Judges 3

1 - 6 The Nations the Lord allowed to Remain

A list of the nations the Lord allows to remain.

7 - 11 Othniel

Othniel, son of Caleb's younger brother is allowed to save the Isrealites. Afterward, the land is at rest for 40 years.

12 - 30 Ehud

Once again the Isrealites offend the Lord. When they cry out, the Lord raises a savior, the Benjaminte Ehud. Ehud goes to Moab King Eglon's upper room and sinks a two edged sword in his fat belly. The land is at rest for 80 years.

31 Shamgar

Shamgar slays 600 Philistines with an oxgoad to rescue Israel.

Judges 2

Infidelities of the Isrealites

After Joshua dies, the generations abandon the Lord and begin to serve other gods including Baal and the Ashtaroth. This angers God, who doesn't allow them to prosper - he keeps them where they are instead of expelling or delivering Israel. When Israel repents, he sends the Judges to deliver them.

This applies to us - when the Isrealites obey the commandments, they prosper, when they don't, their enemies oppress them.

Judges 1

My notes: The Book of Judges derives its title from the twelve heroes of Israel whose deeds it records. They were not magistrates, but military leaders sent by God to aid and to relieve his people in time of external danger. They exercised their activities in the interval of time between the death of Joshua and the institution of the monarchy in Israel.

More from my notes: The purpose of the book is to show that the fortunes of Israel depended upon the obedience or disobedience of the people to God's law. Whenever they rebelled against him, they were oppressed by pagan nations; when they repented, he raised up judges to deliver them.

1 - 8 Israel's Failure to Complete the Conquest of Canaan

After Joshua dies, the Isrealites ask who should fight against the Canaanites. The Lord says the job should go to Judah. Judah takes his brother Simeon with him to fight the Canaanites. They fight Adoni-bezek (Lord of Bezek) and they cut off his thumbs and big toes (Adoni-Bezek says, "Seventy kings with their thumbs and big toes cut off used to pick up scraps from my table: as I have done, so God has paid me back.")

Then we get more recap of the events of Joshua - battles won and lost. . .

Joshua 24

1 - 28 The Covenant of Shechem

Joshua gathers all the tribes at Shechem. We get another great summary of "the story so far." Then he admonishes them to remain loyal to the Laws of Moses. The people are a little stubborn and Joshua has to argue with them a bit.

29 - 33 The Deaths of Joshua and Eleazer.

Joshua dies at 110. He is buried at Timnath-serah. Joseph's bones are buried at Shechem (on ground that cost 100 pieces of money - the value of the money is unknown). Eleazor, son of Aaron, dies and is buried at Gibeah.

Joshua 23

1 - 16 Joshua's Farewell Address

A long time later, "when the Lord had given rest to Israel from their enemies all around," Joshua summons all Israel for a farewell address. He reminds them that the Lord gave them the land and that they must "be very steadfast to observe and do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses." They must love the Lord and not intermarry into the survivors of the nations they overran, or the Lord will not continue to drive these nations away, "but they shall be a scourge on your sides, and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land that the Lord you God has given you." He tells them he is about to die, and reminds them again what will happen if they bow down to other gods: "then the anger of the Lord will be kindled quickly from the good land that he has given to you."

Question: Why does Joshua give a similar warning two times in his speech? What's the difference in the two?

Joshua 22

1 - 9 Joshua thanks the Reubenites, Gadites and half of Manassah for a job well done and blesses them. The two and a half tribes leave with their booty.

10 - 34 The Incident of the Altar by the Jordan

They reach the Jordan in Canaan and build "a conspicuously large altar" When the tribes west of the Jordan hear about it, they decide gather at Shiloh to go to war against them.

(My notes: "the western Israelites considered this altar, which seemed to violate the customary unity of the sanctuary as a sign of secession and dangerous to national unity. The motives for the war were political as well as religious.")

Before they take action, the westerners send Phinehas the High Priest & representatives to confront the easterners. At issue: "You have seceded from the LORD this day, and rebelled against him by building an altar of your own!" He reminds the Easterners that all of Isreal was punished for Peor. He tells them that if they think their land unclean, then they should cross over the river and not anger the Lord by building a second altar.

The easterners respond by saying that their true reason for building the altar was as a memorial, not as a place of sacrifice, "not for holocausts or for sacrifices, but as evidence for you on behalf of ourselves and our descendants, that we have the right to worship the LORD in his presence with our holocausts, sacrifices, and peace offerings."

This satisfies the Isrealites, and the "Reubenites and the Gadites gave the altar its name as a witness among them that the LORD is God." (My notes: The name of this altar was the Hebrew word for "witness").

Joshua 21

The leaders of Levi's ask for their allotment. Cities are appointed to them, according to three main family divisions: Kohathites, Gershonites, and Merarites. They are "sprinkled" among the rest of the tribes.

My notes: The order to establish special cities for the Levites is given in Numbers 35: 1-8. The forty-eight cities listed here were hardly the exclusive possession of the Levites; at least the more important of them, such as Hebron, Shechem and Ramoth in Gilead, were certainly peopled for the most part by the tribe in whose territory they were situated. But in all these cities the Levites had special property rights which they did not possess in other cities.

Joshua 20

1 - 9 The Cities of Refuge

Remember the 6 towns God told Moses to set up for asylum "so, there is a that a slayer who kills a person without intent may flee there. (Numbers 35)". Joshua does this. This will prevent blood feuds

It's good to see he's following Moses' (God's) law.

