Into the Promised Land – A Study of Joshua

Upon the death of Moses, Joshua was called to lead God’s people into the Promised Land, the land that God had promised to give to them through His covenant with Abraham. It was to be their land; no man would be able to stand before them all the days of their life. God would not leave them or forsake them. Their only task was to be strong and courageous in their conquering of the land. And though they committed to doing so, it wasn’t too long before the people began to fail in their commitment to the Lord. Joshua is the beginning of the story of the failure of God’s people to live up to their covenant responsibilities in the land, their failure to conquer the land as they had been called to do, the subsequent judgement of God upon the people (culminating centuries later in the two destructions of Jerusalem by Babylon and Rome), and in God’s covenantal faithfulness is maintaining a remnant of His people over time until the promised coming of the savior of His people in Jesus Christ and His inclusion in His kingdom of the Gentiles. Studying Joshua will help us to see our responsibilities in conquering the land (today, the entire earth) to spread God’s kingdom and understand how God has faithfully provided a Conqueror and King who will lead us in that conquest and provide our victory where earthly kings had failed us.

Resources

This study is designed to be a 17-week study with daily readings and questions five days each week. It is great for individual and group study.

It was prepared using Joshua: No Failing Words by Dale Ralph Davis. This is an excellent resource for individuals or group leaders. Of course, many others have written about Joshua. Here is a survey of several other authors looking at Joshua’s place in the Bible, organization, and themes. And here is a homily examining the fear of the Lord during the destruction of Jericho in Joshua 5:13-6:27.

You can download the study here.