Reading for October 15th

Read Joshua 13.1-7

In 13.1-7: The land that remains.

In verse 1: Joshua's advanced age prompts the distribution of territory west of the Jordan (v. 7).

In verses 2-6: A  parenthetical digression describes Philistine territory and areas to the north in Phoenicia and Lebanon as land yet to be conquered.

The Lord will eventually drive these people out but for now Joshua is to allot the land already conquered (v. 6).

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Reading for October 14th

Read Joshua 12.1-24
In 12.1-24: A list of defeated kings.
In verses 1-6: Moses defeated two kings east of the Jordan.
The territories seized from Sihon are delineated in vv. 2-3 and those of taken from Og in vv. 4-5.
In verses 7-8: Joshua seized territory from thirty-one kings (v. 24).
This description mirrors 11.16-17.
In verses 9-24: Jericho and Ai naturally come first (v. 9).
The five cities of 10.3 are listed in vv. 10-12a.
The four cities of 11.1 are listed in vv. 19-20.
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Reading for October 13th

Read Joshua 11.16-23
In 10.16-23: Culmination of the conquest.
In verse 16: The description parallels 10.40.
In verse 17: A line of territorial extent reaches from Mount Halak in the south on the border with Edom to Baal-gad somewhere near Mount Hermon on Israel's north (12.7; 13.5-6).
In verse 20: The stubborn hostility and incessant attacks of the enemy were the Lord's doing, part of a divine plan to wipe them out.
In verse 21-22: In Israelite folklore, the Anakim were ancient indigenous race of unusual statue.
In verse 23: The Lord has kept the promise made in 1.3-5, and Joshua has completed the task assigned in 1.6.
With the words the land had rest from war, the conquest draws to a close.
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Reading for October 12th

Read Joshua 11.1-15
In 11.1-15: Conquests in the north.
In verses 1-3: Deborah and Barak also confront a King Jabin of Hazor in Judg 4-5.
Jabin may have been a dynastic name for Hazor's kings.
Separate folk traditions about Hazor simply used this well-known name.
Jabin's response parallels the pattern of 10.1-5.
In verse 4: Israel's enemies had the advantage of horses and chariots, a sophisticated and expensive weapons system.
In verse 6:  To hamstring a horse means to cut its rear leg tendons so that it could no longer be used in war (2 Sam 8.4).
Israel was unable to support and use chariots until the reign of Solomon.
In verse 8: The Lord is always the real victor in holy war tradition.
In verse 11: The language for the holy war ban, no one left who breathed (also v. 14), is taken from Deut 20.16.
In verse 13: Israel did not destroy most captured cities, but took them over in accordance with the principle of Deut 6.10-11.
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Reading for October 11th

Read Joshua 10.16-27
In 10.16-27: Executing the five kings.
In verse 16: Makkedah was the southernmost limit of the enemy's flight (v. 10) and the starting point for the final phase of the campaign (v. 20).
In verse 20: In spite of Joshua's energetic pursuit (v. 19), survivors do escape to the fortified towns, thus setting up the need for attacks on Lachish, Eglon, and Hebron (v. 31, 34, 36).
In verse 24: Feet on the necks of enemy kings symbolizes total victory (Ps 110.1).
In verse 26-27: Exposing enemy bodies was a humiliating insult (1 Sam 31.10; 2 Sam 4.12).
Joshua obeys Deut 21.22-23.
These large stones were presumably a well-known landmark (compare 7.26; 8.29).
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Reading for October 10th

Read Joshua 10.12-15
In 10.12-15: The sun stands still.
In verses 12-13: A prose framework encloses and reinterprets an older poetic text from the Book of Jashar (see 2 Sam 1.18).
According tot he framework, Joshua's request to the Lord (v. 12) for extended daylight causes the sun to stop in its noon position (in midheaven, v. 13) and delay its setting.
The poem itself actually addresses the moon and sun, not God.
The poet calls upon them to freeze in stunned amazement at the scope of Israel's victory (compare Ex 15.16; Hab 3.11).
In verse 14: That the Lord fought for Israel perfectly summarizes the divine warrior tradition.
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Reading for October 9th

Read Josh 10.1-11
In 10.1-11: Victory at Gibeon.
In verse 1: News of Israel's success motivates enemy actions (compare 5.1; 9.1-2; 11.1-3).
In verse 2: Israel's treaty with Gibeon threatened Jerusalem's northern approaches.
In verse 3: These four cities are south and west of Jerusalem.
In verse 6: All the kings of the Amorites is an exaggeration to motivate Israel's response.
In verse 10: Panic is a standard weapon of the divine warrior (Ex 14.24; Judg 7.21-22).
The pursuit extends westward from Gibeon, down through the pass at the ascent of Beth-horon, then far southward.
In verse 11: Weather phenomenal are also weapons of the divine warrior (Isa 30.30).
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