Introduction

The Hebrew scriptures are made up of three sections: the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings.  We just studied the book of Deuteronomy, the last of the five books of the Law (what the Jews call Torah). Unless you are interested in reading legal documents and instructions on religious rituals for a temple that no longer exists, you may have found some of the Law a bit difficult to read. Translation: “BORING”! But there are lessons for us to learn from these writings even if we are not obligated to observe the 613 laws in the Torah or Law of Moses. It gets even more confusing when you consider that there are several different words for the same books. The Jews use one term, and Christians use another. There is the Law of Moses, the Torah, and the Pentateuch, meaning the five scrolls or books.

Now we move onto a section that focuses more on ACTION rather than ideas. We now move onto the prophet section the Hebrew Scriptures or as we might call it the Old Testament. The prophet division is divided into the former prophets and the latter, or early in history and later-on in history. The early or former prophets include Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings and the later prophets are Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the Twelve (Minor) Prophets. The twelve are on a single scroll so they are counted as one. Thus, in the Hebrew canon of the Prophets there are, if you were counting, eight books. Not only that,

but the number of books in the Hebrew scriptures varies depending on how they are divided. Some divide I and II Samuels, Kings and Chronicles. Others combine them. How many books are there in the Old Testament or Hebrew Scriptures? It depends on who you ask.

Let’s move from the study of laws and rituals to action in the form of military conquest and settling into the land. During basic military training there is quite a bit of classroom instruction, but you won’t see that part of basic training in any movie. You can study tactics and strategies, but it is a lot more fun to get out into the field and just start blowing stuff up. So, we are moving from the classroom to the field as we study the book of Joshua.

The book of Joshua can be divided into three sections: the conquest of the inhabitants of the land (chapters 1-12); the allocation of the land to the different tribes of Israel (chapters 13-22) and finally, just as Moses did, we have Joshua’s farewell speech.

A theme of the book is the faithfulness of man and God's mercy, and their opposites, the faithlessness of man and God's wrath. It’s the acting out of the “blessings and curses” in the covenant they signed, and

which was described in Deuteronomy 28.

You might think that the main character of the book of Joshua is Joshua himself. Others would suggest that it is really God. It is God who leads them into the land, and it is God who defeats the enemy. In some ways, it seems as if Israel is just along for the ride. Without God, nothing would be accomplished by the Israelites. With God, anything could be accomplished.

What do we know about Joshua? His name is the English form of the Hebrew name Johoshua, meaning “Yahweh is salvation.” The Greek form of his name is Jesus.

Unlike a newly assigned military commander or pastor, Joshua was no stranger to the people of Israel. He was the protégé of Moses. Joshua’s history with Israel goes back to Ex. 17:9 where he was a warrior who went after the Amalekites. He was also an aid when Moses went up Mt. Sinai (Ex. 24:13). And he was among the spies who went to scout out the promised land (Num. 13:2). It didn’t come as a surprise that Joshua would be the successor to Moses.

Joshua had some big shoes to fill. Moses was God’s spokesman and the mediator between God and the people of Israel for decades. Moses had been the only leader his people knew, and now he was gone. It reminds me of Vice President Harry Truman who was called to the White House to be told that President Roosevelt was dead. Roosevelt, like Moses, had been president for a long time, twelve years. Truman, feeling overwhelmed by his new role and having to follow in the footsteps of Franklin

Roosevelt said, “I felt like the moon, the stars and all the planets had fallen on me. Boys, if you ever pray, pray for me now.” One journalist said: ‘Good luck, Mr. President.’ Truman said: ‘I wish you didn’t have to call me that.’” Unlike the transition from Roosevelt to Truman, the transition from Moses to Joshua was well planned.

The book of Joshua contains many similarities to the story of Moses:

Both men sent spies into the promised land.

Both men crossed water barriers on dry land.

Both men celebrated Passover at the time of the crossing.

Both men intercede on behalf of the Israelites when God was angry.

Both men were able to defeat their enemies (Amalekites or Ai) only when they obeyed God.

Both men mediated the renewal of the covenant between God and Israel.

Both men delivered a farewell address before they died.

Under Joshua’s leadership the exile which began by Joseph, was officially ended, opening a new chapter in Israelite history. The transition from Moses to Joshua was well planned and went smoothly.