The Lesson We Can Learn From Joshua

       The Book of Joshua is an amazing and wonderful book that many times gets overlooked in our study of scripture. I hear quite often, especially from the youth that the Bible is "so boring", when that tells me they obviously have never read Joshua and the conquests of God's people into the Promised Land. But what can we learn, if anything, from this book besides the history? After all, we are New Testament Christians and Joshua was leading the Israelites after the death of Moses, so it is simply history, right? Actually, this is the time when God's people were the most faithful than in any other time in the Bible, or since. And because of their faithfulness, God stayed with them, ensured their victory, and even stopped the sun from setting for an hour to give His people victory. All they had to do in return was to follow His commands exactly, even if they didn't understand them at the time. Complete obedience is necessary for our reward, just as it was for theirs. Partial obedience is the equivalent of total damnation, and God just wants us to simply obey His commands. Unfortunately, many today feel that partial obedience, or just by God's grace we are saved. We can learn from Joshua that there is more to the story.
       After the death of Moses, Joshua became the leader of the Israelite people, and God commands Joshua to cross the Jordan and enter the Promised Land. God tells Joshua that if he walks with Him, He will stand by the people and fight for them. So the promise of God was conditional, just as it is today (Mat. 7:21). In Joshua 1:16-18, we read where all the people spoke with voice, and all declared unity with God, swearing to obey. So the first thing they do is send spies into Jericho to scout out the land. They come upon a woman named Rahab, who hides the spies from the king, and asks them to spare her and her family when the army attacks. The spies agree, but again there is a condition. She must tell no one of the Israelites, she must tie a scarlet rope and hang it from her window, and all that she wants saved must be in her house at the time of the attack. She did exactly as she was told, and she was spared. If she had faltered in any way, she would have surely perished.
       In chapter 3 of Joshua, the people begin getting their exact commands from God to attack Jericho. The ark is to go before them, for God is always our king and should be followed. In verses 7-8, God parts the Jordan just as the priests feet touch the water. Then in chapter 4 there are commands that many did not understand at first, but they did them anyway without question. Each tribe were to take one stone and place it in the river as a memorial to the greatness of God. The people were to march around the city for six days, and then on the seventh day let out a great shout. Why? What did this have to do with anything? It was because God was testing them, to see if they could follow simple instructions. They did, and the walls came down, and the city fell. Of course, the faithfulness of the people was short lived, as Achan, a man in the army, went against God's wishes and broke the law, and he paid with his life.
       You see, God just wants us to do the same thing today. He has given us His very specific rules and laws that really are not that hard to understand, and simply follow them. After all, that is why He wrote them down. It wasn't for His own amusement, it was for man to follow, because without it, man would simply wander aimlessly and create his own wild religious ideas. 1 Cor. 6:9-11, James 1:21-22 tells us to do as God says, not as man says. If we just go, and teach the Word, the exact Word, God will be with us and guide us (Mark 16:20). Today, so many people want to be somewhat obedient, that is, obedient to their own extent. They figure that God won't mind that the rules might be changed a little, because they always kept Him in their minds. This is simply not true. Achan paid for this mistake with his life, as did Ananais and Saphira later on in the New Testament. God was proud of His people, yet it wasn't long before they turned their back on Him, and it would take a savior to reunite us with God, but on His terms and conditions. Thank God that so many men gave their lives so that we might have the gospel today, and follow our Father's simple commands.