Great questions everybody! Hope this helps. 

So what is up with all those giants in the Old Testament? You have wondered about it. I know. So have I. In this lesson, we will hear a view of the conquest that relates specifically to these giants. Buckle up people, this is going to get weird...

Thanks to all who asked questions or made comments. I had quite a bit to work with. 20 minutes went by fast. Speaking of fast, I talk pretty quickly so I included my script for anyone who wants to revisit an idea they heard. I didn't clean it up so there are a few grammatical issues :)

For those who didn't post anything, please try to do so for the next lesson. It would be great to get everyone invovled. For those who posted something this week, please feel free to do so next week. The more the merrier!

In this lesson, I will begin by reminding us of a few ideas we should keep in mind moving forward about our Bible study. Then I will introduce the first view, which I will call the INSTRUMENT view. I imagine many of you will find this view familiar but I also expect many questions. Looking forward to hearing what you all have to say. 

We look at the Northern campaign in these chapters and I attempt to pronounce a whole bunch of tricky names. Feel free to chuckle at my attempts. I am excited to talk more with you about the rabbit hole I go down in the 2nd half of the lesson that connects the Rephaim and Anakim mentioned in these chapters to the Nephilim and Nimrod in Genesis 6 all the way to Goliath in 2Samuel! Some crazy stuff is ahead of us...

We explore the Southern campaign in these chapters. Others hear what God has done for Israel and respond in various ways. These chapters really set up the second half of our study where we will study the phrase 'devoted to destruction'. 

In these chapters, we get to the heart of our study regarding the phrase 'devoted to destruction'. This is not easy stuff to read and I confess it challenges me. Yet I am confident that my understanding and interpretation of this text and my evaluation of God's character are rooted in my imperfections and lack of knowledge. In other words, I trust in God more than in myself. 

Joshua encounters a man with a sword. Jericho faces the Israelite army. Israel must trust that God fights for them. Rahab's family waits in anticipation for salvation by God through Israel. All the while, God's promise to bless the world through Abraham must remain our focus here. 

God calls Israel to follow him through the waters of the Jordan and Joshua is exalted as Moses' successor. There are lots of cool connections here and I know I am missing a ton of them. As we work our way through Joshua, remember that God's goal is not just to fight for Israel but to use Israel to bring blessing to the world. 

In this reading, we will think about the parallels Joshua has with Moses and the Passover event in the Exodus. We will also reflect on the incredible faith of Rahab.