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Bible Overview is featuring an examination of
each book of the Bible by Bible scholar and lecturer,
Mary Jane Chapin Chaignot. This month she
amplifies Joshua's accomplishments in the book
of Joshua. What stands out is Joshua's unwavering
obedience to God. Bible Overview should be a wonderful
help to all of you whether you are just starting
or continuing your own Bible study.
Joshua
Joshua is the first book after the Pentateuch.
It is titled after its main character, Joshua,
who, you may recall, was commissioned by Moses
to lead the Israelites into the Land of Promise
(Deut. 1:37-8). The name "Joshua" means,
"The Lord is salvation." (The Greek
form of this name is Jesus.) The book of Joshua,
then, continues the story of salvation that began
with the exodus from Egypt and ends with the taking
of land in Canaan, at which point the Israelites
evolve into the nation of Israel. As a group,
the first five books of the Bible are known as
the "Mosaic teachings" or Torah. In
the Hebrew Bible, the next section is designated
as Prophecy, not because there is an emphasis
on visions describing the future, but because
of the way the Torah is illustrated in everyday
life. The prophetic books are divided into two
main segments designated as the Former
and the Latter Prophets. Joshua
is the first of four books, known as the Former
Prophets. (The others are Judges, Samuel,
and Kings.)
Lest we think, however, that Joshua is
the beginning of something brand new, let us consider
the connections with the previous books. Joshua
is all about taking over the land that had been
promised to Abraham in Genesis. God's promises
to Abraham included descendants (possibly 2 million
people have traversed the wilderness for forty
years), land (which they are about to receive),
and "in you all the families of the earth
shall be blessed." (Gen. 12:3) The Israelites,
the descendants of Abraham, are finally realizing
this promise of land. There are also connections
to Exodus. Just as the Israelites crossed
the Red (Reed) Sea to freedom and a new life,
they will now cross the River Jordan to freedom
and a new life. God intervened on their behalf
against Pharaoh; God will now intervene on their
behalf against the Kings of Canaan. In Numbers,
Joshua (the person) emerged as a dissident, albeit
faithful, voice against the report of the spies,
who felt it was too risky to enter the Promised
Land. And in Deuteronomy, Moses commissioned
Joshua to be his successor. The book of Joshua,
then, stands as a pivotal link between the promises
that have sustained the Israelites to this point
and their fulfillment.
It is in Joshua that we begin to see an
orderly unfolding of events, starting with the
invasion of Canaan, and moving on to the conquest,
and ultimately to the division of the land among
the twelve tribes. Throughout, God's presence
is intimately connected to the successes and failures
of the Israelites. When they are obedient and
faithful to the covenant, they are successful;
when they disobey, they do not prevail. It is
a stunning illustration of God's faithfulness
to His people. He gave them the gift of land,
but it would not be theirs without a struggle.
He was part of that struggle.
And therein, of course, lies the precise problem
with the book of Joshua. It's one thing
to rejoice in their successes and in the fulfillment
of God's promises. It's quite another to realize
how these events came about. The bottom line is
that this land was fully occupied when they arrived.
There were no "For sale" signs out.
Nonetheless, this was land promised to them by
God, and in this book God delivers. Modern readers
have a hard time accepting the view of God presented
in Joshua. This God would seem to have
no problem commanding violence against the inhabitants
of the land or promoting the hatred of foreigners.
These events do not meld with the command to "love
the stranger for you were once strangers in Egypt"
(Deut. 10:17-20). Indeed, there are some scholars
who believe the words of Joshua have been
used through the ages by those seeking to colonize
(Christianize) lands of "inferior" peoples.
It provides a warrant to invade, conquer, and
settle - all in the name of Christ.
Some of the modern offense can be muted by acknowledging
that the events described in this book cannot
be proven to be historically accurate. There is
no archaeological evidence to support a large-scale
invasion of Canaan during this time period, roughly
1200-1400 BCE. Some of the cities mentioned in
Joshua wouldn't even be inhabited for another
200 years. Because of this, scholars feel the
"invasion" was more likely to have been
a peaceful infiltration of peasants and farmers
who settled down to agriculture and herding. Their
shared devotion to God set them apart from their
neighbors and, ultimately, they were able to develop
a God-centered rural village culture.
The book of Joshua, then, is a story that
was written centuries later by those who held
certain beliefs about their ancestors, beliefs
that allowed them to justify their presence in
Canaan and explain their devotion to God (Yahweh).
Modern readers of this book will surely find lessons
in courage enabling them to face daunting challenges
encountered by God's people. It might also provide
hope for fulfillment of God's promises.
There are three primary sections: Invasion of
the land (1-12); division of the land (13-21);
and commitment to staying on the land (22-24).
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| Invasion of the Land - 1-12 |
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| 1:1-9 |
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God
prepares Joshua
Message from God to Joshua |
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| 1:10-11 |
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Joshua
prepares the people
Tells them to take provisions |
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| 1:12-18 |
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Request
and response from Eastern tribes
[You will recall that Reuben, Gad, and half
of Manasseh opted to stay east of the Promised
Land. They were allowed to do that because
they promised to help other tribes fight for
their portion of the land west of the Jordan,
if needed.]
