Many Christians today may have a look at the Old Testament and consider it as irrelevant — a group of ancient laws, genealogies, and Jewish customs that don’t really apply to modern life. But the Old Testament is crammed with spiritual riches: wisdom, history, and prophecies that reveal God’s nature and speak powerfully into our walk of religion today.
In Christ, we’re the brand new spiritual Israel — grafted into the identical story of redemption that began long before Bethlehem (Galatians 3:28-29; 1 Peter 2:9-10; Ephesians 2:12-14).
So, starting with this text, we’ll explore lessons from Old Testament figures whose lives still teach us timeless truths. We start with Joshua.
A Leader Chosen by God
Have you ever been thrown into the center of something — like a movie or book — and told to work out how the remaining of the story should unfold? If you’ve, then you definitely can probably relate to Joshua greater than you’re thinking that.
Joshua (Hebrew: Yehoshua — “The Lord is my salvation”), from the tribe of Ephraim, was chosen by God Himself to guide Israel after Moses’ death (Numbers 13:16 and 18; Joshua 1:1-2). He had been Moses’ faithful assistant, a warrior and worshipper who trusted God when others doubted (Exodus 24:13; Exodus 33:11; Numbers 14:6-9). When the time got here for Israel to cross into the Promised Land, it was Joshua — not Moses — who needed to carry the load of that divine project.
He was probably about 80 years old when God appointed him, reminding us that age doesn’t limit purpose. Joshua’s life shines as an affidavit that God can raise leaders and dreamers in any season of life.
1. Courage Rooted in God’s Presence
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; don’t be discouraged, for the Lord your God will likely be with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9) – this verse is one many Christians draw close, especially when facing daunting tasks or uncertain futures. Yet, before it became a word of comfort for us, it was first a divine charge to Joshua — God’s personal encouragement as He called him into the big responsibility of leading His people into the Promised Land.
When God called Joshua to guide, He didn’t promise a simple road — only His presence. Joshua teaches us that courage doesn’t mean fearlessness; it means trusting God enough to maneuver forward despite fear. In seasons of uncertainty, we discover strength not in our own abilities but in knowing that God goes before us.
2. Obedience Even When It Defies Logic
Joshua’s first major test was Jericho — a fortified city surrounded by towering partitions. Yet God’s strategy was easy and strange: march around town in silence for six days, then shout on the seventh – a plan that defied military logic (Joshua 6:2-5). Joshua obeyed without query, and the partitions fell (Joshua 6:6-7; Joshua 6:15-16, 20).
How persistently will we stop ourselves from doing what God has commanded us to do since it doesn’t align with our human reasoning? Joshua’s obedience shows that God’s victories, breakthroughs and miracles, often come through faith, not human reason. True faith listens and obeys, even when it doesn’t understand.
3. God’s Promises Never Fail
Throughout Joshua’s life, he witnessed the faithfulness of God firsthand. In the Book of Joshua 21:45, it declares, “Not considered one of all of the Lord’s good guarantees to Israel failed; each one was fulfilled.” From starting to finish, God proved Himself true. As depicted in His exhortation to him (Joshua 1:9), God never demanded faithfulness without first assuring His own.
Even when the journey took many years and the challenges seemed insurmountable, God’s word stood firm. Our trust, too, rest on the identical faithfulness. What God guarantees, He performs — in His perfect time.
4. God Fights for His People
In congruence, every victory Joshua won got here through divine power, not human might.
When the sun stood still in battle (Joshua 10), it was God showing that He fights for many who trust Him.
In our spiritual battles, we’re reminded that “the battle belongs to the Lord” (1 Samuel 17:47). He defends, delivers, and strengthens us in His perfect way.
5. Leadership Grounded in Dependence
Joshua’s leadership was marked by humility and dependence. He led with vision and reverence, always searching for God’s presence and can before every battle and refused to guide in his own wisdom (Joshua 5:13-15; Joshua 7:6-10). He faithfully followed God’s instruction to stay grounded in His Word — meditating on the Book of the Law day and night (Joshua 1:7-8). He was each warrior and servant, conqueror and worshipper.
Even at the top of his life, Joshua gathered the people and challenged them: “But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then select for yourselves at the present time whom you’ll serve… But as for me and my house, we’ll serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15). After many years of victories, Joshua knew faithfulness was still a selection.
He helps us keep in mind that faith isn’t automatic – we must renew our commitment every day to decide on to serve God with sincerity, not out of duty, but devotion. His example also reminds us that godly leadership means listening before leading and following before commanding. The strongest leaders are those that stay surrendered to God. A life guided by vision and reverence for God results in endurance, peace, and impact that outlives our own lives.
6. Holiness and Accountability Matter
Not every victory got here easily. After the sin of Achan (Joshua 7), Israel lost a battle due to hidden disobedience. Joshua immediately sought God, confronted the sin, and restored holiness to the camp.
This shows that spiritual battles usually are not only fought outwardly but inwardly, and as we wrestle with sin, we mustn’t ever grow complacent on this lifelong battle. Sin tolerated is ground surrendered to the enemy, but repentance restores our relationship with God and with that, our strength to go on.
7. The Power of Remembering
When Israel crossed the Jordan River, Joshua instructed twelve men to take stones from the riverbed and set them up as a memorial (Joshua 4). He told them, “In the longer term, when your descendants ask their parents, ‘What do these stones mean? tell them…The Lord your God did to Jordan what He had done to the Red Sea when He dried it up before us until we had crossed over. He did this so that each one the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is so powerful and so that you simply might at all times fear the Lord your God” (Joshua 4:21-24).
Joshua understood the importance of remembrance. Gratitude and testimony keep faith alive in us and others. When we recall God’s past faithfulness, we discover courage and strength for what He will do in the longer term.
8. Leaving a Legacy of Faith
Joshua’s final act was to reaffirm the covenant between Israel and God (Joshua 24). He left behind greater than land or victories — he left a spiritual inheritance of religion, courage, and obedience. True success, Joshua teaches, isn’t measured by achievements but by the religion we pass to the following generation.
A Life That Points to Jesus
Interestingly, Joshua’s name — Yehoshua, “The Lord is salvation” — foreshadows Jesus, whose name in Greek carries the identical meaning. Just as Joshua led God’s people into the Promised Land through absolute dependence on, obedience to, and humility before God, Jesus leads us into everlasting rest and redemption in the identical way (Philippians 2:6-8; Colossians 1:13-14; Romans 3:24; John 3:16).
Joshua’s life, then, isn’t just history — it’s a living picture of God’s faithfulness, strength, and saving grace.
Final Reflection
Joshua’s journey reminds us that faith and obedience are never outdated virtues. Whether we’re young or old, starting anew or ending strong, God calls us — like Joshua — to be courageous, to obey in holiness, to recollect His faithfulness, and to guide others into His guarantees.
So, dear reader, the following time you read the Old Testament, don’t see it as a distant story. See it as your story — the identical God who led Joshua still leads you today.
 Many Christians today may have a look at the Old Testament and consider it as irrelevant — a group of ancient laws,...){kind=link}