Joshua - Introduction

Introduction

Author

THE BOOK OF JOSHUA IS ANONYMOUS; no author is identified in the text. It’s certainly possible that Joshua himself wrote much of it. If he did not, then the book was penned by someone who both knew him and had access to his testimony and deeds. Regardless of whether or not Joshua was personally involved in its authorship, the book was clearly completed after his death, given the final words in 24:29-33.

Historical Background

The events in Joshua take place after the death of Moses (Josh 1:1), who appointed Joshua as his successor in obedience to the Lord (see Num 27:15-23; Deut 34:9). The people of Israel had come out of Egypt, entered into a covenant with God, spent forty years in the wilderness for their disobedience, and were now on the verge of crossing the Jordan River and entering the promised land (Josh 1:2-4). According to 1 Kings 6:1, “the fourth year” of King Solomon’s reign over Israel (966 BC) happened 480 years after the Israelites had departed Egypt. Allowing for the forty years Israel spent in the wilderness, that would mean the book of Joshua opens in approximately 1400 BC—that is, fourteen hundred years before the birth of Christ.

Message and Purpose

The book of Joshua shows how God was faithful to fulfill his covenant with Israel to give them the land of Canaan. It also shows the participation of the people in the fulfillment of that plan as they conquered what God had already said he would give them. Israel had experienced a forty-year delay in claiming the promised land because of the disobedience of Moses’s generation. But now the new generation would see that indeed God was faithful to his promises every step of the way—from the parting of the Jordan River, to making the sun stand still, to collapsing the walls of Jericho.

The lesson of Joshua for us is twofold: God is faithful to keep his Word, and we are to participate in his kingdom work through our obedience to him. Joshua refused to succumb to the pressures around him, and he challenged God’s people to do the same. May we declare with Joshua, “As for me and my family, we will worship the Lord” (24:15).

VIDEO INTRO

Outline

1. Entering the Promised Land (1:1–5:12)
   1. Joshua Assumes Command (1:1-18)
   2. The Faith of Rahab (2:1-24)
   3. Crossing the Jordan (3:1–5:12)
2. Claiming the Promised Land (5:13–12:24)
   1. Victory at Jericho (5:13–6:27)
   2. Defeat and Victory at Ai (7:1–8:35)
   3. Deceived by Gibeon (9:1-27)
   4. Victory throughout the Land (10:1–12:24)
3. Dividing the Promised Land (13:1–21:45)
4. Serving God in the Promised Land (22:1–24:33)