I’ve heard that the words ‘do not be afraid’ can be found in the Bible 366 times. I didn’t count how many times I read the words ‘do not be afraid’ or ‘be strong and very courageous’ in Joshua, but a good number of those 366 times must be found in this book! There is lots of encouragement for the people as they set off into their new life.

Joshua begins with the Israelite people entering the promised land. The priests carrying the arc of the covenant step into the river Jordan, and the river ceases to flow so the people can pass safely to the other side. The priests carrying the arc had to stand still in the riverbed while thousands of people passed by. Their arms must have hurt!

Crossing this river was the beginning of a new chapter as the people entered the land that God promised to them. Interestingly, wind forward a few hundred years, and Jesus passed through that very river at his baptism, an event which marked a new chapter in his life, the beginning of his ministry.

Again, I found The Bible Project video to be a helpful watch before starting this book. They say that it’s OK to find the many lists of places boring – to us today, it probably is! But to the people of the time, who had been waiting for this Promised Land for so long, those geographic details were of the utmost importance.

The authors of The Bible Project video suggest that much of the language used in the stories about battle and war is hyperbole. That is, when it says the Israelites slaughtered the whole city, it really means they killed just enough to take control of the city and surrounding land. This may be so, but in Chapter 11, God hardened the hearts of the people so they could be defeated, just like Pharaoh in Genesis. I appreciate that this echoes the story of Moses, just like the parting of the river does, but it’s still problematic for me. I find it difficult to see God as a being who would harden people’s hearts so they could be defeated by the people whose side he was on.

Anyway, one thing that this struck me about the overall Moses and Joshua narrative is that some things just take a few generations to get sorted. It took more than a lifetime to free the people from Egypt, get them ready to enter the land, conquer it, and then divide it up for the 12 tribes. We’re not used to thinking about lengthy processes like that in our fast-paced culture.

My favourite verse: Joshua 23.11: ‘So be very careful to love the Lord your God’.

Sophia didn’t fall asleep listening to Joshua at all, so she must have found it more gripping than I did!

With thanks to Pexels on Pixabay for the cover photo.