Joshua, a Hebrew word meaning “Yahweh saves”, is another one of the history books in the Old Testament. Similar to Genesis and Exodus, this book is full of the recorded events of Israel’s past. While there is some debate amongst scholars about whether or not Joshua was the author of this book, he is a central figure in this story. The events in this book take place somewhere around 1406 B.C., after Israel had spent 40 years in the wilderness as they’re ready to enter the Promised Land. 

Leadership transitions are almost always complicated and the book of Joshua is no exception. Moses had passed away and now it was someone else’s turn to guide the Israelites. Enter Joshua. Can you imagine being the next person to fill the shoes of Moses? Talk about pressure! We’ll watch Joshua grow into this role. Sometimes he’ll heed God’s word and the Israelites are blessed because of that. Other times he gets ahead of himself, often leading to disastrous results. 

Along the way we’ll meet other characters and read some exciting stories full of dramatic twists and turns. As we read, grab a journal and take good notes. What do these chapters teach you about God’s character? What does it teach you about humanity? What are the implications for you today? We have said it before, but it’s important to remember the significance of these Old Testament books. Too often we get confused by the Old Testament because some of the names sound funny and because we equate “old” with “irrelevant.” There are so many things we can learn about God (and ourselves) through the lens of this book. Over the next 24 chapters, let’s continue to dig deep into the story of the Israelites.