Who Was Joshua in the Bible? A Joshua Bible Study
If you’ve ever walked into a Christian gift store, you’re more than likely to see clothing, home decor, or jewelry with the phrase “Be strong and courageous” printed on it. Where does that encouraging phrase come from? It was popularized and mentioned several times to the Bible character Joshua. But, who was Joshua in the Bible and why did he need to be strong and courageous? We will be taking a look at one of the most influential characters in the Old Testament and one of the most encouraging books written to us today on how to live a victorious Christian life after which you may wish to consider a verse by verse study of Joshua.
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Who Was Joshua In the Bible and What did he do?
Although Joshua has his own book in the Bible, he is also mentioned in three other books. He is introduced in Exodus and then again seen in Numbers and Deuteronomy. In the book of Exodus chapter 17, Moses commands Joshua to fight the army of Amalek. He obeys Moses and receives victory in the battle. Joshua is the general of Israel’s army and is presented as Moses’ assistant or aide. He also stood guard in front of a special tent whenever Moses would go in to meet with God.
In Numbers chapter 13, God tells Moses to choose one leader from each of the twelve tribes of Israel to explore the land of Canaan. Joshua is chosen from the tribe of Ephraim and he is described as the son of Nun. He was sent out with the eleven other men to see what the land and the people are like in order to determine how conquerable this place was. After 40 days of exploring the future Promised Land, 10 of the spies discouraged the Israelites from trying to take over the land. Because of their faith in God, only Joshua and Caleb encouraged their people to enter the land despite the obstacles.
In the book of Deuteronomy, Joshua becomes Moses’ successor in Chapter 31. Moses tells the people of Israel that Joshua will be leading them across the river to take possession of the land. After explaining to them how God will give them the land, Moses calls Joshua in front of everyone and gives him final instructions and encouragement. Joshua is officially commissioned as the new leader by God at the Tabernacle. It is in the book of Joshua that we see him fulfilling God’s promise by leading the people into the Promised Land.
We see God finally fulfilling His promise to the Israelites through Joshua in the book named after him. Joshua becomes Israel’s new leader after Moses’ death. From the onset of his new position, God reminds Joshua of the instructions and promises He made to Moses. He also tells him three times in Joshua 1:6-9 to “be strong and courageous.” Joshua had some pretty big shoes to fill! Not only was he succeeding one of the greatest prophets and leaders, but he would also be going to war with some very intimidating forces. In Joshua’s obedience to the Lord, he successfully leads God’s chosen people into Canaan, the Promised Land, allocates the land accordingly, and dies at a ripe age of 110.
Meaning of Joshua in the Bible
The name Joshua has a very significant meaning. It has been quite a popular and traditional name for males in the United States. Its origins come from the Hebrew name “Yehoshua” which means “God is deliverance” or “God is my salvation.”
Joshua has a book in the Old Testament named after him. An interesting fact is that Joshua’s original name was “Hoshea” which means “deliverer.” It was Moses who re-named him Yehoshua. Joshua is the anglicized version of Yeshua, which is the Hebrew name for Jesus. So Joshua is the only book in the Bible named after our Savior! It is a very fitting name seeing how Joshua led the Israelites into the Promised Land.
Facts About Joshua in the Bible
- Before becoming Israel’s leader, Joshua was the general of Israel’s army and Moses’ assistant.
- Joshua’s original name was Hoshea but was later re-named by Moses.
- Joshua is the only book in the Bible named after our Savior, Jesus.
- Joshua is from the tribe of Ephraim and is the son of Nun.
- Joshua is one of the two spies out of 12 who came back with a good report for Israel to enter the Promised Land, Canaan.
- God told Joshua to “be strong and courageous” three times at the start of his leadership.
- Joshua successfully led the Israelites across the Jordan and into the Promised Land, Canaan.
- Joshua prayed for the sun to stand still over Gibeon until the Israelites had defeated their enemies. God answered his prayer and there has never been another day like that since.
- Joshua died at the age of 110.
What Made Joshua in the Bible a Great Leader? A Joshua Bible Study
What can we learn from Joshua in the Bible? What kind of leader do you need to be in order to lead a group of people into a promise that hadn’t come to pass after 40 years? Let’s take a look at Joshua’s leadership and what made him a great example of a godly leader in this Bible study on Joshua.
