A New Believer's Bible Commentary: Joshua - Job

By Dr. Judy Barrett

A New Believer's Bible Commentary: Joshua - Job is an easy-to-read commentary designed to explain the text so that everyone might understand. In Joshua - Job the history of Israel is discussed. While Israel is unique in many ways, people are still acting like 'people' and there is much we can learn from them. It is my hope to make the teachings of scripture clear, so that all may learn and apply these teachings to their own lives. You may be surprised how much kings and a few queens (Esther and Athalia) behave like people you know today!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Oct 29, 2012
• ISBN: 9781300354192

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A New Believer's Bible Commentary: Joshua - Job

A New Believer’s Bible Commentary: Joshua-Job

By Dr. Judy Barrett

Cover photo by Matija Barrett

Copyright © 2012 Dr. Judy Barrett (all rights reserved)

ISBN #978-1-300-35419-2

Introduction

This book was written to help those who did not grow up in the church ‘catch-up.’ It is an easy-to-read commentary designed to cover what one should have learned in Sunday School and make the Bible a bit more easy to understand. It is not a major theological tome. Instead it is a down-to-earth guide to help simplify some of the harder to understand sections of the Bible.

So, if you came to Christ as an adult, or merely slept through most of your church school classes and/or decided the main purpose of youth group was to meet members of the opposite sex, this book is for you.

Will you agree with everything in it? No. If you haven't noticed there are more than a few different denominations, and there are sections of the Bible where they disagree. I am a female Pentecostal. Luckily the sections that talk about women in ministry and the gifts of the Holy Spirit are relatively short. Ask your pastor for information on why your denomination believes what they believe. Reading differing views causes you to more fully examine your beliefs. Not a bad thing. And, you have just talked theology with your pastor. Getting used to asking a real, live human being who has studied their Bible questions will also help you grow in Christ. Also not a bad thing. So, whether you use this as a learning tool, or a tool to examine your Bible and prove why I am wrong, you now understand why you believe what you do better, and that is an accomplishment.

That being said, I hope you enjoy what I have written. I worked hard on it, and gained a bit of weight doing it, since typing on the treadmill was a bit too much for me to handle. (Ecclesiastes 12:12b- 'much study is a weariness to the flesh' -bet you didn’t know that was in there!)

Read well, and pass it on and make my sacrifice worth something, okay?

Blessings,

Dr. Judy Barrett

Joshua

The book of Joshua is a record of the events that occur when the Israelites finally cross over into the Promised Land. It begins where the book of Deuteronomy leaves off and is written by Moses' successor, Joshua, who presumably also writes the last accounts in Deuteronomy concerning Moses' death.

Joshua 1

The book begins with God telling Joshua that He will be with him like He was with Moses. The people are now to go into the Promised Land, and God reviews the boundaries of the land He is giving to them. God also reminds Joshua to be ‘strong and courageous,’ (3 times, with one ‘very courageous’) as well as to obey all of His commands. He also reminds him not to be terrified or discouraged (technically a fourth ‘be strong and courageous’) because God will be with Him.

Point to Ponder: God tells the Israelites to be ‘strong and courageous’ a lot. When you combine it with all of the times He says ‘do not fear’ and to ‘trust and obey’ we really begin to see how God wants us to approach life. There are also a lot of times we are told to ‘rejoice!’ Now, this does not mean that we deny the times that are truly painful, even Jesus wept, but for the most part a Christian attitude is to be confident, secure, peaceful and happy, because we know that our God is not only powerful, but with us through it all!

The message is then relayed throughout the camp to get ready, because they are going into the Promised Land in three days. The Reubenites, Gadites and half-tribe of Manasseh are reminded that all of their fighting men must cross over and help too. They respond that they will obey God, and promise to obey Joshua fully, like they did Moses. They remind Joshua to be ‘strong and courageous.’ (There’s a fifth!)

Joshua 2

Joshua then sends two spies to scout the land, especially Jericho. (I know this is standard military procedure, but after what happened the last time, would you have sent them?)

The king of Jericho discovers that there are Israelite spies at Rahab’s house and wants them brought to him. She hides the spies on her roof under some stalks of flax and tells the king that the men left the city at dusk, so the king sends men out to find them.

