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"THE BIBLE IN PICTURES!"--Chapter Fifteen --"THE CONQUEST OF THE PROMISED LAND!"--Numbers 33-Joshua 24 DFO1153 1962
WE'RE RESUMING OUR STUDIES OF THE BIBLE STORY IN PICTURES--both in the artists' conceptions of the events, as well as actual photographs of the places where they happened. We're trying to boil it down in simple form, so that we can understand the proper sequence of these famous historical events of God's Word.
WE'RE NOW ENTERING CHAPTER 15 OF THE BIBLE IN PICTURES, the 1st Chapter of Joshua, & the title of this Chapter is: The Conquest of Canaan! Our last Chapter dealt with the death of Moses on top of Mount Nebo--overlooking the Promised Land, which he was not allowed to enter.
MOSES HAS COMMISSIONED JOSHUA TO TAKE OVER WHERE HE LEFT OFF. As Moses had been a judge, leader & prophet of His people, now Joshua is to become a brave & courageous military leader. Now they are going to have to fight battles & wars to drive out their enemies--the wicked Canaanites, who were full of terrible sins!
GOD HAD ORDERED THEM TO DRIVE THEM FROM THIS PROMISED LAND, that He had given to the Israelites. He said, "You must drive them all out, otherwise they will be thorns in your flesh & pricks in your eyes, & you will become partakers of their sins!" (Num.33:55 & Jud.2:3.) Sad to say, that's exactly what happened!: They failed to drive all of them out, & later, the few left remaining caused them to sin against God! They are now starting out bravely to try to do the task that God had assigned them. Here is Joshua being assigned the task from God by Moses.
1. JOSHUA IS NOW IN COMMAND. Moses is dead, & according to their custom, Israel mourned for 30 days, Joshua is in Moses' stead, with full authority, both from God & Moses, to be their leader.
WHEN ISRAEL LEFT BEER-SHEBA, WHEN THEY WENT DOWN INTO EGYPT, SOME 400 YEARS AGO, THEY NUMBERED ONLY 66. When later, they left Egypt, 40 years ago, they numbered 600,000 fighting men--not counting the old men & the younger men, nor all of the women & children. Bible students estimate that there were 3-6 million of them all told. Quite a company to be led by one man, out of a land, through a desert wilderness, fed & watered by God for 40 years, to their homeland--promised to them already, occupied by another people!
NOW THEY'RE READY TO REENTER CANAAN FROM WHICH THEY HAD COME. The number of them who have attained military age are 603,550. Joshua 1. Of course, that doesn't count the children & the women, nor the old men.
THOSE WHO HAD SINNED AGAINST HIM, BY FAILING TO HAVE FAITH, as they came to the border of the Promised Land, were not allowed to go in! All of those who were not of age, at the time of that sin, were going to be allowed to live on. All of those who were over 20 had died!
2. HERE WE HAVE A PHOTO OF THE BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE JORDAN. Joshua now advised the people that, within 3 days, the whole congregation would pass over the Jordan River. According to their promise, the Tribes of Reuben, Gad & Manasseh, who possessed the land here east of the Jordan, agreed to accompany the rest of the Israelites, to the west side until the land was conquered. Remember, Reuben, Gad & half the Tribe of Manasseh decided to settle in the very beautiful country on the east side, which is now called the Land of Jordan.
3. NOW WE HAVE A VERY THRILLING ROMANCE STORY! There's plenty of romance, thrills & glory in the Bible! This is a story of the 2 spies: These 2 spies are sent into Jericho, one of the leading cities of the Canaanites, just across the river in the Jordan Valley. They are almost apprehended by officers of Jericho, & it's only through the good grace of this harlot that they were hidden, under the straw on the roof of her house, & managed to escape with their lives--climbing down a rope! She lived in a house with a window right on the wall.
THEY PROMISED HER, THAT SINCE SHE HAD HELPED THEM TO ESCAPE, that if she would hang a scarlet cord out her window, she & all of those in her house would be spared. God's Word tells us that she & her whole household were the only ones spared! When the walls of Jericho came tumbling down, there was one part of the wall that still stood standing--did you know that? The house of Rahab the harlot!
