The Book of Joshua

Entering into the Promise: The Book of Joshua

In the early part of the 15th century BC, after many years of slavery in Egypt and forty years in the desert, the Israelites were finally allowed to enter the Promised Land.  

The Book of Joshua tells how God led His people — as an army under the leadership of Joshua — to reclaim Canaan from the idolatrous nations that lived there.  He aided them in the enterprise and gave them conditional tenancy in His land in fulfilment of the covenant He had made with their forefathers.

Obedience, courage, and trust are recurring themes of the book, under the overarching motif of Yahweh’s covenantal faithfulness. In their struggle against enemies without and temptations within, the Israelites were to learn how to walk — and fight — together as a community belonging to God.  

As a people of God’s promise, the Church would do well to carefully consider the joys and responsibilities of actively “Entering into the Promise”.

 

Speaker: Ian Ma
Scripture: Johua 5:126:27
Date: 2022-05-22

Joshua 5:2-6:27 (NIV)

Circumcision and Passover at Gilgal

2 At that time the Lord said to Joshua, “Make flint knives and circumcise the Israelites again.” 3 So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the Israelites at Gibeath Haaraloth.

Speaker: Ian Ma
Scripture: Johua 4:1-5:1
Date: 2022-05-15

Joshua 4:1-5:1 (NIV)

When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, 2 “Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe, 3 and tell them to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, from right where the priests are standing, and carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight.”

Speaker: Ian Ma
Scripture: Johua 3:1-17
Date: 2022-05-08

Joshua 3:1-17 (NIV)

Crossing the Jordan

Early in the morning Joshua and all the Israelites set out from Shittim and went to the Jordan, where they camped before crossing over.After three days the officers went throughout the camp,giving orders to the people: “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the Levitical priests carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it.Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before. But keep a distance of about two thousand cubits between you and the ark; do not go near it.”

Speaker: Ian Ma
Scripture: Johua 2:1-21
Date: 2022-05-01

Joshua 2:1-21 (NIV)

Rahab and the Spies

 Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies from Shittim. “Go, look over the land,” he said, “especially Jericho.” So they went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there.

Speaker: Ian Ma
Scripture: Johua 1:1-18
Date: 2022-04-24

Joshua 1:1-18 (NIV)

Joshua Installed as Leader

After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide:“Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites.I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses.