The Historical Books Joshua – 2 Samuel

1. The Historical BooksJoshua – 2 Samuel

2. Tips for Reading • Think of the books as theological rather than historical. • Remember that the main focus of the literature is God and his covenant, not people or events. • Remember that historical cause and effect is seen largely in terms of the role of God rather than the actions of people.

3. The Book of Joshua

4. Key Ideas • The faithfulness of God in fulfilling covenant promises • The conquest and division of the land • The importance of obedience

5. Purpose Statement • Joshua 21:43-45: “So the LORD gave Israel all the land, . . . and they took possession of it and settled there. The LORD gave them rest on every side….The LORD handed all their enemies over to them. Not one of all the LORD’s good promises to the house of Israel failed; everyone was fulfilled.”

6. Purpose and Message Purpose • NOT to present the story of a courageous and godly person. • NOT to present a military record of Israel’s conquest of Canaan

7. Purpose and Message Purpose • INSTEAD, the purpose is to convey how God kept his covenant promise to bring the Israelites into the land he had showed to Abraham. • Important to affirm God’s faithfulness to his people • Makes sense of the frequent references to God’s role in giving the land to his people

8. Purpose and Message Message • God keeps his promises, no matter how impossible they may seem.

9. Structure and Organization Section One (1-5:12) • Gives details concerning the Israelites’ entering the land • From the start, focuses on the covenant: God’s intention to bring them into the land (1:2-6) and exhorting them to keep the law (1:7-8)

10. Structure and Organization Section Two (5:13-12:24) • 5:13-15: Joshua is confronted by one who identifies himself as the commander of the Lord’s army • Shows that it is the LORD who will fight for Israel • Shows that it is the LORD’s army who will conquer

11. Structure and Organization Section Two (5:13-12:24) • Conquest narratives begin with famous battle of Jericho (6) • Violation of God’s commands by Achan (7:2-5) • Punishment of violator paves way for victories (8) • Battle of Gibeon points out the LORD’s part in bringing victory

12. Structure and Organization Section Three (13-21) • Detailed descriptions of boundaries of territory given to each tribe • Explains further purpose of the book: God enabling Israel to possess land, as well as supervising their division of it • Includes explicit purpose statement: Joshua 21:43-45

13. Structure and Organization Section Four (22-24) • Explains Israel’s response to the focus on the covenant • Covenant renewal at Shechem is significant

14. Major Themes • Covenant and Land • The Ban • The Divine Warrior • Sovereign Involvement • The Unity of the Community

15. Major Themes • Covenant and Land • The Ban • The Divine Warrior • Sovereign Involvement • The Unity of the Community

16. Covenant and Land • In Israel’s perception of herself as covenant people of God, nothing is more central than the land • God’s giving Israel the land he promised is focus of Joshua—shows God’s faithfulness to and favor on Israel • When Israel’s disobedience demands judgment, being separated from land is the worst possible sentence • Joshua has great theological significance: shows that the Lord was keeping covenant promises he had made to Abraham

17. Major Themes • Covenant and Land • The Ban • The Divine Warrior • Sovereign Involvement • The Unity of the Community

18. The Ban • Major theme in Joshua is how the conquered cities of Palestine were to be treated • Essentially, “ban” = God’s commands to “destroy totally” and “show no mercy” to Israel’s enemies • Difficult question is, why would God command the annihilation of the occupants of the land? • Most likely explanation: the Canaanites brought this judgment on themselves by their own wickedness (Deut. 9:5)

19. Major Themes • Covenant and Land • The Ban • The Divine Warrior • Sovereign Involvement • The Unity of the Community

20. The Divine Warrior • Lord is frequently described as “YHWH of armies,” as a divine warrior who engages in combat on behalf of Israel • Significance is clearly laid out in Proverbs 21:31: “The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the LORD.”

21. Major Themes • Covenant and Land • The Ban • The Divine Warrior • Sovereign Involvement • The Unity of the Community

22. Sovereign Involvement • God’s sovereign involvement cannot be removed from Joshua without damaging its theological purpose • Joshua insists that Yahweh acts in history in order to execute his plan and carry out his promise • Evidence of God’s plan, beginning with creation, into the exodus, through the prophets, and ultimately climaxing in the birth, life, and death of Jesus the Messiah. • Story of Joshua is story of Yahweh’s acting through the history of Israel to fulfill a promise he made to Abraham over 400 years prior

23. Major Themes • Covenant and Land • The Ban • The Divine Warrior • Sovereign Involvement • The Unity of the Community

24. The Unity of the Community • Joshua 7 recounts the consequences of Achan’s sin: all Israel was affected in their loss to Ai • Punishment for Achan’s family: stoned to death • Runs contrary to how our individualistic culture thinks and operate • But, Israel’s sense of national identity was much stronger than today’s Western societies • Other examples: levirate marriage and land redemption (Lev. 25)—provision for others in the clan • Old Testament contains several examples of this, all of which serve to show the unity of the Israelite community, both in blessing and in punishment

25. The Book of Joshua