Jg. 10: Let's Baal!

Judges 10:14 "Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen. Let them save you when you are in trouble!"

After Abimelech, there are a couple of judges mentioned who rule Israel. None of them are listed as particularly good or bad, and none really accomplish anything noteworthy. They were adequate to be used by God to lead the nation, however. Tola led for 23 years until his death, and Jair led for 22 years. Jair's main accomplishment was having 30 sons who rode 30 donkeys. Which is just awesome. I like how its not 30 golden stallions or whatever. Just donkeys. He also was well-liked enough to have land named after him...Havvoth Jair.

Then Israel falls back into idolatry pretty ardently from the sounds of it. They were possessed, overrun and shattered by the Philistines and Ammonites. Which were listed as the nations of whom Israel worshipped their gods. So just because they worshipped the same god as these other nations, that was not enough for these other nations to let them alone and do their thing. The same nations oppressed them. Israel pushes their Easy Button, calling on God to come and save them, saying that they repented, but God seems to have had it, as He says to call on the gods they were worshiping to save them. This would have made absolutely no sense in practice, as their oppressors would be worshiping the very same god. They repented, but still held onto their new gods. Which was not good. Only when Israel gave up their false gods would God step in and provide a way out.

Jg. 9: Abimelech: Rise and Fall

Judges 9:53 "A woman dropped an upper millstone on his head and cracked his skull."

Gideon's son by his concubine, Abimelech takes power because he is a son of Gideon. Albeit illegitimately. Instead of power being conferred on him, he just takes it.

If that name, Abimelech sounds familiar, it is. It is the name of the person both Abraham and Isaac duped into thinking their wives were their sisters.

To ensure that no one would take it from him, he has his 69 brothers killed on a single stone. The 70th, Jotham, escaped by hiding. Can you imagine lining up to be killed with all your brothers? Yeesh. What kind of goons did Abimelech hire? Anyway, Abimelech is crowned king, and the escaped brother, Jotham climbs up on Mount Gerezim, the mountain of blessing, and tells a parable about trees that basically means that something generally useless, as a thornbush would take power and be destructive, while useful people would be too busy being useful to pursue power. Abimelech had power because he took it...not because he offered Israel any kind of hope or good. Jotham caps it off by implying that supporting Abimelech would be denigrating Gideon.

Then he ran, because this probably upset the majority of the people.

For three years, Abimelech rules Israel, and then God sends an evil spirit (first biblical mention) between Abimelech and the people of Shechem. This evil spirit was used by God to avenge the deaths of the brothers Abimelech had killed. It's another example of God using evil to accomplish his justice. So Shechem rebels and their people go to war against Abimelech. This results in Abimelech crushing the rebellion and pursuing the Shechemites to some tower in Thebez where a woman drops an upper millstone on his head. Abimelech has his sword-bearer run him through to avoid the dishonor of being killed by a chick. Which would have been devastating. Thus ends Abimelech.

The curse Jotham pronounced came true on Shechem as well, because they were not exactly smelling like a rose, either.

Jg. 8: Gideon Continues to Clean House

Judges 8:7 "Then Gideon replied, 'Just for that, when the LORD has given Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, I will tear your flesh with desert thorns and briers.'"

Gideon looks to have gotten quite the bloodlust. He was pursuing these Midianite kings, Zebah and Zalmunna. When he got to Succoth and Peniel, he asked for bread to feed his tired men. The officials of Succoth and Peniel both refused. Well, Gideon was already tired and cranky, so he promised painful defeat on both lands when he got done conquering the already depleted Midianite forces. Basically, to Succoth, he promised to whip them with desert thorns...painful. And he was going to tear down some tower in Peniel. Probably a tower of some (possibly religious?) significance to them.

So anyway, he captures Zebah and Zalmunna, and wrecks their army. On the way back, he runs into a Succothite who gives him the name of each official in Succoth. Now that is what I call being connected to the social scene there. He knew all 77 town leaders? Can you name your state representative? Anyway, he brings the ZZ Kings back through and shows the officials what he had done, and still harboring the grudge for being denied grub, he whips them with thorns. Then he kills all the men of Peniel.

