Joshua: The Promised Land

Entering the Land, 1-5	Possessing the Land, 6-12	Distributing the Land, 13-21	Retaining the Land, 22-24
Joshua assumes leadership, 1	Jericho,  6	The Eastern Tribes, 13	Eastern Tribes, 22
Rahab and the spies, 2	Ai, 7-8	The Western Tribes, 14-19	Joshua’ farewell speech, 23
Crossing the Jordan, 3-4	Gibeonites, 9:1-10:27	Cities of Refuge, 20	Covenant renewal, 24
Circumcision, 5:1-12	Summary of Conquest, 10:28-12:24	Levitical Cities, 21
Commander of the army of the Lord, 5:13-15

Major characters

• Joshua (“Jehovah the Saviour”)
• Caleb (“wholehearted”)
• Eleazar (“God has helped”) the priest

Major events

• Crossing the Jordan, 3
• Walls of Jericho fall down, 6
• Sin of Achan, 7
• Treaty with the Gibeonites, 9
• Lord casts down hailstones on Amorites, 10
• Sun stands still, 10
• Death of Joshua, 24

Major themes

• Covenant renewal, 8:30-35; 24:1-28
• Judgement on the nations
• Memorials
  • Twelve stones, 4:21-24
  • A great heap of stones, 7:26
  • A great heap of stones, 8:29
  • Large stones at cave of 5 kings, 10:27

Christ in all the Scriptures

• Scarlet cord, 2:18
• Commander of the army of the Lord, 5:13-15
• Joshua as a type of Christ
• Christ as our inheritance
• Cities of refuge, 20:1-9

In the Hebrew Bible, Joshua to 2 Kings are known as “the Former Prophets.” Dale Ralph Davis asks:

What happens when one looks at Joshua as primarily prophecy rather than history? What is this difference between former prophets and historical books? To oversimplify, it is like the difference between preaching and a world history book. The “prophecy of Joshua” means to convict, not merely to inform; to comfort, not simply to enlighten. The Book of Joshua is preaching material beamed to Israel in the form of historical narrative. We need to see clearly that “history in the O[ld] T[estament] is a declaration from God about God… As you read and study Joshua, try to keep asking yourself the question: What is the writer preaching about when he tells me this story? He is not telling you the story only to inform you (although that is part of it); he has a message to proclaim, a God to press upon you.

Dale Ralph Davis, No Falling Words

From the Exodus to the Divided Monarchy

Exodus from Egypt	1447 BC
Conquest of Canaan	1407-1400 BC
Period of the Judges	1360-1084 BC
The reign of Saul	1051-1011 BC
David anointed by Samuel	ca. 1029 BC
The reign of David	ca. 1011-971 BC
The reign of Solomon	971-931 BC