• Introductory Matters
• • Joshua, the man
  • • Name means "the LORD is salvation"
    • From the tribe of Ephraim
    • Had been one of the 12 spies sent out by Moses to survey Canaan (Num. 13:1-33) - he and Caleb had been the only two of the 12 who believed God could bring His people into Canaan if they had faith
    • Moses appointed Joshua as his successor (Num. 27:12-23)
  • Time of the events in the book - probably 13^th century B.C.E. (although some place the events in the late 15th century B.C.E.)
  • Text of the book
  • • The Septuagint text differs in many places from the Hebrew text of the Leningrad Codex - each chapter has differences and in some chapters almost every verse differs
    • Perhaps another Hebrew text lies behind the Septuagint or perhaps the translators have taken liberties to improve and interpret the text
  • How the book relates to the Canon
  • • Some have argued the book is the final book of a Hexateuch (Genesis - Joshua) and that we should talk about a Hexateuch rather than a Pentateuch - Joshua does record the taking of the land of Canaan which fulfills God's promise to Abraham (Gen. 12:1,7)
    • Others argue Joshua is the first book of a Deuteronomistic history which includes Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings - this work examines Israelite history from the perspective of Deuteronomy and obedience to God
    • Joshua is the first book in the Prophets section in the Hebrew canon
    • • While Joshua continues the narrative of the Pentateuch, the book was not considered to be part of that section of instruction - perhaps the Pentateuch was designed to end without the promises having come true as a challenge to all to obey God so that He could work His will in the world and to live in faith despite the fact that the promises had not come true
      • Joshua is linked to Judges, Samuel, and Kings since they all concentrate on the religious dimensions of leadership and on the people's obedience and disobedience toward God - these works present a history of Israel from the prophetic standpoint not from the modern historical standpoint
  • Archaeology and the book
  • • Problem areas
    • • Jericho - although walls existed in earlier times, Jericho seemed to have been either an un-walled city or an abandoned site during the time of Israel's entry into Canaan
      • Ai - at the time of Israel's entry into Canaan, Ai seemed to have been a small village of two and a half acres without any fortifications
      • Other cities (e.g., Gibeon, Hebron) supposedly destroyed by Joshua according to the book also cause problems
    • Attempts to move the date of Israel's entry back (to the late 15^th century B.C.E.) or to argue that cities have been confused with one another (e.g., Bethel was mistaken for Ai) have also ignored other textual and archaeological data
    • Archaeology is not a precise science
    • • Rarely can sites be identified with certainty
      • Rarely can the destroyer of a site be determined
      • Often cannot tell who occupied a site or precisely when the site was occupied
      • Rarely can the entire site be excavated and all the evidence be secured and interpreted
    • Yet archaeology has provided keen insights into life in ancient Israel and demonstrated Palestine was constantly host to warfare
    • We need to:
    • • Not overlook the negative evidence of archaeology
      • Not attribute every destruction to entering Israelite forces
      • Not set aside the biblical description of military conquest
  • The concept of holy war (Deut. 20:1-20)
  • • Idea was that God would win Israel's battles - Israel did not need huge numbers of troops - they needed only to be faithful to God
    • The ban (herem)
    • • Idea was that all spoils of victory should belong to God since He fought and won the victory
      • How to deal with spoils of victory
      • • If it breathed, kill it - included men, women, children, animals
        • If it would burn, burn it - included clothing, furniture, buildings, etc.
        • If it was gold, silver, or jewels, place it in the tabernacle or Temple for God's use
      • Israel only rarely practiced the ban
      • Part of the logic seemed to be that there would be nothing left to entice Israel to worship other gods
• The Message of the Book
• • God's commission to Joshua (1:1-11)
  • • Joshua was to lead the people since Moses had died - throughout the book, Joshua is shown to be similar to Moses and through God's working through Joshua the promises God made to Moses come true