Then he kills the kings. He was going to have his oldest son kill them, but he wimped out, as he was only a boy. Boys shouldn't have to kill men.

Then in his zeal, Gideon makes an ephod from the gold of the Israelites. Instead of its proper use, you know, being worn on a priest, he sets it up in town and the Israelites worship the ephod. The holy shirt.

And the same thing happens, there is peace in Israel for forty years, then Gideon dies, and the cycle starts over...the Israelites worship the Baals again. Yay.

Jg. 7: Gideon's Pityin' Midian...No kiddian'

Judges 7:2 "The LORD said to Gideon, "You have too many men for me to deliver Midian into their hands."

Well, with the dew soaking the fleece, that is as good an indicator as any to watch for as far as the LORD being with you. So Gideon gets ready for battle, and has 32,000 dudes at his disposal for war against the Midianites.

But God won't conquer the Midianites with that many men. And He tells Gideon as much. "You have too many men." God tells Gideon he has too great an advantage. Who gets the glory in a rout with that many men? The victory is easy. So God tells Gideon to cull the herd a little, and the people that are too scared go home.

With 10,000 men left, it was still too much. At the river, during a water break, God tells Gideon to send home those who stick their faces in the water to drink. So we have 300 men left to fight. We've seen that number before. Some say it was because they would be more alert to fight in battle, without their heads in the water, but would it matter, if God was already lengthening the odds against Gideon? God stacked the deck against Gideon. That's what's happening here. The longer the odds, the greater the victory, and the greater the glory given to God.

Anyway, that night, God sends Gideon and his armor bearer down to see what the scuttlebutt is down in the valley of the Midianite camp. God says he'll hear something encouraging. For sure.

One Midianite soldier has had a nightmare and is telling another Midianite soldier. And it went a little something like this:

"I had another dream about bread last night."

"You don't say. Please tell me all about it."

"OK, but this wasn't one of those good dreams with toast and fresh baked Italian bread with the oil for dipping."

"Oh, no? I loved that one."

"No, I saw this loaf of barley bread rolling down hill, and it knocked over a tent."

"You know what that means..."

"You don't think..."

"Oh yeah. Has to be the sword of Gideon son of Joash. God has turned our entire camp over to him."

"Ah."

The second Midianite soldier draws the only possible conclusion from a dream about a loaf of rolling bread. Its Gideon, and he's coming to clean house.

So Gideon is encouraged by this bit of gossip, and the very first thing he does is to stop, pray, and thank God. I would have been so excited to knock some heads together, I'da done that first. But anyway, Gideon surrounds the Midianite camp in silence, and then lets loose with trumpet blasts and shattering jars. The Midianites, already on pins and needles from the bread dream lose their minds and kill each other.

Since God had sent 99% of his army home, Gideon needed more Israelites to take over the Midianite land.

Then the Ephraimites capture Oreb and Zeeb, which is an awesome pair of names for military commanders.

Jg. 6: Or a Golden Fleece to Grasp

Judges 6:32 "So that day they called Gideon 'Jerub-Baal,' saying, 'Let Baal contend with him,' because he broke down Baal's altar."

Gideon is the right kind of ruckus perpetrator in my opinion. Let's take a look. I remember hearing about the fleece and the military victory, but the test leading up to it gives me great respect for him.

Gideon is not the greatest man in stature out there. In fact, he is the least in his family, and in the least of the tribes of Manasseh. And I love the guy's honesty. It had been seven years of Midianite rule since the 40 year peace brought by Deborah. And it was no fun. And realization of this filtered all the way through Israel, even to Gideon, the low man on his family's totem pole. Anyway, an angel of God appeared to him, and said "The LORD is with you, mighty warrior." At that point, I imagine the scrawny Gideon leaning on his thresher, peering through the dust, squinting his eyes, and saying..."Huh?" Just a comical kind of picture to me.

