UNIVERSITY OF MADRAS

DEPARTMENT OF CHRISTIAN STUDIES

CLASSES ON BIBLE AND CHRISTIAN DOCTRINES

DAY-1: UNIT-1
THE CONQUEST OF CANNAN UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF JOSHUA AND SETTLEMENT
 CONQUEST OF CISJORDON (JOSHUA, CHS. 2-12)

 1. SPIES OF JERICHO, AND RAHAB THE HARLOT (CH.2)

 2. CROSSING RIVER JORDAN (CHS. 3-4)
 3. CIRCUMCISION AND PASSOVER (CH.5)
 4. FALL OF JERICO (CH.6)
 5. CAPTURE OF AI (CHS. 7-8)
 6. COVENANT WITH GIBEON (CH.9)
 7. DEFEAT OF THE COALITION OF KINGS AND THE SOUTHERN CAMPAIGN (CH.10)
 8. NORTHERN CAMPAIGN AND THE SUMMARY OF VICTORIES (CH.11)
 9. LIST OF CONQUERED KINGS (CH.12)
 SPIES TO JERICO, AND RAHAB THE HARLOT (CH.2)

 JOSHUA SENDING SPIES TO JERICO (2:1)

 RAHAB SAVING THE SPIES, GIVING THEM LODGING AT
HER HOUSE (2:2-7)
 THE PACT BETWEEN RAHAB AND THE SPIES (2:8-21)
 THE SPIES’ RETURN AND REPORT TO JOSHUA (2:22-24)
 THE MESSAGE OF THE STORY OF RAHAB
 JOSHUA SENDING SPIES TO JERICO (2:1)

 CHAPTER TWO BEGINS WITH ONE OF SEVERAL SPY

STORIES LINKED WITH THE CONQUEST OF THE LAND
(2:1)
 THERE WERE TWO TRADITIONS REGARDING THE
CAPTURE OF JERICO
 1. TREACHERY FROM INSIDE (CH.2)
 2. MILITARY ATTACK FROM OUTSIDE (CH. 6:22-25; 24, 11)-
MIRACULOUS CAPTURE BY GOD’S POWER
 RAHAB SAVING THE SPIES, GIVING THEM LODGING
AT HER HOUSE (2:2-7)

 THIS SECTION NARRATES THE STORY HOW THE TWO SPIES

SENT BY JOSHUA, LODGING AT THE HOUSE OF A HARLOT
 HOW SHE SAVED THEM
 WHY THEY CHOSE THE HARLOT’S HOUSE
 RAHAB KNEW WHO WERE THE SPIES- SAVED THEM
 SHE BETRAYED HER OWN NATION- BY PROTECTING THE
SPIES
 THE PACT BETWEEN RAHAB AND THE SPIES (2:8-21)

 THE PEOPLE OF NEAR EAST KNEW ABOUT THE ISRAELITES’

MIRACULOUS ESCAPE- THEIR GOD’S POWER
 KNEW AND WERE AWARE THAT THEY WERE GOING TO INVADE THEIR
COUNTRY
 RAHAB KNEW ABOUT THE ISRAELITES—SO COLLABORATED WITH
THE SPIES OF THE WOULD BE INVADERS
 PACT- MUTUAL KINDNESS- NO BETRAYAL
 TIE A SCARLET CORD TO TIE ON HER WINDOW
 SIMILAR TO THE SPRINKLE OF BLOOD-EGYPT- TENTH PLAGUE
THE SPIES RETURN AND THE MESSAGE OF THE STORY (2:22-24)

 TWO SPIES SPENT THREE DAYS- RAHAB ADVISED

 THE KING’S AGENT IN SEARCH OF THEM
 THEY RETURNED TO JOSHUA AND REPORTED
 THE MESSAGE OF THE STORY-1.\
 1. ISRAEL WAS DEPENDENT ON GOD FOR PROTECTION- GOD USED
INAPPROPRIATE PEOPLE LIKE PROSTITUTES (CF. ALSO, 1 SAM 16:11;
JER. 1:6)
 2. RAHAB’S FAITH- BLESSING, THE ISRAELITES SHOULD CONTINUE
TO HAVE FAITH IN GOD
 CROSSING THE RIVER JORDAN (CHS. 3-4)

 PREPARATION FOR CROSSING THE RIVER JORDAN (3:1-13)

