The Life of the Prophet Joshua Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The Life of the Prophet Joshua - Research Paper Example Prophet Joshua, who is the central character in the book of Joshua, is postulated by the Hebrew Bible as one of the courageous spies for Israelites. Joshua is also presented within the passages in the Hebrew Bible as Moses’ assistant (Heschel and Morris 103). The name Joshua was ascribed by Moses who preferred to call him Yehoshua, which is translated to Joshua. Joshua was born before the Israelites left Egypt during the exodus. The close association that is drawn between Joshua and Caleb reflects that these two were age mates. This paper gives a critical analysis and presentation of the life of the prophet Joshua, including exactly when he was born, the history of his family, the events which led to his becoming Moses’ assistant, and how he came to be one of the personalities in the Bible. Additionally, the discussion of Joshua’s life will include the book of Joshua and how it presents this prophet, the happenings prior to and after his death and the implication s of his life. When was Joshua Born? The date when Joshua was born is estimated in relation to the life of Moses, who was the central character of the Israelite leadership before Joshua appeared. The death of Moses is estimated to have happened when the 40 years period of wandering in the desert cane to an end. This was about the year 1405 BC. In this sense, the date when Moses was born is in or around the year 1525 BC (Krajewski and Adam 204). It is at the end of the 40 year period in the wilderness that Moses transferred the leadership of the Israel people to Joshua. In the Book of Deuteronomy 31: 1-2, Moses is depicted speaking to the Israelites saying that he was at that time a hundred and twenty years of age. Moses had become frail at this age and he had been told by God that he would not be among those who would go over Jordan. In Deuteronomy 31:7, Moses’ favor for Joshua as the next leader of the Israelites is depicted. Moses points out in front of the Israelites that Joshua will go with the people of God to the Promised Land and cause them to inherit it (Creach 35). It is at this point that Moses endorsed Joshua as the next leader of the Israelites. The death of Moses is presented in the book of Deuteronomy 34: 7-9, after which he was mourned by his people for a period of thirty days. The son of Nun (Joshua) is depicted as a person who is full of wisdom and as endorsed by Moses through the command of God. These events can be used to have an accurate calculation of the time when Joshua the prophet was born. The age of Joshua can be worked backwards from the book of Joshua 24: 29, which depicts his death. Since Joshua died at the age of 110, it is postulated that he was 90 when his leadership changed. In this sense, the date of his birth is estimated to be around the year 1495 BC (Miller 170). Happenings before the Death of Moses Moses sent Joshua and Caleb to Canaan as spies while the Israelites were still in Egypt. With Joshua and Caleb were oth er ten men who were entrusted by Moses and sent to the land of the Canaanites. Their role was to gather as much information as possible about this land, which God had promised to the Israelites (Mills 128). The significance of Joshua and Caleb is depicted in relation to the fact that these two spies were the only ones who came up with reports about the land of Canaan which were encouraging to the Israelites. Joshua and Caleb are presented in the readings as faithful men among the Israelites. It is because of their faith that they are said to be the first of the Israelite people to enter Canaan, the Promised Land (Heschel and Morris 115). It is notable that earlier on, God did not