Week 1

3/2/2025

Spring 2025

  • Central Passage: Joshua 1-6, Rahab, the crossing of the Jordan River, and Jericho. 

  • Check out the Middle School Sunday School Resources page for other books of the Bible resources. Note: the Joshua handout will be available soon.

 

Introduction

The book of Joshua is the first book in the second section of the Hebrew cannon of Scripture, also known as the Nevi’im or the Prophets. Specifically, Joshua is in the Former Prophets section (more discussion on Joshua as a prophet below). The book describes the unfolding of God’s plan of salvation at a particular time in history that would prepare the way for Christ. However, the book does not prescribe for Christians under a new covenant to embark on conquests in the name of God. Remember God’s covenants guide us through His story of salvation. Joshua’s conquest fulfilled multiple covenantal promises: (1) God judged the Canaanites for their violent, wicked worship of false gods (Gen 9:6; 15:16); (2) He gave Israel the land promised to them in Abraham (Gen 12-22); and (3) obedience to Yahweh’s covenant with Moses allowed them to be successful in their conquest and enjoy the blessing of the land (cf. Josh 5:10-12).

Additionally, Joshua’s conquest is challenging to our cultural sensitivities. Though God’s just actions do not require defending, understanding the context can help us. Israel did not wage conquest against innocent people minding their own business. God patiently overlooked the wickedness of Canaan for hundreds of years (Gen 15:16). He also drove people out of the land ahead of time by putting the fear of Israel’s God into them (Exod 15:15-16; 23:28; 33:2; Num 22:3; Deut 2:25). The remaining inhabitants of Canaan knew of God’s coming judgment through Israel’s conquest of the land, but they remained in stubborn opposition to God. Last, while Israel’s conquest seems merciless to us, God gave them limitations (Deut 20).[1] They did not torture and rape war captives, unlike common pagan warfare practices. If they wanted to marry a captive woman, God commanded them to first give her time to mourn. They could not have their fun with the woman and decide to sell her into slavery (Deut 21:10-14). They also gave Canaanites opportunities to worship God and join them (more on this with Rahab). Understanding the context for the conquest can help us navigate these first six chapters of Joshua.

 

Joshua 1

Joshua 1 reads similarly to the end of Deuteronomy. God commissioned Joshua again as Israel’s leader. Though he was never explicitly referred to as a prophetic successor to Moses, he functioned as a prophet like Moses[2] (Deut 18:15-19): (1) the people received Joshua as a prophet (Josh 1:16-18); (2) he was likened to Moses (3:7); (3) He declared the word of God like Moses (3:9); (4) Israel revered him just as they did Moses (4:14); and (5) several literary parallels connect Joshua’s and Moses’ prophetic ministries (Joshua 3-4 and Exodus 14; Josh 5:13-15 and Exodus 3:5).

Joshua had other mosaic roles as Israel’s leader. His requirements were similar to the future king’s requirements (Josh 1:8; Deut 17:18-19). He also led them in battle as Moses did, being one whom God had already prepared for conquest (Num 13:16[3]; 14:6, 30; Deut 31:3, 7-8, 23). Though he is in many ways Moses’ successor, the book does not give him Moses’ “Servant of the LORD” title until Joshua 24:29. The question throughout the events of the book remains, “Will Joshua be as strong a leader as Moses?” To an extent, no (cf. Deut 34:10), but he eventually received the same title of faithfulness, demonstrating that he was next in line to prophetically lead Israel. He went from being referred to as Moses’ “assistant” to “the servant of the LORD.”

The repeated command to “be strong and courageous” is another similarity with the end of Deuteronomy (Joshua 1:6, 7, 9, 18; 10:25). Much more than just a pep talk, 1:7 intensifies the command. An alternate translation is, “Surely, be strong and exceedingly courageous. Though God gave assurance to Joshua that he would be successful in receiving the inheritance of the land, Joshua commissioned them to obedience as the required condition for taking the land.[4] Thus, Joshua qualified the command to be strong and courageous: Be strong and courageous not in terms of abstract virtue but by “being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you” (Josh 1:7).[5] Since the book has a persistently hopeful tone of obedience throughout, Joshua included the Reubenites, Gadites, and half-tribe of Manasseh in these commands, calling attention to their oath to join the rest of Israel in conquest.[6] Thus, Joshua 4:12 focuses specifically on Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh obediently crossing the Jordan. Chapter one opens with hopeful beginnings and strong exhortations.