 CROSSING THE RIVER JORDAN (3:10-17; 4:10-18)
 TWELVE MEMORIAL STONES (4:1-9)
 ARRIVAL AT GILGAL (4:19-24)
 CIRCUMCISION AND PASSOVER (CH.5)
 MRACULOUS CROSSING OF JORDAN, FRIGHTENING NEWS FOR OTHER PEOPLES
(5:1)
 CIRCUMCISION AT GILGAL (5:2-9)
 PASSOVER CELEBRATION (5:10-12)
 THEOPHANY (5:13-15)
 CROSSING OF THE JORDAN- RE-ENACTMENT OF THE CROSSING OF SEA
OF REEDS
 TWELVE TRIBE –REPLACE THE SEVEN PAGAN NATIONS.
 CROSSING THE SEA OF REEDS- DEPARTURE FROM THE LAND OF
SLAVERY- CROSSING THE JORDAN- ARRIVAL AT THE LAND OF PROMISE.
 THE FIRST CROSSING- FROM OPPRESSION – SUFFERING- THE SECOND
CROSSING – NEW LIFE IN THE LAND FLOWING WITH MILK AND HONEY.
 TWELVE STONES- RECALL THE MIRACULOUS CROSSING OF JORDAN
 CIRCUMCISION AT GILGAL (5:2-9)
 ALL MALES WERE TO UNDERGO CIRCUMCISION (Ex.12:48)
 ITS’ A VISIBLE SIGN OF THE COVENANT (GEN.17)
 NOT DONE- IN THE WILDERNESS- NEW GENERATION
 IT IS IN PREPARATION FOR THE PASSOVER FESTIVAL
 NEW GENERATIONS STARTED A NEW BEGINNING
 FIRST PASSOVER FESTIVAL-14TH DAY OF THE MONTH –ABIB (MARCH-
APRIL),
 NO MORE MANNA
 FALL OF JERICO (CH.6)

 MIRACULOUS CAPTURE OF JERICO-(6:1-21)

 THE FALL OF JERICO WAS AN ACT OF HOLY WAR
 MODERN ARCHAEOLOGISTS, JERICO WAS ALREADY IN RUINS- NO WALL
 IT IS MORE SYMBOLIC AND THEOLOGICAL
 OBEDIENCE BRINGS BLESSING.
 THROUGH WAR CRY- THE FALL OF JERICO.
 JERICO UNDER THE CURSE OF DESTRUCTION- EVERY THING SHOULD
DESTROYED- CURSE ON ANY FUTURE RE-BUILDER OF JERICO (6:26-27, I KGS.
16:34)
 RAHAB WAS SAVED.
 CAPTURE OF AI (CHS. 7-8)

1. VIOLATION OF THE CURSE OF DESTRUCTION (7:1)

 ACHAN- KEEPING A PART OF THE BOOTY CAPTURED.
 THROUGH THIS STORY- THE MESSAGE- OBEDIENCE AND FAITH BROUGHT
VICTORY- DISOBEDIENCE LED TO DISASTER.
2. FAILING TO CAPTURE AI, A PUNISHMENT FROM YAHWEH (7:2-5)
 INITIAL DEFEAT AT AI IS CLEARLY FROM FAULTY MILITARY CALCULATION
 BUT IT IS PRESENTED AS A PUNISHEMENT FROM YAHWEH BECAUSE OF
ACHAN’S SIN.
 3. JOSHUA’S PRAYER (7:6-9)
 MISCALCULATED MILITARY STRATEGY
 DEFEAT SHOCKED THE ELDERS AND JOSHUA
 THE EFFECT OF THE NEWS OF THE DEFEAT ON OTHER COUNTRIES
 DEFEAT WOULD AFFECT YAHWEH’S HONOR
 4. YAHWEH’S ANSWER (7:10-15)
 GOD REVEALED TO JOSHUA THE REASON FOR ISRAEL’S DEFEAT
 AT AI, THERE WAS A VIOLATION OF COVENANT.
 JOSHUA HAD TO FIND OUT THE CULPRIT
 SIN OF ACHAN (7:16-26)
 COMMAND OF YAHWEH (8:1-2)
 THE SECOND ATTACK AND CAPTURE OF AI (8:1-27) BY JOSHUA’S MILITARY
STRATEGY, NOT BY ANY DIVINE MIRACLE
 BUT THE STRATEGY WAS DICTATED TO JOSHUA BY YAHWEH HIMSELF
 YAHWEH ASSURED JOSHUA OF VICTORY- AI WAS PUT UNDER THE MERCY
OF ISRAEL.
 NEW STRATEGY OF WAR (8:3-13)
 CAPTURE OF AI (8:14-29)
 EVALUATION AND MESSAGE OF THIS CHAPTER

 THIS STORY IS PARALLEL WITH THE STORY OF ATTACK

ON GIBEAH IN JUDG. 20 . ACHAN’S SIN PARALLEL WITH
SAUL’S DISOBEDIENCE (1 SAM. 13-15)
 CLEAR MESSAGE- OBEDIENCE BRINGS BLESSINGS AND
DISOBEDIENCE, EVEN HIDDEN, WILL INVITE GOD’S
WRATH AND CURSE
 ISRAEL’S DISOBEDIENCE THAT BROUGHT UPON ISRAEL
THE PUNISHMENT OF THE BABYLONIAN EXILE.
 COVENANT WITH GIBEON (CH.9)

