Joshua

INTRODUCTION (1) THE PERSON OF JOSHUA To understand the Book of Joshua, we should study ‘Joshua’ as a person, especially during the time he was attached to the prophet Moses, before being given the leadership of the people, to bring them to the Promised Land… We have dealt with that in our interpretation of the Books of Exodus and Numbers. The name ‘Joshua’: ‘Joshua’, is a Hebrew word meaning, (Jehovah is salvation), or (God is the Savior). His name was originally ‘Hoshea’ (Numbers 13: 8). As the name “Joshua’ is the same as ‘Jesus’ in Hebrew; that is why this name gave this Book a special attraction, in representing symbolically the person of ‘Jesus’, as the Savior of humanity, as well as His works with us; something that led the fathers of the Church, to contemplate on every word and every action of Joshua, as symbols of those of the Lord Jesus Christ for our salvation. The name ‘Jesus’, according to the apostle Paul, is “above every name”; given to the incarnate Word of God, to whom,” every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth” (Philippians 2: 9, 10)... And as Joshua, son of Nun was the first to carry this name, that was not by chance or without a goal, but to proclaim the leadership work of the Lord Jesus Christ, bringing us into the higher Jerusalem, after crossing over the Jordan, to enjoy the new land, and to worship in the temple of the Lord, with an exalted liturgy. 4 The scholar Origen says that no one of the old generations carried the name “Jesus” except Joshua, the son of Nun. Indeed, from the day ‘Abel’ was born, “Men began to call on the name of the Lord” (Genesis 4: 26); yet he was not qualified to carry that name. Although ‘Noah’, in his generation, was the only one qualified to “find grace in the eyes of the Lord” (Genesis 6: 8, 9), yet he was not privileged by that name. Even ‘Abraham’, who was promised to get the covenant; ‘Isaac’, the son of the promise; Jacob, the blessing-snatcher (Genesis 27); and ‘Moses’, the “faithful in all the Lord’s house” (Numbers 12: 7; Hebrews: 3: 2); All these were not found worthy of enjoying this honor]1. Joshua and the battle of Rephidim: Joshua, the son of Nun, from the tribe of Ephraim, was born in Egypt, and came out of it together with the prophet Moses, to the wilderness, where he became Moses’ disciple. Yet, the first time we hear of him, was in the battle of Rephidim, when Moses appointed him as a leader of the people in that first battle after the exodus, that had been against Amalek (Exodus 17: 9); He was then 44 years old. In our study of the book of Exodus, we dealt with that battle, and the symbols it carried2; But what I want to confirm here, is that mentioning Joshua, for the first time in that battle, and our first time to get acquainted with him, carries a special significance, that the divine inspiration intends to present. The Scripture says: “Now Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim. And Moses said to Joshua, ‘Choose us some men and get out, fight with 1 ترجمة أمال إبراهيم. : 1 راجع أوريجانوس: عظات على يشوع عظة 1 . 2 لمؤلف: سفر الخروج 1980 ، اصحاح 17 5 Amalek. TomorrowI will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand’. So Joshua did as Moses said to him, and fought with Amalek” (Exodus 17: 8 - 10) The divine inspiration probably intended to confirm that our first encounter with ‘Jesus’, the Lord of glory, is to be through the battle of the cross; in which He came to choose His believers, as strong men, to fight against the devil and his hosts; to enjoy, with His support the spiritual victory over the hosts of darkness. In our acquaintance with the living Jesus, either in the angelic proclamation of His incarnation, His birth, circumcision, fasting, temptation, Baptism, or His ministry, etc ... we see Him through the cross. We encounter Joshua, the son of Nun, for the first time, as a leader of a victorious army; the secret of his victory being his carrying of the name ‘Joshua’, conqueror of the devil. Father Lectantious says: [He was chosen a leader of the army against Amalek, the one who attacked the Israelites, to conquer the enemy through his symbolic name; and to lead the people to the Promised Land] 1. Why did Moses order Joshua to choose men and to fight Amalek? We said that Moses represents the Law; and that Joshua represents the Lord Christ, the Grantor of grace. And as the evangelist says: “For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1: 17). It is as though, the law, represented by Moses, revealing Amalek, the fierce enemy, and making clear the seriousness of the situation; cried out to Jesus Christ, who alone could choose spiritual men, and grant them the possibility of conquest. The law revealed the true Amalek; according to the words of the apostle: “I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have 1 Lactantius: Divine Inst. 4: 17. 6 known covetousness unless the law has said, ‘You shall not covet’ “ (Romans 7: 7); yet being unable to uproot it, he introduced me to Jesus, the conqueror of sin; according to the words of the same apostle: “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes” (Romans 10: 4). It is as though the law has a double role: To reveal the seriousness of the battle against Amalek (the sin); and to proclaim the need for Jesus, as the leader of the spiritual battle, and the Grantor of conquest. The scholar Origen comments on this Scripture text (Exodus 17: 8 - 10), saying: [Moses admitted his inability to mobilize the army; and to lead it; although he was the one who made possible, the exodus of the children of Israel from the land of Egypt (Exodus 32: 11). Hence he called Joshua, and said to him: “Choose us some men, and get out.” On whom, then, did the responsibility to fight Amalek, fell?! ] 1. What a magnificent symbolic portrait! Moses, saying to Joshua: “Choose us some men, and get out”. As though, it is the voice of the Mosaic law, that prepared the way for the Savior; crying out, and asking him to choose his believers as mature men (1 Corinthians 16: 3); with no weakness of children, nor softness of women 2; to go out to the spiritual battle, with and by Him; by whose incarnation and making Himself of no reputation, He came out to us, to conquer on our behalf; in our name, and on our account. St. John the beloved saw Him: “(going) out conquering and to conquer” (Revelation 6: 2)… He went out, obedient (to the Father) to the point of death (Philippians 2: 8), for the sake of His love for me (Galatians 2: 20); to bear death on behalf of everyone of us; fighting the real Amalek! 