Four Timeless Lessons From Joshua
The book of Joshua chronicles the Israelite conquest of the Promised Land. This new venture provided the people plenty of opportunities to grow in their faith and trust in God. Whenever we conquer new territory in following God, we find lessons we need to learn. The lessons found in the Bible were not only for those who experienced them first hand but for us as well! These lessons from Joshua are important for us to pay attention to today.
The Lesson of Obedience – Joshua 6-8
This is by far the biggest lesson in the book. In fact, it could be argued that the entire book is a lesson in obedience. I want to highlight obedience in two parts.
First – Jericho
God instructed the people to first conquer Jericho. They crossed the Jordan River and prepared for this first battle. God gave them a peculiar strategy.
They were to circle the city silently for six days, once each day. On the seventh day, they were to circle the city seven times. On the seventh circuit of the city, the trumpets sounded, the people shouted and the wall collapsed. The people rushed in and destroyed every living thing in accordance with the command of God.
By following the command of God, they found success. It must have seemed strange during those first six days but their obedience resulted in a great victory.
Second – Ai
The next stop was Ai. It was a smaller city than Jericho so seemed like an easy target but the people were defeated!
Why?
Joshua was terribly distraught at what had happened. He asked God why and God rebuked him! There was one man who had been disobedient – Achan had coveted and stolen some things from Jericho that were to be given to the Lord. His sin came at a great cost to the nation and eventually cost him his own life.
Once the sin had been revealed and dealt with, the people conquered Ai.
An interesting side note to the story is that for the conquering of Ai, the people were told they could seize the spoil – the thing that was forbidden in Jericho. If Achan would have been patient and obedient, he could have enjoyed the spoils of war.
Sometimes we get impatient with God and want to move ahead now. We must learn that trusting God is always best! How often have we forfeited a great blessing because of this?
Simple obedience to God, no matter what, always yields the greatest rewards.
Seeking God’s Counsel – Joshua 9
The people of the land were in fear of the children of Israel. So the people of Gibeon decided to put forth a ruse. Pretending to be from a distant country they convinced Joshua and the other leaders to enter into a peace treaty with them.
Joshua 9:14 tells us that “they did not ask counsel from the Lord.” This failure meant that the Gibeonites would dwell in the midst of Israel. Early on in the conquest, this failure meant that the land would never fully belong to the Israelites!
When we use our common sense, our discernment and do not seek the counsel of God, we will make big mistakes. We will lose opportunities for victory and compromise the promises we have received. Asking God at every turn, in every decision is the right thing to do, even when the answer seems so obvious!
A Challenge – Joshua 23:8, 11
“You shall cling to the Lord your God just as you have done to this day.”
“Be very careful, therefore, to love the Lord your God.”
As Joshua’s life came to a close, he addressed the people and gave them a great challenge – to cling to God and to love him.
It is a challenge that is timeless. If we are to thrive spiritually, we must cling to God. We must want him more than anything! That is hard for us in our world of prosperity and plenty. But it is essential.
We must also love him. Every expression of our lives ought to reflect the love of God. He has been so good to us, failure to love him is really disrespectful and gives proof of our stubborn selfishness.
A Choice – Joshua 24:15, 24
“Choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
And the people said to Joshua, “The Lord our God we will serve, and his voice we will obey.”
We have a choice as to who we will serve. We can serve God or serve false gods. The land in which we live makes a god of wealth, accomplishment, pleasure and recognition. We can choose to serve these gods or we can serve the true God.
When we follow Jesus, we serve the true God. His promises make serving him the very best thing we could ever do. So today, make the choice and stay strong in following Jesus!
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All scripture quotations are taken from the English Standard Version (ESV).
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