6, 7. All the inhabitants of the hill country from Lebanon unto
Misrephoth-maim--(See on
Jos 11:8)
--that is, "all the Sidonians and Phœnicians."
them will I drive out--The fulfilment of this promise was conditional.
In the event of the Israelites proving unfaithful or disobedient, they
would not subdue the districts now specified; and, in point of fact,
the Israelites never possessed them though the inhabitants were
subjected to the power of David and Solomon.
only divide thou it by lot unto the Israelites for an inheritance--The
parenthetic section being closed, the historian here resumes the main
subject of this chapter--the order of God to Joshua to make an
immediate allotment of the land. The method of distribution by lot was,
in all respects, the best that could have been adopted, as it prevented
all ground of discontent, as well as charges of arbitrary or partial
conduct on the part of the leaders; and its announcement in the life of
Moses
(Nu 33:54),
as the system according to which the allocations to each tribe should
be made, was intended to lead the people to the acknowledgment of God
as the proprietor of the land and as having the entire right to its
disposal. Moreover, a solemn appeal to the lot showed it to be the
dictate not of human, but divine, wisdom. It was used, however, only in
determining the part of the country where a tribe was to be
settled--the extent of the settlement was to be decided on a different
principle
(Nu 26:54).
The overruling control of God is conclusively proved because each tribe
received the possession predicted by Jacob
(Ge 49:3-28)
and by Moses
(De 33:6-25).
JFB.
The Book of Joshua
Joshua 5:13 - And it came to pass, when Joshua was by
Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold,
there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his
hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, [Art] thou
for us, or for our adversaries?
Joshua
5:14 - And he said, Nay; but [as] captain of the host of the
LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth,
and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his
servant?
Joshua
5:15 - And the captain of the LORD'S host said unto Joshua,
Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou
standest [is] holy. And Joshua did so.
The Old Testament - A Brief Overview
Bible Survery - Joshua
Hebrew Name - Yehoshua "Yahweh is salvation"
Greek Name - Iesous (Greek form of the Hebrew)
Author - Joshua
Date - From 1451 to 1425 BC Approximately
Theme - The Conquest of Canaan
Types and Shadows - In Joshua Jesus is the captain of the LORD's
host
Ancient Rallying Horn
This Carchemish relief reveals how horns were blown.
Summary of The Book of Joshua
The book of Joshua received its name because of the main character of the book which is Joshua, whose name means "Jehovah is salvation". The Greek form of the name of Joshua is actually Jesus and means the same thing as the Hebrew Joshua. The man Joshua makes his first appearance as the commander of the armies of Israel against the Amalekites in the book of Exodus (Exodus 17:8 ff). Joshua was clearly a leader of Israel, he accompanied Moses to the foot of Mount Sinai when Moses went up on the mountain to receive the 10 Commandments, but Joshua did not go up with him (Exodus 24).
The way that Joshua enters the book of Joshua is already as an established leader in. Even Moses commissioned Joshua as the man chosen and conquer the land.
When Moses gave his farewell speech in Deuteronomy 34 Joshua accompanied him to the foot of Mount Sinai
This book is named for its chief character, Joshua, whose name means "Jehovah is salvation." The Greek form of this name is Jesus. The first appearance of Joshua is as the leader of the forces of Israel against Amalek (Exodus 17:8ff). The manner in which he is introduced into the story indicates that he was already well established as a leader. Later, he accompanied Moses to the foot of Mt. Sinai, but did not make the ascent with him (Exodus 24). In Exodus 32-33 he is also found in close association with Moses. No doubt, the years which he spent with Moses greatly influenced his spiritual development. The aspect of his life for which Joshua is most often remembered is his having brought back a positive report from the land of Canaan after serving as one of twelve men sent to spy out the land (Numbers 13). From this it can be seen that the experience and spirit which were Joshua's equipped him well for his duties and responsibilities as the leader, of God's people.
Quick Reference Map
Map of the Conquest of Canaan (Click to
Enlarge)
The book may be regarded as consisting of three parts which may be analyzed as follows :
Outline of the Book of Joshua
1) The Conquest of Canaan (Joshua 1-12). This includes the preparation for and crossing of the Jordan (Joshua 1-4). After the crossing, they camped at Gilgal. Here they circumcised all the males who were born in the wilderness, as circumcision had not been observed since the departure from Egypt. Gilgal was also the scene of the keeping of the Passover and the cessation of the manna. Joshua 5:13-6:27 tells of the miraculous destruction of Jericho and the salvation of Rahab. The crime and punishment of Achan is discussed in Joshua 7. In Joshua 8, the narrative records the avenging of the defeat which Israel had suffered at the hands of Al because of the sin of Achan. The latter portion of this chapter tells of the setting up of the stones on Mount Ebal. The stratagem of the Gibeonites is the topic of Joshua 9. In Joshua 10 is contained the story of the conquest of Southern Canaan, with the aid of Joshua's long day. Joshua 11-12 describes the conquest of Northern Canaan and give a list of the defeated kings.
2) The Distribution of the Territory (Joshua 13-22). This provides a record of the area which was assigned to the various tribes (13-19), the appointment of the six cities of refuge (Joshua 20) and the forty-eight cities of the Levites (Joshua 21), as well as the departure of the Transjordanic tribes to their home.
3) Joshua's farewell addresses (Joshua 23-24). The first of these is a speech of encouragement and warning. The second recalls the history of Israel, with emphasis on divine interventions on their behalf. At the close of this speech, Joshua issued the famous statement, "choose you this day whom you will serve . . . but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord" (Joshua 24:15).
The book closes with an account of the renewal of the covenant and the death of Joshua and Eleazer.
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