An Introduction to Joshua

This week we begin our study of Joshua. I'm excited about our return to the Old Testament. Here we will learn not only about the word of the Lord but also about ancient history and the timeless shortcomings of man.

Without further ado let's start our study with an overview of the book.

I. Who is the book about?

A. Book is about God's chosen people, the Israelites
B. Book is also about their second leader, Joshua, who succeeded Moses

II. What is the book about?

A. Book is about Israelites transition from a tribal community to a nation-state
B. Book is about God's delivery of his people into the promised land
B. Book contains three major sections
1. Israelites invasion (claiming) of the land west of the Jordan
2. Israelites subjection (conquering) of the land
3. Israelites distribution (colonization) of the land amongst the 12 tribes

III. What is the timeframe covered in the book?

A. Book picks up after the death of Moses and the succession of Joshua, chosen by Moses to lead the Israelites across the Jordan into the promised land.
B. Chronologically and relative to its placement in the Bible it immediately follows Deuteronomy and precedes Judges.
C. Some estimate time was around 1406 B.C. to 1399 B.C.
D. Others estimate it at 1456 B.C. to 1426 B.C.
E. Not going to quibble, it was "a long time ago, in a land far away"

BIBLIOGRAPHY

(1) The HarperCollins Study Bible
(2) Willmington's Guide to the Bible, Tyndale Press, 1981
(3) A Chronological Bible Timeline: http://www.abiblestudy.com/part2.html
(4) Old Testament Timeline: http://www.matthewmcgee.org/ottimlin.html