Joshua Enters the Promised Land

As a family, read Joshua 1:1-8; 3:9-16 together.  Afterwards, share the following discussion.

What happened?

The first several chapters of the book of Joshua tell the story after Israel’s forty years of wandering in the desert.  Moses had died, and the Lord promoted Joshua to be the new leader of Israel. God reassured Joshua that he was the man for the job and that he wouldn’t be alone. God promised to be present with Joshua just as He had been with Moses. The knowledge of God’s presence would allow Joshua to “be strong and very courageous” in the difficult days ahead. God gave Joshua simple instructions for great leadership: “Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.” God went on to say that in order to obey His law, you must know what it says and sincerely think about what it means.

Joshua then prepared God’s people for the crossing of the Jordan River into the Promised Land.

In accordance with Joshua’s instructions, the priests led the procession of people, while carrying the Ark of the Covenant. The river was at its highest point of the year. But as God had done many times before, He made a way for Israel when it seemed impossible.  As the priests entered the Jordan with the Ark of the Covenant, the water stopped flowing, allowing them to cross on dry land.  Can you picture that? The priests stood in the middle of dry ground where, only moments before, the Jordan River had flowed! The rest of Israel then passed through the dry riverbed on their way to the Promised Land.

This again showed Israel that following God and having faith in Him resulted in His blessing being shown to them in great ways.

Why is this important to us today?

Moses was a great man, but when he died, God’s plan didn’t die with him.  God raised up Joshua as the new leader to move Israel forward into the land He promised them. The secret to Joshua’s success was his obedience to God’s instructions. Joshua needed guidance to lead so many people. It was important to keep his heart clean before the Lord in order to hear God speak. Joshua kept himself close to the Lord by reading and meditating on God’s laws. As he listened to God, Joshua helped the Israelites focus on the Lord’s strength and power, not the obstacle in front of them. In response to their faith, God proved Himself trustworthy and removed the obstacle, giving them dry ground as a path.

God has also used great men and women throughout the centuries as part of His plan for our nation. With each new generation, God raises new leaders. Who knows? Maybe someone in your family will become a “Moses” or a “Joshua” and lead our country to follow God with increased faith.

Spend a few minutes talking about what you just read by answering these questions together:

Read back over God’s instructions to Joshua (1:7-9). How would these instructions help leaders in your community, state, or country today? 

How can we better follow God this week?

God positions leaders of all ages in all kinds of places, such as your church, school, and workplace. He may want you to be a leader, right where He has already placed you. What positions of leadership has God given the members of your family? Take a minute to discuss what parts of being a leader cause you to be scared or intimidated. How would following the instructions God gave to Joshua help ease those fears? Take turns sharing how and when you will spend time reading Scripture each day. Remember, you can’t obey God’s Word if you don’t know what it says.

Pray together for each member of your family to see where God wants them to take a leadership role, and ask for God’s guidance and strength.