Another Bible Commentary: Joshua

Joshua means “the LORD is salvation”; in Greek, the name is Jesus. Jesus leads us into the Promised Land. Moses didn’t; Law is not the way to Heaven. Egypt represented humanity’s bondage to sin; the children of the people Moses led out of Egypt entered Canaan because in salvation, the old life dies and the new life goes to Heaven. Symbolically, the Canaanites persisted because only God sanctifies us completely, not our works. God had been patient with the Canaanites. His default position is Ezekiel 18:23. He does many things that are not written (John 21:25), so there were probably a few Jonahs (Amos 3:7) for them in the 400 or so years since Genesis 15:16 that went unheeded. From here until the end of 2 Kings is known as the “Deuteronomistic History” or “Deuteronomic History” which just means that Israel’s history is told in light of their adherence to the Law and its associated curses. The two greatest commandments are love of God and of neighbor, and God is at least 1000:4 merciful (Deuteronomy 5:9-10). The idolatry risk (Deuteronomy 7:16) was a pikuach nefesh exception to the commandment to love, because God is greater than your neighbor made in His Image. The nation that the Messiah would emerge among was set apart from the neighboring pagans. It’s one thing to tell Israel of the Deuteronomy 28:49-52 curses and another to make them see the horror on Canaanite faces and warn future generations. Even worse, the Israelites already knew from Deuteronomy 28 through Deuteronomy 32 that they were ultimately doomed to fail anyway. Did Israel miss a chance (given their own predicted doom and Canaan’s fate for being an idolatry snare) when they heard Deuteronomy 7:2 to intercede like Moses for everyone and to volunteer to convert the nations back to more or less the faith of Noah peacefully similar to the New Covenant’s Great Commission? Is thinking like that even possible without the Parable of the Good Samaritan and/or the New Birth? Ultimately, Israel’s commitment to God was not greater than their desire for idols to an extent that would make thinking like this possible. Humanity chose “the knowledge of good and evil”; to experience bad things like committing genocide and being killed as well as the good our Father wanted for us. 

1:9 Our version of God With Us, Immanuel (Matthew 1:23) living inside us (Galatians 2:20), is even better than what Joshua had.     

2:1 They wisely skipped the ten cowards this time (Numbers 13). The Hebrew language has relatively few words so they have many meanings. The word translated as “stayed” in this verse is the same “lay” as Leviticus 18:22. It’s also the same “lay” as Exodus 22:16. Inns and brothels were indistinguishable back then. Think of the saloons in westerns. Many pastors insist these guys just slept at the brothel, and I have no way to dispute that, but these same voices insist Exodus 21:10 is about food, clothing, and sex. This is exactly as logical as thinking that feeding and clothing your wife, having sex with her, and throwing her into the street on a cold night would be appropriate. David is written about approvingly (1 Kings 15:5), so 2 Samuel 20:3 clears up the notion that sex on demand is somehow ever owed in a relationship.

2:4-6 This behavior is approved of in Hebrews and James. With the exceptions of idolatry, sexual immorality, and murder, saving lives is treated as more important than keeping laws; this halakhic principle is known as pikuach nefesh. 

2:9-11 like Exodus 15:15-16. 

2:12-13 Reminiscent of the Orthodox prayer: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, please have mercy on me, a sinner.” Humbly asking for mercy works (Luke 18:9-14). However, once you’ve asked Him, know that He does (Romans 10:13, Hebrews 10:14, Colossians 1:22); repeating the prayer over and over doesn’t advertise faith that “perfect love casts out fear” (1 John 4:18). 

2:14 They’re already violating Deuteronomy 20:16 (and would later break Deuteronomy 7:3 since she’s in David and Jesus’ family tree), but the faith in God she has shown plus a mikveh basically amounts to a conversion for Rahab. 

2:18 The scarlet sign of salvation reminiscent of the blood of Passover and the Crucifixion.     

2:19 like Passover.     

3:1 Christ began his ministry after being baptized in the Jordan river.  

