Come in, and receive God’s promises!
An EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary (2800 word vocabulary) on the Book of Joshua
Brian Rowlands
This commentary has been through Advanced Checking.
Words in boxes are from the Bible.
Maps to help you to study this book are on the Internet at www.easyenglish.info/bible-commentary/joshua-map.htm .
A word list at the end explains words with a *star by them.
The Book of Joshua has many lessons for us. It teaches us to accept the good things that God provides for us.
The *Israelites had been slaves in Egypt. God had set them free with the help of Moses. At first, they did not trust that God had done the right thing. Most of them died in the desert because they did not believe. Only Joshua and Caleb believed. ‘The *Israelites had walked about in the desert for 40 years. But all the men had died who were old enough to fight at the beginning of their journey. This happened because they had not obeyed the *Lord’ (Joshua 5:6).
Joshua and Caleb reached the *promised land with those who had been born in the desert. The journey had taken about 40 years. Now they were ready to enter the land.
Moses had said, ‘God brought us out of Egypt. He will bring us in and give us the land’ (Deuteronomy 6:23). The Book of Joshua is all about this. God brought the *Israelites out of Egypt to take them into the *promised land. The *Israelites did not know completely the goodness of God until they entered the *promised land.
When we read the Book of Joshua for the first time, it appears to be all about unpleasant wars. The *promised land already had its own inhabitants. God said that they were evil people because
· they *worshipped false gods (Deuteronomy 20:18);
· they *sacrificed their children to their gods (Deuteronomy 12:31);
· they practised magic (Deuteronomy 18:9-11).
The inhabitants did not want the *Israelites to live in the *promised land. So, the inhabitants would oppose the *Israelites. The *Israelites would have to kill the inhabitants before they could enjoy the promises of God.
In the Book of Joshua, God is saying to his people, ‘Come in! Come in to the *promised land. Come in to all that is best for you.’ ‘I brought you out to bring you in.’
The Book of Joshua is like a lesson for us today. The book shows us what God wants to do for all Christians. Many Christians are like the *Israelites who died in the desert. God has saved them from judgement. But they do not realise all the good things that God has for them. They let other things get in the way of these *blessings.
It is important to read the Book of Joshua with this in mind. It is not just a history book! The Book of Joshua has important lessons for all Christians. And the Book of Joshua shows us what God wants to do for us here and now. God brought us out to bring us in.
‘The *Lord has kept every one of the promises that he gave to you. You know that deep in yourselves. He has not failed to keep one of them. The *Lord has kept every good promise’ (Joshua 23:14, 15).
Joshua was a helper to Moses. We read a lot about Joshua in the Books of Exodus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. Here are just three examples.
· Joshua led the army against the *Amalekites. While Joshua was fighting, Moses lifted his hands up in prayer to God (Exodus 17:8-16). Joshua knew the value of prayer.
· Joshua went with Moses up Sinai mountain when God gave the *Israelites instructions about the *ark (Exodus 24:13 - 25:8). Joshua had actually been with God.
· Joshua was one of 12 men that Moses sent in secret to look at the *promised land. Only Joshua and Caleb brought good news back (Numbers 13). Joshua had *faith that God would provide.
Joshua’s name in the Hebrew language means The *Lord is my *Saviour. (The Hebrew language is the language of the *Old Testament.) The name Jesus in the Greek language means the same. (The Greek language is the language of the *New Testament.) God used Joshua to save the *Israelites. Jesus is our *Saviour.
Think about this: God was preparing Joshua to be the leader of the *Israelites. Joshua was ready for the job that was ahead of him. We should allow God to prepare us and to use us in his work.
1. Prepare for God’s *blessing 1:1 - 5:12
God prepares the leader 1:1-9
Joshua prepares the people 1:10-18
Joshua sends two men to look over the land 2:1-24
The people cross the river Jordan 3:1-5:1
*Circumcision and *Passover 5:1-12
2. Take God’s *blessing 5:13 - 12:24
The first *victory - Jericho 5:13-6:27
Defeat then *victory at Ai 7:1-8:29
Joshua reads God’s law to the people 8:30-35
The *Israelites become friends with their enemies from Gibeon 9:1-27
The *Israelites defeat the Amorites 10:1-28
The *Israelites defeat the towns in the south of the country 10:29-43
The *Israelites defeat the towns in the north of the country 11:1-23
A list of all the kings that the *Israelites defeated 12:1-24
3. The extent of the *blessing 13:1 - 21:45
The land that *Israel had not yet taken 13:1-7
The land that Moses gave to Reuben, Gad and Manasseh 13:8-33
Joshua divides the rest of the land 14:1-19:51
*Cities of *refuge 20:1-9
Towns for the *Levites 21:1-45
4. Accept God’s *blessing 22:1 - 24:33
The *tribes of Reuben, Gad and Manasseh return home 22:1-34
Joshua says ‘Goodbye’ to his leaders 23:1-16
Joshua says ‘Goodbye’ to the people 24:1-13
The people promise to serve God 24:14-27
The death of Joshua 24:28-33
Joshua 1:8
You must continue to speak about the words of God’s law. Think about what it says, all the time. Then you will be careful to obey it. Then you will help yourselves to do well, and to win.
v1 Moses, the man who had served the *Lord, had died. Then the *Lord spoke to Joshua, son of Nun, who had helped Moses. v2 ‘Moses, my servant, is dead. Now you and all these people must get ready to cross the river Jordan. You, the *Israelites, will go into the land that I intend to give you’, the *Lord said. v3 ‘I have given to you every part of the ground that you walk upon. I promised Moses that I would do this. v4 You will have all the land between the southern desert and the northern mountains of Lebanon. It will be from the river Euphrates, to the Great Sea in the west. You will have all the land of the Hittite people. v5 No one can stop you from taking this land as long as you live. As I was with Moses, I will always be with you. I will never leave you alone. v6 Be strong and do not be afraid. You will lead these people to take the land. That is the land that I promised to give to their *ancestors. v7 Be strong and do not be afraid. Be careful to do all the things that Moses told you. Remember to do everything that he told you to do. Then everything will be well with you. You will win, everywhere that you go. v8 You must continue to speak about the words of God’s law. Think about what it says, all the time. Then you will be careful to obey it. Then you will help yourselves to do well, and to win. v9 Remember that I have told you to do this. So be strong and do not be afraid. Do not be weak but be brave. I, the *Lord your God, will be with you, everywhere that you go.’
Verses 1, 2 Moses had died. Moses had to die before Joshua and the *Israelites could go into the *promised land. (God had told Moses that Moses would not enter the *promised land. This was because he had not obeyed God. See Numbers 20:1-13.) The *Israelites had to enter the *promised land to know completely the goodness of God. Many Christians are like this. Paul wrote, ‘You must not live as you used to live. You must leave behind your old character. It made you live that bad life. The bad things that you did were hurting you. You must have a new mind. You must put on the new character that is like God’s *holy character. You must only do the things that are good and *holy’ (Ephesians 4:22-24).
The death of Moses is like a picture that shows new opportunities. Until now, Joshua had only been a helper. He was the assistant to Moses. Now he had new responsibilities. It was important that he accepted these responsibilities. God’s work could not continue until Joshua accepted his new responsibilities. God could not bless his people until Joshua led them into the *promised land. God brought them out to bring them in.
So it is with us. We must not expect other people to do all the work. God calls each one of us to work for him.
Verses 1-9 God gave Joshua three things to do.
· To lead the people into the *promised land – verse 2. God had promised this country to Abraham (Genesis 12:1; 15:7). Jesus was born in this country.
· To defeat the enemies that lived in the country – verse 5.
· To believe that God would do good things for the *Israelites - verses 3, 7, 9.
God also gave Joshua a promise for each of these instructions.
· ‘You, the *Israelites, will go into the land that I intend to give you’ – verse 2.
· ‘No one can stop you from taking this land as long as you live’ – verse 5.
· ‘You will win, everywhere that you go’ – verse 7.
Verses 5, 9 God had been with Moses. Now God promised Joshua that he would be with Joshua also. Before Joshua set out to attack Jericho, God appeared to Joshua to encourage him. We, too, can know that the same God is with us (Matthew 28:20). He is with us as we work for him.
Verse 6 Before Joshua could lead his people, he, too, had to put his *faith into action. He had to be strong and not be afraid. God had to work by him, not just for him. He could not do nothing and watch God do it all.
God has given to us all the good things that we need (see Ephesians 1:3). We must step out with *faith and claim these *blessings. We cannot stand still. The *Israelites could not receive the *blessings of God until they moved forward. We will not enjoy the *blessings of God if we are lazy. We cannot simply do nothing.
Verses 7-8 Joshua only had the first five books of the Bible as God’s law. Moses had written these. They were a guide for the people. It was important to remember them and to repeat them (see Deuteronomy 6:1-9). Joshua could also remember things that Moses had said.
We have the word of God, the Bible. It is our guide for life. We must make it our regular habit to read it. We must obey it.
v10 So Joshua spoke to the leaders of the people. v11 ‘Go through all the places where the people live’, he said. ‘Tell them to get food ready for a journey. In three days or less, you will cross the river Jordan. Then you will begin to take the land for yourselves. This is the land that the *Lord, your God, is giving to you’, Joshua said.
v12 Moses had given land east of the Jordan to the *tribes of Reuben, Gad and the *half-tribe of Manasseh. Then Joshua spoke to these *tribes. v13 ‘Remember what Moses told you’, he said. ‘The *Lord your God is giving you a rest. He has given you this land. v14 Your wives, children and animals can stay in this land that Moses gave to you, east of the Jordan. However, your fighting men must cross the river, with their arms. They must go in front of their *Israelite relatives. You must help them v15 until the *Lord gives rest to them. This will be like the rest that he has given to you. When all the other *tribes are safe in the *promised land, you may return to your land. It is the land that Moses gave to you east of the Jordan.’
v16 ‘We will do whatever you tell us. In addition, we will go everywhere that you send us’, they answered Joshua. v17 ‘As we always obeyed Moses, so we will obey you. The *Lord your God was with Moses. We only ask that the *Lord will be with you too. v18 Someone might not agree with your word. He might not obey it. We will make certain that he dies. But be very strong and be brave. Do not be afraid.’
Verse 10, 11 Joshua was a man with *faith. The *promised land was on the west side of Jordan. The *Israelites were still on the east side. He told his people that they should get ready to cross the river Jordan. They had to get food ready. That was all! He did not tell them to make some boats! He did not tell them how they would cross the river. He had *faith to realise that God would take care of everything.
