Dei Time

Conquest Completed; Joshua Departs

Dei Break

Joshua 22:1 – 24:33

Beginning in 22:10 the author tells the story of a near civil war. Just as everything seems to be settling down someone gets a rumor about half right, panics, spreads the panic, and causes all sorts of trouble because they just didn't take the time to ask a question. They jumped to conclusions, negative of course. Hard to believe that this sort of misunderstanding has been around for at least three thousand years. The incident almost caused a disaster in Israel.

Fortunately the fellow Israelites who went to question the eastern tribes believed their explanation that the altar was only a reminder that they were indeed still part of the nation and that the true place of worship was at the heart of the promised land in the tabernacle of the Lord.

Like Moses before him Joshua, as an old man, called the people together for a few last words, well maybe not just a few. It's a little reminiscent of our parents as they followed us to the door as we left home to enter a world of our own. Most of us had to endure all those last instructions: "Drive carefully" (like we plan to drive dangerously); "Call us every day" (yeah, right); "Don't forget to smile" (as soon as I get out of the driveway).

Like teenagers, Israel probably saw no danger in their future, but Joshua made an interesting switch from "if you" in 23:12 to "when you" in 23:16. (NASB) He could see the dangers already developing. The Canaanites had not been destroyed and assimilation was inevitable; times of rebellion would come.

Like our parents Joshua saw pits in the road when his children were celebrating victory and feeling confident. That doesn't mean that God's people should have been less excited about their future, but, like us, times would come when they would think that perhaps they should have listened a little more closely.

As Joshua comes to a close, we see the burial of Joseph's bones in the Promised Land hundreds of years after his death in Egypt.

Next: Times and People

Gods and Territories

Dei Break

Joshua 17:1 – 21:45

[Much of today's reading is a listing of borders—rather than read the entire passage, you may want to just check out a map showing the division of the Promised Land among Abraham's descendants.]

Neither Ephraim nor Manasseh was able to drive the Canaanites out of their territories. The Canaanite culture continued to live among the people of God, though the people were subjugated into slavery by Israel. Verses 14-18 of chapter 17 may give us a clue as to why the Canaanites were able to persist in the territory. It sounds like some of the tribes did not expect to have to work and fight to claim their land. God had promised that He would lead them, and He could destroy any weapons of the enemy, including iron chariots, but He did not promise an effortless victory.

"Baal" keeps showing up in our readings in these chapters. The word can be translated "master", "lord", even "husband". Because the term is so general, the Israelites early in their history would even refer to their own God as Baal. This was not in any sense a confusion of the two lords in their eyes, but it can make the modern reader wonder at times exactly what the titles meant. City titles meant "lord" of something, whether flies, or palms, or fortune, etc. The city name may or may not have designated a specific connection between the city and a particular god. Adding to the confusion is the fact that a major god in the Canaanite deity list had the proper name of Baal. This was the god of fertility and rainstorms. His consort's name varied, depending upon the area. By the time of the prophets the term Baal in the scriptures almost always referred to the pagan deity with whom Israel "played the harlot" while the prophets called them to return to their true God.

The last verse of today's reading (21:45) tells us the most important message of the entire passage—"Not one of the good promises which the Lord had made to the house of Israel failed; all came to pass."

Next time: Conquest completed; Joshua departs

Mighty Hazor

Wednesday, May 14, 2003

Joshua 11:1 - 12:24

"Thirty-one kings in all" (12:24), and perhaps the most amazing victory was over Hazor. Located about seven miles north of what would later be called the Sea of Galilee, Hazor was the strongest of the cities destroyed. Non-biblical sources of the time cite only the ruler of Hazor as "king". In later years Babylonian ambassadors would reside in luxurious Hazor. In its prime, the walled city, complete with a deep moat for added protection, covered 200 acres. For many years the king of Hazor served Egypt as the manager of the other cities in the area. Every Pharaoh for three centuries listed it as one of his conquests. Egypt's chariots conquering Hazor is not amazing, but its fall to a nation of wandering Israelite nomads is. Again, only God could give the victory!

What was this city, so important in the minds of the people of its time, like? Imagine a city 1,400 years B.C. with an extensive sewage system, even in private homes. A tunnel six feet high and three feet wide lay through bedrock twenty feet underground. Much of it contained burial caverns up to 45 feet long. Bottle-shaped cisterns, some over 27 feet deep, collected rain water and sometimes served as burial vaults.

If Hazor was so rich and important, and so advanced, why did God want it annihilated? Not only have archaeologists discovered evidence of advanced architecture and city planning, they have found that the inhabitants worshiped false gods. Four temples to Canaanite deities were there, one of which was over 130 feet long and 70 feet wide. Its walls were seven to nine feet thick. Sometimes what we consider advanced, sophisticated, and beautiful is ugly and dark in the sight of God. If a nation or people rejects the sovereignty of God, they have missed the center of life, and all else that they might do is mere folly dedicated to their own glory.

Photos of Hazor excavations (just keep scrolling down on the linked site)

Next time: Tribes and Territories

They Preferred Slavery

Dei Break

Joshua 9:6 -10:43

The Gibeonite story continues. As they recited Israel's conquests, the Gibeonites did not mention Ai or Jericho since distant lands would not have yet heard about the battles. These guys had really planned this out.

Why did they do it? Ancient treaty obligations were binding, even devious ones, and they generally involved payment by the lesser, and protection by the greater of the participants. Israel would be bound to spare Gibeon.

The Gibeonites did not protest becoming slaves to Israel. After all, slavery was preferable to death. The Gibeonites remained part of Israel's history for over a thousand years after the treaty was made.

