Why study Joshua? The Book of Joshua reveals the faithfulness of God to His people whom He brought into the promised land. However, the fulfillment of the promises of God for the land was not automatic. God required that His people be faithful to Him and worship Him alone. God required obedience to His covenant and all that he required. Those who were not obedient to God suffered setbacks, failures and many lost their lives. The command of God to Joshua to be strong, very courageous and be obedient to God, Joshua 1:6-9, is still relevant for all believers today.
The book of Joshua must be understood in the context of the progression of God’s covenant people from bondage in Egypt to the entrance and subjection of Canaan, the land God had promised His people for their possession. During this progression, the people of God had to learn many difficult and often fatal lessons, obey God and live, disobey God and die. The first generation that set out from Egypt had been punished due to their rebellion against God, Numbers 32:13. Only Joshua and Caleb and likely Eleazar the priest of the first generation entered the promised land. All the others of the first generation including Moses died and did not live to enter the land. Moses had given instructions to the second generation, recorded in Deuteronomy chapter 28. Basically, these instructions serve as the central theme of the book of Joshua, obedience to the LORD brings success and blessing while disobedience brings defeat and cursing.
Historically the book of Joshua is about the entrance into the land of Canaan and various campaigns of conquest over the peoples of this land, and the land allotments to the tribes of Israel, as described in Numbers chapters 32-34. Theologically the book is about (1) God’s faithfulness to His covenant in fulfilling the land promises to His chosen people; (2) the renewal of the covenant by the people who entered into the land; and (3) the results of obedience and disobedience to God by His people. The book begins with God commanding Joshua to do all according to the law that God gave to Moses, 1:7-9 and ends with Joshua’s exhortation for the people to be obedient and serve the LORD, 24:14-15. Everything in between these two imperatives is the story of a people who often were obedient to God and reaped the reward of conquest but sometimes were disobedient and thus, suffered the consequences as God had so often warned them. The message of Joshua is just as relevant today as it was during the days described in the book of Joshua.
The actual conquest of the land took about seven years, but the number of years covered by the book of Joshua is about forty, from about 1406 BC to 1366 BC. The name of Joshua has the meaning of “the LORD is salvation” which is similar to that of Elisha, Isaiah and Jesus. In a very basic understanding, the book of Joshua is about the salvation purposes of God for His people and the message of salvation that God intended to go out from the land to all the nations.
Simple Outline of Joshua
God’s people prepare and enter the land: Readiness. 1-5
God’s people pursue the defeat of the land: Conquest. 6-12
God’s people posses the land: Inheritance. 13-24
God’s people prepare and enter the land: Readiness. Chapters 1-5
Entering the land was not jus a simple matter of crossing over the Jordan River. God was preparing His leader and the people to accomplish His plans of the land for them. God first commissioned Joshua as leader of the Israelites, chapter 1. Joshua sent spies into Jericho, chapter 2, to discover its weaknesses wherein the spies were aided by a resident of Jericho, Rahab, a prostitute who would have a role to play in the conquest of Jericho and later as one who would give birth to Boaz, the great-grandfather of David and thus in the lineage of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. The people of Israel when deemed ready by God crossed over the Jordan River, which was in flood condition, on dry land, a miracle as God had stopped the river from flowing, chapters 3-4. The final preparation for conquest, chapter 5 was that the sons of Israel had to be circumcised as a requirement of the covenant God gave to Abraham, Genesis 17:9-14. Also, the people kept the Passover feast. Joshua then met the Commander of the LORD’s army, a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus Christ who told Joshua, as He had previously told Moses, to remove his sandals for the was standing, in the presence of God, on holy ground.
God’s people pursue the defeat of the land: Conquest. Chapters 6-12
At the first city of conquest, Jericho, chapter 6, Joshua and the Israelites witnessed another miracle of God as the walls of Jericho were demolished by an act of God. The Israelites then put all of the inhabitants of the city to death except for Rahab and her family. However, at the next city to be conquered, Ai, chapter 7 the Israelites first met defeat because of the sin of Achan, who was judged by God and put to death along with his family. Ai was then conquered as God had given the city into the hands of the Israelites. After this conquest the covenant of Sinai was renewed by Joshua and the people, chapter 8. Chapter 9 records the deception of the Gibeonites who convinced Joshua that they were not Canaanites but were from a distant country. Without consulting God, the Gibeonites were accepted and entered into a covenant with the Israelites for protection. A coalition of Amorite kings, chapter 10, next attempted to capture the city of Gibeon, which the Israelites had promised to defend. God promised Joshua that the armies of the coalition would be defeated. The pursuit of the coalition armies and the capturing of the five kings of the Amorites took many hours and God made the sun stand still to allow daylight for the Israelites to complete this conquest. God also was very active in this conquest by sending hailstones against the enemy as more died from the hailstones than by the swords of the Israelites. Another city, Makkedah was also captured and demolished by the Israelites. Following the destruction of Makkedah, the Israelites went into the south of Canaan and conquered the cities there. The next campaign was in the north of Canaan, chapter 11, where the Israelites were again successful in conquering the cities and thus the land, was overtaken for possession by the Israelites. The final part of the land, that to the west of Jordan was next conquered by the Israelites, chapter 12. However not all the land of Canaan was conquered as is recorded in the next chapter.
