The Books of Joshua, Judges, and Ruth by Mike Willis 1
Guardian of Truth Foundation 2013. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher. Printed in the United States of America. ISBN 10: 1-58427-370-4 ISBN 13: 978-1-58427-3707 Cover Photo: A view of the modern city of Jericho from Tel Jericho. The ancient city of Jericho is one of the oldest cities in the world. Its location on the eastern borders of Canaan made it a strategic city to conquer for the control of the land of Canaan. Guardian of Truth Foundation CEI Bookstore 220 S. Marion St., Athens, AL 35611 www.ceibooks.com 1-855-49-BOOKS or 1-855-492-6657
Table of Contents. Page Joshua Lesson 1 Introduction to Joshua...5 Lesson 2 The Conquest of Canaan (1)......................................................... 7 Lesson 3 The Conquest of Canaan (2)........................................................ 11 Lesson 4 The Conquest of Canaan (3)........................................................ 14 Lesson 5 The Conquest of Canaan (4)........................................................ 20 Lesson 6 The Conquest of Canaan (5)........................................................ 24 Lesson 7 Division of the Land.............................................................. 26 Lesson 8 Concluding Matters...31 Judges Lesson 9 Introduction to Judges...35 Lesson 10 Othniel, Ehud, and Shamgar........................................................ 41 Lesson 11 Deborah...45 Lesson 12 Gideon...50 Lesson 13 Abimelech, Tola, and Jair.......................................................... 56 Lesson 14 Jephthah, Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon...61 Lesson 15 Samson...66 Lesson 16 Micah s Idols and the Relocation of the Tribe of Dan...72 Lesson 17 Sin at Gibeah and Civil War........................................................ 76 Ruth Lesson 18 Introduction to Ruth and The Book of Ruth (1)...81 Lesson 19 The Book of Ruth (2)...85
The book of Joshua derives its name from the principal character in the book. The name Joshua means Jehovah is salvation. The Greek spelling of the name of Joshua is Iesous (Jesus; cf. Acts 7:45; Heb. 4:8). The book of Joshua is the beginning of the second section of the Hebrew Bible, which is known as the Former Prophets and includes Joshua, Judges, 1-2 Samuel, and 1-2 Kings. These books relate the history of Israel from the time of the conquest until the dissolution of the nation of Judah. The authorship of the book is difficult to determine. Early Jewish history affirmed that Joshua wrote the book with an appendix of his death being added by someone later. The fact that the title of the book is Joshua is not conclusive evidence that Joshua was considered its author (anymore than Samuel wrote 1-2 Samuel or Philemon wrote the book bearing his name); some books received their names from their chief character rather than the author. Joshua 24:26 does mention that Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God but just which words are included is uncertain. If Joshua is the principal author, then the death of Joshua was added by some later writer. Though the book, in its present form, is probably not from the hand of Joshua, it is nevertheless very ancient, being written under divine inspiration by one who was an eyewitness of the recorded events. Conservative commentators believe that the book was written by someone who witnessed the events and recorded them within 25-50 years of the time they occurred. 1 That the book was written within a few years of the events recorded is evident from the reference to Jerusalem (15:63) which was still in the hands of the Jebusites when the book was composed (the city was captured by David, about 1000 B.C.), and many such like evidences. The purpose of the book is to show how God fulfilled His promise to give the land of Canaan to Lesson 1 Introduction to Joshua the nation of Israel. The book is obviously a look at the history of the events from a theological point of view. The book covers the short period of conquest and settlement, approximately twenty-five years, roughly dating from 1406-1371 B.C. The purpose of the book is not to give a detailed political history of the people, but to trace the history of Israel in connection with redemption history. Keil and Delitzsch described its purpose as follows: The purpose of the book is rather to show how, after the death of Moses, the faithful covenant God fulfilled to the children of Israel, whom he had adopted as his people of possession through the mediation of his servant, the promise which he had made to the patriarchs. 2 The book of Joshua has been compared to the book of Acts. Joshua depicts the Conquest of the land promised to the fathers, whereas Acts shows the church moving forward in conquest of the then known world (Marten H. Woodstra, The Book of Joshua, 32). 1 The Pulpit Commentary: Joshua, xi; Lange s Commentary on the Holy Scripture: Joshua, 9; Keil and Delitzsch, Commentaries on the Old Testament, 19. 2 Commentaries on the Old Testament: Joshua, 15. Introduction to Joshua 5
