Joshua, Judges and Ruth Summary

Chapter 5: The Land

This chapter transitions to the Books of Joshua, Judges, and Ruth, narratives that delve into the Israelites' initial experiences in the Promised Land, spanning from Moses' death (approximately 1250 BC) to the era before Israel's monarchy (around 1030 BC).

Making Sense of the Past

The Old Testament was edited and rewritten during the Exile in Babylon. The Deuteronomists aimed to provide answers by writing a history of the Israelites from their entry into the Promised Land (about 1250 BC) up through the monarchy to the time of the Exile (587 BC). This history is now known as the Deuteronomic history, encompassing the books of Joshua, Judges, 1 and 2 Samuel, and 1 and 2 Kings. The Book of Deuteronomy served as an introduction, laying out the story of God's Covenant with Israel before their arrival in the Promised Land.

The Deuteronomists sought to address the question of how the Israelites arrived at their disastrous state. They emphasized the people's unfaithfulness to God and their overconfidence. The Deuteronomists believed that acknowledging past mistakes was crucial for any hope for the future. The Israelites needed to recognize God's gifts, their betrayal, and the call to a new, faithful way of life.

The Deuteronomists aimed to transform the Exile into a period of reflection and transformation, preparing the Israelites for their eventual return to their homeland with renewed hope.

Joshua: Sweeping into the Promised Land

The Book of Joshua centers on Joshua, Moses' successor, who leads the Israelites into Canaan.

Joshua Is Sent

The book begins with God commissioning Joshua to take Canaan and reminding him to uphold the Law. God urges Joshua to be brave and steadfast. Joshua prepares the Israelites to cross the Jordan River from the east, which is an ideal position from which to launch an invasion of Canaan.

Rahab and the Spies

Joshua sends two spies to Jericho. They seek refuge in the house of Rahab, a prostitute, who hides them from the king's men. Rahab bargains with the spies, offering her help in exchange for the safety of her family during the invasion. The spies promise to protect anyone in her house marked by a red cord in the window. They return to Joshua with news of the city's fear.

Rahab's actions were seen as doing the will of God. The biblical writers acknowledged her role in the history of Israel and even in the ancestry of Jesus.

Crossing the Jordan River

A miraculous crossing occurs, echoing Moses' passage through the Sea of Reeds. As the priests touch the Jordan River, the waters stop flowing. One man from each of the twelve tribes carries a stone from the riverbed to build a memorial at Gilgal.

The stories of the crossing were intended to emphasize that the arrival in Canaan was a gift from God.

Israel in the Promised Land

Once in Canaan, the Israelites eat the produce of the land for the first time, and the manna ceases. They celebrate Passover in the land. Joshua has a mysterious encounter with the captain of the Lord's army and is told to remove his sandals because he stands on holy ground. This signifies God's presence and support in the upcoming battle at Jericho.

The land is not just a place to live but a source of life, blessing, and security.

Jericho: "And the Walls Came Tumblin' Down"

Joshua's soldiers besiege Jericho. For six days, priests with rams' horns lead the Israelites around the city, followed by priests carrying the ark of the Covenant and troops. On the seventh day, they circle the city seven times, shout, and the walls of Jericho fall. Only Rahab and her family are spared from the slaughter.

Scholars think that the descriptions of the procession to Jericho may have been instructions for regular rituals of commemoration.

The Ban: "Devotion to God for Destruction"

The ban was an order to destroy everything in a conquered town. This practice was included as a warning against involvement with other religions and their practices.

Exclusive Devotion to God

These accounts teach the people how totally and exclusively they were to devote themselves to God. The Deuteronomists, living in Babylon, knew that Israel's history was full of infidelity to God through worshiping idols of the Canaanites and engaging in fertility rites and child sacrifice.

God Can Bring Good Out of Evil

God's will was that the Israelites possess the land. Their claiming the land was accomplished partly through brutal warfare that was common at the time. God can bring good out of the strangest and even the most evil circumstances.

Breaking the Ban: Defeat at Ai

After Jericho's destruction, Joshua's men are defeated at Ai because Achan broke the ban by taking loot from Jericho. Achan is executed. The point of the story is that the Israelites must hold nothing back, giving their obedient devotion entirely to God.

The Sun Standing Still

Joshua asks God to stop the sun in the sky during a battle against the Amorites. This event is from an ancient song of victory from the lost Book of Jashar.

Conquests, Tribal Divisions, and Cities of Refuge

The Book of Joshua gives an account of the conquest of Canaan and the division of the land among the tribes of Israel. It also mentions the cities of refuge, or asylum, which protected people guilty of accidental killing.

The Death of Joshua

Joshua urges his people to remain faithful to God and warns them of the consequences of forgetting him. Joshua's work is done, and he dies and is buried in his tribal land.

Joshua was a model for the exiled Jews.

Judges: Saving Israel from Itself

The Book of Judges focuses on God raising up deliverers to save Israel when they are unfaithful and overwhelmed by enemies.

