Old Testament

Week 12: Joshua, Judges, and Ruth

1) Joshua.
a) Introduction.
i) For forty years in the wilderness, Moses had given Israel God’s law, acted as God’s
spokesman, and served as their guide. He was the only leader an entire generation of
Israelites had known. But the Lord took him at the end of their sojourn—just when
they faced a great test.
ii) The Lord raised up a new leader, Joshua, who directed the conquest and settlement
of the promised land. The Book of Joshua is to five books of Moses as the book of
Acts is to the Gospels: After receiving the message, the Lord’s servants now go carry
it out.
iii) Numbers 27:18-23. Joshua, “a man in whom is the spirit,”1 is called of God and set
apart by Moses by the laying on of hands.
iv) Who was Joshua?
(1) He was from the tribe of Ephraim (Numbers 13:8).
(2) His original name was Hoshea (‫ להושצ‬/ “he saves”), but Moses renamed him
Joshua (‫ יהושצ‬/ “Jehovah saves”). (Numbers 13:16.)
(a) The Greek form of this name is Jesus (ιησουζ).
(3) Previously he had successfully led the Israelites into battle against the Amalekites
(Exodus 17:8–13) and been one of the twelve spies sent into Canaan (Numbers
13:8).
(a) Among the spies, only Joshua and Caleb believed Israel could conquer the
land, and only these two from the generation that left Egypt would be
permitted to enter Canaan (Numbers 14:6–9, 30).
v) Parallels between Moses and Joshua.
(1) Moses leads the Israelites out of Egypt; Joseph leads the Israelites into Canaan.
(2) Moses leads Israel in a miraculous crossing of the Red Sea; Joshua leads Israel in
a miraculous crossing of the Jordan River.
(3) Moses sends out spies; Joshua sends out spies.
(4) Moses allots land to the tribes east of the Jordan River; Joshua allots land to the
tribes west of the Jordan River.
b) Summary of the conquest of Canaan.
i) [SLIDE 2] “The book of Joshua opens with the crossing of the Jordan by the forces
of Israel and the establishment of a great headquarters’ camp at Gilgal.

1 cf. Deuteronomy 34:9.

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Hurricane West Stake Adult Religion Class Old Testament: Joshua, Judges, and Ruth Week 12, Page 2

ii) “By invading Western Palestine by the ford near Jericho instead of advancing round
the S[outh] of the Dead Sea, Joshua was able to drive a wedge between the
Canaanites on the N[orth] and those in the S[outh] of the country, and thus to
prevent a union of all the tribes against him.
iii) [SLIDE 2.1] “The first attack was made upon Jericho. This was the key to Western
Palestine, for it was on the way to all the passes of importance into the interior.
iv) [SLIDE 2.2] “Jericho taken, Ai, another town on the principal road to the W[est],
soon followed.
v) [SLIDE 2.3] “The Gibeonites by a trick secured an alliance with the conqueror, who
marched to attack the kings of the S[outh] and defeated them in a pitched battle at
Bethhoron, [SLIDE 2.4] afterwards overrunning their country and destroying their
towns.
vi) [SLIDE 2.5] “Thereafter the victorious leader turned his attention to the kings of the
N[orth] and defeated them in a great battle near the waters of Merom.”2
vii)[SLIDE 2.6] “After defeating the Northern Canaanite Confederacy at Merom, Joshua
burned Hazor, but spared the other cities….
viii) “The Northern Campaign closed the war of conquest, although strife continued
between Israel and her neighbors for several centuries.”3
c) Joshua 1: The Lord calls Joshua.
i) What challenges do you think Joshua faced when the Lord called him to succeed
Moses in leading the Israelites? (He was to lead Israel in the conquest and
settlement of Canaan, which was a mighty undertaking. He was also taking the
place of a great leader.)
ii) Joshua 1:5–9. What assurance did the Lord give Joshua as Joshua prepared to enter
the promised land? What counsel did the Lord give Joshua? Which one did he repeat
three times?
(1) What does this counsel mean to us today in our callings?
d) (Joshua 2.) Joshua sends two spies into Jericho to assess the enemy’s strength. They are
concealed by Rahab, a prostitute. They promise to save her and her household. The spies
return to Joshua with a favorable report (Joshua 2:24).4
e) Joshua 3–4: The Israelites cross the Jordan River.
i) Joshua 3:7. What did the Lord promise Joshua?
ii) Joshua 3:13–17. What did the priests who carried the ark have to do before the
waters of the Jordan River stopped? (They had to step into the overflowing river
while carrying the ark.)
(1) How does the Lord sometimes ask similar things of us?