1 In Jos. Hom 1: 1. . 2 للمؤلف: سفر العدد 1981 7 Joshua as a spy: In our study of the book of Numbers, we talked about Joshua, as a spy, chosen from his tribe; who, together with ‘Caleb’ the son of Jephunneh, came back with a true report about the Promised Land, springing from their faith in God’s true promises. We saw how Joshua should unite with Caleb (heart), as a sign of the union of our faith in Jesus Christ, as a Savior, with the loyalty of the heart and its sanctification, in order to gain the divine promises1. Joshua, servant of Moses: The Book says: “So Moses arose with his assistant (servant), and Moses went up to the mountain of God” ( Exodus 24: 13) So if Moses refers to the law, unable to provide salvation; how could it be said that Joshua -- as a symbol of Jesus Christ -- is a servant of Moses?! The scholar Origen interprets the concept of the word (servant) here, saying: [How was he serving him? It was not as someone subordinate to him, but as a helper and guard] 2. How could our Lord Jesus Christ be counted as a servant to the law, or as its helper? Despite all what the law has realized, it could not realize the salvation of humanity! It only revealed the malady, but could not provide the cure; except to deliver us to the Lord Christ, as the true Physician for the soul. In other words, what the law did, was to utter the verdict of death upon us, confirming the inevitability of our execution; like the leader who places the cover on the head of the condemned, for everyone to .84 – 1 المرجع السابق، ص 77 2 In Jos. Hom 1: 2. 8 anticipate the moment of execution. The law condemned the sin in us; thus all of us came under the curse of the law. Instead of enjoying salvation, the curse was confirmed, and we came under the verdict of death. That is why, the Lord Jesus Christ came to remove the ‘head cover of execution’, and to abolish the authority of death, not by words or commands, but through practical love; He carried our body, to receive death in it; and to bear our judgment in His body; He, on whom death is unable to shut in, nor judgment be proven; rose, in order to raise us, righteous, in His body; so that the curse can not, any more, reign on us. That is why the apostle says: “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law” ( Galatians 3: 13); and, “For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh” (Romans 8:3). It is as though the Lord Christ has realized the ultimate aim of the law, namely our salvation, by carrying the judgment in His body, setting us free from judgment; He came under the law, to liberate us from its killing literality. The scholar Origen says: [You may probably ask: How could Jesus, the Son of God, be a servant to Moses?! Because, “When the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law” (Galatians 4: 4)] 1. Pope Cyril, the Great, speaks about how the Lord Christ would submit to the law, in order to redeem us from its curse, saying: [Now, we see him abiding to the law of Moses; In other words, we see God, the law-giver, keeping the law which He gave!]; Or as the apostle Paul says: “Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world. But when the fullness of the time had come, God 1 Ibid 2-2. 9 sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons” (Galatians 4: 3 - 5). And how did He redeem us?… By keeping the commandments of the law. In other words, on our behalf, Christ, the Redeemer, completely obeyed the Father. As is written: “For as by one man’s disobedience, many were made sinners; so also by one man’s obedience many will be made righteous” (Romans 5: 19). Christ, like us, delivered Himself to the law; as it is fitting for Him to consummate all righteousness; He took on Himself the likeness of man, and became as one of us -- we, who are, by our nature, under the yoke of the law; He paid the half shekel, the tax put by the Roman empire on His people ... Therefore, if you see Christ obeying the law, do not get frustrated; and do not put the free Christ among the slaves. You should rather contemplate on the depth of that secret; the secret of salvation and redemption] 1. Joshua, the successor of Moses: Moses proclaimed that Joshua the son of Nun would be his successor, in the presence of Eleazar the High Priest and before the congregation (Numbers 27: 18 - 23). It is as though the law proclaims to the people of God, through the priestly work, the need for Jesus as a new leader, to bring them into the eternal inheritance. Moses had to die (Joshua 1: 2), for Joshua to receive the leadership. If the soul had been united to the Mosaic Law as her spouse, she could not unite to Jesus except after the death of that first man. The apostle Paul says: “Do you not know, brethren (for I speak to those who know the law), that the law has dominion over a man as long as he 270 ز ، 1 الحب الإلهي، ص 269 10 lives? For the woman who has a husband is bound by the law to her husband as long as he lives. But if the husband dies, she is released from the law of her husband. So then if, while her husband lives, she marries another man, she will be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from that law, so that she is no adulteress, though she has married another man. Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another, even to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God” (Romans 7: 1 - 4). And the scholar Origen says: [The law had to die, in order that believers would not be accused of adultery]1. He also says: [If we cannot comprehend how Moses would die, we cannot comprehend how Jesus would reign. When you behold Jerusalem devastated and the temple abolished; If you see no more offers or sacrifices, no priests nor Jewish religious rites; If you behold that all that have come to an end, then you should say: “Moses, the servant of God is dead” (Joshua 1: 2). When you see no one “appears three times in the year before the Lord God” (Exodus 23: 17; 22); nor anyone who sacrifice a Passover, eats unleavened bread, offers or sanctifies a firstborn (Exodus 22: 28); you should say: “Moses, the servant of God is dead”. But, when you behold the Gentiles entering into faith, the Churches established, and the altars set, not covered with the blood of animals, but sanctified “with the precious blood of Christ” (1 Peter 1: 19)… Then you should say that Joshua occupied the position of Moses and got the leadership; yet, it is not Joshua the son of Nun, but Jesus Son of God. When we behold “Christ our Passover, sacrificed for us” (1 Corinthians 5: 7); ourselves eating “the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” (1 Corinthians 5: 8); and the fruit of the good ground 1 In Jos. Hom 1: 3. 