WHEREAS, THE REST OF THE POPULATION WERE SLAUGHTERED & PUT TO THE SWORD, RAHAB, A PROSTITUTE, WAS SPARED BY THE GRACE OF GOD! Why? Because she was so good? Was that why she was spared? Or, just because she saved the spies? Was that the only reason she was spared? God's Word says, later in the 11th Chapter of Hebrews, because she had faith she was spared! There's faith again, isn't that wonderful! Here was a harlot who had enough faith to believe God & to believe God's children & their promise that she would be spared!
THE SPIES' INFORMATION UPON RETURNING TO THE CAMP OF ISRAEL WAS THAT: "TRULY, THE LORD HATH DELIVERED INTO OUR HANDS ALL THE LAND! For even all the inhabitants of the country do faint before us!" (Jos.2:24.) Imagine now, 3-6 million people encamped across the river & ready to march in with 600-&-some thousand fighting men, wouldn't you be a little bit frightened too? They were scared even though they were behind the great strong walls of Jericho.
JERICHO HAD SEEN DESTRUCTION OF THE KINGDOMS OF SIHON & OG. "Our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man ... the Lord your God is God of Heaven above & Earth beneath!" says Rahab--a wonderful statement of faith! (Jos.2:11.)
THERE'S HER CONFESSION OF FAITH IN THE LORD, amen? So, by that confession of faith in God & that manifestation of her faith, she was saved--both literally &, I believe, also spiritually!
4. HERE ARE THE WATERS OF THE JORDAN, AS THEY PART BEFORE THE FEET OF THE PRIESTS, according to the promise of God. Joshua now moved to the brink of the Jordan.
5. "AS THE FEET OF THE PRIESTS THAT BEAR THE ARK WERE DIPPED IN THE BRIM OF THE WATER, THE WATERS WHICH CAME DOWN FROM ABOVE STOOD & ROSE UP! Listen to this, kids! Did you ever hear of such a thing?: They "rose up in a heap very far from the city of Adam, & those that came down toward the sea failed, & were cut off: & the people passed over right against Jericho ... on dry ground!" (Jos.3:15-17.) Just as though the hand of God reached out like a dam & held the water back! Think of that! And the rest of the water flowed right on down to the Dead Sea.
THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL HAD CROSSED OVER A WATERY SPOT ON DRY GROUND! Where was the first time? The Red Sea--that time God used a wind. This time we're not told exactly how He did it, but it was a miracle! The priests bore the Ark during the entire time that Israel was marching thru'. They stood out there in the midst of the river to make sure that Israel got through, according to the commandment of the Lord.
6. AS A MEMORIAL TO THIS EVENT, JOSHUA COMMANDED 12 MEN, ONE MAN FROM EACH TRIBE, TO TAKE A STONE FROM THE DRY BED OF THE JORDAN RIVER. With these 12 stones, he erected a monument, an altar at Gilgal. Gilgal was very near to the river, 6 miles from Jericho, & the first camping place that Israel had here in the Holy Land.
7. ONE OF THE FIRST PHYSICAL RITES OF THE LAW WAS PERFORMED HERE, before going to attack Jericho. Of the multitudes that came over the Jordan, only 2 of them had been born in Egypt! Who were they? Joshua & Caleb. Caleb was an old man; he was one of the 2 spies that had faith, Joshua was the other one. Therefore, God let them live to see the day of entry into the Promised Land!
ISRAEL HAD APPARENTLY NEGLECTED CIRCUMCISION IN THEIR WILDERNESS WANDERINGS, & this rite was now performed upon all the male children. This was a sign of their separation unto the Lord & dedication to God. They also kept the feast of the Passover. The manna ceased to fall forever, because they fed on the food that was growing in the land now.
