Wednesday Morning Study

September 2007 – 2008

The Introduction consisted of an overview of the Kingdom of God and the (sacramental) importance of space (chiefly Eden, Tabernacle, Temple, Incarnation)

Joshua 1

Search the Scriptures

  1. Read Deuteronomy 34:1-8. For a generation Moses stood before Israel as the LORD’s servant, leading the people of God out of Egypt through the wilderness to the entrance of the land of Canaan. But now he has died; what will the people of Israel do? Consider Deuteronomy 34:10-12; how could any one ever hope to fill the sandals of Moses? However, what hope was planted among the people in Deuteronomy 34:9? When is the next time that we behold Moses? How does his work, ended at the close of Deuteronomy, connect him to Jesus’ transfiguration? See Luke 9:28-36.
  2. Read Joshua 1:1. Deuteronomy concluded with a note of anticipation; how does this book continue “singing the same melody”? Read the rest of Joshua 1. The main actors and their responsibilities are set forth in consecutive speeches. Who are the primary players? What will their roles be?
  3. Rather than speaking about sacrifices, tabernacle, altar, and priesthood, the LORD speaks of the land. What promise stands behind the purpose of occupying the land? Refer to Genesis 12:1-7; Galatians 3:16. See also Leviticus 25:23. For similar descriptions of the land, refer to Genesis 15:18-21; Exodus 23:31; Numbers 34:1-12; Deuteronomy 1:7; 11:24. Considerable detail described the tabernacle and its appointments in Exodus; why might it also be valuable to define the boundaries of the land?
  4. Succeeding Moses as leader might have caused many to hesitate, humanly speaking; leading that stiff-necked people with questionable ancestors might have caused additional reticence. In the face of that kind of human experience, why should Joshua be strong and courageous? Review Exodus 13:21-22; Exodus 25:22; Exodus 33:7-23; 40:34-38. How is Joshua’s meditation on the Book of the Law linked to his leadership and the success and prosperity of Israel?
  5. After hearing the LORD’s word, what is the response of Joshua? Of what did Joshua remind the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh? See Numbers 32:6,7,14, 33; Deuteronomy 3:18-20.
  6. Rest could suggest a life of a leisure; however, read Genesis 2:2-3 & Exodus 20:11; Exodus 23:12 & Deuteronomy 5:14. Of what kind of rest is Joshua reminding Israel?
  7. How do the tribes east of the Jordan respond? Why would they repeat the exhortation “Be strong and courageous”? What happens to those who transgress what has been promised? What kind of relationship do the people of Israel have with Joshua? By what was that bond created? Consider I Thessalonians 5:12-13; I Timothy 5:17-20; Hebrews 13:17.

For Us

•What rhythm do you perceive in these speeches from God and His people? What pattern does that suggest for the Church today? What does this stay about the death of Christian leaders today? (Consider also I Kings 19.)

•Christians are baptized into a great struggle; Jesus came not to bring peace but a sword; we are to be equipped with the full armor of God, wielding the sword of the Spirit. What kind of battle do we fight?

•On what does the forward movement of the Church depend? What is church leadership to point to?

•What is our inheritance as God’s people? What assures us of that inheritance? Refer to Ephesians 1:14; II Corinthians 5:1-5.

•Joshua had witnessed the many mighty signs of the LORD; we might think therefore that he had obvious reasons to be strong and courageous. Why should we, who have not had the same personal experiences as Joshua, be strong and courageous? Who is with us? Matthew 1:23; Matthew 28:20; consider Hebrews 13:5.

•If one describes the book of Joshua as a record of a socio-military invasion and occupation, reading the LORD’s words could be reduced to “Follow the LORD’s orders!” What is the difference between meditating on the LORD’s word and slavish obedience to a higher authority? What does it mean for us to meditate on the Word of the LORD? What remains as the sole source and guide for the people of God? Consider II Timothy 3:15-17.

•Discuss this statement of Luther: Oratio, meditatio, tentatio faciunt theologum (“Prayer, meditation, and testing make a theologian”).

•Sometimes it appears that when others have gained what they sought, they are not so willingly to risk enjoying it. What does the promise of Rueben, Gad, and Manasseh suggest for the people of the Church today?

