Joshua

What verses really stood out to you?

How would you summarize this book in a sentence or two? What is it about? What is God trying to say to us?

So Yeshua, the one often called Jesus in modern English, and Yeshua, the one usually called Joshua, had the same name! We kind of lost that in translation.
What else was the same about them? Do you see any similarities in their stories?
What did you learn about your own Christian walk?

Do you think it is a coincidence that Yahweh stopped the sun while this Yeshua was fighting a battle, and blacked it out completely while the New Testament Yeshua was winning his victory?

Yeshua means “Yahweh saves”. How do you see that illustrated in the stories in this book of the Bible?

Yahweh gave this land to them. The way they entered it and took it over was proof.
From the Euphrates, which, together with the Tigris, runs from Turkey and Syria through Iraq to the Persian Gulf. To the river of Egypt. (Presumably the Nile, but possibly the Wadi). Either way, it was way bigger than modern Israel and includes parts of Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt and Iraq.
Given his promise to them, it seems that it was only their disobedience stopped them occupying the whole thing back then. But Yahweh promised this land to Abraham. (Genesis 16). So one day they will…

They were ruthlessly obedient to Yahweh and wiped their enemies out completely. Except the Hivites who deceived them into making a treaty. If this is an illustration of us removing sin from our lives… who are your Hivites? What sin have you made a treaty with. You should have wiped it out, but you let it hang around…

Did you see the pattern … when they asked Yahweh first how they should approach an enemy he told them, in fact he usually fought for them! But when they relied on their own understanding and didn’t ask Yahweh first… they lost.
What should you have asked Yahweh about first?
What do you need to ask Yahweh about next time?

How much of your sin will be defeated for you by Yahweh? How much do you have to do yourself?


	Joshua
	Who, When, Where
	Written by Yeshua (Joshua). Yeshua, (the one we also call Joshua), was a disciple/apprentice to Moses and led the Israelites into the promised land after Moses died. This story covers the Israelites entering into the promised land around 1400BC and the next 30 years or so under Yeshua’s leadership. It is set all over Israel, as they defeat their enemies who lived in the land before they got there. The story starts across the Jordan from Jericho, about 10km from what would become Jerusalem, and ends after they have wiped out everyone in the country (sorry about the spoiler).
	Summary
	40 years before Moses had sent Joshua, Caleb and 10 others into the land to check it out. The land was abundant, but the peoples who lived there were big and tough. Of the 12 only Joshua and Caleb had said, “so what, Yahweh is with us.” And because they were too afraid and didn’t trust Yahweh the rest of the adult men had died in the wilderness over the last 40 years. Joshua took over from Moses when he died, and this is the story of how he led the Israelites into the promised land. It is a great story of faith and trusting God. Always. Even when you think you don’t need to.
	Before You Read
	What is it in humans that makes us think we are so good at things? God gives us the victory once or twice and suddenly we think we earned it for ourselves with our own strength. The story of the Israelites entering the promised land is kind of like the story of a Christian taking on the life of faith and living by the spirit. It is a step by step process and requires listening to Yahweh every step of the way. It is about humility, and faith. Let’s see how Yahweh challenges you as you read this book.
	Key Verses
	Joshua 1:6, 7, 9, 18 Be strong and courageous Before they started fighting Yahweh says this several times to Joshua. Nothing about fight well, Nothing “practical”. But just don’t chicken out. When it came to it, that was all he needed to do. Basically just turn up to the battle no matter how bad things looked, and watch Yahweh annihilate the enemy. Awesome. Watchman Nee wrote a great little book called “Sit, Walk, Stand” It is about winning spiritual battles and achieving things for God. First thing to do… sit down. While you fight in your own strength you will lose. When you sit down you can get out of God’s way and let him do something. Joshua 1:8 This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it; for then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall have good success. Was this Joshua’s recipe for success? Read the book of the Law day and night. Meditate on it. Do what it says. Yahweh promised him that if he did this he would be successful. How does it compare to your recipe? How does his cake compare to yours? (How did your recipe turn out) Joshua 10:13 The sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the nation had avenged themselves of their enemies. The sun stood still for a whole day. Whaaat. That is an amazing thing. Can you imagine asking God to make a day last longer? Can you imagine him doing it? This story is very clear. Yahweh drove out Israel’s enemies, not their army, or their strength. Don’t be afraid to ask God for a miracle. Especially when it comes to overcoming your sin. Joshua 10:42 Joshua took all these kings and their land at one time because Yahweh, the God of Israel, fought for Israel. Yahweh fought for them. There were even huge hailstones wiping out the enemy. Can you imagine the despair their enemies felt? They were already scared out of their minds from what they had seen of Israel over the years. Then when they go to battle there are even massive hailstones from the sky. Their god never did anything like that for them. Yahweh is not like their gods. Joshua 15, 16, 17 … by lot… It seems quite common in the Bible, that when people had to divide something up they were quite happy that Yahweh would control the outcome if they just did it by choosing lots. So put them all into a bag and each person pulls one out. That is how they determined where each tribe would live for the rest of time. Do we trust Yahweh that much? Should we? The other thing they did “by lot” was when they needed to know who had sinned against Yahweh. So they drew lots to see which tribe, then more lots to see which family… And they were right. Does that amaze you? Does it inspire you? Joshua 24:15 … as for me and my house, we will serve Yahweh How about your house? Did you guys make a deliberate, conscious choice to follow Yahweh? What does that mean for you? How does that make you different from a house which doesn’t?
	After You Read
	What verses really stood out to you? How would you summarize this book in a sentence or two? What is it about? What is God trying to say to us? So Yeshua, the one often called Jesus in modern English, and Yeshua, the one usually called Joshua, had the same name! We kind of lost that in translation. What else was the same about them? Do you see any similarities in their stories? What did you learn about your own Christian walk? Do you think it is a coincidence that Yahweh stopped the sun while this Yeshua was fighting a battle, and blacked it out completely while the New Testament Yeshua was winning his victory? Yeshua means “Yahweh saves”. How do you see that illustrated in the stories in this book of the Bible? Yahweh gave this land to them. The way they entered it and took it over was proof. From the Euphrates, which, together with the Tigris, runs from Turkey and Syria through Iraq to the Persian Gulf. To the river of Egypt. (Presumably the Nile, but possibly the Wadi). Either way, it was way bigger than modern Israel and includes parts of Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt and Iraq. Given his promise to them, it seems that it was only their disobedience stopped them occupying the whole thing back then. But Yahweh promised this land to Abraham. (Genesis 16). So one day they will… They were ruthlessly obedient to Yahweh and wiped their enemies out completely. Except the Hivites who deceived them into making a treaty. If this is an illustration of us removing sin from our lives… who are your Hivites? What sin have you made a treaty with. You should have wiped it out, but you let it hang around… Did you see the pattern … when they asked Yahweh first how they should approach an enemy he told them, in fact he usually fought for them! But when they relied on their own understanding and didn’t ask Yahweh first… they lost. What should you have asked Yahweh about first? What do you need to ask Yahweh about next time? How much of your sin will be defeated for you by Yahweh? How much do you have to do yourself?