2 J.R. Dummelow, A Commentary on the Holy Bible (New York: MacMillan Publishing Co., 1973 [34th printing]), 141.
3 Charles P. Pfeiffer, Baker’s Bible Atlas (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books, 2003), 94.
4 Contrast their report with the one the ten spies gave to Moses in Numbers 13:31.

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Hurricane West Stake Adult Religion Class Old Testament: Joshua, Judges, and Ruth Week 12, Page 3

(2) Elder Boyd K. Packer:

Shortly after I was called as a General Authority, I went to Elder Harold B. Lee
for counsel. He listened very carefully to my problem and suggested that I see
President David O. McKay. President McKay counseled me as to the direction I
should go. I was very willing to be obedient but saw no way possible for me to
do as he counseled me to do.
I returned to Elder Lee and told him that I saw no way to move in the direction
I was counseled to go. He said, “The trouble with you is you want to see the
end from the beginning.” I replied that I would like to see at least a step or
two ahead. Then came the lesson of a lifetime: “You must learn to walk to the
edge of the light, and then a few steps into the darkness; then the light will
appear and show the way before you.”5
iii) Compare Joshua 3:16–17 with Exodus 14:22. How was this crossing similar to the
one at the Red Sea? (It was done by the power of God; Israel passed through on dry
ground.) How was it different? (At the Red Sea, “waters were a wall unto them on
their right hand, and on their left”; at the Jordan, the water upstream “rose up
upon an heap,” but the downstream waters ran off into the Dead Sea.)
f) Joshua 5–6: Jericho is destroyed.
i) In Joshua 5:1–12 three important events take place:
(1) All males born in the wilderness are circumcised (5:2–9).
(2) Israel keeps the Passover (5:10–11).
(3) Israel stops receiving manna (5:12).
ii) Joshua 5:13–15. Joshua has his own “burning bush experience.”
(1) Was this the same angel assigned to Israel at Mount Sinai? (Compare Exodus
23:20; see also Isaiah 63:9.)
iii) Joshua 6:1–5. What’s significant to you about the Lord’s instructions here?
(1) The instructions are very precise, and yet completely contrary to a typical military
siege. The Lord wanted Israel to know that it was he who had knocked down the
walls, not the Israelites in their own strength.6 Israel’s obedience and success was
to be an act of faith (Hebrews 11:30).
(2) The number seven is a sacred number to the Jews and represents fulfillment or
completion (e.g., the Sabbath is the seventh day).
(3) [SLIDE 3] The ram’s horn (shofar) is the same used annually on the Day of
Atonement.7
(4) What do you think they shouted?
(a) Note that the chorus of the hymn “The Spirit of God” says that “we’ll sing and
we’ll shout with the armies of heaven, ‘Hosanna, Hosanna, to God and the
Lamb.’”8

5 “The Edge of the Light,” BYU Today, March 1991, 22–23.