Very often, we want to know all the answers before we trust God to do anything for us. But we should have *faith. We should trust God.
Verses 12-15 The *tribes of Reuben, Gad and the *half-tribe of Manasseh liked the land east of the river Jordan. It was good for their animals. They asked if they could make their home there. Moses had agreed, but first they had to help the rest of the people to fight for their land.
They did not make their home in the *promised land. They failed to have a share in all that God wanted them to have there. The land at the east of the Jordan was only part of what God wanted his people to receive.
This is like Christians who do not get completely involved in Christian things. They do not go to church very often. They do not meet with other Christians. They do not help in their local church. So they do not get all that God wants them to have.
Verse 12 The *tribe of Joseph became two tribes. These tribes came from Joseph’s two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh.
Verses 16-18 The leaders of the people encouraged Joshua in three ways.
· They would obey him – verse 16, 17.
· They would pray for him – verse 17.
· They would support him – verse 18.
We must encourage our Christian leaders in the same way. If we want God to bless us, we must encourage other people. We must pray for our leaders. We must obey them.
v1 Then Joshua sent out two men from Shittim. He sent them in secret to see what the land was like. ‘Go’, he said, ‘Look at all the country. Look well at the city called Jericho.’ When they came to the city, they went into the house of Rahab. Rahab was a *prostitute.
Verse 1 shows us how clever Joshua was as a soldier. It also shows us his trust in God. The best way to attack *Canaan was from the south. But the *Canaanites protected that road well. Joshua chose to enter the *promised land at Jericho from the east. He could then attack the towns and cities in the north and in the south.
He still had two big problems.
· The *Israelites had to cross the river Jordan.
· They had to destroy Jericho city.
Joshua believed that God would help them. But he also had his task to do. His trust in God was not enough! He had to show his trust in God by his actions. He sent two men in secret to see what the land was like. He told them to look at all the country. He told them to look well at the city called Jericho. He wanted to know about the people in Jericho. He needed to know what they thought. He needed to know if they were powerful. He needed to know if they were afraid.
We, too, must put our trust in God. He has promised many things. But we must not just depend on God to give things to us. We must put our trust into action.
Rahab had been a *prostitute. She may have still been a *prostitute when the two men visited her. Hebrews 11:31 and James 2:25 suggest that she was. We do not know when Rahab stopped being a *prostitute. She is an example of how God can change a person.
Rahab was probably the only person in Jericho who trusted the God of the *Israelites. God brought the two men to her house. If they had gone to any other house, the people there probably would have told the king.
v2 People spoke to the king of Jericho. ‘Look! Some of the *Israelites have come here tonight to see what our land is like’, they said.
v3 So the king of Jericho sent a message to Rahab. ‘Bring out the men who are staying in your house. They have come to see what all our land is like!’ he said.
v4 But the woman had hidden the two men. ‘Yes, some men did come to me. I did not know where they had come from’, she said. v5 ‘When it was getting near the time to close the gate of the city, they left. I do not know where they went. If you go after them quickly, you may catch them.’ v6 (But she had taken them up to the roof. She had hidden them under some plants that she was drying there.) v7 So the king’s men went out to find the two *Israelites. They went towards the place where people could cross the river Jordan. As soon as they had gone out, people shut the gate.
Verses 4-7 Rahab trusted the God of *Israel. She put her life in danger. She even lied to protect the two men that Joshua had sent. But we should not lie, even when things get difficult. The Bible says that it is wrong to lie (Proverbs 12:22).
Think about this. What would you do if you were in a similar situation?
v8 Rahab went up to the roof. She spoke to the men as they prepared to sleep. v9 ‘I know that the *Lord God has given this land to you’, she said to them. ‘I know that we are all very afraid of you. Everyone who lives in this part of the world is very afraid. v10 We heard how you came out of Egypt. And the *Lord dried up the Red Sea for you. And we heard what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites. They lived east of the Jordan, and you destroyed them completely. v11 When we heard all this, we felt very weak. We were very afraid. This is because the *Lord, your God, is God. He rules the heaven above and the earth beneath.’
Verses 9-11 Several years before this event, the *Israelites were afraid of the *Canaanites. They had received punishment because of their lack of *faith (Numbers 14). This punishment lasted 40 years. But during that time, people in *Canaan were afraid of the *Israelites. The *Israelites should not have worried.
If we trust in God, we should not worry. We should have confidence. God knows what is best. We often punish ourselves because of our lack of *faith.
Notice what Rahab believed about God:
· He is the only God - ‘the *Lord, your God, is God’ (verse 11).
· He is a personal God. That is, God cares about people - ‘your God’ (verse 11).
· He is an active God - he gave the land to the *Israelites (verse 9); he dried up the Red Sea (verse 10).
· He is a powerful God - ‘the *Lord, your God, is God. He rules the heaven (the place where God lives) above and the earth beneath (verse 11).
When Rahab grew up, she did not believe in the one real God. She used to believe in false gods. But now she had a new belief. She was ready to talk about it!
v12 Rahab continued, ‘Now, please make me a promise. I have been kind to you. So, say that you will be kind to my family. As you believe in God, make your promise true. Give me something to show that you will keep your promise. v13 Show me that you will save the lives of my family. Save my mother, father, brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them. Please do not let anyone kill us.’
v14 ‘We will save your life if you save ours. Do not tell the king about us. When the *Lord gives this land to us we will keep our promise. We will be kind to you’, the men said to her.
v15 So Rahab put a *rope out of the window. (The house where she lived was part of the city wall.) The men climbed down the *rope. v16 ‘Go to the hills’, she told them. ‘The men who are looking for you will not find you there. Hide there for three days until they return here. Then you can go back to your people.’
v17 ‘We will keep the promise that we have given to you’, the men said to her. v18 ‘This is what you must do. Tie this red string in the window that we go out through. Do this when we come to take your city. Get your father, mother, brothers and sisters and all your family into your house. v19 If anyone goes out into the street, he may die. That will be his own bad mistake. And you will know that we kept our promise. But if anyone in the house with you dies, then we should suffer punishment. v20 It would be different if you told anyone about this. Then we would not have to keep the promise that we have given to you.’ v21 Rahab agreed with the men, and sent them away. When they had gone, she tied the red string in her window.
Verses 12, 13 Rahab showed her courage. She trusted God and the *Israelites. She would need to tell her family about the two men who had visited her. That might be dangerous. Her family also had to have *faith in her.
Think about this. Do you tell other people about your *faith in God? Can they trust you?
Verses 14-21 The two men made a *covenant with Rahab. A *covenant is an agreement or promise between two people. Rahab promised not to tell anyone. The two men promised to protect her.
When people made a *covenant, they often used something physical. For example, the rainbow is a sign of God’s promise not to flood the whole earth again (Genesis 9:12-13). Bread and wine are a sign of the new *covenant that God has made with his people (Luke 22:19-20).
The men told Rahab to hang a red string in her window. This was the sign that the *Israelites would not kill her or her family.
Red is the colour of blood. The red string reminds us of the blood that was put on the doors at the first *Passover (see Exodus 12). God told the *Israelites to kill a young sheep. Then they had to put its blood by their doors. God killed the oldest sons in every family in Egypt. This was a terrible punishment for the people in Egypt. But God protected the sons of the *Israelites, because of the blood.
The red string also reminds us of the blood of Jesus. The *Israelites saved Rahab because she put the red string in her window. Jesus saved us from God’s punishment for our *sins when he died for us (Hebrews 9:14).
v22 The two *Israelites went into the hills and they hid there. The king’s men looked everywhere for them for three days. They did not find them, so they returned to Jericho. v23 Then the two men came down from the hills and they crossed the river Jordan. They went to Joshua. They told him everything that had happened. v24 ‘We are sure that the *Lord has given the whole country to us. All the people there are very afraid of us’, they said.
Verses 22-24 The two men returned to Joshua. They were sure that God would give the land of *Canaan to them. They were sure that God would bless the *Israelites as they entered the land.
We, too, can be sure that God will bless us. The only thing that will stop us will be our own lack of *faith.
More about Rahab
The *New Testament mentions Rahab three times.
· Matthew 1:5 Rahab was an *ancestor of Jesus. This is unusual. Rahab was not an *Israelite. Rahab was not a very good woman. God chose her because of her *faith. It does not matter how bad we are. God can still use us.
· Hebrews 11:31 In Hebrews 11, there is a long list of people from the *Old Testament who had *faith in God. This list mentions Rahab.
· James 2:25 Rahab receives honour because of what she did. ‘*Faith without action is dead’ (James 2:26).
v1 Early in the morning, Joshua and all the *Israelites left the city of Shittim. They put their tents by the river Jordan. Then they waited to cross the river. v2 Three days later, their leaders went to every tent. v3 ‘You will see the priests as they carry the *ark of God’s promise’, they said to the people. ‘Then you must follow them. v4 They will show you the way to go because you have never been here before. But stay about 1000 metres behind the *ark. Do not go near it.’
Verses 1-4 So far, we have looked at the *faith of Joshua and Rahab. We now read about the *faith of groups of people. Joshua believed that God would help the *Israelites to cross over the river Jordan. Rahab believed that God would give the land to the *Israelites. Now the *Israelites had to show their own *faith in God.
The leaders of the people had *faith in God. They knew that God would lead them. The people had to follow the *ark of God’s promise. This was a sign that God was leading the way. The people could show their *faith in God if they followed the *ark.
About the *ark
The *ark is also called
· the *ark of the *Lord,
· the *ark of God,
· the *ark of God’s promise,
· the *ark of promise of the *Lord of all the earth,
· the *ark of the *Covenant (or agreement).
In Exodus chapters 25-27, God gave Moses instructions to build a *Tent of Meeting. This is where God would meet with his people. The *Tent of Meeting was a large tent with a large area of land round it. A cloth fence surrounded this.
There were two rooms in the tent. The *ark was inside the inner room. The *ark was a wooden box with gold all over the outside and inside. Only the *high priest could see it. He could only see it on one day in the year.
When the *Israelites moved to another place, they carried the *ark on poles. A cloth covered the *ark so that no one could see it. The *ark was a very *holy object.
The leaders told the *Israelites not to go too close to the *ark. It was too *holy. And they were *sinful.