Rahab then goes to the spies and tells them that she knows the Lord has given them the land, and that the people here have heard of the miracle of the Red Sea parting, as well as of the other kingdoms that were destroyed and are very scared. (The opposite of strong and courageous.) She then asks for kindness to be shown to her and her relatives. The spies then reply ‘our lives for your lives’ and promise that if she does not tell anyone what they are doing they will treat her and her family kindly. She lets them out of the city by a rope from her window. (Her house is built against the city wall.) They then tell her to have the scarlet rope hanging from the window when they enter the land, and that any family members she wishes to keep safe must stay in her house. Anyone who leaves the house will not be protected. She tells them to go to the hills, stay three days and then return to their people. (Apparently she knows how her military operates when searching for people.) The spies do as she says, then return to Joshua and tell him that the Lord has surely given them the land for the people are very afraid.

FYI: Although Rahab does not know it yet, one of the spies (Salmon) is her future husband. She will be the mother of Boaz who marries Ruth. Ruth and Boaz have Obed, who has Jesse who is the father of King David. Although we often talk about the problems with living under the law, even under the law there is forgiveness for sins. Rahab, a prostitute living in a land God said to totally destroy, becomes an ancestor of the Messiah. Because of her faith, Rahab is no longer a pagan prostitute, destined for destruction, but a child of God, perfectly welcome to marry a Jewish man and be blessed by God. Her past has been erased. She is not what she once was, nor does God ever give any indication that she is anything but one of His people in His dealings with her.

Joshua 3

The people are now ready to cross over into the Promised Land. The Ark of the Covenant will cross first. The people are to remain 1,000 yards behind it. The priests are to carry the ark. When they get to the river, they are to stand in the middle of it. One man from each tribe is to go with the ark as well. When they walk into the river, the waters will pile up in a heap. This is how the Israelites will know that God is with them. (By the way, we are told that the Jordan River is at flood stage right now.)

Point to Ponder: Sometimes you walk on the water like Peter and, sometimes God tells you to walk into it… The point is, listen to God and do what He says to do today! Don’t just try to find patterns that were meant for other people and copy them. If you try to walk into the Jordan, or on the Sea in Galilee today, with no indication from God, you will likely drown. Follow God and you will be fine.

We are then told that as soon as the priests’ toes touched the edge of the river the water piled up; the priests remained in the middle with the ark as all of Israel walked across on dry ground.

FYI: God parts rivers 4 times in the Bible: the Red Sea once, and the Jordan three times, once here, once for Elijah and once for Elisha just after Elijah is taken up to heaven. (2 Kings 2:8,14)

Joshua 4

After all of Israel crossed over they are told to choose 12 men, one from each tribe. Each one is to get a stone from the center of the river and use it to make a memorial beside the river so that future generations will remember where they crossed. After they finished, Joshua commanded the priests to bring the ark to the shore and the waters flowed again. About 40,000 men were armed for battle (ready to fight) when they came over. This occurred on the tenth day of the first month of that year.

Joshua 5

The kings across the Jordan hear about the Israelites crossing the river and they are scared. (These kings include the Amorite kings west of the Jordan. Only the Amorites east of the Jordan were destroyed prior to this.)

So the Israelites are across the Jordan, in the presence of the people they considered enemies, and God commands them to be circumcised. (Apparently the Israelites had not been circumcising their males in the desert…)

FYI: Circumcision typically leaves a man in significant pain for at least 3 days, according to scripture. Some of these men came over prepared for battle, thinking that they were going immediately into action. Instead God had them incapacitated, in the camp, in full view, and reach, of their enemies.

On the 14th day of the month they celebrate Passover. At Passover they eat the first of the ‘fruit’ of the Promised Land, and no more manna is found.

Joshua then sees a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword. Joshua asks if he is for Israel, or for their enemies. The man says, ‘neither.’ Joshua then drops to the ground in reverence, and the man tells him to take off his sandals for the ground he is on is holy.

FYI: Since the man accepts worship, this is likely an Old Testament visit from Jesus. (God, in human form.)

Point to Ponder: Notice that the man says that he is for neither side. God is just, not partial. While He may show mercy or give someone an undeserved blessing He does not punish your enemies just because He likes you better. The ‘enemies’ must deserve to be punished. Read more about the pagan cultures that exist during this time. The style of child sacrifice and senseless violence will astound you.