6 Compare with the warning to Israel in Deuteronomy 8:17–18.
7 Leviticus 23: 24; Numbers 29: 1.
8 Hymns, no. 2.

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(i) Hosanna means “save us, Jehovah!”

g) Joshua 7–22. The Israelites take Canaan; they divide the land among the tribes.
i) Joshua 7–12. Joshua takes the southern lands, then the northern.
ii) Joshua 10:11–14. The Lord casts stones upon the Amorites. Joshua commands the
sun and moon to stand still for an entire day so Israel can successfully finish the
battle.9
iii) [SLIDE 4] Joshua 13–22. The land is divided among the tribes.
(1) [SLIDE 4.1] Joshua 14:6–15. Caleb, head of the tribe of Judah, receives the land
of Hebron for an inheritance. Jerusalem is near Hebron, and David, a Judahite,
will rule from there.
(2) [SLIDE 4.2] Joshua 18:1. The tabernacle is set up permanently at Shiloh.
h) Joshua 23; 24:14–21: Joshua and his people covenant to serve the Lord.
i) Joshua 23:6–8, 12. The English word cleave has two separate, opposite meanings: It
can either mean “to split or separate,” or “to adhere or stick.”10
(1) How would cleaving to the Canaanite nations be a snare and a trap to the
Israelites? What are some of the snares and traps of the world that we face today?
(2) How can we “cleave unto the Lord” rather than cleave to the world?
ii) Joshua 24:14–16. Why can’t a person serve the true God and worldly gods at the
same time?
(1) Elder Marvin J. Ashton:
Joshua reminds us of the importance of making decisions promptly: “Choose
you this day whom ye will serve;…but as for me and my house, we will serve
the Lord” (Joshua 24:15). Not tomorrow, not when we get ready, not when it is
convenient—but “this day,” straightway, choose whom you will serve. He who
invites us to follow will always be out in front of us with His Spirit and
influence setting the pace. He has charted and marked the course, opened the
gates, and shown the way. He has invited us to come unto Him, and the best
time to enjoy His companionship is straightway. We can best get on the course
and stay on the course by doing as Jesus did—make a total commitment to do
the will of His Father.11

9 This is another example of the ancient Israelite’s geocentric cosmology (see Old Testament notes, week 3, pages 4–5;
http://sites.google.com/site/hwsarc/home/ot/week03/arot03_notes.pdf). If the sun and moon are just objects moving across
the dome of the sky (“the firmament”), it would be a relatively simple matter to hold them in place. But since the earth is a
rotating globe, as we now know it to be, explaining this story becomes much more difficult. (The Reformer Martin Luther, who
taught that the Bible was the infallible word of God, rejected the idea that the earth orbited the sun because Joshua
commanded the sun, not the earth, to stand still.) The earth rotates on its axis every 24 hours, which means that, at the
equator, it’s moving at 1,040 miles per hour. Suddenly stopping the rotation of the earth would have cataclysmic effects on the
planet and all life on it (see http://curious.astro.cornell.edu/question.php?number=16 and http://www-
istp.gsfc.nasa.gov/stargaze/StarFAQ10.htm#q165). Considering the significant problems with stopping the earth’s rotation, it
seems more likely to me that what Joshua and the Israel experienced in their battle with the Amorites was optical illusion that
made it appear that the sun and the moon stood still.
10 This is one of those weird English words that comes from two different roots that just happened to sound alike. The Old

English cleofan (“to split, separate”) came from Proto-Germanic kleubanan (“to cut, slice”). The Old English clifian came from
West Germanic klibajanan (“to stick”). Cleofan and clifian came into Middle English as cleave.
http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=cleave
11 Marvin J. Ashton, “Straightway,” General Conference, April 1983.
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Hurricane West Stake Adult Religion Class Old Testament: Joshua, Judges, and Ruth Week 12, Page 5