    • Joshua would particularly be used to make the promise of land come true
    • Joshua was to obey God and be courageous - God promised His presence with Joshua just as He had been with Moses
  • The tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh who had elected to live east of the Jordan were reminded that they were to help the rest of Israel secure their land - they agreed to follow Joshua as they had followed Moses (1:12-17)
  • Spies sent to Jericho (2:1-24)
  • • Two spies were sent to spy out Jericho
    • Rahab, a prostitute, hid and protected them asking that they would return the favor when they destroyed Jericho
    • The men instructed Rahab to have all of her relatives in her house when Israel attacked - anyone in her house would be spared - all outside her house would be killed
    • Rahab and her family obeyed the men and were saved (6:22-25)
    • Interesting points
    • • Opponents of Israel either cringe in fear (2:11) or confess faith in God (2:11-12)
      • Strange that the king of Jericho and his men knew the spies went to Rahab's house but their intelligence stopped there - Rahab was able to hide them and send the king's men on a wild chase
      • Rahab provides the example of the proper foreign response to God
  • Crossing the Jordan River (3:1-5:1)
  • • As Israel under Moses had crossed the Red Sea (Reed Sea) on dry ground, so Israel under Joshua crossed the Jordan River on dry ground
    • When the feet of the priests who were carrying the Ark of the Covenant touched the waters of the Jordan, the waters piled up leaving a dry place to cross - the miracle was magnified because Israel crossed at flood season when the river would have been higher
    • Stones from the Jordan were placed as a witness to God's miraculous deed
    • News of the miracle spread quickly and the nations who heard of the power of Israel's God were struck with fear
  • Preparation for battle (5:2-15)
  • • Three events occurred
    • • The men were circumcised
      • Israel celebrated the Passover
      • Joshua encountered the commander of God's heavenly army
    • Israel was prepared religiously and Joshua was strengthened personally for the warfare ahead
  • Fall of Jericho (6:1-27)
  • • The city was to fall miraculously - God would win the victory
    • Elements of the "attack" were tied to the cult
    • • Presence of priests
      • Blowing of trumpets
      • Shouting of the people
      • The 7-day scheme with Jericho falling on the 7^th day
    • The ban was carried out on all living things except Rahab and her family - all people as well as oxen, sheep, and donkeys were killed and all silver, gold, and metal vessels were placed in the tabernacle
    • Joshua placed a curse upon anyone who would try to rebuild the city
  • Achan's sin and his punishment (7:1-26)
  • • In the battle of Jericho, Achan had taken a piece of clothing and a large quantity of gold and silver as spoils of victory - he thus did not keep the ban and disobeyed God and His covenant
    • When Israel attempted to attack and take Ai on their own with a small contingent of men, they failed and lost 36 soldiers
    • God revealed to Joshua that someone had sinned and then revealed the culprit
    • Israel stoned Achan, his children, and his livestock in the Valley of Achor ("Trouble") - the trouble Achan brought upon Israel was then taken away
    • Why did all in the family die?
    • • Corporate solidarity - the sin of one tainted the whole - thus Achan's sin tainted his entire family
      • The items Achan stole were dedicated to God and thus holy - just as unclean items could contaminate people, so could holy items - Israel could not survive with such contamination in its midst
    • Interesting that the text does not say that Achan's wife was stoned
  • Capture of Ai (8:1-29)
  • • The name means "Ruin" perhaps playing off what it became after Joshua's destruction of the city (8:28)
    • Joshua and his forces took the city using a clever ambush strategy
    • The people of Ai were all killed (all 12,000 of them) but the animals were taken by Israel as spoils of victory "according to the word of the Lord that he had issued to Joshua" (8:27) - in this case God Himself abandoned the idea of keeping the ban - strange that in the taking of Jericho keeping the ban in its entirety was crucial but here it was not

