Route 66: Joshua - Conquering the Promised Land

Okay.

Book of Joshua.

Is this working?

Okay?

I'd like to start this evening on a personal note.

Some of you know this is my first time preaching, so please bear with me.

I hope to glorify God through the sharing of this overview of Joshua, and I do want to acknowledge that some of these thoughts that I'm sharing were influenced by different things that I read.

One of the things that helped us shape this sermon was the how to Read the Bible, book by book, by Gordon Fee and Douglas Stewart, and I also was influenced by a chapter on Joshua by Boyd Seavers, as well as some encouragement from Pastor Doug.

Preparing for this sermon has been a great learning experience for me.

I previously only knew Joshua as a story of the Israelites' battle to occupy the Promised Land and then the division of that Promised Land amongst the Twelve Tribes.

This study has revealed so much more to me about God's plan, god's character and the redemptive history and the redemptive history and his redemptive history, and I pray it will be an encouragement to all of you as well.

I wanted to start by offering a brief background and context on Joshua, particularly in reference to the God's Big Picture study we recently concluded, and then I want to take a deeper dive and look at Joshua on three levels.

The first, joshua as biblical history reflecting God's will and actions.

The second, joshua and what it reveals about the nature and character of our Lord, about the nature and character of our Lord.

And then last, joshua and how it connects to the gospel.

So first, brief overview and some context of where we are in our Route 66 journey, as we discussed in the Vaughan Roberts study, god's Big Picture, god's kingdom, can be described as God's people in God's place, under God's rule and blessing.

And, as Ted mentioned in previous Sunday evening series, we've covered Genesis, we've covered Exodus, we've covered Leviticus, numbers and Deuteronomy Collectively.

These first five books of the Bible tell us about God's creation of the heavens and earth and man, which Roberts recalls, the pattern of the kingdom, the fall and original sin, which is the parish kingdom, god's promise to Abraham to bless his descendants, his people, and give them a land, the promised kingdom.

And then Exodus through Deuteronomy speaks to the redemption of God's people, the Israelites, from slavery in Egypt.

Speaks to the granting of the law by God to Moses and God's punishment for the Israelites' disobedience of his law, as they were forced to wander in the Sinai desert for 40 years, waiting to be delivered to the promised land, this part of the Bible to be delivered to the promised land, this part of the Bible Roberts calls the partial kingdom.

So this book of Joshua picks up with the story of God's people, the Israelites, settling in God's place, which is the promised land of Canaan.

Joshua himself is credited for primarily having written the book of Joshua, although other scholars later added some details about his death and burial.

And notably, joshua was writing to the victorious Israelites after they had already occupied and conquered areas of the promised land.

When he did so, he reminded them that this conquest was incomplete.

In Joshua 13, chapter 13, verse 1, he said very much of the land remains to be possessed.

This is an observation that the Israelites of the time had not yet fully occupied the promised land designed or designated by God, meaning, in Vaughan Roberts' terms, they were only occupying a partial kingdom.

God meaning, in Vaughan Roberts' terms, they were only occupying a partial kingdom, but it's also a foreshadowing, and it's a foreshadowing that there was a greater kingdom yet to come, one that wasn't bound by the geopolitical lines of 1300s BC Canaan.

One more background topic before we dive deeper into the book who was Joshua.

Joshua was originally named Hosea, son of Nun, and I'm going to come back to that point in a minute because that's noteworthy.

He was born in Egypt and he was with the Israelites throughout the events of the Exodus.

His life was characterized by faithfulness to God and faithfulness to Moses as well.

We're first introduced to Joshua in Exodus 17, where we learned he has been asked by Moses to lead a group of Israelites in their great battle against the Amalekites in Rephidim.

You may recall this was the battle where God worked through Moses.

Moses would raise his arms and as he raised his arms the Israelites would start to triumph, and when he lowered his arms they would start to lose ground.

But God was working through Moses to give victory to the Israelites.

That was in Exodus 17.

After this victory, joshua continued to serve alongside Moses and in Exodus 32, we learn he was with Moses when Moses descended from Mount Sinai with the two tablets containing the law, god's law.

Later, in Numbers, chapter 13, verses 16 and 17, joshua was sent by Moses as one of 12 men to explore the land of Canaan, and Joshua, along with Caleb, were the only two of those 12 men to come back with a positive report about the Israelites' potential ability to take over and defeat those who are occupying that land, and this was credited to Joshua, as well as to Caleb, as having great faithfulness in God and his promises.

Numbers 13:16

Finally, in Deuteronomy 31, under the direction of God, moses, before his death, appointed Joshua as his successor.