3:3 Jesus is the fulfillment of the Ark, God With Us (Matthew 1:23).     

3:10 like God driving sin out of your life (Philippians 1:6).     

3:16 They had heard about their parents’ experience at the Red Sea, but now they knew. They arrived near the strongest military outpost in enemy territory. The tactically questionable move emphasizes that God was protecting them. 

Joshua 4 – this monument is called a “Neolithic stone circle” by scholars who hypothesize it was for pagan worship. Since Gilgal later became a site for pagan worship, this is understandable. It is said that Gilgal resembles a big footprint of God. 

4:9 Joshua “also” set up twelve stones in the spot where they crossed; they can be seen when the water level is low. Even in drought, remember your times of blessing. 

4:14 God endorses you (Romans 8:18-21). 

5:1 See Romans 8:31.

5:2 Doing this after invading made them vulnerable (Genesis 34) and therefore in need of God’s protection. Trust Him.

5:5-7 Are you really surprised that the generation that died in the wilderness messed up? 

5:12 The source of your provision is God; how you see that provision (jobs, etc.) can change.

5:13 like Numbers 22:23.

5:14 The “neither” is not denying friendship, but pulling rank. This is the pre-Incarnate Christ in this verse since He accepts worship. Be on God’s side. To conquer, surrender to Him. 

6:4 reminds me of Revelation 8:6. 

6:11 They weakened themselves by marching around Jericho for a week looking at impenetrable walls. God’s power is perfected in weakness. They remained faithful while nothing changed.

6:15 This is not a Sabbath violation since He commanded them; doing His work was always okay.  He commanded seven marches for maximum pre-battle tiredness.

6:17 The first city in Canaan was offered to Him like a firstborn animal or the “firstfruits”. 

6:26 for this verse’s fulfillment, see 1 Kings 16:34.

7:1 as promised in Joshua 6:18. Adam’s sin killed everyone. Achan’s sin killed his whole family and 36 others. Christ’s one sacrifice saves all who believe (Romans 5:12-21). Some churches obsess over “sin in the camp”, and there are grounds to remove egregious influences for the good of the congregation (1 Corinthians 5), but as for churches attracting punishment like Achan now, Christ took our sins away as far as the east is from the west. Victory is coming.

7:15 like Deuteronomy 13:15-16.     

7:16 using the lots (Numbers 27:21, Joshua 18:6-10).     

7:19 “give glory” Achan was told to acknowledge God’s omniscience in admitting he had been found out.

7:21-22 Another instance of “covet and take” as a combination. Coveting is between desire and stealing. (This incident is over a robe and about $38,000 in metals at the time of this writing.) 

7:24-25 This is not a Deuteronomy 24:16 “instead of”. Individualism came later in Ezekiel 18.

7:26 “fierce anger” Thankfully for us, the Cross worked once-for-all. The Father is entirely satisfied with the work of the Son (1 John 2:2). 

8:2-9 “for yourselves” Jericho was offered to Him like “firstfruits”, and we’ve established that ancient armies were sticky-fingered. God is kind to us in our weakness. Regarding the perceived immorality of the “ambush”, if it’s okay to kill them then it’s okay to trick them.

8:18 Joshua’s javelin is reminiscent of Moses’ staff.

8:25 Based on their later failures, it takes more zeal to live for God than to kill for Him.

8:28 The name Ai, whatever it meant before, now roughly means “heap of ruins”. 

8:30-31 per Deuteronomy 27:5. They now controlled the strategic highlands.

9:1-2 The sin of Achan led to the initial defeat at Ai, and this perceived weakness led the locals to act in ways they wouldn’t have considered back in Joshua 5:1. This verse also casts the Israelites as fighting from a defensive position.

9:3-5 They looked like a soul in need of salvation.

9:6 “distant country” like Gentile Christians (Deuteronomy 32:21). 

9:8 Vassals get protection.