8. NOW JOSHUA IS VISITED BY AN ANGEL. Some time was evidently spent at Gilgal before the attack was made upon Jericho. In the meantime, an Angel of the Lord, with a drawn sword in his hand appeared, & said, "As Captain of the Host of the Lord, am I now come!"--& Who do you think that might have been? Captain of the Host of the Lord, Lord Sabaoth or the Lord of Hosts is the same term used for Jehovah or Jesus!
SO, IT MAY HAVE BEEN JESUS HIMSELF!--Captain of both those literal hosts of Israel & the Heavenly Hosts of God, that were coming down to fight their battles for them & to help them. Joshua was so impressed by the sacredness of this event that he took off his shoes, as the angel directed, because he was upon holy ground-God's Word tells us.
9. NOW THE FALL OF JERICHO!: Joshua marched against Jericho with 40,000 men. The whole army marched around the walls of the city once a day for 6 days. On the 7th day, they marched around the walls 7 times.
AS ISRAEL GAVE ONE GREAT & MIGHTY EARTHSHAKING SHOUT & BLEW THE TRUMPETS, THE WALLS CAME TUMBLING DOWN! BOOM! Fell down flat! God's Word says absolutely flat! Whether the Lord knew that they were pretty shakey already or whether it was just a direct miracle, we don't know. But down came the walls, & the people surrendered without any resistance!
10. AFTER THE WALLS HAD FALLEN DOWN, JOSHUA PUT THE ENTIRE POPULATION TO DEATH, as God's Word had commanded--because they were wicked, filthy, vile people! Some people say, "Oh, my! What a cruel God He must have been in those days!" Well, God knows the earth needed to be cleansed of the horror of those people! If you knew some of the sins that they had--sodomy & so on, which is one of the vilest sins known to mankind ... ,
YOU CAN UNDERSTAND WHY GOD HAD TO COMPLETELY WIPE OUT THE POPULATION! Everybody except who? Rahab! Compared to these men of Jericho, even a harlot was a saint! My Mother used to give a wonderful story about how Rahab must have felt after the spies fled: She perhaps hadn't seen her family for many years, because she was a woman of disrepute. But now, perhaps she ran back & she greeted her family again. She pled with them to come to her home for refuge & they believed her, or they would not have been spared either! God gave her conviction of her message!
HERE WAS A REAL EXAMPLE OF WITNESSING!: They believed & came into her house, as a type of Christ, & were saved! That red cord stands for the blood of Jesus Christ!
THAT SCARLET CORD RUNS THRU' THE ENTIRE WORD OF GOD, from the blood sacrifices of the animals back in the early days, down to the shedding of the blood of Jesus Christ upon Calvary--the wonderful scarlet thread of the sacrifices of God that we might be saved! So, Rahab is spared according to the promise of God made by the 2 spies, whose lives she had saved.
11. HERE ARE THE RUINS OF JERICHO AS THEY ARE TODAY. Joshua pronounced a curse upon anyone who should try to rebuild Jericho. The curse has been brought down many times in a most striking manner, particularly in the case of the family of Hiel, which is told later in 1Kings 16.
MANY PEOPLE TRIED TO REBUILD JERICHO: It was rebuilt by Mark Anthony for Cleopatra, by the Romans & by different ones down through the ages; but it has never remained rebuilt, it's always been destroyed! God didn't say it wouldn't be rebuilt, but said, "Cursed be the man who buildeth this city Jericho!" (Jos.6:26.) Although there is a small village called Jericho, of about 600 Bedouins, 3 miles away, the actual site, as you see here, still lies in ruins today. So God's Word has been fulfilled!
12. NOW THE STORY OF ACHAN! HERE'S ACHAN'S CONFESSION. Israel now ascends the hills to the northwest, toward Ai, where they met their first defeat with a loss of 36 men. Now they had said, "Ai's just a little city, we'll just send up a couple of thousand men." And they got defeated! Why?
BECAUSE OF SIN IN THE CAMP! THEY WERE ALSO RELYING UPON THE STRENGTH OF THEIR OWN ARM! They forgot it was God that gave them all their victories, & they just went right up against Ai with hardly a thought! Soon afterward, Joshua discovered that Achan of the Tribe of Judah had stolen some of the plunder of Jericho, a large wedge of gold, which was forbidden--even the wealth was cursed! For that reason, the Lord withheld the victory from the army of Israel.