"So the men of Israel … did not ask for the counsel of the Lord" (9:14). How often do we skip asking God's counsel because we think that our path is so clear! "Stopping to smell the roses", is important but we also need to stop to talk to God every day, asking His counsel in all our decisions.

All of the cities conquered by Joshua in Chapter 10 were contained in an area of less than fifty square miles. This was a land of city states, each with its own king, most of whom owed some allegiance to powerful Egypt. However, Egypt was having problems of her own and was in no condition to aid the kings who challenged Israel.

The king of Jerusalem was anxious to take his allies into battle, probably because Israel's treaty with the Gibeonites, close neighbors to Jerusalem, could mean trouble for the city.

The key to Israel's victory is found in verse 42, "… the Lord, the God of Israel, fought for Israel." Did the sun stand still for most of the day and did hailstones sent by God kill more of the enemy than Joshua's army? If God is in control of all things, including nature, why not?

This campaign resulted in the conquest of the Promised Land from about the northern end of the Dead Sea southward. The Goshen mentioned, however, is not the Goshen that was home to Israel while in Egypt.

Next time: Mighty Hazor

Utter Destruction and Greed

Dei Break

Joshua 6:17-9:5

Jericho was "under the ban" meaning that it was to be devoted to the Lord's judgment against the sin of the city's inhabitants. The silver and gold was to be devoted to the support of Israel during its time of conquest. It seems appalling to our culture's concept of politically correct warfare, but again we must hearken to two things. First, the sin of the city. The inhabitants, except for Rahab and her family, were adamantly opposed to God. Second, war at the time was brutal in every way. The real value of an individual life in God's law was unusual. Destruction at Israel's hand was less brutal than by most other nations. Later we will be discussing Assyria, for instance, a nation of abominable cruelty in war.

Our sin is often the same as Achan's (Chapter 7): he saw, he wanted, he took, and he hid his sin. His punishment was harsh, but we cannot know Achan's heart. Was he repentant of his sin, or of being caught? The people were new to following God, and the punishment for leading them astray was swift and final.

The story of the Gibeonites in Chapter 9 is even more interesting than the perfect ambush of Ai in Chapter 8. Their deception of Israel demonstrates to us that people 3,500 years ago were no less clever and no less gullible than those of today. The Gibeonites donned their disguises and headed out to save their people from destruction. Everything was planned to prove the lie that they did not live in Canaan. Their worn shoes, moldy bread, and torn clothing were all part of the plan.

Next time: They Preferred Slavery

Devotion and Destruction

Dei Break

Joshua 5:1 – 6:20

The local inhabitants watched the miraculous river crossing, no doubt from a distance, and ran to spread the news. Israel had arrived, along with her God.

Two events marked Israel's coming. Circumcision, which had lapsed in the wilderness, was reinstituted, and when the people ate of the new land's plenty, manna ceased to appear.

As Jericho neared, Joshua found himself walking along, perhaps looking at the ground with his hands clasped behind his back, deep in thought. Perhaps he was wondering how he could defeat the ancient fortress of Jericho. See a stranger, he asked the obvious question of a man in enemy territory. The answer jolted him. "No!" He had not asked a yes or no question, but this "commander of the army of the Lord" served God, the real Strategist of the battle. The commander reminded him that the battle had already been planned. All Joshua had to do was follow orders. And what orders.

Imagine yourself a resident of Jericho. The city leaders are in hiding from this God who defeats armies with miracles. Now your city is cut off by an immense camp and you don't know what to expect next. Someone shouts that the army is coming and you run to the city wall to see. But what occurs? For six days you see the same thing. A crowd circles the city in total silence while some priests blow trumpets. On the seventh day, some of your friends who had ridiculed the marchers the first day have become silent. This day Israel walks around the city seven times (a number of completeness to Israel). The mob shouts. Then your world comes apart.

God's people obeyed an impossible plan without question—this time. As we confront our own problems, Joshua at Jericho reminds us that God's people shouted victory while the problem still literally loomed over their heads. There is no problem that God cannot overcome. By seeking His guidance through all of life, we can rest in the assurance that He is the one enabling us in any situation.

Next time: Utter Destruction and Greed

Rahab Understands

Dei Break

Joshua 2:1 – 4:24

Jericho is one of the oldest fortified cities ever discovered, perhaps in existence since about 7000 B.C. It is the site of the oldest known fortress tower. The tower walls were 42 feet long at the base and 32 feet high surrounded by a ten foot moat. The city walls, where Rahab's house was located, were 18 feet thick and 30 feet high. A second wall sat within the outer wall. How could the Israelites conquer such a city? Perhaps that is why God chose it as the first in line for conquest—it could only fall to the invaders by the power of God.

The spies sent into Jericho stayed with, and were protected by, a harlot named Rahab. Her home may have been an inn. She told the spies that even in a protected city like Jericho, the people were afraid of the former slaves bearing down upon them. They had heard about the Red Sea crossing and the fate of Sihon and Og, the kings east of the Jordan (2:10).

Verse 11 in chapter 2 tells us that more than destruction was happening as the conquest of the land proceeded—Rahab confessed to the spies, "…the ^Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath." Rahab's life was about to change, as she would join the people of God and become the great-great grandmother of King David.

God assured Joshua that He would demonstrate to the people that Moses had anointed the right man to lead the people. What better way than to dry the waters of the Jordan so that the people and the Ark of the Covenant could cross on dry ground. Joshua, however, did not praise himself to the people, but praised God and reminded the people that their Lord was the one leading them to victory in the new land. God, whose mercy seat formed the lid of the ark, led the way across the river and into the Promised Land.

Next time: Devotion and Destruction