So that's a little bit of background on Joshua, who he is and how the book connects to the books we've already covered in this Route 66 series.

Let's go deeper and talk about Joshua's biblical history reflecting God's will and actions.

As we know, the book of Joshua centers around the fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham to deliver the Israelites the promised land, and that was first covenanted in Genesis, chapter 15, verses 18 and 19.

Genesis 15:18

On that day, the Lord made a covenant with Abram and said to your descendants I give this land from the Wadi of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates.

God later renewed this vow to Moses in Deuteronomy, chapter 1, verse 8.

Deuteronomy 1:8

See, I have given you this land.

Go in and take possession of the land the Lord swore he would give to your fathers, to Abraham, isaac and Jacob, and to their descendants after them.

The book of Joshua records the military campaigns which were ordained by God and led by Joshua to conquer those city-states of Canaan.

God's presence, and led by Joshua, to conquer those city-states of Canaan.

God's presence, god's will, god's direction is intensely manifested through this period of history.

First, god anoints and exhorts Joshua and perhaps one of the most memorable passages from the book at the beginning of chapter 1, before leading the Israelites into the Promised land, god speaks directly to Joshua, verse 6, be strong and courageous, for you will distribute the land I swore to their ancestors to give them as an inheritance.

Verse 9, haven't I commanded you?

Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord, your God, is to enter the promised land.

For example, out of her faithfulness to God, rahab the prostitute first hides the Israelite spies sent in to view Canaan.

That's in Joshua, chapter 2.

Joshua 2 · chapter mention

Prostitute first hides the Israelite spies sent in to view Canaan.

That's in Joshua, chapter 2.

Joshua 2 · chapter mention

God next instructs the Israelites to consecrate themselves before he miraculously parts the Jordan River, in Joshua 3, which shows his power and causes the other nations to cower, demonstrating that he once again is with the Israelites.

God next commands the new generation to be circumcised to him.

And finally, god sends an angel to Joshua with specific instructions for the battle to take Jericho.

After preparing the nation of Israel to enter the promised land, god then leads Joshua and the Israelites through a series of military battles over more powerful foes to conquer Canaan.

God establishes victory through three major military campaigns the fall of Jericho, which is depicted in Joshua, chapters 6 through 8,.

Joshua 6 · chapter mention

A southern campaign in chapters 9 and 10, and then a northern campaign in Joshua 11.

I won't cover the details of these campaigns, but God's hand was ever-present in each of these battles won by the Israelites and, significantly, all of the events of these battles and the order in which they happen was foretold by God to Moses in Exodus 23, verses 23 through 31.

Exodus 23:23–31

Following these conquests through Joshua, god ordained the distribution of the newly acquired land amongst the 12 tribes of the Israelites.

So, to reiterate, in fulfillment of his will for the Israelites to occupy the promised land, god first anointed Joshua, he prepared the entire nation of Israel, he led them into battle, he ordained victory and he governed the distribution of the land.

His presence was indeed everywhere throughout this period of biblical history.

Next, I'd like to talk about how Joshua is revealing of the character of God, as God is with the Israelites.

Throughout the book of Joshua, his character is revealed in multiple ways, but in particular, the events of Joshua reveal.

It reveals God's faithful.

God is holy, god is sovereign and God demands our obedience.

First, let's start with God's faithfulness.

Clearly, we know our God is a faithful God.

We can know and trust that he keeps his promises.

This is most clearly demonstrated in Joshua, as he delivers the promised land to the Israelites in fulfillment of God's word that, as we said, was spoken to Abraham in Genesis and Moses in Deuteronomy.

But God also shows his faithfulness by keeping other promises made throughout the ages, For example, the burial of some of his chosen leaders across generations.

In Genesis, chapter 50, verses 24 and 25, joseph had told his brothers I'm about to die, but God will certainly come to your aid and bring you up from this land, to the land he swore to give Abraham, isaac and Jacob.

Genesis 50:24

So Joseph made the sons of Israel take an oath when God comes to your aid, you are to carry my bones up from here.

In one of the last verses of Joshua Joshua 24, verse 32, we learn that through God's faithfulness, this burial promise has been kept.

Joshua 24:32

Joseph's bones have been carried from Egypt and he has now been buried in the promised land and, most notably, fully revealing God's faithfulness.

Joseph is buried in the exact tract of land in Sachem, within Canaan, that Joseph's father, jacob, had bought over two centuries earlier, as depicted in Genesis 33.

Similar to this story of how God's promises are kept through the burial, the promised burial of Joseph in the promised land, both Joshua and Eleazar, the high priest who made the journey from captivity in Egypt all the way through to delivery in the promised land, they're both revealed to have been laid to rest in the promised land Another sign of God's faithfulness to those who trusted in him.