And then Gideon asks the question that was probably on every Israelite mind...a question with the answer they didn't probably want to hear:

"If the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our fathers told us about when they said, 'Did not the LORD bring us up out of Egypt?' But now the LORD has abandoned us and put us into the hand of Midian."

Well Gideon...maybe you haven't heard. Maybe you weren't even told about the covenant. Which I could understand and not place any blame on him.

The angel (God's proxy) doesn't even answer, rather kind of sharply responds, telling Gideon to go save Israel from Midian in his own strength. Which, obviously would be impossible. Gideon explains his lowly position. He acknowledges his own weakness first, and then God tells him that he himself will conquer the Midianites, using Gideon.

Gideon still has some sense of disbelief, so he prepares an offering...of some kind...it didn't appear to be along the lines of the required offerings first described in Leviticus, but it was an offering. The angel of God pokes at it with his staff and the offering explodes into flame. Gideon finally realizes what's going on. He knew seeing God's face brought death, and he totally freaked. But it was "just" the angel of the LORD. ( I am assuming this is how Moses talked to God "face to face")

The angel told him to relax, because he had a test all prepared, and it was to take a bull from his father's herd, tear down the altar to Baal, rip down the Asherah pole, and build a proper altar to God, and then sacrifice that bull on the altar to God.

This is why this is significant. Gideon was nobody, basically, yet here he was, demolishing the precious religious artifacts upheld and revered by the most important people in his family. That is the ruckus. He tore Baal down. Of course, the townsfolk lost their minds and desperately investigated to find out whodunnit. They found out it was Gideon, and went to his father's house to demand recompense. Joash, surprisingly, has a pretty cool head here. It was his own altar destroyed and his faith denigrated, but he sticks up for his son, and rationally (irrationally?) offers that Baal can take care of himself, if he really is a god. Then townspeople call Gideon "Jerub-Baal" meaning, "Let Baal Deal With Him." Amazing.

Then the Spirit of God comes upon Gideon and he marshals an army to fight the Midianites. In a way, this section shows that even with the Spirit of the LORD on someone, that someone is still themselves...they are strong, but still have their weaknesses...Gideon is hesitant to go to battle, so he does the fleece experiment.

The first time, he asks that the fleece be wet, and the ground dry, to signify that it is he (the wet fleece) who will save Israel. The second time, he asks that the fleece be dry, and the ground wet. To remove doubt. And maybe to pester God. But probably to remove doubt. And it was so, so we'll see what happens.

Jg. 5: Deborah's Song

Judges 5:31 "'So may all your enemies perish, O LORD! But may they who love you be like the sun when it rises in its strength.' Then the land had peace forty years."

With victory is singing. This is another example. Moses had a couple. Israel had a couple. Music is important to worshiping God. Music is a way to express appreciation to God. It would be easy to read this as a song, just an artistic rendering of what God has done, and how man appreciates him. But I think there are many insights about the nature of man and the nature of creation in Deborah's song.

First of all, Deborah describes how the earth trembles, the clouds pour down water, and the mountains quake in God's mere presence. Next, and more wondrous and mystifying is the section in verse 20:

From the heavens the stars fought,
from their courses they fought against Sisera.

Is this some sort of endorsement of astrology? Hardly. The stars are a part of creation. My presumption here is that even then, travelers (including Sisera) navigated using the stars. Could God have nudged the stars around to confuse Sisera? The river is credited as sweeping enemies away. Each corner of the earth, and each section of creation seems to take part in this advancing of Israel. This will of God. Creation has consistently obeyed.

There is reward and blessing for those who take part in the battle...curses (or at the very least denigration) for those who do not.

There is a retelling of Sisera's slaying by Jael. The song makes it appear as though Sisera struggled or was conscious when he died, but the point is, he died. And Jael was the killer.

