Joshua Part II:
Questioning the Books of the Bible
The book of Joshua is a fairly short, easy to read work. I do have some questions but not nearly the same volume of questions I had in books such as Genesis and Deuteronomy. That being the case this is the second and final part of questions for the book of Joshua.
1. Joshua 9:19-21
19 But all the leaders said to all the congregation, “We have sworn to them by the LORD, the God of Israel, and now we may not touch them.
20 This we will do to them: let them live, lest wrath be upon us, because of the oath that we swore to them.”
21 And the leaders said to them, “Let them live.” So they became cutters of wood and drawers of water for all the congregation, just as the leaders had said of them.
Questions
1) Okay, if the LORD is all about truth and justice and all of that happiness why would the LORD force His people to follow through with a covenant that was founded on misrepresentation?
2) Since when should laws founded on lies dictate policy? Since the LORD apparently forced His people to follow through with the agreement which was a farce, what does this say about the LORD?
2. Joshua 9:27
27 But Joshua made them that day cutters of wood and drawers of water for the congregation and for the altar of the LORD, to this day, in the place that he should choose.
Questions
1) Okay, when they say "to this day" do they mean to the day NOW (10/11/2013), or "to this day" according to whoever wrote the book of Joshua?
3. Joshua 10:13-14
13 And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, until the nation took vengeance on their enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jashar? The sun stopped in the midst of heaven and did not hurry to set for about a whole day.
14 There has been no day like it before or since, when the LORD heeded the voice of a man, for the LORD fought for Israel.
Questions
1) Since so many believers seem to really go the distance in trying to establish man as having pretty much zero control and power over anything or anyone, how is it that Joshua, son of nun, actually utter a command to the sun and moon that would actually be obeyed?
2) If the LORD fought for Israel why were His people doing all of the fighting?
3) What effect would stopping the sun and moon have on the tides?
4) Why did Joshua stop BOTH the sun and moon? The sun gives off far more light than the moon ever could, right? What would be the point of stopping the moon as well when the light from the sun would completely outshine that of the moon?
4. Joshua 10:20
20 When Joshua and the sons of Israel had finished striking them with a great blow until they were wiped out, and when the remnant that remained of them had entered into the fortified cities,
Questions
1) If Joshua and his men struck them with a great blow completely wiping them out, how the HELL was there any kind of remnant left to flee to and enter the fortified cities?
5. Joshua 10:28-33
28 As for Makkedah, Joshua captured it on that day and struck it, and its king, with the edge of the sword. He devoted to destruction every person in it; he left none remaining. And he did to the king of Makkedah just as he had done to the king of Jericho.
29 Then Joshua and all Israel with him passed on from Makkedah to Libnah and fought against Libnah.
30 And the LORD gave it also and its king into the hand of Israel. And he struck it with the edge of the sword, and every person in it; he left none remaining in it. And he did to its king as he had done to the king of Jericho.
31 Then Joshua and all Israel with him passed on from Libnah to Lachish and laid siege to it and fought against it.
32 And the LORD gave Lachish into the hand of Israel, and he captured it on the second day and struck it with the edge of the sword, and every person in it, as he had done to Libnah.
33 Then Horam king of Gezer came up to help Lachish. And Joshua struck him and his people, until he left none remaining.
Questions
1) Have you looked closely at the wording of these verses and noticed how they are loaded with "none remaining" as a description of what Joshua and his men did?
2) Are there other times in recorded history where individuals of a religious group/practice went into the lands of other people, murdered them all or made slaves of them, took all the belongings of those they murdered, and then set up shop while claiming the newly acquired land to be some kind of divine providence?
3) Whatever happened to the idea that God does not want one person to perish, not one? If all people are supposed to be the same and all fall short of the glory of God, meaning we are all the same no matter what, why does it seem like God still draws lines where His people are consistently given more consideration than that of others?
4) Whenever asked as to why a God of Ultimate Love would allow so much murder to take place, especially when considering this same God is supposed to love all of mankind without reservation, why do some believers hold that God must have the killings because He does not wish for His people and His laws and His worship to be defiled by the practices/sins of those who do not worship God/the LORD?
5) If all men have sinned in the same manner inasmuch as being 'born into' sin is concerned, are the murders God and His people committed in the zeal to remove sin NOT counted as murder and therefore sin? If it is not murder then what is it?
6. Joshua 10:34-39
34 Then Joshua and all Israel with him passed on from Lachish to Eglon. And they laid siege to it and fought against it.
35 And they captured it on that day, and struck it with the edge of the sword. And he devoted every person in it to destruction that day, as he had done to Lachish.
36 Then Joshua and all Israel with him went up from Eglon to Hebron. And they fought against it
37 and captured it and struck it with the edge of the sword, and its king and its towns, and every person in it. He left none remaining, as he had done to Eglon, and devoted it to destruction and every person in it.
38 Then Joshua and all Israel with him turned back to Debir and fought against it
39 and he captured it with its king and all its towns. And they struck them with the edge of the sword and devoted to destruction every person in it; he left none remaining. Just as he had done to Hebron and to Libnah and its king, so he did to Debir and to its king.
