The story of Joshua is the first great climax of the Old Testament story. As early as Gen. 12, God had promised the land of Canaan to Abraham and his posterity. Joshua’s story tells of the fulfillment of that promise; it tells of how Israel conquered Canaan and settled into it. The story of Judges, however, carries no such optimistic message. It is a harrowing tale of Israel’s rapid moral decline, her failure to keep the covenant. Joshua and Judges, read together, carry a message of great hope and dire warning.