Examining Of The Book Of Joshua Religion Essay

The Book of Joshua was likely written between 1400 and 1370 B.C. It begins after the decease of Moses. Joshua is called upon by God to take the Israelites across the Jordan River and to settle down in the Promised Land. God says that in any military run, the Israelites will win every bit long as they obey his Torahs. Subsequently, Josh send in two undercover agents into the metropolis of Jericho to look into the district. When the undercover agents are known of their presence in Jericho, a cocotte named Rahab tells them that the metropolis is afraid of the Israelites success. She seeks safety by seting her religion in God, and tells them that the metropolis is in a diminished status.

After happening this out, Joshua makes the Israelites cross the river, which was led by priests transporting the Ark of the Covenant. As they enter the H2O, the H2O prohibitionists and allows the people to traverse on dry land. When they approach Jericho, Joshua encounters a cryptic adult male, who says that he commands Gods ground forces, but that he is impersonal to both sides. Joshua acknowledges the adult male, but pays no attending to his commitment. God tells Joshua that Joshua must take the Israelites around the metropolis for six yearss with the Ark, and that on the 7th twenty-four hours, they will process around the metropolis seven times and the walls will be broken down. Joshua rallies all of the Israelites and tells them to kill everyone except for Rahab. They besides will non plunder any spiritual points, but alternatively fire them as court to god.

After this happens, Joshua becomes a major figure across the lands, but in their following struggle in the metropolis of Ai, God does non assist the Israelites win, and are defeated. Joshua asks why, and says that Achan stole spiritual points from Jericho. After Achan is stoned with his household beside him, the following effort against Ai is successful, and the Israelites celebrate by doing an communion table to God.

While the Israelites had great success, the people of Gibeon were afraid of them and sent in some undercover agents of their ain, claiming to be travellers of the land. Joshua makes a treaty rapidly without any determination from God and subsequently discovers that they Gibeonites are indigens of the land to be conquered. So the Hebrewss do non assail the metropolis, but five other male monarchs that are local, assail the metropolis of Gibeon. The Israelites come to the assistance of Gibeon and destruct the five male monarch ‘s ground forcess. Joshua helps the combat by commanding God to halt the Sun in the sky during the battle, God obeys and the Hebrewss are successful. This is the lone clip in history of all time told that God of all time obeys a human.

The Israelites continue to suppress the lower and southern metropoliss of Canaan, killing all of the people of the lands as God asked. However, much of the land remains to be taken over, the people of Israel Begin to settle down in the land, spliting it among their ain 12 folks. After many old ages of peace for Israel, the deceasing Joshua makes a farewell dictum, and tells the Hebrewss to be strong and obey all of God ‘s Torahs. They must non hold any graven images and non get married with any of the indigens of the lands. The people assure Joshua that they will obey, nevertheless Joshua reluctantly accepts the people ‘s word and is worried that they will non listen to him, cognizing that the obeisance will be rather hard to maintain.

Fictional characters in the Book of Joshua and their Importance

Some of the cardinal characters in the Book of Joshua are Joshua himself, A Rahab, Achan, Eleazar, and Phinehas.

Joshua, being the character of the book becomes the leader of the Israelite folks after the decease of Moses. His name was Hoshea, but Moses decided to name him by Joshua. Joshua was one of the 12 undercover agents that were sent by Moses to research the land of Canaan, and after Moses died, he was the leader that took the Israelites into Canaan to suppress the land. It ‘s said that Joshua lived between 1450-1370 BC which was someplace in the late Bronze Age, and harmonizing to Joshua 24:29, he dies at the age of 110.

Rahab

Another one of the most of import characters in the Book of Joshua is a cocotte named Rahab. Rahab ran a little in that was built into the outside wall of the metropolis of Jericho. The metropolis itself really had 2 walls for the excess munitions. Rahab foremost is cited in the book when the two undercover agents sent by Joshua and the Israelites halt at Rahab ‘s hostel and are be aftering to get away from the metropolis, since the male monarch of Jericho someway found out that the undercover agents were at the hostel and sent his work forces to travel catch them.