The book is divided into three sections: (a) The conquest of the land (1-12); (b) The division of the land (13-22); (c) The land to be kept in covenant obedience (23-24). Canaan at the Conquest How could a loosely organized confederacy of tribes like the Hebrews invade and conquer the land of Canaan which was settled by a people with a superior army and defended by walled cities? The answer must be this: God gave Israel the victory. In the providence of God, several things contributed to the Israelites success. Elmer W. K. Mould wrote, The power of the Canaanites to resist invasion was at a minimum. Just prior to the Hebrew invasion, Canaan had been the scene of a devastating war between Egyptians and Hittites.... This war, incidentally, left the Canaanites so weakened that they could offer no forceful resistance to determined invaders. 3 Also, the cities had little central organization, each city-state largely depending upon itself for its own defense. Hastily called confederacies to ward off the invasion were formed with little success. Extermination of the Canaanites The Lord forbade Israel to make a covenant of peace with the Canaanites; rather they were to exterminate them (cf. Exod. 34:12-17; Num. 33:51-56; Deut. 7:1-26; 20:16-18). This has caused some to question the moral nature of the God who could command that men, women, and children be destroyed in the invasion. The Scriptures plainly teach that the Canaanites had become so morally corrupt that God was using Israel, not only to fulfill the promise to Abraham, but also to execute judgment against their wickedness (cf. Gen. 15:16; Lev. 18:25-27; Deut. 9:4-5). The same God who destroyed the world by a flood because of moral depravity and who sent Israel into Babylonian and Assyrian captivity because of wickedness could also punish the Canaanites for their moral wickedness. The principle of God s control of the nations is given in Jeremiah 18:6-10. Questions 1. What books were included in the Hebrew Bible under the heading of Former Prophets? 2. What period of time is covered by the book of Joshua? 3. What purpose does the book serve? 4. Who wrote the book? 5. What factors contributed to Israel s success in conquering Canaan? 6. Why did God command Israel to exterminate the Canaanites? 7. What chapters of Joshua discuss the conquest? 3 Elmer W.K. Mould, Essentials of Bible History, 162-163. 6 The Books of Joshua, Judges, and Ruth
The first division of the book details the conquest of the land of Canaan under the leadership of Joshua. Although sub-divisions will be noted in this outline, the general title of The Conquest will be maintained throughout this section. The Charge to Joshua (1:1-9) The children of Israel camped in the plains of Moab mourning the death of Moses for thirty days (Deut. 34:8). After a period of mourning had passed, the Lord commanded Joshua to begin the invasion (1:2). He promised that Israel would be victorious in the battle (1:3-4). He exhorted Joshua to be strong and courageous because God will not fail thee, nor forsake thee (1:5). The Lord charged Joshua not to depart from the Law of Moses to the right or to the left (1:7); rather, he was to meditate on its contents day and night (1:8). If Joshua would abide in the Law, God would be with him wherever he went (1:9). Preparing the People to March (1:10-18) Having received his commission from God, Joshua commanded that the nation prepare to march saying, for within three days 1 ye shall pass over this Jordan (1:11). The tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh, which had received their inheritance on the east of Jordan, were reminded of their commitment and obligation to assist the rest of the nation in conquering the land west of Jordan. Hence, they were to prepare for the protection of their families and belongings that they left on the east of the Jordan and to go with their brethren to join in the battle. To the credit of the two and one-half tribes, they replied, All that thou commandest us we will do, and whithersoever thou sendest us, we will go (1:16). They were willing to submit themselves to whatever the Lord commanded them to do. 2 The Spies in Jericho (2:1-24) Joshua sent two spies to Jericho to spy out the land. They went, and came into an harlot s house, named Lesson 2 The Conquest of Canaan (1) Joshua 1-12 Rahab, and lodged there (2:1). 3 The king of Jericho heard that foreign men had entered the city and sent to Rahab commanding her to hand the men over to him. Rahab hid the two spies in the flax that was on top of her roof (2:6). She told the king s men, Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from. And it happened as the gate was being shut, when it was dark, that the men went out. Where the men went I do not know; pursue them quickly, for you may overtake them (2:4-5). But Rahab lied. The king s men left her house and went in the direction that Rahab sent them. After they departed, Rahab brought the men down from the roof and said, and said to the men: I know that the LORD has given 1 The reference to three days is difficult to reconcile with the chapter on the spying of Jericho (2:1-24). The spies searched out the country before they were hidden by Rahab. When they left Rahab, they hid for three days in the mountains before reporting to Joshua (2:16, 22). The two incidents can be reconciled by understanding that the spies were sent before the command to march was given to the people in 1:11. 