E399 Navigating the Bible Joshua

“You have seen everything the LORD your God has done for you during my lifetime. The LORD your God has fought for you against your enemies . . . Deep in your hearts you know that every promise of the LORD your God has come true. Not a single one has failed . . . If you refuse to serve the LORD, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 23:3, 14; 24:15. The Book of Joshua, the 6th book of the Bible and the first book after the Pentateuch, begins a new chapter in the history of God and his people. Moses the patriarch has died and God now charges Joshua to lead the people of Israel into the Promised Land. The years and decades of wandering is done: God’s people can now finally enter into the land He had called them to. However, it’s not just as simple as walking across a river – there are many obstacles that await them and that is what we see in the book of Joshua. Joshua reads like an epic story in and of itself. It’s in this book that we see God’s miracle at the Jordan river, that we meet Rahab and how she protects the Israelite spies, that the Israelites come up against the mighty walls of Jericho and watch them crumble – it’s a book full of battles and renewed covenants and the decisions of what is to become of the promised land, and then, finally, the declaration read at the beginning that as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. To help us navigate the book of Joshua is Dr. Richard Hess. Dr. Hess is the Distinguished Professor of Old Testament at Denver Seminary and author of a commentary on Joshua. Doable Discipleship is a Saddleback Church podcast produced and hosted by Jason Wieland. It premiered in 2017 and now offers more than 390 episodes. Episodes release every Tuesday on your favorite podcast app and on the Saddleback Church YouTube Channel (https://w