11 yielding in the Church a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty (Matthew 13: 8 - 23) ... When you see “the children of God who were scattered abroad, gathered together in one” (John 11: 52); and the people of God sanctify the Sabbath, not by abstaining from daily life activities, but from evil doing; ... When you see all that, you should say that “Moses, the servant of God is dead” , and that Jesus the Son of God has got the leadership]1. We can, in short say the words of father Lectantious: [Joshua succeeded Moses, to reveal that the new law that is given through Jesus Christ succeeds the old law that was given through Moses] 2.We should not ignore the role played by the prophet Moses in educating his disciple Joshua; considered by St. Ambrose as the ideal discipleship, saying: [It is indeed great for man to attach himself to a good mentor. It is great for a young man to follow the example of wise men; as whoever walks in their company will be as wise; while he, who attaches himself to fools will be like them. Friendship with the wise is a great help that would support our education, and a sure proof of our straight path. Young people quickly become like those to whom they attach themselves]. That is how Joshua the son of Nun became great! He was in union with Moses, and this union not only was a way to educate him in the knowledge of the law, but also to get sanctified and to gain grace! When God’s glory shone in the tent through His presence, Joshua was there! When Moses spoke to God, the holy cloud also covered Joshua (Exodus 24: 12, etc.). The priests and the people used to stand at the foot of the mountain, while Moses and Joshua ascended to its top to receive 1 Ibid 2-1. 2 Divine Inst. 4: 17. 12 the law ... When the pillar of cloud descended, and God spoke with Moses, Joshua stood beside him as his servant; he stayed in the tent, while the elderly people stood trembling afar. In every situation, Joshua kept his union with Moses, amid all those amazing works and awesome secrets. That is why he was in his company as God spoke to him, and succeeded him in authority (Deuteronomy 34: 9). How beautiful was that union between the old man and his young disciple! One of them gave testimony, while the other provided rest! One of them gave guidance, while the other provided joy! ] 1. Joshua and the preparation for the crossover: I do not want to go into details of Joshua’s life and works; as all that will eventually come with our interpretation of the book itself; but I shall give here just broad lines, to facilitate connecting this Book together. Joshua gave the people three days to prepare provisions for crossing over the Jordan, to get in to possess the Promised Land (Joshua 1: 10, 11). It is as though he is presenting to us Jesus Christ, who grants us the possibility of being risen with Him (on the third day), as a provision to enjoy Him in the life of the Jordan, to inherit the new life, and to enjoy the new spiritual food. Joshua and the two spies: Joshua sent two men to spy the land of Jericho; where they lodged in the house of Rahab, a Canaanite harlot, who hid them in between the stalks of flax on the roof. It is a magnificent portrait of how Christ sent His disciples to preach among the Gentiles, to receive the 1 Duties of Clergy 2: 20. 13 gospel in their secret life; and how the word of preaching hides in between the stalks of flax, namely in the priestly work (the flax is a symbol of purity, and from it the priestly garments are made); that is spiritually lifted up on the roof. The king of Jericho chased them; as though he was “the flesh that lusts against the Spirit” (Galatians 5: 17); seeking to bring the soul from the heights (the roof), down to the abyss; and not to let her hide in the righteousness of Christ and His priestly works (the stalks of flex). Joshua and the crossover of the Jordan: The crossover of the Jordan represents one of the main works of Joshua the son of Nun. It was presented in a special splendid way, if compared to the crossover of the Red Sea under the leadership of Moses; a subject we shall deal with in the interpretation of the third chapter. Joshua and the secret of rest: If some call the book of Joshua, “The book of wars and conquests;” we should also call it “The book of rest”; being said: “Then the land rested from war” (Joshua 11: 23). And when the apostle Paul intended, in his epistle to the Hebrews, to compare between Jesus and Joshua, he talked about the “rest”. Joshua brought the people into a temporary rest in the Promised Land; Yet the true rest is to be realized in the Person of Christ; in whom God the Father finds His rest, finding in us His children, an object of His pleasure; and in Him we likewise find our rest, seeing God the Father, our Father, opening His eternal bosom, for us to dwell in it, through entering into our Lord Jesus Christ. Finally, I leave the talk about that great leader -- Joshua the symbol of our living Jesus -- until we come to our interpretation of the book; especially the section of the division of the Promised Land, that 14 refers to our enjoyment of the eternal inheritance, by our Lord Jesus Christ. 15 (2) THE BOOK OF JOSHUA The authorship of the book: The Jewish ‘Talmud’, and the majority of scholars, had confirmed that Joshua the son of Nun is the author of this book; except for its five last phrases, that ‘Phinehas’, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron (Joshua 24: 33) most probably added, after the death of Joshua. The authorship of Joshua, is clear from the fact that this book is written by an eye witness of most of its events; saying for example: “So it was, when the kings of the Amorites who were on the west side of the Jordan, and all the kings of the Canaanites who were by the sea, heard that the Lord had dried up the waters of the Jordan from before the children of Israel until we had crossed over, that their heart melted” (Joshua 5: 1); and that ‘Rahab’ had been still living as this book was written, saying: “She dwells in Israel to this day” (Joshua 6: 25). This book was written before the days of King Solomon, as is obvious from (Joshua 16: 10), if compared to (1 Kings 9: 16): In the book of Joshua, it is mentioned that the children of Ephraim