Joshua (week 8) preview
An ancient Egyptian rendering of the "balance of truth"--what is heavier--the heart or the feather?
A Lutheran pastor, a Catholic priest and a Jewish rabbi find a pot full of gold coins. The Lutheran says, “Let’s draw a circle on the ground, throw the coins in the air and whatever lands in the circle, we can keep—the rest we will give to the Lord.” The priest said, “Nah, let’s give whatever lands inside the circle to the Lord.” But the Jewish rabbi piped up, “Hey, I have a better idea—let’s just throw all the money up in the air, and whatever God wants he can keep!”
God’s involvement in our daily lives is one of the biggest questions Christians face—how and in what ways does God involve himself in our daily lives? Like the rabbi, can we levy a measure of cynicism against God’s involvement because of the clockwork appearance of nature? Or on the other end, can God be involved to the point where He can even take over someone’s free will? There is no doubt that the latter question is raised with the phrase “For it was of the LORD to harden their hearts” (Joshua 11:20) which appears in both testaments. So this week we launch into one of the most controversial topics in all of Christendom with careful steps and open minds!
FOR THIS WEEK: Please read chapters 11-12 and the technical observations before class. We will be focusing in on chapter 11 for discussion. Especially note the details surrounding the Lord hardening the heart and the Royal Annuls from Tiglath-pileser I.
TECHNICAL OBSERVATIONS:
1. Egyptian texts mention Merom around 1500 BC, while Ramses II mentions it later. It was close to Hazor, and served as the camp for the northern coalition. The text suggests that this was the most important vassal of Hazar (as it is mentioned first and its leader is named)
2. The northern army controlled a large number of “horses and chariots”. This expression occurs in either other places in the Hebrew text and describes the most fearful war machines available. Egypt, for example, chased Israel into the sea with horses and chariots (Ex 15:1,21) while Deuteronomy 20:1 mentions God’s promise of protection from the same weapons.
3. Hazor was the largest in Canaan at the time. Archeological evidence shows the city to have been originally settled no later than the 27th century BC. At its height it covered 175 acres (10 times that of Jerusalem or any other Palestinian town excavated) with a population around 40,000. This city was violently destroyed around the time of Joshua and replaced with an unfortified, temporary settlement typical of other insignificant towns in the region. It is also near the ever so important International Coastal Highway.
4. 11:20… “For it was of the LORD to harden their hearts.” The English word “harden” translates three Hebrew words in Exodus where the phrase appears 19 times:
- a. cbd (the subject of this verb is Pharoah 3x, Yahweh 1x, and the heart 2x): this means to make heavy literally. In ancient Egypt an image in the Book of the Dead was invoked of a heart on a scale counterbalanced to a feather. If the heart of the deceased person weighed less than a feather then the person would receive rewards in the after life. This picture then has to do with judgment, or status before Yahweh. Pharaoh hardens his own heart here as well as Yahweh. There may be a play on words with the Hebrew word for glory which shares the same consonants here: cbd. So Pharoah is hardened (judged, cbd) for God’s glory (his weightiness, cbd).
- b. hzq (the subject of this verb is Yahweh 10x, and the heart 4x): this can be a positive term in regards to the heart—it can simply mean “to strengthen the heart” (so a reference to courage), but in regards to Pharoah it is always used negatively. It may also be translated “to make harden or obstinate” (so a reference to stubbornness). Only Yahweh hardens the heart in this regard—Pharoah is never the subject of the verb.
- c. qsh (the subject of this verb is Yahweh 1x): this term is only invoked once, but is within a similar semantic domain as the last two.
- hzq appears in Joshua 11:20.
5. Can God be considered “mean-spirited” for the “no mercy” in 11:20. What do the following verses say about the people whose hearts were hardened: Gen 15:16, Lev 18:24, Deut 9:4-5, 2 Kings 16:3?
6. 11:21-22 describes the destruction of the Anakim. It is fitting that the conquest narrative ends with them, since it was their presence in Canaan that caused Israel to rebel in the desert more than 40 years earlier (Num 13:28, 32:33). They were Canaan’s oldest inhabitants, and their fear-inspiring character was also mentioned in Deut 1:28, 9:2. Their stature and formidable nature were almost proverbial. After they were defeated, Joshua applied the ban to them. Thus, the most feared people in Canaan suffered the worst fate God could unleash on them.
