Introduction
The Book of Joshua is a historical book which reflects the walk of the Israelites from the wilderness to the promised land of Canaan. This book reflects the vents that took place when the Israelites were in the wilderness as they approached the land of Canaan. Essentially, this book reflects the impact of sin which was caused by one person and had an impact on the entire Israel family.
In brief, the sin of one of the Israelites by the name of Achan led to a defeat of the Israelites by the men of Ai. This was a great concern to the Israelites owing to the fact that the Israelites expect to beat the men of Ai with great ease.
As a result, Joshua sought God’s intervention through prayer and the Lord revealed the reason why he had faced such a humiliating defeat to him. Eventually, the Lord explained him everything and Joshua put into perspective the sin that had affected the Israelites.
The literary devices
This extract from scripture is marked by series of literary features which the writer uses to deliver or convey his concerns to the people of Israel. In this case, it is Joshua. This fragment of scripture begins with the reminder of the fact that the sons of Israel had violated, that’s why they became cursed. Through this, the writer uses some literary features which give a lot of insights into what he wishes to convey.
First, it is quite evident that the writer captures the mind of the reader through his ability to bring out the dialogue. Dialogue is a literary feature which captures the communication between persons with the intention of bringing out a given idea or meaning. Essentially, writers use this approach when their goal is to throw light upon a character of the persons in the literature to interest the readers.
As a consequence of this feature, Joshua is depicted as a man who seeks purity and firm in matters of principle. This is the most evident when he is told of the cause of the defeat which is a result of sin that has been committed by one of the Israelites.
He quickly embarks of finding out who the culprit is and that person is killed eventually. This is a classic example which confirms of his authority and astute behavior when it comes to issues of principle.
Second, there is conflict in this scripture. Conflict is a struggle between two or more forces or parties which oppose each or one another as a result of sharp differences. These differences might be internal or external which hinder the achievement sometimes or the realization of challenges which are imposed.
These struggles might be internal or external depending on the state of affairs which might be prevailing outside the character at a given point in time. These different forces which are antagonistic may be out of customs, values, traditions or even principles.
In this case, the conflict arises in this scripture, Joshua 7:1-6, when the Israelites are beaten because of their sinful character. What is portrayed in this scripture is the nature of God’s holiness whereby He does not want anything to be done with impurity.
Thirdly, there is the aspect of foreshadowing. This is an aspect which is used by writers to give the reader a clue about the events which are about to happen. In this case, as the reader goes through this scripture, one is able to foretell the eventualities of the Israelites. For instance, Joshua 7:6 -13 describes the dialogue which is held between Joshua and God. Upon reading it, the writer can foretell the eventual future of the sons of Ai.
Fourthly, there is the aspect of what is known as the point of view. In this case, the writer portrays the plot of the story from a point of view in which it is seen. This can be done or achieved through three main aspects which include being omniscient. Thus, the writer presents God as omniscient and all knowing in this text. The other aspect within this literary device is the limited or the objective third person.
For instance, the writer limits some aspects of the story within the text so that the reader can come out and try to make sense of what is happening. And lastly, this aspect has the limited first person whereby the on goings in the text are purely based on one character who is responsible for revealing what takes place within the story or the text.
Lastly, the writer presents a certain tone to the reader. The reader is able to note God’s tone towards sin as well as Joshua. The reader is also well aware of the impact and consequences of sin in the land of Israel.
Explain one interpretive issue or problem from your narrative as well as your resolution. Explain why you have arrived at your conclusion.
One of the aspects which can be observed from this text is that Joshua is a man who portrays the qualities of an excellent leader. This is because Joshua portrays five crucial traits of character which make him ideal to lead.
These qualities which are exhibited in this text include the fact that he was extremely courageous, valiant in endurance of toil, highly gifted in intellect, speech, and distinguished for piety in worshipping the God. One of the reasons why this arrives at in this manner is that Joshua is a leader who is willing to fight for the cause of his people.
It is illustrated by the fact that he willingly goes to battle and loses (Woudstra 1994). This does not deter him from not going back, he opts to find out what was the reason of his defeat and, then, goes back to battle where he eventually emerges to be victorious.
He is also able to get people behind him when he identifies that Achan is the guilty person and the Israelites unanimously agree to kill Achan together with his entire household. This indicates that he is a man who has got a great deal of influence which he derives from his ability to communicate.
Discuss the timeless theological and application principles in the narrative. What lasting teaching comes from it, and what are specific ways a Christian might apply the narrative to his life?
Essentially, the world of Joshua is quite different from the life of the modern readers. The fact which is issued is that the difference between these two ages spans approximately three thousand years implying that things have completely changed in almost all aspects (Woudstra 1994).
Moreover, it is true that these differences need to be put into perspective, thus, the reader of the our days can be able to make sense of the ongoing in that time and apply these principles in the contemporary world.
This text is quite relevant to the ongoing in the modern world. This is because there are fundamental teachings and principles which can be derived from the text and become applicable to the contemporary reality. First of all, purity and holiness are fundamental towards the establishment of a clear and steady form of governance. The world which we are living in is faced by the need for sound leadership.
This is characterized by the advent of leaders who do not have the needs of the people at heart. For instance, it is important to put into consideration the fact that it is important to ensure that the leaders who are placed in big offices are people who are selfless servants and willing to go an extra mile to convince that the needs and the desires of the populations they lead are upheld.
It is important to note that purity is central in God’s business through this text. This emphasizes the fact that in any level of leadership, it is important to put into focus the importance of the value of honesty and integrity. These give the leader the courage to focus and be able to work in line with the requirements of the call of leadership.
Sometimes, leadership is going to entail pain in doing things which may seem to be unpopular for the great majority. In this section, the way the death of Achan is addressed cannot be comprehended in the present world (Hubbard 2009).
Furthermore, the application of that approach would be considered to be illegal. Thus, it follows that it is important to connect the fundamental principle which is in the basis of the act that led to the demise of Achan. The principle which is portrayed in this case is associated with honesty and purity whereby the two aspects cannot exist together.
In conclusion, my opinion is still held that The Book of Joshua may not justify stoning of Achan as Israel did. This is because such actions would contradict everything that Jesus teaches and would also give the gospel a negative perspective (Hubbard 2009).
This implies one thing that Jesus’ teaching sets aside what Joshua’s one approaches, thus, the book does not authorize Christians to apply his methods. It rather gives an example and illustration of how unjust, outrageous, or insane the received treatment was. It simply shows us what the God did and not always what should be done in such cases.
Bibliography
Hubbard, Robert L. Joshua. New York: Zondervan, 2009.
Woudstra, Marten. The Book of Joshua. Michigan: Wm. Eerdmans Publishing, 1994.