Having been reminded of their agreement, Reuben,
Gad, and
Manasseh pledged their lives with Joshua. |
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| 2:1-24 |
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Spies
in Jericho; saved by Rahab (a prostitute) |
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2:1-7 Joshua
sends out two spies to "look over the
land, especially
Jericho"
Meet
Rahab, spend the evening there
2:8-14 Rahab
extracts a promise from the spies saying
they will spare
her family
2:15-24 Rahab helps spies escape
by letting them down through a
window
Rahab
is told to put a scarlet thread out her
window, then her
family will be saved.
Spies
return with a favorable report - land is
ready to be
possessed
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| 3:1-17 |
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Crossing
the Jordan |
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3:1-4 The
people prepare to march across the Jordan;
God promises
help
Instructions
are given re: the Ark of the Covenant
3:5-13 Priests move
forward with the Ark - a symbol of God's
presence
and leadership.
3:14-17 The wonders of crossing
the Jordan
When
the feet of the priests hit the water, the
water staunched.
People
crossed the dry riverbed passing by the
Ark of the
Covenant
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| 4:1-24 |
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Memorials
for crossing the Jordan
A representative from each tribe was to take
a stone from the river to memorialize this
event.
When all the people had passed through (including
the armies of
Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh-roughly 40,000 warriors),
the priests
were called out of the river bed. As soon
as their feet touched land,
the waters flowed again.
The name of the place was Gilgal. |
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| 5:1-15 |
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Preparations
for war |
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5:1 The
kings of Canaan were totally disheartened
when they heard
what had happened.
5:2-9 While
in camp at Gilgal, the people are circumcised.
5:10-15 Celebration of the Passover
End
of manna; people can now eat from the fruit
of the land.
Appearance
of the "commander of the Lord."
Tells
Joshua to take off his shoes, for the place
is holy
Echoes
of Moses. Shoes are symbols of power and
strength
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| 6:1-27 |
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Fall
of Jericho |
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6:1-11 Details
of the "battle"
People
will march around the city every day for
six days
People
will march in silence; priests will blow
trumpets daily.
6:12-19 Instructions re: conquest;
only Rahab is to be spared
Nothing
is to be taken under threat of Israel's
destruction
6: 20-25 Jericho is taken
On
the seventh day, people shout and wall falls
flat
Psychological
maybe; gift from God definitely
Rahab
and her family are saved; city is burned
6:26-27 Pronounces a curse on anyone who
tries to rebuild city
Joshua's
reputation spreads
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| 7:1-26 |
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Failure
at Ai |
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7:1-5 Achan
of the tribe of Judah disobeyed orders,
took forbidden
booty
Joshua
sent spies whose report was a bit over-confident
A
few thousand men were sent and resoundingly
defeated
Israel
was devastated (Hearts melted and became
as water)
7:6-25 Achan's sin is discovered
and punished
Sinner
was stoned; stones remain as visual warning
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| 8:1-29 |
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Capture
and destruction of Ai |
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8:1-2 God
promises to deliver Ai
8:3-17 Plan included
an ambush
8:18-29 All goes exactly as expected
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| 8:30-35 |
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Joshua
builds an altar at Mount Ebal
Story changes from battle to worship |
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| 9:1-27 |
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Treaty
with the Gibeonites |
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9:1-2 Nations
begin to band together against Israel
9:3-11 Gibeonites plan a ruse
to convince Israel they are from
far-away lands and are not a threat
9:12-27 Joshua makes a treaty with
them, but does not consult
the Lord
Turns
out they were neighbors all along
Joshua
tells them he will honor their treaty and
will not destroy
them, but they would "serve as woodcutters
and water
carriers for the community"
Gibeonites
learned a lesson of humility and were not
destroyed
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| 10:1-28 |
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Neighboring
kings form coalition against Gibeon |
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10:1-5 Kings
go to war against Gibeon
10:6-11 King of
Gibeon runs to Joshua for help
[Consequence
of not consulting the Lord before entering
into
treaties!]
Joshua
now consults the Lord and is told to fight
10:12-28 Poem from the book of Jashar
Memories
of divine action include hail and "the
sun stood still"
The
battle is won
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| 10:29-43 |
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Cleaning
up in the South
"Joshua took all these kings and their
land at one time, because the Lord God of
Israel fought for Israel." (Josh 10:42) |
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| 11:1-12:24 |
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Completion
of the Conquest |
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11:1-15 As goes
the south, so goes the north
11:16-23 Summary of the victories
12:1-24 List of
the defeated kings (31 in all)
Listing
of victories gives praise to God
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| Division of
the Land - 13-21 |
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| 13:1-6 |
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Further
instructions about the land that remains to
be conquered
Joshua is getting along in years.
