What makes Joshua unique?
At the close of the book of
Deuteronomy, Moses and the people of Israel were camped in the hills of
Moab, just across the Jordan River from the promised land of Canaan. So
Deuteronomy ends with the expectation that soon, these people would
cross the river and begin their lives in Canaan. But Moses would not be
the one to lead them into this land. The young Joshua had been
appointed to follow Moses as the new leader of these people.
The
book of Joshua describes how the people of Israel settled in and
divided up the promised land of Canaan among the twelve tribes. The
title of the book comes from its leading character, Joshua, chosen to
lead Israel after Moses died (Joshua 1:1-3). But the real hero is the clans are described as trying on their own to take over land with only partial success.
The
second part of the book (chapters 13-24) describes how each tribe
received its land. This included land in Canaan to the west of the
Jordan River and some territory east of the Jordan River that had
already been promised to the tribes of Gad, Reuben, and half of
Manasseh (Numbers 32). The book also explains why the special servants
of the Lord, the Levite tribe, did not receive a large share of land
like the other tribes. Instead, they were given towns scattered
throughout the whole country.
What's the story behind the scene?
Archaeologists
have discovered evidence that parts of Canaan were attacked in the
period between 1300 and 1200 B.C. The towns of Bethel, Lachish, and
Debir were completely destroyed. While some key places were destroyed
or captured under Joshua, not all the places where the Canaanites lived
were taken over by the people of Israel (see Judges 1). It was not
until the time of King David (around 1000 B.C.) that the tribes of
Israel were united in one kingdom and were solidly in place in the land
of Canaan. Even then, Canaanite culture and religion continued to
influence the people of Israel for many more centuries. According to
the biblical authors, it was the worship of Canaanite idols that led,
in part, to the fall of the northern kingdom (Israel) in 722 B.C. and
to the fall of the southern kingdom (Judah) in 586 B.C.
How is Joshua constructed?
The
book of Joshua has two main parts. The first half (chapters 1-12) is a
series of stories about the capture of key cities and towns in Canaan.
It includes many stories that explain the origin of a landmark in
Israel. The second half (chapters 13-22) consists of tribal boundaries
and city lists. The twelve tribes each got a share of the land, while
the Levites were given special cities scattered throughout Israel. The
concluding chapters of the book (23,24) report Joshua's farewell and
death as well as the important gathering at Shechem where the people of
Israel promised to obey the Lord God, now that they had settled in the
promised land.
The book may be outlined in the following way:
Conquest of western Canaan (1:1-12:24)
- Entering the promised land (1:1-5:12)
- The Lord leads Israel in battle (6:1-12:24)
Division of the promised land (13:1-22:34)
The last days of Joshua (23:1-24:33)
- Joshua's farewell address (23:1-16)
- The ceremony at Shechem and three burials (24:1-33)
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