could not drive out the Canaanites who dwelt in Gezer; while the first book of the Kings, mentions that “Pharaoh King of Egypt had gone up and taken Gezer and burnt it with fire, had killed the Canaanites who dwelt in the city, and had given it as a dowry to his daughter, Solomon’s wife”. This book was also written before the days of prophet David; as in it is said, “As for the Jebusites, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the children of Judah could not drive them out; but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Judah at Jerusalem to this day” (Joshua 15: 63); while, in (2 Samuel 5: 5 - 9), it is said that David defeated the Jebusites who dwelt in Jerusalem. The 16 book of Joshua was written before the twelfth century B.C; as in it the name “Sidonians” (Joshua 13: 4 - 6) was mentioned, who, in the twelfth century, were replaced by the Phoenicians, after Tyre swept Sidon before the year 1200 B.C; namely before the Philistines invaded the land; the Philistines were not mentioned among the inhabitants of that region in the days when Joshua invaded it (Chapter 12). As to the events that occurred after Joshua, these are his death (Joshua 24: 29, 30); Caleb’s conquest of Hebron (Joshua 15: 13, 14); Judges 1: 20); Othniel’s of Debir (Joshua 15: 15 - 19; Judges 1: 11 - 15); and Dan’s of Leshem (Joshua 19: 47; Judges 18) ... These phrases might have been added by the High Priest after the death of Joshua the son of Nun. Its topic: At the foot of Mount Moab, the children of Israel, with the Tabernacle of Meeting, the Ark of Testimony, together with the Priests and the Levites, stood looking from afar, across the Jordan, at the Promised Land, that they waited for so long to gain; hoping that their new leader Joshua, will bring them over to it, in order that in them, God’s promises to their fathers would be realized. Indeed, Moses could in his time, enjoy the land of Gilead, west of the Jordan; a land suitable for raising sheep; that the two and a half tribes (Reuben. Gad, and Manasseh) requested to possess; But it was impossible for anyone to possess one single yard of the inheritance, either east or west of the Jordan in the days of Moses; Everyone had to wait for the new leader who, alone, has the right to present the inheritance. It is as though this book is that of the inheritance, that proclaims that by Jesus Christ alone, men of the Old and the New Testaments would gain the eternal inheritance. 17 This book covers about 31 years, between the death of Moses and the death of Eleazar the son of Aaron; namely 6 years after the death of Joshua. According to Church tradition, these events happened at about the year 1450 B.C.; Some scholars believe that they took place at about the year 1200 B. C.1; on assumption that certain archeological documents reveal that that region was under the authority of Pharaoh at the year 1600 B.C., and at 1200 B.C. Yet other scholars believe that the Egyptian invasion happened during interrupted intervals over limited regions; so an invasion could have happened prior to their possessing the land at Joshua’s time, to be followed by a new one that could have happened over certain regions after it. The book of Joshua and the Pentateuch: As far as scientific studies of the Old Testament are concerned, some scholars consider this book as complementary to the five books of Moses (the Pentateuch); calling the six books together, ‘the Hexateuch’. The Hebrew classification, however, divides the Old Testament into: The Pentateuch; the early Prophets that begins with this book; and the late Prophets. It is to be noticed that this book starts with the word “After ...”; as though to connect it to the book preceding it, namely ‘Deuteronomy’. Anyway, this book is considered, together with the five books of Moses, an integral unit, especially the two books of Exodus and Numbers. If the book of Exodus represents the crossover from the land of bondage to the wilderness, on the way to Canaan; the book of Numbers, is the book of strife in the wilderness, for the sake of the enjoyment of the inheritance; Then comes the book of Joshua, to realize the goal of the books of 1 Peak's Comm. On the Bible, 1920, p. 18 Exodus and Numbers, through entering into the Promised Land, and the division of the inheritance among the tribes. We can say that the book of Joshua is the book of ‘Resurrection with Christ’; it is inseparable from the book of Exodus that represents ‘the crucifixion of the Lord’; and from the book of Numbers, that represents ‘the strife’. The position of this book, in relation to the five books of Moses, is similar to that of the book of ‘The Acts of the Apostles’, in relation to the four gospels. If the Pentateuch, in essence, present God’s promises to the Patriarchs, to possess the land of milk and honey; and the Mosaic law was presented to the believers to practice obedience to God, and to get to know the true worship and salvation, through the sacrifice; The book of Joshua is truly considered as the beginning of the history of the Church in the Promised Land; actually commencing by the possession of the inheritance, and the enjoyment of a certain degree of stability in the holy land, to meditate on God’s law, and to worship Him in His holy temple, incessantly offering the sacrifice. It is the book of the Church of the Old Testament, at its beginning, having settled down in the land of Canaan, to live as a representative of the living worship, amid a Gentile world, defiled by pagan practices. It is similar to the book of the Acts of the Apostles, in being the book of the Church of the New Testament, at its beginning, having settled down through the Holy Spirit in Jesus Christ, its true inheritance; to practice through Him, the abidance to the new law, that came in the four gospels; and the worship by Spirit and truth; and to offer the unique sacrifice of Christ! This Church is actually enjoying what the holy gospels have brought to us, of the new tidings of joy. Features of the book: 19 1- This book included the history of the children of Israel in the beginning of their new life, after they crossed over the Jordan, and settled down in the Promised Land; until the time comes to establish the temple of the Lord, that carries a shadow of the heavenly places. Indeed, this book is telling about the numerous wars that the people of God have gone through since they entered into the land, and their conquests over the nations, to replace them; but it is truly the book of ‘God’s faithfulness’ in realizing His promises to us, despite our unfaithfulness. In the books of Exodus and Numbers we saw the continuous rebellion of man, and his paying for God’s gifts to him by denial and bitterness. God used every way possible to proclaim His wrath, yet not to avenge Himself, but to proclaim His rejection, being the Holy, of their rebellions and defilements. Eventually, He had to deprive the first generation as a whole, of enjoying the inheritance, except for Joshua and Caleb (Numbers 14: 30). Nevertheless, with joy, God realized His promise to their children, granting them all what He promised their fathers. God remains faithful despite our unfaithfulness; hopes for our salvation, and yearns for our glory, despite our persistent denial. 