Last quarter’s study saw the people of Israel safely out of Egypt and to the borders of the land which God had promised. For the next three months we will discuss the book of Joshua.

For me, Joshua is a difficult book:

When I was a child, Joshua was much easier. I was born during the Second World War. When I was old enough to remember, the radio brought us news of war in Korea. War stories were exciting. I imagined that someday I might be part of a triumphant army.

We sang battle songs, like “Onward Christian Soldiers.” I read about battles on land, at sea, and in the air. I read adventure stories from World War II. I was always sure who were the good guys, and who were evil.

I became a charter member of the Pathfinder Club, where a real soldier taught us to march. Desmond Doss came to our own church, and he told us stories. He wore his army uniform, and his Congressional Medal of Honor. He posed for photographs with children. And I was there.

When I became a young man, I knew that all young men would be drafted into military service. When I was seventeen, I became a member of the Medical Cadet Corps. No, it was not an option. My Christian high school required this preparation. Soldiers were our heroes.

My church cared about our future. When our country called us into armed service, we would be ready. We learned military discipline. We knew the ranks and their insignia. We learned first aid. We learned to navigate using map and compass. We learned that other young men might feel bewildered during their first six weeks of military training. But we had already mastered most of what we would then be taught.

My church organized, and my parents paid—for me to have two weeks of full-time simulated military training on each of two consecutive summers. I learned to obey; and I learned to command. Our instructors were Christians—who had experience in combat, and they told us stories.

Our church leaders were comfortable with the armed forces, and military officials appreciated the training provided by our church. We learned our rights. Because of our religious beliefs, we would not volunteer, and we learned to decline weapons training. But the U.S. military was already well acquainted with our church. And if we made clear our need to observe God’s sabbath day, our religion would be honored.

But when I was a student on this campus, I was not drafted.
When I was a student of medicine, I was not drafted.
During my medical internship and residency training, I was not drafted.
When I was a missionary physician in Africa, I was not drafted.
So, I have no military experience.

I have repaired wounds made by others.
And as a surgeon, I have repaired many wounds that I made myself.
But the wounds I made were always to save life; never to take life.

Now, how should I feel about the Bible’s books of Exodus, and Joshua?

When a whole army drowned in the sea, God’s people rejoiced.

Almost one hundred years ago, the Chief Rabbi of the British Empire quoted fellow rabbis as follows:

“When the Egyptian host were drowning in the Red Sea, the angels in heaven were about to break forth in songs of jubilation. But the Holy One, blessed be He, silenced them with the words, “My creatures are perishing, and you are ready to sing!”


The Pentateuch and Haftorahs with Commentary, (Forward to the Soncino Talmud), London, December 2, 1934, Edited by the Chief Rabbi Dr. J. H. Hertz, vol. 2, page 162.
https://halakhah.com/talmud/nezikin_h.html

In the book of Exodus, we learned that God saved his chosen people from tyranny and slavery.

What will be the next steps?

The land promised to Abraham some 400 years before had not, meanwhile, been empty. How shall the land now be prepared for God’s chosen people?

Will God drive out Canaanites?

Exodus 23:27


I will send my terror ahead of you and create panic.

I will make all your enemies turn and run.

Exodus 23:28


About Hivites, Canaanites, and Hittites?

I will send terror ahead of you.


Exodus 23:30


I will drive them out a little at a time…


Exodus 23:33


They must not live in your land…

Exodus 33:2


About Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites?

And I will send an angel before you to drive out…


Exodus 34:11


About Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites?

I will go ahead of you and drive out…


Deuteronomy 7:1


About Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and
 Jebusites?
The Lord your God….he will clear away many nations ahead of you…


Deuteronomy 7:19


Remember the great terrors the Lord your God sent….

The Lord your God will use this same power against all the people you
fear.


Deuteronomy 7:20


And then the Lord your God will send terror…

Will the chosen people drive out Canaanites?

Exodus 23:31


I will hand over to you the people now living in the land, and you will
drive them out ahead of you.


Numbers 33:52


you must drive out all the people living there


Deuteronomy 9:3


He will subdue them so that you will quickly conquer them and drive
them out, just as the Lord has promised.


Deuteronomy 12:2


“When you drive out the nations that live there….

Will God annihilate Canaanites?

Exodus 23:23


Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites, and Jebusites?

For my angel will go before you…And I will destroy them completely.


Deuteronomy 9:3


But recognize today that the Lord your God is the one who will cross over ahead
of you like a devouring fire to destroy them.