Joshua 6

Now Jericho has tightly shut up their city. No one is allowed to go in or out. God then tells Joshua to march around the city with all of the armed men. The priests and the ark are to go in front. The priests are to carry trumpets. (7 priests with 7 trumpets) They are told to march around the city once each day for six days. On the seventh day they are to march around the city seven times. (This will tire them out! Not the optimal way to prepare for battle…) The priests are to be sounding the trumpets and when the people hear the long trumpet blast they are to shout. When they shout the walls are to fall down and the men can go in. They are not to make a sound on any day until they are given the command to shout. They are to spare Rahab and her household. They are not to touch the pagan ‘sacred’ items, and all of the gold, silver, bronze and iron goes into the Lord’s treasury.

FYI: Taking priests into battle is not unusual during this time. They are used in pagan cultures to consult the gods. Trumpets are also not unusual as they are used for signaling the troops.

The spies go into Rahab’s home and bring her, her parents, and her brothers out. They put them in a place outside the Israelite camp. We are then told that Rahab lived among the Israelites at the time of this writing.

Joshua then places a curse on anyone who tries to rebuild Jericho. His oldest and youngest son will die.

FYI: Jericho was resettled but the wall was not rebuilt until King Ahab’s time. The man who rebuilt the wall, Hiel, did indeed lose two sons. Some people believe that he offered them as a sacrifice, while others think it was a plague, or an accident. During the time of King Ahab though, pagan sacrifices were back in Israel. It was not uncommon for a pagan worshipper to offer his first born to his god, and/or sacrifice his youngest child to ‘bless’ a building project and bury the child in the foundation, perhaps alive. (Urns with children’s skeletons in them have been found in ancient foundations…) This curse may not be something that happens because God smote the children, but may instead be an indication of the religious state of Israel during the time Jericho will be rebuilt.

Joshua 7

So, they are reminded that they are not supposed to have taken any of the ‘devoted things’ from Jericho. (Things devoted, i.e. given, to idols, tend to be made of gold or silver, so they are also worth money.) Achan, of the tribe of Judah, does not obey and God is angry.

Joshua sends spies to Ai. The spies return. They seem to think that Ai will be easy to take, and, so they do not to ‘weary’ (tire out) all of the men, they recommend only sending 3,000. The 3,000 however, are easily defeated by the men of Ai. 36 of them die and the Israelites become scared.

Joshua tears his clothes, and he, and the elders pray in front of the altar with dust sprinkled on their heads. (Tearing your clothes, and sprinkling dust on your head is a typical way to show remorse during this time.)

The Israelites however, do just what they did all throughout the desert. They complain. This time their complaint is not why did God take them out of Egypt to be destroyed, but now, why did God take them across the Jordan to be destroyed. Instead of saying they were ‘content’ in Egypt, (Which was a lie. They were crying out for God to save them from slavery.) They are now saying that they wish that they had been ‘content’ in the desert. (Which is another lie. They didn’t like the desert and complained a lot there too.)

Point to Ponder: Most of the Israelites complaints are based on fear. Even though where they lived before (Egypt and the desert) was obviously less than optimal, they now wish to go back. Why? Because when you look backwards you know what you were dealing with. You don’t think about the potential dangers of the future, or how afraid you were at the time, but only that everything that happened in the past were things that you obviously handled and lived through. This type of thinking makes where you were seem ‘safe,’ even when it isn’t. We do this as humans, but it is dumb. Whenever possible try not to ‘romanticize’ the past and be willing to go where God tells you to go.

God then tells Joshua that Israel has violated His covenant. They have taken some ‘devoted’ things, and by doing so have stolen (all of the gold etc belonged to God) and lied about it. It is the Israelites’ sin that has made them able to be destroyed. God says that He will not be with them, unless they destroy the things devoted to the idols.

Point to Ponder: The actions of the people who are in our groups effect us. We are expected to help each other behave. Some days this is easier than others…

Joshua then tells the people to consecrate themselves (Make sure they are ‘clean’ in every sense of the word. Ie. Wash and don’t do anything sinful.). He tells them that there are things that have been devoted to idols in the camp and that they will not be able to defeat their enemies until they are removed. In the morning they are to present themselves tribe by tribe to the leaders in front of the Tent of Meeting.

When the tribe of Judah comes up the clan of Zerah is singled out. Out of the clan of Zerah, the family of Zimri was chosen. Joshua then has the family of Zimri come one by one, and Achan is selected. Joshua tells Achan to tell him what he has done. Achan confesses that he has taken things devoted to the idols. They include: a beautiful Babylonian robe, 5 lbs of silver, and a 1 ¼ lbs of gold.  He then tells them that the items are in the ground under his tent.