i) Conclusion
i) Joshua’s final counsel to the Israelites included the same charge that the Lord had
given when calling him to be a prophet—to be strong and to have courage (Joshua
23:1–6). The charge applies as much today as it did then because we are all engaged
in the important spiritual battle between good and evil.
ii) Elder Ezra Taft Benson said that two principles are essential for security and peace:
First, trust in God; and second, a determination to keep the commandments, to
serve the Lord, to do that which is right…. The Lord has made it very clear in the
revelations that even though times become perilous, even though we be
surrounded by temptation and sin, even though there be a feeling of insecurity,
even though men’s hearts may fail them and anxiety fill their souls, if we only
trust in God and keep his commandments we need have no fear.12
2) Judges.
a) Introduction.
i) Israel was united under the prophet-leader Moses for 40 years in the wilderness, and
for another 25 years in Canaan under Joshua.
ii) After the death of Joshua there was no king or central leader in Israel for 250 years
until Saul (Judges 17:6).
iii) Canaan was divided into lands of inheritance for the twelve tribes of Israel, but not
all of those territories were secured until the days of David the king.
(1) [SLIDE 4.3] At the time of the judges, only the central highlands had been
conquered. The coastal plain was still held by the Philistines and the central
valleys by various Canaanite tribes.
(2) The Israelites were not successful in taking the plains and valleys because their
enemies had chariots (Judges 1:19; 4:3, 13). The Israelite infantry could take and
hold the high areas where chariots could not go, but on flat lowlands they were
unable to conquer against a hardened, mobile battle force.13
iv) But Israel’s problem was more than just lack of central leader or a more powerful
enemy: As the book of Judges explains, sin and internal conflict were the main
hindrances to a complete Israelite victory over the Canaanite armies.
b) The judges.
i) [SLIDE 5] The word translated “judge” in the Old Testament has a broader meaning
than in English. It can refer to someone who serves in a judicial function, but it can
also be applied more broadly to anyone who exercises rule. The Hebrew noun shopet
(‫ )שפטים‬includes the ideas “decide,” “judge,” “rule,” “govern,” “vindicate,” and
“deliver.”14

12 Ezra Taft Benson, General Conference, October 1950.

13 The chariot was the ancient equivalent of the modern battle tank. It was typically manned by two or three riders, one to
steer and the others to wield weapons. Warriors on foot were no match against chariots on broad, flat battlefields.
14 Temba L. J. Mafico, “Judge, Judging,” The Anchor Bible Dictionary 3:1104.

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ii) The judges’ duty was to save the Israelites from their enemies and preserve the peace
among the tribes. They were to dispense absolute, impartial justice and not take
bribes (Deuteronomy 16:19); they were to protect widows, orphans, and strangers
(Deuteronomy 27:17) and not let themselves be unduly influenced by popular
opinion or the plight of the poor (Exodus 23:2–3).
iii) Six judges—Othaniel, Ehud, Deborah, Gideon, Jephthah, and Samson—functioned
as military leaders and traditionally have been called the “major judges.” The other
six—Shamgar, Tola, Jair, Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon—are traditionally called the “minor
judges” because so little is recorded about them. (Abimelech is not treated as a judge,
but as a king.)
c) Outline.
i) [SLIDE 6] Judges 1:1–2:5 presents a review of the conquest of Canaan.
(1) Judges gives a somewhat different view of the conquest than Joshua: Joshua
portrays the conquest as unified action under a single leader, while Judges has
the tribes acting independently.
(2) [SLIDE 7] The conquest of the south is attributed to Judah and Simeon (1:2–21),
and the conquest of Bethel to Joseph (1:22–26); the other tribes fail to drive out
the inhabitants of their territories (1:27–36). An angel of the Lord tells them their
failure is due to their disobedience to the Lord’s commandments (2:1–5).
ii) [SLIDE 8] Judges 2:6–16:31. The exploits of the judges begin with an explanation of
the cycle of sin-punishment-repentance-deliverance that takes place throughout the
book (2:6–3:6).15
(1) The individual judges are then treated in order:
(a) Othniel (3:7–11).
(b) Ehud (3:12–30).
(c) Shamgar (3:31).
(d) Deborah (4:1–24).
(i) The song of Deborah and Barak (5:1–31) is a priceless piece of ancient
Hebrew poetry.
(e) Gideon (6:1–8:32).
(f) Abimelech (8:33–9:57). Abimelech’s story is a turning point in the narrative.
Previous to him, the judges were righteous and had helped secure peace for
Israel. The judges after him were unrighteous, tragic, or ineffective, allowing
Israel to fall into sin and military defeat.
(g) Tola (10:1–2).
(h) Jair (10:3–5).
(i) Jephthah (10:6–12:7)
(j) Ibzan (12:8–10).
(k) Elon (12:11–12).

