Joshua chapter 1
Moses,  the Servant of the Almighty, had passed away.
The Almighty appointed Joshua as the new leader of Israel.
The Israelites were to cross the Jordan and conquer the rest of the Promised Land. From the Wilderness and all of Lebanon up to the Euphrates River in the north and northeast, all the Land of the Hittites in the north and eastward up unto the Persian Gulf was to be the Hebrew border. God promised HE would be with them in conquering the Land.
The Land was to be divided unto all the Tribes of Israel. If you keep the Torah you will prosper and be successful in every direction  you turn.  It was  commanded to learn Torah day and night. Joshua told the people to prepare themselves to cross the Jordan in three days time.
Joshua addressed the two and a half tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half Manasseh. They had previously been  given all the region east of the Jordan. Joshua reminded these tribes how Moses had already commanded them to leave their wives and children in encampments where they were. Meanwhile the warriors were to join the other tribes and participate in the conquest of the rest of the Land to the west of the Jordan. They answered in the affirmative and gave Joshua the recognition due to a king which  in fact (according to Maimonides) he was. Whosoever should disobey the orders of Joshua was to be put to death.

Joshua ch. 2
Rahab the Righteous Woman of Fortune who Repented.
Maimonides (Laws of Kings 1:3), says that Joshua had the legal status of a King. He had been appointed by the authority of Moses and the Seventy Elders (Sanhedrin). Joshua was from the Tribe of Ephraim. Some see him as a Prototype of the future Messiah son of Joseph who will lead the Ten Tribes back and initiate reconciliation with Judah.
The Israelites were encamped at Shittim east of the Jordan. Joshua sent two men to cross the Jordan and spy out the Land. They came to Jericho and entered the house of Rahab who was the owner of a lodging house as well as being a prostitute.  The House of Rahab was part of the city wall. The King of Jericho had heard about the arrival of the spies. He sent messengers to Rahab to turn the spies over. Rahab instead hid the spies on the roof under flax branches that were spread out to dry as part of the process of manufacturing linen. Rahab told the emissaries of the King that the spies had left her but could be overtaken if pursuit was undertaken immediately.
Rahab then went up to the roof and informed the spies that the fear of the God of Israel and of the Israelites was on all the inhabitants of Canaan which would be easy to conquer. She asked that when they conquered Jericho that mercy be shown her and her family. Rahab then let the spies down over the wall by a rope. The spies told Rahab to tie a thread of scarlet to her window and to gather all her family into her house at the time of conquest. The spies then went to the mountains for three days until the pursuers from Jericho had returned to the city. After this they returned to the Israelite camp and gave their report to Joshua.

Joshua ch. 3
The Israelite Prepare to cross the Jordan on dry land.
The Israelites under Joshua moved their camp from Shittim to the bank of the Jordan River.
At that time the Jordan was much greater in size than it later became. In addition to climate change from the past, in modern times the Jordan has been further greatly diminished due to most of its water flow being utilized for irrigation purposes by the Israelis and Jordanians.
The Israelites had officers or shotrim (singular, "shoter") placed over them. In Modern Hebrew this word "shoter" means policeman.
Three days after they came to the Jordan bank the officers passed through the camp and told the people that when they saw the Ark of the Covenant carried by the Priests (Cohanim) from the Tribe  of  Levi moving out then they should follow after it. They were to keep a distance however between themselves and the Ark of 2000 cubits or ca. 750 meters.
The People were also told to purify themselves by ritual immersion in a pool or spring of water. This was in preparation for the great miracle they were to experience the day after.
The next day, Joshua then gave an order for the Priests to take up the Ark and pass before the people.
At that time the Jordan was in full flow and overflowing its brinks. As soon as the feet of the Priests bearing the Ark stepped into the water the river split in two.  The people passed over on the dry ground. All this while the Priests with the Ark remained standing in the dry riverbed.

Joshua ch. 4
The Israelites Cross Over and Set up Megalithic Monuments

After the Israelites had crossed the Jordan, God commanded Joshua to take one man from each of the 12 Tribes.  They were to take 12 stones from the dry river bed and carry them to the new camp ground on the west side of the Jordan.
We have pointed out that: There were Twelve  Tribes of Israel: Each Tribe has its own special qualities unique to itself. We need a unity of all the Tribes to realize the full potential of the Israelite people. So too, each one of us has a role in this world that only we can exactly fulfill. We each must do as well as we can in accordance to our own situation and capabilities.

