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Joshua 12 Commentary Chapter 11 closed with the following statement: “So Joshua took the entire land, just as the Lord had directed Moses, and he gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal divisions. Then the land had rest from war.” Now, Chapter 12 gives us details of the land. Each defeated king represents a portion of land.ContinueContinue reading “Joshua 12 Commentary”

Joshua 11 Commentary Chapter 11 details the defeat of an army as numerous as the sand of the seashore. This is a miracle! More land is taken over. Israel is basking in victory. It is this victory and this land that form an important part of the LORD’s promise to Abraham. Israel is living theContinueContinue reading “Joshua 11 Commentary”

Joshua 10 Commentary “Mission accomplished” or “Israel saves Gibeon”, which title best fits chapter 10? We go for the first one, Mission accomplished. But the second option is real, though our spirits detest it. Israel shouldn’t have made a treaty with Gibeon in the first place. Now, Israel must protect an illegal ally, an allyContinueContinue reading “Joshua 10 Commentary”

Joshua 9b Commentary How should humans use their brains? And if they use them, how does the process interact with the LORD God? Chapter 9 exposes the frailties of human wisdom and asks how humans can use logic in their interactions with their environment and their loving God. Of course, Israel’s Mossad failed. Failure inContinueContinue reading “Joshua 9b Commentary”

Joshua 9 Commentary When you succeed, know you have battle right on your doorstep. Your success invites trouble. All God’s enemies gather to scatter your success. But how does the enemy attack? This chapter gives us one method of attack that the enemy deployed successfully against Israel: Deception. Take care of the smiles! This chapterContinueContinue reading “Joshua 9 Commentary”

Joshua 8 Commentary The key line is the comparison between the capture of Jericho and the capture of Ai. Look at the instructions for Jericho. Israel did very little. In addition, Israel was told to take nothing for themselves as plunder. Ai had different instructions. An entire army was required, and Israel was free toContinueContinue reading “Joshua 8 Commentary”

Joshua 7 CommentaryOr suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? Luke 14:31. Joshua read the gospel and applied it by sending the spies out toContinueContinue reading “Joshua 7 Commentary”

Joshua 6 Commentary “Now the gates of Jericho were securely barred because of the Israelites.” Who talks about an open-door policy for the saint’s battles? The battlefield has no red carpet. Victory doesn’t come on the cheap! But look at Joshua’s military strategy! Silly, many would say. Imagine explaining to your wife that you have beenContinueContinue reading “Joshua 6 Commentary”

Joshua 5 Commentary The battle of the two city-states, Jericho and Ai, is detailed and communicates key thoughts on Israel’s conquest of the Promised Land. That is the subject of the next four chapters. But first, we look at Chapter 5, which begins by discussing the reaction of the Amorite peoples as Israel advances. TheContinueContinue reading “Joshua 5 Commentary”

Joshua 4 Commentary The LORD commands Joshua to collect stones from the Jordan River in memory of the miraculous crossing. The community must remember this moment of generosity. Importantly, their children must hear about this miracle. It is possible that the LORD would not repeat this miracle. But with this record, their children can learn toContinueContinue reading “Joshua 4 Commentary”