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Our next class turns our attention to Joshua. Joshua of course was Moses's successor and thus had big shoes to fill. For this reason, many scholars compare Peter and even Brigham Young to Joshua because their task was two-fold:
- To convince followers of an important and charismatic leader that the mantle of leadership had indeed been passed down to them by God's will and by the authority of His priesthood.
- To keep the people of God united while confronting hostilities and false teachings of gentiles.
THE DATE OF THE CONQUEST
A. The beginning of the conquest of the land was in 1406 B.C. forty years after the Exodus (1446).
B. The Actual Conquest lasted for 7 years or until 1399 B.C.
1. Caleb stated that he was 40 years old when he went to spy out the land in Joshua 14: 7.
2. The wilderness wanderings lasted 38 years (from that point) which brings Caleb’s age to 78 at the beginning of the conquest (40+38=78).
3. Caleb then stated that he was 85 years old at the end of the conquest [Joshua 14: 10]. This is confirmed by Caleb’s statement that the Lord provided for grace to the people for 45 years since Kadesh Barnea (38 years of wandering plus 7 years of conquest).
4. Therefore, If the conquest was begun in 1406 B.C. after the wanderings, and it was completed seven years later, then the book could have been written any time after 1399 B.C.
ABOUT JOSHUA:
A. He was the son of Nun, an Ephraimite of the tribe of Joseph born in Egypt, who was a young man at the time of the Exodus [Exodus 33: 11].
B. His name was Hosea or "salvation," but Moses called him Jehoshua or Joshua = "Jehovah saves."
C. He was Chosen by Moses to be his assistant or personal attendant [Exodus 24: 13; 32: 17; 33: 11].
1. He was present on the mountain when Moses received the Law [Exodus 24: 13].
2. He was guardian of the tent at the meeting when Moses met with Jehovah [Exodus 33: 11].
D. He was given charge of a detachment of Israelites to repel an Amalekite attack at Rephidim [Exodus 17: 9].
E. He was one of the twelve spies sent into the land who trusted in the Lord to give the land to the people [Numbers 13: 8; 14: 30].
F. He was commissioned by Jehovah to become leader when Moses died [Deuteronomy 31: 14].
G. He courageously served as a "devout warrior" servant before the Lord to bring the people into the promised land [Bible Dictionary].
"BE OF A GOOD COURAGE":
In addition to this week's readings in the Book of Joshua (1-7, 14, 23-24), I am also asking everyone to read the General Young Women Meeting talk by Ann M. Dibb, "Be of a Good Courage" [see: Dibb]. Sister Dibb identifies four "sure guides" in Chapter 1 of Joshua that will "help us overcome our obstacles, complete our journey [back to our Heavenly Father], and enjoy the blessings of the Lord in our 'land of promise'":1. prayer,
2. obedience to God's commandments,
3. daily scripture study,
4. and a commitment to follow the living prophet.
We will use Sister Dibb's talk this Sunday to discuss the ways that we can apply the teachings of the prophet Joshua in our lives today.
Great work, any insight into what it means that he was "the highest type of the devout warrior"? Are there distinct classifications, or is this just Elder McConkies expression of his thoughts in the Bible Dictionary?
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