Weekly SummaryDeut 24 to Joshua 11
Jumping into the middle of Moses' address to the Isrealites before they enter the promised land, we pick up where we left of last week -- with a reiteration and explanation of the law that God had given the Israelites in the wilderness. Moses recaps divorce and dowry laws, puts in an intriguing condemnation of "dirty" fighting, and recaps their responsibilities in regard to firstfruits offerings and tithes. He also tells the people that once they cross the Jordan, they must set up monuments to God, that include the law that he has given them, and God renews his covenant with the people of Israel.
Essentially, Moses prepares the people to enter the land by making sure that they understand what God expects from them - he even has them stand on opposing mountains and recite the blessings that they will reap from faithfulness to the covenant, and their horrible prospects should they turn away from God and not follow his laws. The blessings include fertile fields, wombs, flocks, victory in war and renown among the nations. The curses follow the same pattern, but then go on to more things than they can imagine; sickness, pestilence -- they will become "a horror, a proverb, and byword" for the surrounding lands. Ultimately, they will be scattered. Moses recounts how they had wandered - not only in the desert, but also away from God, and tells them that they are capable of following this law. It is not too hard for them, and they must ultimately choose either life or death.
Reminding the people that he will not cross the Jordan with them, Moses encourages the people to be strong and courageous. They should not fear, because God will defeat their enemies and give them the land. He writes down the law, and tells the people that in 70 years they should read to every person in Israel. God tells Moses that he already knows that the Israelites will turn away from him, and that Moses is to write down a song celebrating the goodness of God so that the Israelites will be confronted by their rebellion. Moses gives them the song, blesses the twelve tribes, and dies.
In the opening of the book of Joshua, God anoints Joshua, who has the Israelites parade before him, and assumes command. He then sets the nation up for the invasion of Canaan by sending spies into Jericho, where they bunk down with a prostitute. Secrets are apparently hard to keep in that section of town, because people report to the king that Rahab has Israelite men in her place. The king tells Rahab to turn them over, but she lies and says that they had slipped out just before the gates closed, and the king's men head out to find them. The Israelite men were in the roof, meanwhile, and when she came to them, she told them that the whole city feared them because of what God had done for the people at the Red Sea, and she begged for her family to be spared when the Israelites took the city. They agreed, and returned to Isreal, where the people where making preparations to cross into Canaan.
Careful to obey all the directions that God had given them, the people of Israel followed the priests, who were carrying the ark of the covenant. God desired to show them his power, to show them that he was stillw ith them as had been with Moses, so as soon as the priests' sandals touched the overflowing, rushing, flood-stage Jordan, the waters "piled up" way upstream, until the entire nation had crossed on dry land. The people set up the monuments as God had commanded, using men from each tribe. If the Red Sea had scared the folks in Jericho, this little invasion into the uncrossable Jordan must have nearly panicked them!
Heeding God's call to mark his people, Joshua pauses before taking Canaan territory to circumcise all of the men of Israel, since they had not performed that rite while wandering in the desert, and all of the men who had been circumcised in Egypt had since died. The people celebrate their first passover in the promised land, and on the day after that, they eat the first produce from there, and there was no more manna after that. Joshua then sees a commander with a drawn sword, and, not knowing if he was friend or foe, asks if he for them or against them. Niether, says the man. He commands the Lord's army. Guess it's up to Joshua and the people of Israel if that means he's for or against....
Outside the walls of Jericho, where the people must be beside themselves with fear, the people of Israel march. And march. And march. Six days, then they march around the city seven times, shout, and blow their horns. Probably not what the Jericho-ians were expecting, but the wall come a-tumblin' down. God says that everything is to be destroyed except for silver and gold, which are to be given to the lord, and they are also to spare Rahad and her family. The Israelites follow this directive. Or so we think.
Fast on the heals of the victory at Jericho, the Israelites take on Ai... and lose! Wondering what went wrong, the people pray. God tells them that someone didn't follow the plan at Jericho, and took things for themselves which should have been devoted to the Lord. They narrow it down by tribe, clan, and family until they come to Achan, who has stolen a shawl and silver and gold. Because of this, he and his family and belongings are stoned, burned, and buried under a pile of stones. The Israelites then take another shot at Ai, this time luring them out with a small group of men, and then taking the city from behind while the fighting men are pursuing the small group of Israelite men who had taunted them. This time everything was destroyed as God had commanded.
At this point, Joshua again has the Israelites renew their covenant with God, and they go over all the laws that God had given them. The Gibeonites, however, see the problem in front of them: they are going to fall to Israel if they don't do something, and quick. So they gird themselves up with worn-out donkeys, crumbly provisions, and burst wineskins, and show up at the Israelite camp, wanting to make a treaty with them. The Israelites know that they are not to make treaties with the people they were sent to conquer, but the Gibeonites convince them that they are from far, far away. Why else would they be in such rough shape? They say nice things about the Israelites and their God, and push for a treaty... which they get. Three days later, the Israelite find out they are locals, and make servants out of them. The Gibeonites go along, thinking better a servant than dead.
Livid at what the Gibeonites had done, the other kings attacked them. Based on the treaty that they had with the Gibeonites, the Israelites join in the war. They were doing okay, but then God sent down hail, which killed more of the enemy than the Israelites did. The kings of the Amorites all fled to a cave, where Joshua could handily set a guard while the Israelites finished off all of their enemies. He then put to death the five kings, and reminded the Israelites to be strong and courageous, because God continued to show his power in favor of the nation of Israel.
Like the Amorites before them, the rest of Southern Canaan falls to Joshua and the Israelites. The Israelites put every person to death, and take only the livestock as plunder. After Southern Canaan, Northern Canaan follows the same fate, so that by the end, only the Hivites of Gibeon survive (as servants), and every other city is destroyed.
So, Israel has established itself in the promised land. Would they, as God foretold, forget him? Would they realize all that God had done for them and devote themselves to his law? I think you know the answer, but you never know... tune in next week and find out!