As Joshua summarizes in his farewell speech to the Israelites, not one of the good promises which the Lord has made to the house of Israel failed.

All came to pass.

That's Joshua 21, verse 45.

Joshua 21:45

God is indeed faithful.

He keeps his promises.

The second way God's character is revealed in Joshua is in his holiness.

First, what is holiness?

A definition I found from the Gospel Coalition, the Holiness of God.

An article by Richard Lentz defines holiness this way the absolute moral purity of God and the absolute distance between God and his human creatures.

He further defines divine justice as one outworking of divine holiness, marking out the ethical consequences of actions dividing righteous actions from evil actions In Joshua.

God expresses this holiness and purity in his judgments against both sinful Canaanites and against the Israelites when they rebel God's judgment.

His original judgment against the Canaanites and reasons for delivering the promised land to Israel was first revealed in Deuteronomy 9.

When the Lord, your God, drives them out before you, do not say to yourself the Lord brought me in to take possession of this land because of my righteousness.

Instead, the Lord will drive out these nations before you because of their wickedness.

The wickedness of the Canaanites had been noted by God in his promise to Abraham in Genesis 15.

And he waited, as he told Abraham, for this sinfulness to peak in the fourth generation before God's righteous anger and righteousness demanded that the Canaanites be punished.

So through the holy wars he led through Joshua in Canaan, that righteousness was in fact realized.

In addition, even though Joshua was a period of relative loyalty and observance of God's law by Israel, god's holiness still demanded justice when the Israelites transgressed.

One example is the story of Achan.

After destroying Jericho through the Lord's hand, achan defied God's warning to Joshua that all things in the city, including the devoted objects, belong to the Lord.

Achan disobeyed and, as a result, joshua 7-1,.

The Lord's anger burned against Israel and in the next battle against Ai, the Israelite army was routed.

The Lord revealed to Joshua in chapter 7, verse 11, that Israel had been defeated because some in his army had violated his covenant by taking some of the devoted things, and that his anger would remain until Joshua destroyed whoever disobeyed his commands.

Only after Achan was stoned to death did the Lord's favor return, and then he led Israel to victories against the city of Ai and other city-states in Canaan.

So, in summary, god's holiness and divine justice was revealed in Joshua, as he punished the Canaanites and Israelites with defeat and death when they did not meet the standard of his holiness.

And when Israel did meet the standard by following his law and commands, he gave them numerous victories.

Third way that God's character is revealed through Joshua is in his sovereignty.

We know God, of course, is sovereign over all things in heaven on earth.

He alone determines the fate of nations and nature, and in Joshua he decided how, when and why the Israelites were to take back the promised land.

Joshua is a story about how Israel was able to defeat stronger foes throughout Canaan as a result of God's sovereignty.

First, at Jericho, joshua 6, you may recall that the Lord ordained a highly unorthodox military strategy, with the Israelites marching around the walls of Jericho for seven days carrying the Ark of the Lord's Covenant, with trumpets blaring, giving full notice to their foes of their presence.

This isn't exactly a formula for a successful military campaign.

But just as God promised to Joshua in Joshua 6.5, on the seventh day, as the army shouted, the fortified walls of the city came crumbling down and the Israelites took the city unimpeded, demonstrating God's sovereignty over all things created by man.

Similarly, in Joshua 8, god determined that Ai, that city-state in the southern territory of Canaan, would be delivered into Israel's hands.

He gave specific instructions to Joshua to set up an ambush to draw out the enemy and leave them vulnerable to an attack from behind.

The battle took place exactly as God had planned At Gideon.

God promised Joshua that the Israelites would prevail over a much stronger army consisting of the combined forces of a number of Amorite kings.

In this battle, god demonstrated his sovereignty not only over man, but over nature as well.

We know that God is supernatural and in this battle he hurled large hailstones down on the enemy and, even more amazingly, stopped the sun for a full 24 hours in its place in the middle of the sky as Israel avenged itself on its enemies.

There are other areas where God's sovereignty over nature was present in Joshua, notably when he blocked the Jordan River at the flood stage which allowed the Israelites to first enter Canaan, hearkening back to what he had done for Moses parting of the Red Sea.

Elsewhere in battles, he sent hornets ahead of the army to drive out citizens in various cities in Canaan before battle, to prepare for victory for the Israelites.

So again, god's character is revealed throughout Joshua as his sovereignty over all creation, including both man and nature.

Fourth way God's character is revealed in the book of Joshua is that he demands our obedience and loyalty.