Hebrews 4:16 says that we can have confidence to approach God. Jesus died to make this possible. We do not have to stay at a distance.
v5 Joshua told the people to make themselves *holy and ready for the *Lord. ‘Tomorrow the *Lord will do great things that will surprise you completely’, he said.
v6 ‘Take up the *ark, and go in front of the people’, Joshua said to the priests. So, they picked it up, and they went on before the people.
v7 And the *Lord spoke to Joshua. ‘Today I will begin to show the *Israelites that you are important’, he said. ‘I was with Moses. And they will know that I am with you too.’
Verse 5 The people had to make themselves *holy and ready for the *Lord. They would have to wash themselves and all their clothes. They might also offer a *sacrifice to God. This was to show that they were sorry for their *sins. They wanted God to forgive them. God was intending to do something great for them. They had to be ready.
God wants people to be *holy and ready for him. We cannot work for God if we are *sinful.
Verse 6 The *ark went ahead of the people. This was to show that God was leading the way.
Verse 7 God had chosen Joshua to replace Moses. God needed to show the people that he had chosen Joshua. God would show the people how important Joshua was. The people would see the *miracle that God performed by Joshua.
v8 The *Lord continued, ‘The priests that are carrying the *ark will reach the edge of the river Jordan. Tell them, "Go and stand in the river".’
v9 Joshua said to the *Israelites, ‘Come here and listen to the words of the *Lord your God. v10 Your God is alive. He will show you that he is with you. He will show you how powerful he is. He will certainly remove these nations from this land: the *Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites.
v11 See the *ark of the *Lord of all the earth go into the Jordan in front of you. v12 Now choose 12 men. Choose one from each *tribe of *Israel. v13 The priests are carrying the *ark of promise of the *Lord of all the earth. As soon as they step into the water of the river, the *Lord will stop the water. The water will not come towards them. Instead, the water will rise up like a wall.’
v14 So the priests that were carrying the *ark went in front of the people towards the river. v15 There was a lot of water coming down the river at that time of the year. But as soon as the priests went into the river, v16 the water stopped coming. It stopped a long way up the river. The water stopped at a town called Adam near Zarethan. The water that was going down to the Salt Sea stopped completely. So, the people crossed the river near Jericho. v17 While the people walked across on dry ground, the priests stood still in the middle of the Jordan. The priests were carrying the *ark. They stood there until all the people had crossed.
Verses 8, 13 The priests had to show their *faith. They had to stand in the river. It was possible to cross the river Jordan in some places. Earlier Joshua had sent two men in secret to see what the land was like. They crossed the river easily. Now it was different. There was a lot of water in the river at this time (verse 15). They did not know what would happen. They had to trust that God would do something special.
There are times when we have to step out with *faith. We may not know what will happen.
Verse 9 Joshua told the *Israelites that God was giving the instructions. Joshua did not want the honour for himself. Joshua could not do this *miracle by his own power. God was telling them what to do.
Verse 10 God was alive. He was not like the gods of the *Canaanites. They could not do anything to help. God would help the *Israelites to possess the land.
Our God is still alive today. Jesus is alive. He will help us in our daily lives. He will help us to do good things.
The *Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites all lived in the land of *Canaan. They were the enemies of *Israel. They were evil people. The *Israelites had to defeat them.
We have enemies in our lives. These are more *spiritual than physical enemies. In Ephesians 6:12, Paul tells us about this. He writes, ‘We are not fighting against men and women but against the rulers and authorities of the dark world. They are the powerful leaders of the evil *spirits who live in the sky.’
Moses had told the *Israelites, ‘The people are strong and tall. God will go ahead of you. He will kill them. God will kill them because they are so evil. It is not because you are good. It is because they are bad.’ (See Deuteronomy 9:2-4.)
We do not deserve all the good things that God does for us. God helps us to overcome the bad things in our lives. This is because he hates evil things.
Verses 11-13 Joshua told the people what would happen. He did not say, ‘Let us see what happens!’ He knew what God had decided to do. Joshua trusted God. He expected the people to show the same *faith.
Verse 14-16 The *miracle happened! Joshua was right about every event that happened. There have been other occasions when this particular river has become dry. But these other occasions were not *miracles. Usually an earthquake (when the earth shakes) has caused this river to become dry.
On this occasion, a *miracle happened:
· The *miracle happened when a lot of water was coming down the river (verse 15).
· The *miracle happened just when the priests walked into the river (verses 15-16).
· The *miracle stopped as soon as the priests came out of the river (Joshua 4:18).
· The people in *Canaan also knew that it was a *miracle (Joshua 5:1).
God made everything. He can use anything for his purposes. Here are three examples.
· God used a strong east wind to divide the Red Sea (Exodus 14:21).
· God sent *hail stones to kill the enemies of *Israel (Joshua 10:11).
· God made the sun stand still to help *Israel (Joshua 10:13, 14).
Verse 17 This was another act of *faith. The priests did not go across the river as quickly as possible. They waited in the middle. They waited until everybody had gone across. This was further proof that it was a *miracle.
v1 When all the *Israelites had crossed the Jordan, the *Lord spoke to Joshua. v2 ‘Choose 12 men from the people. Choose one from each *tribe’, he said. v3 ‘Tell them to take up 12 stones from the middle of the Jordan. Take them from where the priests are standing. Carry the stones over with you. Put them down where you stay tonight.’
v4 So Joshua called the 12 men that he had chosen. There was one from each *Israelite *tribe. v5 He said to them, ‘Go back into the river where of the *ark of the *Lord is. Each of you must pick up a stone and put it on his shoulder. There will be one stone for each of the *tribes of *Israel. v6 This will be like a special sign for you. In future years, your children will ask you, "What do these stones mean?" v7 Then you will tell them that the waters of the river Jordan stopped. That was while the *ark of God’s promise went across the river. These stones will help the *Israelites to remember this always.’
v8 So the 12 men obeyed Joshua. They took 12 stones from the middle of the Jordan, as the *Lord had told Joshua. There was one stone for each *tribe of *Israel. They carried the stones to the place where the people had put their tents. And they put the stones down. v9 Joshua set up the 12 stones from the middle of the Jordan, where the priests with the *ark had stood. (The stones are still there.) v10 The priests stood in the middle of the Jordan. Then the people did everything as the *Lord had told Joshua. The *Lord had spoken to Joshua as he had spoken to Moses.
The people crossed the river quickly. v11 As soon as everybody was on the other side, the priests took the *ark to the other side, too. The people saw them.
Verses 2, 4, 8 Joshua chose 12 men. He chose one from each of the *tribes of *Israel. They acted for all the *Israelites. It was as if all of them were helping.
We are all doing God’s work. Sometimes our leaders do things for us. We must recognise this. We must appreciate the work that they do for us.
Verses 3, 5-9 The men took 12 stones from the middle of the river Jordan. Joshua built a *monument with the stones. It would always remind the *Israelites about what God had done for them. The *Passover reminds *Israelites that God rescued them from *slavery in Egypt. They remember this every year (Exodus 12:26, 27). The *Passover reminded the *Israelites that they had come out of Egypt. The pile of stones reminded them that they had come into the *promised land. We need to remind ourselves about what God has done for us. We do this when we take *Communion (1 Corinthians 11:24-25).
Some people think that there were two *monuments that the *Israelites built. We cannot be sure about this. If there were two *monuments, they built the second one in the middle of the river Jordan. This was to show that the old life was finished. The journey through the desert had ended. They had entered the *promised land. The past was behind them.
We must leave the past behind us. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says that if anyone is in Christ Jesus they are a new person. Their old lives have ended. And their new lives have begun.
v12 The *tribes of Reuben, Gad and the *half-tribe of Manasseh led the people. They were ready to fight, as Moses had told them. v13 About 40 000 men who were ready to fight crossed to the flat land near Jericho.
Verses 12, 13 The *tribes of Reuben, Gad and the *half-tribe of Manasseh already had their own land (see Joshua 1:12, 13). They crossed the river to help the other *Israelites.
v14 This is what the *Lord did that day. It made all the people think that Joshua was a great man. They gave him honour all his life, as they had given honour to Moses.
v15 Then the *Lord spoke again to Joshua. v16 ‘Tell the priests that are carrying the *ark to come up out of the Jordan.’
v17 So Joshua said to the priests, ‘Come up out of the Jordan.’ v18 And the priests came up out of the river. They were carrying the *ark of the *Lord. As soon as their feet touched the dry ground, the waters of the Jordan began to return. There was much water and it moved fast.
v19 The people went from the Jordan and put their tents at Gilgal. It was the 10th day of the first month. Gilgal was a city on the east side of Jericho. v20 At Gilgal, Joshua put the 12 stones that they had taken out of the Jordan. v21 He said to the *Israelites, ‘Your children will ask, in later years, "What do these stones mean?" v22 Then you must tell them, "*Israel went across the river Jordan on dry ground." v23 The *Lord your God made the river dry up as he made the Red Sea dry up. He dried the Sea. Then the people could cross it when they left Egypt. v24 He did this to show all the nations in the world how powerful he was. He did it so that you would always *fear the *Lord, your God”.’
Verse 14 Moses had helped the *Israelites to escape from Egypt. The *Israelites had crossed the Red Sea on dry ground (Exodus 14). The *Israelites thought that Moses was a great man. Now Joshua had done something similar. The *Israelites crossed the river Jordan on dry ground. The *Israelites now thought that Joshua was a great man.
Verse 15-18 God completed the *miracle. The river started to flow again. This happened when the priests walked out of the dry river.
Verses 19-24 Moses gave instructions about the pile of stones. He said, ‘Your children will ask about them. Tell them about God and what he did for us.’
It is always good to ask questions. We should encourage people to ask us questions. This may give us the opportunity to tell people about what God has done for us.
v1 All the *Amorite kings west of the Jordan, and all the *Canaanite kings heard what the *Lord had done. They heard that he had dried up the Jordan. And the *Lord had kept it dry until all the *Israelites had crossed to the other side. Then the kings became very afraid, and they felt too weak to fight against the *Israelites.