They return with the items, and then take Achan and his family (who obviously knew the items were under the tent) and stone them.  They made a memorial of rocks there, and named the area the Valley of Achor (means ‘trouble’) so that people would remember what had happened.

Point to Ponder: Like most people, it troubles me that Achan and his family are stoned. What I see as a mother (Someone who has asked many times ‘Did you do it?’ when I already knew the answer...) is that at any time Achan, or a member of his family, could have confessed and turned in the items before they specifically got to him. They were told to prepare to stand before the Lord because someone had taken the items the day before. Their tribe was picked. Then their clan was picked. Then their family was picked. Throughout this process, they remained silent. This is not repentance. Achan and his family obviously did not believe that the Lord could ‘see’ what they had done, nor did they believe that He could, or would, have them punished. Unfortunately, having someone who disobeys God to this extent is not going to be optimal for establishing a nation that obeys the Lord.

By the way: One of the things that the Achan incident clearly tells us is that admitting you did something when you are clearly caught is not repenting…

Joshua 8

Joshua is then told (again) to not be afraid or discouraged. They are to take the entire army to Ai. They are to do everything that they did at Jericho, except that this time they may keep the plunder and livestock for themselves. The game plan now however, is not to walk around the city, but to set up an ambush behind it. The rest of the troops will attack the front, then flee. When the enemy pursues them, the other men will take the city. (This only works if the bulk of the men are willing to foolishly and ruthlessly go after a small group in retreat.)

As they are fleeing the Lord tells Joshua to hold his javelin in his hand out toward Ai. As soon as he did this the soldiers who were part of the ambush took the city and burned it. The men who were fleeing then turned and attacked their pursuers. The men of the ambush came out of the city and joined in the fight. All the people of Ai were destroyed, because Joshua obeyed and kept the javelin pointed at Ai as God had told him. The king of Ai was hung, but his body was not left up overnight, as per God’s law. He was buried and a pile of rocks marked the place.

Joshua then builds an altar of uncut stones. He copies the law onto stone. The people then stand as God had told them, half in front of Mount Gerizim and half in front of Mount Ebal as Moses had told them to. Joshua then reads the law to them, including the blessings and the curses.

Point to Ponder: In verse 35 we also hear that there are foreigners who are now living among them. I am assuming that these are people who fear the Lord, but who have not completely embraced Jewish law yet, like Rahab and her family, and perhaps people who feared the Lord in the cities they captured. Remember we have seen that when God says all are destroyed in these cities, He does not mean those who have faith in Him.

Joshua 9

Now all the kings west of the Jordan get together to make war against Israel. (The Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites.) The Gibeonites however, decide to try to trick the Israelites instead. They send a delegation with loaded donkeys, worn out sacks, wineskins that were cracked and mended, worn out and patched sandals, and dry and moldy bread. All these things are meant to trick the Israelites into believing that they do not live close by. They go to the Israelites and lie, stating that they do indeed live far away, but because of their people’s fear of what God has done, they want to make a treaty with them.  (This implies that far away people believe that they will become a conquering nation that takes over countries near and far. It is very flattering.)

The Israelites, however, do not ask God what to do and fall for their trick. They make a treaty with them, and three days later find out that they live nearby. They have promised to let them live, so they keep them as manual labor (i.e. slaves)- woodcutters and water carriers for the Temple.

Point to Ponder: This is one of the ways that there come to be slaves in Israel. Remember, life-long slavery is not a part of God’s plan, but since there are slaves, there must be rules so that they will not be mistreated.

Joshua 10

The king of Jerusalem (Adoni-Zedek) becomes scared. He enlists the help of four other kings (of Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish and Eglon) to help. His plan is to attack Gibeon first so that they cannot aid the Israelites. (Gibeon was large, and had good fighters.) The Gibeonites hear of the plan and ask the Israelites for help. Joshua takes an army and marches all night to surprise them. The Lord sends the 5 kings’ armies into confusion, and the 5 kings are defeated. As they flee, the Lord sends hailstones which kill more of the enemy than were killed in battle. It is during this battle that Joshua asks the sun to stand still until they have victory, and God honors his request.

FYI: We also see a Book of Jashur mentioned. There are a few books mentioned in scripture that are said to record more details of the events. Most of these books have been lost, though archeologists would love to find them!