• Joshua led in worship (8:30-35)

• • • Joshua built an altar on Mt. Ebal and the people offered burnt offerings and peace offerings
    • Joshua also wrote the law of Moses on stones
    • Israel then fulfilled the instructions of Moses to have half of the tribes recite the blessings on Mt. Gerizim and the other half of the tribes recite the curses on Mt. Ebal (Deut. 27:11-13)

• Covenant with the Gibeonites (9:1-27)

• • • The Gibeonites tricked Israel into making a treaty with them thus sparing themselves from slaughter by Israel
    • The problem was caused by the failure of Israel's leaders to consult God when faced with the delegation from Gibeon (9:14)
    • Gibeonites became servants of Israel
  • Defense of Gibeon against a five-king coalition (10:1-27)
• • • Israel honored its treaty with Gibeon and came to its defense
    • After an all-night march of 18 miles Israel surprised the enemy kings and slaughtered them
    • The "sun and moon stand still"
    • • Possible interpretations
      • • The sun and moon (or earth) actually stopped moving - a cosmic miracle
        • Refraction made it appear that the sun and moon had stopped or were not in their accustomed places
        • The heat of the day ceased - a hailstorm then came and destroyed the enemies
        • Eclipse
        • Hailstorm
        • Sun and moon were signs predicting the destruction of the enemies
        • Poetic language - God refreshed the troops making them able to fight longer and thus the battle and day seemed longer
      • The miracle was recorded also in the Book of Jashur also referenced in 2 Sam. 1:18-27
  • Victories in the south (10:28-43)
  • Victories in the north (11:1-15)
  • Summary of conquests (11:16-12:24) - emphasis on the completeness of Joshua's conquests - all the land had been conquered (11:16, 23)
  • List of unconquered territory (13:1-14)
• • • Now suddenly Joshua stated that parts of the land remained unconquered
    • The unconquered parts
    • • Philistia
      • Phoenician coast
      • Northern Lebanon
    • Despite the fact that not all the land has been taken, God instructed Joshua twice to apportion the land (13:6-7)
  • Apportionment of territory (13:15-19:51)
• • • Land is apportioned by lot so that no tribe can complain about being cheated - God divided the land rather than humans
    • Joshua still had to put up with and solve problems like the following:
    • • Making sure tribes accepted their allotment (16:4)
      • Solving tribal complaints (15:19, 17:14-18)
      • Creating sufficient living space for tribes (17:14-18)
      • Challenge to fight for territory possessed by other peoples (15:16, 17:18)
      • Challenge to carry out the instructions and promises of Moses (15:13-19, 17:3-6)
    • Faithful Caleb was given an inheritance in the land (15:13-19)
    • Finally Israel took the initiative and gave Joshua an inheritance in the land (19:49-50)
  • Creation of cities of refuge (20:1-9)
• • • Someone accused of killing a person without intent or accidentally could flee to one of the six cities (three on either side of the Jordan River) and be given safety from the avenger of blood until the city elders decided the case
    • Even if found innocent the accused had to remain in the city of refuge until the death of the high priest
  • Creation of Levitical cities (21:1-45)
• • • God is the inheritance of the Levites rather than their own tribal area
    • Still the Levites needed fields for grazing their animals
    • The tribes gave 48 cities to the Levites - each tribe provided cities as almost a sacrificial offering to God
  • Return of the East Jordan tribes (22:1-34)
• • • Having faithfully fought for the land of the other Israelites, the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh are allowed to return to their inheritance east of the Jordan River
    • The rogue altar (22:10-34)
    • • The tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh built an altar to God after they returned home
      • The other tribes interpreted this as apostasy and planned to fight the 2 ½ tribes
      • Before war, an investigating committee was appointed and sent
      • The committee expressed their fears to the 2 ½ tribes that their sin might cause the destruction of all Israel
      • The 2 ½ tribes stated they had no intention of using the altar for sacrifice - they intended it only as a witness - they still considered themselves to be part of Israel and were committed to faith in God - they were also committed to worshiping with their fellow Israelites at the place God would choose
      • The committee and later the other tribes were satisfied and inter-tribal war did not break out
  • Joshua's farewell address (23:1-16)
• • • As an old man Joshua pled with Israel to obey God
    • Joshua warned Israel that if they insisted on mixing with other nations and faiths, God would punish them by forcing them to mix with other nations
  • Covenant renewal at Shechem (24:1-28)
• • • As Israel gathered at Shechem, Joshua recited some of the highpoints of Israel's history
    • Joshua then challenged Israel to serve God and forsake all other deities who claimed authority or power
    • Israel pledged they would serve God
    • Joshua told the people they could not keep their promise - no matter how hard they tried, God's holiness and jealousy would make the task impossible - Israel could not love God with the same purity and passion with which God loved Israel
    • The people eventually pledged to listen to and obey God (24:24) - conversation with God would be the key to Israel's identity as a people and to keeping the covenant
    • Joshua set up a stone as a witness (24:26) - such pillars were condemned (Exod. 23:24, 34:13; Lev. 26:1; Deut. 7:5, 12:3, 16:22) but they were still used (1 Kings 14:23, Hos. 3:4, 10:1-2)
    • Some scholars believe this covenant renewal became the model for an annual covenant renewal ceremony
  • Conclusion (24:29-33)
• • • Joshua died at 110 and was referred to as "the servant of the LORD" as Moses had been (1:1) - he left behind the legacy of a great leader in military and faith endeavors
    • Joseph's bones were buried in Israel to fulfill his wishes (Gen. 50:25) - the Book of Joshua ends fulfilling the end of the Book of Genesis
    • Eleazar the priest died and was buried
    • Now all the faithful leaders were dead - what would Israel do?