Meanwhile, the Hebrewss are camped across the Jordan River, to the cognition of the male monarch and his people. The word spread throughout the metropolis that God was on the Israelites side. Rahab had heard that of this was certain that the metropolis would be defeated by the Israelites. Rehab hid the two undercover agents in the top of her hostel and told the male monarchs work forces when they arrived that the work forces had already left before dark. After the male monarchs work forces had left, the undercover agents came down and told Rahab that they would save her life when they conquered the metropolis. All she would hold to make is hang a ruddy cord outside her window so that all in her hostel would be spared.

Something interesting that can be found out from reading the Book of Matthew is that in chapter one you find out that Rahab married a adult male called Salmon. He was the great-great gramps of King David ( who killed Goliath ) . 26 Generations subsequently, Mary, Jesus ‘ female parent, was married to Joseph, who came from David ‘s lineage. However, when the reader finds this out, it means that Rahab is really Jesus ‘ grandma of many coevalss ago, a fact I personally find interesting.

Achan

Another of import character in Joshua is Achan. He is the Israelite who disobeyed God by taking spiritual ownerships in the conquering of Jericho, while God commanded that any ownerships would non be taken, or they will be burned in his Name. Archan was judged faster than the Israelites were in the 40 old ages of rolling the desert, looking for the Promised Land. The premise is since he knew that taking ownerships was against God ‘s will, God was able to penalize him faster.

Archan ‘s noncompliance caused the Israelites first conflict against the metropolis of Ai to be unsuccessful. Thirty-six Israelites were killed, and they were inquiring why God had non helped them achieve triumph. Subsequently on Joshua finds out that Achan had taken spiritual belongings and wants Joshua and the Israelites to lapidate him and his household to decease. Disobedience itself is a wickedness and disobeying God is one of the worst things that one of his ain kids can make. Achan did non hold to be killed, since he could hold repented, but even when he was confronted by Joshua, he did non atone. Therefore, he was stoned to decease.

Eleazar

Eleazar was the Levite priest that took over the topographic point of his male parent, Aaron when he died. He created the plating of the communion table out of the fire pans of Korah ‘s assembly and performed the rite of the ruddy heifer. He had the following of import character in the Book degree Fahrenheit Joshua, Phinehas.

He assisted in the distribution of the land Canaan after the Israelites took over. When he died, he “ was buried at Gibeah, which had been allotted to his boy Phinehas in the hill state of Ephraim ” ( Joshua 24:33 ) . The high priesthood stayed in the Eleazar lineage until Eli became the new high priest. It was later put back into Eleazar ‘s household when Zadok was cast out by Solomon.

Phinehas

Phinehas was the boy of the old high priest, Eleazar. He played a function when the folk of Reuben and Gad went out to take over the lands beyond the Jordan. They together build an communion table on the other side of the river. While the remainder of the Israelites wonder if it is a breakaway motion, they send Phinehas to look into in Joshua 22:9-34.

The Israelites believed that the folks were interrupting the religion of the God of Israel. However the leaders of the kins explain, “ No! We did it for fright that some twenty-four hours your posterities might state to ours, ‘What do you hold to make with the Lord, the God of Israel? A The Lord has made the Jordan a boundary between us and you-you Reubenites and Gadites! You have no portion in the LORD. ‘ So your posterities might do ours to halt fearing the Lord. ” ( Joshua 22:24 ) . When Phinehas had head what Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh said, they were pleased and said that they acted dependably towards the Lord and that they rescued the Hebrewss from His manus. The Reubenites and the Gadites game the communion table the name of “ A Witness Between Us that the Lord is God. ”

Book of Joshua and the New Testament

The Book of Joshua besides made a fulfilment in Colossians in the New Testament. “ The Israelites had moved approximately in the wilderness 40 old ages until all the work forces who were of military age when they left Egypt had died, since they had non obeyed the Lord. For the Lord had sworn to them that they would non see the land he had solemnly promised their ascendants to give us, a land fluxing with milk and honey.A A So he raised up their boies in their topographic point, and these were the 1s Joshua circumcised. They were still uncircumcised because they had non been circumcised on the way.A A And after the whole state had been circumcised, they remained where they were in cantonment until they were healed ” ( Joshua 5:5-8 ) .

These poetries from the Old Testament in the Book of Joshua would shortly associate later to Colossians subsequently on in the New Testament by stating that “ For in Christ all the comprehensiveness of the Deity lives in bodily signifier, A and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the caput over every power and authority.A In him you were besides circumcised, in the seting off of the iniquitous nature, A non with a Circumcision done by the custodies of work forces but with the Circumcision done by Jesus ” ( Colossians 2:9-11 ) .

