Joshua 22-24

1. Eastern Tribes Return Home
In this passage, Joshua blesses the tribes who will dwell on the eastern side of the Jordan River - the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh.  Now as these tribes return to their homes, they build an altar that spurs the rest of Israel to prepare for war against them.  Phinehas (the son of Eleazar) and ten tribal leaders - one for each of the "western tribes" - meet the "eastern tribes" in order to forestall a civil war; it turns out that a great misunderstanding has occurred, and so no blood is spilled.

This is a rather bizarre story; it does illustrate the importance of communication.  Perhaps the eastern tribes should have informed the western tribes of their plans before they built their altar (to serve as a memorial for future generations).  This story also illustrates the zeal for the Lord that prevailed in Israel at that time; any perceived affront to His glory and honor would be immediately addressed in the appropriate fashion - with war being an option.

2. Joshua's Farewell to the Leaders
In this passage, Joshua reminds the leaders of Israel of the Lord's providence in bringing them to their present inheritance.  He exhorts them to hold fast to the Lord and to His Law.  He also assures them that if they turn away from the Lord and intermarry/associate with other nations, the Lord will punish them - via these other nations.

I wonder if the people of Israel were feeling rather complacent after the allocation of the Promised Land; if so, this speech by Joshua was designed to wake them from their stupor and help them focus on God and His covenant with them.

3. The Covenant Renewed at Shechem
In this passage, Joshua reminds the Israelites of all that the Lord had done for them, starting from the time of Abraham.  Given the Lord's providence in bringing Israel to the Promised Land, Joshua challenges them regarding their ultimate loyalties.  The people respond by declaring their allegiance to God, and they refuse to change their minds after Joshua hints at their inability to fulfill their vows to Him.  Thus, Joshua renews the covenant between Israel and the Lord; he commemorates the occasion by placing a stone under an oak tree.

This story implies that the Israelites were experiencing a "spiritual high" after the allocation of the Promised Land.  Perhaps they should have listened carefully to Joshua's hint in verses 19-20 that they would be unable to fulfill their vows to the Lord.  Yet they were probably so ensnared by their spiritual high that they repeatedly declared their devotion to God.

4. Buried in the Promised Land
In this passage, it is noted that Joshua passes away at the age of 110.  Israel continues to serve the Lord faithfully during Joshua's lifetime and that of the elders who outlive him.  Joseph's bones, which had been transported by Israel during their years of wandering in the desert - are buried at Shechem.  Eleazar, the high priest, also passes away.

This is a very natural way to conclude the book of Joshua.  The leaders - both military and spiritual - of Israel have now passed on, and the onus is on Israel to remain faithful to the Lord in their absence.  Of course, the book of Judges will reveal how they did...

Joshua 19-21

1. Allotment for Simeon
In this passage, the Lord allots land for the tribe of Simeon.  It is noted that their allotment lies within the allotment of the tribe of Judah.  In verse 9 we see that "Judah's portion was more than they needed.  So the Simeonites received their inheritance within the territory of Judah."

This allotment essentially fulfills Jacob's curse on Simeon in Genesis 49:7.

2. Allotment for Zebulun
In this passage, the Lord allots land for the tribe of Zebulun.  Their allotment includes the town of Rimmon.

3. Allotment for Issachar
In this passage, the Lord allots land for the tribe of Issachar.  Their allotment includes the town of Jezreel.

4. Allotment for Asher
In this passage, the Lord allots land for the tribe of Asher.  Their allotment includes the city of Tyre.


5. Allotment for Naphtali
In this passage, the Lord allots land for the tribe of Naphtali.  Their allotment includes the city of Kedesh.


6. Allotment for Dan
In this passage, the Lord allots land for the tribe of Dan.  In verse 47 we see that the Danites had trouble conquering their assigned territory, so they ended up attacking Leshem and conquering it.

I'm assuming that the Danites' difficulties in terms of conquering their assigned territory stemmed from their lack of faith and trust in the Lord.  As I've noted in previous posts, I would have been quite fearful if I had been a Danite at that time - war is not something to be taken lightly.  Also, did the Lord actually condone their attacking and conquering Leshem?  The passage doesn't provide an explicit indication of His reaction to their change of plans.


7. Allotment for Joshua
In this passage, Israel fulfills the Lord's command that they give Joshua the town of Timnath Serah in the hill country of Ephraim.  This concludes the division of the Promised Land for Israel.

Now I cannot recall the reason why Joshua chose the town of Timnath Serah as his inheritance.  If any readers can shed some light on this, that would be neat.

8. Cities of Refuge
In this passage, the Lord designates six "cities of refuge" in Israel.  The function of these cities can be described as follows: assume that Person A kills Person B by accident.  Person A can flee to one of these cities and be protected from the avenger of blood, who is typically the closest male relative of Person B.  After a trial occurs, Person A is ostensibly pardoned; he must then remain in that city until the high priest at the time has passed away.  Person A is then free to return to his hometown.