2- This book revealed to us the ‘concept of salvation’; If God lets the people crossover the Jordan; that was in order to possess, together with Joshua, in place of the defiled nations. It is really a living portrait of the concept of salvation; namely, that we, through the Lord, cast away from our heart all defilements, to set ourselves free of the authorityof sin; like driving kings away from their cities, destroying their castles, scattering their armies, and taking over their lands. The ultimate goal of all that, is to set the true Joshua as the King of Kings; reigning in us, for us to become by Him kings, and of authority in God. St., John El-Dargy, says about the authority that would become ours in the Lord: [Have authority over your heart as a king; yet sit in the depth of humility! Joy 20 would go, when you command it to go; sweet weeping would come, when you command it to come; and the rebellious flesh would do, what you command it to do (Matthew 8:9)] 1. God does not want to reign in us, by enslaving us; and does not seek our worship as slaves, or even as laborers; but, as He reigns, to make us kings.... He wants us to have inner authority within the soul; He is not, as portrayed by the Existentialists, wishing to destroy our freedom, or suppress our will. 3- This book demonstrated the ‘Holiness of God’; He does not stand sin, and can not make peace with it. He used His people to chastise the heathen Egyptians for their bitter defilements; those about whom the apostle says: “Because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools; and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man -- and birds, and four-footed beasts and creeping things; who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator” (Romans 1: 21 - 25). Yet at the same time, He committed His people -- as tools of chastisement --to be, themselves holy; and in case they deviate from His holiness, to fall under chastisement; not for the sake of punishing them, but in order to get them back to the ‘Secret of their holiness’. 4- This book refers to salvation by Jesus Christ, through the entrance of man into a new life, under the leadership of a new leader, in a new land, and to enjoy new food. It is the book of the inheritance, which we, are enjoying here its (advance payment), through the new life, that we got in Jesus Christ; who granted us the authority over the 1 Ladder, step 7: 39. 21 hosts of evil, and the possibility of driving away all evil, to enjoy the heavenly rest in Him. It is as though we say, together with the apostle: “He raise us up together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 2: 6,7). 5- If this book is ‘the book of free salvation’, in which God realizes His promises for the sake of His faithfulness, and of His name by which we are called; yet it is ‘the book of obedience to God’; as there is no victory without obedience, and no enjoyment of inheritance through rebellion! Our faith that God gives us the gift of grace, has to be welded with theobedience to God; to be proclaimed as a living faith, working by love. 6- The book of Joshua is also considered as ‘the book of acceptance of the Gentiles’; So, if the people were to inherit Canaan after expelling the heathens; yet God does not reject the later, but only rejects their idolatry and evil. When Rahab, the Canaanite harlot, proclaimed her faith, she, together with her household enjoyed salvation; got the honor to have the Savior Messiah come out of her descent; and her name included in the genealogy of the Lord (Matthew 1: 25); something that several of the heroes of faith and the prophets have been denied! God never rejects anyone, but “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 3: 4). 7- God’s dealings with man carried a new way: He used before, to speak to His children through dreams, visions, or angelic ministry; but now, after Moses, received the law; God speaks to His people through the delivered or written commandment. The main commandment to Joshua, the new leader was: “Be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do 22 not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go; This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth.” (Joshua 1: 7, 8) When Joshua entered into the Promised Land, he chose the Mount of Ebal as his headquarters, where he built an altar to the Lord, on which he wrote a copy of the law of Moses (Joshua 8: 32); and afterwards, “He read all the words of the law, the blessings and the cursings, according to all that is written in the book of the law. There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded which Joshua did not read before all the congregation of Israel, with the women, the little ones, and the strangers who were living among them.” (Joshua 8: 34; 35) 8- The book of Joshua began with the death of Moses as a representative of the law, until Joshua received the leadership and brought the people to the Promised Land; Then the book ended with the death of Joshua, to proclaim that there is no enjoyment of the inheritance, nor of settling down and resting, without the death of our Lord Jesus Christ for us; to die together with Him, and to live with and in Him. The book of Joshua and the wars: The wars included in the book of Joshua brought about certain questions: Could not God grant His people the inheritance, without committing them to destroy the nations that inhabited the region? 