9:9-10 They knew what Rahab knew in Joshua 2:9-11 and acted accordingly. I’m sure others knew; even demons can ace a theology quiz (James 2:19), but responding to the Gospel of Jesus Christ is what matters.

9:14 “They did not inquire of the LORD.” Righteous David did this when Saul did not, etc. Now, some believers obsess about staying in God’s will and remain paralyzed by their options for a perfect spouse, house, car, job, etc. What is God’s will for Christians now? The New Testament spells it out for us: believe in Jesus Christ, love one another, bear the fruit of the Spirit, save people, pray in all circumstances with thanksgiving, and walk in the holiness Christ gave us. That is living the sort of life He saved us for; for the rest of it, you’re free in Christ. Sometimes people get a special nudge now and again, but Christ will be in you and with you at whichever legitimate job you choose to do, for example.

9:15 There goes Exodus 34:12. 

9:19 See Psalm 15:4.

9:23 God slyly predicted this in Deuteronomy 29:11.

10:1 Adoni-Zedek means “Lord of Righteousness”.

10:2 Good fighters wisely choose trickery, as seen in Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. 

10:4-7 Vassals get protection, so the Israelites couldn’t escape their vow by failing to protect the Gibeonites. The Gibeonites even paid “protection”/extortion/whatever you want to call it per Joshua 9:27.

10:5 “Amorites” means “Westerners”, so you can expect this term to be a little fuzzy at times.     

10:11 Hail like in Exodus 9.

10:12-13 Canaanites worshiped the sun and moon, so they tagged in to fight against them. We don’t have the Book of Jashar or “Book of the Upright”; redactions can be inspired. Imagine the power needed to keep the world from turning and to keep everything from flying off. He lives in you. See Colossians 2:15 and Romans 8:37.

10:14 The LORD fought this impressively on behalf of Israel so they could keep a promise to lying Canaanites that would have been otherwise exterminated at His command. Your word matters; let your “yes” and “no” be reliable (Matthew 5:37).

11:6,9 The hamstringing is in the spirit of staying dependent on God per Deuteronomy 17:16. All of the fighting could have been accomplished by hornets had they remained faithful (Exodus 23:28). 

11:20 Instead of a flood or fire from on high, the Israelites were used to eliminate the Canaanites to further impress upon them that the same thing would happen to them if they betrayed Him (Numbers 33:56).  

11:21-22 These giants scared them forty years ago. Instead of fighting them first when the Israelites were fresh, the “boss” enemies were saved until the end like in a video game to further demonstrate God’s power. David later fought Goliath of Gath (1 Samuel 17). 

Joshua 12 – The Israelites went from Egypt to Southern Arabia, then entered the Holy Land from the east to fight “Westerners”. The world population was smaller back then, but for each of the kings listed in this chapter the Israelites likely stabbed the equivalent of everyone at a daycare center, too. Anything beyond mere comprehension of this is above my pay grade (Job 1:22).

13:22 Balaam’s divination (Numbers 24:1) was the sort of occult practice (Deuteronomy 18:9-13) that the nations lacking the Law of Moses were judged for (Leviticus 18:24) doing; it falls under the Noahide prohibition of idolatry.

14:12 God keeps His promises, so Caleb can be bold. This man of 85 years wanted the land with the giants descended from fallen angels on it.

14:13-15 Caleb the giant-slayer foreshadows David. Hebron, near the tomb of Abe, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah, and Jacob, was David’s capital city before Jerusalem.

15:17 Othniel the first Judge.See Judges 3:9-11.

15:63 David later succeeded in conquering Jerusalem in 2 Samuel 5:6-10.

16:10 See Deuteronomy 7:2.

17:4 as in Numbers 27:1-11.

17:13 Settling short of God’s commands (at controlled-but-not-wiped-out) kept happening and came back to bite the Israelites.

