What questions come up for you while reading this week’s text?
Does anything bother you about these chapters from Joshua?
Are there any themes or patterns that you notice recurring throughout this text? How are these themes similar to the story of the fall of Jericho? How do they differ?
Do you find Norman Gottwald’s theory of Israel’s origins compelling? Why or why not? How do these kinds of contemporary theories affect our reading of books like Joshua?
Dr. Collins and Dr. Baden suggest that the sun standing still over Gibeon is intentional hyperbole. How does this kind of hyperbole function in this story?
Applying the Text:
Did this video help clarify any of the questions that came up for you while reading the text? What did you learn? What do you still want to know?
Both Achan and his entire family were put to death as punishment for his crime even though his wife and children had not committed any crime themselves. Does this story influence and/or change your understanding of “divine justice?” If so, how? If not, why?
Can you think of an example of a time when you or someone else interpreted a biblical text through the lens of modern experience? Do you think using our own experience as an interpretive lens is helpful or harmful (or both)? Explain.