Joshua picks up where Deuteronomy left off, continuing the conquest of the land. Taking the promised land would require work, specifically the Israelites would have to defeat a great many city-states, all of whom were idol worshipers and worse, practicing spiritually immoral crafts and worshiping god's that were likely demonic beings. The evil of these groups required judgment, and the army of Israel was God's sword, sweeping through the land to cleanse it and redeem it. Should the Israelites follow God's commands to the letter, the land would see renewal and become a holy place.

Unfortunately the people of the Lord did not follow God's instruction perfectly, which lead them to many troubles. All of Israel would learn the importance of keeping the greatest commandment, "love the Lord your God with your whole mind, your whole being, and all your strength." While the people had their excuses for disobeying God's plans and commands, it revealed that their hearts were not completely in love with the God of their salvation. Though they suffered discipline for their disobedience, God still fulfilled his promises to Abraham and Moses.

Author and Date of Writing

Authorship of the book of Joshua is difficult to nail down. There is some evidence that Joshua himself wrote it, at least parts of it if not all of it, and Jewish tradition backs this up. Joshua 18.8 and 24.25 refer to Joshua or someone he commanded to write down the events it contains and in chapters five and six we see the use of pronouns like "us" and "we" indicating a first-hand account. Chapter six verse 25 appears to indicate that the book was written before the death of those who conquered the land, meaning the book would have been 40 or 50 years after the events described. Then there is a curious reference to the Book of Jashar, citing it as a source of information regarding the day the sun stood still. An eye-witness wouldn't need a source. Also oddly striking is the use of the phrase "to this day" (occurring 12 times), indicating the book was written well after the events it records. See the problem?

It is possible that the book was written by Joshua and added to by others; it has been suggested that perhaps the prophet Samuel filled in some gaps before the exile. If the rough outline of the book was penned by Joshua, which is likely, then the original protions would date back to the late 1300's BC, and if Samuel did add to the book then the additions could have been made about 800 years after the historical context of the book, or perhaps even as late as 586 BC. Some regard this confusion or possible additions to argue against the historical validity of the book, but that line of reasoning doesn't necessarily follow. The additions would have been inspired also.

Big Idea

God is a great warrior, capable of resuing his people, and a keeper of promises who fulfills his covenant relationships.