Joshua Overview
Sermon Notes
The book of Joshua is not merely military history. It is theological history. It records real events in real places, but it tells them through the lens of covenant faithfulness and divine purpose.
Joshua picks up immediately after the death of Moses. Israel stands on the edge of the Promised Land. The Exodus generation has passed. A new leader rises. The promise given to Abraham centuries earlier now moves toward visible fulfillment.
This message explores:
The genre of Joshua as theological history
The historical transition from Moses to Joshua
The Abrahamic and Mosaic Covenants
The land as inheritance, not achievement
The role of obedience in experiencing promise
Rest that is real, but not yet ultimate
God’s presence as the foundation of courage
Joshua answers crucial questions for Israel:
Was the land earned? No. It was given. Did Israel succeed because of strength? No. Because of the Lord. What sustains the mission after a great leader dies? The covenant faithfulness of God.
As we begin this journey, we are reminded that God prepares His people, sends His people, and establishes His people across generations. His purposes are not fragile. His promises are not temporary. His presence does not expire.
And that changes how we walk forward today.
Key Takeaways
Joshua is theological history, revealing God’s covenant faithfulness in real events.
God’s promises outlive every leader.
The land was an inheritance, not an achievement.
Obedience shapes Israel’s experience of God’s promise.
God is the true actor in every victory.
The rest Joshua offers is real, but not final.
Discussion Questions
Where are you tempted to view success as achievement instead of inheritance?
How does remembering God’s covenant faithfulness strengthen your faith?
Where might obedience be the decisive variable in your life right now?
What does it mean for you personally that God says, “I will not leave you”?
Transcript
After Moses
Joshua begins with a sentence that changes everything: “After the death of Moses.”
A chapter closes. A leader falls. The servant of the Lord is buried.
But the covenant is not buried with him.
Joshua is not written as cold military record. It is theological history. It tells what happened, but it tells it to reveal who God is. The story is not about Israel’s brilliance. It is about the Lord’s faithfulness.
Centuries earlier, God promised Abraham land, offspring, and blessing. That covenant was unconditional. Then at Sinai, He established how Israel would live within that promise. Joshua stands at the intersection of those covenants.
The promise now moves toward visible fulfillment.
Inheritance, Not Achievement
Before a single battle is described, God speaks in past tense.
“Every place your foot treads, I have given to you.”
The land is not a trophy. It is an inheritance.
Joshua will record victories, but the victories will not belong to strategy. They will belong to the Lord. The walls of Jericho will fall, not because of engineering, but because of obedience. Ai will remind Israel that sin halts progress.
The book makes one thing clear: obedience shapes experience.
God’s promise secures possession. Obedience determines enjoyment.
Real Rest, Yet Incomplete
Joshua will describe seasons of rest. Enemies subdued. Land divided. Stability established.
But the rest will not be ultimate.
Deuteronomy warned them. Judges will confirm it. Rest in the land can be disrupted by disobedience.
And yet the promise never collapses.
That tension remains familiar. In Christ, we have real reconciliation. Real life. Real hope. But not yet fullness.
Joshua prepares us to understand that partial fulfillment is not failed promise.
Presence Over Strategy
At the center of the opening chapter is not a military plan, but a personal assurance.
“I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you.”
That promise anchors everything.
Courage is commanded only after presence is promised.
Moses dies. Joshua rises. Generations shift. But the God of the covenant remains.
Joshua shows us a pattern that stretches forward:
God prepares His people.
God sends His people.
God establishes His people.
Formation shapes us.
Mission moves us.
Legacy outlives us.
And through it all, He is faithful.