Verse 1 The *Israelites were now in the *promised land. The people in *Canaan were afraid. They were afraid because God was doing things for the *Israelites. They were afraid about what God would do to them. This was a good time for the *Israelites to attack. But God had other plans! The *Israelites were not yet ready. They had further things to do.
v2 The *Lord spoke to Joshua at that time. ‘Make knives out of stone and *circumcise the men’, he said. v3 So Joshua made the knives and *circumcised the men at Gibeath Haaraloth.
v4 Here is the reason. All the men who came out of Egypt were dead. All the men who were old enough to fight died in the desert. v5 The *Israelites had *circumcised all the men who came out of Egypt. But they had not *circumcised those who were born during their journey from Egypt.
v6 The *Israelites had walked about in the desert for 40 years. But all the men had died who were old enough to fight at the beginning of their journey. This happened because they had not obeyed the *Lord. The *Lord had made a promise. He had promised to give the land to the *Israelites. (And the land was good, with plentiful milk and honey.) But the *Lord said that these men would certainly not see it. v7 So, Joshua *circumcised the sons of the men who had died.
v8 He *circumcised all of them. Then they stayed there until they were well again. v9 The *Lord said to Joshua, ‘You are no longer slaves to the people in Egypt. So, today I am removing your shame.’
So, they called the place Gilgal, and it still has that name. (Gilgal means ‘remove’.)
Verse 2 In Genesis 17:9-14, God told Abraham to *circumcise his son Isaac. Afterwards, every *Israelite had to *circumcise their sons when they were 8 days old. This was to show that they were God’s own people.
Verses 4-6 The *Israelites did not *circumcise their sons when they were wandering in the desert.
There are several possible reasons why they did not do it.
· They could not do it in the desert. They did not have suitable tools.
· They did not want to do it in the desert. It would take a long time to recover.
· They knew that they themselves would not enter the *promised land. So there was no reason to do it.
· They knew that God’s promises were not for them. They had not obeyed God. They were no longer God’s people.
Verse 7 Joshua *circumcised those who entered the *promised land. This was to show a new relationship with God.
Romans 2:28-29 tells us that *circumcision does not make a person a *Jew. His heart has to be right as well.
In Colossians 2:11-12 Paul wrote that we should die to *sin. This is a form of *spiritual *circumcision. Paul suggests that *baptism is a type of *circumcision. Our *baptism means that we bury our *sin. We leave behind our *sinful character.
v10 When the *Israelites were at Gilgal, near Jericho, they kept the *Passover *feast. It was the evening of the 14th day of the month. v11 The next day they ate food grown in *Canaan for the first time. They ate dry seed and flat bread. v12 The *manna stopped on the day when they ate this meal. So, they did not have any more *manna. After that time they only ate food that grew in *Canaan.
Verse 10 The *Passover reminded the *Israelites that God rescued them from *slavery in Egypt (Exodus 12:26, 27). The *Passover reminded the *Israelites that they had come out of Egypt. God told them to remember this every year. They would have a special *feast. This is called ‘keeping’ the *Passover.
The *Israelites kept the first *feast of the *Passover when they were at Sinai mountain (see Numbers 9:1-5). They probably did not keep the *Passover in the desert.
· Moses told the *Israelites to keep the *feast of *Passover when they entered the *promised land (Exodus 12:24-27).
· God was angry with the *Israelites who left Egypt. So, God told them that they would never enter the *promised land (Numbers 14:26-30). Instead, 40 years later, Joshua led their children into the *promised land.
God intended that the *Israelites should go straight from Egypt to the *promised land. They did not believe that God could do this! They wandered in the desert for 40 years. God fed them in the desert with *manna. They should have been eating milk and honey. They had to eat something that was not as nice. They missed the goodness of God for 40 years.
v13 While Joshua was near Jericho, a man appeared to him. The man was standing in front of Joshua and had a sword in his hand. Joshua approached him. ‘Are you an *Israelite soldier? Or are you an enemy?’ he asked. v14 ‘I am neither’, he answered. ‘I am here as the captain of the *Lord’s army.’ Joshua fell on the ground to *worship. Joshua said, ‘I am your servant. *Lord, what can I do for you?’ v15 The captain of the *Lord’s army said, ‘Take your shoes off. You are standing on *holy ground.’ And Joshua took his shoes off.
Verse 13 Many people think that the man with a sword in his hand was Jesus. People think that there are several mentions of Jesus in the *Old Testament. Here are three.
· Genesis 32:24-31 God (Jesus) fought with Jacob.
· Judges 6:11-16 God (Jesus) visited Gideon.
· Daniel 3:19-30 The King of Babylon punished three *Jews. He put them into a very hot fire. The king saw God (Jesus) with the three men. Then, God rescued the three men. The fire could not hurt them.
Most of these events happened when people needed help. God helps us when we need him most.
Other people do not think that these passages are about Jesus. Instead, they think that God sent an angel to help his people. An angel is a *messenger that God sends from heaven. There are many angels. They are God’s servants in heaven.
Verse 14 God controlled the army of the *Israelites. Joshua accepted this.
Verse 15 God also told Moses to take his shoes off at the burning bush (Exodus 3:1-6). The place was *holy because God was there.
v1 The people in Jericho kept their gates shut. They watched to be sure that the *Israelites did not get in. No one could go in or out of the city. v2 ‘I will give Jericho to you’, the *Lord said to Joshua. ‘I will give its king and all its brave soldiers to you. v3 You and all your soldiers must march round the city once each day, for 6 days. v4 7 priests will walk in front of the *ark. They will carry *trumpets as they walk. On the 7th day, you and your soldiers must march round the city 7 times. At the same time the priests will cause their *trumpets to sound. v5 Then they will make one long loud noise. As soon as you hear this, all the men must shout loudly. The city walls will fall down. Then the whole army will go straight into the city.’
Verses 1, 2 The people in Jericho were afraid of the *Israelites. They knew how powerful God was. They did all that they could do to protect themselves. God told Joshua that the *Israelites would defeat Jericho. God was captain of the army. He would win the battle for them.
Joshua and the *Israelites trusted God. They knew that God was on their side.
God is on our side. He is our captain. He will fight our battles for us. We must trust him. Romans 8:31 says that if God is for us, nobody can defeat us.
Verse 3 God told the *Israelites to walk round Jericho for 7 days. There are several possible reasons for this.
· To test the *faith of the *Israelites.
· To test if Joshua and the *Israelites would obey God.
· To prove that God had to be in control.
Verse 4 It was not usual for the *Israelites to take the *ark into battle. This was the first battle in the *promised land. The *Israelites needed to know that God was with them. They needed to see something to help them.
God has promised to be with us at all times (Matthew 28:20). We do not need to see anything. We know that God keeps his promises.
v6 Joshua called the priests. ‘Take the *ark of God’s promise, and make 7 other priests walk in front of it. They must carry *trumpets’, he said to them. v7 He told the people to march round the city. A group of fighting men should march in front of the *ark.
v8 Joshua finished speaking to the people. Then the 7 priests that were carrying the 7 *trumpets went ahead. They were making their *trumpets sound as they went. And the priests that were carrying the *ark followed them. v9 Some strong fighting men went in front of the priests that were making the *trumpets sound. Another group of soldiers followed the *ark. The priests were making the *trumpets sound all this time. v10 But Joshua had said to the people, ‘Do not shout or make a noise. Do not say a word until I tell you to shout. I will tell you to shout one day, then shout!’ v11 Joshua made them carry the *ark round the city once. Then they returned to their tents, and they slept there that night.
Verses 6, 7 It seems that only Joshua knew all the plans. The priests and the people did not know that it would take 7 days.
Verses 6-8 The number 7 appears several times in this story. In the Bible, the number 7 usually means that some thing is complete or perfect. In this story, the number 7 shows us that God was giving the instructions. God is perfect. His plans are perfect. His plans were perfect for Joshua and the *Israelites. God’s plans are perfect for us - see Jeremiah 29:11.
Verses 9-11 See Notes on Joshua 6:4 (above).
v12 Joshua got up early the next morning, and the priests took up the *ark of the *Lord. v13 The 7 priests that were carrying the *trumpets marched in front of the *ark. They were making the *trumpets sound. Some soldiers went in front of the priests that were making the *trumpets sound. Other soldiers followed the *ark. The priests made the *trumpets sound all the time. v14 This is how they marched round the city on the second day. They did this once and then they returned to their tents. They did this for 6 days.
v15 On the 7th day they got up at dawn and they marched round the city in the same way. But this day, they did it 7 times. v16 The 7th time, the priests made a long, loud noise on the *trumpets. Joshua told the people, ‘Shout, because the *Lord has given the city to you. v17 The city and all that is in it belongs to the *Lord. All the people must die. Only Rahab and the people with her in her house will live. This is because she hid our two men. v18 Keep away from the things that belong to God. If you take any of them, you will die. You would make trouble for the *Israelites, and you could cause the *Lord to kill them, too. v19 Every metal object in the city belongs to the *Lord. The gold, iron and silver belong to him. You must store them with his valuable things.’
v20 When the *trumpets made their loud sound, all the people shouted loudly. When they did this, the walls fell down. Every man went up into the city. And they took the city. v21 They gave the city to the *Lord. So they killed every living thing in it. They killed men and women, young people and old people, cows, sheep and other animals.
Verses 12-14 The *Israelites had to learn to be patient. They had to learn to trust God. They probably wondered why they had to walk round the city for seven days. God was not in a hurry. God is never in a hurry. The *Israelites had to learn this.
There are times when we must be patient with God. He does not always answer our prayers quickly. Sometimes we have to wait a long time.
Verse 15 There may be many reasons why the *Israelites had to walk round the city 13 times:
· They learned to be patient.
· God increased their *faith.
· The *Israelites frightened the people in Jericho.
The *Israelites did not argue with the instructions that God had given. God sometimes tells us to do strange things. We might not know why. God always knows best! God always asks us to do things that will be good for us or for other people. We should not doubt the instructions that God has given to us.
Verse 16 ‘The *Lord has given the city to you.’ God has already given the *victory! All the *Israelites had to do was to obey God.
God has given us *victory over our enemies. Our greatest enemy is *sin. When Jesus died, he defeated *sin. We have *victory because Jesus died for us.
Verses 18-19 In Deuteronomy 20:10-14 God gave to the *Israelites some rules about war. They could keep the valuable things from towns and cities that they defeated. But at Jericho God said that all the valuable things belonged to him.
This was their first *victory. God likes to receive the first of everything. In Deuteronomy 26:1-2, God gave the *Israelites some rules about the harvest. They had to give the first fruit of each harvest to God. This may be the reason why God wanted all the valuable things from Jericho.
God wants the best from each one of us. He wants us to give to him the first of everything. This includes our money, our time and our work.
Verses 17 and 21 Some people ask, ‘Why did God demand the death of innocent people?’ Deuteronomy 20:18 tells us the answer. The people who lived in *Canaan were very bad people. They might teach the *Israelites to do bad things. They did bad things when they *worshipped their gods. They might teach the *Israelites to *sin. The people who lived in *Canaan were not innocent. They were guilty of very bad things that made God unhappy. God had given them time to change. But they refused to do the right things. So God had to punish them.