The 5 kings hide in a cave. Joshua tells the Israelites to roll large rocks up to the mouth of the cave, trapping them in, and then continue to chase their armies. The majority of the enemy is killed, but a few make it to the fortified cities and live.

Joshua then has the kings brought to him. The commanders of the army place their feet on the kings’ necks. (This is a sign that they have subdued these men, and are in control over them. It is likely that people from the cities are watching.) The kings are then hung, and their bodies removed just before evening. The bodies are placed in the cave where they hid, and the rock is moved back over the entrance.

Joshua tells the men not to be afraid or discouraged. This is what God is going to do to all of the kings that they face.

Makkedah is defeated next, and their king is hung as well. Libnah, Lachish, Gezer, Eglon, Hebron, Debir and the Negev are then defeated. They then return to Gilgal. All of the southern territory is now theirs. It appears, from the few references we have to time, that they may have been defeating a city a day!

Joshua 11

The Israelites then look towards the north. All the northern kings join forces and come out against Israel. God tells Joshua not to be afraid, by this time tomorrow he will have defeated them. He then tells him that after they win, they are to hamstring their horses and burn their chariots. (God does not want Israel to be a military power. He wants them to rely on Him.) They win, and do as God says.

Hazor is then defeated and burned. More cities are conquered, but not burned. Everything God told Moses to do in times of war was done.

We are then told that God hardened the enemies’ hearts (made them more resolute, stubborn) so that they would overcome their fear and wage war. We are also told that all of the Anakites in Israel (the giants) were destroyed, but that there are some left in Gaza, Gath and Ashdod.

We are then told that the land of Israel now had its ‘rest’ from war.

FYI: During these times it was common each spring for kings to go to war. War was part of everyday life in this area. Now that the warlike tribes are gone, the land can rest. This goes along with God not wanting the Israelites to have chariots and horses. If they believed that they had military power outside of God’s provision they might go conquering as well. This is not what the Lord wants. The Israelites taking the land is because God is punishing the sin of the people living there. God has set boarders for the land. They are not to become a world power through military victory, but instead influence the world by causing the nations to want to worship God.

Joshua 12

The kings that have been defeated by the Israelites are now listed. First, the kings defeated on the east side of the Jordan, where the tribes of Reuben, Gad and half of Manasseh are given. They were defeated under the leadership of Moses and credit is given to him for their defeat.

The kings who were defeated west of the Jordan are listed. Credit for these defeats is given to Joshua, the leader at that time. They have defeated 31 kings while taking the Promised Land, and at least 2 more to the east of the Jordan.

Joshua 13

Joshua is now old and there is still land to be conquered. The remaining land is listed. God tells them that He will drive the people who are living in the mountains out Himself.

The land to the east of the Jordan is described. We are told that the people of Geshur and Maacah are still there living among the Israelites.

FYI: Og is mentioned a few times as being one of the last Rephaites. This is because the Rephaites are one of the families of giants.

God reminds them that the Levites get no inherited land. (This means that they do not live as a tribe in their own land. They will own land, but it will be in towns set aside for them within the land of each tribe.)

The land of the tribes of Reuben, Gad and half of Manasseh (east of the Jordan River) is described.

Joshua 14

Here we find out that Eleazer (the High Priest, Aaron’s son), Joshua (Moses’ successor) and the heads of each tribe are in charge of dividing the land.

It is the tribe of Judah’s turn to receive land. Caleb, the spy that went with Joshua into the Promised Land the first time and also came back saying that they should take the land, is there. He states that he was 40 years old at that time, that he did everything God said to do, that the Lord has kept him alive for another 45 years (He is now 85) and that he is still as strong as he was when he spied out the land. He is asking for the hill country, where the giants are. He tells them that he is sure he can take it because the Lord is with him. Joshua blesses him and tells him that Hebron is his. We are told that the land then had a rest from war.

FYI: The phrase stating that the land had a ‘rest from war’ indicates that it is God’s will for this to be the last of the taking and losing of land here. The Israelites are to live here, peacefully. They are not to fight each other for land (tribal wars), nor are they to fight with other nations for land either. What we will see in the future is that Israel does not always see herself as one nation, and at times acts like individual tribes (though nowhere to the extent that the nations in this region typically do) and that due to their sin, God uses other nations to come against Israel as a punishment for sin. The ideal plan however, is for Israel to obey God, and for there to be no more war over this land.

