Joshua

Commentary

I haven’t kept the questions for these exams, so the titles will be just covering the broad subject area.

I got a distinction for this exam answer (80%). All in all, I was pretty happy with my work on this one.

I’ll repeat my comment on my mark on all of these exam responses. I include my marks because they are an important indicator of the quality of the answer for your information. I am acutely conscious that glory is to God rather than my poor efforts – whence is wisdom after all? Praise Yahweh for his blessings and the opportunity to seek out his wisdom.

Again, note that I will reference secondary sources without a bibliography and footnotes. The simple fact is that none of this is possible in exam conditions because we don’t have access to these references or even the internet during the exam. I am quoting from memory!

Introduction

Fee and Stuart in their book “How to Read the Bible for all it’s Worth: Book by Book” state that there was no need for Joshua to have any military might or even strategy because this was Yahweh’s doing. God’s purpose was to fulfil his promise of a land and there was no necessity for Joshua to take a commanding role save to present the commands of God to the people. Hill and Walton and Fee and Stuart both
point out that the book of Joshua is the book of God’s actions. It is not a document to tell the story of Joshua or Israel as such, save as they are incidental to the narrative of how Yahweh completes this purpose. Therefore, the purpose of the book of Joshua is to narrate the story of God fulfilling his promises.

Deuteronomic Foundation

Fundamentally, it is logical that, given the declaration of God’s purposes in the book of Deuteronomy, the book of Joshua as a fulfilment of Deuteronomy has many echoes of this covenental restatement of God’s purpose. God purpose in Deuteronomy is stated in Chapter 4:1 – “So now Israel, given heed to the statutes and ordinances that I am teaching you to observe, SO THAT YOU MAY LIVE TO ENTER AND OCCUPY THE LAND that Yahweh, … is giving you.” Yahweh reiterates this to Joshua in Chapter 1:7 “Only be strong and courageous, being careful to act in accordance with the [law of Moses]” concluding with the command that Joshua’s leaders pass through the camp and that the people “take possession of the land that Yahweh your God gives you to possess” (v 10)

This is echoed in Joshua’s final speech (which echoes the final speech of Moses which Gentry and Wellum states looks forward to possession of the land whereas Joshua looks back up achieving possession). Joshua puts a choice before the people. Choose you this day whom you will follow (Josh 24:15) concluding by sending the people away to their inheritance (verse 28). The clear implication
throughout the book being that the fundamental promise that underpins the book is the promise of a land.

God Goes to War

Reading the book of Joshua, it is clear that the foundational principle of the book is that this is the work of Yahweh. Dumbrell asserts that Chapter 1:2-5 sets the summary of what is to come. This in some degree sets a perspective of divine planning. In verse 2, there is a summary of the first part of the book in the
crossing of the Jordan, in verse 3, the conquest of the land in envisaged, in verse 4, the distribution of the land to the tribes is summarised and ultimately verse 5 summarises the end of Joshua’s days.

The conquest of Jericho is God’s doing and he sets the pattern of God giving instruction, the people following in obedience and God achieving the outcome. This goes on to occur in other parts of the conquest where God destroys more with hailstones than Israel did with the sword. The glaring exception is in the conquest of Ai where Achan broke Herem by retaining some of the devoted things for himself.

The outcome of this that Israel had to see was that Achan and his family would be put to death – and all of Israel participated. The stoning of Achan and his family was an object lesson to Israel about covenant loyalty, devotion to God and obedience. Obedience would see them possess the land, eradication of the false gods of the Canaanites would enable them to maintain a relationship in obedience to God. To drive this point home in the next few chapters, on Mt Ebal and Mt Gerazim, the covenant was renewed.

Holy War

The other purpose of Joshua was to declare a holy war (as styled by Fee and Stuart) for the destruction of the false gods of Canaan. It is clear that God envisaged this from Deuteronomy and it was part of his purpose however, it is clear by the end of the book when Joshua sets the choice discussed earlier in this essay that the mere fact tthat there was a choice between Yahweh and these false gods that Israel had not prosecuted this aspect of the war to the fullest. This laid the foundation for their later failure with the sycretism of Solomon and the following kings and in many cases the outright abandonment of God for the false gods of the nations around them.

Conclusion

The purpose of Joshua is to demonstrate that the conquest of the land and its gift to the people of God is at his initiative. In Joshua 1:5, God makes this very clear: “As I was with Moses, so I will be with you: I will not fail you or forsake you” This is bookended by Joshua 24:31 “… the elders… had known all the work that Yahweh did for Israel.”