“Faith is an affirmation and an act That bids eternal truth be fact.” —Samuel Taylor Coleridge
The book of Joshua is a vital link in the history of faith. The Pentateuch tells of the long process by which God called a man out of Chaldea, and then called a nation out of Egypt. The rest of the Old Testament tells of the even longer process where God used that often uncooperative nation to prepare the way for the ultimate Prophet, Priest, and King in the person of His Son. But in between, the book of Joshua shows the way the Lord reclaimed and established His place and covenant in the Land with His people. Joshua answers historically to the book of Acts. The one tells the account of early Israel and the Great Conquest; the other describes the early Church and the Great Commission. The book also answers typically to the book of Hebrews, where the two Joshuas are contrasted because one could not bring his people into rest, and the Other gloriously did! The book answers practically to Ephesians, where the inheritance is described (ch 1), the battle lines drawn (ch 2), the objective established (ch 3), the strategy revealed (ch 4), the enemy exposed (ch 5), and the armor provided (ch 6). If you’re looking for an outline of the book of Joshua, you will see it lines up very nicely with the chapter divisions in our English Bible. The first half of the book (chs 1-12) has to do with the defeating of the inhabitants, and the second half (chs 13-24) describes the dividing of the inheritance. In the first half, we notice three miraculous events. In chapters 1-4, it is the river opening up. In chapters 5-8, it is the walls coming down. In chapters 9-12, it is the sun standing still. There are also three great campaigns—in the center, south, and north of the land. But more about this exciting book in our next lesson!