The book spans the years between the death of Joshua and the beginning of the First Book of Samuel (about 1200 to 1025 BC).

Cycle of Sin, Disaster, Repentance, and Merciful Deliverance

With Joshua gone, the tribes fall into self-indulgence and idol worship. Each time this happens, the people repent, and God raises a judge to deliver them from destruction.

The pattern is:

1. The Israelites fall into sin.

2. Their sin leads to calamity.

3. The Israelites repent.

4. God raises up a judge to deliver them.

People Called by God

The stories of the judges are derived from early songs and poems of Israel's heroes. The heroes are people called by God to deliver Israel-regardless of their personal weaknesses.

Twelve judges:

• Othniel

• Ehud

• Deborah

• Gideon

• Jephthah

• Samson

Deborah: Victory with a Gruesome Touch

Deborah is both a judge and a prophet. She reveals to Barak that God wants him to fight against Jabin's general Sisera. Sisera is defeated when torrential rains render his chariots useless. He flees to the tent of Jael, who welcomes him and then hammers a tent peg through his skull.

The story of Deborah and Jael helped the exiled Jews believe that they too would be freed.

Gideon the Lowly

The Israelites fall into evil practices and are oppressed by Midianites. God decides to save them through Gideon. An angel calls Gideon to save his people. Gideon destroys the altar of Baal. Gideon asks for a sign that God has chosen him.

Gideon Destroys the Altar of Baal

Gideon is told to destroy the altar of Baal. He is given the nickname Jerubbaal, meaning "Let Baal contend against him."

Gideon's Victory Is God's

Gideon gathers an army, but God tells him to reduce his troops. Gideon whittles down his troops to three hundred men. They surround the Midianite camp, break their water jars, reveal the torches, and blow their horns. The Midianites begin fighting each other, and the survivors flee in terror. The Deuteronomists passing on the story wanted to make it clear that God, not Gideon, was responsible for the Israelites' triumph.

Samson: Foe of the Philistines

The Philistines were expanding into the interior, where they clashed with the Israelites. The Israelites found comfort in the tales of Samson, a village hero. Samson proved to be too much for the enemies of his people-but he did not ultimately conquer them.

Samson is to be a Nazirite-a man consecrated to God from birth, never to touch strong drink or cut his hair or his beard.

Samson: Strong Man and Victim of Himself

Samson kills a lion barehanded, slaughters thirty Philistines, and sets three hundred foxes afire in the Philistines' fields. He kills a thousand Philistines with the jawbone of a donkey.

Samson falls in love with Delilah, who finds out that the secret of his strength is the length of his hair. She cuts his hair, and he is captured. Samson's eyes are gouged out, and he is put to grinding grain. His hair grows again, and his strength returns. Samson stands between two pillars and pushes them over, killing himself and all the Philistines.

Samson is a violent man with an uncontrolled passion for women. He might have been great if he had used his gifts for good. The Deuteronomists may have included Samson as a judge to marvel at the kind of people God can make use of. Perhaps Samson also reminded the exiles of how their nation had become deluded and morally weak.

Ruth: An Israelite Foreigner with a Great Destiny

There are no battles in the Book of Ruth, but selflessness, patience, loyalty, and gentle kindness. This book teaches how God could create a blessed ending out of a difficult situation and tell how King David had a Gentile as his great-grandmother.

A Family Faces Calamity

When famine strikes Israel, a man from Bethlehem journeys with his wife, Naomi, and their two sons to Moab. The man dies, and the sons marry Moabite women: Orpah and Ruth. The sons die, and Naomi plans to return to her homeland because the famine is over. Naomi bids her daughters-in-law good-bye, but Ruth remains with Naomi.

Ruth's Famous Pledge

Ruth says:

Destitution and Generosity

Ruth and Naomi face destitution. Ruth decides to glean the barley fields. She goes to the field of Boaz, who is a kinsman of Naomi's late husband. Boaz invites Ruth to glean in his field and asks his workers to treat her respectfully. Naomi is delighted.

Naomi Makes a Match

Naomi bids Ruth to bathe, perfume, and dress herself in her best attire. Ruth is to go to the threshing floor and lie beside Boaz's feet. Boaz understands that Ruth is proposing to him and blesses her. He will do all he can to arrange the marriage.

Boaz Marries Ruth

Boaz clears his right to marry Ruth with a man who is a closer kin to her. Ruth bears a son, Obed, who becomes the father of Jesse, who in turn becomes the father of David, king of Israel.

Being Moabite, Ruth is one of a foreign nationality. This story reveals the Lord's choice of a Gentile as forebear to their great king David.

A God of Surprises

Despite their apparent differences, the books of Joshua, Judges and Ruth all speak a message of total trust in and fidelity to God.

Again and again God surprises. He overturns mere human plans to bring about something more wonderful, to transform even the darkest of times and dimmest of characters. What a message of hope it is for the exiles, for Jews and Christians down through the ages, and for us today.