1- New discoveries revealed the circumstances under which the society in Canaan used to live at that time; and portrayed the incredible extent of corruption reached by man, who worshipped the god Meloch, and the goddess Ashtarot; and where women were committed to practice 23 adultery as a sort of offering to the gods, and so welter1. That corruption carried spiritual death and eternal perishing, that words could not describe. The divine verdict, to be realized by the people of God, was but a revelation of the horrible fruit of sin and its destruction of life; these nations have brought upon themselves that destiny. God in His holiness does not stand nor accept corruption; and when He commanded its abolishment, it was not to avenge Himself, but to realize what man had chosen for himself. 2- What did happen, was not to the benefit of Israel alone, but was actually to that of humanity as a whole. That region, having been an important center of commerce; the traders, in their trips, used to carry on, together with their commercial deals, corruption, as though ‘black death’, to infiltrate into every part of the then known world2. God intended to teach humanity a lesson, and to protect the world from that epidemic. From another aspect, as God was preparing the Jewish people to become pioneers to testify to Him, He intended to abolish all corruption around them, to let them live in a pure atmosphere. The divine inspiration says: “Lest they teach you to do according to all their abominations which they have done for their gods, and you sin against the Lord your God” (Deuteronomy 20: 18). Jesus and Joshua: The personality of Joshua has been connected to that of our Lord Jesus Christ, having been the symbol that precedes the symbolized. Of the numerous aspects of similarity are: 1 J. M. Gray: Comm on the Whole Bible, 1971, p. 166. 2 Ibid. 24 1- Joshua came after Moses, the receiver of the law, as a symbol of Jesus Christ, who came after the law, to realize what the later was not able to do. The apostle Paul says: “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. For Moses write about the righteousness which is of the law, ‘The man who does those things shall live by them” (Romans 10: 4, 5); and he also says: “For on the one hand there is an annulling of the former commandment because of its weakness and unprofitableness, for the law made nothing perfect; on the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God” (Hebrew 7: 18; 19). 2- Joshua, in the old days, led the people to triumph, as a symbol of Jesus Christ, the Grantor of triumph over sin and death, and all the hosts of darkness. The apostle says: “Who delivers us from so great a death, and does deliver us” (2 Corinthians 1: 10); and: “Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place” (2 Corinthians 2: 14). 3- When the people faced the wrath of God, “Joshua tore his clothes, and fell on the earth on his face before the ark of the Lord until evening,” to intercede on their behalf (Joshua 7: 7 - 10). Likewise, when humanity fell under divine wrath, the Word of God incarnated and descended to earth, to intercede for us by His blood to His Father. And as the apostle John says: “If anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for our sins only but also for the whole world” (1 John 2: 1, 2). 4- Joshua divided the land of inheritance among the children of Israel; The apostle says about the work of Christ in us: “In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the 25 purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will” (Ephesians 1: 11). Canaan and the Canaanites: As the book of Joshua is the ‘book of inheritance’ that proclaimed the realization of God’s promises to His people, concerning their entrance into the land of inheritance; I find it necessary to talk about that land, and the peoples who used to inhabit it. ‘Canaan’ is the fourth son of ‘Ham’ (Genesis 10: 6; 1 Chronicles 1: 8); His descendants dwelt in the land, west of the Jordan, that was called by the name ‘Canaan’; also called ‘the land of Israel’ (1 Samuel 13: 19); ‘the holy land’ (Zechariah 2: 12); ‘the land of promise’ (Hebrews 11: 9); and ‘the land of the Hebrews’ (Genesis 40: 15), after ‘Aber’ the grandfather of Abraham. The Phoenicians and the Hebrews used to consider Phoenicia as a part of Canaan; Abraham dwelt in it, and he got the promise that it will be possessed by his descendants (Genesis 26: 45); but Jacob left it because of the famine (Genesis 46), and went to Egypt with his children. In the days of Joshua, the Canaanites with all their different tribes or peoples, used to dwell in the valleys and coastal regions, where water was more abundant than on the mountains. They dwelt in fortified cities all over the plains; every city as an independent state, with its own king, rulers, elate, army, commercial projects, religious establishments, and slaves. There was no central government1. We can divide the Canaanites into three groups of peoples or tribes: 1 C. M. Laumann: Interpreter's one-volume Comm-on the Bible, p. 123. 26 a- Well established and settled down tribes; that reached a degree of civilization, as the Phoenicians on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, who became of the most important sea merchants in the old world. There were as well, smaller tribes in the valleys and hills, between the sea and the Jordan, like the Amorites; or east of the Jordan, like the Moabites and the Ammonites. b- Semi-Bedouins, like the Edomians, and smaller tribes. c- All-Bedouin tribes, like the Midianites, the Ishmaelites, and Amalek, who were nomadic in the Arabian desert1. The following is a concise view of these tribes: 1- The Anakims: Descendants of ‘Anak’; The name ‘Anak’ refers to the enormity of their stature; portrayed by the Jewish tradition as (giants), and as mighty men of valor (Numbers 13: 28, 33; Deuteronomy 2: 10, 21; 6: 2). Three of Anak’s sons dwelt in ‘Hebron’ (Numbers 13: 32); while the rest of them dwelt in the neighboring cities within the valleys. They were dreaded by the Hebrews even before they fought them, until Joshua defeated them and divided their possessions among the Jews; giving Hebron to ‘Caleb the son of Jephunneh’ (Joshua 11: 21, 22; 14: 12, 15). They are counted as ‘Rephaim’, reputed for their great numbers and huge body stature (Deuteronomy 2: 10); it is presumed that ‘Goliath’ was one of them 2. 2- The Rephaims: The scholar Origen believes that the word ‘Rephaim’ means (loosely mothers); while others believe it to mean (spirits of the 1 Peak's Comm., p. 3. 2 New Westminister Dict. Of Bible, p. 41. 