Joshua

(BOOK 2 of the 52 week Challenge)


Moses had died and the Lord had declared that Joshua would be the next leader of His people. The Israelites were camped just east of the Jordan River. Thus begins the Old Testament book of Joshua.

Joshua declares how the Lord led his chosen people into Canaan, and how He guided them as they established their dominion over the land that had been promised to their fathers. The book imparts the stories of Rahab and the spies, the crossing of the Jordan River, the taking of Jericho, and the day the sun stood still. It describes the wars waged as the Israelites took possession of cities in the central, southern, and northern parts of the Promised Land. And it tells how the land was divided among the tribes.

I very much enjoyed reading again how God was faithful to keep His promises to the Israelites. He is the God of truth, and we can believe what He says. Always.

My pastor is preaching through the book of Joshua right now, and reading through the entire book this week motivated me to get back to my chapter-by-chapter summarization that I began, oh, a few months back. :-)

I learned a couple of new things this week in relation to Joshua.


Did you know that the name Joshua tree was given to this plant by a group of Mormon settlers as they moved westward across the Mohave Desert in the mid-1840's? The tree's unique shape reminded them of Joshua stretching his hands up to the heavens in prayer


In modern times, the flow of the Jordan River has been much reduced from that of biblical times due primarily to three occurences: in the 1960's, the country of Israel began operating a dam that diverts water from the Sea of Galilee, a major provider of water for the river; also in the 1960's, Israel constructed a channel that diverts water from the Yarmouk River, another main tributary of the river; and Syria has also built reservoirs that catch the Yarmouk's waters. It is estimated that the flow of the river has been reduced from 70 to 90 percent.

NEXT UP: Climbing Parnassus: A New Apologia for Greek and Latin by Tracy Lee Simmons.

UPDATED: I've changed my mind. I'll read The Scarlet Letter this next week.