Joshua 15

The boundaries for the land of the tribe of Judah are covered. Then the focus shifts to Caleb taking Hebron. We are told that he drives 3 Anakites (giants) out. Their names are Sheshai, Ahiman and Talmai. Caleb then declares that he will give his daughter, Acsah, in marriage to the man that captures Kiriath Sepher. Othniel (Caleb’s nephew) captures it, and marries Acsah. Now Acsah notices that they do not have springs of water. She urges her husband to ask her father for them, then asks her father herself. He gives her the springs too.

FYI: Othniel becomes Israel’s first judge. (Judges 3:9)

Judah’s land is then described. We are told that they were unable to take Jerusalem from the Jebusites at this time.  (Yes, they can cause 3 giants to flee, but are not able to make these men go…)

FYI: During this time it was common for kings to exaggerate the nature of their conquests, and to leave out any details of any type of failure. The Bible does not do this. This is an argument for the validity of the Bible, and also teaches us that God likes honesty, even when it doesn’t flatter Him, or His people.

Joshua 16

The tribe of Joseph’s land is then described. This includes land for the half of the tribe of Manasseh that settled east of the Jordan River, and the whole tribe of Ephraim.

FYI: Later in scripture, after Israel splits into the northern and southern kingdoms (aka Judah), Ephraim will be so large, that the northern half, commonly called Israel, will also be referred to as ‘Ephraim’ as well, even though there are a total of ten tribes there.

We are then told that they did not destroy the Canaanites living in Gezer, but that the people there become forced laborers. (This was not what God told them to do.)

Joshua 17

We are now told of the tribe of Manasseh. One of the clans within the tribe, Makir, are great soldiers. The other clans are: Abiezer, Helek, Asriel, Shechem, and Shemida. (These clans are named after Manasseh’s sons.) The daughters of Zelophad are part of the clan of Makir. They remind Joshua that they are to inherit as well and are given land.

The tribe of Manasseh also could not drive out all the people. When they did grow strong however, instead of driving out the Canaanites, they too made them do forced labor, against the Lord’s command.

The tribe of Joseph then goes to Joshua and tells him that they are too numerous and need more land. He tells them that they may have the hill country. They tell him that the people there are strong and that they have iron chariots. Joshua reminds them that they are ‘numerous’ and tells them to go and take the land.

Joshua 18

All of Israel gathers at Shiloh and the Tent of Meeting is set up there. Seven tribes, however, have not yet taken possession of their land. (Why? I don’t know. The land was conquered (somewhat), but they didn’t move in… Joshua had to be frustrated.) Joshua then tells them to send 3 men from each tribe to survey the land. When the men come back with a description, they will cast lots for the remaining land.

The land of Benjamin is then described. It is the land between Judah and Joseph.

Point to Ponder: Have you missed, or delayed, being blessed because you would not take the blessing? I remember dealing with a gentleman who wanted out of his job, and was waiting for the Lord to open a door for him. The problem was that the Lord had opened many doors, and several windows as well! While all of us around him were pointing out the incredible opportunities that seemed to be just falling into his life, he was saying, ‘No, that’s not it,’ and staying put. This was years ago, and as far as I know, he is still at that same old job today… Sometimes we need to move through the door when God opens it!

Joshua 19

The tribe of Simeon’s land is then described. It was taken from the land that Judah was in because Judah had taken more than they could use. (Remember, Caleb is the leader of Judah.) Zebulun’s, Issachar’s, Asher’s and Naphtali’s land is then described. Dan is then given land, but they have difficulty taking it, so they attack Leshem instead and settle there.

Joshua himself is then given land, Timnath Serah, in the hills of Ephraim. The dividing of the land is finished.

FYI: Timnah Serah means ‘image of the sun’ and was likely a place of sun worship before the Israelites moved in. It becomes Timnah Heres. (Heres is Serah written backwards. Remember in Hebrew there were no vowels.)

Joshua 20

The cities of refuge are then discussed. This time we get a bit more information. If you kill someone accidentally, you are to flee to one of these cities. (There are 3 in the beginning on this side of the Jordan River, and there will be six as Israel expands.) You are to stand in the city gate and present your case to the elders there. They are to give you a place to live within the city. They are not to turn you over to the ‘avenger of blood.’ (The nearest relative of the person you killed.) You stay in the city until you stand trial. If the trial determines that you killed someone accidentally then you must stay in the city until the death of the high priest serving at the time. When that high priest dies you may go home to your land. This ensured that the person who killed someone would remain alive to stand trial, and remain safe if the death was judged to be an accident.