The Tribal representatives did as Joshua told them and carried the stones across. These rocks were evidently quite large and exceptionally strong individuals must have been chosen to carry them. The stones were meant to serve as a physical reminder of the miracle that had been done for the Israelites in crossing the Jordan.
WHAT MEAN YE BY THESE STONES? (Joshua 4:6) is a famous expression. Archaeology is important. The trail of megalithic dolmen monuments proves the Israelite origin of western peoples.
In addition to the stones taken up out of the river bed and transported to the east bank, another 12 stones were placed in the midst of the Jordan where the feet of the Priests with the ark had stood.  It says the rocks were in their place "until this very day". This expression wherever it is used in the Bible means until the day the text was written (Talmud, Yoma 54;a). After all this was done and the people had crossed over the Priests took the Ark and passed across themselves.
Those who moved over included 40,000 warriors from the Tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half-Manasseh.  The rest of these tribes including their women and children were to remain on the east side of the Jordan in the townships previously conquered from the Amorites.
These events greatly enhanced the prestige of Joshua in the eyes of the People.
As the Priests with the Ark went reached the west bank and went up on it the waters of the Jordan flowed back as they had formerly been.
The new camp was set up at a place named Gilgal on the first day of Nissan i.e. the beginning of Spring.
The 12 stones were set up there and are probably still to be seen.
Megalithic groups of standing stones are to be found in Ireland and the British Isles as well as in Scandinavia and Brittany, France.
e.g.
http://outlandishobservations.blogspot.co.il/2011/01/outlander-links-part-12-standing-stones.html
In Israel the best example of standing stones still to be seen is probably those of Gezer to the southwest of Jerusalem towards Kiryat Gat.

The Bible says that the stones at Gilgal were to serve as evidence and as a witness as to what had taken place (Joshua 4:20-21).
This justifies the uses of archaeological and historical evidence to prove Biblical points.
This kind of  evidence should serve to induce the Fear of Heaven in those who receive it, THAT YE MIGHT FEAR THE LORD YOUR GOD FOR EVER (Joshua 4:24).

Joshua ch. 5

There are parallels between the receiving of the Ten Commandments and the Law at Mount Sinai and the Crossing of the Jordan: The three days interval; purification; the miraculous event; twelve megalithic monuments left as a witness; etc.
Following the Crossing, the neighboring Amorite and Canaanite peoples were overcome with fear and lost the power of resistance.
Joshua was commanded to circumcise the Israelites. For some reason this had not been done while they were in the Wilderness.
Circumcision is beneficial.
It was to be done with knives of flint. Implements made of flint were very important in ancient times and quite efficient.  They are often associated with the Stone Age but this is misleading.
The Israelites were encamped at Gilgal a name implying stone circles typical of megalithic culture.
They kept the Passover using grain grown in the land. The Manna ceased to fall as it had been doing until then.
From now on they would have to feed themselves from natural produce.
Joshua apparently conducted a patrol of his own on the outskirts of Jericho in preparation for the Israelite attack on it.
He encountered a heavenly figure bearing an unsheathed sword standing before him.
Joshua fell down before him. He was told to remove his shoes for the ground on which he stood was holy.

Joshua ch. 6

The Israelites were told to besiege the Canaanite city of Jericho. For six days they were to walk around the city walls. On the seventh day they were to do it seven times. Also seven Priests (Cohens) were to blow with the horns of rams (shofars) each time they went round. The seventh blowing was to be long and extended. Then all the people were to shout out, and the walls would fall down. There may be a scientific explanation for this, at least in part. It concerns the rhythmic effect of many people walking round stone foundations, earth tremors, etc. Musical notes really can break glasses, marching feet may cause bridges to collapse, etc. This is what happened. Jericho was taken. Rahab and her extended family were spared as had been agreed. According to tradition Rahab was an ancestress of Jeremiah the Prophet.

Joshua 7:  Individual Responsibility for the Generality and Vice Versa, Family Responsibility, Tribal Lineage, Cruelty to Animals.

ACHAN THE SON OF CARMI, a high-born personage from the Tribe of Judah, had taken booty from the city of Jericho. This had been forbidden.  Even though his transgression had been a secret one, his action reflected faults in the general community. 
Meanwhile the Israelites continued their conquest of Canaan. They attacked the city of Ai in the region of Beth-el. They were over-confident, relied on past successes and assumed that God would continue to intercede for them. Their attack failed and the attackers fled. They had lost 36 warriors but more than this, they had broken ranks before the enemy. Whereas previously all their enemies had been in awe before them, now they were in danger. The Canaanites greatly outnumbered them and were liable to exterminate them. Joshua prayed to God. He was told that the people had transgressed. The illicit booty and its possessor would need to be removed. Lots were cast at first by tribe, then by family (clan), then by households, and finally by individuals within the household.
This indicates the importance of ancestral lineage and the place we each hold within our Tribe. In the future this will be made known. The researches and studies of Brit-Am/Hebrew Nations in a very general way have made a start along these lines.
Achan was found to be the guilty party. He had taken a valuable garment made in Shinar (Mespopotamia) along with silver coins and a wedge of gold for himself.
Achan and all his family and livestock and all he had were stoned and their bodies burnt. Apparently his family had helped hide the booty.
This also teaches us something of the Biblical attitude to animals.
We have to look after our animals, provide their needs, and not to be needlessly cruel to them.
They are however little more than possessions and must never be accorded consideration detrimental to humans.
The remains of Achan and his family and possessions, etc, were, after being burnt, covered with a pile of stones.
The anger of the Almighty abated.