Our new season exploring Philippians and Colossians starts with consideration of their context. 

Paul was writing from prison, and certainly had experience of circumstances going against him. This gives an interesting complexity to the famous verse about him being able to do all things through Christ. We share some personal reflections about the book of Philippians and discuss a few other verses that can initially seem like platitudes - but Paul's life suggests something more substantial is intended in these statements.

The final chapter of Joshua seems to focus on themes of God's agency, idolatry, and continuity. 

There is a strong emphasis on God's actions that have led the Israelites since Abraham - and especially since the Exodus. The history that has unfolded in Joshua is described as God's doing. Calls against idolatry are perhaps an expected theme as Joshua nears the end of his life, since this issue has been one focus of his leadership through the conquest of idolatrous nations. It is fascinating to reflect on the idea of continuity as we continue to learn from the story thousands of years after it was first written down.

The narrative changes gears considerably in the last two chapters of Joshua. 

We get "the years passed" and mention that "Joshua was now very old", and it is clearly a conclusion to the story of this mighty leader. It is interesting to notice the ways in which Joshua himself can't easily see how emphases might change as God continues to lead his people. This entirely normal human limitation is perhaps just as true of any generation, and we are intrigued by the way Old Testament history proves God is more gracious than Joshua imagined.

We're back at Joshua 22, and the story of avoided conflict continues to fascinate us. 

Despite some difficulties with logistics and audio (sorry for lower quality this week) we explore a few new ideas from the story of a contentious altar. It is interesting to connect this with the phrases used in Joshua 4, when stones are also erected as a memorial. We discuss a connection with the tradition of communion and also ponder Joshua's absence from the story. 

Joshua and Jesus are the same name, but how well does the Old Testament character point to the Messiah? 

The lesson dives into slightly technical detail about "type" and "antitype", and we explore how Joshua might be interpreted in the light of God's self-revelation through Jesus. 

In the days when the Israelites conquered the Promised Land, they nearly came to civil war.

This is a re-publication of an episode from 2021 (season 7 episode 5 if you're counting) because life has been hectic, and it is slightly pre-empting a bit of the lesson coming up in 2 weeks. This conversation explores a lesser-told story in Joshua that grows out of an important rule in Deuteronomy 12.

Caleb is a mighty warrior with a fantastic attitude! 

It is amazing to read him at 85 years old asking for the hardest cities to conquer all because he "is as strong as" when Moses sent him on the spy journey 45 years earlier. The story of Caleb seems to play a few roles in the narrative of Joshua, and we are intrigued by a part of the story devoted to his daughter.

Worship rituals are interspersed between the conquests in Joshua. 

This leads to a Sabbath School lesson emphasis on the need to prioritise time with God even amongst adverse circumstances. But reading the book of Joshua suggests that the Israelites may not have seen these events in this context. We've already seen how the military and religious aspects of entering God's Promised Land were entwined in ways that make us a bit uncomfortable. We're drawn to words of the great Joshua of the New Testament - Jesus himself - which seem to provide greater clarity.

The difficult story of Achan and his family being destroyed again raises the question of "God's endgame". 

Achan and his family stole plunder from Jericho against the specific command to set these things apart for God. Worse, they lied about it and buried the treasure suggesting deliberate deception. There's a lot to be horrified in this story, but perhaps the most intriguing thing is that it shows sin and disobedience within Israel. We discuss how this obvious truth impacts the overall narrative of conquering the Promised Land.

We continue to grapple with the issue of divine war in Joshua. 

The lesson this week follows closely on the topic from our previous episode, expanding on some of the context and background of the conquest of the Promised Land. In many places the people being dispossessed had deeply troubling rituals and traditions, and we ponder the tricky idea that (at least in principle) there could be "cultures" or "worldviews" that do legitimately need to be eradicated. However, we are also attentive to the exceptions even in the book of Joshua - God's covenant in Joshua 8 is read to a multitude that included foreigners.