Joshua: All God's Good Promises Bible Study

I've had the opportunity to do many different Bible studies over the past ten years or so:  group studies,  personal studies, thematic studies, book studies, word studies, inductive studies.  God has used each of these studies to impact my thinking and change my life, but I can definitely say that some studies just fit my learning style and particular spiritual need at the time.  For example, Nancy Leigh DeMoss' A Thirty Day Walk with God in the Psalms was the ideal introduction to establishing a regular discipline of Bible study.  Later on at Cornerstone Bible Institute, Myrna Alexander's Behold Your God: Studies on the Attributes of God was exceptionally impacting as I studied it personally and led a group study using the material.

I believe that Joshua: All God's Good Promises by Kathleen Nielson is a study that will be joining the favorites on my shelf.  Mom and I heard Dr. Nielson at TGC Women's Conference in June and were excited by her ability to clearly present the Word of God.  (Maybe it's because she's an English teacher who used Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How as her message outline and Mom and I just think that way to begin with.) All of her studies on Revelation were sold out after she spoke (figures), but we got a hold of Joshua and have been working through it in a small group since September.

Why this study works

I'm excited about Joshua: All God's Good Promises for several reasons:

First, the organization of the study is ideal for someone like me who has limited time, but still wants to engage her mind daily in scripture.  Each chapter of the study tackles 2-3 chapters from the book of Joshua and addresses the specific themes and events addressed in those chapters over the course of a five day period.  For example, Day 1 asks the reader to read through the assigned chapters and make some preliminary questions.  Day 2 digs deeper into the historical context.  Days 3-4 look at how the chapters in Joshua relate to other parts of the Bible.  Day 5 shows how the themes found in Joshua directly correspond with the Person of Jesus Christ or Christian principles found in the New Testament.  With three to four questions for each day I can easily make the study happen consistently with no more than a half hour each day...even when my kids are crazy.  No more I'm-too-busy-I'm-a-mom excuses for me!

Second, the tone of the study is really excellent.  Dr. Nielson asks guiding questions which encourage the reader to dig deeply and make personal discoveries without the fear of writing a "wrong answer."  She leaves room for people of all levels of Bible knowledge to answer with confidence.  I never feel like she is standing behind me saying, "Is that really a good enough answer?" or "If you get this wrong, you'll miss all of my later conclusions" or things like that.  In fact, I don't hear her voice at all, which is really the best because I'm wanting to study the book of Joshua...and not feel like I'm being graded.  I'm able to get "something out of it" even on days when my brain is completely fried.

Finally, Dr. Nielson's use of context and whole biblical themes is incredible.  As I'm sure you'll agree, the story of Joshua is very familiar.  It's in every children's Bible and is taught in every Sunday School and is even acted out by singing talking vegetables.  But, in doing this study, I am learning new things about the historical and thematic context of Joshua every single day - stuff that I never would have thought of having such a tremendous role in the story of God's faithfulness to the Israelites.  In each chapter we reach back into the Abrahamic covenant to see what God has promised the people hundreds of years before and we identify how he is faithfully keeping his promises to the nation of Israel and then we discover how God fulfills those promises to a greater and more glorious degree for us today in Jesus Christ.  It is so exciting and beautiful.

Joshua: All God's Good Promises has ten lessons and includes a guide for group leaders.  I highly recommend this study and look forward to completing more of her studies in the future.