God’s people posses the land: Inheritance. Chapters 13-24
It is revealed in chapter 13 that parts of the land, those inhabited by the Philistines and the Geshurites were still to be conquered. The Philistines would be an affliction on the Israelites for many centuries, even to the conquest of Judah by the Babylonians. The LORD promised Joshua that many of the peoples who were not yet conquered would be driven out by the LORD as Joshua was “advanced in years.” This chapter also details the inheritance of the tribes that were promised lands on the east side of the Jordan River. The inheritance of the tribes promised lands on the west side of the Jordan River are described in chapter 14 including the giving of Hebron to Caleb. The allotment of the land given to Judah is explained in chapter 15, with the note that the Jebusites still occupied the city of Jerusalem. In chapters 16-17, the allotment for the half tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh is explained also with a note that the Canaanites still occupied the city of Gezer. The people of the half tribe of Manasseh were instructed by Joshua to drive out the remaining Canaanites in their allotted lands. The allotments for the remaining tribes are described in chapters 18-19 including the priestly tribe of the Levites who were allotted cities in the other tribal land areas. The establishment of cities of refuge are described in chapter 20. The giving of pasture lands for the Levites are described in chapter 21. Those from the tribes allotted lands to the east of the Jordan, the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half tribe of Manasseh, who had fought alongside the other tribes for the control of the land to the west of the Jordan River, were next allowed to take residence in their allotted lands, chapter 22. Chapter 23 records the charge of Joshua to all the leaders of the tribes to faithfully obey the LORD. The final chapter, 24, records the renewal of the covenant at the city of Shechem and Joshua’s famous exhortation, “as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” The last section of this final chapter records the deaths of Joshua and Eleazar, the son of Aaron.
Verses to Memorize from Joshua
1:5 No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.
1:6 Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.
1:7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.
1:8 Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.
1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.
1:13 Remember the command that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you after he said, The Lord your God will give you rest by giving you this land.
1:16 Then they answered Joshua, whatever you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go.
5:15 The commander of the Lord’s army replied, take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy. And Joshua did so.
24:15 But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.
Resources for studying Joshua
See the article on how to study the Bible for suggestions on the method of Bible study and recommended resources to obtain. Suggested commentaries and studies are listed below for a more extensive study. Some are available on-line in a pdf format.
One Hour – One Book: Scroll down to video on Joshua.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSrCJNW5eUWQMyVw_2VqW_w
Commentaries
Boice, James Montgomery, Joshua. Baker Books, 2006.
Campbell, Donald K. Joshua, in The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Old Testament, Victor Books, 1985.
Constable, Thomas. Notes on Joshua, latest edition. Online at Plano Bible Chapel.
Howard Jr. David M. Joshua, The New American Commentary, vol. 5, Broadman & Holman, 2002.
Jensen, Irving L. Joshua: Rest-Land Won. Everyman’s Bible Commentary, Moody, 1966.
Madvig, Donald H. Joshua, in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, vol. 3, Zondervan, 1992.
Mathews, Kenneth A. Joshua, in Teach the Text Commentary Series, Baker Books, 2016.
Vreeland, Gerald D. Joshua, in The Moody Bible Commentary, Moody Publishers, 2014.
Studies
Chisholm, Robert B., Jr. Interpreting the Historical Books: An Exegetical Handbook. Handbooks for Old Testament Exegesis series. Kregel Publications, 2006.
Constable, Thomas L. A Theology of Joshua, Judges and Ruth, in A Biblical Theology of the Old Testament, Moody Publishers, 1991.
Grisanti, Michael A. Recent Archaeological Discoveries That Lend Credence to the Historicity of the Scriptures. Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 56:3 (September 2013):475-97.
Hindson, Edward E. The Philistines and the Old Testament. Baker Studies in Biblical Archaeology series. Baker Book House, 1983.
Howard, David M., Jr. An Introduction to the Old Testament Historical Books. Moody Press, 1993.
Jamieson, H. Jericho, in The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, vol. 3, Zondervan Publishing House, 1975.
Merrill, Eugene, H. Kingdom of Priests. Baker Book House, 1987.
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