Others must be prepared to complete the work
Leadership will be passed to individual tribes
and their designated
leaders |
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| 13:7-33 |
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Division
of land east of the Jordan
Reuben, Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh
are given land east of
Jordan |
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| 14:1-5 |
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Inheritance
of the land would be by lot |
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| 14:6-15 |
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Caleb
is first, receives Hebron |
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| 15:1-63 |
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Judah
is next |
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15:1-12 Boundaries
are very specific
15:13-19 Caleb has portion in Judah
Promises
his daughter in marriage to the man who
conquers
Debir
[Caleb
is advanced in years, too]
Othniel
does so, and marries Caleb's daughter (see
Judges
3:9)
15:20-62 Listing of towns within
this boundary
15:63 - Notation
that Jebusites lived in the land
Judah
could not conquer them
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| 16:1-17:18 |
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Inheritance
of Joseph's sons - Ephraim and Manasseh |
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16:1-8 Borders
of Ephraim
16:9-10 Inability
to conquer Gezer
17:1-6 Division
of land to Manasseh
17:3-6 Daughters
of Zelophehad ask to preserve their inheritance
17:7-13 Failure
of Manasseh to take certain towns
Did
not drive out the people
17:14-18 Complain bitterly
that they didn't receive enough land
Joshua
tells them to make do with what they have
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| 18:1-19:51 |
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Remaining
tribes at Shiloh |
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18:1-10 Remaining
land was surveyed
Lots
were cast at Shiloh
18:11-28 Lot of Benjamin
19:1-9 Lot
of Simeon
19:10-16 Lot of Zebulon
19:17-23 Lot of Issachar
19:24-31 Lot of Asher
19:32-29 Lot of Naphtali
19:40-48 Lot of Dan
19:49-51 Conclusion to
allotments
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| 20:1-9 |
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Cities
of refuge
God commanded Moses to set up cities of refuge
Six cities were designated as regional centers
of asylum
People who commit murder could go to the city
and await verdict of elders of that city.
Provided for a "fair trial"; prevented
feudal killing |
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| 21:1-40 |
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Levitical
cities |
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21:1-7 Levites
have no land allotment
Are
given cities to live in and land for cattle
to graze
21:8-42 Cities
chosen by lot
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| 21:41-45 |
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And
there was "rest in the land."
All of the Lord's promises came to pass |
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| Commitment for
Staying on the Land - 22-24 |
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| 22:1-24:33 |
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Last
days of Joshua |
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22:1-8 Tribes
of Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh are
blessed
and go back home across the Jordan
22:9-21 They build
an altar at the Jordan
Unity
of tribes is threatened when remaining tribes
determine
to war against them. See this new altar
as competition
for altar at Shiloh
Send
an envoy of priests and chiefs to dissuade
them, present
the charges
22:22-25 Leaders in the East
react with humility
Did
not intend any disrespect or rebellion
22:26-31 Feared they would
be shut out of worship in West and, hence,
from the Lord. Wanted an altar in the east
to maintain
integrity before God
22:32-34 Explanation is acceptable.
Negotiated by Phinehas. War talk
ends.
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| 23:1-16 |
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Joshua's
farewell speech |
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23:1-5 Reminds
them God gave them the land; he helped with
allotment
of it
23:6-11 They should
remember God's deeds during future challenges
Repeats
words spoken in Joshua 1
God
will fight and protect them; they must "love
the Lord your
God"
Cautions
them against losing their need for God as
crises
subside
23:12-16 Cautions against intermarrying,
worshiping local gods, and
breaking the covenant
Misbehavior
will lead to the loss of their land
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| 24:1-28 |
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Renewing
the covenant |
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24:1-13 Review
of Israel's past, beginning with Abraham
24:14-28 Choose this day whom
ye will serve!
People
pledge their loyalty to Yahweh
Renewed
the covenant at Shechem
Wrote
the words on a stone, which was a witness
for all time
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| 24:29-33 |
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Burial
of Joshua
Death of elders. Burial of Joseph's bones,
and death of Phinehas |
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The leadership of the second
generation has all passed away. Given their celebrations,
their bold promises, and their experiences, one
might expect that these descendants would get it
right. They would carry on with full knowledge of
their duties and responsibilities for continued
blessings and occupancy of the land. Their relation
to God has been solidified by his wondrous deeds;
they have a clear understanding of what's expected
of them. Next month, we will explore the book of
Judges, which continues the story. Let's see how
this young nation grows up…. |
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Bibliography
Hamlin, E. John. "Joshua, Inheriting
the Land." The International Theological
Commentary.
Grand Rapids, MI: Wm B Eerdmans, 1983.
Auld, A. Graeme. "Joshua, Judges, and Ruth."
The Daily Study Bible Series. Philadelphia,
PA: Westminster Press, 1984.
Nelson, Richard. "Joshua." Old Testament
Library. Louisville, KY: Westminster Press,
1997.
Harris, J. Gordon. "Joshua." New
International Biblical Commentary. Peabody,MA:
Hendrickson Publishers,
2000.
Dummelow, J.R. A Commentary on the Holy Bible.
New York: MacMillan Publishing,
1977.
Mills, Watson and Richard Wilson. Mercer Commentary
on the Bible. Macon,GA: Mercer
University Press, 1995.
Buttrick George, ed. Interpreter's Bible.
New York, Abingdon-Cokesbury Press,1953.
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