God wants us all to confess our *sins to him. Jesus died so that God would forgive us. But, if we do not invite God into our lives, God will be our judge. Then, God will punish us too, for our *sins.
Verse 20 Hebrews 11:30 says, ‘By *faith the walls of Jericho fell.’ Joshua had *faith. He believed that God would do something great.
The people had *faith. They walked round the city. They did not know why. They believed that something would happen. Something did happen! The walls fell down!
· Think about this. How strong is our *faith? Do we do what God asks us? Do we see what God has done for us?
Verse 21 The *Israelites gave everything in the city to God. God had told them to do this (Joshua 6:19).
v22 Joshua spoke to the two men that Rahab had hidden. ‘Go into her house. Bring her out with all who are with her’, he said. ‘This is what you promised to her.’ v23 So the young men went and brought out Rahab and her whole family. They brought out her father, mother and brothers and all who belonged to her. They gave them a place outside the *Israelite camp.
v24 Then they burned the whole city and everything in it. They put the gold, silver, iron and metal things into the *Lord’s store of valuable things. v25 But Joshua saved Rahab and her family and all who belonged to her. Joshua had sent two men to find out about the city. And Rahab had hidden those men. Rahab still lives among the *Israelites.
v26 At that time, Joshua made this serious promise. ‘The *Lord will punish the man who builds this city again’, he said. ‘When he starts to build, his oldest son will die. His youngest son will die when he puts up its gates.’
v27 So the *Lord was with Joshua, and people everywhere heard all about him.
Verses 22, 23 God had rescued Rahab and her family. They lived outside the camp of the *Israelites. This was because they were not *Israelites. Later, they lived with the *Israelites (see Joshua 6:25). This suggests that they had become *Israelites. They believed in the God of the *Israelites. They accepted all the rules that the *Israelites had.
In Acts 10:35, we read that ‘God accepts people from every nation. He accepts people who *fear him and do what is right.’
Verse 26 The serious promise that Joshua made came true 500 years later. We read about it in 1 Kings 16:34. A man called Hiel started to build Jericho. When he started, his oldest son died. When he completed it, his youngest son died.
Jericho
People who study history thought a lot about Jericho. They have found many ancient things near Jericho city. But we are not sure whether they have found anything from the time of Joshua. About 1930, Mr John Garstang found a city like the one that Joshua destroyed. Its walls had fallen down. And a fire had destroyed everything. About 1950, Miss Kathlene Kenyon went to Jericho. She did not agree that Mr Garstang had found the city in the Book of Joshua. But she thought that she had found some things from that city. Perhaps nobody will be able to find anything from the city of Jericho that Joshua defeated. We must remember that nobody built anything in the area for 500 years after Joshua. So, perhaps there was nothing left.
Verse 27 The Book of Joshua tells us many times that God was with Joshua. Joshua needed God to help him.
We need God in everything that we do.
God had promised Joshua that all the *Israelites would give him honour. God kept his promise. God always keeps his promises!
v1 The *Israelites did not do as God had told them by Joshua. Achan was the son of Carmi. (Carmi was the son of Zimri. Zimri was the son of Zerah. He belonged to the *tribe of Judah.) Achan did not obey God. He took some of the things that belonged to God. So God was very angry with the *Israelites.
Verse 1 This verse is a link between the previous chapter and chapter 7. Achan had kept some of the valuable things that he found in Jericho. God had told the *Israelites that they must not do this. Achan’s action would have a big effect on the events that followed. The *sin of one man brought trouble to all *Israel.
We must be careful. The *sin of one Christian can affect a whole church.
v2 Now Joshua had sent men from Jericho to Ai. This is a city near to Beth Aven, and east of Bethel. He said to them, ‘Go up and look at the land near there secretly.’ So the men went to see what they could find out.
v3 The men came and spoke to Joshua. ‘There are not many men there. Do not make all the people tired. 2000 or 3000 men should be enough to take the city.’ v4 So about 3000 men went up to Ai. But the men in Ai made them run away. v5 And the men from Ai killed about 36 of the *Israelites. They chased the *Israelites from the gate of the city to the place where they cut building stones. They killed the *Israelites as they ran over the hill. When the *Israelites heard this, they were very afraid. They felt very weak.
Verse 2 As usual, Joshua planned the next attack with care. As usual, he sent men to look at the small town, Ai.
Verse 3 Ai was a small town. About 12 000 people lived there. It should not take many *Israelites to defeat this small town.
Verse 4, 5 Only 3000 men attacked Ai. *Israel suffered defeat. The men from Ai killed 36 *Israelites. The *Israelites were afraid. Earlier, the people of *Canaan were afraid. Now they made *Israel to feel afraid.
v6 Joshua tore his clothes. He lay down in front of the *ark of the *Lord. His face was down to the ground. He stayed there until evening. The leaders of *Israel did the same, and they put dirt on their heads. v7 ‘*Lord, ruler of all, We do not know why you brought this group of people over the Jordan’, said Joshua. ‘You certainly did not want the Amorites to kill us. We might have been happy if we had stayed on the other side of the Jordan! v8 *Lord, I do not know what to say now that the enemies of *Israel have won the fight. v9 The *Canaanites and other people who live here will hear about this. They will come round us and they will kill us all. Nobody will give honour to your great name.’
Verse 6 Joshua and the leaders of the people showed how unhappy they were. They tore their clothes and they put dirt on their heads. This was the usual way to show how sad you were. Joshua and the leaders of the people lay down in front of the *ark. This was to show God that they were sorry.
People could not usually see the *ark. It was too *holy. It was usually behind a curtain in the *Tent of Meeting. Only the *high priest could see it. Joshua was not a priest. People ask how he could see it.
There are a few possible answers to this question. Here are two possible answers:
· Perhaps the *Israelites carried the *ark to Ai. (They carried the *ark round Jericho.) They had not put the *ark back into the *Tent of Meeting.
· Or maybe Joshua was outside the *Tent of Meeting. But he knew that he was in front of the *ark.
Verses 7-9 Joshua started to blame God for the defeat. God had brought the *Israelites out of Egypt. But God had allowed the Amorites to defeat them.
Joshua was worried about the effects of the defeat. Other people would hear about it. Other people might defeat them. People would not think that God is great and good.
Joshua did not know why they had suffered defeat.
v10 The *Lord said to Joshua, ‘Stand up! You should not be lying on the ground. v11 *Israel has *sinned. They have not kept their promise. They did not do what I told them to do. I said that they must destroy everything that was not gold, silver or metal. They have taken some of these things. They took them. Then they said that they had not taken anything. They have hidden them with their own things. v12 That is why the *Israelites cannot stand against their enemies. They run away from their enemies now. The *Israelites have *sinned and their enemies can kill them. You must destroy everything that I told you to destroy. If you do not do this, then I will not continue to be with you.’
Verse 10-12 God told Joshua the real reason for the defeat at Ai. Someone had taken some of the valuable things that he found in Jericho. It was important for the *Israelites to obey God. God could not give them good things if they did not obey him.
Christians, too, must obey God. We have God’s instructions in the Bible. If we do not obey them, then God will not give us good things either.
v13 The *Lord continued, ‘Get up! Tell the people to make themselves *clean. Prepare for tomorrow, when you will meet with me! I, the *Lord God of *Israel say this, "*Israel, you have kept some of the things that I told you to destroy. You will not win the fight against your enemies until you have destroyed these things!" v14 So tell the people that in the morning they will come in front of me, one *tribe at a time. I will choose one *tribe to come in front. The groups of that *tribe will come in front of me, one by one. The group that I will choose will come in front of me, family by family. I will choose a family. Then the men of that family will come in front of me, one by one. v15 I will choose the man who has taken the things. Then you will burn him with the things that he has taken. You must burn him and all that he has and all his family. He has caused great trouble to *Israel. He made them ashamed, because he did not obey me.’
Verses 13-15 God must punish *sin! God told Joshua how he would punish this *sin. He would punish the person who had taken some of the valuable things. The *Israelites must kill the person who had taken some of the valuable things. God would show them who the person was.
Today we do not kill people who have *sinned. But we must warn them – see Titus 3:10. We must show them that they must change. When a Christian *sins, it can affect other Christians.
v16 Early the next morning, Joshua made the *tribes come in front of the *Lord, *tribe by *tribe.
· The *Lord chose the *tribe of Judah. v17 Groups of the *tribe of Judah came in front of the *Lord.
· The *Lord chose the group of Zerah. Families Zerah came in front of the *Lord.
· The *Lord chose the family of Zimri. v18 Joshua made each man of the family of Zimri come in front of him.
· The *Lord chose Achan. He was the son of Carmi, who was the son of Zimri. Zimri was the son of Zerah, of the *tribe of Judah.
v19 Then Joshua spoke to Achan. ‘My son’, he said, ‘Respect the *Lord, the God of *Israel! Tell me what you have done. Do not hide it from me.’ v20 Achan replied, ‘It is true! I have *sinned against the *Lord, the God of *Israel. This is what I have done. v21 I found a beautiful coat from Babylon. I also found about two kilos of silver and a gold bar that weighed half a kilo. I wanted them so much that I took them. They are in the ground under my tent. And the silver is there under the other things.’ v22 So Joshua sent people with a message. They ran to the tent. They found the things that Achan had hidden. The silver was under them. v23 They took the things from the tent and brought them to Joshua and the other *Israelites. Then they put them all in front of the *Lord.
v24 Then Joshua and all the people took Achan, the son of Zerah, to the valley of Achor. (‘Achor’ means trouble.) They took the coat, the gold and the silver with them. With him, they took his sons, daughters, cows, sheep and other animals and all that he had. v25 Joshua said, ‘You should not have caused so much trouble. The *Lord will cause trouble to you today!’ Then all the *Israelites threw big stones at him until he died. They killed his family and his animals with him. They also burnt his family and all that he had. v26 They put many big stones over him, that are still there. That is why the place is still called the valley of Achor. Then the *Lord’s anger ended.
Verses 16-18 We do not know how God showed that he had chosen Achan. God already knew that Achan had stolen some of the valuable things in Jericho. Now, God showed this to the rest of *Israel. We do not know how he did this.
There were many ways that God spoke to people in the *Old Testament:
· by God’s *spirit servants and *messengers, called angels – for example, Genesis 32:1
· by dreams – for example, Daniel 2
· by the special objects called Urim and Thummim which the *high priests wore – for example, 1 Samuel 30:7-8
· by throwing *lots – for example, 1 Samuel 14:41-42.