 

Joshua 2

Joshua 2 details the sending of the two spies and the sparing of Rahab. The story raises several ethical questions for us. First, why would they send two spies if the previously recorded spy report was such a disaster (Num 13-14)? Second, was Rahab sinning when she lied to the king of Jericho? Third, were the Israelites disobedient to the commandments in Deuteronomy 7 and 20:16-18 that told Israel not to make covenants with Canaanites but to devote them to complete destruction?

First, God did not command them to send spies, nor did he condemn it. We cannot argue from silence, specifically with what God condemns, but literary clues can inform us as to why this story occurred. Continuing the book’s hopeful obedience theme, compare this with the disastrous report given by the twelve spies in Numbers 13-14. Only two spies, Joshua and Caleb, reported favorably about the conquest of the land in Numbers 13:30, and in Joshua 2, only two spies were sent to Jericho. The literary parallels focus our attention on faithful obedience and a successful conquest. Thus, in both accounts the two spies reported the opposite of the ten spies in Deuteronomy 13: “Truly the LORD has given all the land into our hands” (Josh 2:24). Another key reversal that contributes to the hopeful optimism is that instead of Isreal fearing the Canaanites, the spies reported that the Canaanites feared them (Josh 2:9, 24). The story of Joshua’s conquest reversed the curse of Numbers 14.

Second, did Rahab sin when she lied to the king of Jericho? The text does not strongly assess Rahab’s actions one way or the other, so we seem to have an ethical dilemma: is lying okay when someone’s life is in danger?[7] There are generally three schools of thought for dealing with ethical dilemmas that seem to demonstrate a conflict between God’s commandments in a given situation. (1) Conflicting Absolutism affirms that ethical dilemmas are real, and we must sometimes choose between the lesser of two evils. (2) Graded Absolutism affirms that ethical dilemmas are real, but some commandments are weightier than others. For Rahab, preserving life is more weighty than telling the truth, so she acted morally. This view also says that in an ethical dilemma, the less weighty commandment being broken is not counted as sin. There is no strong biblical case for either of these two views, especially when we consider that Jesus never faced ethical dilemmas that would have forced Him to sin (Heb 4:15), nor does Scripture grade the importance of God’s commandments. Thus, (3) Nonconflicting Absolutes denies that ethical dilemmas actually exist, for God’s commandments do not conflict. There is only an appearance of conflict due to sin, folly, and our lack of discerning other courses of action with a God’s-eye view. Proper wisdom and discernment avoid the dilemma-causing situation in the first place, and God always provides a way of escape from sin (1 Cor 10:13).[8] Thus, Rahab did not need to lie in order to protect life. In his commentary on Joshua, John Calvin said, “Those who hold what is called a dutiful lie to be altogether excusable, do not sufficiently consider how precious truth is in the sight of God.” Hebrews 11:31 and James 2:25 commend her faithful response to God, not her dishonesty.

Third, were the Israelites disobedient to the conquest commandments in Deuteronomy 7 and 20 when they made a covenant with Rahab?[9] Joshua 9 records the negative fallout of covenanting with the Gibeonites.[10] The book ominously reports in the later chapters that Canaanites remained in the land after Joshua. Judges reveals the consequences of not completely driving out the Canaanites.[11] However, the case of Rahab is different—she declared her allegiance to Yahweh. One commentator notes that her confession of faith was the crucial difference, for in it “she made herself an Israelite.”[12] She was no longer a foreign Canaanite pagan but belonged to the covenant community as a Yahweh worshipper (cf. Isa 56:6-7). She exemplified the covenant with Abraham: God will bless the nations through Abraham’s offspring.[13] Upon returning from Jericho, the crossing of the Jordan officially began the conquest.

 

Joshua 3-5

Continuing the hopeful theme of the book, Joshua “rose early” (3:1), a repeated phrase that communicates Joshua’s bold strength of resolve for completing the conquest of the Promised Land. The ensuing crossing of the sea in this passage carries rich significance of new beginnings and God’s real power over the false Canaanite gods (cf. Micah 6:5-6; Ps 66:1-6; 74:13-15; 2 Kgs 2:7-8). Though Baal slayed the god of the sea (aka River) who represented chaos ready to overwhelm creation, God alone commanded the water (just as he parted the Red Sea in Exodus 14). He alone is creation’s caretaker and Israel’s covenant Lord. For this reason, the text refers to Him as “the living God” in contrast to dead pagan gods (3:10) and the Lord of all the earth (3:13). Even though the river had overflowed to its flood stage, God controlled it (3:15). Certainly God wanted to show Israel and the Canaanites a sign of amazing things (3:15; cf. 4:24).