7. The verb in 11:22 for “rest” appears here and in 14:15. The word for rest in the early chapters of the book is different, but it may share the same semantic domain.
8. “Royal Annuls” were a new literary genre appearing around the 12th century B.C. Many have comparied the Royal Annuls of the Assyrian King Tiglath-pileser I (1114-1076) to Joshua 9-12. I have included some exerpts of an inscription found and translated in Arnold and Beyer’s Readings from the Ancient Near East. Take note of what is different and what is similar with Joshua…
- At that time I marched to the unsubmissive land Kadmuhu, which had withheld tribute and impost from the god Ashur, my lord. I conquered the entire land of Kadmuhu. I brought out their booty, property, and possessions. Their cities I burnt, razed, and destroyed. The remainder of the inhabitants of the land Kadmuhu, who had fled from my weapons and crossed over to the city Shereshu, which is on the opposite bank of the Tigris, made that city their stronghold. Taking my chariots and warriors I hacked through the rough mountain range and difficult paths with copper picks and made a good way for the passage of my chariots and troops. I crossed the Tigrisand conquered their fortified city, Shereshu. I laid out like grain heaps the corpses of their men-at-arms in the mountains. I made their blood flow in the Tigrisand the plains of the mountains….
- I brought Seni, king of the land Dayenu, who had not been submissive to the god Ashur my lord, in bonds and fetters to my city Ashur. I had mercy on him and let him leave my city Ashur alive in order to proclaim the glory of the great gods. Thus I became lord of the complete extensive lands Nairi. Indeed all their kings I subdued at my feet….
- May the gods An and Adad faithfully have mercy upon me, may they love my prayers, may they heed my fervent petitions, may they grant abundant rain and extraordinarily rich years during my reign; may they lead me about safely in battle and strife; may they subdue at my feet all enemy lands, rebellious mountain regions, and rulers hostile to me; may they pronounce a favorable blessing over me and my priestly progeny; and may they firmly place my priesthood in the presence of the god Ashur and their great divinity forever like a mountain. I wrote on my stelas and clay…
- He who breaks or erases my stelas and inscriptions, throws them into water, burns them, covers them with earth, secretly stores them in a taboo house where there is no visibility, who erases my inscribed name and writes his own name, or who conceives of anything injurious and puts it into effect to the disadvantage of my stelas: May the gods An and Adad, the great gods my lords, glare at him angrily and inflict upon him an evil curse. May they overthrow his sovereignty. May they tear out the foundations of his royal throne. May they terminate his noble line….
Joshua (Week 7) Preview
Hey all--Grant will be teaching CP this week. He has got a lot of great thought provoking observations for us:
Grant’s Observations on Joshua ch. 9 & 10
1) 9:3 – “Inhabitants of Gibeon” – Who were these people really? 9:7 – “The men of Israel said to the Hivites,” – Describes them as Hivites. 9:17 – “Now their cities were Gibeon and Chephirah and Beeroth and Kiriath-jearim” – So were Hivites from more cities than Gibeon, BUT 9:1-2 says, “Now it came about when all the kings who were beyond the Jordan, in the hill country and in the lowland and on all the coast of the Great Sea toward Lebanon, the Hittite and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite and the Jebusite, heard of it, (2) that they gathered themselves together with one accord to fight with Joshua and with Israel.” – So is it that the Hivites all changed their mind about fighting, or was it a partial defection?
2) Note progression, Gibeonites speak to the “Men of Israel” first, then appeal to Joshua. They asks for covenant from the men of Israel, but tell Joshua, “We are your servants.” Contrast 9:6 with 9:8.
3) Key verse (in my opinion): 9:14 “So the men of Israel took some of their provisions” which is also translated in some versions as “sampled their provisions,” as in, to determine that it was not fresh, but the key problem is that they “did not ask for the counsel of the Lord.” – It seems the Israelites still did not understand that the Lord was with them always and not just when they sacrificed at His altar or were in the presence of the Ark of the Covenant. Therefore, it didn’t even occur to them to consult the Lord at this point.