27 deceased) or (shadows of death); this name was used in the Old Testament with more than one meaning: a- Meant to be one of the tribes of the region of Canaan, before Israel, that was attacked by ‘Chedorlaomer’, king of Elam (Genesis 14: 5). In the book of Deuteronomy , the Rephaims were mentioned as a group of peoples preceding Israel, certain of which dwelt in the land of Moab, the Moabites called them ‘Emim’ (Deuteronomy 2: 11); while others dwelt in the land of the Ammonites, who called them ‘Zamzummim’ (Deuteronomy 2: 20), and some inhabited at Bashan where Og was their last king. That widely stretched distribution of the Rephaims, led some scholars to believe that the word ‘Rephaims’ means (the predecessors); yet this interpretation is doubtful; According to them, every people calls those who preceded them in a certain region by that name, meaning their predecessors 1. b- The second meaning is (the deceased) 2 who went down to the abyss, and do not praise the Lord; translated in the book of Proverbs as (the dead) (Proverbs 2: 18; 21: 16), those with no work nor life3. c- The word ‘Rephaim’ was used as a name of a valley close to Jerusalem and Bethlehem4, south-west of Jerusalem and the valley of Henom5, known for its fertility (Isaiah 17: 5). It was called after the people who used to dwell in it for some time; and called nowadays as ‘Valley of Bakaa’. 3- The Amorites: 1 John L. Mckenzie: Dict. Of Bible, 1972, p. 730 2 Ibid. .ugaritic 3 في اللعة ال 4 New Westminister Dict. Of Bible, p. 798, Josuipg. Antiq. 7: 4:1; 2 Sam. 23: 13-14. 5 Jos. Antiq. 15: 18; 18; 16. 28 Some believe that this word comes from the Acadian word ‘Amr’, meaning (command); or it may also mean (guard, supporter, or patron) 1. The beginning of their history is obscure; but they played an important role in the region of ‘the fertile crescent’; their domain of authority having extended from Palestine to Sisa. All along 3000 years, the Babelonians used to call Syria and Palestine as the land of the Amorites; the first Babylonian dynasty, founded by ‘Samu-abu’, in the year 1894 B. C., has been Amorite; its most important king was ‘Hamorabi’ (the 18 / 17 century B. C.); that came to an end when the Hivites devastated Babylon2. The Amorites are included among the Canaanite peoples or tribes; they are descendants of Ham. This classification seems to be geographic more than ethnologic3. In the days of Abraham, they appeared dwelling close to the Dead Sea in ‘Hazezon Tamar’ (Genesis 14: 7): “... dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and brother of Aner; and they were allies of Abram” (Genesis 14: 13). And in (Genesis 48: 22), Shechem was called an Amorite city. They had a kingdom east of Palestine, under the authority of ‘Sihon’, defeated by the Israelites (Numbers 21: 21). West of Palestine -- according to the Jewish tradition -- the Amorites dwelt on the mountains, while the Canaanites dwelt in the coastal regions and in the valley of the Jordan (Numbers 13: 9). In the book of Joshua (10: 5), the five kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Yermuth, Lachich, and Eglon, were mentioned as Amorite kings, defeated by Joshua at Gibeon. ... Some of the Amorites remained in the land of Canaan after the invasion, and were widely 1 Strong Dict of the Hebrew Bible, p. 4. 2 New Westminister Dict. Of Bible,word Amorites. 3 Mckenzie, p. 26. 29 dispersed in the whole region. In the days of the prophet Samuel, the Hebrews made peace between Israel and the Amorites (1 Samuel 7: 14); and were used by king Solomon for forced labor (1 Kings 9: 20, 21). It seems that because of their importance, the name ‘Amorites’ was given to the whole people of the region of Canaan (Joshua 7: 7; Judges 6: 10). 4- The Gibeonites: The name ‘Gibeon’ is a Hebrew name meaning (hill); it was the main city of the Hivites, in Canaan, who are also related to the Amorites (2 Samuel 21: 2); and also possessed by Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kirjath Jearim (Joshua 9: 17). Nowadays, it is the village of Jib, lying on the top of a plateau, eight miles, north-west of Jerusalem, not far from the valley of Eglon1. The older city has been much wider and more elevated than the hill on which the new one lies. J. B. Pritchard discovered it along four seasons, starting from the year 1956; and his discoveries confirmed what came in the Holy Book, that it was a great royal city (Joshua 10: 2); and that Gibeon, in the days of the Israeli reign, has been the greatest center of wine production; that it was called the Industrial Regions2. Gibeon became the portion of the tribe of Benjamin (Joshua 18: 25); and was given to the children of Aaron as one of the cities of the Levites (Joshua 21: 17). 5- The Hivites: The word ‘Hawwah’ meaning in Hebrew (a village of tents), and in Arabic, (a group of tents; was referred to one of the races of Canaan prior to the Hebrew invasion (Genesis 10: 17; Exodus 3: 17; Joshua 9: 1 Ibid, p. 307. 2 Ibid. 30 10); who were dispersed in numerous societies; were uncircumcised; and some of them dwelt in Shechem in the days of Jacob (Genesis 33: 18; 34: 2; 14 - 24). The influence of their descendants remained in the city for several generations after the invasion (Judges 9: 28); some of them dwelt in Gibeon and its surroundings; and had a peace treaty with Joshua (Joshua 9). Up till the days of King David, they possessed villages in the northern mountainous regions (2Sam.24:7), extending from the Mount of Harmon to the entrance of Hama (Joshua 11: 3; Judges 3: 3). The Hivites who were inhabitants of Palestine, were used by King Solomon as forced labor (1 Kings 9: 20 - 22; 2 Chronicles 8: 7). Some may probably ask whether the Hivites had a true independent existence! Actually, the ‘Horites; Hurrians’ have early dwelt in Palestine and Syria; and there was some confusion between the two words ‘Hivites’ and ‘Horites’ in the Hebrew texts. In the book of Genesis (36: 2), there was a mention of ’Zibeon’ the Hivite; while, in the same chapter (36: 20, 39), he was mentioned as a Horite. The word ‘Hovite’ in Hebrew’ (Genesis 34: 2), came in the Septuagint Version as ‘Horite’ ... There is a probability that a section of the Horites were known as Hivites; although the word ‘Horite’ is the original1. 6- The Hittites2: Since the year 1871 A. D., when certain inscriptions were discovered in Kerkamis, our knowledge of the Hittites began; they represented a great eastern empire beside those of the Nile valley, and the valley of Tigris and Euphrates. An empire of Hittites flourished in Asia Minor between the years 1900 and 1200 B. C.; although their real race was not known. Some of them are seen in the inscriptions of the old 1 New Westminister Dict., p. 400. 