Old Testament Core Seminar

Class 9“Joshua” and “Judges”

Old Testament Overview

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Introduction

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• We’ve completed the overview of the Pentateuch of The Torah.• We now enter the “Historical Books” – Joshua thru Ester.• They cover 1,000 years of Israelite history.• Setting the context:

• Joshua was probably written by Joshua n the first 15 years of the 14th BC. • It begins with Israel is outside of Canaan, eastward over the Jordan.• By the end of the book they will have taken and occupied the land.• Joshua is all about conquest. The Israelites enter the land, take the land,

possess the land, and accomplish rest in it. • Judges picks up right were Joshua leaves off. • Israel has taken the land, but now the question is can the keep it?• Israel comes under great pressure from a several surrounding nations. • Judges covers roughly 350 years, from Joshua’s death until the 1st king

(1390 BC to 1050 BC)• The author of Judges is unknown and believed to be written shortly after

the last events were recorded - in the mid to late 11th century BC.

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Differences and Similarities – Major Themes:• Land – Joshua is about getting it and Judges is about keeping it.• Rest is closely related – rest is the goal for God’s people.

• Joshua ends positively with God’s enemies at bay and God’s people enjoying fellowship with him.

• Judges is almost the reverse - God’s people start with rest and gradually begin to lose it.

• Both books reflect on trust.• In Joshua, they must trust in Joshua• In Judges, they must repeated trust God for a savior.

• Summary: • For Joshua …TRUSTING a FAITHFUL savior to LEAD God’s people to

land and rest• For Judges … REQUIRING a PERFECT savior to MAINTAIN God’s

people’s land and rest

Structure

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Joshua:• 1-5 - Israelites must trust God as they ENTER the Promised

Land.• 6-13 - this trust must then extend to war as they begin to

TAKE the Promised Land.• 13-21 - then time to DIVIDE the Promised Land.• 22-24 - remain faithful as they ACCOMPLISH promised rest.

“Trusting a faithful savior to lead God’s people to land and rest”

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Four key ideas from this theme:1. Trusting as God’s people• Jos. 1:5 – Trusting as God’s People• On the edge of the Promised Land they are called to be strong

and courageous - to trust that God will give them the land.• In chapter 5 circumcision is used to identify them as God’s people

and of trusting God. • Read 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 – Holy Spirit is our sign.• This gives us confidence that we will enter God’s ultimate land.

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2. Trusting in God’s Faithful Savior:• The people are God’s but Joshua will be their leader.• 1:8 he is commanded to meditate on God’s word day and night.• God’s people must trust him and they do - 1:16-18.• Because Joshua and the people trust God they enter the land.• Joshua foreshadows Jesus perfectly obeys God’s laws and brings

us into the New Heavens and New Earth.3. Trust God for Land:• The land of Canaan, and its theology, is bound up in what the

Garden of Eden was, and what the New Heavens and the New Earth are going to be.

• Eden was a physical location where God’s people had fellowship with God.

• The New Heavens and the New Earth, the re-created universe that Jesus leads us into will accomplish the same thing.

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• The people have crossed Jordan and entering God’s place.• Remember how Eden ended up? Angel blocking the entrance.• Read 5:13-15• Canaan is holy ground and the angel does not bar the way but

helps makes the way.• By the end of Joshua they have taken and divided the land! Read

21:43-45.• God kept his promise they are safely in the land with Him.• As Christians this increases our hope that we will see God.• Between chapters 5 and 21 are the bloody and brutal battles.

1. God is not condoning holy war of crusades.2. They are a unique event commanded by God to remove the “wicked”

people (Deu. 9, Gen .15).3. It is a picture of when Jesus returns and will judge the nations for their

sin and wickedness.

• Outside of Christ’s salvation we are just like the Canaanites!

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4. Trust God for Rest:• In Joshua 21:44 we read “The Lord gave them rest …”• The land and the rest are synonymous.• What does it mean for Israel to have “rest”?

– “The land received rest from war”– “rest from all their enemies around them”

• Rest is gained through the removal of God’s enemies.• So who are God’s enemies? Genesis 3:15.• Genesis promises a time when the enemy will be vanquished• In Joshua we have a snapshot of this enemy-less land.• For us, Jesus is the only one who can and will put Satan under His

foot!• How? By becoming sin for us - by hanging on a tree - just as

those sinful kings of Canaan did in Joshua. Joshua 10:24-26

Structure

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Judges:• 1 – Joshua has died and the people failed to remove the

remaining tribes resulting in cycle of rebellion, suffering, repentance, and saving by a “judge”.

• 9-14 – the cycle continues on a downward spiral. • 3 – Othniel has complete victory• 4 – Deborah has victory but some tribes are cursed.• 6-8 – Gideon has victory but ends in civil war.• 10-12 – Jepthah has victory marred by his daughter’s tragedy and civil

war.• 13-16 – Samson damages but never defeats the Philistines.• 17-18 – Israel reaches the depths of their sin; religious, moral, and

social corruption.• 21 – “Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” v25

Structure

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Judges:• In Joshua they were suppose to become separate as people of

God. To drive out the inhabitants of the land.• Judges chapter 1 lists dozens of peoples that were NOT driven

out!• This became the root of Israel’s problems.• They forgot they were to live separately from the nations – to

be Holy.• By 2:10 we read of a new generation “who did not know the

LORD nor the work which He had done for Israel.”• Many commentaries refer to this as the Cannainzation of Israel.• This should be a grave warning to us as Christians who forget

who we are and mingle too closely with the world.• We are in the world but should not become part of the world.

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The requirement of God’s punishment that leads to repentance• Example: Othniel chapter 3

1. Israel forgets God and servers other gods. v72. God is angry which leads to punishment - slavery. V83. Israel cries out to God. V94. God provides a savior. V95. Who goes to war. V106. Peace is restored. V117. Cycle begins again v12.

• We see Israel’s constant stubbornness and sin, and Yahweh’s great justice and then grace.

• Care must be taken when applying this to this side of NT!• We often see God’s Spirit acting this way it does not mean that all

destruction is part of this cycle.• We must see that the bigger theme of Judges - the

requirement of a perfect Savior that leads to true rest

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• Every cycle in Judges is a reminder that God’s people needed a perfect Savior.

• Before this they had Joshua … but he is dead and gone.• The saviors of Judges are neither lasting or faithful.• They save only briefly and are not the best roles models or bring

lasting rule.• What is needed is a monarchy - a line of perfect savior kings,

who lead God’s people to obey His word entirely.• Read Judges 9:6. They get a king!• He is not a faithful king. He rules Canaan does right in ‘his’

own eyes, leading God’s people in to unfaithfulness.• The judges served as ‘types’ of Christ but only Christ can

truly deliver people from all their woes.• Read Matthew 11:28 – the Master of rest.