•In the Old Testament, consequences for disobedience and disruption of the fellowship seem harsh; what would the purpose of severe threats be? What should happen today to those who break the fellowship of the new testament? Reflect on Matthew 18:15-20; I Corinthians 5:1-13.

Joshua 2

The goals for this study of Joshua 2 are four: 1) to observe the lively faith of the Israelite spies, 2) to note the creation and confession of faith in the Canaanite Rahab, and 3) to note how the LORD employed unexpected means by which to accomplish His purpose, and 4) to be encouraged by the LORD’s demonstrated faithfulness.

Search the Scriptures

Joshua 2:1a

  1. If the first word of Joshua 2:1 is rendered “Then Joshua son of Nun sent . . .” rather than “And Joshua . . . “, what connection may be stressed between this mission of the spies and what had been confessed in Joshua 1?
  2. The RSV, NIV, and ESV place “send” and “secretly” near or next to each other, though it may be better to suggest that “secretly” applies to the speaking to the spies rather than to the sending of the spies. What would be the difference?
  3. Why reconnoiter Jericho, already having been given the promise of Joshua 1?

Joshua 2:1b-7

  1. With the declaration of Israel’s holiness and the command to show forth this holiness through all words and deeds (Leviticus 19), why would the Israelite men enter the house of a prostitute?
  1. The report of Egypt’s rout and the collapse of Sihon and Og have reached the ears of all Jericho, grabbing especially the ears of the king. What had he obviously feared, aware of the Israelite presence across the Jordan River valley?
  2. Note the crafted suspense concerning the conversation between the king and Rahab; the king, with fitting alarm (“Look”), demanded and she deftly replied. But yet you are left pondering why Rahab, an inhabitant of Jericho, should have answered with apparent deceit. What reasons might be offered for Rahab’s reply at this point? What is the reader to reflect on about Rahab at this juncture in the story?
  3. Though easily passed over by contemporary readers, why should attention be paid to the gates and their closure?

Joshua 2:8-13

  1. Though the path to Rahab’s ears of the LORD’s mighty deeds remains unknown, she had learned “enough” to summarize and confess; what of the LORD had Rahab heard? As a consequence of her hearing, what had she concluded about the LORD from her knowledge of the recent events? In other words, what kind of God is able to defeat the nearest superpower, Egypt, and the local power-brokers?
  2. In her confession of the LORD’s awesome works, she noted how Sihon and Og had been devoted to destruction. That reference, maybe more than a mere military thrashing, truck terror into her heart. Consider Deuteronomy 7:1-5; 13:12-19; 20:16-18.
  3. Having mulled over the confession of the LORD and His works, as described by Rahab, discuss her response (the why and what) to the Israelites. Though her past bond with man was no legitimate covenant, what does her word about the LORD suggest?
  4. As many words, “faithfulness” assumes sundry nuances dependent on the context. Read the following passages, and identify the sense of “faithfulness”:
  1. Joshua 2:14
  2. Genesis 21:23
  3. Exodus 34:6-7

Joshua 2:14-21

  1. Describe the kind of arrangement that the Israelite men struck with Rahab. Responding to their promise, how had Rahab aided them? And then what responsibility had the spies assumed?
  2. If Rahab had ran a business of flax and linen, the scarlet rope from her window could have appeared innocuous. What practical reason would there be to hang the scarlet rope from the window? Of what business was Rahab to be silent?

Joshua 2:22-24

  1. These three verses could be read as a simple report of what had occurred. However, concluding with verse 24, this section offers more. Recall the emphasis of chapter 1; how then does this series of events conclude? One should highlight in particular the testimony of the spies; why note that the men recounted to Joshua all that happened? If the general population of Israel had been informed of their mission and how heard the whole report, what might their conclusion have been? What does this conclusion to the mission underscore?

