Introduction to Old Testament Studies Part 21: Deuteronomic History - Joshua

Labeled Deuteronomistic History because of its close ties to the book of Deuteronomy. And because it is believed to be edited by the Deuteronomy Historians (names unknown). Their purpose was to explain why God had caused their defeat by the Babylonians. During the time of the Exile.

Joshua

Joshua - “Yahweh saves”. Successor to Moses. Portrayed as having no character flaws

Divided up into 2 sections

1-12 conquest of the land

13-24 Apportionment of the land

Commissioning of Joshua

Joshua 1 LEB

1 After the death of Moses the servant of Yahweh, Yahweh said to Joshua son of Nun, the assistant of Moses, saying, 2 “My servant Moses is dead. Get up and cross the Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the Israelites. 3 Every place that the soles of your feet will tread, I have given it to you, as I promised to Moses. 4 From the wilderness and the Lebanon, up to the great river, the river Euphrates, all of the land of the Hittites, and up to the great sea in the west, will be your territory. 5 No one will stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so will I be with you; I will not fail you, and I will not forsake you. 6 Be strong and courageous, for you will give the people this land as an inheritance that I swore to their ancestors to give them. 7 Only be strong and very courageous to observe diligently the whole law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn aside from it, to the right or left, so that you may succeed wherever you go. 8 The scroll of this law will not depart from your mouth; you will meditate on it day and night so that you may observe diligently all that is written in it. For then you will succeed in your ways and prosper. 9 Did I not command you? Be strong and courageous! Do not fear or be dismayed, for Yahweh your God is with you wherever you go.” 10 Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying, 11 “Pass through the midst of the camp and command the people: ‘Prepare your provisions; in three days you are to cross the Jordan to go possess the land that Yahweh your God is giving you to possess.’ ” 12 To the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh Joshua said, 13 “Remember the word that Moses Yahweh’s servant commanded you, saying, ‘Yahweh your God is giving rest to you, and he is giving you this land.’ 14 Your wives, your little children, and your livestock, they will remain in the land that Moses gave to you beyond the Jordan. All of the best fighting men will cross armed in front of your families; they will help you 15 until Yahweh gives rest to your families as well as to you. They will take possession of the land that Yahweh your God is giving to them. Then you will return to your own land and take possession of it, the land that Moses the servant of Yahweh gave you beyond the Jordan to the east.” 16 And they answered Joshua, saying, “All that you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you will send us we will go. 17 Just as we obeyed Moses, so will we obey you. Only may Yahweh your God be with you, as he was with Moses. 18 Whoever rebels against your orders and does not obey your words according to what you commanded us will be put to death. Only be strong and courageous.”

Joshua 1:5 LEB

5 No one will stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so will I be with you; I will not fail you, and I will not forsake you.

God promises that no one will be able to defeat Joshua. I will never leave or forsake you

Joshua 1:8 LEB

8 The scroll of this law will not depart from your mouth; you will meditate on it day and night so that you may observe diligently all that is written in it. For then you will succeed in your ways and prosper.

Meditate on the word of God day and night and then you will be prosperous and successful. Must judge that on God’s scale not mans

Spies are sent into Jericho

Joshua 2 LEB

1 Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two men from Acacia Grove as spies, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.” So they went, and entered the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab, and spent the night there. 2 The king of Jericho was told, “Look, some men from the Israelites have come here tonight to search out the land.” 3 And the king of Jericho sent for Rahab, saying, “Bring out the men who came to you, the ones who have entered your house, for they have come to search out the whole land.” 4 But the woman took the two men and hid them. And she said, “Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from. 5 And when it was time to shut the gate for the night, the men left, and I do not know where they went. Chase after them quickly, for you may catch up to them.” 6 (But she had taken them to the roof and had hidden them in the stalks of flax that she had spread out on the roof.) 7 So the men chased after them on the way to the Jordan at the fords; and they shut the gate behind the pursuers that had gone out after them. 8 Before they went to sleep, she came up to them on the roof 9 and said to the men, “I know that Yahweh has given you the land, and that dread of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away in fear because of your presence. 10 For we have heard how Yahweh dried up the waters of the Red Sea before you when you went out from Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites that were beyond the Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. 11 We heard this, and our hearts melted, and no courage was left in anyone because of your presence. For Yahweh your God is God in the heavens above and on the earth below. 12 So then please swear to me by Yahweh, because I have shown loyalty to you, and you will also show loyalty to my family. You must give me a sign of good faith, 13 and you will spare my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all that belongs to them; you will deliver our lives from death.” 14 And the men said to her, “Our lives for yours. If you do not report this business of ours, we will show you loyalty and faithfulness when Yahweh gives us the land.” 15 Then she lowered them with a rope through the window, as her house was on the outer side of the wall, and she was residing in the wall. 16 And she said to them, “Go to the mountain, so that the pursuers will not find you, and hide yourselves there three days until the pursuers return, and afterward you may go on your way.” 17 The men said to her, “We will be released from this oath of yours that you made us swear. 18 When we come to the land, you must tie this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and you must gather your father and mother, and your brothers, and your whole family to your house. 19 If anyone goes outside the doors of your house, they will be responsible for their own death, and we will be innocent. Anyone who will be with you in the house, we will be responsible for their death if a hand is laid on them. 20 But if you report this business of ours, we will be released from your oath that you made us swear.” 21 And she said, “According to your word it will be.” Then she sent them away, and they went, and she tied the scarlet cord in the window. 22 They departed and came to the mountain, and they stayed there three days until the pursuers returned. The pursuers searched all along the way but did not find them. 23 The two men returned and went down from the mountain, and they crossed over and came to Joshua son of Nun, and they told him everything that happened to them. 24 They said to Joshua, “Surely Yahweh has given all the land into our hand; also, all the inhabitants of the land melt away in fear because of our presence.”