2 Ibid, P. 398-400. 31 Egyptian civilization, with long noses; and it seems that the modern Armenians are their descendants. The word ‘Hittites’ concerns three groups at least: a- Those who dwelt in middle Anadolia, the ‘Hattians’. b- Those who dwelt around the capital of Hatoshash, the ‘Nesians’. c- Those who dwelt in the south of the empire, and spoke a variety of Herogliphic. Historically, we should differentiate between the Hittite empire, and the Hittite states in north Syria and southeast Asia Minor. According to Archeology, the word ‘Hittite’ concerns the remnants of a famous unique culture that existed in Asia Minor, north of Syria and north of Mesopotamia. And despite the resemblance between the Hittite findings in Asia Minor, and those in northern Mesopotamia and north Syria (including the region of Torus), yet other factors indicate a complete separation between the two groups. It seems that the Anadolian Hittite culture was centered in Cabadokia, whose potteries indicate a close relationship with Troy. Anyway, the real clue to the issue of the Hittites, came with the discovery of 10,000 clay tablets in the Coy Turkish harbor (the location of old Hatoshash), inscribed with Assyrian or Mesmerian letters, representing a number of languages: Somerian, Acadian, and Hittitian; and the inscriptions on the Hittite remains were written in Hittian Heroglyphic letters, representing the second important tongue in the empire; that look like Arian (Euro- Indian), that was used in the Hittite empire between the years 1600 and 700 B. C. 32 The modern historians divide their history1 into three stages: the old kingdom, the Hittite kingdom, and the modern Hittite kingdom; something that needs a longer talk. In the Old Testament, it came that the Hittites were the descendants of Heth, the second son of Canaan. We read that Abraham purchased the cave of Machpelah from Ephron the Hittite (Genesis 23: 10 - 18); that Essau took two Hittite wives (Genesis 26: 34); as well as many Hebrews later on (Judges 3: 5, 6); King David had Hittite allies (1 Samuel 26: 6); and got married to Bathsheba, wife of Uria the Hittite (2 Samuel 11: 2 - 27); King Solomon had Hittite women (1 Kings 11: 1); and used Hittite forced labor (1 Kings 9: 20 - 22). The Hebrews considered them a well- known strong people, and recognized their land (Joshua 1: 4), considered them with the Syrian kings of Aram (1 Kings 10: 29); and put them on the same level with the Egyptians, as a sign of their greatness (2 Kings 7: 6). 7- The Jebusites: The scholar Origen believes that the word ‘Jebus’ means (to trample with feet); carrying a symbolic meaning of defiling something. The word ‘Jebus’ appeared, as the name of Jerusalem in (Judges 19: 10; 1 Chronicles 11: 4); although, seen by some scholars as embracing also the surrounding mountains, and by others as confined to Zion, or the city of David, on the eastern mountain. The Jebusites appeared as one of the tribes that dwelt in Canaan (Genesis 15: 20; Numbers 13: 29; Deuteronomy 7: 1; Joshua 3: 10; Judges 3: 5; 1 Kings 9: 1; Nehemia 9: 8); they were descendants of Canaan (Genesis 10: 16; 1 Chronicles 1: 14); submitted by Joshua, but 1 Mckenzie, p.363 /4. 33 stayed in Jerusalem (Joshua 15: 63; Judges 1: 21) until the days of David; and were used by Solomon as forced labor (1 Kings 29: 21); and some of them remained in Judea, until after the return from captivity (Ezra 9: 1, 2). 8- The Perizzites: Some scholars believe that the word means ‘the inhabitants of an open village’; but Origen believes that it means ‘abundant fruition’ Some noticed that the Perizzites were sometimes counted together with the Canaanites Genesis 13: 7; 34: 30; Judges 1: 4); and seen them as the ‘Rephaims’, of the original inhabitants of that region; of a different race from the Canaanites, and older than them in the land. They were counted among the 7 peoples, that God commanded His people to avoid making any covenant with them or to marry among them (Deuteronomy 7: 2, 3); a command they disobeyed (Judges 3: 5). King Solomon used them as forced labor (1 Kings 9: 20). 9- The Girgashite: These were counted with the Canaanite tribes (Genesis 15: 21; Deuteronomy 7: 1; Joshua 3: 10; 24: 11; Nehemia 9: 8); we know nothing further about them. We should not confuse them with the ‘Gergesenes’, mentioned in the New Testament (Matthew 8: 28 - 33; Mark 5: 1); there is no connection between the two of them. The book of Joshua and Archeology: The excavations by Professor Sellin, in the region of Jericho and its surroundings revealed conformity between what came in the book of 34 Joshua, and the archeological discoveries1. It is easy to recognize the foundations of the walls that the Canaanites used to build around their cities; having used multi-sided and multi-angular stones; while the Israelites used cubical stones. The remains of the fallen walls of Jericho are still conserved, together with the remains of a 6-feet house that has been on that wall. Dr. John Elder2 says that the excavations revealed that Jericho has been one of the oldest cities in the world; probably dating back to 6700 B. C. The specifications of that city conforms with what came in the book of Joshua (2: 15), that it was surrounded by walls, bound together from above by transverse connections, on which houses were built; and that there was only one entrance to the city (Joshua 2: 5 - 7). It is obvious from the remains, that the whole city was burnt with fire (Joshua 6: 24); Yet it is evident that it was not looted before being burnt; as grains, lentils, onions, dates, and even dough, were found in clay containers; in obedience to Joshua’s command, not to take anything from that city (6: 17 - 19). Finally, all evidences show that the burnt Jericho had been left as it was, and not rebuilt for several centuries; which conforms with the curse uttered by Joshua (Joshua 6: 26; 1 Kings 16: 34); and that the destruction of that city happened at about the year 1500 B. C.; which conforms with what came in the Holy Book. Sections of the book: (1) The spiritual wars and the conquest:Chapters 1 to 12 . 1- Preparation for the inheritance1 to 5 2- Inheritance of the middle section 6 to 8 1 J. M. Gray, P 180. . 2 الأحجار تتكلم للدكتور جون إلدر، تعريب د. عزت زكي، فصل 7 35 3- Inheritance of the southern section 9 & 10 4- Inheritance of the northern section 11 & 12 (2) Division of the land: 13 to 19 (3) Cities of the Levites, and cities of refuge 20 to 22 (4) Farewell commandments 23 & 24