The song takes a particularly dark turn in verse 28, when it portray's Sisera's mother as watching and waiting for her son...the commander to return, and he never does, nor would she stop waiting, and she and her ladies perpetuate the false hope that he is busy dividing plunder.

I love the challenge at the end..."May those who love you be like the sun, when it rises in its strength." Would creation be something to model one's character after?

Then at the end, it doesn't say "peace happily ever after," it says "peace for forty years." The cycle. 40 years appears to be some sort of a cycle...a stage...

Jg. 4: Debbie Does Harosheth Haggoyim

Judges 4:21 "But Jael, Heber's wife, picked up a tent peg and a hammer and went quietly to him while he lay fast asleep, exhausted. She drove the peg through his temple into the ground, and he died."

After Ehud, the next leader is Deborah. A woman. Was God anti-chick? I guess not.

Anyway, she sends for this guy Barak from Naphtali, and told him to go and take 10,000 men from Naphtali and Zebulun and go to Mount Tabor. Deborah, meanwhile, will lure the army of Jabin, Israel's current oppressor to the river, because God has delivered them into Israel's hands.

Barak, who I have no idea who he is, as this is my first introduction to him, does not appear to be the fittest military commander. He says he will not go if Deborah doesn't go with him. I assume he is some tribal leader, since you probably had to be somebody to be picked by the judge. But why wouldn't he go by himself? Was he afraid of his own shortcomings? Did he recognize the power of God with Deborah, as she was chosen? Did he have just a little crush? What about the plan that Deborah would lure Sisera's army to the place where Barak could slaughter them? At any rate, Deborah's like, "Fine, I'll go with you." Which had to be emasculating for Barak...he couldn't do it without a woman helping him, especially in those phallocentric times.

Deborah knew it was bad for him, so she told Barak that he would share none of the honor, since he couldn't do it without a woman by his side.

Then we have an interjection here about Heber, a Kenite, leaving his people and moving to Kedesh, a Naphtalite town in Galilee (Jos. 20:7). What's this guy's deal? What's he going to do? We'll have to read on, I guess.

So Sisera finds out about Barak moving his troops to Tabor, and he readies for battle and goes to meet Barak. And Deborah. Deborah takes charge, and tells Barak to get his rear in gear and kick some hiney. And the LORD routed Sisera, and all his men died. Except Sisera, who fled on foot to Heber's tent. They were friendly, Jabin the king (Sisera was Jabin's military commander) and Heber, so Sisera figured he was safe there. The thirsty Sisera asks for a drink of water, as he was thirsty, but Jael (Heber's wife) gives him milk instead. I'm no doctor, but does milk make one sleepy? And did Jael know that? Anyway, dude falls asleep and Jael nails Sisera's head to the earth with a tent peg. Did she realize that Jabin and Israel had beef? Because (seemingly coincidentally) Barak happens by, and she knows exactly who he's looking for.

I don't know how messages traveled back then, but they didn't have IM, so I see God's hand in this. Interesting portion of scripture. Milk, meant to sustain life, lead to death. Where water could have been saving.

Jg. 3: Here Come the Judge...s

Judges 3:22 "Even the handle sank in after the blade, which came out his back. Ehud did not pull the sword out, and the fat closed in over it."

Several nations were left, unconquered by the Israelites, whose sole purpose was to test Israel in battle. Their entire existence was to be cannon fodder. Sad. Anyway, against better judgment, the Israelites hang out with, worship with, and intermarry with the HACPHAJ.

So who were these judges, anyway.

The first one listed is Othniel, Caleb's younger brother. Same Othniel who conquered Kiriath Arba? I guess so. I know, he married his niece. OK. Anyway, God delivered the oppressive king Cushan-Rishathaim into Othniel's hands, and there was actual peace in the land for forty years. Almost a jubilee!

Then the Israelites were naughty again.

