Joshua

Would you like to be successful? You know, of course, that book stores and the Internet have all sorts of "How to" instructions? How to be happy. How to be content. How to be more efficient. How to get rich. How to lose weight. How to buy land with no money down. Of all the books to consult, why not first look to God and what He says in the Bible? Our lessons this new quarter continue from the journey we have taken in Exodus with the Hebrews and Moses to the land God promised Abraham. Moses has now died and our lesson this week tells Moses' successor, Joshua, how he can be a successful leader for God. It is a powerful lesson for personal and evangelistic success. So let's plunge into our study of the Bible!...

How many times have other Christians told you that something was a "gray" area or that the matter was "complicated?" I'm often suspicious that comments like that are an attempt to avoid admitting that some activity is sinful. My go-to text, Deuteronomy 4:2, essentially says that something is either wrong in God's sight or is some unauthorized rule that humans have created. That narrows the "gray" areas. However, when Jesus equated lust with adultery and anger with murder (Matt 5:21-22, 27-28), He complicated our understanding of Deuteronomy 4:2. Our study this week is about two "gray" stories. Let's dive in and see if Scripture sharpens our understanding of the "gray!"...

How do you approach problems in your life? Have you ever thought about "consecrating" yourself as a solution to a problem? We will follow the Israelites as they are about to begin the conquest of the land promised to them. Their first hurdle is crossing a river at flood stage. The second hurdle is conquering a walled city. What would you do to overcome these serious obstacles? Let's jump into our study of Joshua to see how they prepared to overcome these problems!...

Do you love it when a reasonable and logical plan of action comes together in success? I do. In our study of the Bible we have been looking at some difficult to understand plans of action. Before crossing the Jordan God told the people to consecrate themselves instead of preparing for war. They crossed the Jordan when it was flooding, even though they had no need to cross immediately. The ark led during the crossing of the Jordan, rather than the soldiers. In their next adventure in conquest, the directions become even more bizarre. Let's dive into our study of Joshua and find lessons for our life in the way God leads His people!...

Are you surprised that one of our lessons on Joshua contains almost no readings from Joshua? That is our situation this week! Why is that? When my wife and I moved to the Virginia Beach area, she pointed out that we were now a prime target in a nuclear war because the world's largest naval base, and home to the U.S. Atlantic Fleet, is here in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Frankly, I felt safer here than when we lived in the Washington, D.C. area. Terrorists would target a civilian area like Washington, D.C., not a military area like the Atlantic Fleet. Professional soldiers fight other soldiers, they do not target women and children, right? And that is the reason why we need context to explain what we are reading in Joshua. Let's plunge into our study of the Bible!...

In Joshua chapter 6 God destroyed the walled city of Jericho. The people watched as God collapsed the massive walls. It was an absolutely glorious victory for the Israelites. Previous to that they crossed over the flooded Jordan when God turned it into dry land. Now the next target city is Ai. If you were one of the Israelites would you feel great confidence because of these recent successes? I would. But something very negative turns success into defeat. We will study that in this lesson and see what we can learn if we want to live a successful life. Let's dive into our study of the Bible!...

Introduction: Top American universities such as Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, Duke, Emory, and William & Mary all started out as religious institutions. Harvard and Yale were intended to train members of the clergy. Today, no one considers Harvard, Yale, or Princeton religious schools. What happened?  They lost sight of their religious goals. One of the things I love about Regent University is that year after year our religious goals are constantly being reinforced. Is this a problem for Christian families? Do very religious parents find that the next generation loses its religious focus? How can that be prevented? Our study this week gives us some important clues. Let's jump into our study of the Bible!...

Do you have heroes in your life? I certainly do not have "hero worship," but there were two prominent men that I really liked.  One of them was U.S. President Ronald Reagan. The other was Christian psychologist and founder of Focus on the Family, Dr. James Dobson. I have a picture of them together on my desk. I recall my father visiting my office and seeing that picture and another of my uncle (his older brother). My father wanted to know why his picture was missing! I loved, admired, and respected my father. And I have a picture of him in my office today. My uncle's picture amused me. It was from a news article titled "Best Shot in Sawyer County," and it pictured my uncle standing with his gun and looking generally disreputable. The award was for shooting ducks while in a canoe! Our study this week is about two heroes of the Bible, Joshua and Caleb.  Let's dive into our study of the Bible and learn about why they are true heroes!...

One of the most controversial political issues of our day, and one that has existed for a long time, is the land dispute between Israel and the Palestinians. Should the Palestinians have a state of their own next to Israel or have they forfeited their right to live in the area because of their repeated attacks on Jewish civilians? Instead of entering into that heated debate, let’s do what I always like to do and see what God has said about the Jews and the land of Israel. Let’s dive into our study of the Bible!...

Did you know that newspapers and popular magazines are written at a level that those with a seventh- grade education can read and understand? Why is that? My answer is that you use words that are simple enough that the reader understands. You do not want to make understanding difficult. When I write legal briefs, I generally write at a "low" level. Not because judges are uneducated, but rather because if I want to win, I want judges to be able to easily understand. I take that same approach when writing these Bible study outlines. This week our subject can be described in theological terms like "type" and "antitype." These are uncommon words. I prefer to use the more common terms "illustration," "symbol," or the phrase "acted out prophecy." Simply put, Joshua is a symbol or illustration of the coming Jesus. Let's plunge into our study of the Bible to learn more about symbols and illustrations and why they have practical value!...

One of my habits, which I believe is generally a good one, is that I am often thinking ahead. If I'm driving my car, I try to anticipate problems in the road ahead. If I'm walking in an area in which there might be danger, I consider what I will do if a problem arises. When I'm litigating a case, I always try to anticipate how the other side intends to argue. This habit has sometimes created problems, if only in my mind. If I come to the conclusion that someone wants to harm me, then I imagine what I will do in response. In 1 Timothy 6:4 the Bible discusses the person who creates problems based, among other things, on "evil suspicions." That is exactly how my mind works sometimes; I imagine problems where likely none exist. Our study this week shows that I'm not the only one who has to be careful about evil surmising. Let's leap into our study of the Bible and learn more!...

Have you ever started a new project and were uncertain how it would turn out? The new law students at Regent University School of Law, where I teach, are like that. No doubt this is true for all new law students. Will they succeed in becoming lawyers? What kind of law will they practice? Will they be successful? This week our study is one of the final speeches of Joshua. He is now old. Like the first-year law students, he once had a new project of conquering the land promised to them by God. It was a success and now Joshua has important advice about what he has learned so the Hebrews can continue to have successful lives. Let's listen in and learn about how to be successful!...

A physician my wife and I knew in college died recently. He knew he was dying, so he had the time to write a note to be read at his funeral. If you knew you were dying, what would you write? If I were writing one now, it would be a note of gratitude for God's kindness. I don't think I would write to tell my children what to do, because they are adults and they know what to do. My wife knows a man from her hometown whose father died. Before he died, he was able to write a note which informed his surviving children what terrible people they were. Our study this week is the message Joshua proclaimed to the people before he died. Let's dive into our study of Joshua to study his message and find what we can learn from it....