 COALITION AGAINST ISRAEL (9:1-2)

 SIX KINGS FORMED COALTION AGAINST ISRAEL:
 MARCHING AGAINST ISRAEL AND ITS ALLIES.
 RUSE OF THE GIBEONITES (9:3-18)
 GIBEONITES ADOPTED A DIFFERENT STRATEGY: RECOURSE TO A RUSE.
 THEY WANT TO ENTER INTO TREATY WITH ISRAEL
 “WE ARE YOUR SERVANTS (9:8)
 ISRAELITES ENTERED INTO TREATY WITHOUT CONSULTING YAHWEH
 GIBEONITES TRIED TO TRICK THEM.
 GIEBONITES WANT TO BREAK AWAY FROM THE JEBUSITES, SO
THEY TOOK THE HELP OF THE ISRAELITES.
 ISRAELITES GAINED A MAIN AGRICULTURAL LAND.
 GIBEONITES BECAME WOOD-CUTTERS AND WATER CARRIERS
 ISRAELITES UNDERSTOOD THEM AFTER THREE DAYS
 HOWEVER THEY HONORED THE TREATY, LET THEM LIVE BUT
IN AN INFERIOR STATUS (9:21, 23)
 EVALUTION AND MESSAGE OF THIS CHAPTER

 ITS THEOLOGICAL MOTIVE – WHY THEGIBEONITES

WERE SPARED AGAINST THE RULES OF HOLY WAR-
 THE NARRATIVE ON THE GIBEONITES SHOWS THAT THE
SETTLEMENT WAS NOT ALWAYS THROUGH VIOLENCE
AND WAR BUT SOMETIMES IT PROCEEDED PEACEFULLY.
 ANOTHER MESSAGE IS THAT RESPECTING A TREATY IN
THE NAME OF YAHWEH, EVEN IT WAS MADE USING
FRAUD.
 DEFEAT OF THE COALITION OF KINGS AND THE SOUTHERN
CAMPAIGN (CH.10)

 ATTACK ON GIBEON BY THE COALITION FORCES (10:1-5)

 JOSHUA’S HELP TO GIBEON (10:6-9)
 YAHWHEH FIGHTING FOR ISRAEL (10:10-15)- CONTROVERSIAL PASSAGE
(10:12-13)
 PUNISHMENT TO THE KINGS OF THE COALITION FORCES (10:16-27)
 CONQUEST OF THE SOUTHERN TOWNS OF CANAAN (10:28-39)
 RECAPITULATION OF THE SOUTHERN CONQUESTS (10:40-43)
 MESSAGE AND EVALUTION

 IT WAS YAHWEH WHO FOUGHT FOR ISRAEL AND GOD HEARKENED TO THE
VOICE OF MAN.
 THEOLOGICAL PURPOSE: TO MOTIVATE THOSE IN EXILE; IF JOSHUA PRAYED
AND GOD HEARED HIS PRAYER, ALLOWING THE IMPOSSIBLE, EVEN GOING
AGAINST THE LAWS OF NATURE, THE SAME COULD BE REPEATED IN CASE
OF THE EXILES.
 “PUTTING THE ENEMIES UNDER FEET” IS AN EXPRESSION IN THE OT TO
MEAN ‘VICTORY OVER ENEMIES’ (1 KGS. 5:3; PS. 110:1), NT QUOTES PS. 110:1
TO MEAN JESUS’ VICTORY OVER SIN, SATAN AND DEATH (ACTS. 2:34-36; EPH.
1:22; HEB. 1:13; 1 COR. 15: 24-25)
 MODERN THEORIES OF ISRAELITE SETTLEMENT

 CONQUEST OF THE LAND THROUGH WAR AND VIOLENCE

 PEACEFUL IMMIGRATION AND SETTLEMENT
 EMERGENCE THROUGH SOCIAL REVOLUTION
 THEOLOGY OF THE BOOK OF JOSHUA
 THE MAIN THEOLOGICAL CONCERN OF THE BOOK OF JOSHUA IS TO
PRESENT HOW YAHWEH FOUGHT THE WARS FOR ISRAEL’S SETTLEMENT
 THE ISRAELITES SETTLEMENT IN CANAAN WAS SWIFT AND VICTORIOUS
DUE TO YAHWEH’S INTERVENTION
 IT WAS NOT THE MIGHT OF THE FORCES OF ISRAEL BUT THE STRENGTH OF
YAHWEH THAT ACCOMPLISHED THE ANNIHILATION OF THE OCCUPANTS OF
THE PROMISED LAND
 THE MIGHTY HAND OF YAHWEH WAS PRESENT ALL OVER THE BOOK OF
JOSHUA TO FULFILL HIS PROMISE ONCE MADE TO THE PATRIARCHS.