2 From a comparison of the numbers in Numbers 26:7, 18, 34 and remembering that only one-half of the tribe of Manasseh is included, one would conclude that over 110,000 fighting men were available from the two and one-half tribes. In Joshua 4:13, only 40,000 went, leaving 70,000 to watch over the families and to protect the possessions of the tribes east of Jordan. 3 Why did these spies go to a harlot s house? Some have tried to avoid the problem by suggesting that the Hebrew word zonah meant innkeeper instead of harlot. That will not fit the meaning of the word. Others have suggested that they went there for immoral purposes. If that is the case, the Scriptures do not approve their action; instead, they only record it. A better explanation is suggested by J. J. Lias in The Pulpit Commentary: It does not appear that the spies entered the house of Rahab with any evil intent, but simply because to enter the house of a woman of that kind and women of that kind must have been very numerous in the licentious Phoenician cities would have attracted far less attention than if they had entered any other. Even there it did not escape the notice of the king, who had been thoroughly alarmed (ver. 9) by the successes of Israel eastward of Jericho (27). This is the most charitable construction to put on the chapter and best harmonizes with Rahab s act of faith. The Conquest of Canaan (1) 7
you the land, that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land are fainthearted because of you (2:9). She recounted her knowledge of God s parting the Red Sea and Israel s defeat of Sihon and Og. Then she related its impact on the city, And as soon as we heard these things, our hearts melted; neither did there remain any more courage in anyone because of you, for the LORD your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath (2:11). Based on her faith that God was with Israel, Rahab requested that Israel be merciful to her and her family when they conquered Jericho (2:12-13). The men committed themselves to save alive whoever among her family was with her in her house when the invasion occurred, if she would not tell others of their spying. Rahab agreed. Then Rahab helped the spies escape Jericho by letting them down by a scarlet rope out of her window. She advised them to flee to the mountains and wait there three days until their pursuers were returned (2:15-16). The men told her to mark her window by hanging out the red rope so they could save her alive. Then they fled the city and hid themselves for three days before reporting to Joshua. When they returned to Joshua, they reported, Truly the Lord hath delivered into our hands all the land; for even all the inhabitants of the country do faint because of us (2:24). Rahab s Faith The New Testament commends Rahab s faith in Hebrews 11:31: By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe, when she had received the spies with peace (also cf. Jas. 2:25). How is this to be reconciled with her immorality (she was a harlot) and her lying? In answering this question, let us remember these facts: (a) The Scriptures nowhere commend or approve Rahab s lying or harlotry. The Scriptures matterof-factly relate both her lie and that she was immoral. (b) Her lying was not justified by the situation, as is suggested by those who teach situation ethics. Her lying was sinful, as lying always is. What the Scriptures do commend is Rahab s faith. Rahab recognized that God s hand was with Israel, believed in the miracles that God had performed, and committed herself to the God of Israel at great personal risk. She sided with Israel and chose to be identified with Israel, rather than with the Canaanites. The conversion of Rahab reminds us of the grace of God, the same grace that is manifested to mankind in Jesus Christ. He was willing to forgive this harlot of her past manner of life and adopt her into His kingdom. Matthew 1:5 relates that Rahab became the wife of Salmon and bore a son named Boaz, thus becoming a part of the lineage of the Messiah. Inasmuch as a harlot was not allowed to live in Israel (Deut. 23:17-18), we must conclude that Rahab turned from her wickedness and obeyed the Lord s word after she was delivered from destruction at Jericho. 8 The Books of Joshua, Judges, and Ruth
Questions 1. What factors should encourage Joshua to be of good courage (1:1-9)? 2. What disposition should Joshua have toward the Law (1:1-9)? 3. What disposition did the tribes that settled east of the Jordan have toward helping conquer Canaan (1:10-18)? _ 4. How many spies did Joshua send to Jericho (2:1)? 5. What was Rahab s moral character when she first met the spies (2:1)? 6. Why did she choose to hide the spies (2:9-11)? 7. Did she sin when she lied about the presence of the spies? The photo belows show the city walls of Tel-Beersheba. First, notice the casemate walls, two rows of mud brick with fill in between the walls. Second, notice that the housing was built adjacent to the wall, just as was the case with Rahab s home. The Conquest of Canaan (1) 9
8. What did Rahab believe about God (2:9-11)? 9. What agreement did she make with the spies? 10. What did the spies report to Joshua as proof that Israel could defeat the Canaanites (2:24)? 10 The Books of Joshua, Judges, and Ruth