Moses the servant of Jehovah God is dead, and the people of Israel were in need of new leadership. Their general and the servant of Moses, Joshua, was to be designated by God to lead the people of Israel into the promise land after wandering in the desert for forty years. God assigned Joshua this position, and whereas He used Moses in a mighty way to lead the people out of the land of Egypt and through the wilderness, Joshua was to be the new person in charge.
Although it is uncertain who wrote the book of Joshua whether a prophet or Joshua himself, this book is filled with the happenings collected out of Joshua journals or memoirs. Matthew Henry wrote concerning this book of Joshua, “Joshua contains the history of Israel under the command and government of Joshua and how he presided as general of their armies,
- 1. In their entrance into Canaan, ch. 1-5.
- 2. In their conquest of Canaan, ch. 6-12.
- 3. In the distribution of the land of Canaan among the tribes of Israel, ch. 22-24.
In all which he was a great example of wisdom, courage, fidelity, and piety, to all that are in places of public trust. But this is not all the use that is to be made of this history.
- 1. Much of God and his providence-his power in the kingdom of nature, his justice in punishing the Canaanites when the measure of their iniquity was full, his faithfulness to his covenant with the patriarchs, and his kindness to his people Israel, notwithstanding their provocations. We may see him as the Lord of Hosts determining the issues of war, and as the director of the lot, determining the bounds of men's habitations.
- 2. Much of Christ and his grace. Though Joshua is not expressly mentioned in the New Testament as a type of Christ, yet all agree that he was a very eminent one. He bore our Savior's name, as did also another type of him, Joshua the high priest, Zec. 6:11, 12."
As we study through this book of Joshua, let us be mindful that Jehovah God is the main character in this record of events, and because He loves the people of Israel, He provided for them in the promise land as He did in the wilderness. Although His provision is manifested in a subsequent way, the salvation, leading and blessing of the people of Israel is directed by God. God wants to lead and guide us in a personal relationship with Him as well, and when we surrender our lives to His Son Jesus who came into the world to die on the cross for the sins of all mankind and was resurrected from the grave after three days, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and provide His Holy Spirit to us as He leads into all truth and into the way we should live under His provision in the world.
Next time we begin our study in the book of Joshua chapter one, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".
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