Men's Group Study Guide
Introduction
This is the halfway point thru the book of Joshua, and this generation of
Israelites by God’s grace, have attained many great victories. With simple
geography lessons, a list of defeated kings and who got what, chapter 12 of
Joshua seems monotonous with nothing for us to glean from its verses. But
we must remember that God has put every word in His Word for a reason. 2nd
Timothy 3:16 tells us, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and
is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in
righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for
every good work.” So what do we find in this seemingly empty chapter of
Joshua 12?
STUDY NOTES: verses 1-24
Vs. 1-6 These are the kings of the land whom the children of Israel
defeated, and whose land they possessed on the other side of the Jordan
toward the rising of the sun, from the River Arnon to Mount Hermon, and
all the eastern Jordan plain:.....vs.6 These Moses the servant of the Lord
and the children of Israel had conquered; and Moses the servant of the Lord
had given it as a possession to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and half the
tribe of Manasseh. These kings were defeated by an earlier generation of
Israel under the leadership of Moses. From previous books in the Old
Testament we know that these were but a few of many great miracles wrought
by God’s grace through this generation. Without this seasoned group
receiving God’s vision for them and going out in pursuit of it, things
could have turned out a little different than what they did. Their final
end was a bit unfortunate, but none the less God used them and was
glorified (Psalm 106). The main point to recognize here is, that in the
minds of the next generation of Israelites, there was much to look back
upon and remember. More specifically, to praise God for.
Vs. 7-24 And these are the kings of the country which Joshua and the
children of Israel conquered on this side of the Jordan, on the west, from
Baal Gad in the Valley of Lebanon as far as Mount Halak and the ascent to
Seir, which Joshua gave to the tribes of Israel as a possession according
to their divisions, in the mountain country, in the lowlands, in the Jordan
plain, in the slopes, in the wilderness, and in the South..... vs.24
the king of Tirzah, one---all the kings, thirty-one. Again another
extensive list is given. It is usually for more than just record keeping
purposes. It is for the Israelite people to look back and see what God had
done for them. Each walled city had a specific memory attached to it each
valley and each mountain. All of these places in this new Promised Land
would stir up different emotion in the heart of the Israelites. These were
probably not feelings of regret or remorse, but of casting off the reproach
and experiencing true freedom that only the Almighty can give. If we do not
have a truly thankful heart towards the Lord than maybe we should take note
of the lesson that God has given here. Attitude is everything. If we
grumble and complain, a poor defeatist attitude is sure to follow. But if
we continually praise God in our hearts and with our mouths and with our
lives, an attitude of great joy and victory will also follow not far
behind. (Hebrews 12:11)
TRUTH APPLIED:
Q. 1 Where are you in your life with the Lord? In slavery to the
Egyptians? Crossing the Red Sea? How about the desert?
Q. 2 Do you look back wherever you are in this glorious journey and
remember what the Lord has done for you? More importantly do you thank Him
whatever the outcome is?
Q. 3 Is there a trail of defeat and retreat or is there evidence of
victories, broken down walls, burning piles of flesh sending up a sweet
scent to the One Who is truly worthy?
Q. 4 How do you prepare your heart and mind for the inevitable
conflicts that lie ahead of you? Do you spend regular time with the Lord in
His Word and in prayer? Or do you allow all of your time to be used up
pursuing what you believe to be more important?
CONCLUSION:
Your life was written long before you existed. Before you were, He
was. His purposes for our lives will always be much more fulfilling to our
inner most parts. Unfortunately, the human condition is to remove the eyes
from off of the Lord and lose focus from what really is the priority. Then
to add injury to insult we grumble and complain as if we don’t understand
what is going on. SNAP OUT OF IT!!
Take a moment for some introspective humility. Ask the Holy Spirit
to help you adjust your attitude. Remember the awesome God who touched you
inside where nothing could and produced beauty out of ashes. His mercy
endures forever. Our thankfulness and praise to Jesus should also last
forever. Praise Him! Praise Him! Praise Him!