Dr. J. Vernon McGee :: Notes for Joshua

OUTLINE Outline for Joshua

JOSHUA

WRITER: Joshua (Joshua 24:26), successor to Moses (Deuteronomy 31:23). The Talmud says that Joshua wrote all but the last 5 verses and that those were written by Phineas.
“Joshua” means “Jehovah is salvation” — the same word in the New Testament is “Jesus” (as in Hebrews 4:8).
Joshua was a great general, born a slave in Egypt.

40 years old at time of Exodus (one of spies),
80 years old when he received his commission,
110 years old at his death.

He was a man of prayer, courage, dependence upon God, faith, leadership, enthusiasm, and fidelity. He is a type of Christ in name and work. As someone has commented:

Joshua shows that a man of average ability may become a leader in the church. He received his call not in flaming letters across the sky, but from an old man, who knew God and knew Joshua, and saw that he was fitted by God to be a leader.

PURPOSE: Completes redemption out of Egypt. Salvation is not only a redemption from hell, but it is a redemption to heaven.

Who [Jesus] was delivered for our offenses, and was raised again for our justification. (Romans 4:25)

TRANSITION: Up to this point Jehovah had spoken by dreams, visions, or by angelic ministry. Now a new method is introduced. The Law of Moses is the written voice of Jehovah (Joshua 1:8).

KEY VERSE:

Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses. (Joshua 1:3)

Joshua compares to Ephesians in the New Testament:

• It is prophetic of Israel and typical of the church.
• Read Israel’s free title to the land (Jeremiah 23:8; Ezekiel 37:21).
• Conflict and conquest go with possession.

KEY WORD: Possession
Israel’s ownership was unconditional (Genesis 12:7; 15:18-21; 17:8). Israel’s possession was conditional (Deuteronomy 29:9-30:20). Key word is not “victory” — God gets the victory. Israel gets deliverance and possession.

    Joshua 1:4 — Extent of Promised Land
  Joshua 13:1 — They did not possess it all.
Joshua 11:16 — Joshua had conquered the land and it was available.
Joshua 11:23 — Each tribe was given an allotment but had to drive out the enemy. There was to be a gradual occupation of the land by each tribe.

The Christian today is given title to spiritual blessings (Ephesians 1:3; Romans 5:1-11; Romans 8:37; 1 Corinthians 1:30; Galatians 5:22, 23).
The Christian’s practical possession and experience depends upon conflict and conquest (Ephesians 6:10-20; Galatians 5:25; 2 Corinthians 10:3-6; 1 Corinthians 9:25-27; Hebrews 4:11). These are never attained through the energy of the flesh, but through the power of the Holy Spirit working in the yielded life of the believer (Romans 7, 8).