

II. Vs. 1-5 Every place I have given

Vs. 1 After 40 years of doing nothing but wandering around a wilderness and attending funerals under Joshua they come upon the banks of the Jordan. Here in this verse we learn three things:

1. Moses is dead: When according to Deut. 34:8 the 30 days of morning for Moses was over God spoke to Joshua to become the leader. Interesting that Moses the man who represents the law could not bring the people into the land of promise instead it would be Joshua a man who had spent his entire career as Moses assistant.
2. Joshua was Moses assistant: The name ‘Jehoshua’ means “the LORD is salvation” his name was originally Hoshea but it was changed by Moses as he inserted the LORD’s “JEH” name into the name of Oshea, and they called him ‘Jeho-shua.’ In the New Testament Jesus is the Greek name for the Hebrew name Joshua. Friend’s Joshua was prepared for service in small things. Allen Redpath speaks of a plaque over a kitchen sink that read: “Divine service is conducted here three times daily.”  What a great word for all to remember that greatness is birthed by faithfulness to the small things.  
3. That the Lord commissioned Joshua as the leader: The book of Joshua is the first of the books that bear the name of chief character, though following on the heals of a liberator, law giver Moses his life was no less impressive as he achieved all of what God had for him one step at a time.

The closest Moses got to the land of promise was Mount Nebo where according to Deut. 34:1 “the Lord showed him all the land of Gilead as far as Dan” that is until we are Matthew 17 where he appeared with Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration. Moses got the title to the land of promise but Joshua lived there and in this we see that those tow things a very different. In the little one chapter book in the Old Testament of Obadiah in verse 17 we are told that “But on Mount Zion there shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.” Oh own Zion our Zion in His holiness we shall possess our possessions.  

Vs. 2-3 To Abraham 500 years earlier God had promised a land his descendants and was Joshua that was able to lead them into it. Deuteronomy contains the instruction of how to live once they enter the land of promise but says nothing about how to possess it. Think of this a moment the people changed over 40 years in the wilderness, the leader changed but the promises of God had remained 500 years and were waiting for those to enter into them.   

There are those that spiritually see the promise land as a typology of heaven and crossing over the Jordan as death; “Swing low sweet chariot” was a hymn that popularized this notion. But the problem with this analogy is that it doesn’t fit the book of Joshua as the book is about defeating the enemy. In fact you will discover in the 12th chapter that Joshua records the fact that prior to entering the land of promise only two kings were conquered by Moses while 31 were defeated in the Land of promise by Joshua. The simple truth is that there were far more enemies and obstacles in the land of promise then there was in the wilderness wanderings. Now I say this as I don’t believe that heaven will be a place where we do battle but rather a place where we will be at peace. So I think that what we shall see here in this book is about “abundant life” living, a victorious Christian life enjoyed in God’s promises as we defeat the enemies of our faith.  

Hey folks pay attention to the way the Lord speaks to Joshua here as He says that in verse 2 “I am giving” and then in verse 3 “I have given”.  “I am giving” can serve as a theme to this entire book. What this reveals is all the whole land was given, but they could only posses that which they claimed which is why the Lord said the phrase “every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you”. Now saints how much of God’s promises go unclaimed in our lives simply because we will not “tread upon what the Lord has given us”? Why not just cause Israel to face no obstacles or enemies in inheriting the land of promise? Listen carefully friends to what I’m about to tell you: 

1. The promises could only be obtained by those who were not content with Egypt, not content with the things of this world and their former life.
2. The promises could only be enjoyed by those who would continue to press on with all of what God had for them to.

Vs. 4 Based upon the geographical coordinates of verse 4 the total land God gave Israel was over 30,000 square miles and at the Zenith of Israel’s power under Salomon they only possessed 3,000 square miles or 1/10 of what God had given them. I can’t help but wonder if that is not true of each of us today they we are at best living in 1/10th of the blessings God has for us now. Friend’s I rather think that many of us today are far too passive with regards to possessing the blessings of God. The Lord desires to give us His promises but we have to be willing to walk in them go after them, kick out those things in our lives that are keeping us from enjoying them.  

The sad truth is that the nation has never possessed all that God has for them and I’m afraid that this is also true of us individually as the Paul says, Ephes. 1:3 that the “the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ”. The author of Hebrews in 4:1 warned us, “Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it.”

Vs. 5 Victory is assured not based upon Joshua’s leadership or Israel’s supremacy but rather on the greatness of God and His promises to never leave or forsake them. God tells Joshua that no one would be able to stop them, no enemy defeat them, no limitation to contain them, but wait a minute they only possessed at best 1/10th of what God had for them. So what happened, what kept them in 1/10th of the blessings that were theirs? They just simply stopped going for it, they decided to settle for 1/10th !!!