REL 110

Central Theme found in the beginning of Joshua (related to the Torah and the rest of the OT)

The importance/fear of the Word of God (e.g., Joshua 1:1-11: "be strong and courageous" and the instruction to "meditate on the Book of the Law and to follow it").

How the central theme of the Word of God is developed specifically in Joshua

Starts out with an emphasis on the Word of God; highlights who can keep God's Law through the juxtaposition of Rahab vs. Achan.

How the central theme of the Word of God is developed specifically in Judges

The Canaanization of Israel caused by forsaking the Word of God (forsaking their identity), encapsulated by the refrain: "In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes".

How the central theme of the Word of God is developed specifically in Ruth

Serves as an "oasis" amid the darkness of Judges. Ruth puts off her Moabite idolatry, is grafted into the covenant kingdom of Israel, and serves as an example of what an Israelite is supposed to look like.

Where the theme of the Word of God appeared prior to Joshua

In the Pentateuch (Torah), where the Israelites were given the Law by God and repeatedly failed to follow it.

What was at stake for the commandments regarding the Holy War

The problem of idolatry (Num 33:55; Deut 7:1–6). God did not want His people to be caught up in idolatry because their identity was not firm.

How we know these commandments of God were right

They were not based on ethnic or cultural factors, but on God as creator, patient, and just (e.g., Gen 15:16; waiting hundreds of years for the sin of the Amorites to reach its full measure).

In what ways these commandments are misunderstood in our modern context

People often misread them through a modern lens of ethnic cleansing or cultural bias, failing to recognize that the judgment was theological and judicial against deep-seated idolatry and extreme wickedness, rather than racial or ethnic warfare.

In what ways Rahab and Achan are juxtaposed

Rahab: Portrayed as someone who fears the Word of the Lord (responding with "our hearts melted in fear"), a marginalized foreigner who trusts God and is grafted into Israel. Achan: Portrayed in the opposite manner; from the line of Judah, he disobeys God's specific commands regarding devoted things (Joshua 7).

What the juxtaposition of Rahab and Achan says about God’s character and promises

God is faithful, merciful, and inclusive, accepting all who turn to Him regardless of background, while remaining completely just toward unfaithfulness.

How the juxtaposition of Rahab and Achan deepens our appreciation for God’s plan for salvation and the gospel

It highlights that salvation is by grace and trust in God rather than ethnic pedigree, foreshadowing how outsiders (like Gentiles) are brought into the covenant through Jesus Christ.

Why the division of the kingdom was especially challenging for the north/Israel

The North (Israel, 10 tribes, capital: Samaria) was at a severe disadvantage compared to the Southern Kingdom (Judah, 2 tribes, capital: Jerusalem). The advantages clearly went to the South because of (a) The Temple and (b) Geography (Assyria had to go through the Northern Kingdom first to reach Judah).

Summarize the Exile existentially (The Experience)

Utter horror, trauma, bitterness, resentment, worry, and guilt. Randomly put into a foreign culture where they were the mockery of everyone (e.g., mothers eating children, Assyrians known for extreme violence).

Summarize the Exile theologically (The Understanding)

Raised painful pressing questions: Is God weak? Has He abandoned us? Should we follow other gods? Is our sin too great? What about the Abrahamic promises and the covenants (Mosaic, Davidic)?

Examples of biblical passages to support your summary of the Exile

Psalm 137: Longing for Zion/Jerusalem, bringing despair because return seemed impossible. Lamentations (1:1–10; 3:19–33; 5:19–22): Poignant, dark depiction of suffering and pain in a fallen world, balanced by the profound realization that "His mercies are new every morning". 2 Kings 25:9: "And he burned the house of the Lord and the king's house and all the houses of Jerusalem; every great house he burned down."