{"id":26115,"date":"2020-11-06T14:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-11-06T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/2021\/03\/10\/preaching-on-joshua\/"},"modified":"2026-01-21T16:00:52","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T16:00:52","slug":"preaching-on-joshua","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/preaching-on-joshua\/","title":{"rendered":"Preaching on Joshua"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Historical Background<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

By the power of God and with the leadership of Moses, two million descendants of Abraham escaped slavery in Egypt. God not only liberated the Hebrew people but directed them toward the Land of Promise. Normally the journey from Egypt to Canaan could be travelled in 14 days, but it took the Israelites far longer. Why? Because when they got to the edge, they refused to trust God, and spent 40 years wandering in the wilderness. As the Book of Joshua begins, the 40 years of wandering are over, and again Israel is back at the edge of the Promised Land. It was right in front of them, just across the Jordan River.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Joshua records the people moving from testing to triumph, from promise to possession, from vision to victory. The Book begins with Joshua\u2019s appointment as the leader of Israel, following the death of Moses, \u201cthe servant of the Lord\u201d (1:1-2). The Book ends with Joshua\u2019s death, referring to him for the first time as \u201cthe servant of the Lord\u201d (24:29). The chapters in between chronicle the conquest of the land and its settlement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chart: Preaching Through Joshua<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We know the weekly grind of sermon prep is hard, whether you are in the midst of series or planning a new series. Trying to find key verses you need to highlight in your sermon, finding the historical background to the book, discovering the flow\/structure of book, and even figuring out what is the theme of each section.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That is why we created this chart! This chart is designed to\u00a0save you time<\/strong>\u00a0as you prepare to preach a new sermon series from the Book of Joshua.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You will find a quick visual overview of the movement of the Book of Joshua. It will help orient you and your hearers as you preach through the entire book or sections of the book. It provides, at a glance, one way to divide the book into pericopes. The chart includes key verses in the book, an overarching title for the book, the overall message of the book, and some historical background. It is color-coded to highlight certain defining aspects of the book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This chart could be used as a slide in your church service. It could serve as an introduction to a new series or a weekly check-in before you begin preaching. It could even be printed out and given to the members of your church, as a resource to help them grasp the message of the book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sermon Series<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When dealing with Hebrew narrative, several hermeneutical missteps must be avoided. One of those blunders is forcing a methodology on narrative material that is better suited for other genres. Narrative demands unique treatment; a method that is not necessarily linear or syllogistic. A few common mistakes made by preachers include: obscuring the story with embellishments, suppositions, and unnecessary conjecture; inappropriate emphasis on a minor detail, character, or theme; and failing to select enough text. The failure to select enough text often gives birth to the other mistakes. It fragments the narrative and leads to wrong assumptions of the point of the story. While chapter divisions do not always follow narrative flow perfectly, they are frequently a good guide to scene and subject changes. With that in mind, these outline examples largely preserve Joshua\u2019s 24 chapter divisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Example A: On the Edge of Victory<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You and I may sit on the edge, just on the other side of rest and victory, just outside the promise of God. Rather than stopping short of the promise, stuck in wandering and fear, it\u2019s time to move.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Text: Joshua 1:1-18<\/h2>\n\n\n\n