Overall, the book of Joshua is a time where the Israelites turned away from the rebellion and punishment they had received in the wilderness towards a renewed covenant commitment towards God.

God clearly instructs the Israelites that they must be obedient to him to enter the promised land Deuteronomy, chapter 4, verse 1.

Deuteronomy 4:1

Now, israel, listen to the statues and ordinances I am teaching you to follow so that you may live, enter and take possession of the land the Lord, the God of your ancestors, is giving you.

And God reemphasizes this requirement not to stray, as we prayed earlier, from the law speaking to Joshua in Joshua, chapter 1, verses 7 and 8.

Joshua 1:7

Above all, be strong and very courageous to observe carefully the whole instruction.

My servant Moses commanded you Do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you will have success wherever you go.

This book of instruction must not depart from your mouth.

You are to meditate on it day and night so that you may carefully observe everything written in it.

Our God not only demands our obedience, but also our full loyalty.

He will not tolerate the worship of other gods.

Our God not only demands our obedience, but also our full loyalty.

He will not tolerate the worship of other gods.

Joshua fully understood this and in his final speech to the Israelites, after having led them to victory in the promised land, before his death, joshua exhorted his people to be fearful and fully loyal to God.

Joshua 24, 14.

Therefore, fear the Lord and worship him in sincerity and truth.

Get rid of the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt and worship the Lord.

But if it doesn't please you to worship the Lord, choose for yourselves today which will you worship the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living.

As for me and my family, we will worship the Lord.

As an aside, many of you know this verse, which is one of the most widely quoted verses in Scripture from the NIV.

That one reads as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.

So, as revealed by God's righteous anger when the Israelites or other nations turn to false gods, it's clear that one unyielding characteristic of our God is that he demands our full obedience and loyalty.

Joshua fully understood this and he received God's blessing.

So, to summarize, there are four ways where God's character is revealed in Joshua God's faithfulness, god's holiness, god's sovereignty and God's demanding our full loyalty.

Now let's turn our attention to how the book and story of of Joshua points to the gospel.

First, joshua exhibited certain messianic qualities, as mentioned earlier.

Joshua was not his given name.

Moses, in fact, was the one who gave Hosea, son of Nun, his new name, and that name, joshua, which is Yeshua in Hebrew, means the Lord is salvation or Yahweh saves.

In the book of Hebrews, chapter four, in some translations the name Joshua is even translated as Jesus, is even translated as Jesus.

This choice of name is an indication that Joshua is a foreshadowing of the true Messiah, jesus Christ.

Moses also gave this name as an acknowledgment that all of Joshua's future victories would depend on God fighting the battle for him.

Joshua, although merely a man and a prophet, but not the Messiah, shared certain similar characteristics as Jesus.

Like Jesus, joshua was appointed by God and he possessed leadership qualities as a shepherd who could lead sheep.

Numbers, chapter 27, verses 15 to 18 reads 27, verses 15 to 18 reads.

Numbers 27:15–18

So Moses appealed to the Lord.

May the Lord, the God who gives breath to all, appoint a man over the community who will go out before them and come back in before them, and who will bring them out and bring them in, so that the Lord's community won't be like sheep without a shepherd.

The Lord replied to Moses Take Joshua, son of Nun, a man who has the Spirit in him, and lay your hands on him.

Clearly, god anointed Joshua due to his leadership and personal qualities like faithfulness.

Furthermore, joshua, like Jesus, was filled with the spirit of wisdom Deuteronomy 34, verse 9.

Deuteronomy 34:9

Joshua, son of Nun, was filled with the spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands on him.

So the Israelites obeyed him as the Lord had commanded Moses.

Just like Jesus, joshua was faithful to God, the Father and his commands.

So clearly, joshua, despite his name as a man, wasn't the Messiah.

And in fact that very topic's addressed in the New Testaments, in Hebrews, chapter 4, verse 8, where, when referring back to Joshua and his having given rest to the Israelites, that's contrasted as the work of a man, not of God, who, when God gives rest, he gives permanent rest to his peoples.

Hebrews 4:8

Another way that the book of Joshua points to the gospel is the story of Rahab, which really speaks to God's grace and his plan of redemption.

You recall that Rahab was the prostitute who protected the Israelite spies at great personal risk to her and her family, due to the strong faith she exhibited in the God of the Israelites.

She's rewarded for her faith as she and her family are spared after the city is destroyed and her faithfulness is credited to her through the ages.

She's later listed in Hebrews, chapter 11, as one of those Old Testament figures who's honored for her great faith.