Questions
1) Do you find Joshua's DEVOTION TO DESTRUCTION to be just a bit scary? Sure, God/the LORD told the people of Israel to kill but are we to believe that Joshua's blind devotion was so strong that he NEVER ONCE questioned God for telling him to do terrible, unspeakable things to defenseless women and children?
2) Could terrorists be in the very same boat Joshua sits in being as though terrorists insist they are doing God's holy work by murdering those deemed to be infidels, even including those infidels who are innocent or who are children?
7. Joshua 11:1-4
1 When Jabin, king of Hazor, heard of this, he sent to Jobab king of Madon, and to the king of Shimron, and to the king of Achshaph,
2 and to the kings who were in the northern hill country, and in the Arabah south of Chinneroth, and in the lowland, and in Naphoth-dor on the west,
3 to the Canaanites in the east and the west, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, and the Jebusites in the hill country, and the Hivites under Hermon in the land of Mizpah.
4 And they came out with all their troops, a great horde, in number like the sand that is on the seashore, with very many horses and chariots.
Questions
1) This verse is a very good candidate to use as an example of the immense exaggeration in the Bible, right? I mean, how many grains of sand are on a beach?
There are about 8 BILLION grains of sand in a cubic meter. A CUBIC METER. Do you see the problem of the observation that the troops numbered so high? Was it even possible that the troops could have even come close to numbering as the grains of sand in a cubic meter?
8. Joshua 11:14
14 And all the spoil of these cities and the livestock, the people of Israel took for their plunder. But every man they struck with the edge of the sword until they had destroyed them, and they did not leave any who breathed.
Questions
1) Do you find that what is described in the verses here sounds an awful lot like violent home invasion crimes, except on a massive scale and waayyyy back in Bible times?
9. Joshua 11:18-20
18 Joshua made war a long time with all those kings.
19 There was not a city that made peace with the people of Israel except the Hivites, the inhabitants of Gibeon. They took them all in battle.
20 For it was the LORD’s doing to harden their hearts that they should come against Israel in battle, in order that they should be devoted to destruction and should receive no mercy but be destroyed, just as the LORD commanded Moses.
Questions
1) Sooo...the LORD purposely hardened the hearts of the people who lived in the land that the people of Israel were invading, all in an effort to encourage the people of Israel to simply kill ALL of the inhabitants?
2) If the people being attacked are purposely prevented from seeking peace accords then where in the fuckey-doo did their free will go?
3) Is it possible that the reason the LORD purposely hardened the hearts of the inhabitants because He knew that the people WOULD want to make an agreement, but God did not want that because He did not wish His people to share the land with anyone? God absolutely wanted it all, correct?
10. Joshua 23:12-13
12 For if you turn back and cling to the remnant of these nations remaining among you and make marriages with them, so that you associate with them and they with you,
13 know for certain that the LORD your God will no longer drive out these nations before you, but they shall be a snare and a trap for you, a whip on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from off this good ground that the LORD your God has given you.
Questions
1) How are either of these verses possible since previous verses and chapters in the book of Joshua clearly note that Joshua and his men completely and utterly destroyed the people of the cities he attacked?
2) When something is completely and utterly destroyed with not so much as a single living soul left alive and breathing...HOW can there be a remnant of that something?
3) Ai, Makkeda, Libnah, Lachish, Eglon, Hebron, Debir, Negev, everyone from Kadesh Barnea to Gaza, are just a few of the places and people completely and totally decimated and wiped out by Joshua and his army. The Bible says EVERYONE in these cities and places were toast. Sooo, if the enemy is not only GONE in the sense of from their respective cities, but totally destroyed as in from the face of the planet how the freaky-doo can there be any kind of remnant left to cause the people of Israel trouble or try to lead them astray?
11. Joshua 24:19-22
19 But Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the LORD, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins.
20 If you forsake the LORD and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you harm and consume you, after having done you good.”
21 And the people said to Joshua, “No, but we will serve the LORD.”
22 Then Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the LORD, to serve him.” And they said, “We are witnesses.”
Questions
1) Is it legal for the individuals making the promise to serve as witnesses for their own promise?
2) Sooo, not only is God the jealous type BUT He also does NOT forgive? But...doesn't the Bible state God's forgiveness is immutable?
3) Is God/the LORD so desperate for attention that He finds it perfectly okay to threaten people with death in order that they may WISELY choose to continue to shower their affections upon God/the LORD?
12. Joshua 24:26-27
26 And Joshua wrote these words in the Book of the Law of God. And he took a large stone and set it up there under the terebinth that was by the sanctuary of the LORD.
27 And Joshua said to all the people, “Behold, this stone shall be a witness against us, for it has heard all the words of the LORD that he spoke to us. Therefore it shall be a witness against you, lest you deal falsely with your God.”
Questions
1) A giant stone is utilized as a witness? How the hell can this be done? The stone does not possess understanding, reasoning, thinking skill, and all of that, right? So, again I ask you how in the f**k a stone can be a witness?
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