Joshua is one of the great leaders of Jewish history. The Talmud says: “The face of Moses was like the face of the Sun, while the face of Joshua was like the face of the moon.” This is understood to mean that the greatness of Joshua was a reflection of his teacher, Moses. After the death of Moses Joshua lead the Israelites for 28 years. The Book of Joshua describes the seven years of conquest and seven years of re-settlement of the Holy Land [Land of Israel]. The Book of Joshua describes the Biblical boundaries of the Holy Land of Israel. After the land is conquered, it is divided into separate tribal portions via a divinely guided lottery.
The Book of Joshua begins: And it was after the death of Moses, the servant of the Lord, that the Lord said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ minister, saying, “Moses my servant has died and now arise and cross the River Jordan. You and all this nation go to the land which I give the Children of Israel. Every place on which the soles of your feet will tread I have given to you, as I have spoken to Moses. No man shall stand up before you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so shall I be with you. I will not weaken my grasp on you nor will I abandon you. Just be strong and very courageous to observe and do in accordance with all the Torah that Moses my servant has commanded you. Therefore, do not stray right or left in order that you will succeed in wherever you go.”
Before they enter the land, the Israelites send an envoy to the Canaanites with the message, “God, the Creator of the Universe has promised this land to our forefathers. We are now here to claim our inheritance, and we ask you to leave peacefully.” Only one tribe leaves. The Canaanites are an extremely immoral and idolatrous people and Joshua has clear instructions from God that if the Canaanites don’t leave, the Jews must purify the land and make it Holy.
The Promised Land is settled by seven Canaanite tribes who inhabit 31 fortified scattered city-states, each ruled by its own “Chieftain.” Although the land was bordered by the Egyptian empire to the south and the Mesopotamia to the north it was not ruled by either of them or was there one power ruling this territory of land. Jericho was one of these city-states, so was Ai, and Jerusalem, where Canaanite tribesmen called Jebusites dwelled.
The first the battle of the Israelites is for Jericho, the entrance to the territory of Canaan. The Israelites proceed in the conquest as the waters of the Jordan miraculously stop flowing and they cross on dry land, then the Jordan refills with water as they march around the city walls, which crumble before their eyes. They conquer the city, taking no booty as commanded by God.
The Israelites march on to the next city, called Ai. They meet with a terrible defeat with many of their number killed. Traumatized by the experience, they plead to know why God had abandoned them and quickly learn the terrible truth that one person, Achan, had stolen some items back in Jericho. The Biblical lesson is that obedience to God’s commands is absolute.
The Israelites finally lay claim to the Promised Land and the territory is divided amongst the twelve tribes by lots. The twelve tribes flourish for a period in the land known as the Time of Judges. However, their life there is far from calm, after Joshua dies. The Bible relates that they had only themselves to blame: And the children of Israel did that which was evil in the eyes of the Lord and the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel. Even though a small percentage of the people sinned, the entire nation of Israel is held accountable and He delivered them into the hands of spoilers and He gave them over into the hands of their enemies.” (Judges 2:8-14).
Israel was no different than any other nation of peoples, accept for one thing and we are certain the Hebrew Bible is a holy book about the Israelite people who document their sinful history and redemption, learning the lessons from mistakes.