Hebrews 11 · chapter mention

Rahab's story reveals God's grace to sinners and her story also reveals the truth that God saves by faith alone.

The fact that she is in the profession she is speaks to God's willing to give grace to all peoples, all sinners who come to faith.

Come to faith, and the fact that her faithfulness is so rewarded and acknowledged through the New Testament speaks to the fact that God does save by faith alone.

And even noteworthy about the story of Rahab we later learn in Matthew that she is in fact one of the ancestors that's listed in the genealogy of Jesus.

In fact, one of the ancestors that's listed in the genealogy of Jesus.

A third way that the gospel is pointed to in Joshua, the partial conquest of the promised land, points to its full fulfillment and conquest through Jesus.

As we've discussed, every victory that God commanded and each claim of land that Israel realized was an indication of God's faithfulness.

But, as we've also covered, even with God's blessing and Israel's general obedience, under Joshua the Israelites only partially conquered and occupied the promised land.

And we know that the generations following Joshua occupied the promised land.

And we know that the generations following Joshua, they struggled to keep God's commands due to their sin and, as a result, suffered waves of God's judgment.

These temporary earthly victories under Joshua can be viewed as a precursor to the full and complete spiritual victory won by Jesus over the enemies of sin and death.

For we Christians, christ's victory secured for us a permanent inheritance in the kingdom of heaven.

1 Peter 1, verses 3 and 4.

1 Peter 1:3

Because of his great mercy, he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled and unfading, kept in heaven for you.

Joshua's victories in Canaan were partial and this inheritance was temporary.

Jesus's victory over death and sin are complete and our inheritance is permanent.

Last point about Joshua kind of in the book of Joshua leading to the gospel, is in the circumcision that was performed in the book of Joshua.

Joshua's circumcision of the Israelites foreshadowed Jesus's permanent cleansing of believers from sin.

There was a requirement that God gave to Joshua before this new generation of Israelites entered the promised land, and he commanded in Joshua 5 that the entire generation be circumcised by Joshua.

The reasons for it was that the circumcision was to roll away the disgrace of their fathers and grandfathers' disobedience of God in Egypt, meaning they needed to be circumcised to be cleansed from the sins of these former lives.

By comparison, in the New Testament, colossians 2, verses 11 to 14, describes Christian believers as having been circumcised not by human hands but by Christ himself, by whom we have been put off the sinful nature of our former lives without Christ and through whom our debt is erased.

Colossians 2:11–14

Chapter 2, verse 11,.

You were also circumcised in him, with a circumcision not done with hands, by putting off the body of flesh in the circumcision of Christ, when you were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.

And when you were dead in trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, he made you alive with him and forgave us all of our trespasses.

He erased the certificate of debt with its obligations that was against us and opposed to us, and he's taken it away by nailing it to the cross.

So, in summary, joshua points to the gospel because, despite being just a man, he can also be seen as a type of, or a predecessor to Christ in the following ways In his name itself, which connotes the Messiah In his character, which mirrors some of the qualities of Jesus, in the fact that Joshua brings his people into the possession of the promised land, just as Jesus brings his people into the claim of the heavenly Canaan.

And lastly, in the circumcision Joshua performs to cleanse the Israelites, which mirrors the permanent spiritual circumcision from sin perfected by Jesus on the cross.

Just as Joshua succeeded Moses, so the gospel succeeds the law.

So, hopefully, through the study of Joshua, you can see beyond the stories of Israel's military victories and the temporary occupation and distribution of the promised land.

Joshua provides clear insight as to the nature and character of our God and also serves an important role in our understanding of God's plan and redemptive history, with Jesus as the true Messiah, who is foreshadowed by the actions and character of Joshua.

Let's pray, heavenly Father, we thank you so much for this time we're able to spend in study of your word.

We thank you so much for this time we're able to spend in study of your word.

Father, we know your word is unerrant and your promises are forever.

Father, we thank you for the character your character which is revealed through Joshua.

We thank you for your faithfulness.

Father.

We thank you that you are, in fact, sovereign and always in control.

We thank you for your holiness are, in fact, sovereign and always in control.

We thank you for your holiness and, father, we thank you that all of this has been expressed through your great mercy.

Father, at one time you required the Israelites to follow your law and Lord because they were sinful, just like we are sinners, father, they could never perfectly follow your law.

But, father, you created a greater opportunity for us to be reconciled to you through your son.

Father, through his perfect life.

Father, despite our sin, we can be called righteous Father and our faith can be perfected.

And, father, we just thank you so much for this act of mercy and of grace.

And, father, just let us never forget what you've done for us through Jesus, our Lord and Savior, for it's in his name we pray, amen.