The book of Joshua picks up right where the book of Deuteronomy left off. The twelve tribes are camped out on the east side of the Jordan River, which lies between Mount Hermon and the Dead Sea. Moses had died, in turn, leaving Joshua in full command of the Israelites. After forty years of wandering through the desert, the Israelites finally have their opportunity to enter into the promise land. Canaan is a land consisting of many hostile groups that really seem to have it out for the Israelites. Jericho was the first city that the Israelites destroyed in order to start their conquest of Canaan. J.D Douglas states that Jericho’s “strategic site by a ford of the Jordan controlled the ancient trade routes from the East” (Douglas 718). This
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He strikes fear into his enemies, and is revered by his people. Trent Butler says that the purpose of Joshua is to show that “God worked with and through man to produce his inspired word for all future generations” (Butler 1). Joshua had tremendous shoes to fill after the death of Moses. He has the pressure of leading the Israelites into the Promised Land, however things won’t be easy. The hostility being faced is tremendous, yet he keeps the Israelites steadfast on victory. In comparison to Abraham and Moses, Joshua was no doubt the strongest in his faith. Abraham questioned God throughout his experience as the leader of the Israelites, however his faith drastically increased throughout the story. Moses was somewhat argumentative in his meetings with God. He believed that he wasn’t eloquent enough to be a leader, and seemed to lack control over the Israelites at times. In the end Moses and Abraham were both found to faithful leaders, yet Joshua certainly towered above them in his faithfulness and leadership. God gives Joshua a guarantee that he will be successful. In Genesis God states that “No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you” (NLT, Gen. 17.1). God continuously assures Joshua that he has already given the Israelites the land, all they have to do is follow his commands. The victory and …show more content…
He worked through Joshua in order to lead the people, he worked through Rahab to save two Israelite men, and he worked through the Israelites in general to conquer the Promised Land. Without the divine intervention of God, none of these victories would’ve been accomplished. As humans we have free will to follow the commands of God or to ignore them. A perfect example of human intervention occurs in the case of Achan. He was an Israelite man that disobeyed God’s commands to not steal and religious items from Jericho. The disobedience of Achan caused the Israelites to be humiliated in the battle of Ai. He was stoned for his actions and looked down upon by God. We are called to be loyal servants of God and to walk with him daily, however in the Old Testament this was especially
He strikes fear into his enemies, and is revered by his people. Trent Butler says that the purpose of Joshua is to show that “God worked with and through man to produce his inspired word for all future generations” (Butler 1). Joshua had tremendous shoes to fill after the death of Moses. He has the pressure of leading the Israelites into the Promised Land, however things won’t be easy. The hostility being faced is tremendous, yet he keeps the Israelites steadfast on victory. In comparison to Abraham and Moses, Joshua was no doubt the strongest in his faith. Abraham questioned God throughout his experience as the leader of the Israelites, however his faith drastically increased throughout the story. Moses was somewhat argumentative in his meetings with God. He believed that he wasn’t eloquent enough to be a leader, and seemed to lack control over the Israelites at times. In the end Moses and Abraham were both found to faithful leaders, yet Joshua certainly towered above them in his faithfulness and leadership. God gives Joshua a guarantee that he will be successful. In Genesis God states that “No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you” (NLT, Gen. 17.1). God continuously assures Joshua that he has already given the Israelites the land, all they have to do is follow his commands. The victory and …show more content…
He worked through Joshua in order to lead the people, he worked through Rahab to save two Israelite men, and he worked through the Israelites in general to conquer the Promised Land. Without the divine intervention of God, none of these victories would’ve been accomplished. As humans we have free will to follow the commands of God or to ignore them. A perfect example of human intervention occurs in the case of Achan. He was an Israelite man that disobeyed God’s commands to not steal and religious items from Jericho. The disobedience of Achan caused the Israelites to be humiliated in the battle of Ai. He was stoned for his actions and looked down upon by God. We are called to be loyal servants of God and to walk with him daily, however in the Old Testament this was especially