This is a rather interesting passage and it raised some (probably fanciful) questions.  Were there instances in the Old Testament period when Person A killed Person B by accident, yet Person A was caught and killed by the avenger of blood before he reached a city of refuge?  Why did Person A need to wait for the death of the high priest at that time before leaving a city of refuge?  Were there cases where Person A was pardoned,  left a city of refuge too early and was then killed by the avenger of blood?


9. Towns for the Levites
In this passage, the Israelites give the Levites several towns - and pasturelands - out of their inheritance.  In particular, the allotment for the Levites is divided among the 1) Kohathites who are descendants of Aaron, 2) all other Kohathites, 3) Gershonites and 4) Merarites.  In verse 43, we see that this passage concludes the allotment of the Promised Land for Israel; the Lord has defeated all of their enemies and given them peace - fulfilling all of His promises to them.

It is interesting to note that all six of the cities of refuge from the previous passage are given to the Levites.  Does this have some correlation with the "death of the high priest" stipulation as noted above?  Also, it should be stressed that this passage is the culmination of the second part of God's three-fold promise to Abraham in Genesis 15 - his descendants have taken possession of the Promised Land.  Of course, their sinfulness will prevent them from holding on to it...

Joshua 16-18

1. Allotment for Ephraim and Manasseh
In this passage, the Lord allots land for the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh - here, land is provided for that subset of Manasseh not on the east side of the Jordan. It is noted that Zelophehad, a descendant of Makir son of Manasseh, only had daughters - and no sons; yet his daughters are given an inheritance, fulfilling the promises of the Lord through Moses in Numbers 27 and 36. It is also noted that Ephraim and Manasseh feared the Perizzites and Rephaites, as they possessed iron chariots.

Reviewing the history of warfare - in particular, the evolution of weaponry - provides a sound basis for Israel's fear of the iron chariots that belonged to the inhabitants of the Promised Land. Iron chariots assuredly belong to the class of transformational weapons that includes the longbow, the Gatling gun and the cruise missile. While the Israelites were woefully inadequate in terms of technological nous, the Lord used this shortcoming to compel them to depend on Him for their military successes.

2. Division of the Rest of the Land
In this passage, Joshua chastises the remaining seven tribes for not dividing up the rest of the Promised Land and taking possession of their inheritance. He has each of these tribes select three men to survey the land; based on the results of these surveys, the land will be divided into seven parts, and lots will be cast for each part. The lots are to be cast at Shiloh in the presence of the Lord, as Shiloh is the site of the Tent of Meeting.

Again, it is (depressingly) simple to understand why the remaining seven tribes failed to obey the Lord and claim their inheritance. Going forth and slaying all of the inhabitants of the Promised Land must have been a frightening, stomach-churning proposition for the Israelites. Someday I hope to ask God why the Canaanites were beyond redemption and obtain an answer of some sort from Him...

3. Allotment for Benjamin
In this passage, the first lot is cast at Shiloh, and it comes up for Benjamin. They receive land between Judah and Ephraim; their inheritance happens to include important cities such as Jerusalem, Jericho and Bethel.

Clearly the Lord had designed to bless the tribe of Benjamin in abundance, which reminds me of the favor that Jacob showed Benjamin - as one of the sons of his beloved wife Rachel. The territory that Benjamin inherited was rather compact, yet - according to Deuteronomy 33:12 - one could say that it was closest to God's heart. It should be noted that Benjamin plays a rather significant role in the New Testament, as the apostle Paul was a Benjamite.

Joshua 13-15

1. Land Still to Be Taken
In this passage, the Lord tells Joshua that the Israelites have not fully obeyed His commands; in particular, they have not conquered the land of the Philistines to the south, and they have not conquered the land of the Sidonians to the north. Now the Lord does promise Joshua that He will drive the Sidonians from their land.

I can understand why the Israelites failed to fully obey the Lord's command for them to completely destroy the inhabitants of the Promised Land. If I were an Israelite at that time, my stomach would have churned at the prospect of having to slay pregnant women, infants, and the elderly. Why the Lord determined that the inhabitants of the Promised Land were beyond redemption is an issue that Christians continue to wrestle with.

2. Division of the Land East of the Jordan
In this passage, the land east of the Jordan is divided among the half-tribe of Manasseh, the tribe of Reuben and the tribe of Gad. Manasseh received a fairly large portion of land that included the former kingdom of Og in Bashan. As for the land that formerly belonged to Sihon king of Heshbon, it was divided between Reuben and Gad. It is noted that Levi did not receive an inheritance.

I wonder if the decision by these tribes to separate themselves from the rest of the Israelites caused friction within Israel. Did the members of these tribes feel a strong bond with the other tribes, or did enmity occasionally bubble to the surface?