13. ACHAN HAD TO CONFESS THE CRIME, & HE & HIS ENTIRE FAMILY WERE STONED TO DEATH in the Valley of Achor. God didn't beat around the bush about judgement in those days, did He! Why did He mete out such a fearsome & awful punishment to not only Achan, but to his whole family? To set an example!
HE WAS LITERALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DEATH OF 36 SOLDIERS OF ISRAEL, because of his sin! It's not just what you do & how much it hurts yourself, but how much harm does it do to other people--your influence upon others! So God help us to be careful about our influence! Achan & evidently, his whole family were infected with that same sin of covetousness, & God felt that it was necessary to kill them all!
THAT'S A HORRIBLE DEATH BY STONING. Do you suppose witnessing that would have an effect upon the people? Do you think it would encourage them to steal? Don't you think it would make them think quite a few times before they disobeyed God? God's judgements were severe, swift & sure! That's one reason there wasn't as much crime as there is today!
14. HERE IS ANOTHER PHOTO OF THE SITE OF OLD JERICHO. Modern Jericho is located on the plain not far away. But in the days of Joshua, it stood back against the foothills of the Judaean desert, where you see the scant ruins.
15. THIS IS A VERY INTERESTING ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXCAVATION--that simply means a hole in the ground! The archaeologists, the diggers for facts, artifacts, as they're called, go around digging with a pick & shovel to find things that have been buried. This is a part of the old wall of Jericho that was dug up. That same old wall that fell down when Joshua fought the Battle of Jericho. (SINGS:) "Oh, Joshua fought the Battle of Jericho & the walls came tumbling down!"
IT HAPPENED, IT WAS TRUE & HERE YOU SEE THE PROOF OF IT! You know it really happened, you've seen pictures of where it happened! You know the Bible is true! That's one reason why I like these pictures, they make it real to you! These are actual photographs & pictures of where it happened, & we're telling you how it happened from the Word of God.
16. NOW YOU SEE THE PLAIN OF JERICHO AGAIN. The city stood in the midst of this fertile plain, the lowest altitude in the world, about 1300 feet below sea level--very hot & humid, almost suffocatingly hot! Tropical fruits grow here in the valley.
17. BUT THE PEOPLE OF JERICHO ARE VERY LAZY & have been notoriously vicious, short-tempered & criminal for centuries! In fact, this area was never safe for travellers until recent years--you had to have an entire armed escort of British soldiers, or later on, Jordanian soldiers, in order to pass through. Remember, this was the same area in which the poor man was beaten & robbed by thieves that the good Samaritan rescued.
18. HERE'S THE VALLEY OF ACHOR. This is where Achan was stoned to death. A little wadi flows through modern Jericho, about 2 miles south of the site of the old city, & is shown here with an ancient bridge built by the Romans.
20. NOW THE SECOND BATTLE OF AI. Here Joshua used a little strategy. After the stoning of Achan, he moved upon Ai with a determination that could not be defeated! He hoaxed the people: He sent out just a small part of the army, that they could see from the gates of the city, & they came out thinking that was all there was to challenge them. The rest of the army cut off their retreat, ambushed them, & they totally annihilated the population! The king was hanged in the gate of the city, & the city was burned!
21. JOSHUA NOW MOVES TO MOUNT EBAL, WITH ALL ISRAEL. They had crossed over the Jordan, right about here, to Jericho. He conquered Ai & then he moved up to Mount Ebal. Here he built an altar, copied the Law of Moses & began to read it to the people.
22. WE'RE TOLD THAT HALF THE PEOPLE STOOD UPON ONE SIDE ON MOUNT GERIZIM & THE OTHERS ON THE SIDE OF MOUNT EBAL, & Joshua in the midst of them in the valley. It formed a natural, bowl-like amphitheatre, where these millions of people could clearly hear Joshua as he rang out in tones loud & clear the Laws of God, together with the blessings & cursings of God--blessings if they kept them, cursings if they broke them! The priests bore up the Ark of the Covenant in the midst of the valley, as Joshua read the Law.