15 This is the same cycle that is so familiar from the Book of Mormon.
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Hurricane West Stake Adult Religion Class Old Testament: Joshua, Judges, and Ruth Week 12, Page 7

(l) Abdon (12:13–15).

(m) Samson (13:1–16:31).
iii) [SLIDE 9] Judges 17:1–21:25. The last five chapters are concerned with incidents
involving the Levites.
(1) The first story (17:1–18:31) relates the events that led up the establishment of an
idolatrous worship center in Dan.
(2) The second (19:1–21:25) concerns the rape of a Levite concubine by a group of
Benjamites and the civil war that results from this outrage.
(3) These stories appear to underscore to the author’s belief in the importance of a
king who can unify Israel and prevent such immorality,16 and hence set the stage
for the introduction of Saul in 1 Samuel.
d) [SLIDE 9] The cycle of apostasy begins (Judges 2).
i) Judges 2:7–10.
(1) Why was the generation that came after Joshua faithless and unbelieving?
(2) How was the foundation for the children’s failure laid? (See 1:21, 27–33; 2:1–4.)
(3) Has this happened anywhere else in scripture? (See Mosiah 26:1).
(4) Is it happening today, either in the Church or in society as a whole? If so, what
should we do?
ii) Judges 2:11–13.
(1) [SLIDE 10] The prevalent Canaanite religions recognized many different gods.
The two who play the largest role in Judges are:
(a) Baal (pl. Baalim). The Canaanite storm- and fertility-god. The name means
“lord,” designating a legal state of ownership or social superiority. In a land
dependant upon rain-fed agriculture, the storm-god is the most significant
deity in the culture. The symbol for Baal was the bull, representing fertility.17
(b) Ashtart (pl. Ashtars, Ashtaroth18). Canaanite goddess of fertility, sexuality,
and war. She was a female version of Baal, and possibly Baal’s consort.
(i) What are “the gods of the people that [are] around [us]”? How do we avoid
worshipping them?
iii) Judges 2:14–15.
(1) The KJV word rendered “spoilers” means “robbers.”
(2) What is the message and warning to us from this passage?
(3) What more do we learn about this principle from D&C 98:19–22?

16 Note the identical statements that bookend this section in 17:6 and 21:25.
17 “Baal Deity” in Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible, David Noel Freeman, ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans
Publishing Co., 2000), p. 134.
18 Some English translations, including the KJV, transliterate the plural Hebrew term (“Ashtaroth,” cf. NAB, NASB),

pluralize the transliterated Hebrew singular form (“Ashtoreths,” cf. NIV), or use a variation of the name (“Astartes,” cf. NRSV).
Most modern translations simply apply a common plural to the singular “Ashtart.”
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Hurricane West Stake Adult Religion Class Old Testament: Joshua, Judges, and Ruth Week 12, Page 8

iv) Judges 2:16–19.

(1) Verse 17 describes the Israelite worship of false gods as “whoring” (NET: “they
prostituted themselves to other gods”). This phrase appears 18 times in the Old
Testament.19 What is the significance of this particular allusion? Why would the
Old Testament writers use it so frequently?
(a) Adultery is one of the most serious sins, an offense not just against God but
also against one’s spouse to whom one has made solemn covenants. Adultery
is therefore seen not just as a sin in and of itself, but also the breaking of a
covenant. These symbols are used extensively in Hosea to describe Israel’s
infidelity with false gods.
(b) This allusion continues in the New Testament, where the church is
personified as a bride and Christ as the bridegroom (e.g., Matthew 25:1–13).
v) Judges 2:20–23.
(1) Israel was not simply unsuccessful in driving out the Canaanites from the land—
the Lord allowed them to remain. Why?
e) Deborah (Judges 4)
i) Cast of characters:
(1) Jabin, king of Canaan who oppressed Israel for 20 years.
(2) Sisera, captain of Jabin’s army and leader of an army of 900 chariots.
(3) Deborah (“honeybee”), judge of Israel.
(4) Barak (“lightning”), leader of a 10,000-man army of Naphtali and Zabulun.
(5) Heber, a pro-Israelite Kenite who lived peacefully near Jabin.
(6) Jael, wife of Heber.
ii) Judges 4:4–9, 14. What impressive qualities did Deborah possess?
(1) What is a “prophetess”?
(2) In response to the question “Who is a prophet?” President Joseph F. Smith said:
The world has a very peculiar notion of what a prophet is. They think that the
whole duty of a prophet is merely to foretell what is going to take place, that
prophecy is the relating of future events, but that is only one of the duties of a
prophet…. [I]n the nineteenth chapter of the book of Revelation…the angel of
the Lord declared to John that the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy;
and the Prophet Joseph Smith has declared that every man who has come into
this Church; and every woman, for that matter, who has received the
testimony of the Spirit of the Lord, is a prophet or a prophetess; that every
man should be a prophet, because every man in the Church should have the
testimony of Jesus which is the spirit of prophecy; and he should declare the
truth, teach the principles of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, call upon the
people to repent of their sins, and instruct them in the things of the kingdom.