Joshua 19

1 - 9 The Territory of Simeon (2nd Lot)

10 - 16 The Territory of Zebulun (3rd Lot)

17 - 23 The Territory of Issachar (4th Lot)

24 - 31 The Territory of Asher (5th Lot)

32 - 39 The Territory of Naphtali (6th Lot)

40 - 48 The Territory of Dan (7th Lot)

29 - 51 Joshua's Inheritance

Joshua is given the town of Timnathserah in Ephraim as commanded by the Lord.

Yeah, a map would help. It would be neat to see these places.

Joshua 18

1 - 10 The Territories of the Remaining Tribes

The congregation met at Shiloh, and Joshua asked how long the remaining 7 tribes were going to be slack in taking their territory. He asked for 3 men from each tribe to send on a reconnaissance mission. From their description, Joshua would cast lots before God.

11 - 28 The Territory of Benjamin

Benjamin got his share. First his portion is described, and then the towns.

Joshua 17

1 - 13 The Other Half-Tribe of Manasseh (West)

The Tribe of Manasseh gets its allocations. The daughters of Zelophehad quarrel - they want their fair share since their family had no male heirs. There are more problems with the Canaanites - they just won't leave! They made slaves of them too.

14 - 18 The Tribe of Joseph Protests

Joseph's people (Tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim) still aren't satisfied (verses 14-18). They want even more land. Joshua suggests whoever conquers the hills, gets it. They say they are numerous and need more land. Joshua says, "You are inded a numerous people, and have great power; you shall not have one lot only, but the hill country shall be yours, for though it's a forest, you shall clear it and possess it to its farthest borders; for you shall drive out the Canaanites, though they have chariots of iron, and though they are strong."

Joshua 16

1 - 10 The Territory of Ephraim

The Josephites (Manassah and Ephraim) get their inheritance (My notes say the Ephraimites are named after one of the two sons of the two sons of Joseph who take the place of "Levi" in the roster). The chapter ends with a failure: They weren't able to drive the Canaanites from Gezer, but the Canaanites within Ephraim have been made to do forced labor.

Joshua 15

1 - 12 The Territory of Judah

Judah gets the best part and carefully skirts Jerusalem in the South (according to my notes).

13 - 19 Caleb Occupies His Portion

Caleb announced that whoever took Kiriath-sepher would get his daugher Achsah as a wife. Orthniel (son of Kenaz, brother of Caleb - nephew?) did so and won Achsah. She asked her father for the land of Negeb with springs of water, and he gave her the upper and lower springs.

20 - 63 The Towns of Judah

My notes: "This list of towns belonging to Judah . . . is probably based on later administration organization of the kingdom of Judah.

Joshua 14

1 - 5 The Distribution of the Territory West of the Jordan

6 - 15 Hebron Allotted to Caleb

As promised by Moses . . .

Joshua 13

1 - 33 The Land is Allotted to the Tribes of Isreal

When Joshua gets "old and advanced in years," the the Lord describes Parts of Canaan Still Unconquered (1 - 7). Then the land is divided. (Levi gets no inheritance)

8 - 14 The Territory East of the Jordan
15 - The Territory of Reuben
24 - The Territory of Gad
29 - 33 The Territory of the Half-Trive of Manasseh (East)

More divisions tomorrow . . .

Joshua 12

1 - 6 The Kings Conquered by Moses

The Great Old Testament Scorecard Moses: Moses 2 (King Sihon & King Og)

7 - 24 the Kings Conquered by Joshua

Joshua = 31 (We have a winner!!!)

Joshua 11

1 - 15 The United Kings of Northern Canaan Defeated

Just as they did in the south, the Israelites defeat the northern kingdoms. God tells them not to be afraid, that He will hand them over to Israel - which he does. Joshua kills the leaders and people but doesn't burn the towns as the Lord commaded.

16 - 23 Summary of Joshua's Conquests

Basically, Joshua annihilated the North as he did the South. "For it was the Lord's doing to harden their hearts so that they would come against Israel in battle, in order that they might be utterly destroyed, and might receive no mercy, but be exterminated, just as the Lord commanded Moses. (20)

Question: What do you think of the following passage? (I got it off of wikipedia - it seemed to relieve me from being uncomfortable with the genocide going on in Joshua.)

Christian theologians have tended to emphasise what they see as the progressive nature of revelation in the Bible. As the Bible progresses, God is seen to reveal himself in ways that are fuller, clearer and more accurate, culminating in the ultimate revelation of God in Jesus Christ. God's command through Joshua to take possession of the land by force of arms is viewed in the context of God's command through the second Joshua, Jesus Christ, to bring about his kingdom through the peaceful application of his teaching.

Joshua 10

Good Summary, J.P.!

1 - 15 Joshua's Defense of Gibeon

Joshua must go against great odds to fight the five kingdoms that combined against them.

16 - 27 Five Kings Defeated

The 5 kings hide in a cave and Joshua roots them out and kill them.

28 - 43 Victories in the South

Joshua and the Isrealites defeat kingdom after kingdom. In answer to your question, J.P: "Joshua took all these kings and their land at one time, because the Lord God of Israel fought for Israel. (42)"

Joshua 9

1 - 27 The Gibeonites Save Themselves by Trickery

The kings beyond Jordan gather to fight Joshua and Israel. But the Gibeonites dress shabbily and trick the Isrealites into making a treaty with them so they can live among them. Three days later Joshua finds out and makes them "hewers of wood and drawers of water" (slaves).

My notes say that what comes in the next chapter is important to understanding this.

Question?