December 2025

Read Joshua 22:30–34. How does this entire incident give us some insights into conflict resolution and ways of ensuring the unity of the church? (Compare with Psalm 133; John 17:20–23; 1 Pet. 3:8, 9.)

The story of Joshua 22 has several principles of communication that can apply to everyday human relationships in the family, church, and community.

Read Joshua 22:21–29 in the light of Proverbs 15:1. What can we learn from the answer of the eastern tribes?

Read Joshua 22:13–15 again, but now in the light of Numbers 25. Why do the Israelites choose Phinehas as the head of the delegation to the two-and-a-half tribes?

Read the story of the returning tribes in Joshua 22:9–20. What accusations do the West Jordan tribes level against the East Jordan tribes? To what extent were these accusations well founded?

In contrast with verse 1, where the tribes on the east side are called by their usual form (Reubenites, Gadites, etc.), here a different expression is used: “sons of Reuben,” “sons of Gad,” and “the half-tribe of Manasseh,” which is in contrast to the “sons of Israel” (Josh. 22:11, NASB), thus representing a different entity.

Read Joshua 22:1–8. What do these verses tell us about the commitment of the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh?

Read for This Week’s Study

Joshua 22; Eph. 6:7; John 7:24; Numbers 25; Prov. 15:1; 1 Pet. 3:8, 9.

Memory Text:

“A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (Proverbs 15:1, NIV).

Living in a community can, at times, lead to disputes and tension. This is especially true in a community, such as the church, where people from different backgrounds and social strata—and who are sometimes brought up in completely different cultures—live and work together for a common purpose.

“Christ’s mission was not understood by the people of His time. . . . The traditions, maxims, and enactments of men hid from them the lessons which God intended to convey. These maxims and traditions became an obstacle to their understanding and practice of true religion. And when the Reality came, in the person of Christ, they did not recognize in Him the fulfillment of all their types, the substance of all their shadows. They rejected the antitype, and clung to their types and useless ceremonies. The Son of God had come, but they continued to ask for a sign.

Joshua, as a type, points beyond the ministry of Jesus Christ to a fulfillment in the life of the church, Christ’s body. In what sense do the wars Israel fought under Joshua foreshadow the spiritual struggles of the church? How are they different? See 1 Tim. 1:18, 2 Tim. 4:7, Eph. 6:10–12, 2 Cor. 10:3–5, and Acts 20:32.

The story of Joshua must be seen through the prism of typology. The wars Joshua conducted are historical events, constituting an essential segment of Israel’s history. The goal of these wars is to settle the Israelites in the Promised Land, where they can enjoy their allotted inheritance in peace and establish a new society based on the principles of God’s law.

In the light of biblical typology, what is the significance of the multiple parallelism between the lives of Moses and Joshua? See Exod. 3:1, 2; Josh. 1:1–3; Num. 13:1, 2; Josh. 2:1; Exod. 3:5; Josh. 5:15.