Verses 19-23 Joshua gave Achan the opportunity to confess his *sin. Achan confessed that he had done a wrong thing.
It is important that we confess our *sins to God. God will forgive us. Jesus died to pay the punishment for our *sins.
The people brought out the evidence of Achan’s *sin. They brought out the things that he had stolen. This was proof that Achan was guilty.
Verses 24-26 Achan suffered punishment for his *sin. The punishment was severe. It was a warning to the *Israelites. They must obey God.
The people punished Achan’s family. His family must have done wrong things as well (see Deuteronomy 24:16).
Verse 26 ‘The *Lord’s anger ended.’ God had punished Achan. God had dealt with the *sin. *Israel could now expect God to bless them.
v1 Then the *Lord spoke again. ‘Do not be afraid. Do not think that you are weak’, he said to Joshua. ‘Take the whole army with you and go to attack Ai. I will give the king, all his people, the city and its land to you. v2 You must destroy the city and its king as you did to Jericho and its king. But this time you may take their good things and all their animals for yourselves. Hide some of your men behind the city.’ v3 So Joshua and the whole army moved out to attack Ai. He chose 30 000 of the best fighting men and sent them out by night. v4 ‘Listen carefully’, he said. ‘You must go and hide behind the city. Stay near to it. Be sure to stay awake! v5 I will march towards the city with all the other soldiers. The men will come out of the city to fight us, as they did before. Then we will run away. v6 They will run after us, until we have gone from the city. They will say, "They are running away from us, as they did before". So, when we run from them, v7 you must get out from your hiding place. You will take the city. The *Lord your God will give it to you. v8 When you have taken the city, start to burn it. Do what the *Lord has told you to do. Be sure to obey my words.’
v9 Then Joshua sent the men off. They went to wait and to hide at the west of Ai, between Bethel and Ai. But Joshua stayed with the people that night.
Verse 1 When Joshua attacked Ai the first time, the *Lord had not told him to do so (Joshua 7:2). Now that the *Israelites had punished Achan, God gave instructions to Joshua. God told Joshua to take the whole army. God would give Ai to the *Israelites.
Verse 2 God told the *Israelites that they could keep the valuable things from Ai. Achan should have waited. He could have taken any valuable things from Ai.
We must not go ahead of God. We must wait for his instructions. We must obey God. God’s instructions are in the Bible. We cannot expect God to bless us if we do not obey him. We cannot expect God to bless us if we do not listen to him. Achan and *Israel learnt this lesson the hard way.
Verses 2-9 God gave to Joshua the plans to defeat Ai. The people of Ai would think that the *Israelites were trying to defeat them again. They did not know that men were hiding behind the city. It was a very clever idea. God knows best. The people obeyed God and Joshua.
v10 Early the next morning, Joshua took all the men together to march towards Ai. He and the leaders of *Israel went in front. v11 The whole army marched up to the city and they stopped in front of it. They put their tents north of Ai. They left a valley between them and the city. v12 Joshua had hidden about 5000 men to the west of the city, between Bethel and Ai. v13 All the soldiers took their places, and they were ready to fight. Some were north of the city, by their tents. And other soldiers were hiding at the west of the city. That night, Joshua went into the valley.
v14 When the king of Ai saw Joshua’s men, the king and his men hurried out of the city. It was early in the morning. They wanted to meet *Israel at the same place as before. And they wanted to fight *Israel there. But the king of Ai did not know that *Israelite soldiers were hiding behind the city. v15 Joshua and his army let the men of Ai chase them, and they ran towards the desert. v16 The king told all the men of Ai to run after them. So they ran after the *Israelites and away from their city. v17 Not one man remained in Ai or Bethel. They all ran after the *Israelite soldiers.
Verses 10-13 It would appear that there were three groups of *Israelites. 30 000 soldiers were hiding behind Ai. 5000 soldiers were near Bethel. They were there in case the people in Bethel came out of their city. They might want to help the people of Ai. The rest of the *Israelites were with Joshua.
Verses 14-17 The king of Ai thought that he could defeat *Israel again. His soldiers came out of the city. Joshua and the *Israelites ran away as they did before. The king of Ai did not know that Joshua had made other plans!
The men of Bethel joined in the attack. Joshua had already prepared for that possibility (verse 12).
v18 Then the *Lord spoke to Joshua. The *Lord said, ‘Hold out the throwing stick that is in your hand. Point it towards Ai. I will give the city to you.’ So Joshua held out his throwing stick towards Ai. v19 The men who were hiding behind the city came out at once. They quickly ran into the city. They took it and they immediately made it burn. v20 The men of Ai looked back and saw smoke rise over the city. But they could not run away. The *Israelites who had been running away had turned to fight them. v21 Joshua and his army had seen that the *Israelites had taken the city. The men that he had hidden had taken it. Joshua’s army saw the smoke from the burning city. So they turned round and began to fight the men of Ai. v22 The *Israelites in the city then came down to join the fight. The men of *Israel were all round the men of Ai. They killed all the men of Ai. Nobody could run away. v23 The only person that they did not kill was the king of Ai. They took him to Joshua.
v24 The *Israelites killed all the men in the fields. And the *Israelites killed the men who had followed them into the desert. Then the *Israelites went back to Ai and killed everyone there. v25 All the men and women of Ai died on that day. 12 000 people died. v26 Joshua had continued to point his throwing stick at Ai until his army had killed every person. v27 But the *Israelites took the good things and the animals for themselves, as the *Lord had told Joshua. v28 Joshua burnt the city and he broke it down. It is still like that today. v29 He hanged the king of Ai on a tree and left his body there until evening. At sunset, Joshua told his men to cut the body down from the tree. Then they threw it in front of the city’s gate. They covered it with many stones. These stones are still there today.
Verse 18 Joshua waited for further instructions. God told him what to do next. God told him to hold up his throwing stick. He pointed it towards Ai. He held it up until the *Israelites had completely destroyed Ai (see verse 26). This reminds us of Moses (Exodus 17:8-16). He held his hands up in prayer when the *Israelites defeated the *Amalekites. Joshua was the captain of the army then.
Verses 19-22, 24-28 All the men of *Israel performed their tasks. Some ran away from the enemy so that the men of Ai would come out of the city. Some hid behind the city. They attacked the city when the men came out. Some protected the *Israelites from an attack from Bethel. All played their part.
All Christians have things to do. We cannot leave our work for other people to do. God has given gifts to all of us. We must use them for God.
Verses 23, 29 The *Israelites took the king of Ai to Joshua. The king of Ai had no people left. He was no longer a king. Joshua killed the king to complete the *victory. The *Israelites covered the body of the king with many stones
Earlier, they had covered Achan’s body with stones. This reminded them of their defeat. The *Israelites covered the body of the king with many stones. This reminded them of their *victory.
God changed defeat into *victory. This is what God wants to do for us. When we disappoint God by our *sins, we suffer defeat. God will forgive us if we confess our *sins to him. He will help us. He will give *victory to us.
v30 Then Joshua built an *altar on Ebal mountain, to the *Lord, the God of Israel. v31 Joshua made it as Moses had told the *Israelites. Moses, the *Lord’s servant, had written this in a book. This book, the *Law of Moses, told the *Israelites how they should make it. ‘You must make the *altar from stones that you have not cut with iron tools.’ They burned animals on it to *worship the *Lord. And they burned other animals, as ‘*fellowship *offerings’ to the *Lord. v32 The *Israelites watched Joshua as he made a copy of the *Law of Moses on the stones. This was the *Law that Moses had written. v33 All the *Israelites stood by the two sides of the *ark, with their faces towards the priests who carried it. The leaders, officers and judges were there, and the foreign people were with them, too. Half the people stood with their backs to Gerizim mountain. The other half stood with their backs to Ebal mountain. This is how the *Lord’s servant, Moses had told them to stand (Deuteronomy 11:29). ‘Stand like this when I am asking the *Lord to give you his *blessing’, he had said. v34 Then Joshua read the whole *Law aloud to them. He read the *blessings and the *curses from the book of the *Law. Moses had told him how to bless the *Israelites. v35 Joshua read every word to the *Israelites. Moses had told him what to read. Joshua read it to all the people, including the women, children and the foreign people who lived with them.
Verses 30-35 The *Lord had punished the *Israelites because they did not obey him at Ai. They were very careful to do exactly what God had told them after that.
At Ebal mountain, Joshua did 3 things:
· He built an *altar. He then burned two kinds of *sacrifice on the *altar.
· He made a copy of the Law of Moses on stones.
· He read the *blessings and the *curses from the book of the law.
Verse 31 Joshua made the *altar with stones that workmen had not cut. (See Deuteronomy 27:1-8.) The stones were exactly as God had made them. Nobody else had made them. Joshua could not make them any better.
Jesus died to pay the punishment for our *sins. We cannot work for this.
Joshua burned two kinds of *sacrifice on the *altar:
· burnt *offerings (see Leviticus 1:1-17). A person gave a burnt *offering to God to show that he had given himself completely to God. Here the *Israelites gave burnt *offerings to God. This was to show that they had given themselves completely to God.
· *fellowship *offerings (see Leviticus 2:1-16). A person might feel that something separated him from God. So he brought a *fellowship *offering to God. This gave him peace with God. Here the *Israelites gave *fellowship *offerings to God. It was a way to say thank you to God. It was also a way to say that they wanted to have *fellowship with God.
The *Israelites had offended God at Ai. Now they had made things right.
These *offerings are like a picture of the death of Jesus.
Because of the death of Jesus
· we can give ourselves completely to God (the burnt *offering);
· we can have *fellowship with God (the *fellowship *offering).
The Law of Moses could be
· the Books of Exodus, Leviticus and Deuteronomy, or
· the ten *commandments.
Joshua probably wrote down the ten *commandments. He wrote them on stones. They would last for ever. The people could not forget them.
Christians have the Bible. This is the word of God for us. We must read it often.
Verse 33 The *Israelites stood by the two sides of the *ark. This was a sign that God was there.
Verses 34 See Deuteronomy 27:15-26; 28:15-68 for the curses that Joshua read. After Joshua read each curse, the people said, ‘Amen’. They said, ‘Amen’ to show that they agreed.