3. Division of the Land West of the Jordan
In this passage, it is noted that the Levites were allowed to live in towns; they were also given pasturelands for their flocks and herds. Also, the inheritance of the other nine-and-a-half tribes was determined by casting lots.

4. Hebron Given to Caleb
In this passage, it is noted that Caleb, son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite, asked Joshua for the land that the Lord had promised him for his faithfulness 45 years before the writing of this book. Joshua then gave Caleb Hebron as his inheritance.

I definitely enjoyed reading the account of Caleb's acquisition of Hebron - for the obvious reasons. Even though he was 85, he was still raring to drive the Anakites from Hebron and fully claim his inheritance. It is amazing that he still possessed a fighting spirit in his old age - and that he trusted the Lord to carry out the promise that He made 45 years ago.

5. Allotment for Judah
This passage meticulously describes the inheritance of the tribe of Judah. It contains a complete list of the towns that they received - which happened to be in the Negev, the western foothills, the hill country and the desert. It is also noted that Judah could not dislodge the Jebusites from Jerusalem, and so they co-existed at that time. In addition, it is noted that Caleb gave his daughter Acsah in marriage to Othniel son of Kenaz, his brother - since Othniel had captured Kiriath Sepher.

The account of Caleb in this passage was rather humbling, as it appears - based on the note in the sidebar in my NIV Study Bible - that the land that he gave to Acsah and Othniel lacked a source of water. I suppose that we are all forgetful and overlook key details every now and then...

Joshua 10-12

1. The Sun Stands Still
This passage describes the victory that Israel achieved over five Amorite kings. In particular, Adoni-Zedek, who was the king of Jerusalem, gathered the kings of Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish and Eglon to attack Gibeon after hearing about Israel's destruction of Ai and their peace treaty with Gibeon. The Gibeonites urgently requested Joshua's assistance, and he agreed to help them. The Lord then enabled Israel to achieve a great victory over the Amorite kings; during that battle, the Lord miraculously increased the hours of daylight and used large hailstones to destroy the Amorite forces.

Being assailed by large hailstones sounds terrifying. In fact, it is noted in Joshua 10:11 that hailstones accounted for more Amorite deaths than the swords of the Israelites. Not only does this highlight the Lord's role in Israel's victory, but it shows His power over nature.

2. Five Amorite Kings Killed
In this passage, the five Amorite kings from the previous passage fled to a cave at Makkedah. Unfortunately for them, the Israelites tracked them down, trapped them in that cave and destroyed their forces. The Israelites returned to the cave and brought out the five kings; Joshua had his army commanders stand on their necks, and then he killed them. After that, Joshua hung the kings' bodies on trees and then tossed them into the cave. After blocking up the cave entrance with large rocks, Joshua caused Makkedah to suffer the same fate that befell Jericho.

This passage further highlights the brutality of war in ancient times. It is evident that opposing the Lord had very nasty consequences.

3. Southern Cities Conquered
In this passage, Joshua and the Israelites laid waste to the southern part of Canaan. They defeated the cities of Libnah, Lachish, Eglon, Hebron and Debir; they also defeated the king of Gezer and his forces when he attempted to rescue Lachish.

While reading this passage I thought about the costs that Israel suffered - or didn't suffer - over the course of this campaign. Were any Israelites killed in these battles, or did the Lord miraculously preserve them from harm? Did the fact that the Lord fought for Israel in these instances imply that the Israelites were never injured, or did casualties actually occur?

4. Northern Kings Defeated
This passage describes the victories that Israel achieved over the northern cities of Canaan. Jabin, who was the king of Hazor, gathered several kings and formed a vast army with horses and chariots. This large host prepared to fight against Israel, yet the Lord told Joshua that He would give them the victory. Indeed, Israel defeated their enemies, hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots. Israel then laid waste to most of the northern part of Canaan, though they did leave Anakites alive in Gaza, Gath and Ashdod.

It is interesting that Israel did not completely destroy the Anakites, which essentially led to their future conflicts with the Philistines. This issue was raised in my NIV Study Bible, and it was noted there that the Israelites were probably weary of war after conquering the northern part of Canaan; thus, they would have refrained from wiping out the Anakites. Perhaps Israel did suffer losses during their battles, even though the Lord fought for them?

5. List of Defeated Kings
This passage lists all of the kings who Israel defeated as they entered the Promised Land, including Sihon king of the Amorites, Og king of Bashan, and thirty-one other kings. It is reiterated that Moses gave the land east of the Jordan River to the tribes of Reuben, Gad and Manasseh.

This passage is essentially a long trophy list, and I was intimidated as I read through it.

