Page 71 - Advanced OT Survey Revised

Practical Application: One of the key verses of the Book of Joshua is 1:8 “Do not let this Book of the
Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything
written in it.” The Old Testament is replete with stories of how the people “forgot” God and His Word
and suffered terrible consequences. For the Christian, the Word of God is our lifeblood. If we neglect it,
our lives will suffer accordingly. But if we take to heart the principle of verse 1:8, we will be complete
and able to be of use in God’s kingdom (2 Timothy 3:16-17), and we will find that God’s promises
in Joshua 1:8-9 will be ours as well.

Joshua is a prime example of the benefits of a worthy mentor. For years he remained close to Moses. He
watched Moses as he followed God in an almost flawless manner. He learned to pray in a personal way
from Moses. He learned how to obey through the example of Moses. Joshua apparently also learned
from the negative example that cost Moses the joy of actually entering the Promised Land. If you are
alive, you are a mentor. Someone, somewhere, is watching you. Some younger person or someone that
you are influencing is seeing how you live and how you react. Someone is learning from you. Someone
will follow your example. Mentoring is far more than the words that are spoken by the mentor. His or
li
her entire life is on display.

Joshua, the Servant of the Lord
Although Joshua has his moments of failure, the final analysis of his life demonstrates he lived for the
glory of God: “After these things Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died” (Josh. 24:29).

Joshua led the people to conquer the Promised Land, yet his epitaph recounts none of the great
victories or his great successes, but it recounts his faithful service to the Lord. He had the same attitude
as Jesus Christ, who came to serve us and give his life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45). The greatest
of our accomplishments will mean nothing in eternity. You may climb to the top of your profession, but
what really counts is if you have faithfully served the Lord. What we should seek is to hear, when we
see our Savior face to face, “Well done, thou good and faithful SERVANT!” (Matthew 25:23)

Joshua takes the People to Shechem

God instructed Moses, that when the people entered the Promised Land, to build and alter of rough
stones on Mt. Ebal, and cover the alter with plaster (Deut. 27:2-3). The Israelites were to write the
words of the law on this alter. When Joshua brought the nation into the Promised Land, he took them
to a place called Shechem in obedience to Moses’ command. There he divided the tribes of Israel into
half and six stood on Mt. Gerizim and six on Mt Ebal. God chose the tribes of Reuben, Gad, Asher,
Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali to stand on Mount Ebal as the curses were pronounced as a warning to all
Israel (Deuteronomy 27:13). The tribes of Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin were to
stand on Mount Gerizim as the blessings on the people were pronounced (Deuteronomy 27:12). Mt.
Gerizim is covered with fruitful terraces, blessed with life, celebration, and joy. On the other side, Mt.
Ebal is arid, dark brown, and
barren. It looks dead. God
was trying to help Israel
understand that if they would
obey Him, he would bring to
them the blessings of Mt.
Gerizim. But, if they turned

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