The Book of Joshua

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The Book of Joshua

There are two popular dates given for the time of Joshua. Some historians give the date as
1250 B.C. This based mainly on the exodus occurring during the reign of Ramses II (Exod.
1:11). Archeologists refer to exodus occurring during the “Late Bronze Age” (1550-1200 B.C.).
This would be during the reign of Amenhotep II, (1490-1450 B.C.) (Judg. 11:26, I Kings 6:1).
Several hundred years previous, God had promised Abraham to give to his heirs the land

to which God had sent him. Abraham never owned the land that God sent him to. He had only

been given a promise. This promise was held on to by Israelites for hundreds of years even to

the point where Joseph, the son of Jacob, the grandson of Isaac and the great grandson of

Abraham, refused to have his body interred in Egypt, where he ruled, but asked for it to be

buried in the Land of Promise. Long after Joseph died, all of Israel remained in Egypt, and were

placed into slavery, with nothing but a promise of land from God. Joshua was destined to turn

that promise into reality. This is the Book of Joshua, a soldier of the Lord.

Joshua was the son of Nun and of the tribe of Ephraim (Num. 13:8, 16). Nothing is
known of his mother. But one usually finds a good and gracious woman in the background of a
man who reaches a position of influence and honor. Without doubt, Joshua’s parents worshiped
the God of Israel, and he continued their godly influence.
Joshua was born during the years of   slavery his nation suffered in Egypt under Pharoah.
Joshua had   experienced   the whip of the taskmaster. He was a master at the almost impossible
task of   brick making. He was a brick mason by trade. And he had a deep yearning for liberty. He
was first mentioned at the battle of Amalek, where he led   the forces of   Israel (Ex. 17:9-16)   by
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the direction of Moses. One of the amazing things about that battle was Moses himself. He stood
on a hill during the...