            Notice that the ark went before them, but the people needed to maintain their distance (cf. Ex 19:21-24). When the ark crossed into the land, so did God’s torah (which means instruction but is often translated as law). God’s torah and presence were associated with the ark that finally dwelt in the Promised Land.[14] Israel consecrated themselves, probably including ritual washing and abstaining from food and sexual activities, in preparation for the miracle. The Hebrew of 3:14-16 contains one long, drawn-out clause that focuses most of the story’s dramatic force on the miracle itself, followed by a very short clause: “And the people passed over...” Hopefully, we can catch a small glimpse of the author’s amazement at the miracle.

            After the crossing, Joshua 4:2 repeats the command partially given in 3:12 to take twelve men, elaborating that they were to choose twelve stones to make a memorial. This selection of twelve stones further connects God’s law with the Promised Land since it draws our attention back to Exodus 24:4 when Moses used twelve rocks to build an altar after receiving the covenant commandments from Mt. Sinai. However, there is a slight difference: Moses created an altar for sacrifice, but the twelve men created a memorial for future generations to remember that Yahweh is the living God of creation.

            In response, Joshua obeyed God’s command to have all the men of this second generation circumcised (Josh 5). Strangely, Moses did not have them circumcised in the wilderness, considering that God threatened him with death for not circumcising his son (Ex 4:24-26), but Joshua’s hopeful theme of obedience appears once again here. The stubborn, rebellious first generation that refused to circumcise their children died in the wilderness. This second generation entered the land faithfully and obediently, and then they put the sign of the covenant on themselves. This new generation had remained strong and courageous in obedience so far. As a result, they enjoyed Passover from the fruit of the land for the first time, and Joshua encountered God as the leader of heaven's armies who are prepared to go before them in conquest.[15]

 

Joshua 6

            The first “battle” of the conquest began at Jericho, the first city on the other side of the Jordan (and, therefore, a well-fortified city). Jericho, Ai, and Hazor were the only cities that Israel totally destroyed and burned. And instead of a military strategy, God gave them a worship ritual with explicit instructions on when to make noise, the presence of the Ark and priests, and several instructive elements involving the number seven, the number that symbolizes completeness. On the seventh day, as they completed the ritual, the conquest of Jericho was completed. Proper obedience to Yahweh completed the conquest, not military strategy (cf. Josh 1:7).[16] At this point, Joshua had already been exalted in the presence of Israel, but after Jericho, he was exalted in all the land, further weakening the resolve of the remaining rebellious Canaanites.

 

Christ-Centered Connection

Though the hopeful triumph of Joshua’s conquest gave way to the downward spiral of Judges and the future downward spiral of Israel’s kings, John seems to pay special attention to Jesus’ movement into Jerusalem preceding the events leading up to His crucifixion and resurrection. In John 10:40, Jesus departed from Jerusalem to the other side of the Jordan, where John had been baptizing in the wilderness. There were two towns called Bethany in that day. Bethany (1) was near where John the Baptist was baptizing on the western side of the Jordan River. Bethany (2) was on the western side of the Jordan River near Jerusalem. Jesus first went to Bethany (1) in John 10:40 but then traveled to Bethany (2) in John 11 where Lazarus, Mary, and Martha were. Interestingly, this is the same route that Joshua took into the Promised Land. Jesus crossed the Jordan as the prophet like Moses (greater than Joshua and Moses) to enter into the Promised Land one final time. After healing Lazarus, He would be crucified, buried, and raised on the third day, which effectively began a new Exodus from slavery to sin. Though Israel’s conquest did not result in lasting peace in God’s presence, Jesus’ conquest of this fallen world will end in everlasting peace in His presence.

 

[1] God condescends to people in their culture. For Israel, His commandments gave some concession to ancient cultural practices that seem barbaric to us, but He also gave limitations that elevated Israel’s ethical standards above their pagan neighbors.The Old Covenant law is also not God’s final standard for ethics; His New Covenant is our higher standard. Paul Copan’s Is God a Moral Monster? Making Sense of the Old Testament God does an excellent job with these matters.