So the LORD gave Eglon the Moabite king power over Israel for 18 years. Ehud, Israel's next deliverer, sneaked a sword past the guards in Eglon's chamber, and told him he had a secret message for the king. A message of pain, baby! Ehud stabbed the king right in the belly, and then escaped undetected. Eglon's people, wondering what the wait was, figured he was taking a dump, and let him be. Ehud goes back to Israel, rallies the troops, and they go knock Moab around and take over, since God delivered them into their hands. And then there was an 80 year peace.

Shamgar comes after Ehud, and presumably the Israelites were naughty again. Shamgar's claim to fame is that he wasted 600 Philistines with an oxgoad. That's pretty hardcore, since the Philistines probably were using swords and stuff. Must have been a farmboy.

So it's a cycle. Israel blows it, whines, God delivers, Israel gets complacent, blows it, whines...

Jg. 2: Jewsaster Strikes

Judges 2:10 "After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither the LORD nor what he had done for Israel."

God keeps his word. God keeping his word can be a blessing or a curse, but that's not always up to Him.

Judges 2 is an amazing view into Israel's freefall into idolatry and turning away from God to the Baals. It actually only took one generation. Which surprised me at first, but then I figured this is Israel doing what they do. Screwing up. But from one generation to the next, mom and dad knowing God, and then their children not knowing God? And then that spread all across Israel? Wow.

All the things happened to Israel that God said would happen if they turned away...defeat in battle, they were plundered by raiders, etc.

So God Himself, reached into Israel, and raised up leaders...judges if you will, who were intended to be the go-betweens and spiritual standards for the nation of Israel. These judges are described as saving Israel from the hands of the raiders, so maybe they had Israel on the right track for at least a brief period, but then it's back into idolatry...quickly. God still had compassion...love...for the people of Israel as they groaned and wept as they were being robbed and defeated, but apparently they did not repent, and turn away from their rebellion, which was a contingent of the covenant for God to return His blessings. Israel made the choice to break the covenant, God offered relief if the Israelites wanted. Apparently they did not.

So why wouldn't God just reach in and make things all better? That's probably, actually, not what God was all about. Could he? Sure. But in breaking His own covenant to provide temporary relief, would he continue to still be God? He bonded His word.

Jg. 1: Some Conquering, Some Failing

Judges 1:7 "Adoni-bezek said, Seventy kings with their thumbs and big toes cut off had to gather their food under my table. As I have done, so God has repaid me. And they brought him to Jerusalem, and there he died."

So, Joshua is gone, and it's time to conquer the land. So apparently this chapter takes place right around the time of Joshua's death. The Israelites (or a priest?) inquire of God as to who will take the lead, and God says Judah, since it's his land basically. So they kick butt, slay 10,000 dudes...which actually probably only means "a lot."

An interesting little vignette takes place here where Bezek's leader is tracked down and has his thumbs and big toes cut off. Weird, but think about how important those appendages are to you. Adoni-Bezek recognizes that this is God's hand of judgment upon him, as Adoni-Bezek apparently had de-thumbed and de-toed bums scavenge for scraps at his table. God has paid him back (eye for an eye). Israel was (being) used by God to pay back these other nations for their wickedness. They had to. Mystical law of the universal God.

Also interesting that the city of Jerusalem's destruction is given brief mention in only one verse here.

Verses 9 through 15 recall the section of Joshua 15:16-19, where Caleb offers his daughter to a military victor and gives her and her new husband springs of water. This occurs before Joshua's death in Joshua, but after Joshua's death in Judges. Probably simply a retelling. I don't tell stories from my life in chronological order to the same people.

Iron chariots...too much for God? Or too much for the Israelites? They were fighting without a unifying leader, apparently. Also, they were probably tired from fighting, and probably (most likely) weren't keeping their end of the bargain. That's what God said would happen if they didn't hold up their end of the covenant. Without a unifying national leader, there's also a lack of a unifying spiritual leader. And that spiritual decay made its way down the chain to the fighters. As imposing as iron chariots were, with God they would have been no match at all. They took the hills, but not the plains. Have you tried dragging an iron chariot uphill? Me neither.

