Week 14 — Jan 5-11: (Josh 1-23)
God tells Joshua to be brave and take Moses’ place. Two spies slip into Jericho; Rahab hides them, trusts Israel’s God, and ties a scarlet rope so her home is spared. The Jordan stops, the nation crosses on dry ground, and twelve stones mark the spot. At Gilgal the men are circumcised and Passover is kept. For six days the army circles Jericho once each dawn behind the ark, trumpets blaring yet voices silent. On the seventh day they march seven times, shout, and the walls crash; only Rahab’s family survives. Achan steals devoted goods, so Israel loses at Ai until his sin is judged; an ambush then captures the town. The Gibeonites trick Joshua into a treaty and soon need help when five Amorite kings attack. Israel marches all night, hailstones smash the enemy, and Joshua cries out to the Lord, and God causes the sun and moon to stand still so Israel can finish the battle. Northern kings gather at Merom but are routed, and the land rests. Joshua d...