Jericho

Crossroad town. Town of trade. The spies go to the house of Rahab.

Rehab

She is seen as hero through much of the 1st century. She hides the spies from the officials. They promise that because she saved them that they would save her from the slaughter to come

Gilgal

Cross over the Jordan into the land of Canaan. Ark of the covenant goes out into the river. And the people are able to cross on dry ground. Becomes an important worship site because it reminds them of the crossing. Twelve stones are set up to remind the people. Serve as a teaching monument

3 major military campaigns

3 Military Campaigns

Central Campaign

Southern

Northern

Central campaign

Chapters 6-9

Jericho (6)

Attack on Ai (7-8)

Southern

Chapter 10

Defeat five king coalition

Northern

Chapter 11

Central Campaign

Jericho is the first city of Canaan chosen for attack by Joshua, because it will give the Israelites a base in the country. It has good supplies of water and food. For 6 days they walk one time around the city wall. On the 7th day they circle 7 times. on completion of the 7th time they blow their horns and shout and the walls come down. They rushed in and destroyed everything. Except Rehab and household

This is an example of Holy war

What is the Purpose of Holy War?

Genesis 6 Translation are these the descendants of the Nephalem that are to be destroyed or is this so the other religions wont spread? Is it both?

After the battle is won they curse the town to prevent its rebuilding

Ai

Because it was a holy war not allowed to keep the plunder. Achan, Kept some of the spoils. Not known to Joshua. As a result the Israelites were driven back from Ai

Joshua 7:24–26 LEB

24 Then Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan son of Zerah, the silver, the robe, the bar of gold, his sons and daughters, his cattle and donkeys, his sheep, his tent, and everything that was his, and they brought them to the valley of Achor. 25 And Joshua said, “Why did you bring us trouble? Yahweh will bring you trouble on this day.” And all Israel stoned them with stones; and they burned them with fire after they stoned them with stones. 26 Then they placed on top of him a great pile of stones that remains to this day. And Yahweh turned from his burning anger, and thus the name of that place to this day is called the valley of Achor.