The Canaanites, an important contingent in the HACPHAJ would simply not be driven out of their land by the Israelites...virtually any tribe. So while they remained, Israel enslaved them...which can only be a good thing. Right?

Jos. 24: A Brief History of Jew Time

Joshua 24:14 "Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD."

A 110-year-old Joshua knew his time was drawing to a close. It was time to address the Israelites one last time. He gets them together and begins to go through the history of God's work in and through the nation of Israel. The first name he drops is Terah, the father of Abraham, and reveals (to me) how they served other Gods...other than the LORD.

And at first that struck me. Abraham was this great, mythic figure in Biblical history, yet at some point before God got a hold of his life, even he was into idolatry? This serves the purpose of a couple things, I think. First, so that when the Israelites go around bragging about who they are, they don't forget that even their most prized ancestors were sinners, who had to be collared by God, and put on the right track. The second is a reminder that it is God alone who accomplishes great things through men.

And we know the story of Jacob going to Egypt, Moses leading them out, and then here in verse 7, Joshua reports that God "put darkness between you and the Egyptians." Which I didn't recall from the original story. So I went back and looked and sure enough, in Exodus 14:20, where there was darkness on one side, and light on the other. The darkness bringing confusion, the light, rescue.

Lets see...defeat of the Amorites, Balaam, crossing the Jordan, defeating the HACPHAJ,...

Ooh...he sent the hornet to drive out the enemies. Can you imagine a swarm of hornets so nasty they'd clear an entire city? And I imagine these being big God-hornets...like the size of your fist, and being able to jab out a person's eyeball with a stinger the size of a golf pencil...yeah...scary. But maybe that didn't happen, but I wonder if it did.

So Israel might be feeling pretty cocky. After all they just cleaned out the entire promised land...until God drops verse 13 on them, and its a verse I need to remember when I get too big for my britches.

"So I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities you did not build; and you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant."

A great verse that forces one to remember just who it is that is doing great things. So Joshua presents them with a challenge, and it's the verse thats in all those plaques at Kregels that you give to people who need a housewarming gift..."As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD..." and so on. He takes a stand, knowing full well that there are people giving him lies when he asks if the LORD is their God, since people apparently still have their idols. He even tells them to throw them away. Has God told you to throw an idol away in a (not so) subtle way? I'm going to have to take stock, because I know there are things I hang onto that I shouldn't.

The most damning verse about this hidden sin is verse 19, where Joshua basically says, "You are not able to serve the LORD...he is holy and jealous." Loving? Not mentioned. Merciful? Nah. Unforgiving? Bingo. The point here cannot be missed. If you serve another god, it is impossible to serve God. It can't be done. God will not be served "too." Will not be served "also."

So Joshua sets up the witness stone. The earth, the land, is also a witness to what happens with God and with man. Another anthropomorphization of creation. I need a better word for that...

So Joshua dies and is buried in his inherited land. And so is Joseph, whose bones were apparently being hauled around all this time. He was buried at Shechem, where Jacob had bought land like a million years ago or something.

Eleazar died too. So, I'm not sure who the next leader is, or who the next high priest is. These people weren't lined up as specifically as Joshua and Eleazar were. Who is the next mediator between God and Israel?

Jos. 23: Joshua Bids Farewell

Joshua 23:16 "If you violate the covenant of the LORD your God, which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them, the LORD's anger will burn against you, and you will quickly perish from the good land he has given you."

Chapter 23 begins the epilogue to the book of Joshua. An old man, Joshua wants to pass on the same challenge Moses gave near the end of his life. To follow God only, to stick to his covenant...not to turn aside to the right or the left. To go straight on, and not to associate or intermarry with other nations, lest they lead Israel into idolatry and immorality...then breaking the covenant, and bringing down the wrath of God.