For Us

  1. An inner life is revealed outward actions. What might we learn about the inner life of Rahab by her actions toward the king and toward the spies?
  2. Hebrews 11:31
  3. James 2:25
  4. Hebrews 11:31
  5. Joshua 2:11
  6. Joshua 2:9,10,11,12
  7. Joshua 2:10
  8. Joshua 2:12
  9. Hebrews 11:31 and James 2:25 present a startling testimony of Rahab: the presence of genuine faith. How could Rahab be reckoned righteous for her work? What might we conclude about Rahab and her deception of the king of Jericho?
  10. We witness, as Rahab, had, the works of the LORD through the testimony of others—the words of the Scriptures, the record of eyewitnesses. What is such evidence to work within us? Read John 20:30,31. And what is the proof of that kind of life? How might we confess that our God is not a local deity, restrained by the thoughts of man?
  11. The spies had a definite purpose: to scout the weaknesses of the city and determine its morale. What might this suggest about our awareness of our opponents in this life? Consider Ephesians 6:10-18; II Corinthians 10:3-6.
  12. Early fathers compared the red rope to the blood marking the door of the Israelites on the night of the Passover. What importance may an external marker have for the faith? What external markers do you have for the practice of the faith?
  13. Though not directly teaching that we create identical covenantal relationships as described in Joshua 2, how are the relationships within the Body of Christ similar? Consider Galatians 6:1-5 and I John 3:16-18.
  14. Besides appearing in Hebrews and James, Rahab appears in Matthew 1:5, in the genealogy of the son of David, the son of Abraham. Why is her appearance there most significant for the non-Israelite, all those who belong to the nations (Matthew 28:19)?
  15. In the final scene, posing a definitive and significant contrast with the faithless spies of Numbers 13 (excepting Joshua and Caleb), the unnamed scouts reported all their observations; recap what happened. Yet what was their conclusion? What does this suggest for the outlook of faith in this life? See Luke 21:25-28 and Romans 8:37.

Joshua 3-5

Goals

1) note the continued pattern of the Lord commanding Joshua, Joshua commanding the people, and the people carrying out the Lord’s command; 2) Understand the theme of God’s active presence among his people in its various manifestations; 3) Understand the Lord’s goals in using the means he chooses to accomplish his work, and the effects that stretch beyond getting people across a river; 4) Be strengthened in our faith by the pattern of God’s continued covenant faithfulness, pointing to Christ.

Outline

3:1-6Preparing for crossing: Led by the ark to the brink of the Jordan

3:7-17Beginning the crossing: The Lord performs a sign in their midst

4:1-9Preparing to remember the crossing: the memorials

4:10-14Accomplishment of the crossing: a people doing the Lord’s will

4:15-19Concluding the crossing: sealing the miracle

4:20-24Remembrance of the crossing: what did the Lord show us here?

5:1-9Circumcision and the rolling-away of reproach

5:10-12First Passover in Canaan and the end of the manna

5:13-15The Commander of the Army of the Lord

Search the Scriptures

Joshua 3:1-6

  1. How does the Lord embolden Joshua and Israel to break camp and go to the Jordan?
  2. Torah of Moses (Ex 15)
  3. God’s word to Joshua
  4. Signs: fulfillment of prior promises
  5. What is the significance of the ark? (See Josh 3:3, 6, 11, 13, 14, 15, 17; 4:5, 7, 9, 10, 11, 16, 18): “ark of the covenant of the Lord your God”, “ark of the covenant”, “ark of the covenant, the Lord of all the earth”, “ark of the testimony”
  6. What is it? (Ex 25:10-22)
  7. How is this different from how God led Israel before? the same? (Num 10:35-6, Ps 68:1-3). When the ark moves, is it just the ark that moves?
  8. Why must the Israelites stay back from the ark instead of crowding around it? (there are at least two good reasons)
  9. What previous event is brought to mind when the officers say, “you have not crossed over on this path ever before”? (See Num 14) Where does the command of the officers come from?
  10. Joshua says, “Sanctify yourselves, because tomorrow the Lord will do in your midst miracles.” What is the connection between the Lord’s presence and sanctification?
  11. The Lord will do in your midst miracles (See Ex 15:11-13)
  12. Sanctify yourselves (Lev 11:44, 20:7-8, Ex 19:22)
  13. Why did Israel pause at the Jordan? (Ex 14:1-14)

