IndexThe account of the conquest in JoshuaSummary of the theological interpretationPersonal theological reflectionThe account of the conquest in JoshuaChapters six through eleven of Joshua tell the account of the Israelites who took the land that God had promised them through the Abrahamic Covenant, which began with the destruction of Jericho. God tells Joshua that he has handed over Jericho and all his men to him and that he should not fear. Joshua and the Israelites march around the city of Jericho for six days. On the seventh day they scream and the walls that protected the city collapse. The Israelites kill everyone in the city except Rahab and raze it to the ground, cursing the city so that no one will ever try to rebuild it. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay During this time, God commands Joshua and the Israelites not to take holy things to keep for themselves, but Achan of the tribe of Judah disobeys. This enrages God, and many Israelites die during Ai's first attack. God commands that Achan, his family, and all his possessions be burned, so the Israelites stone and char him and his family. God is no longer angry because of their sanctification of the covenant. God is with Joshua and allows the Israelites to overthrow Ai in the same way as Jericho. The Gibeonites are afraid after learning of the attack and trick Joshua into making a protection treaty with them. Joshua discovers the deception but decides to spare them. King Adoni-Zedek learns of the treaty and invites the five Amorite kings to help defeat the Gibeonites, who ask Joshua for help. Kings flee when they see the Israelites; Joshua and his men destroy many with swords while God throws stones to kill the others. Following this event, Joshua and the Israelites execute many others, "...destroying every living thing, as the Lord God had commanded" (Josh 10:40). An army so large it cannot be counted comes against Joshua and the Israelites. God delivers these people once again to Joshua, who brutally slaughters them all, including the Kingdom of Hazor which was the largest kingdom of that time. He bequeaths the kingdom to Israel as established in the Abrahamic Covenant, and the land enjoys great peace. Summary of Theological Interpretation The theological problem many find in these chapters of Joshua can be posed as a question: Is the God seen in the New Testament the same God who approved the genocide in Joshua?” Over time, scholars have managed to find answers to this difficult question. One justification given by Hubbard is that biblical times and customs are not the same as today. Owning new lands by killing was a “normal” practice at the time, but things would not be done the same way today. A second position, taken by Pitkanen, is that the Israelites carried out genocide because the ultimate goal was to protect the territory of the new earth, make a clean sweep, and start a new and perfect society under God. They were to inherit this land from God and live in Abrahamic pact, and to do this they had to take possession of the earth and sweep away all the evil that previously inhabited it. A final position taken by McConville further discusses that Joshua was a teaching moment. This view places emphasis on the Israelites' disobedience leading to their inability to dwell in the promised land. Furthermore, this warns that one should never strip others of their land in the name of the Lord. This text has been used to justify many genocides throughout history, one of the most notorious being the Holocaust. It was here that the Nazi views were to liberate the earth from the.