Be Strong
A New Beginning
Introduction
• Why read the book of Joshua? What
does it mean to us today?
• The book of Joshua is a book of new
beginnings for God’s people
• Jesus, our Joshua, “ blessed us with all
spiritual blessings (Eph 1:3)
– Yet we live often like the defeated paupers
• New Leader
– Moses from Exodus to Deuteronomy 34
– Moses not forgotten even in Joshua (50
times)
• “God buries His workers, but His works goes on.”
– Joshua the slave
• Hoshea: salvation (Num 13:8 NIV)
• Joshua, Jehovah is salvation (Num 13:16)
– Hebrew form of Jesus (Matt 1:21)
• Belonged to the tribe of Ephraim
• Firstborn son of Nun (I Chron 7:20-27)
– In danger on the night of Passover (Ex 11-12)
• He saw all the signs and wonders in Egypt (Ex 712)
• He saw the Lord opening & closing the Red Sea
– Joshua the soldier
• Defeat of the Amalekites, first official record
(Ex 17:8-16)
• A general while Moses a prophet& legislator
• A man of great courage
• Skills with the sword
• Chosen for a special work in the future (Ex
17:14)
– Preparation for many battles in the Promised Land
– Joshua the servant
• Servant: minister; official assistant to Moses
• Secret of Joshua’s victories: his submission to
the Word of God (Josh 1:8) & to the God of the
Word (Josh 5:13-15)
• Worshipper
• Jealous for the glory of God & for the honor &
authority of Moses
• He took the lot last (Josh 19:49-51)
– Joshua the spy
• One of the twelve (Num 13)
• Joshua & Caleb
• Didn’t permit the problems & difficulties to rob
him of his faith in God
– “One with God id a majority”
• He learned how to win and accept the defeats
– Joshua the successor
• Moses asked God to give the people a new
leader & He appointed Joshua (Deut 3:23-29)
• Encouragement (31:1-8) & laying hands on
Joshua (Deut 34:9)
• He was human and made mistakes; still God’s
chosen leader (Josh 1:17)
• Secret of Joshua’s victories: faith in the Word
of God (Joshua 1:7-9)
– “Be strong”
• New Land
– The promise of the land
• 87 times: Israel’s entering, conquering, &
claiming the Promised and
• Moses’ farewell speech
• Land: @200 times
• Posses: @50 times
– Israel owned the land due to the covenant with
Abraham
• Their enjoyment depended on their faithful
obedience to God
• Chastening in the land (Judges)
• Slavery in Babylon for 70 years (Jeremiah &
Ezekiel)
• Promised land
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Place of rest
Inheritance
The dwelling place of God (Josh 12:9, 11)
The glory of God (Ez 20:6,15)
The pleasant land (Dan 8:9)
The glorious land (Dan 11:16, 41)
A land flowing with milk & honey
A land of plenty
– The importance of the land
• Jerusalem in “the center of the nations” (Josh
5:5 NIV)
• “the center of the world” (Josh 38:12 NASB)
– Center: navel; lifeline between God & the world
• Stage for redemption
– Focus
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Gen 3:15: Savior to the world
Gen 12: call of Abraham
Gen 49:10: from the land of Judah
II Sam 7: from the family of David
Isa 7:14: born of virgin
Micah 5:2: in Bethlehem
Isa 53; Ps 22: Die for the world
• New Life
– Deal with the life of God’s people, not death
– Book of Joshua deals with battles, defeats,
sins, & failures on earth, not heaven
• Illustrates how believers can say goodbyes to
old life & enter into their inheritance in Jesus
Christ
• Illustrates how we can face the enemies, defeat
them, and claim all we have in Christ (Eph 1:3)
• Book of Ephesians & Joshua: doctrine &
practicality
• Rest
– God’s sabbath rest after creation (Heb 4:4; Gen 2:2)
– Salvation rest in Christ (Heb 4:1, 3, 8-9, Matt 11:2830)
– Believer’s eternal rest in heaven (Heb 4:4)
– The rest after the conquest of Canaan (Josh 3:7-19)
– Canaan rest: picture of the rest that Christian
believers experience when they surrender all to
Christ & claim their inheritance by faith
– Geographic locations
• Egypt – place of death & bondage
– Delivered from death by the blood of the lamb &
safety across the Red Sea by opening & closing
• The wilderness – the believers who live in
unbelief & disobedience; don’t want to enter
into the rest & riches of the inheritance in
Christ
– Egypt still in their heart & desire to go back to the
old life
• Canaan – Christian life: conflict & victory;faith
& obedience; rest & spiritual riches
– Enemies around them in Egypt
– Enemies behind them after crossing the Red Sea
– After crossing Jordan River enemies before them yet
conquered by faith
– Victorious life isn’t once for all triumphs that will
ends all the problems
– Series of conflicts & victories
» “Series of new beginnings” Alexander Whyte
» The land was taken, but it remained “very much
land & be possessed” (Josh 11:23)
– We have all we need for victorious life, but we must
possess our inheritance by faith
– One step at a time (1:3)
– “How long will you wait before you begin to take the
possession of the land that the Lord … has give you
(Josh 18:3 NIV)
• Babylon: captivity due to disobedience
– God’s chastening (Heb 12: 1-12)
– The leading person in the book of Joshua:
Lord, not Joshua
• Joshua gave the glory to God
• “The Lord God of Israel”: 14 times
– Glory or disgrace to God’s name
• Spiritual map
– In wilderness a complaining people
– In Canaan: conquering people
– Wilderness march: an experience of delay,
defeat, & death
– Canaan march: an experience of life, power,
& victory