Joshua 3:7-17

  1. What familiar pattern do we see here?
  2. 3:7-8
  3. 3:9-13
  4. 3:14-17
  5. How does the author build suspense and pique the hearer’s interest in this account? Henry Ford once said, “History is more or less bunk. It’s tradition. We don’t want tradition. We want to live in the present and the only history that is worth a tinker’s dam is the history we make today.” Does the way the Holy Spirit caused this account to be written give us a different view of history?
  6. The Lord has other purposes in what he is doing besides just getting Joshua and Israel across the river. What are these?
  7. With regard to Joshua: What is the purpose expressed here? To what promise is the Lord ultimately pointing the people in his doing this? What purpose is expressed in 4:22-24? (See Acts 2:22; Mt 3:13,16) To what does it extend today (Lk 10:16)?
  8. With regard to God’s presence
  9. With regard to Israel’s future
  10. What is the significance of the Jordan River in other events? What is the connection to the Red Sea? Is March / April a good time to go fording rivers?
  11. Why does Joshua call the Lord “the living God” in v. 10? The “Lord (Adon) of all the earth” in v. 13?
  12. What do we know about Canaan, that is, the seven peoples to be defeated there, already from Genesis (9:25)?
  13. How does the text emphasize that something miraculous happened here, and not just the finding of a previously unknown fording location or a landslide that stopped the river?

Joshua 4:1-9

  1. What is emphasized in this section? What is going on here more than crossing a river? (Ex 12:24-28; 13:14; Dt 6:4-7)
  2. From where is the Lord speaking (v.3)? What do the twelve stones therefore recall? How many monuments are there, and why?

Joshua 4:10-14

  1. In v. 10, why does it say “according to all Moses had commanded Joshua”? What is it talking about? (See Josh 4:12; Deut 31:7-8; Dt 18:15)
  2. What is accomplished in this crossing besides getting the people across the river? Why is this important? How is it in keeping with the major themes of the book?

Joshua 4:15-19

  1. What is the significance of these details about how the river was returned to its original flow?

Joshua 4:20-24

  1. What has the Lord accomplished in how he got his people across the river? How does this inform us about the meaning of God’s action in history for us? What do we tell our children?
  2. Is this miracle only for the people of Israel? How has its effect on other people already been shown? What does this show us about evangelism in the OT?

Joshua 5

These twelve verses (5:1-12) assemble the incarnate realities of Israel’s deliverance from Egypt and anticipate the enjoyment of them in the land of Canaan. Before inheriting the land, the men are circumcised—the old life has been cut away, declaring that new life, out of the former land and into the new land, springs from God’s promise. The congregation then celebrates Passover, confessing that the Passover remembered more than a deliverance from Egypt; it presently participates in the banquet that overflows with a new life sustained by the LORD in the new land.

Search the Scriptures

5:1, The Report of Crossing the Jordan River

  1. The report of the work of the LORD went forth, accomplishing the purpose for which He sent it. With the publishing of Israel crossing the River Jordan, what had the LORD intended to work within the spirit of the Canaanites? For what purposes?

5:2-9, Circumcision and the Rolling-away of Reproach

  1. Though circumcision was practiced among other peoples besides Israel, its practice in Israel was a confession of faith. According to Genesis 17:11-14, what was the purpose of circumcision? How does the circumcision at this juncture in Israel’s journey reiterate that purpose? In other words, what of the LORD was Israel confessing (the content of the confession) through circumcision? Consider Genesis 1-2:4; Exodus 4:24-26; also Romans 4:11-12.
  2. What had happened in the wilderness to those who had been circumcised before leaving Egypt? Had they combined their circumcision with faith?
  3. Noting “the whole nation” was circumcised might be swiftly passed over without a second thought; however, what weight, as it completes the demand of the LORD (verse 2) and serves as a contrast to the previous generation (verse 4), does the passage bear?
  4. “Roll” and “Gilgal” are related words; the location has been named for what has been performed. What has been rolled away at the “Place of Rolled Away”? Consider Exodus 32:12; Numbers 14:13-16 and Deuteronomy 9:28.
  5. The Golden State. The Diary State. The Sunshine State. Those are brief descriptions attempting to capture the essence of a location. What does the phrase “a land flowing with milk and honey”[1] express?

5:10-12, First Passover in Canaan and the End of the Manna