Conquest and co-existence: Joshua and Judges
As we move into the history books (or former prophets) I’m going to take both Joshua and Judges together. First, there are only a couple of readings from Joshua in the Sunday lectionary (and none from Judges), and secondly they make something of a contrast with each other. Judges – despite its omission from the lectionary – contains some cracking stories about some famous names like Gideon and Samson. These used to be a Sunday School staple despite the sex and violence. However, they tend to be too long for them easily to be used on a Sunday, and perhaps we are more shocked by some of these stories than our ancestors were. The main reading used on a Sunday (and also in some of the provision for initiation services) comes from the climax to the book of Joshua. 1 It is a covenant renewal ceremony that challenges the listeners to make the story of the exodus their own, and worship only the liberating God who has led them into the promised land. Joshua tells a stor...