19 Exodus 34:15, 16; Leviticus 17:7; 20:5, 6; Numbers 15:39; Deuteronomy 31:16; Judges 2:17; 8:27; 8:33; 1 Chronicles

5:25; 2 Chronicles 21:13; Psalms 73:27; 106:39; Ezekiel 6:9; 23:30; Hosea 4:12; 9:1.
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Hurricane West Stake Adult Religion Class Old Testament: Joshua, Judges, and Ruth Week 12, Page 9

This is the duty of a prophet and constitutes the office and calling of a prophet
just as much as the declaration of things which are yet to come.20
f) Gideon
i) Judges 6:11–16. When the angel of the Lord first visits Gideon, he calls him a
“mighty.” What is Gideon’s response? Why does the Lord keep calling men who have
what we would describe as a poor self-image (such as Enoch and Moses)?
ii) Judges 7:2–7. How did the Lord reduce the number of Israelites who were to go into
battle? Why did he do this?
g) Samson
i) The story of Samson is not an uplifting story: He betrays his covenants, marries a
foreigner, engages the services of prostitute, breaks his Nazarite vow, and finally kills
himself in the act of avenging himself by killing 3,000 people.
(1) Why does the Old Testament not only include it, but also give us a great deal of
detail about Samson’s reign?
3) Ruth.
a) Although it is short (only four chapters), Ruth is one of the most moving stories of the
Old Testament.
b) Ruth is another in a series of non-Israelite woman who were nevertheless made
partakers of the covenant, and were eventual ancestors to David the king, and Jesus the
Messiah.
i) Thus, Ruth joins such mixed company as Tamar, the Canaanite wife of Judah’s sons
who had to dress up like a prostitute to get Judah to honor his duties to her under
Levirate marriage;21 and Rahab, the harlot of Jericho who protected the Israelite
spies and as a result gained an inheritance in Israel when everyone else in Jericho
was utterly destroyed.22
ii) Tamar,23 Rahab,24 and Ruth25 are all direct ancestors to David and Jesus.
c) Naomi and her two Moabite daughters-in-law, Orpah and Ruth, are widowed. Unlike
her sister-in-law, Ruth chooses to remain with Naomi (Ruth 1:16–17) and seek her
fortunes in a world that is hostile to widows, and even more hostile to Moabites.
d) Through the counsel of her mother-in-law, Ruth courts and marries Boaz. Ruth bears a
son, Obed, who becomes the grandfather of David (Ruth 4:13–17).
4) Next week:
a) Samuel; Saul; David (1–2 Samuel).

20 Joseph F. Smith, General Conference, April 1918, Sunday afternoon session.

21 See Genesis 38.
22 See Joshua 2–6.
23 Matthew 1:3; called “Thamar” in the Greek New Testament.
24 Matthew 1:5; called “Rachab” in the Greek New Testament.
25 Matthew 1:5; “Booz” is “Boaz” who is to marry Ruth.

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