 

[2] See last week’s discussion on Deuteronomy 34 for more on the prophet like Moses.

[3] Moses also changed his name from Hoshea, meaning salvation, to Joshua, meaning Yahweh saves. Joshua is the same name for Jesus in Greek (Iēsous/Ἰησοῦς). Num 13:16 indicates that this name change happened at some point, though not necessarily at that time.

 

[4] See Acts 27:22-25 and Acts 27:31. In this story, Paul prophesied to his traveling companions on the ship that they would not die in the storm, but he also said, “Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved.” Instead of contradicting himself, Paul’s stern warning in 27:31 produced a response in them that became the means for their guaranteed survival. Similarly, God promises to preserve the salvation of His people, but Christians heed the stern warnings against abandoning the faith in passages such as Hebrews 6 that function as the means of our preservation.

 

[5] One could conclude that when Israel disobeyed, God turned the tables and strengthened their enemies instead (Judges 3:12).

 

[6] Numbers 32 records the story of Reuben, Gad, and half tribe of Manasseh settling in the land on the east of the Jordan. Moses at first condemned their request as being similar to the first generation’s rebellion at Kadesh-Barnea in Numbers 13-14, but he then forced them to swear a solemn oath that they would help in the conquest without returning home until everyone had come into their inheritance.

[7] A similar ethical dilemma can be found in Exodus 1:19-22 concerning the Hebrew midwives [humorously] lying to Pharaoh and being commended for their faithfulness, though their lying is never commended.

 

[8] The Israelite spies seemed to have put Rahab in this situation because they were discovered very shortly after entering the city. Though the text is silent, it causes me to question how wise they were in their endeavor from the beginning. The further into sin and folly we stumble, the more real ethical dilemmas appear, and the more difficult it is for us to discern a course of action that avoids sin.

 

[9] Though Rahab did not use the word “covenant,” she used the Hebrew word that is often translated as “steadfast love” (or chesed/חֶסֶד) that the ESV translates as dealing “kindly” with her. This is a word of covenantal lovingkindness.

 

[10] Note that the Israelites faced an apparent ethical dilemma in this story because of their sinful covenanting.

 

[11] The book is mostly silent on the issue, but Josh 6:17-18 seems to indicate that God permitted the spies to spare Rahab since the rest of the city was devoted to destruction with a warning to keep away from her and her household.

 

[12] David M. Howard, Joshua: An Exegetical and Theological Exposition of Holy Scripture, The New American Commentary (Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 1998), 106.

 

[13] Due to my own cynicism, I’m tempted to ask why Rahab would have betrayed her people. Perhaps we could blame her political unrest due to being a prostitute (likely due to poverty or debt). But the inspired Scripture reveals that her reason was because she feared Yahweh (Josh 2:9-13).

 

[14] In Genesis 2, God’s presence in the Garden of Eden and His planting of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was the first time God’s law and presence resided in His land. In Joshua, the ark that contained the law would be the next time that God’s law and presence resided in His land.

 

[15] Hebrew does not often simply say the word, “No” in response to a question. Hebrew speakers’ primary negation tool is to restate the question negatively. For instance, if Kayleigh asks me, “Will you take the trash out?” and I foolishly wish to respond negatively, I would say, “I will not take the trash out.” However, in Joshua 5:14, God’s response to Joshua’s question did begin with a simple negative particle that is translated as “No.” This is infrequent, and His answer revealed that neither of Joshua’s options were correct. Though God’s armies would fight for them, they were not subservient to Joshua as their leader. They are under God’s control.

 

[16] Joshua made an oath that Jericho will never again be rebuilt (Josh 6:26). Though the land remained and people sojourned in the ruined city on occasion (Josh 18:21; Judges 3:13; 2 Sam 10:5), no one attempted to rebuild it until Hiel’s attempt that had disastrous results in 1 Kings 16:34. Jericho’s destruction and Joshua’s curse on the city comes from Deuteronomy 13:12-16, which commands Israel to completely destroy the cities of wicked men who cause Israel to worship other gods.

Sources

Howard, David M. Joshua: An Exegetical and Theological Exposition of Holy Scripture. The New American Commentary. Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 1998.

McConville, J. Gordon and Stephen N. Williams. Joshua. The Two Horizons Old Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2010.