• The Conquest of Canaan

• The problem

• • • Two biblical versions
    • • Joshua 6-11
      • • All Israel poured into Canaan in one great wave
        • Three lightning campaigns (through the center [Josh. 7-9], to the south [Josh. 10], to the north [Josh. 11]) brought all Canaan under control
        • Conquest was quick, bloody, and complete
      • Judg 1 (cf. Josh 13:1-6)
      • • No concerted effort by all tribes - instead each tribe tried to capture its own inheritance
        • Fighting is sporadic and conquest is only partial - cities taken by Joshua (e.g., Hebron and Debir in Josh. 10:36-39) are taken in Judges solely by Judah (Judg. 1:9-15)
        • Conquest is slow, bloody, and incomplete
    • Archaeological evidence
    • • In the late 13^th century B.C.E., a major upheaval engulfed Palestine - numerous towns were destroyed and their sites inhabited by people of less-developed cultures (e.g., Debir, Lachish, Eglon, Hazor)
      • Yet other cities (e.g., Jericho, Ai, Gibeon, Hebron) either did not exist at this time or show no evidence of being destroyed
  • Three suggested solutions
• • • Gradual infiltration and conquest
    • • Israel moved from existence as nomads outside the land to existence as semi-nomads who were engaged in seasonal agriculture on the fringes of the land to existence as settled people in towns and in the country
      • There was some conflict as Israel moved into a more settled existence in the land but not the kind that Joshua led - more akin to the Judges account
      • Joshua might have been a tribal leader who was so well-known as a warrior the legends about him grew until he became the leader of all Israel
    • Major military strike with clean-up operations and treaties
    • • Tribes coming from Egypt after the exodus boosted the movement of other tribes into a more settled existence in Canaan
      • A big drive by Joshua was followed by local, long-term conflicts
      • Some territory was taken by military action, other territory by treaty
    • Social unrest and conquest
    • • A group which had escaped from Egypt inspired the poor and the outcasts in Canaan to revolt against their rulers
      • Some city-states fell by force, others by more peaceful coercion, and others not at all
  • Final thoughts
• • • Palestine at time of conquest
    • • Basically a collection of feudal city-states in which the poor people (i.e., most of the people) were heavily taxed and often drafted for war
      • Undoubtedly there would have been people of Israelite stock who along with other poor people would have welcomed liberation by the Israelite tribes
    • Conquest of the land was a very complex process
    • • Conquest included:
      • • Great military battles (Josh. 6:1-27, 8:1-29)
        • Peace treaties (Josh. 9:1-27)
        • Continued fighting by smaller groups (Judg. 1:1-36)
      • Conquest was completed by David

Artwork from the Bible Picture Library of Line Art (c) Christian Computer Art, 1994-97