23. HERE'S THE LAND OF GIBEON. The news of Israel's victories travelled very fast amongst the Canaanites. When the people of Gibeon heard of the destruction of Jericho & Ai, they feared Israel very greatly.
THEY CAME TO JOSHUA WITH A PIECE OF VERY INTERESTING DECEPTION: Their motive was to try to be spared, & Joshua was deceived, sad to say! This is one of the few cases in which he forgot to ask God's advice. It was very manifest, from the fact that they were out of water & the bread was all mouldy & their garments were very dusty, that they must have come a great distance. Joshua, using his natural reasoning, said, "Of course, we'll make peace with you. After all, you're not Canaanites, you are from a long ways off!"
SO, HE MADE A LEAGUE WITH THEM & PROMISED NEVER TO ANNIHILATE THEM & to protect them. And lo & behold, they turn out to be Canaanites, who were from the next country that they were about to conquer! Since they couldn't annihilate them, because he'd sworn & made a promise, they made them slaves: The hewers of wood & bearers of water. They were thorns in their flesh, because Joshua had disobeyed the Lord!
24. THE PARTY THAT ARRANGED THE LEAGUE WAS NOT THE BEGGARLY PEOPLE that they represented themselves to be, but they were literally ambassadors from 4 little kingdoms: Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth & Kirjath-jearim, which you see here on the map.
25. HERE'S A PHOTO OF JERUSALEM IN THE DISTANCE. Adonizedec King of Jerusalem heard of the victories of Jericho & Ai & also of Joshua's league with Gibeon. He became very greatly alarmed & called on 4 other kings south of him, to join him in an effort to destroy Israel & Gibeon.
26. HERE IS A PHOTO OF BETH-HORON. Joshua, hearing of this, made a night march from Gilgal. With the Gibeonites, he attacked these 5 federated kings. He chases them past Beth-horon & onto the western foothills of the mountains overlooking the Plain of Sharon.
27. AND GOD'S WORD TELLS US, "IT CAME TO PASS, AS THEY FLED FROM BEFORE ISRAEL, & were in the going down to Beth-horon, that the Lord cast down stones from Heaven upon them unto Azekah, & they died: They were more which died with hailstones than they which the Children of Israel slew with the sword!" (Jos.10:11 & 12.) So, it pays to have God on your side!
28. THEN ANOTHER VERY MIGHTY MIRACLE HAPPENED HERE!: JOSHUA COMMANDED THE SUN TO STAND STILL! He didn't have enough time to kill'm all, because the sun was setting, so he said, "Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; & thou, Moon, in the Valley of Ajalon. And the sun stood still, & the moon stayed, until the people avenged themselves upon their enemies!" (Jos.10: 12 & 13.)
BY A MIRACLE, GOD MUST HAVE CAUSED THE EARTH TO CEASE REVOLVING FOR A MOMENT, thereby, making the sun to stand still in appearance. He was able to carry on the slaughter. "There was no day like that before it or after it, that the Lord hearkened unto the voice of a man: For the Lord fought for Israel!" (Jos.10:14.) Wow! What faith that man had! Think of that! Would you have faith like that?
IF YOU WERE WORKING AS HARD FOR GOD AS JOSHUA WAS & AS OBEDIENT TO GOD, YOU'D HAVE ENOUGH FAITH TO EXPECT MIRACLES LIKE THAT! I know God has done mighty miracles of faith for many people, who have been serving the Lord! If you're obeying Him, you can trust Him! If you're trusting Him, you can obey Him!
29. HERE'S WHERE IT HAPPENED, in this Valley of Ajalon.
30. ON THE MAP, YOU SEE THE TERRITORY GAINED THROUGH THE VICTORY was: Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, Eglon, Gezer, Debir, Kadesh-barnea & Gaza--a very great stretch of land!
31. THE 5 KINGS HID THEMSELVES IN A CAVE AT MAKKEDAH. But they were discovered & they were all hanged, each one on a separate tree! "And Joshua returned & all Israel with him to Gilgal." (Jos.10:43.)