Joshua was a great leader because he was consistently obedient to God
Obedience cannot be stressed enough in the story of Joshua’s success as a leader. Moses was prevented from entering the Promised Land because of one act of disobedience. The Israelites wandered in the wilderness for 40 years because their disobedient hearts kept leading them astray.
But Joshua consistently and continually obeyed the commands that God had given him; even the ones God had given him through Moses. And because of his obedience before, during, and after the fulfilling of the promise, Joshua gained favor and success with both God and man during his time as Israel’s leader.
Joshua was a great leader because he believed God to be a great God
We first see Joshua’s great faith in Numbers 14. After Moses appoints 12 men to spy on the Promised Land, 10 of the men return with discouraging news that they saw men like giants who will devour anyone who tries to live there. Only Joshua and Caleb had faith in a great God that was bigger than the giants they saw. They tried to encourage the people to not be afraid of the Canaanites because the Lord was on the Israelite’s side and would give them victory.
Although the Israelites didn’t believe them at that time, 40 years later, it was the same faith that Joshua had in God that led the Israelites into Canaan when he was appointed the new leader of Israel. If the god you believe in is a little god, then your obstacles appear big. But like Joshua, if you believe in a BIG God, then your obstacles will look little. His unwavering faith in the God of miracles is what made him a great leader.
Joshua was a great leader because he learned from his and others’ mistakes
Because we all fall short, there are no perfect leaders. But a great leader will always have a teachable spirit and learn from their own as well as others’ mistakes. Joshua was such a leader. He was with Moses as his assistant and witnessed his leader’s ups and downs. When it was Joshua’s turn as a leader to send out spies to search out the Promised Land, instead of sending out 12 like Moses, he sent out only two.
He had learned that less is more in God’s economy and that by the mouth of two or three witnesses, every word will be established. He saw how 10 of the spies during Moses’ time discouraged all of Israel and learned from it. So he sent only two and these two came back with a good report of faith. Joshua’s willingness to learn from mistakes made him a wise and great leader.
Joshua was a great leader because he prioritized God’s Word
One of the instructions that the Lord gave to Joshua at the start of his leadership was to study the Book of Instruction continually and to meditate on it day and night (Joshua 1:7). He truly was a man of the Word as throughout the book of Joshua we see him following the commands that were written. For example, in Joshua 8:30, he builds an altar to the LORD on Mount Ebal.
This was in obedience to the command from Moses on making an altar to God. Joshua 8:34 shows him reading all the blessings and curses in the Book of Instruction to the entire assembly of Israel. He reminds his people in Chapter 22 to continue obeying all the commands and instructions that Moses had given them from the Lord. Because he prioritized God’s Word, he prospered and succeeded as Israel’s leader.
Joshua was a great leader because GOD made him a great leader
We can try to do all the right things, but if God isn’t the one promoting us, then we cannot be great leaders in the eyes of God and man. We see the Lord telling Joshua in 3:7 that He is the one who will begin to make him a great leader in the eyes of all the Israelites. It also says in Joshua 4:14 that it was the LORD who made Joshua a great leader.
Joshua can’t take credit for being a great leader because it was God who made him into one. It was also God who caused the people that Joshua led to respect him. What made Moses a great leader? God. What made Joshua a great leader? God. What will make you a great leader? God. Leadership is a gift from God and that’s what ultimately made Joshua a great leader.
The Story of Joshua in the Bible – Lessons From the Book of Joshua
Now we know who was Joshua in the Bible and why he needed to be a strong and courageous leader. Joshua was Moses’ successor to finally lead God’s chosen people, the Israelites, into the Promised Land after wandering in the wilderness for forty years. This was no simple task as the people who inhabited Canaan were giants and Joshua would need to go to war with many other armies as well.
But Joshua gained success wherever he went because of his obedience to God, his faith in God, his ability to learn from mistakes, his importance on God’s Word, and God’s faithfulness and presence in Joshua’s leadership. Joshua was a great leader, and you can be too if you follow these principles. I encourage you to do your very own Bible studies on Joshua, this character Bible study cheat sheet will help on the study of Joshua in the Bible!
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