The first four verses of chapter one are examined with special interest given to the words, exile, elect, chosen, identity, inheritance, grace and peace. Christ Himself will be described as a living stone into which all Christians are being built. God the Father has begotten us again into Christ.

Joshua captures and destroys five Canaanite kings, who tried to hide in a cave that later became their tomb. When the Lord promises victory, He brings it to pass. The initial conquest of the land under the leadership of Joshua is completed. Joshua, by the hand of God, gives the Israelites the land as their inheritance. Chapter 12:1-6 lists the defeated enemies. No power, no matter how great or glorious, can withstand the power of the Lord. It is remarkable that Joshua, once a slave in Egypt, becomes a conqueror of all of these kings! It is because the Lord is with him.

This first teaching describes the culture in which the first recipients of this epistle lived and the challenges their church had, living on the edge of a society where their pagan gods were intertwined into the fashion, food and economic activities that took place. Peter will address the early Christian's suffering in such a culture and answer the question, why be a Christian at all? The Roman citizens considered it their patriotic duty to participate in the civic activities dictated by their gods. As such, their life in the culture resulted in attending the numerous religious festivals, eating the foods and wearing the necessary clothes. We can see where this would be a problem for the Christian in those days. Rome did not care what you believed in your heart, but only cared if you participated in the civic cultural activities outwardly. Peter throughout the epistle reminds them of their identity as a Christian, how they were chosen, by God, by what means they became Christians, baptism, and who they must look to during their suffering, Christ the living stone.

Because Joshua and the Israelites neglect to seek the Lord�s counsel, they fall for the deceit of the Gibeonites and make a treaty that they must honor. The Israelites acted without consulting the Lord and His Word! But when the kings in Canaan set out to destroy Gibeon for its covenant with Israel, Joshua honors that covenant and God delivers Gibeon from the Canaanite kings.

After the victory at Ai, the Israelites build an altar to God as Moses had commanded them to do in Deuteronomy 27-28. This was the way of laying claim to the land the Lord had promised. This act rededicates the people to the covenant and announces to those in the Promised Land that God had come to claim the land. The Law, either the Ten Commandments or the blessings and curses, is written in stone to remind the people that God's Law has not gone away. Meanwhile, other inhabitants of Canaan joined forces against Israel, fearing that they would share the military fate of Jericho and Ai. In contrast, the leaders from Gibeon used humility and deception to gain a treaty with Israel that God had forbidden. The Israelies neglect to seek the Lord's counsel.

The sin of one man, Achan, results in defeat and death for the Israelites at Ai. Guilty Achan is caught by the Lord, confesses before Joshua, and is stoned at the Valley of Achor. After the sin of Achan has been punished, Joshua does all that the Lord commands of him and Israel successfully destroys the city of Ai using a unique strategy given him by the Lord.

In this study, the Lord exalts Joshua and shows that He is with Joshua, just as He was with Moses. The Lord assures Israel that He is among them and shows His resolve to drive out the enemies of Israel. This study begins with the miracle crossing of the Jordan River to enter the Promised Land and ends with the destruction of the unrepentant city of Jericho.

The exodus of the Israelites from Egypt took place in 1446BC. The book of Joshua records the entry of the Israelites into the Promised Land, forty years after the exodus and describes this first six year period from 1406 to 1400BC in the Promised Land. Recognize that the full conquest of the Promised Land is not complete until 1025BC during King David's reign. The book of Joshua describes six military engagements in which the Lord gives Joshua assurances of success and promises His presence through His empowering Word. Encouraged by the Lord's Word, Joshua assumes command and encourages the people. Joshua first sends two spies to Jericho, a walled city where they find a people filled with fear, but they also find a person shares their faith: Rahab the prostitute. This first lesson describes these beginning events in greater detail.

Sinners are unable to keep God's holy commands perfectly. This was true for the Israelites and is true now. Here, in the middle of the listing worship provisions of the covenant, God renews the covenant, His solution for sinners -- redemption through sacrifice (34:20). Why does Moses veil himself? What is the Sabbath rest? What are God's commands for building of His Tabernacle? Learn the answers to these questions, and also what it means when we say, "God has left the building".