Reading for October 15th

 Read Joshua 6.22-27. In 6.22-27: The aftermath of Jericho's fall. In verse 23: Rahab's family stays outside the camp because the holy war encampment must remain ritually clean (Deut 23.9-14). In verse 25; The Rahab story explains and justifies the existence of a foreign group still living in Israel. In verse 26: Joshua caps Jericho's state of being banned (devoted to destructions; v. 21) with a curse blocking its reconstruction (compare Deut 13,16). 1 Kings 16.34 reports the consequences of this curse. Comments or Questions..

Reading for October 14th

 Read Joshua 6.1-21. In 6.1-21: The capture of Jericho. In verse 1: The problem facing Israel is Jericho's impregnable defensive wall. In verse 2: An assurance of victory was part of holy war tradition (8.1; 10.8). In verse 3: Israel is to engage in a ceremonial siege. In verse 5: A long blast on a trumpet will signal the attack, and a great shout will initiate it (vv. 16, 20). Both are part of holy war tradition. In verses 8-9: The order of march is; armed men followed by seven priests with trumpets, then the ark, and finally the rear guard. In verse 18: To take any of the devoted things would put Israel itself under the ban (an object for destruction) by the principle of contagion. This will be Achan's crime (7.21). In verse 20: Israel makes an assault from all sides at once. Comments or Questions..

Reading for October 13th

 Read Joshua 5.13-15. In 5.13-15: The commander of the Lord's army. By Jericho must be understood as "in the general vicinity of Jericho." The drawn sword indicates that war is immanent, Apparently assuming that the man is a human soldier, Joshua challenges him. In verse 14; The commander is not part of either human army, but a visible sign that the Lord's supernatural forces will be fighting for Israel. In verse 15: A quotation from Ex 3.5 draws a parallel between Joshua and Moses. Comments or Questions..

Reading for October 12th

 Read Joshua 5.1-12. In 5.1-12: A new start in anew land. In verse 1; Enemy fear repeats Rahab's observations (2.9-11) and will motivate enemy strategy (9.1-2; 10.1-5; 11.1-5). In verse 2: The use of flint knives demonstrates the conservatism of ritual. Israel's circumcised generation had died in the wilderness. Circumcision a second time applies to the men of the post Exodus generation. In verse 3: Apparently this explains the name of a hill near Gilgal. In verse 9: The disgrace of Egypt may refer to Israel's former status as slaves or insults suffered from the Egyptians. Probably Gilgal originally referred to a circle of stones, but here it is explained by reference to Joshua's circumcision. In verses 11-12: The end of manna coordinates with the first Passover in the land, it signifies that Israel has moved from wilderness into an agriculturally productive land. Unleavened cakes and parched grain could be prepared quickly and would be appropriate foods for the first day of this new situation. Comments or Questions..

Reading for October 11th

 Read Joshua 4.10-24. In 4.10-24: The crossing completed. In verse 11: The action of crossing is picked up again from v. 1:. In verses 12-13: Particular mention of the eastern tribes emphasizes that all Israel engaged in the conquest together a motif also present in Deut 3.18-20. In verse 14: This exaltation fulfills the pledge of 3.7. In verse 18: The events of 3.15-16 are reversed item by item. In verse 19: The date points forward to Passover in 5.10. In verses 22-24: This answer (in contrast to vv. 6-7) focuses on similarities to crossing the Red Sea on dry ground (Ex 14.22). Comments or Questions..

Reading for October 10th

 Read Joshua 4.1-9. Commemorative stones. In verse 1: Verse 11 repeats words from this verse and 3.17 to indicate that vv. 2-10 happened while the crossing was still going on. In verse 3: The stones are temporarily deposited in the camp, but will be set up permanently at Gilgal (v. 20). In verses 6-7: The stones memorializes the crossing for future generations (compare Deut 6.20-25). This answer highlights the role of the ark and that the water was cut off (in contrast to vv. 22-24). In verse 9: What is apparently a second group of stones is installed in the river itself. Comments or Questions...

Reading for October 9th

 Read Joshua 3.1-17. In 3.1-17: Crossing the Jordan. In verse 3: The crossing is described as a religious procession led by the ark. In verse 4: Because the ark is dangerously holy (compare 2 Sam 6.6-7), the people must keep their distance. In verse 5: To be ready for a miraculous event, the people are to perform a ceremony to make themselves holy. In verse 7: The concern raised by 1.17 is resolved here and in 6.27; The Lord is indeed with Joshua. In verse 10: As the living God, the Lord will be alive and active in the upcoming conquest. In verse 12: The selection of twelve men anticipates 4.2. In verse 15: That the Jordan overflows all its banks increases the wonder of the miracle and makes possible for the priests' feet to touch the edge of the water. In verse 16: Because the flow stood still sixteen miles (twenty-five kilometers) upstream at Adam, the water that would have flowed downstream was cut off. Comments or Questions..