How to Use the Joshua Theme Tracker

As you read Joshua, look for the themes listed at the top of the chart. When you read a passage containing that theme, phrase, event, or person fill in the square for that chapter. If you want to create a stronger reference for yourself, you can write the number of the verse in which the theme appears.

There are three blank spaces for you to write in your own themes you want to track.

What to Look For

This book of Joshua is filled with a lot of hope for the future and optimism. It tells the story of the Israelites entering the Promised Land. At this point they have left Egypt and lived as nomads in the dessert for forty years. All of the people who witnessed the exodus from Egypt have died, including Moses. God has chosen Joshua to lead the people into Caanan. Joshua leads the people into battle against the Caananites, acts as judge in disputes, and divides the land among the tribes according to what was promised to them. Joshua On the whole, Joshua shows a people earnestly trying to follow God’s commands.

Israel Demonstrates Faithfulness

Throughout the books before Joshua the Israelites demonstrated a lot of faithlessness. As you are reading, celebrate the moments when God’s people choose to be true to God. Faithfulness can look like: following God’s law, following God’s directions in a specific situation, and individuals keeping promises they made.

Inheritance Promise Fulfilled

Joshua tells the story of Israel taking the land that was promised to them by God. In this book many promises are fulfilled, particularly around the inheritance of each tribe. Use this theme to recognize all the promises that are kept.

“Could not drive the people out” OR “Dwell with Israel”

In Deuteronomy, the Israelites were commanded to drive out all the other nations from the land. God gives them specific instructions as they take control of the cities:

“When the Lord your God brings you into the land that you are entering to take possession of it, and clears away many nations before you, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations more numerous and mightier than you, and when the Lord your God gives them over to you, and you defeat them, then you must devote them to complete destruction. You shall make no covenant with them and show no mercy to them. You shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons, for they would turn away your sons from following me, to serve other gods. Then the anger of the Lord would be kindled against you, and he would destroy you quickly. But thus shall you deal with them: you shall break down their altars and dash in pieces their pillars and chop down their Asherim and burn their carved images with fire.
DEUTERONOMY 7:1-5

As you read Joshua, you will see the phrases “could not drive the people out” or “dwell with Israel”. Other translations might show this as “live there with” or “didn’t get rid of”. Even in this time of great faithfulness and victory, there is disobedience to God’s Word to take complete control of the land.

Printing Tip

If you print this page at 75 or 80% size, you can cut down the page to fit in a 7x9 journal. Use double sided tape, a glue roller, glue stick, or washi tape to paste the page into your journal or Bible.