The book of Joshua.

The story in the Books of Moses (Exodus, Numbers and Deuteronomy) brings us to the end of

the forty-year-long journey of the Jewish nation through the desert of the Sinai peninsula. While

in the desert, the Israelites were renewed spiritually and strengthened in their faith in God. It was

now time for the Jews to inherit the land which God had promised to their righteous ancestors .

Abraham,  Isaac and Jacob. The book of Joshua tells us of how the Jews, led by a disciple of

Moses, Joshua the son of Nun, conquered the Promised Land. Up until that time the Promised

Land was populated by Canaanites, the descendants of Ham, for which reason the land was called

the land of Canaan.

  Reading the book of Joshua, we can clearly see how God was constantly helping the Jewish

people in taking possession of the Promised Land. At times this help assumed the form of mani-

fest miracles. For example, when, at the very beginning of the conquest, the Jews had to cross the

Jordan,  the  waters  stopped,  and the Jews were able to walk on the dry riverbed (Ch. 3). Later,

when they were taking the Canaanite city of Jericho on the border of the land of Canaan, the

walls of the city collapsed after the Israelites had walked around the city and sounded the sacred

trumpets (Ch. 6). It is worth noting that the site of ancient Jericho is now being excavated by ar-

chaeologists. These excavations shed light on the events of ancient history described in the book

of Joshua. God.s help in conquering the land of Canaan was also manifest in .the stopping of the

sun. during the battle at Gibeon (Ch. 10).

  Upon conquest, the Promised Land was divided among the twelve tribes of Israel. The tribe

of Judah took the southern part of the Holy Land. The tribe of Levi was the only one that did not

receive a portion of the land, since descendants of Levi were to perform priestly duties for the in-

habitants of the whole land. However the Levites received some cities scattered throughout the

Promised Land.

  After Joshua the son of Nun died, the Jewish people entered the period of so called Judges.

These were temporary leaders chosen by God from among the Jews in order to save the nation

from the hands of its oppressive neighbors. The four-hundred-year-long period, during which the

Jewish tribes lived without permanent leaders, is described in the book of Judges.