4) Note reverse order of the covenant making from the order of the first encounter in 9:6 and 9:8. This time, in 9:15, “Joshua made peace with them and made a covenant with them, to let them live; and the leaders of the congregation swore an oath to them.” – First Joshua made a convenant, then the leaders of the congregation swore an oath.
5) 9:18 – See how this upset the congregation! “The sons of Israel did not strike them because the leaders of the congregation had sworn to them by the LORD the God of Israel. And the whole congregation grumbled against the leaders. “ – This was a point of major contention such that Joshua had to reassert his authority, and the authority of the leaders of the congregation.
6) First the leaders of the congregation try to settle things by speaking to the sons of Israel. THEN Joshsua intervened by speaking to the Gibeonites, not the men of Israel. 9:19-23 – Joshua curses them, “"Now therefore, you are cursed, and you shall never cease being slaves, both hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God."” Differences between the language of the curse and the language of the original covenant? “You shall never cease”
7) Gibeonites accept the judgment and curse in 9:25, “"Now behold, we are in your hands; do as it seems good and right in your sight to do to us."”
8) Note the familiar use of the phrase “To this day” at the end of chapter 9.
9) 10:1 - “just as he had done to Jericho and its king, so he had done to Ai” – Did he do the exact same thing to both cities? Was there a ban on Ai?
10) The king of Jerusalem was afraid, not just because of Jericho and Ai, but because the Gibeonites had submitted to the Israelites and Gibeon was a greater city than Jericho or Ai.
11) The Five Amorite kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon joined together all their armies and camped by Gibeon, attacking it, before the Israelites do or hear of anything, it seems.
12) Only when the “men of Gibeon” send word to Joshua (not the men of Israel), do the Israelites begin to enter the chapter.
13) Joshua and the Israelites, in spite of their conquests, are still camped at Gilgal. 10:7 “So Joshua went up from Gilgal, he and all the people of war with him and all the valiant warriors.”
14) NOTE: They were acting on the convenant promise with Gibeon and their own accord, not yet the Lord’s, because the Lord does not speak to Joshua until he and all the people of war and all the valiant warriors had already left camp at Gilgal. Only then does the Lord speak, saying in 9:8, “Do not fear them, for I have given them into your hands; not one of them shall stand before you."
15) 10:9 – Joshua uses an early example of lightning warfare by marching his troops overnight from Gilgal. Yet while 10:9 implies he achieved the element of surprise, Joshua’s tactics aren’t credited with confusing and slaughtering the enemy: 10:10 “And the LORD confounded them before Israel, and He slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, and pursued them by the way of the ascent of Beth-horon and struck them as far as Azekah and Makkedah. “ It says the Lord confounded them before Israel, and the “He” slew them. See 10:11 “the LORD threw large stones from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died; there were more who died from the hailstones than those whom the sons of Israel killed with the sword.” – These hailstones were credited more with the victory than the fighting men of Israel.
16) Sun and Moon Stand Still – 10:12 – “Then Joshua spoke to the Lord”…it’s Joshua who says, in the sight of Israel “"O sun, stand still at Gibeon, And O moon in the valley of Aijalon."” - This seems like another Moses moment for Joshua. He is glorified before Israel because they see the command coming from Joshua’s mouth, and the sun and the moon obey.
17) 10:13 “Is it not written in the book of Jashar?” – Why this appeal to an independent authority? Story is very fantastic, so independent verification could add authority. What difference would it make if Jashar was an Israelite book, or if it was a Canaanite or Pagan book?
18) 10:15 “There was no day before it or after it, when the Lord listened to the voice of a man; for the Lord fought for Israel.” – Again, emphasizing Joshua’s position as an intermediary between the Lord and the people of Israel.
19) How does this miracle match with our modern understandings of science and physics? Can they be reconciled? Does it matter?
20) 5 Kings hide in a cave at Makkedah: The response? Instead of fighting them, Joshua orders them trapped in their cave, and sends his troops after the remnants of the Amorite armies, telling them in 10:19, to attack them and “not allow them to enter their cities, for the LORD your God has delivered them into your hand.” Joshua here seems to be taking full advantage of the heavenly miracle and attacking as ferociously as possible while the sun and moon are standing still in the sky. He seems to understand that the miracle will have a finite duration.