FYI: While there was a death penalty, people still received a fair trial under God’s law. You could not just kill someone because you thought he deserved it….

Joshua 21

Where the Levites are to live is now decided. The Levites who are the sons of Aaron (the High Priests) are to have 13 towns within the tribes of Judah, Simeon and Benjamin. The Levites from the clan of Kohath (except for the sons of Aaron) will live in 10 towns within the tribal lands of Ephraim, Dan and the half tribe of Manasseh. The Levites of the clan of Gershon get 13 towns in the tribal lands of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali and the other half of Manasseh. The Levites of the clan of Merari get 12 towns in the lands of Reuben, Gad and Zebulun.

We are then told that the Lord gave them rest, and that all of the promises God had made were fulfillied.

FYI: Levi was one of Jacob’s 12 sons. Levi’s sons were Kohath, Gershon and Merari. Aaron, Moses and Miriam were descended from Kohath.

Joshua 22

Joshua then gathers the Reubenites, Gadites and the half tribe of Manasseh. (The people who wanted to live on the other side of the Jordan River.) He tells them that they have fulfilled their promises to help take the Promised Land. He reminds them to obey all of God’s commandments, blesses them and sends them home with the wealth they have ‘earned’ while taking the land.

When they return to the other side of the Jordan River, where they left their flocks and families, they decide to build an altar to God. When the Israelites on the other side of the Jordan hear what they have done, they prepare to go to war against them. They send Phineas, with ten elders (one from each tribe west of the Jordan) to ask them what they think they are doing. They ask them how they could break faith with God like this? They remind them that, if they rebel against God, God will be mad at all of Israel. They tell them that if the land east of the Jordan is a problem, then they are welcome to come over to the other side of the Jordan and share the land with them. The tribes of Reuben, Gad and Manasseh respond by telling them that they are not sinning against God. The altar is not a place to sacrifice on, but a remembrance to remind future generations that the tribes on this side of the river also belong to Israel. They are doing this because they are afraid that later the rest of Israel to the west of the Jordan will forget that their children are part of Israel and they will be cut off from the rest of Israel. Phineas and the elders determine that these men are not doing anything wrong and return home.

Point to Ponder: This is one of my favorite passages in scripture. It is one of the few times that Israel does things well. The tribes west of the Jordan are convinced that the tribes to the east are sinning and are mad enough to go to war, yet they restrain themselves and actually ask politely what is going on. The tribes to the east could now become very upset because they are accused of wrongdoing, but instead of being offended, they explain humbly why they are doing this, and what their fears are. The delegation could now nit-pick and be determined to still find something wrong, but they don’t. They accept the explanation, and go home to explain it to the people that are upset across the river. Everyone calms down, and life is good.

Joshua 23

Joshua is now old and is giving the elders of Israel their final instructions. He reminds them to be very strong, and to be careful to obey all of God’s laws, without turning aside to the left or the right. He tells them not to associate with the neighbors that God has not yet had them drive out of the land. He also reminds them not to worship idols. He reminds them that one of them drove out thousands, and urges them to be very careful to love the Lord.

He then tells them that if they ally themselves with their neighbors and intermarry then the Lord will no longer drive out the remaining nations. Their pagan neighbors will then become snares, whips to their backs and thorns in their eyes.

Joshua then tells them that he is about to die. He reminds them that they know that God has been faithful to fulfill every one of His promises. He then tells them that just as God has been faithful to fulfill all of the promises, He will be just as faithful to fulfill all of the curses if they disobey and serve other gods.

Joshua 24

Joshua then assembles all of the tribes at Shechem. He reviews the history of Israel. He tells them that Terah, the father of Abraham lived beyond the river and worshipped idols. He then tells them that God called Abraham and led him to Canaan. Abraham had Isaac, who had Jacob and Esau. Esau was given the land of Seir, but Jacob and his sons went into Egypt. He then sent Moses and Aaron and afflicted the Egyptians with the plagues. When the Egyptians pursued them and the Israelites cried for help, the Lord put darkness between them and the Egyptians and caused the Red Sea to cover them. Then they lived in the desert for a long time. They defeated the Amorites, and Balaam was not allowed to curse them. They crossed the Jordan and defeated Jericho as well as six other nations. God sent hornets before them and drove out other nations as well. He gave them the land they now live on, and now they eat from vineyards and groves that they did