The Big Read – Joshua

Powerpoint Pictures: Outlines of different countries – one must be Israel ; Map of Canaan before Conquest by Israel

Can you tell what country it is from its outline? [Variety of countries with the last one being Israel]

A long time ago Israel was not known as Israel. It was called Canaan, and in Canaan lots of different groups of people lived, with their names ending in –ites! These people were wicked people who did not love God.

Now God had made a promise to Abraham that one day his family would live in this land. But how would this happen when God’s enemies were already living there?

That’s what the book of Joshua is all about. It is about how God used Joshua to lead the people of Israel into the land of Canaan, defeat God’s enemies living there, and then enjoy living in the land that God had promised to them.

“So the LORD gave Israel all the land he had sworn to give their forefathers, and they took possession of it and settled there… Not only of all the LORD’s good promises to the house of Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.” (Joshua 21:43, 45)

As Joshua led the people of Israel in obeying God’s Word, God kept His promise to them and gave them the land of Canaan to be their home.

God has made a wonderful promise to us too if we have put our trust in the Lord Jesus, and the book of Joshua reminds us of this. God has promised that one day we will live in a land, a new heavens and new earth and the Lord Jesus is leading us there. He has defeated all our enemies (sin, Satan and death) by His death and resurrection, and one day He will bring us safely there to live with Him forever.

The book of Joshua encourages us to follow the Lord Jesus by obeying His Word as we wait for Him to take us to our home in heaven.