21) Confusing verses: “(20) It came about when Joshua and the sons of Israel had finished slaying them with a very great slaughter, until they were destroyed, and the survivors who remained of them had entered the fortified cities, (21) that all the people returned to the camp to Joshua at Makkedah in peace. No one uttered a word against any of the sons of Israel.” – “survivors who remained had entered fortified cities” – Joshua just told his troops not to allow this. Did they fail? It isn’t spoken of in failed, but rather triumphal terms. “All the people” returned to the camp at Makkedah. Who are “all the people?” Gibeonites and Israelites? Or does “all the people” include the surviving Amorites, too? Regardless, it is clear that “No one uttered a word against any of the sons of Israel.” So this implies a great victory.
22) 10:25 – “Joshua then said to them, "Do not fear or be dismayed! Be strong and courageous, for thus the LORD will do to all your enemies with whom you fight."” Compare this to the language that the Lord spoke to Joshua when preparing him to lead the Israelites in conquest over Canaan. He seems to have internalized God’s call for strength and courageousness, and having made it internal, he now spreads that call to all the Israelites.
23) 10:27 – Bodies of the kings were put in the cave and a memorial constructed. Note the use again of “To this day.”
24) The King of Makkedah – 10:28 – “Now Joshua…” this seems to occur after the great victory over the five Amorite kings. The King of Makkedah is utterly destroyed. This is almost added as an afterthought.
25) Similarly, the story of the defeat of Libnah is almost an afterthought.
26) Then the Israelites attach Lachish. Note that the King of Lachish and his armies were defeated in the great victory over the Amorites. Perhaps this is why “Horam king of Gezer came up to help Lachish” in 10:33. They were likely a defenseless city, and Horam came to their defense (perhaps he also wanted to make himself King of both Gezer and Lachish). Nevertheless, he and all his people are defeated and killed.
27) Then Joshua attacks the city of Eglon, whose king and armies were defeated. Note that this time, no other king comes to help.
28) Next, the Israelites destroy Hebron, which like Eglon, had largely already been defeated.
29) Then they attack Debir and destroy it, again almost as an afterthought.
30) Then, the entire episode recounted in Ch.9 &10 is summarized in 10:40-43, “(40) Thus Joshua struck all the land, the hill country and the Negev and the lowland and the slopes and all their kings. He left no survivor, but he utterly destroyed all who breathed, just as the LORD, the God of Israel, had commanded. (41) Joshua struck them from Kadesh-barnea even as far as Gaza, and all the country of Goshen even as far as Gibeon. (42) Joshua captured all these kings and their lands at one time, because the LORD, the God of Israel, fought for Israel. (43) So Joshua and all Israel with him returned to the camp at Gilgal.”
31) Note that after the conquest and destruction of all these cities, the Israelites return again to their encampment at Gilgal. Why would they again stay here? Women & children & livestock likely camped there still, but why not move into a city? Would the tribed of Reuben and Gad and the half-tribe of Mannaseh have resisted a move farther into Canaan and away from their lands on the other side of the Jordan?
Joshua (Week 6) Preview
Why is this picture so important to Toy Story 3?
On my trip home my mom and I (John) took in Toy Story 3 and I was happy to note that in the age of modern technology, ancient story telling technique has not gone by the wayside. Without giving away the story, you’ll note that the movie begins just the way it ends—with a picture of the toy owner Andy’s familiar comfort inciting cloud wallpaper. But more than just making for a clever frame, it carefully introduces the audience to the theme it intends to wrestle with of home and what that means in a time of transition. Although subtle, it’s actually quite well done. So as we press into the story of Joshua let me remind you to go back to Joshua 1—where the author wants to take his readers is packed into that important little chapter. It will help guide our thinking and uncover that precious message that meant so much for its original audience and means so much for us today. So as you dip into 7-8 for this week, reread chapter 1! Continue making observations—let’s see what big stuff you guys can come up with. If you are weary of writing in your Bible, I encourage you to print out a copy of the text so that you mark it all up with things you see relating to character development, plot, grammar, cultural info, etc. The first step of Bible Interpretation really comes alive when you start seeing with new eyes.
