Jos 8:1-28. GOD ENCOURAGES JOSHUA.
1, 2. The Lord said unto Joshua, Fear not--By the execution of justice
on Achan, the divine wrath was averted, the Israelites were reassured,
defeat was succeeded by victory; and thus the case of Ai affords a
striking example of God's disciplinary government, in which
chastisements for sin are often made to pave the way for the bestowment
of those temporal benefits, which, on account of sin, have been
withdrawn, or withheld for a time. Joshua, who had been greatly
dispirited, was encouraged by a special communication promising him (see
Jos 1:6;
De 31:6-8)
success in the next attempt, which, however, was to be conducted on
different principles.
take all the people of war with thee, and arise, go up to Ai--The
number of fighting men amounted to six hundred thousand, and the whole
force was ordered on this occasion, partly because the spies, in their
self-confidence, had said that a few were sufficient to attack the
place
(Jos 7:3),
partly to dispel any misgivings which the memory of the late disaster
might have created, and partly that the circumstance of the first spoil
obtained in Canaan being shared among all, might operate both as a
reward for obedience in refraining from the booty of Jericho, and as an
incentive to future exertions
(De 6:10).
The rest of the people, including the women and children, remained in
the camp at Gilgal. Being in the plains of Jericho, it was an ascent to
Ai, which was on a hill.
I have given into thy hand the king of Ai, and his people, and his
city, and his land . . . lay thee an ambush for the city--God assured
Joshua of Ai's capture, but allowed him to follow his own tactics in
obtaining the possession.
JFB.
The Book of Joshua
Joshua 5:13 - And it came to pass, when Joshua was by
Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold,
there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his
hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, [Art] thou
for us, or for our adversaries?
Joshua
5:14 - And he said, Nay; but [as] captain of the host of the
LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth,
and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his
servant?
Joshua
5:15 - And the captain of the LORD'S host said unto Joshua,
Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou
standest [is] holy. And Joshua did so.
The Old Testament - A Brief Overview
Bible Survery - Joshua
Hebrew Name - Yehoshua "Yahweh is salvation"
Greek Name - Iesous (Greek form of the Hebrew)
Author - Joshua
Date - From 1451 to 1425 BC Approximately
Theme - The Conquest of Canaan
Types and Shadows - In Joshua Jesus is the captain of the LORD's
host
Ancient Rallying Horn
This Carchemish relief reveals how horns were blown.
Summary of The Book of Joshua
The book of Joshua received its name because of the main character of the book which is Joshua, whose name means "Jehovah is salvation". The Greek form of the name of Joshua is actually Jesus and means the same thing as the Hebrew Joshua. The man Joshua makes his first appearance as the commander of the armies of Israel against the Amalekites in the book of Exodus (Exodus 17:8 ff). Joshua was clearly a leader of Israel, he accompanied Moses to the foot of Mount Sinai when Moses went up on the mountain to receive the 10 Commandments, but Joshua did not go up with him (Exodus 24).
The way that Joshua enters the book of Joshua is already as an established leader in. Even Moses commissioned Joshua as the man chosen and conquer the land.
When Moses gave his farewell speech in Deuteronomy 34 Joshua accompanied him to the foot of Mount Sinai
This book is named for its chief character, Joshua, whose name means "Jehovah is salvation." The Greek form of this name is Jesus. The first appearance of Joshua is as the leader of the forces of Israel against Amalek (Exodus 17:8ff). The manner in which he is introduced into the story indicates that he was already well established as a leader. Later, he accompanied Moses to the foot of Mt. Sinai, but did not make the ascent with him (Exodus 24). In Exodus 32-33 he is also found in close association with Moses. No doubt, the years which he spent with Moses greatly influenced his spiritual development. The aspect of his life for which Joshua is most often remembered is his having brought back a positive report from the land of Canaan after serving as one of twelve men sent to spy out the land (Numbers 13). From this it can be seen that the experience and spirit which were Joshua's equipped him well for his duties and responsibilities as the leader, of God's people.
Quick Reference Map
Map of the Conquest of Canaan (Click to
Enlarge)
The book may be regarded as consisting of three parts which may be analyzed as follows :
Outline of the Book of Joshua
1) The Conquest of Canaan (Joshua 1-12). This includes the preparation for and crossing of the Jordan (Joshua 1-4). After the crossing, they camped at Gilgal. Here they circumcised all the males who were born in the wilderness, as circumcision had not been observed since the departure from Egypt. Gilgal was also the scene of the keeping of the Passover and the cessation of the manna. Joshua 5:13-6:27 tells of the miraculous destruction of Jericho and the salvation of Rahab. The crime and punishment of Achan is discussed in Joshua 7. In Joshua 8, the narrative records the avenging of the defeat which Israel had suffered at the hands of Al because of the sin of Achan. The latter portion of this chapter tells of the setting up of the stones on Mount Ebal. The stratagem of the Gibeonites is the topic of Joshua 9. In Joshua 10 is contained the story of the conquest of Southern Canaan, with the aid of Joshua's long day. Joshua 11-12 describes the conquest of Northern Canaan and give a list of the defeated kings.
2) The Distribution of the Territory (Joshua 13-22). This provides a record of the area which was assigned to the various tribes (13-19), the appointment of the six cities of refuge (Joshua 20) and the forty-eight cities of the Levites (Joshua 21), as well as the departure of the Transjordanic tribes to their home.
3) Joshua's farewell addresses (Joshua 23-24). The first of these is a speech of encouragement and warning. The second recalls the history of Israel, with emphasis on divine interventions on their behalf. At the close of this speech, Joshua issued the famous statement, "choose you this day whom you will serve . . . but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord" (Joshua 24:15).
The book closes with an account of the renewal of the covenant and the death of Joshua and Eleazer.
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