"Joshua" is about how the Israelites begin their campaign to take the land promised to them by God. That is, at least, the first half of the book. The second half just tallies how these conquered lands are divvied out to the people.
The battle of Jericho was the first one to happen. I already knew about this fight extensively, so I was already prepared for it. And it was cool. They danced around the city, and it all came down. It was cool, but it was not my favorite.
My favorite moment had to do with the battle of Ai. Ai was a city that actually got the best of the Israelites, because God momentarily turned against them due to a wayward fellow. Once that was taken care of (they stoned him), they send some people in hiding near Ai, and then sent out a regular fighting force. Emboldened by their earlier victory, Ai chased the Israelites, completely leaving their city empty. The soldiers in hiding then entered the city and proceeded to burn it down.
The poor Ai soldiers soon realize that their city was on fire, and this is when the running Israelites turn on them. The book says that they had nowhere to turn at that point. Imagine how demoralizing that must have been to be chasing your enemy only to look back and see your city on fire. Who says God doesn't have a morbid since of humor?
The other part that got my attention was a moment where, during a battle, the sun was going down. Joshua needed light to finish the fight, so God halted the movements of the sun and moon. The cool part here is that he references the book of Jasher which is apart of the Apocrypha. So a book not allowed into the "Holy Bible" was referenced. Hmm. Seems kind of suspicious to me.
I honestly felt that "Joshua" was a great way to end the Moses saga. It was sad that Moses didn't get to see all this great stuff happen, but we all know why that never happened. Good book. Very dry towards the end, but the beginning makes up for it. Not to mention that Joshua is a far better writer than Moses ever was. I recommend it!
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Unlike Moses, who proved his doubt when he struck the stone, Joshua could say, "I always believed." He proved it, making right what his elders got wrong. Interesting how God turned a punishment into a blessing. Also interesting that HE WHO IS FLOW resorted to BALANCE to win the day. God does have a way of making his point with recurring themes.
ReplyDeleteSo much more energy and belief than with Moses.
DeleteI always liked the story of The Battle of Jericho, definitely an awesome moment. God was laughing hard when those that were chasing the Israelites turned to see Ai Burning. Before that God would not bless them if one of them was against him, all or nothing... makes sense.
ReplyDeleteAi is the best. It was so comical!
DeleteThe first few books were the foundation for what was to come. They were finally ready to take the promised land. Having wandered in the wilderness, they were willing to do what was required.
ReplyDeleteIf only they could just stay that way.
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