Jeremy R. Geerdes Posts

Joshua 16 follows the same lines as Joshua 15, outlining the territory given to the descendants of Joseph (i.e., the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh). More particularly, this chapter focuses on the inheritance of Ephraim, which was north of that of Judah but still on the west side of the river (versus Manasseh, which was […]

With the start of Joshua 15, we begin to really dig into the details of how the land was divided among the tribes – and even clans – of Israel, starting with the tribe of Judah. It made sense to start with Judah since it was at the south end of the promise land and […]

Joshua 14 continues the account of how the land was divided, crossing now to the western side of the Jordan. As Joshua and his officials sat down to figure out how this territory would be divided among the tribes, though, a familiar face re-emerges. Caleb, one of the twelve spies that Moses had dispatched to […]

Joshua 13 inaugurates a new phase in Joshua’s administration. Previously, he had been focused on conquering the promised land. Now, though, Israel had seized control of the heart of Canaanite territory, capturing a vast swath of land from east of the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, and even though there were still “very large […]

Today, as I was cleaning up the kitchen and thinking about our small group (which is also working through Joshua), another thought occurred to me about the significance of the 31 kings in Joshua 12. None of these kingdoms were very large. In fact, in the grand scheme of things, the entire region that they […]

Regardless of our situation, regardless of the challenges we face, regardless of the enemies staring us down, regardless of… God can and will enable us to be victorious if we will trust and obey Him and resolve, as Joshua did clear back in chapter one, to be strong and courageous.

Joshua 11 marks a milestone in Israelite history. After marching into the promised land; capturing Jericho, Ai, and Gibeon; and confronting Adoni-Zedek, king of Jerusalem, and his allies in battle, Joshua launched an offensive which swept across the southern portion of the territory. Confronted with the prospect of Israel’s unmitigated success, Jabin, king of Hazor, […]

Barely a chapter after the Israelites had been fooled into allying themselves with the Gibeonites, that new alliance was causing problems. Having heard that his formidable neighbors to the north had essentially surrendered to the Israelites, and knowing that sooner or later, Israel would be coming for him and his people, Adoni-Zedek, king of Jerusalem, […]

Compromise is a part of every day life. There simply can be no getting around the fact that we will not always get everything we want, and so compromise is a part of business, commerce, politics, parenting and more. But is there ever a time when compromise is a bad thing?

After the distressing failure of Joshua 7, where Achan’s sin prevented Israel from defeating the city of Ai, the people were more resolved than ever. They had put Achan and his entire family to death, as commanded by the Lord, and thus put his sin – and theirs – behind them. Now, it was time […]