Transferring Leadership

INTRO

After studying the five books of the Pentateuch and the four Gospels, we’re now starting a new section in the books of history. We have completed 200 lessons so far. We’re now going to study 12 historical books, beginning with the book of Joshua. We will study Joshua to Nehemiah (1405 B.C. to 424 B.C.), a period of almost 1,000 years. The Israelites were coming into possession of the Promised Land after 430 years in Egypt as slaves (Exodus 12:40-41) and 40 years wandering in the wilderness.¹

The historical books can be divided into three groups:

The historical books can also be divided as:

Joshua (meaning “Jehovah saves” or “the Lord is salvation”) was the understudy of Moses (Numbers 27:18–23), and a foreshadow of the coming of Christ. The one word for the book of Joshua is Commander. The author of the book was Joshua, although some think it was the high priest Eleazar or his son Phinehas.²Joshua became the leader of the Israelites at the age of 90. He died at the age of 110 (Joshua 24:29). Through the book of Joshua we see the faithfulness of God and the fulfillment of God’s promises about Israel possessing the Promised Land.

TEACHING

Joshua 1:1: We see a clear transition from Moses’s leadership to Joshua’s. Charles Wesley explained, “God buries His workmen but carries on His work.”³J. Oswald Sanders said, “A work originated by God and conducted on spiritual principles will surmount the shock of a change of leadership and indeed will probably thrive better as a result.”⁴

MacArthur explains that God prepared Joshua to assume leadership through his training under Moses:⁵1. Through service (Exodus 17:10; 33:11)

1. Through soldiering (Exodus 17:9–13)
2. Through scouting (Numbers 13–14)
3. Through supplication and commission by Moses (Numbers 27:15–17)
4. Through the sovereignty of God (Numbers 27:18)
5. Through the Spirit’s presence (Numbers 27:18; Deuteronomy 34:9)
6. Through separation from Moses (Numbers 27:18–23; Deuteronomy 31:7–8; 13:15)
7. Through selflessness in following the Lord (Numbers 32:12)

Joshua 1:2–3: God repeated His promise that the Israelites would enter the land He had given them under Joshua’s leadership (Genesis 12:7; 13:14–15; 15:18–21). Everywhere they stepped would be God’s land. They had to walk into the land and claim it . . . step by step.

Romans 10:15 seems to support this instruction and fulfill it: “And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: How beautiful are the feet of those who announce the gospel of good things.” Can you imagine if everyone who shares the gospel could picture this moment and understand that everywhere they go, God has already prepared the way?

Joshua 1:4–5: Verse 4 outlines all the boundaries of the land that God gave the Israelites. If you use an Old Testament map and compare these boundaries to the present-day borders of Israel, it’s obvious they don’t match up. The lands of Lebanon, Syria, Gaza, and Jordan, were all included in the land that God promised the Israelites. This is why it’s so important this land not be divided today, because it still belongs to God and His people. Sadly, we think that we can achieve peace in the Middle East by dividing the land and giving some of it away, but that goes against everything God promised. That’s not a racial comment, but a reading of God’s Word.

In verse 5, God promised Joshua that He would be with him as long as he lived. God made this promise to others as well, including: Jacob (Genesis 28:15), Gideon (Judges 6:16), and the Jewish exiles returning from Babylon (Isaiah 41:10; 43:5). God promises to always be with us through His Son––Emmanuel (Matthew 1:23). He is always with us (Matthew 28:20), and He will never leave us (Hebrews 13:5). The language in the historical books is the same as in the New Testament. God is always the same . . . yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

Joshua 1:6–9: Verse 6 is the first of several instances in chapter 1 where God told Joshua to “be strong and courageous.” God had given different sections of the land to the various tribes, but the Israelites would first have to conquer the land. God told Joshua again to “be strong and very courageous” while observing (or possibly meditating on the Word inside them) all the instructions given to Moses.

One of the issues the church faces today is that it doesn’t always have the Spirit of God within it, so it strays to the left or the right. Success is found when we are in the Word of God and we allow Him to dictates our steps and where we are to go.

Joshua 1:10–18: Joshua sent the officers among the people to tell them to get ready to cross into the Promised Land in three days. He told the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh that they could stay in the land they were in on the east side of the Jordan River (vv. 12-15), but that they still had to fight for the Promised Land. Joshua was announcing that the Israelites’ journey had come to an end and the time of whining was over, because God had prepared the way for them into the Promised Land. Everyone agreed to follow Joshua’s leadership (v. 16). They were committed until the end.

CLOSING

We are going to walk through some incredible stories of God moving among His people in the days to come. Welcome to the study of Joshua.