By circumcising oneself each adult male that does it is fundamentally stating that they are giving themselves to the full to Christ. They are purging all wickednesss from them, and that it represents non merely a Circumcision from the custodies of adult male, but it is done with the Spirit of Christ besides. The work forces in the Old Testament who circumcised themselves were obeying the compact that God made with Joshua, and anyone who was circumcised was able to come in the Promised Land. Those who did n’t, either were n’t allowed in, or died.

“ Verses 1-9 [ of Joshua 5 ] describe God ‘s commandment that those who were born in the wilderness were to be circumcised when they came into the Promised Land. By so making, God ‘rolled away the reproach of Egypt ‘ from them, intending that He cleansed them from the wickednesss of their former life.A Colossians 2:10-12 describes trusters as holding been circumcised in their Black Marias by Christ Himself, by whom we have put off the iniquitous nature of our former lives without Christ ” ( “ Book of Joshua ” ) .

The Messages and Lessons of the Book of Joshua

Some of the chief key points in the Book of Joshua are that: God is Faithful, His word is true, God is a Holy Judge, and even when God ‘s workers die, His ain work supports on traveling.

When I say that God is faithful, I mean that if person who worships Him is faithful to Him, God will be faithful back. Anyone who does what God asks of them will be rewarded and hold His favour. As proven in the Book of Joshua, you can see many illustrations of where God helps those that are faithful. Some illustrations are Rahab assisting the two undercover agents infiltrate and escape from Jericho. As a wages for assisting His workers, God and Joshua spare her and her household ‘s life. At the same clip, Joshua is obeying God ‘s word and is assisting him win all of the conflicts to take over the lands of Canaan. This is another illustration of fidelity to God, and the wagess he will give you for staying that manner.

When I say that God ‘s word is true, I mean that when God promises something as a wages for fidelity to Him, He will ever maintain His word. This applies to making things against God ‘s word every bit good. As we saw earlier, Archan disobeyed God when he took spiritual ownerships from the metropolis of Jericho. This in bend caused God to be angry and to maintain to the trade that He made with Joshua. This led to the Israelites losing to the metropolis of Ai in the first conflict against them. It was so found out that Archan had stolen something from Jericho, and God and Joshua decided to hold him stoned to decease, along with his household. This shows that in good or bad, God will maintain to His word. Honoring the faithful, and penalizing the unfaithful to His word.

When I say that God is a Holy Judge, I mean that He has the right to penalize evildoers and honor the faithful. He can do any determination He wants on a state of affairs, and the people that are faithful to Him will hold with whatever He says ; that is, if they are faithful to His word. God ‘s judgement is ultimate and concluding and is ever the right determination, since God is higher than us.

Finally, when I say that when God ‘s workers die, His work keeps traveling on, it means that even when his retainers and Prophetss and priests pass on to Heaven, He will ever hold a replacing for them. Even if it is non clip for person to go through on, God will hold a program and a topographic point for him or her in Heaven. God will ever populate on in person else when a individual dies. Whether it be a household member or friend, He will ever be someplace in the universe, at all times. God ‘s work is ne’er done and He will ever hold something new traveling on in everyone ‘s lives. Everyone has a intent in this life and merely God Himself knows what is in shop for each individual.

Decision

The Book of Joshua is a all-around book, although comparatively short, it shows many sides of the Old Testament that are of import throughout the whole Bible itself. In my sentiment, The Book of Joshua is likely my favourite book that I have read so far out of the Old Testament. It shows the fidelity, award, and committedness that God gives to His people, and inspires me to listen and mind to His word.

Overall, the narratives and lessons learned in the Book of Joshua are decidedly something for every human being that believes in God to populate by. These lessons are something that can maintain our relationship with God favourable, and if we all abide by what God has told us to make, and live the lives that he has presented before us, we know that we will finally be rewarded. All we have to make is merely have religion.

Citations

The Bible – NIV

“ Book of Joshua. “ A Bible Gateway. N.p. , n.d. Web. 3 Nov 2010. & lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www.biblegateway.com/ & gt ; .

“ The Book of Joshua. “ A Got Questions – The Book of Joshua. N.p. , n.d. Web. 3 Nov 2010. & lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www.gotquestions.org/Book-of-Joshua.html & gt ; .