Discussion Questions

The teacher argues that “choose this day who you will serve” is not mainly a one-time conversion moment but a daily question of allegiance; what daily decisions and “small loyalties” most reveal which kingdom you’re actually serving—Christ’s or “my own selfish desires”? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Instead of a one-time choice, how do your everyday choices show whether you’re serving Christ or your own selfish wants? What “small loyalties” give you away?

Joshua’s conquest is presented as accomplishing two things at once: Israel receiving inheritance and God bringing judgment on Canaan; what does that combination teach about God’s character (His generosity and His severity), and which part do modern Christians tend to downplay or explain away? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Joshua’s conquest includes both God giving Israel land and judging Canaan. What does that show about God being both generous and severe, and which side do Christians today tend to ignore or soften?

The speaker emphasizes that God could have judged Canaan directly (like Sodom) but chose to involve Joshua’s army in the judgment; what does that say about how God uses human obedience in His purposes, and how does that challenge the way many believers talk about God doing everything “for us” with little required of us? JumpstartAnother way to ask: God could have judged Canaan without Israel’s army, but He chose to use Joshua’s obedience. What does that teach about how God uses people, and how does it challenge the idea that God does everything for us with little asked of us?

In the divine interventions listed (Jericho walls, sun/moon standing still, hailstones killing more than swords, hornets driving out kings, “one chased a thousand”), which intervention most confronts your assumptions about what God is willing to do in history—and what does each one imply about God “joining in war with Israel”? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Which miracle (Jericho’s walls, the sun/moon stopping, hailstones, hornets, or “one chased a thousand”) challenges what you think God might do in history? What do these stories suggest about God fighting alongside Israel?

The teacher suggests Joshua as a type of Jesus and connects the sun/moon episode to the crucifixion (sun darkened; vengeance on powers of darkness); what do you find convincing or unconvincing about that typology, and how would early Christians—who read the Old Testament as pointing to Christ—likely have handled a connection like this? JumpstartAnother way to ask: The teacher says Joshua points to Jesus and links the sun/moon story to the crucifixion. What seems convincing or not about that, and how might early Christians who saw the Old Testament pointing to Christ have made that connection?

Caleb, at 85, asks for the mountain where the Anakim (giants) and fortified cities are and says, “If the Lord is with me, I will utterly destroy them”; what does Caleb’s request expose about faith that refuses comfort, and where have you subtly adopted an “I’m too old / too tired / I’ve done enough” version of Christianity? JumpstartAnother way to ask: At 85, Caleb asks for the hardest land and trusts God to help him win it. What does that show about faith that doesn’t choose comfort, and where have you started thinking, “I’m too old, too tired, or I’ve done enough” in your walk with God?

The near-civil war over the Jordan altar happened because Israel assumed “another altar” meant covenant rebellion, but it was actually a memorial “witness”; what does this incident reveal about zeal, suspicion, and the fear of idolatry in Israel—and how might that recalibrate the way modern Christians treat perceived compromise or doctrinal drift? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Israel almost fought over the Jordan altar because they assumed it meant rebellion, but it was meant as a reminder. What does this teach about zeal, suspicion, and fear of idolatry, and how should it shape how Christians react to things that look like compromise or bad teaching?

Joshua’s warning is extreme: don’t even mention the names of other gods, don’t intermarry/attach, because they’ll become “snares… nails in your heels and darts in your eyes,” and God will bring “evil things” as surely as the good; what modern habits (entertainment, politics, identity labels, money, sexual ethics) function like “mentioning the names” and slowly normalizing rival gods? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Joshua warns that even talking about other gods can slowly trap God’s people. What modern habits (like entertainment, politics, identity labels, money, or sexual choices) can slowly replace God in your heart without you noticing?

Joshua tells the people, “You cannot serve the Lord, for He is a holy God… jealous… will not forgive your sins… whenever you forsake the Lord and serve other gods”; how does that land against common evangelical instincts about assurance and easy confidence, and what kind of “holiness and jealousy” view of God is Joshua trying to imprint on them? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Joshua tells the people they can’t serve God lightly because He is holy and jealous and will judge turning away. How does that fit—or clash—with “easy assurance,” and what picture of God is Joshua trying to press into them?

The teacher ends by saying God doesn’t force loyalty because He wants willing love, yet Israel quickly forgets after Joshua dies and falls into Astarte/Astaroth; what practices of remembrance (like the memorial altar or the “stone witness”) would actually keep a church from spiritual amnesia, and what would it cost to build those practices into your household in a concrete, non-symbolic way? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Israel forgot God soon after Joshua died, even though God wants willing love, not forced loyalty. What real practices of remembering would keep a church from forgetting God, and what would it cost your household to actually do them in a practical way?