FOR THIS WEEK: We will spend most of our discussion time on chapter 7, although I will briefly go over the interesting strategy of chapter 8 before we begin in earnest. READ CHAPTERS 7-8 and REREAD CHAPTER 1. Make as many observations as you can and start writing down a few thoughts about what you think the author is trying to convey.
TECHNICAL OBSERVATIONS: I want to remind you all that the following list, although of great benefit (especially for discussion), 1) is not meant to overwhelm you—use it to your discretion, and 2) does not necessarily include the most important observations. We have done some of the technical work for you—e.g. language, cross reference, and background material—that may not be as accessible to you in your study of the text. The purpose of this is to 1) avoid lecture style teaching and to 2) maintain integrity towards the text by considering as much data as possible. But I can’t stress enough—these may not be the most significant observations for interpretation, so your own personal study is of utmost importance! I look forward to jumping in with you all next week!
1. Corporate punishment is alluded to by Achan’s genealogy. No other figure in Joshua has been introduced with such detail about his family background. Four generations are listed, and his sin is considered a sin by the “sons of Israel,” who have thus acted unfaithfully.
2. Joshua probably decided to attack Ai because of its strategic significance (it was on the road to Bethel). This road was the main route to the area that would become Benjamin, and thus was strategically critical for control of the hill country in the north and south. Ai would have provided a direct route to the hill country
3. Some commentators suggest that part of the Israelites problem in this chapter is that they did not consult God (at least this is not mentioned in the text) before spying on eye and that they overestimated their own strength. Later the Israelites are blasted for not consulting God, and when they are finally successful against Ai they do receive guidance from Him. However, is this something the author is emphasizing?
4. “The hearts of the people melted and became as water” is a common idiom in the Bible? It is used in Joshua 2:11, and 5:1. How does 5:1 help us understand its meaning? What relationship does the phrase have with the contents of 11:20? How does it contrast here with its use in 2:11?
5. Achan sinned. The word is used only here in verb form in Joshua and can mean the following: 1) to miss the mark (Isa 65:20), 2) to wrong or offend (Ex 10:16), 3) to be culpable (Gn 20:6), 4) to do wrong or sin against (Deut 1:41), or 5) to commit a sin (Deut 19:5). Which one do you think fits best? The noun form is found in Josh 24:19. What bearing does this verse have on the Achan episode?
6. Achor comes from the same root as the word for “to trouble” but it also has a lot in common with Achan phonetically that carries across to the English transliterations. Might this be a play on words?
7. Ai means “place of ruin.” Some commentators suggest that there is evidence that Ai had a significantly higher population prior to Joshua’s encounter with the Amorites there. However, this may be a historical anachronism too (it may have been called Ai in hindsight of its destruction). What do you think?
8. The term “covet” used in 7:19-20 is the same as that found in the 10th commandment. It describes the desire for an item which a person has no right to possess.
9. The ambush was a typical near eastern tactic. A 10th century BC Assyrian king was known to use a strategy similar to Joshua’s.
10. Javelins or “sickle swords” like in 8:18 were widely used before the 2nd millennium BC, before being replaced with the straight sword by the end of the 2nd millennium BC. By the time the sickle sword had become obsolete, it had acquired high symbolic importance as a sign of sovereignty. It is common in Mesopotamian and Egyptian art. With it, Joshua enacts a sign of divine sovereignty but does not exercise divine power.
12. 12000 were said to live in Ai which would have probably only made for around 3000 battle ready men. 3000 Israelites were originally sent after the spies report. 5000 were sent to allow for the ambush and 30000 were sent to take the city. While these numbers seem a bit more “down to earth” than the numbers of Exodus-Deuteronomy, archaeologically the 12000 would not have been able to dwell upon current proposed sites for Ai—it’s too small for that kind of habitation. We will deal with numbers in more detail, but let it suffice for now to note that there may be something more going on with the numbers again.
An Interesting Article on Happiness
According to this Treehugger post happiness is more closely associated with experiences than material possessions. In short, your trip to Europe or a National Park with friends will bring you more happiness than your HD TV. What do you guys think? Read the post, and let's discuss.
Source: Treehugger - Happiness: No Purchase Necessary, Says Study
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