The book of Joshua is the continuation of Israel's pilgrimage to the Promised Land. However, it is also a book about the man Joshua. Joshua's life is an illustration of the power of faith and teaches us the key to a victorious life. The principles he lived by and through which he found success are the same ones we can live by to be victorious in Christ. The essential element of that life is faith. Joshua was born a slave in Egypt but was chosen to follow Moses as Israel's leader. He was the man God used to fulfill His promise regarding the land of Canaan. Joshua had been Moses' chief of staff. He helped him, served him and led the armies into battle. He watched and learned as God led Moses. He experienced supernatural deliverance from Egypt; he watched as the hand of God parted the Red Sea and saw an entire generation of his peers die as they wandered the wilderness in judgment of their sins. He also saw God's grace sustaining the nation during those same 40 years. It was time to assume the role of leader of the nation. He was ready to accept this challenge. The Bible says he was a man filled with the Spirit and wisdom of God, Num. 27:18, a man who followed God fully, Num. 32:12. He was a man who led a nation and a man who taught us how to live by faith. In Joshua 1:2, God told Joshua to get up and cross the Jordan River. Joshua had been here before. He and Caleb were the two spies of the twelve sent into the land by Moses who were ready to move there 40 years ago. He was fully aware of the consequences of unbelief; he knew the danger of disobedience. His challenge was to move forward and trust in God. This is how faith is. He always challenges us to do something. When we...... half of the sheet .......2 The rest of the book is the story of Israel's passage into the land of Canaan, of its conquest and division, under the command of Joshua, and of their story until his death. God's power and truth in fulfilling his promises to Israel and executing his rightly threatened vengeance on the Canaanites, is wonderfully displayed. This should teach us to consider the terrible crosses pronounced in the word of God against unrepentant sinners, to seek refuge in Christ Jesus. Joshua was God's chosen servant to complete the work of Moses and establish Israel in the Promised Land. To that special divine appointment he was faithful: as leader of God's army, as steward of God's division of the land, and as God's representative to promote Israel's covenant faithfulness. In all of this, he was striking the Old Testament type (prefiguration) of Christ.