Gibeonites trick the Israelites

Joshua 9 LEB

1 Now when all the kings who were beyond the Jordan in the hill country and in the Shephelah, and on all the coast of the great sea toward Lebanon—the Hittites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites—heard of this, 2 they gathered themselves together to fight with one accord against Joshua and Israel. 3 But the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua did to Jericho and Ai, 4 and they acted on their part with cunning: they went and prepared provisions, and took worn-out sacks for their donkeys and old wineskins that were torn and mended. 5 The sandals on their feet were patched and old, their clothes were old, and their food was dry and crumbled. 6 And they went to Joshua at the camp at Gilgal and said to him and to the men of Israel, “We have come from a far land; so then make a covenant with us.” 7 And the men of Israel said to the Hivites, “Perhaps you are living among us; how can we make a covenant with you?” 8 They said to Joshua, “We are your servants.” And Joshua said to them, “Who are you, and from where do you come?” 9 And they said to him, “Your servants have come from a very far land because of the name of Yahweh your God; we have heard of his reputation, of all that he did in Egypt, 10 and of all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan—to Sihon king of Heshbon and to Og king of Bashan, who was in Ashtaroth. 11 So our elders said to us and all the inhabitants of our land, ‘Take in your hand provisions for the journey, and go to meet them, and say to them, “We are your servants; so then make a covenant with us.” ’ 12 This is our bread; it was hot when we took it from our houses as provisions on the day we set out to come to you. But now, look, it is dry and crumbled. 13 These are the wineskins that we filled new, but look, they have burst; and these are our clothes and sandals that have worn out from the very long journey.” 14 So the leaders took from their provisions, but they did not ask direction from Yahweh. 15 And Joshua made peace with them, and he made a covenant with them to allow them to live happily, and the leaders of the congregation swore an oath to them. 16 And it happened that at the end of three days, after they made a covenant with them, they heard that they were their neighbors and living among them. 17 And the Israelites set out and went to their cities on the third day (their cities were Gibeon, Kephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath Jearim). 18 But the Israelites did not attack them, because the leaders of the congregation had sworn to them by Yahweh the God of Israel. And all the congregation murmured against their leaders. 19 But all the leaders of the congregation said, “We have sworn to them by Yahweh the God of Israel, and so we cannot touch them. 20 This we will do to them: we will let them live so that wrath will not be on us because of the oath we swore to them.” 21 And the leaders said to them, “Let them live.” So they became woodcutters and water carriers for all the congregation, just as the leaders had said to them. 22 And Joshua summoned them and said, “Why have you deceived us saying, ‘We are very far from you’ when you are living among us? 23 Therefore you are cursed; some of you will always be slaves as woodcutters and water carriers for the house of my God.” 24 And they answered Joshua and said, “Because it was told with certainty to your servants that Yahweh your God commanded Moses his servant to give to you all the land and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land before you, so we were very afraid for our lives because of you, and so we did this thing. 25 So then, look, we are in your hand; do with us whatever seems good and right in your eyes.” 26 So he did this to them: he saved them from the hand of the Israelites, and they did not kill them. 27 And that day Joshua made them woodcutters and water carriers for the congregation and for the altar of Yahweh, to this day, in the place that he should choose.

Gibeonites trick the Israelites into making a covenant with them and allowing the Gibeonites to join the Israelites. The Gibeonites become the servants of Israel.

Southern Campaign

5 kings of the south

God destroys the five kings

Northern Campaign

God sends another victory

Chapter 1-12 Summary

Chapter 12 Recounts the victories of Moses and Joshua

In chapters 1-12 we see that success is based on dependence and obedience of God

Follow God and be blessed, Reject God and be Cursed.

Ideal Tribal Boundaries

Chapters 13-19 - Ideal tribal boundaries

Chapter 20 - 6 cities of refuge. This was a city in which someone who was accused or guilty of manslaughter could claim asylum. Instead of being a victim of blood vengeance. Which was the idea that if someone was murdered then the family was responsible to seek justice. Since there was no police force or the like

Chapter 21 - 48 Levitical cities. Cities divided according to size of the tribes. These were cities that were divided among the tribes in which the Levites had their lands and the like from which they served the people and God. Others lived in the Cities but they belonged to the tribe of Levi.

Chapter 22 - Eastern tribes go home. Reuben, Gad, ½ of Manasseh

Chapter 23 - Joshua gives his farewell speech

Chapter 24 - Covenant ceremony at Shechem

Joshua 24:15 LEB

15 But if it is bad in your eyes to serve Yahweh, choose for yourselves today whom you want to serve, whether it is the gods that your ancestors served beyond the river, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve Yahweh.”

Key passage - This also shows that others had gathered with the Jews as they were marching from Egypt.

Ending Thoughts

Josephs bones are buried in the promise land. Carried all this time from Egypt.

As they settle in the land there is a temptation to adopt the Canaanite religion and practices. Israel will want a king, Everybody has a king, So the temptation is to be like everyone else.

Religion

Some of the practices of Baal worship was picked up

Baal - Canaanite god of the storm. Based on the cycle of the year

Baal and Anat were brother and sister, but also lovers. Baal was killed by his enemy, Mot (EL), the god of Death

Mot devoured Baal because Baal made the earth productive, his death cause vegetation to die (Dry Season)

Anat or Asherah (OT) Went looking for Baal When Mot bragged that he had killed Baal. Anat kills Mot and made chopped meat of him. She scattered the bits of his flesh on the field as food for the birds

When Mot died Baal comes back to life. Sexual union between the lovers followed and fertility returned with the rainy season.

Syncretism

Adoption of false worship

Related Media

Related Sermons