Trent C. Butler - Joshua

Finding the great themes of the books of the Bible is essential to the study of Gods Word, and to the preaching and teaching of its truths. But these themes or ideas are often like precious gems; they lie beneath the surface and can only be discovered with some difficulty. The large commentaries are most useful to this discovery process, but they are not usually designed to help the student trace the important subjects within a given book of Scripture.

The Quick-Reference Bible Topics meet this need by bringing together, within a few pages, all of what is contained in a biblical volume on the subjects that are thought to be most significant to that volume. A companion series to the Word Biblical Commentary, these books seek to distill the theological essence of the biblical books as interpreted in the more technical series and to serve it up in ways that will enrich the preaching, teaching, worship, and discipleship of Gods people.

Joshua is an up-beat narrative about the fulfillment of Gods promises to an obedient people. It is the natural sequel to Deuteronomy. Dr. Trent Butler builds on his intensive research for his Word Biblical Commentary on Joshua to sketch the dominate themes of this intensely theological book.

This volume is sent forth in the hope that it will contribute to the vitality of Gods people as we, too, try to occupy the promised land which God has for us.

Learning biblical languages, researching for articles in scholarly journals, writing commentaries, all of the work the biblical scholar does has one ultimate goalunderstanding the major topics Scripture teaches and helping the church understand and bring to life those topics.

In that sense this small volume represents the completion of the work on Joshua begun so many years ago and brought to major expression in the Word Biblical Commentary, Volume 7. The present book seeks to summarize the lessons learned from Joshua in writing the commentary and make those lessons available to a wider audience. All translations of Joshua in this book come from the commentary.

This volume is released to its wider audience with the prayer that it will help the church better understand the churchs nature as Gods people and help it to know its Lord. The volume is also released in gratitude to the editors and to numerous colleagues who have encouraged and inspired me to continue working in the book of Joshua. This book is due in no small part to my son Kevin and his assistance on the computer, and to my wife and her patience in letting me retire to the study for one more book.

Certainly other topics could be dealt with from Joshua. Also, the themes chosen for exposition here could be dealt with more clearly and comprehensively. I hope the present work will inspire readers to search Joshua and all of Gods Word to find the truths he has taught his people and to determine how those truths should impact a believers life. In this work, I have quoted from my own translation of Joshua as found in the volume of the Word Biblical Commentary. When reference is made to that book, Volume 7, it is abbreviated WBC 7:(page number).

It is appropriate that I release this volume to the publisher at the Christmas season when one greater than Joshua took up the same Hebrew name and came to deliver Gods people, not alone from enemies occupying the Promised Land, but from the ultimate enemy Sin, thus giving us salvation that reaches into the promised world to come. I release this manuscript with the prayer that it may help its readers face anew the call to commitment to be loyal people of the Lord in, over, and above history, and that it may call forth faith to know and follow because I will put my laws into their minds, and I will write them upon their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people (Heb 8:10 NASB ).

Trent C. Butler

Brentwood, Tennessee