32. HERE WE HAVE A PHOTO OF BANIAS. While the campaign in the South was being waged, the North was preparing to combat the army of Israel. Jabin was King of Hazor, which is believed to have been Banias, later called Caesarea-Philippi. Jabin mustered his confederates here at Hazor, & he advanced southward to meet Joshua.
33. HERE AT THE WATERS OF MEROM, the 2 armies met on the Plains of Merom. The battle was decisively in favour of Israel. They burned the city of Hazor, destroyed their chariots & put the king to death by the sword.
34. "SO JOSHUA TOOK THE WHOLE LAND, ACCORDING TO ALL THAT THE LORD HAD SAID UNTO MOSES; & Joshua gave it for an inheritance unto Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. And the land rested from war!" (Jos.11:23.)
YOU CAN SEE THE AREAS THAT EACH TRIBE OCCUPIED, after the land was conquered & divided. Reuben, Gad & half the Tribe of Manasseh on the east side of the border. Judah was down here with Jerusalem. Simeon, Benjamin, Ephraim, Dan, the other half Tribe of Manasseh, Issachar, Zebulon, Naphtali & Asher northward there, occupying the entire land of Israel.
NOTICE THEIR ENEMIES, THE PHILISTINES, STILL OCCUPIED A LITTLE BIT OF THE BORDER. They hadn't quite got rid of them, & they troubled them from then on! The Philistines were not Canaanites, they were a foreign people, who had conquered some of the Canaanites & had settled there. The Philistines were descendants of the famous ancient Phoenicians, a seafaring people, who had a very high form of culture & education, a great civilisation!
35. HERE WE SEE SHILOH. THE TABERNACLE WAS BROUGHT & PITCHED HERE--that great tent, which housed the Holy of Holies of God, the place of worship. This was near the centre of the country. Here Israel was assembled & they had a big meeting, at which Joshua talked to them once again.
36. "JOSHUA CAST LOTS FOR THEM IN SHILOH BEFORE THE LORD: & THERE JOSHUA DIVIDED THE LAND UNTO THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL according to their divisions." (Jos.18:10.) At this time, in the Old Testament days, frequently the casting of lots was used to find the Will of God. It was almost like throwing dice, & God was supposed to signify by having the lots fall in such a way, by a miracle, that the decision would be according to His Will.
DID YOU EVER FIND CASTING LOTS IN THE NEW TESTAMENT? The choosing of a disciple to take Judas' place was not God's choosing, but man's choosing! Instead of being led by the Holy Spirit, they cast lots. In the New Testament era, they no longer had to cast lots, because the Holy Spirit directly guided them! God revealed His Will by His marvellous Spirit! (Ac.1:23-26.)
37. THE NEXT THING DONE AT SHILOH WAS THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CITIES OF REFUGE, to which an offender of the Law could successfully flee & he was sure of an impartial trial. This is the first effort, that we know in man's history, in which such impartiality of trial & method of escape & refuge was instituted in the governments of man.
THE CITIES OF REFUGE WERE: KEDESH, SHECHEM, HEBRON, BEZER, RAMOTH-GILEAD & GOLAN. They were cities of the Levites. The Tribe of Levi were the priests. They didn't have any part of the land, but they did have the cities of refuge.
38. NOW JOSHUA'S 110 YEARS OLD, almost as old as Moses was when he passed away. He assembles all of Israel again at Shechem; he exhorts them for the last time to be true to God. Remember that wonderful speech that he gave there?
HE SAID TO PLANT THE LAW OF GOD IN THEIR FOREHEADS & TO WEAR IT ABOUT THEIR NECKS. The Jews have carried on this as a literal practice, & some of them still wear a bit of the Law on their foreheads & some hanging about their necks. But Joshua meant get it in your heart! Write it upon the tables of your heart! Memorise it, learn it, so He'll hide it in your heart, so you won't depart from Him!