Verse 35 See Deuteronomy 28:1-14 for the *blessings that Joshua read.
v1 The kings who lived west of the Jordan heard about these things. They lived in the hills and everywhere near the Great Sea, as far as Lebanon. (They were the kings of the Hittites, Amorites, *Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites.) When they heard about these things, they joined together. v2 They joined together to fight Joshua and *Israel.
v3 The people from Gibeon were called Gibeonites. They heard about what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai. v4 So they had a clever idea. Some Gibeonites put old bags of food on their donkeys (small horses). They took old *wineskins, which they mended. v5 They wore old shoes (which they had mended) on their feet. And they wore old clothes. The bread that they took for food was stale. In fact, the bread was going bad. v6 Then they went to Joshua, who was camping at Gilgal. They spoke to him and to the men of *Israel. ‘We have come from a country that is a long way away’, they said. ‘Please let us make a promise with you not to fight each other.’
v7 But the men of *Israel answered the Gibeonites (who were Hivites), ‘Perhaps you live close to us. In that case we cannot make a promise not to kill you.’
v8 ‘We want to serve you’, they said to Joshua.
‘Who are you? Where do you come from?’ Joshua asked.
v9 They answered, ‘Your servants have come from a country a very long way away. We heard about your great God. We heard all about the things that he did in Egypt. v10 And we heard what he did to the two kings of the Amorites. Those kings ruled cities east of the Jordan. They were Sihon, king of Heshbon, and Og, king of Bashan. They ruled in Ashtaroth. v11 Our leaders and the people in our land told us that we should come to see you. Our leaders said, "Take food and wine for your journey. Go to meet the *Israelites, and speak to them. Say that we want to serve them. Ask them not to kill us". v12 Our bread was warm when we put it in our bags. We packed this bread on the day that we left home to come to you. But you can see how bad and stale it has become. v13 And these *wineskins were new. You can see how old they are now. And our clothes and shoes wore out on our long journey.’
v14 The men of *Israel looked at the food and other things, but they did not ask the *Lord for help. v15 Then Joshua agreed that they would not kill the people from Gibeon. The leaders of *Israel also said that they would keep Joshua’s promise.
Verses 1-4 Here we have two different attitudes to the *Israelites.
· The kings who lived west of Jordan were afraid. They planned to fight *Israel. We read about this in chapter 10.
· The people from Gibeon were afraid. But they planned to make friends with the *Israelites.
Verses 3-13 The people from Gibeon had a very clever plan. They pretended that they had come from a long distance away. They had come only about 25 miles (40 kilometres)! The Gibeonites told several lies.
· They had come from a land that was a long way away (verse 6).
· The bread was warm when they left home (verse 12).
· The *wineskins were new when they left home.
The *Israelites believed them.
God had told the *Israelites not to make agreements with the inhabitants of *Canaan (Deuteronomy 7). If the people from Gibeon had come from another country, then the *Israelites could make a peace agreement with them. But they had come only 25 miles (40 kilometres). The *Israelites believed the story that the Gibeonites told them. The story was not true.
If the group of Gibeonites were genuine
· they would bring enough supplies for the return journey
· they would have brought gifts for the *Israelites
· they would throw away any stale bread
· their servants would make them new bread
· they would bring good clothes for their meeting with the *Israelites.
Verse 14 Joshua believed the Gibeonites. He did not think about any problems. He did not ask the *Lord if their story was true. Joshua made a big mistake. This was a very big decision. The *Israelites agreed with Joshua’s decision.
We must be careful. We must always pray to God about important decisions. We should not make important decisions unless we ask God first.
James 1:5 says, ‘If you do not have wisdom, you should ask God for it.’ Proverbs 4:11 says that God will guide us to make wise decisions.
v16 So Joshua and the *Israelites made a promise to the Gibeonites. Three days later, the *Israelites learned that the Gibeonites lived near to them. v17 The *Israelites left their camp to go to the cities of Gibeon. Three days later, they came to their cities: Gibeon, Kephirah, Beeroth and Kiriath Jearim. v18 The *Israelites did not attack them, because of the promise that their leaders had made. They had said to the *Lord God of *Israel that they would not kill the Gibeonites.
All the *Israelites were angry with their leaders. v19 The leaders said to them, ‘We have promised the *Lord, the God of *Israel, and now we cannot hurt them. v20 But this is what we will do. We will let them live. Then God will not punish us because we did not keep our promise. v21 Let them live. They will cut wood and carry water for us’, they said. This is how the leaders kept their promise to the Gibeonites.
v22 Joshua told the Gibeonites to come to him. ‘Why did you tell me those lies? You said that you lived a long way from us. But you really live near to us’, he said. v23 ‘Now we will punish you. You will always be our servants. You will cut wood and carry water for our God’s people.’
v24 They answered Joshua, ‘The *Lord your God had told Moses to give you the whole land. We had heard that clearly. He told you to kill all the people who lived there in front of you. So, we were afraid that you would kill us. That is why we did as we did. v25 You must decide what to do with us. Do what you think is right and good.’
v26 So Joshua did not let the *Israelites kill the Gibeonites, and the *Israelites let them live. v27 They made the Gibeonites cut wood and fetch water for them. And they would do this for the *altar of the *Lord, at the place that the *Lord would tell them. They are doing this still.
Verse 16 It was not long before the *Israelites learnt the truth. The Gibeonites lived so close that the *Israelites soon learnt the truth.
Verses 17-19 The *Israelites set out to talk to the Gibeonites. The *Israelites wanted to fight the Gibeonites because of what they had done. The leaders said that the *Israelites must keep their promise. They had made the promise to God.
We should keep the promises that we make to God. It is a very serious matter if we do not keep them.
Verses 20-27 Joshua had no choice. He let the Gibeonites live.
In Deuteronomy 20:17, God told the *Israelites not to make peace with the Hivites. The Gibeonites were Hivites. God wanted the *Israelites to kill the Hivites. This was because the Hivites were very evil. God was punishing the Hivites for their *sins. So, the Gibeonites deserved to die. But God allowed the *Israelites to make a peace agreement with them. God saved the Gibeonites.
God did not save the Gibeonites because they lied. Lies are wrong. But God knew that the Gibeonites really wanted to serve God. In fact, they were desperate to serve God. They did not want God to punish them. They would do anything if God would save them. God knew their true thoughts.
Other people in the *Old Testament also lied because they wanted to serve God:
· In Joshua 2:4, Rahab lied. Like the Gibeonites, she lied because she was desperate to serve God (Joshua 2:9-11). And, like the Gibeonites, God saved her.
· In Genesis 27:19, Jacob lied. Jacob lied because he wanted his father to bless him. If Jacob’s father blessed Jacob, then God would also bless Jacob. Jacob was wrong to lie. But God still met with Jacob, because God knew Jacob’s intentions. Really, Jacob wanted to serve God (Genesis 28:13-15).
These people lied because they did not know the right way to serve God. But God blessed them because they really wanted to serve God.
The Gibeonites became servants of the *Israelites. There is a group of people in the *Old Testament called *temple servants (1 Chronicles 9:2; Ezra 2:43, 58; Nehemiah 3:26). They were almost certainly Gibeonites. Much later, these *temple servants went into *exile to Babylon with the *Israelites. When the *Israelites returned, the *temple servants came with them. The Gibeonites stayed loyal to the *Israelites.
God used the mistake that Joshua made. The Gibeonites enjoyed all the good things that God gave to the *Israelites.
God can use our mistakes. It is never too late to ask God to help us.
Think about this. Joshua made an agreement with the wrong people. Paul, in 2 Corinthians 6:14 says, ‘Do not try to work with people who are not friends of God. You cannot do it. Right things and wrong things cannot work together. Light and darkness cannot work together.’
v1 The king of Jerusalem, Adoni-Zedek, heard what Joshua had done to the people of Ai and Jericho and their kings. He heard that Joshua had killed them. He also heard that *Israel had promised not to kill the people from Gibeon. They lived near to the *Israelites. v2 The king and his people were very afraid, because Gibeon was an important city. It was like a king’s city and bigger than Ai. All its men fought well. v3 So Adoni-Zedek, king of Jerusalem, asked some other kings to join him to attack Gibeon. They were called:
· Hoham. He was the king of Hebron.
· Piram. He was the king of Jarmuth.
· Japhia. He was the king of Lachish.
· Debir. He was the king of Eglon.
v4 Adoni-Zedek said to them, ‘Gibeon has promised not to fight Joshua and the *Israelites. Please help me to attack Gibeon.’
v5 Then the 5 kings of the Amorites joined together. They were the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish and Eglon. They took their soldiers near to Gibeon, and they attacked it.
Verse 1 This may be the first mention of Jerusalem in the Bible. However, Salem in Genesis 14:18 might be the same city. Jerusalem became a very important city. King David made it his capital city. Jesus died on a cross outside Jerusalem.
Verses 1-5 When you make an agreement with the enemy you can expect trouble. The Gibeonites realised that they were in trouble. The trouble was not from their former enemies. Their enemies had been the *Israelites. But now the Gibeonites’ former friends were attacking them. Now their neighbours were attacking them. They did not know what to do.
v6 Then the Gibeonites sent a message to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal. ‘Do not leave us alone. Come quickly and save us. All the Amorite kings from the hills have joined to attack us. We need your help’, they said.
v7 So Joshua marched with his whole army up from Gilgal. He included all his best fighting men. v8 The *Lord said to Joshua, ‘Do not be afraid of them. I will make sure that you win the fight. I will not let anyone stand against you.’
v9 They marched all night from Gilgal, and Joshua surprised his enemies. v10 The *Lord made the enemies confused when they saw *Israel. *Israel won a great fight at Gibeon. *Israel pursued their enemies on the road to Beth Horon. *Israel continued to kill them all the way to Azekah and Makkedah. v11 The *Lord attacked them as they ran from Beth Horon to Azekah. He caused large *hail stones to fall on them from the sky. The *Lord killed more men with the *hail stones than the *Israelites killed in the fight.
v12 On that day, Joshua stood in front of *Israel and spoke to the *Lord. On that same day, the *Lord gave them power over the Amorites. Joshua spoke to the *Lord and said,
‘Sun stand still over Gibeon.
Moon stand over the valley of Aijalon.’
v13 So the sun stood still.
And the moon stood still
until *Israel had punished its enemies.
These words are in the book of Jashar. ‘The sun stopped in the middle of the sky, and it did not go down for about a whole day. v14 The *Lord has never listened to a man like this before or since that day. So, we are sure that the *Lord was fighting for *Israel! v15 Then Joshua and all the *Israelites went back to the camp at Gilgal.’
