The Story: Week 5

Recap

The Biblical Story.

So far we have covered the fall of man in the Garden.

How humanity was introduced to sin, and has progressively gotten worse over time.

How divine beings and mortal men have rebelled against YHWH consistently since the beginning.

How YHWH divorced the nations at Babylon, and took for himself one man.

How Abraham, Issac, and Jacob are the forefathers of Gods people, the nation of Israel.

From whom a champion, a savior would come, who would crush the serpent and bring humanity back to YHWH

How Israel was enslaved in Egypt, but YHWH declared war on Egypt and their gods by sending the man named Moses.

How the final strike against the Egyptian gods, was the death of the firstborn son, as revenge for the Egyptians slaughtering every Israelite boy.

But also how YHWH provided an escape from this judgement, with the institution of the passover festival.

Where a spotless lamb would be sacrificed, and its blood would be spread on the doorway of each household.

So that the blood of the lamb would deter the coming death.

How YHWH took the Israelites to mount Sinai in the desert, where He made a covenant with His people.

Where the contract read, “If you will be obedient, and loyal to Me, then I will be your God. I will be loyal to you. I will protect you. I will provide for you. I will guide you.”

And how the Israelites, just 40 days after swearing to the covenant, broke their loyalty by fashioning and worshiping an idol.

How even though the Israelites broke the covenant, YHWH did not break it, but instead holds up His end of the contract.

We talked about how the Israelites sent spies into the promised land, and that there they found descendants of the Nephilum.

The unholy offspring that were formed when rebellious elohim, demons, bred with human women.

And because of this, all of Israel was afraid to go to war, and take the land they were promised.

All except 2 young men, Joshua and Caleb.

Because of this incident, YHWH made the Israelites wander the desert for 40 years until Joshua and Caleb were the only surviving members of the generation that refused to fight.

How Moses was allowed to see the promised land, but not allowed to enter it.

But we got an Image.

A small detail on how to identify this coming champion for humanity.

The Hero YHWH promised years ago, that would crush the serpent, and bring humanity back to YHWH.

Like Moses, that coming hero, the promised savior, would speak with YHWH face-to-face.

And so our story continues with Joshua, Moses successor, leading the Israelites into the land of Canaan.

Where they will wage war with the demonic offspring, and take the land YHWH promised them.

Conquest

The NET Bible (Second Edition) Chapter 1

After Moses the LORD’s servant died, the LORD said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant:

2 “Moses my servant is dead. Get ready! Cross the Jordan River. Lead these people into the land that I am ready to hand over to them.

3 I am handing over to you every place you set foot, as I promised Moses.

4 Your territory will extend from the desert in the south to Lebanon in the north. It will extend all the way to the great River Euphrates in the east (including all of Syria) and all the way to the Mediterranean Sea in the west.

5 No one will be able to resist you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not abandon you or leave you alone.

6 Be strong and brave! You must lead these people in the conquest of this land that I solemnly promised their ancestors I would hand over to them.

7 Make sure you are very strong and brave! Carefully obey all the law my servant Moses charged you to keep. Do not swerve from it to the right or to the left, so that you may be successful in all you do.

8 This law scroll must not leave your lips. You must memorize it day and night so you can carefully obey all that is written in it. Then you will prosper and be successful.

9 I repeat, be strong and brave! Don’t be afraid and don’t panic, for I, the LORD your God, am with you in all you do.”

Joshua Prepares for the Invasion

10 Joshua instructed the leaders of the people:

11 “Go through the camp and command the people, ‘Prepare your supplies, for within three days you will cross the Jordan River and begin the conquest of the land the LORD your God is ready to hand over to you.’ ”

Its time for war.

This is the land God promised His people.

The orders were simple, trust YHWH, enter the land, and drive these people out.

The Israelites were to spare no one, and no thing.

This served 2 purposes. First: Preserve the land as holy ground. Second: Eliminate all influence from other elohim and their offspring.

