Joshua Chapter 1 Verses 1-9: Strong and Courageous

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Contents TOC \o "1-3" \h \z \u The Book of Joshua Chapter 1:1-9 PAGEREF _Toc526741912 \h 2Introduction PAGEREF _Toc526741913 \h 2Historical/ Cultural Background of Joshua Chapter 1:1-9 PAGEREF _Toc526741914 \h 3Author of Joshua PAGEREF _Toc526741915 \h 4Date Book was Written and Information Leading to Why it was Written PAGEREF _Toc526741916 \h 4Audience of the Book PAGEREF _Toc526741917 \h 5Literary Background PAGEREF _Toc526741918 \h 5Genre PAGEREF _Toc526741919 \h 6Flow of Thought PAGEREF _Toc526741920 \h 6Themes in the Book of Joshua Chapter 1:1-9 PAGEREF _Toc526741921 \h 8Bibliography PAGEREF _Toc526741922 \h 9
The Book of Joshua Chapter 1:1-9
Introduction
The Book of Joshua came at a point when the Jews were asking themselves what next? It came after the death of Moses, a man who had managed to lead the Israelites out of Egypt and out of slavery. Moses had been chosen by God and it had been made possible for him to lead the Israelites. But he was now dead and the people had no leader. However, just like how God appointed Moses, he appoints Joshua and guarantees him protection and faithfulness. God urges Joshua to be strong and courageous in his eyes and in the eyes of the Jews as he takes over from Moses. However, Joshua is urged to always respect and live according to the law and that the law should always guide and dictate what he says and does. This paper seeks to delve deeper into the chapter and seek greater understanding.
Historical/ Cultural Background of Joshua Chapter 1:1-9
Joshua was born in Egypt when the Israelites were enslaved by pharaoh in the land. The Israelites were released from captivity after God brought the 10 plagues upon the land of Egypt. Pharaoh’s heart had been hardened but after the last plague where he lost his first-born son, he was willing to let the people of Israel go. Joshua, whose real name was Yehoshu the son of Nun, was among the young men who Moses trusted. He was named Joshua by Moses according to the book of Numbers and he served Moses as his assistant. Moses changed the name of Joshua to protect him according to a belief still prevalent in Judaism that a name change can still protect a person from harm. Having learnt and developed as a leader while serving Moses, Joshua was given the difficult task of leading the people of Israel to the promised land, Canaan after Moses passed on.
The book of Joshua chapter 1:1-9 recounts the appointment of Joshua as Moses’s successor and the promise he made to him. As already stated, the book came at a time when the Israelites had no leader and were alone. It came at a time when they were vulnerable and just like he had done, God showed his faithfulness to his people by appointing an able leader. Additionally, just like the Lord had promised Moses to always be by his side, God does the same for Joshua who had already shown great courage before. The Lord asks Joshua to “be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them” (Verse 6).[New International Version. The Book of Joshua. 1978 – Revisions 1984 and 2011.]
Author of Joshua
According to Talmud, Joshua himself authored the book. It is a claim widely disputed in Christian theology because there is a phrase which seems to reference Joshua contextually in the past. Joshua 4: 9 ‘until this day.’ Some people also argue that the author lived 40-50 years after Joshua passed on and probably that he was just a mere witness recounting what he saw. The proponents who hold that Joshua was not the author and cite this part of the verse cite that the author wanted to enlighten the audience on the passing of time referencing a past and memorable event. Those who believe it was authored by Joshua himself cite the verse which states ‘Joshua recorded these things in the Book of the Law of God.’ The book was later authored by Eleazar the son of Aaron after Joshua’s death and later finished by son of Phinehas. Since the account of events in the book seem from a first-person witness, it is likely that the author was a witness. Authors like Abarbanel hold the standpoint that the book was authored by Samuel after passage of significant time and drew the information for hearsay.
Date Book was Written and Information Leading to Why it was Written
It is not exactly certified or known when the book was written but different accounts appear to confirm that the book was written before 1075 BC. Different scholars appear to have different accounts of the date the book was written but all seem to agree that the book was written before 1075 BC.
When it comes to the reason why the book was written, there are several. One of them is to be a point of reference for the people of Israel. The people of Israel were a forgetful people and often their actions pushed the Lord to act in anger. This book was, therefore, to be a point of reference for them showing what kind of blessings their obedience to the Lord could provoke.
The second was reason was so that the future generations could see or get to experience how faithful God was especially to those who obeyed his word. God had appeared to Moses and promised to be with him and just like he did with Moses, the Lord promised Joshua the same thing. “Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go” (Verse 9).[New International Version. The Book of Joshua. 1978 – Revisions 1984 and 2011.]
Audience of the Book
The Book of Joshua was written for the future generations of Israel. The aim was to help them know and understand how their ancestors made it to the promised land. It was made clear to them that their ancestors had been a challenged people but that it was their obedience to God that helped them get to the promised land. Dewalt notes that the book was written for the people of Israel to help them know about their heritage.[Dewalt, Michael. “The Book of Joshua: Literary Analysis”. Gospel Centered Musings.]
Literary Background
Contemporary critical scholars typically associate the book with the Deuteronomistic writers. Deuteronomistic History represen...