18:12 I jokingly suggest that there should be a spoiler alert in the text. “Bethel” means “House of God”, but when the site later became a center of idol worship, God’s scribes started to call it “Beth Aven” which means “House of Wickedness”. I can hear you thinking: “Bethlehem” means “House of Bread” which made a fitting place for the Bread of Life (John 6:35) to hang out in a feed trough (Luke 2:12). 

18:16 The Valley of Ben Hinnom is also known as Gehenna. This would become a site for child sacrifice that was later a burning garbage dump outside Jerusalem (here called “The Jebusite City”; see Joshua 15:8). Sometimes it is used as a metaphor for Hell. 

19:47 is explained in Judges 18. 

Joshua 20 – And now, here’s an interlude about cities of refuge for accidental/unintentional killers in a book about genocide. Only those innocent of murder were safe there; the guilty must flee to Jesus, and that’s all of us. He died for our sins and rose from the dead to give us new life. Jesus is Lord. Take the deal (Romans 10:9).

21:43-45 Christ overcame the world (John 16:33, Matthew 28:18). Satan lost at the Cross. Sin has no power over you (Romans 6:11). Christians experience absolute victory every day, right? Oops. We all stumble in many ways (James 3:2), but we have the best Advocate (Hebrews 7:25, 1 John 2:1). You’re okay. You’re sitting in Heaven (Ephesians 2:6) with “rest on every side, just as He had sworn” whether you feel like it right now or not. Relax. He finished the work (John 17:4, John 19:30), and you’re not lost (John 17:12). 

22:5 See Deuteronomy 6:4. Joshua picks this one commandment as the one to reference, and Jesus (same name in Greek) singles it out in Matthew 22:37. 

22:8 Being wealthy is not bad (Deuteronomy 8:18). 

22:11-14 This is the Phineas from Numbers 25, with the spear. This incident over the altar foreshadows the war with Benjamin in Judges 20.  

22:27-28 It’s intended as a memorial or reminder. 

23:6 Legalism and licentiousness both end up pleasing Satan. The Pharisees made up a bunch of extra rules to be holier-than-thou (Matthew 23:3, and they wound up pushing people away from real faith, just as their father intended (John 8:44). We all need Jesus; even attempting a Law-based relationship with God only leads to even more sin (Romans 7:5,8).

24:1,14 Jacob buried the idols here in Genesis 35:2-4, so it’s time for the Israelites to pick God alone again. 

24:2-12 Joshua reminds them of their history, but notice how many of their failures are missing. God later promised to stop remembering our sins in Jeremiah 31:34 and New Covenant believers enjoy this happy state (Hebrews 8:12). Regarding all the words about God acting and the people being acted upon, “took…led…brought…gave…destroyed…delivered…gave…sent”, trust God to get you there (John 5:17, Philippians 1:6, Jude 24, Hebrews 12:2). 

24:13-14 See Deuteronomy 6:10-12. 

24:15 They had to pick Him exclusively. Even in the New Testament (Revelation 2:14), God will not be served along with other gods (Exodus 34:14). As for serving Him, only Jesus kept the Law. 

24:19 “You are not able to serve the LORD.” See Acts 15:10. Only Jesus kept the Law, and humanity was still enslaved to sin at this point in the story (Romans 6:20). God is not served by human hands (Acts 17:25). 

24:20 Uh-oh. Remember, you’re safe. Now, God has put His love into our hearts (Romans 5:5). Is His love for Jesus undying (Ephesians 6:24)? Yes (Matthew 3:17). Even seasons of doubt are covered (Jude 22 vs. Jude 23—the doubters are still saved vs. the “others”). You didn’t wander away from God; he went with you (1 Corinthians 6:17). You didn’t “backslide” from Him when you did regrettable things; He stays with you no matter where you slide, and that’s why it was ultimately no fun. Now, you’re reading Christian books instead of inventing new ways to sin. God already knew everything you were going to do (Romans 5:8-11), so your next sin is forgiven, too (Romans 5:20, Hebrews 10:14). 

24:23 They took idols on their way out of Egypt like Rachel when she left Laban.

24:32 See Genesis 50:25.

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