Now, this seems a little harsh.

Essentially God is commanding genocide.

But I want to explain to you why God is commanding this.

Remember that Canaanite gods are rebellious elohim.

And that these elohim bred with human women to make these demi-god beings that ruled these nations and directed worship to their demonic fathers.

They had no care for humans and did horrendous things.

Let me tell you about 3, just 3 of the many gods these people worshiped, and how the worshiped them.

Asherah: Was the goddess of fertility. Worship for her involved prostitution and orgies. The priests would receive payment to Asherah then have ritualistic sex to appease her. This was both gay and straight sex. Often they would enslave people and force them into Asherahs service, where they would be raped multiple times a day in order to keep Asherah pacified. On special days of worship, they would hold orgies in the temple to honor her. Again, with both willing, and unwilling participants.

Moloch: Was the god of fire. Also called the devouter of children. Worship for Moloch involved people bringing their newborn children to a bronze statue of him with the hands held out. There would be a fire lit inside of the statues belly. They would set the infant on the hot hands of the statue, the baby would cook alive and roll into the belly where it was burned alive. The statue was made with the mouth open so the screams of the baby would ring out and sound like Moloch laughing. If you didn't have a baby of your own to sacrifice, you could rip one from the hands of its mother and sacrifice it. They would play loud music with drums and flutes around the statue so that, from a distance, the mother couldn't hear the screams of her baby burning alive.

Baal: The high god of the Canaanites, required both sexual prostitution and human sacrifice, depending on what mood he was in. They would do both of these other worship practices, in honor of Baal.

I've heard people complain about God commanding genocide here. Say that He was wrong for doing it.

I've also heard those same people complain about why God doesn't stop evil things from happening.

With humans being given free will, and God allowing us to choose for ourselves what to do, the only way for God to deal with evil is to eradicate those who practice it.

And that's exactly what He does.

The Israelites are to be set apart as holy. There is no room for them to adopt these gods or their worship practices.

So the conquest begins.

The Israelites take the city of Jericho, God brings its high walls crashing to the ground.

Then they move to Ai, infiltrating the city and eradicating everything there.

The Canaanite people begin to panic. Kings of several cities ally themselves against the Israelites, but God holds strong to His promise.

The Israelites destroy everything raised against them. Taking city after city.

With each city the Israelites capture, they methodically capture the kings, bring them before Joshua, where they are cut down and their bodies are hung on trees as an example, as they believed that whoever was hung on a tree was cursed.

A total of 31 Canaanite kings are captured and slaughtered.

The Israelites have a foothold on the land now. But the conquest is not yet finished.

In Joshua 13 we read:

The NET Bible (Second Edition) Chapter 13

13:1 When Joshua was very old, the LORD told him, “You are very old, and a great deal of land remains to be conquered.

2 This is the land that remains: all the territory of the Philistines and all the Geshurites,

3 from the Shihor River east of Egypt northward to the territory of Ekron (it is regarded as Canaanite territory), including the area belonging to the five Philistine lords who ruled in Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron, as well as Avvite land

4 to the south; all the Canaanite territory, from Arah in the region of Sidon to Aphek, as far as Amorite territory;

5 the territory of Byblos and all Lebanon to the east, from Baal Gad below Mount Hermon to Lebo Hamath.

6 I will drive out before the Israelites all who live in the hill country from Lebanon to Misrephoth Maim, all the Sidonians; you be sure to parcel it out to Israel as I instructed you.”

Joshua parcels the land out, as YHWH commanded.

But the conquest is not finished.

Joshua is getting old at this point, so He calls together all the Israelite tribes and reminds them to keep the Covenant.

Stay Loyal and Obedient to YHWH.

Joshua dies of old age before the whole land had been taken.

The Israelites now occupy a portion of the promised land, but not all of it.

Judges

Bible Project Judges Video

Closing

Israel is now corrupt.

Almost completely forsaking their covenant with YHWH.

Israel needs a king.