Joshua 7-9

1. Achan's Sin
This passage focuses on the misdeeds of Achan, who disobeyed the Lord's command in Joshua 6:17-19. In particular, he took a Babylonian robe, about five pounds of silver and about 1.25 pounds of gold from Jericho when Israel conquered it. His sin led to the Israelites' defeat by Ai when they attempted to conquer that city. The subsequent outpouring of grief by the Israelites set the stage for God's revelation of Achan's deception. Achan, his family and all of his possessions were then destroyed by Israel.

While reading this passage, I could sense the rising tension that must have pervaded the Israelite camp while God methodically searched for the person who had caused their defeat by Ai. I do wonder why Achan failed to reveal himself immediately, given that God would inevitably reveal his sin.

2. Ai Destroyed
After rectifying the misdeeds of Achan, the Lord enabled Israel to achieve a great victory over Ai. The key aspect of this victory was an ambush that Israel set behind Ai; after the ambush was set, Joshua lured the fighting men of Ai away from the city by massing the bulk of his forces in front of it and then ordering this main body to retreat. When the men of Ai pursued the retreating Israelites, the ambushing force set fire to Ai. This led to the total destruction of Ai and its troops. The king of Ai was killed and hung from a tree (or impaled).

I must admit that being impaled sounds quite horrid. Now it is possible that the king of Ai was killed before he was either hung or impaled, yet it is evident that war was brutal even in ancient times.

3. The Covenant Renewed at Mount Ebal
After Israel had achieved a great victory over Ai, Joshua built an altar to the Lord on Mount Ebal. He assembled all Israel and had half of the people stand in front of Mount Gerizim, while the other half stood in front of Mount Ebal. He then read the entire Law of the Lord to the people while they faced the ark of the covenant that was being carried by the priests.

My thought is that this was an appropriate time for Israel to renew its covenant with the Lord. They had just seen the consequences of disobeying Him (defeat by Ai after Achan's sin) and the benefits of obedience (victory over Ai).

4. The Gibeonite Deception
Israel's victories over Ai and Jericho spurred the people of Gibeon to make a peace treaty with them. The Gibeonites knew that Israel would attempt to destroy all of their neighbors, so they resorted to deceiving the Israelites into thinking that they hailed from a distant land (mainly by how they presented themselves to Israel). Somehow Israel failed to ask the Lord for guidance in this regard, and they ratified a peace treaty with the Gibeonites. Their deception was then uncovered, yet Israel honored its treaty and subjugated the Gibeonites instead of destroying them.

After renewing their covenant with the Lord, one would think that Israel would immediately ask Him for guidance when they encountered the Gibeonites. Their actions highlight man's inherent sinfulness.

Joshua 4-6

This passage begins with the rather inspiring conclusion of Israel's crossing of the Jordan River. Here, the Lord instructs Joshua to select one man from each of the twelve tribes; each of these men must take a stone from the middle of the Jordan where the priests have been standing with the ark of the covenant. After they take the stones and cross the Jordan, the priests also cross the Jordan with the ark; the Lord then returns the river to its normal state. Israel camps at Gilgal, which is east of Jericho, and Joshua sets up the stones from the middle of the Jordan; this monument will serve as a reminder for future generations of the Lord's faithfulness.

1. Circumcision at Gilgal
The Lord commands Joshua to make flint knives and circumcise the Israelites. Apparently the current generation had not been circumcised during their time in the desert; this may have stemmed from the spiritual apathy of the previous generation, though this is unclear. After Joshua performs this mass circumcision, Israel celebrates the Passover by gathering food from the Promised Land; it should be noted that the Lord stopped providing manna for them at this time, as they now had no need for it.

2. The Fall of Jericho
The Lord then commands Joshua to lay siege to Jericho. For each of the next six days, the armed men of Israel are to march once around the city walls; during this daily march they are to be followed by seven priests blowing shofars. These priests are to be followed by other priests who are carrying the ark of the covenant, and the latter group of priests are to be followed by a rear guard. On the seventh day this march is to be performed seven times, and then the priests with the shofars are to signal the people of Israel with a long blast; the people will then give a loud shout and the Lord will knock down the walls of Jericho, setting the stage for Israel's devastation of the city and its inhabitants. All of these events then occur as prescribed by the Lord.

While reading this familiar section I came across the following tidbits:

• This question was actually raised in my NIV Study Bible: was the Sabbath ignored during war? This is something that I had completely overlooked during my previous strolls through Joshua; I'm not sure why the Sabbath was not observed in the usual manner at that time.


• In 6:23, we see that Rahab and her family were placed outside the camp of Israel after the sacking of Jericho. This shows that God's decrees regarding the purity of the Israelite camp were being observed, as none of Rahab's family members were Israelites; they would have been classified as aliens.


• In 6:26, we see that the Lord placed a curse on the unfortunate soul who would attempt to rebuild Jericho. In particular, it turns out that this curse was fulfilled over 500 years later in 1 Kings 16:34.