GBC Bible Reading Plan 2025: Week 6

Week 6, February 2–8: Joshua 4–24
- Sun Feb 2 Josh. 4–6
- Mon Feb 3 Josh. 7–9
- Tue Feb 4 Josh. 10–12
- Wed Feb 5 Josh. 13–15
- Thu Feb 6 Josh. 16–18
- Fri Feb 7 Josh. 19–21
- Sat Feb 8 Josh. 22–24
With a few exceptions, the book of Joshua reads like a story of massive success. God’s promises are coming to fruition as the people of Israel move through the Promised Land with rapid pace, winning battle after battle and wiping out city after city and king after king. As we read of the land’s allotment to the tribes of Israel, we are meant to see this as a prosperous time in the history of God’s people. Indeed, it is probably the most positive book in the whole OT, from the perspective of Israel and their political and military success in the Land. Overall, the book presents an overwhelmingly victorious picture.
There are, however, a few things about the book that mitigate its positive perspective. The first of these is Achan’s sin and the resulting defeat in battle in chapter 7. Achan takes some of the forbidden spoils of Jericho for himself, and Israel suffers a surprising defeat in their first attack of Ai. In chapter 9, Joshua and the Israelite leaders fail to seek the Lord’s guidance and are duped by the guile of the Gibeonites. In the second half of the book, the narrator mentions a few times that Canaanites remain in the land (Josh. 13:13; 15:63; 16:10; 17:12-13). The Israelites did not remove them entirely, and this hints at what will come next in the book of Judges.
In addition to these details, what can be most troubling about the book of Joshua, at least for us as readers today, is the conquest itself. How do we make sense of the violence? What are we to think of the Israelites, under the leadership of Joshua, killing all the Canaanites in their path? Perhaps most difficult of all is the idea that this is what God commanded. This can be one of the most challenging parts of the Bible to read, and the most difficult to make sense of in light of what we know about God’s loving character. As disorienting as this can be to our thinking, we can trust that the Lord is good, and that somehow the narrative of the conquest in Joshua reveals something true and right about God and the world.
Without claiming to resolve fully all the tension presented by the conquest of Canaan, here are a few principles to keep in mind as we read Joshua (and other parts of the OT):
- The instructions God gives to annihilate other nations and people are limited and apply only to the Promised Land. (Deut 7:1; 20:10–18)
- These commands and this kind of conquest are unique in world history. As Bonhoeffer said, “Israel’s wars were the only ‘holy’ wars the world has ever known.” (Bonhoeffer, Cost of Discipleship, p 138)
- The inhabitants of the Land were wicked, violent people. (Lev. 18:25–28; Deut. 9:5; 12:31; cf Gen. 15:16) One commentator (on Gen 15:16) sees the conquest under Joshua “as an act of justice rather than aggression.” (Hamilton, The Book of Genesis: Chapters 1–17, p 428). Another commentator says that, like the flood, the conquest can be considered “a form of counterviolence” on God’s part. (McConville and Williams, Joshua, p 112).
- The purpose of destruction was to punish sin and avoid idolatry. (Exod. 20:3–4; 23:24; Lev. 18:1–5, 24–30; Deut. 7:1–5, 16; Josh. 24:14–23)
- Violence is a result of the fall. This includes the violence of the conquest and the violence of the final judgement. Violence has always been a part of humanity since sin entered the picture (Genesis 4, 6). God’s command to commit violence could be seen as a concession that is only necessary because of the violence of the world with sin in it. But it is a necessary means to eradicate sin.
- God’s plan involves future judgement that will take the form of (extreme) violence (e.g. Rev 19:11–14, 20–21).
- God is ultimately the one conquering the Land, using Joshua and Israel as his instruments. (Deut. 7:17–24; 20:1–5; Josh. 1:6, 9; 6:2; 8:1; 10:8; 11:6) God is the one giving them victory. This is a picture of his final justice (see Revelation).
- There are (dramatic) exceptions to the rule—evidence of God’s grace that play a major role in the story. (e.g. Rahab)
- We should not pit the peaceful, crucified Lamb against the mighty Warrior on the White horse.
- God’s ultimate plan is a plan of peace. God’s eternal kingdom will be a kingdom of peace, where swords are beaten into plowshares (Isa 2:4)
The book of Joshua ends with Joshua giving a charge to the people that is reminiscent of Moses’ words to Israel before he died. Joshua reminds them that God has been completely faithful to his promises, and he will continue to prove himself faithful. If the Israelites are faithful to the Lord, he will give them continued success and prosperity in the Land; but if they disobey his commands, transgress his covenant, and go after other God’s, they will suffer the consequences and eventually be removed from the Land of Promise (Josh. 23:14-16).
Joshua urges them to choose who they will serve, the Lord or the false gods of Canaan (24:14–15). The Israelites assure him they will serve the Lord (24:16–18). However, Joshua says, “You are not able to serve the Lord, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins. If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you harm and consume you, after having done you good.” (24:19–20) The book ends with a covenant renewal ceremony then the death of Joshua, and the stage is set for the book of Judges and for the rest of the story of Israel in the Promised Land. Next week we will resume our reading in the Pentateuch, picking up where we left of after Exodus and starting Leviticus.
Beginning in earlier write up posts, we have been thinking about the purposes for doing a read thru like this. The first purpose is to meet with God regularly and hear what he has to say. We could say more about that, but for now let’s shift to the second purpose, which is to cultivate a lifelong habit of growing in familiarity with God’s word. One of the most amazing things about the Bible is the way it can speak in different registers at the same time. It is both simple and complex. Its basic story and message can be grasped by children, and you can spend your whole life studying it and still just begin to scratch the surface of all it means.
I think this is a feature of Scripture that flows out of the loving character of the God who inspired it. He wants to be known, and he has given us a way to know him. He calls us to have childlike faith (Matt 18:1–4; 19:14), and his word helps us know him from the very beginning of our lives as Christians. And on the other hand, the Bible is not the kind of book that we read just once and that’s it. It is meant to be read over and over. As we do, we can trust that God will show us new and wonderful things in it as we read it repeatedly over the course of a lifetime.
Reading through the Bible in one year does not have any kind of magic power; it doesn’t automatically produce a more mature Christian life. But each time we pick it up and read it, we are building a foundation of familiarity with the story of our God and of ourselves in his world, and this will form us in ways that result in growth and godliness.
This is a process that takes patience. We are conditioned in our present day to want immediate results and to get the quick, nutshell summary that will tell us what we need to know. There are some really good resources that synthesize the key themes of the Bible, but these are no substitute for the long, patient, soul-shaping journey of daily Bible reading. At whatever point in life you are, and whether you are just starting to read the Bible or have been reading it for a long time, investing a few minutes each day in God’s word will produce the kind of fruitful growth over the course of a lifetime that we cannot get anywhere else.
The goal of cultivating this lifelong habit is not to become an expert in the Bible, to master its content. The goal is to grow in familiarity with its message, and by becoming more familiar with it, we grow in our knowledge of the God who wrote it and in our love for him. We’ll think a bit more about this idea next week.
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