THEN HE GAVE THEM A CHOICE TO MAKE, he said, "Some of you are being tempted by other gods & other idols, such as Baal. If Baal is God, alright serve him; if the Devil's God, serve him with all your heart! But if God be God, then serve Him! As for me & my house, we will serve the Lord!" He warns them of the curses that would fall if they didn't obey God, & the blessings that would come if they did!
39. SO "JOSHUA DIED, & THEY BURIED HIM in his inheritance in Timnath-serah, which is in Mount Ephraim, on the north side of the hill of Gaash." Joshua 24. This is about 1427 B.C. Shechem was right close by. Before the Tribes departed for their possessions, they now buried the bones of Joseph, which they had carried for 500 years, according to his wish that they would not bury him in Egypt's land.
40. HERE'S JOSEPH'S TOMB IN THE DISTANCE. Joseph was buried here at Shechem, his father Jacob's farm.
41. IT IS NOW MARKED BY THIS MOHAMMEDAN SHRINE. These tombs & holy places are respected & of interest to the world's 3 great leading faiths: The Moslems or Mohammedans, the Jews, who are both descendants of Abraham, & the Christians, children by faith!
NEARBY IS THE TOMB OF ELEAZAR, the High Priest, who also died here at Shechem, & lies buried about 2 miles southeast of Joseph's tomb. He was the son of Aaron. Succeeding him, Phineas, Eleazar's son, now becomes High Priest, & later, was buried at the same place, beside his father.
42. THE 12 TRIBES NOW DISPERSED FOR THEIR OWN RESPECTIVE TERRITORIES. As the Trans-Jordanian Tribes came to the Jordan, to cross over to the other side, they reared an altar of promise. They promised that just because they were going to move across the Jordan & live on the other side, that they were not going to forsake their brothers, who lived on the west side of Jordan.
IF THEY EVER HAD ANY BATTLES, THEY WOULD COME & HELP THEM, & they were still one. So, they reared this altar as an altar of unity. Later on, the other Tribes mistook the intention of their brothers, thinking the altar was erected to another god. But before they could make an attack, these east Jordanian Tribes explained to them that it only stood as a witness to the good faith between them.
SO, HERE WE PART WITH THEM FOR TONIGHT, as they part. The job well done: The country conquered & divided amongst the various Tribes. Now Israel is established in the Promised Land, & has peace for a while.
Review Questions for Chapter 15.
1. Who is now the leader of Israel?
2. Who appointed him?
3. How many went into Egypt with Jacob?
4. How many came out with Moses?
5. Who were to live east of the Jordan?
6. Where did the 2 spies go?
7. How were they saved?
8. Did Jericho fear Israel?
9. What happened when the priests stepped into the Jordan?
10. Who stood in the river bed while Israel crossed?
11. What was done with the stones taken from the river bed?
12. Where did Israel camp first on the west side?
13. Name 2 men among them who had been born in Egypt.
14. What feast did they immediately observe?
15. Did they still feed on Manna?
16. Who visited Joshua at Gilgal?
17. What was the angel's mission?
18. How many times did Joshua march around Jericho?
19. What happened when Israel shouted on the seventh day?
20. Who were saved from the sword?
21. Why?
22. What city was next attacked?
23. What happened at this battle?
24. What became of Achor?
25. Near what city is the Valley of Achor located?
26. What did Joshua do at Mount Ebal?
27. What is its companion mountain?
28. What did Joshua do with the Gibeonites?
29. Who attacked Gibeon?
30. Did Joshua come to Gibeon's rescue?
31. What was the result of the battle?
32. What destroyed many?
33. Where did Joshua command the sun to stand still?
34. What became of the 5 kings that escaped?
35. Who was king of Hazor?
36. What was the result of the battle against King Jabin?
37. From Gilgal where was the Tabernacle moved?
38. How was the land divided?
39. Where were the lots cast?
40. How many Cities of Refuge were there & what were their names?
41. What was their purpose?
42. Where was Joshua buried?
43. What was his age when he died?
44. Where was Joseph's mummy buried?
45. Who was Eleazar's father?
Copyright (c) 1997 by The Family