Deuteronomy 12:29

“
When the Lord your God goes ahead of you and destroys the nations and you
drive them out and live in their land,


Deuteronomy 31:3


But the Lord your God himself will cross over ahead of you. He will destroy the
nations living there…


Deuteronomy 31:4


“The Lord will destroy the nations living in the land…


Joshua 24:8


“Finally, I brought you into the land of the Amorites on the east side of the
Jordan. They fought against you, but I destroyed them before you.

Will the chosen people annihilate Canaanites?

Deuteronomy 7:2


You must completely destroy them… and show them no mercy.


Deuteronomy 7:16


“You must destroy all the nations…
Show them no mercy…


Deuteronomy 7:23


But the Lord your God will hand them over to you.
He will throw them into complete confusion until they are destroyed.


Deuteronomy 7:24


He will put their kings in your power, and you will erase their names from the
face of the earth. No one will be able to stand against you, and you will destroy
them all.


Deuteronomy 20


10 As you approach a town to attack it, you must first offer its people terms for
”peace.”


11 If they accept your terms and open the gates to you, then all the people inside
will serve you in forced labor.


12 But if they refuse to make peace and prepare to fight, you must attack the
town.


13 When the Lord your God hands the town over to you, use your swords to kill
every man in the town.

14 But you may keep for yourselves all the women, children, livestock, and other
plunder. You may enjoy the plunder from your enemies that the Lord your God
has given you.


15 “But these instructions apply only to distant towns—not to the towns of the
nations in the land you will enter.


16 In those towns that the Lord your God is giving you as a special possession,
destroy every living thing.


17 You must completely destroy the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites,
Hivites, and Jebusites, just as the Lord your God has commanded you.


18 This will prevent the people of the land from teaching you to imitate their
detestable customs in the worship of their gods, which would cause you to sin
deeply against the Lord your God.


Deuteronomy 31:5


The Lord will hand over to you the people who live there, and you must deal
with them as I have commanded you.


Joshua 24:8


I gave you victory over them, and you took possession of their land.

Who will destroy Canaanite worship sites?

Exodus 23:24


You must utterly destroy them and smash their sacred pillars.


Exodus 34:13


You must break down their pagan altars, smash their sacred pillars, and cut
down their Asherah poles.


Numbers 33:52


You must destroy all their carved and molten images and demolish all their
pagan shrines.


Deuteronomy 7:5


You must break down their pagan altars and shatter their sacred pillars. Cut
down their Asherah poles and burn their idols.


Deuteronomy 7:25


You must burn their idols in fire.


Deuteronomy 7:26


Do not bring any detestable objects into your home, for then you will be
destroyed, just like them. You must utterly detest such things, for they are set
apart for destruction.

Deuteronomy 12:2


…you must destroy all the places where they worship their gods…


Deuteronomy 12:3


Break down their altars and smash their sacred pillars. Burn their Asherah poles
and cut down their carved idols. Completely erase the names of their gods!

Motivated by the Book of Joshua, now what should followers of Jesus do?

Smash and burn idols?


Smash and burn people?

In the Book of Joshua, how many altars and idols did God’s people destroy?

And in the Book of Joshua, how many people were smashed and burned?

What was the main reason behind all this expulsion and/or mass slaughter?

Deuteronomy 7:16? Deuteronomy 20:18?

How often did the Israelites show mercy?

Joshua chapter 6? Joshua chapter 9?

In these cases, did granting mercy entrap those who had shown mercy?

And after Joshua died, did the Israelites continue to perform total annihilation?

What should we learn from these stories, which to us may seem needlessly violent and ugly?

Before we finish these lessons, we will be caught up in the celebration of Christmas. How shall we remember the God who chose to be born as a helpless baby in Bethlehem? And when he lived among us, how many people did our Lord Jesus wound? How many did he kill?

We will tell our children about Jesus, who refused to allow evil to conquer him. Instead, Jesus conquered evil—by doing good. And to heal us, Jesus even allowed himself to be killed.

How shall we understand the God represented by Joshua, and the God represented by Jesus?

These are some of the questions that could stimulate our study.

To help us seek answers, we are blessed by the same excellent professors who last quarter discussed the book of Exodus:

Dr. Mathilde Frey is Professor of Biblical Studies at Walla Walla University School of Theology.

Dr. Jody Washburn is Associate Professor of Sociology and Social Work at Walla Walla University.

And I, Bob Wresch, am a retired ophthalmologist who lives near Walla Walla University.

Credit for Bible quotations:

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.