Verses 6, 7 The Gibeonites asked for help from the *Israelites. The *Israelites were the only ones that could help them. Joshua had made a promise to the Gibeonites. He could not disappoint them now.
Think about this. Whom do we go to when we need help? The Gibeonites went to Joshua. The name Joshua means ‘The *Lord is my *Saviour.’ We have a *Saviour. We can always go to him when we need help.
Verse 8 When the Gibeonites first came to Joshua he did not ask God about them (Joshua 9:14). Now that the Gibeonites had asked Joshua for help, God spoke to Joshua. He told him not to be afraid. God had already won the battle for him!
God has won the battle for us. He sent Jesus to die for us. He suffered the punishment for our *sins. This was a great *victory!
Verses 9-13 God did three things to help Joshua.
· He made the enemies confused.
· He sent *hail stones to kill the enemy.
· The sun stood still until the *Israelites had defeated the enemy. Joshua asked God to do this.
Verse 14 This is a wonderful statement about Joshua! God listened to his prayer. Joshua had *faith that God would answer his prayer.
God will always listen to our prayers. We should pray to God often. Like Joshua, we too should have *faith in God.
v16 Now the 5 kings had run away. They had hidden in a cave at Makkedah. v17 Joshua heard that they were hiding there. v18 He said to his men, ‘Cover the front of the cave with big stones. And put some men there to guard them. v19 But do not stop. Continue to run after your enemies. Attack them from behind, and do not let them reach their cities. Remember that the *Lord, your God has promised to give power to you over them.’
v20 So Joshua and the *Israelites killed them. Nearly all the enemies died. But the few who were alive reached their strong cities. v21 The whole army returned to the camp at Makkedah where Joshua was. All the people in the land were too afraid to say anything bad about the *Israelites.
v22 Then Joshua said, ‘Take away the stones from the cave. Bring the 5 kings out to me.’ v23 So they brought out the kings. These kings were the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish and Eglon. v24 They brought the kings to Joshua, and he told the men of *Israel to come to him. ‘Put your feet on the necks of the kings’, he said to the officers who had come with him. They did as he told them to do.
v25 Joshua said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. Be very strong and brave. This is what the *Lord will do to all your enemies.’ v26 Then Joshua killed the kings. The *Israelites hung the dead kings on 5 trees until the evening.
v27 At sunset, Joshua told his men to take the kings down from the trees. ‘Throw them into the cave where they were hiding’, he said. They put big stones over the front of the cave, and the stones are still there.
v28 That day Joshua attacked Makkedah and he took it, with its king. He killed everyone in it. He did not leave anyone alive. He killed the king of Makkedah, just as he had killed the king of Jericho.
Verses 16-21 Joshua did not have time to deal with the 5 kings. They were hiding in a cave. Joshua put some big stones in front of the cave. The 5 kings could not escape. Joshua came back to them later. He had other things to do. He had to kill his enemies.
Verses 22-27 Joshua told the *Israelites to put their feet on the necks of the 5 kings. (He made the kings lie down first.) This seems a strange thing to do! It was not strange in those days. In 2 Samuel 22:41 we read, ‘You have also given me the necks of my enemies.’ When the *Israelites put their feet on the necks of the 5 kings it showed complete *victory. The 5 kings knew that the *Israelites had completely defeated them. Joshua killed the 5 kings. He hung their bodies on 5 trees. This showed the *Israelites that they had defeated their enemy.
Verse 28 Joshua continued to kill his enemies.
v29 After this, Joshua and his army went on from Makkedah to Libnah, and they attacked it. v30 The *Lord gave them power over that city and its king. Joshua destroyed the city and he killed everyone in it. He did not leave anyone alive. He killed the king of Libnah, just as he had killed the king of Jericho.
v31 After this, Joshua and all the *Israelites went on from Libnah to Lachish. They attacked it from all sides. v32 The *Lord gave them power over Lachish. And Joshua took the city on the second day. They left no one alive, as they had done at Libnah. They killed everyone in the city. v33 King Horam of Gezer came to help Lachish. But Joshua fought and killed him and his army. He killed them all.
v34 Then Joshua and his army went from Lachish to Eglon. They went round it and they attacked it. v35 They took it on the same day. They killed everyone in that city, as they had at Lachish.
v36 After this, Joshua and his army went up from Eglon to Hebron. They attacked v37 and took it. They killed the king, all the people there, and the people in the towns near to it. Joshua destroyed the whole city, as he had done to Eglon. He did not leave anyone alive.
v38 Then Joshua and his army went back to Debir and they attacked it. v39 He attacked it and he took it with all the towns near to it. They killed everyone there. Joshua did to Debir and its king what he had done to Hebron and to Libnah and its king.
v40 So Joshua took the whole land. He took the hill country, the hills of the east and the west and the dry country in the south. He took them with their kings. He killed all the people who lived there. He did not leave anyone alive. The *Lord God of *Israel had told him to do this. v41 Joshua had fought from Kadesh Barnea to Gaza. This included all of Goshen as far as Gibeon in the north. v42 Joshua won this long list of battles. He defeated all these kings and their cities. He won the war because the *Lord, the God of *Israel, was fighting for *Israel. v43 After this, Joshua and his army went back to the camp at Gilgal.
Verses 29-40 Joshua had defeated his nearest enemies. Now he attacked the enemies who were further away. At first, he attacked the cities in the south of the country. Notice how often we read about the *Lord.
· The *Lord gave them power – verse 29.
· The *Lord gave them power – verse 32.
· The *Lord God of *Israel told them – verse 40.
· He won because the *Lord, the God of *Israel was with them – verse 42.
When God asks us to do something, he always helps us.
We do not know how long it took to defeat the towns and cities in the south.
v1 Jabin, king of Hazor, heard what had happened. So, he sent *messengers to Jobab, king of Madon. He also sent *messengers to the kings of Shimron and Acshaph. v2 And he sent *messengers to other kings. Some lived in the northern mountains and some lived in the Arabah. The Arabah was south of Kinnereth. Other kings lived in the west. They lived in the little hills and in Naphoth Dor. v3 *Messengers also went to the *Canaanites who lived in both the east and the west. They went to the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites and Jebusites in the hills. And Jabin sent *messengers to the Hivites. The Hivites lived near Hermon near Mizpah. v4 All these kings came with their soldiers and many horses and *chariots. It was a huge army. There were so many soldiers that nobody could count them. v5 The kings all joined together. Their army camped by the river Merom. They wanted to fight against *Israel.
v6 ‘Do not be afraid of them’, the *Lord said to Joshua. ‘I will give all of them to you. You will kill them all by this time tomorrow. You must make their horses *lame, and you must burn the *chariots.’
v7 So Joshua and all his army went to fight the kings by the river Merom. The *Israelites attacked their enemies suddenly. v8 The *Lord helped the *Israelites to win the fight. The *Israelites ran after the kings as far as Sidon, Misrephoth Maim and Mizpah valley. They went east until they had killed all their enemies. v9 Joshua did to them as the *Lord had said. Joshua made the horses *lame and he burned the *chariots.
v10 Then Joshua went back and he took Hazor. He killed its king. (Hazor had been the most important *kingdom over all the *kingdoms who were against *Israel.) v11 The *Israelites killed everyone who lived there. They killed everything that was alive in the city. They burned the city and they destroyed it.
v12 Joshua took all these cities and he killed all their kings. He destroyed them all, as God’s servant Moses had told him to do. v13 But *Israel did not burn all the cities that their enemies had built on small hills, except Hazor. Joshua did burn this one. v14 The *Israelites took all the animals and good things from the cities, but they killed all the people. They did not allow anyone to live. v15 The *Lord had told Moses what to do. Then Moses had told Joshua what the *Lord had said. Joshua did what Moses told him to do. Joshua did not forget anything. He did everything that the *Lord had told Moses to do.
Verses 1-5 Again, some kings in *Canaan became afraid of the *Israelites. These kings lived in the north of the country.
Verse 6 The *Lord made a promise to Joshua. The *Lord would defeat all those people.
Verses 7-10. Joshua did as God told him to do. God helped Joshua again to defeat his enemies.
v16 So Joshua took all these places. He took the hills, the dry country in the south, all Goshen and the little hills in the west. He took the Arabah and the mountains and hills in *Israel. v17 These places were between Halak mountain (which was near Seir) and Baal Gad. Baal Gad was in the valley of Lebanon, below Hermon mountain. He took all their kings and killed them all. v18 Joshua was fighting these kings for a long time. v19 No cities made a peace agreement with the *Israelites, except for the Hivites from Gibeon. So, Joshua took all the other cities in battle. v20 The *Lord himself made the people angry, so that they would fight *Israel. This was so that the *Lord could kill them all. He did not let them live. He did not show kindness to them. So, the *Israelites did those things that the *Lord had told Moses to do.
v21 Joshua went at that time to fight the Anakites from the hills. They came from Hebron, Debir and Anab and all the hills in Judah and *Israel. Joshua killed them all. And he destroyed all their towns. v22 He killed all the Anakites in *Israel, except for a few in Gaza, Gath and Ashdod. v23 So Joshua took the whole country, as the *Lord had told Moses to do. The *Lord gave the country to *Israel to live in. And Joshua gave the land to the *tribes of *Israel. Each *tribe received the land that the *Lord had chosen. And the families in each *tribe would always continue to own this land.
Then the country was at peace.
Verses 16-23 This is an account of all that God had done for Joshua.
It is a good thing for us to make a list. The list should include all the good things that God has done for us. This will help us to thank God. It will help us to *worship God. We can thank God for all the good things that he has done for us. We can *worship him because he is so good to us.
Verse 18 ‘A long time’ was about 7 years.
Verse 20 ‘The *Lord himself made the people angry.’ God did this because he wanted to punish the *Canaanites. The *Canaanites were very evil. God used the *Israelites to punish the *Canaanites. See Exodus 11:10 and Exodus 14:8. In these passages in Exodus, God made the king of Egypt angry. God did this because he wanted to punish the people in Egypt.
Verse 23 God promised to give this land to the family of Abraham (Genesis 17:8). The *Israelites belonged to the family of Abraham. God always keeps his promises. God gave each *Israelite family its own land.
‘Then the country was at peace.’ God’s law told the *Israelites that they should not work every day. They would rest each Saturday (Exodus 20:8). Today, Christians rest on Sunday. And they *worship God on Sunday (Acts 20:7). God also told the *Israelites that they should not plant cro