Verse 3 talks about what God did to these nations "for your sake," referring to Israel. Israel may have been special here, and Israel appears (at least in this passage) to be much more than simply God's hand of judgment on the rest of the world.

Verse 13 is pretty vivid...God will "no longer drive out these nations before you. Instead, they will become snares and traps for you, whips on your backs and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land, which the LORD your God has given you."

Seems simple enough.

God would turn his back on Israel if they turned away from him. What choice was there? How could God abide sin in his holiness?

Verse 14 sheds a little light on one happens at death. We learn that Joshua will "go the way of all the earth." He will die, which means all the earth will die. Even back then, life was a terminal condition. None in the earth would be perfect, and live forever. What hope was there then in life?

Another point of interest on our little tour through chapter 22 is where Joshua says that just as God's promises of good can come true, so can God's promise of evil. Evil. Done by God. Is there a distinction between evil and sin? If God is sinless, what then can be said about evil? Is evil merely destruction? Am I lost in the semantics of the word "evil?" Perhaps it can just as easily say "nasty stuff." At any rate, Israel was being challenged to be good. They did not want to bring forth the wrath of God.

Jos. 22: A Near Lethal Misunderstanding

Joshua 22:16 "'The whole assembly of the LORD says: 'How could you break faith with the God of Israel like this? How could you turn away from the LORD and build yourselves an altar in rebellion against him now?'"

Since the promised land had been conquered, the Eastsiders (Reuben, Gad and 1/2 Manasseh) were "dismissed" by Joshua. They had fulfilled their vow to Moses that they would aid their brothers in conquering the promised land, and it was time for them to return to the land they deemed worthy enough to be theirs. Why would he have to send them off on their way? It reads as though they are sort of not with the group. Joshua's blessings read as though he won't see them again.

"You're now free to go back to your homes, the country of your inheritance that Moses the servant of God gave you on the other side of the Jordan. Only this: Be vigilant in keeping the Commandment and The Revelation that Moses the servant of God laid on you: Love God, your God, walk in all his ways, do what he's commanded, embrace him, serve him with everything you are and have."

Doesn't that sound like their interaction is done? The Eastsiders must have realized this, because they stopped short of crossing back over to their side of the Jordan River, and construct what the Bible calls an "imposing" altar. Their intention for this altar (so they say) was to be a witness to future generations that Reuben, Gad and i/2 Manasseh actually did help with the conquering and actually were a part of the family of God.

Of course, the Israelites hear about it, and react as they typically do, with a calm and rational response, and go about their business. No, just kidding, they lose their minds and assemble to go to war against them. But can you blame them? Citing incidents surrounding Peor and Achan, the Westsiders presume that the Eastsiders have made this monument to a foreign God, and therefore fear that God's wrath will be poured out on them. Deuteronomy 28 is probably still vivid in their collective consciousness. They do not want to suffer the curses that would be brought on by rebellion in their nation.

At least, instead of straight up attacking the Eastsiders, the Westsiders got the priests involved and confronted them, wanting to know what was going on. They wanted an explanation. If I had to decide, I'd say this was a much better policy all around rather than just launching arrows and spears. What's also very interesting here is that the Westsiders suggest offering their own land to the Eastsiders, if the Eastsiders think their land isn't holy...or promised enough.

Everyone is happy with the altar being a witness, and they go back to their tents and lavish homes with abundant wealth and gold and flocks and stuff.

Jos. 21: Levittowns

Joshua 21:41 "The towns of the Levites in the territory held by the Israelites were forty-eight in all, together with their pasturelands."

As commanded by God and promised by Moses, the Levites were to get their land, too. There were three separate clans of Levites who received land.

The Kohathites - 13 towns - From Judah/Simeon (9), and Benjamin (4)
- 10 towns - From Ephraim (4), Dan (4), and Manasseh (2)
These included the refuge cities Hebron (from Judah), and Shechem (from Ephraim). Caleb's land came from Judah/Simeon also.

The Gershonites - 13 towns - From Issachar (2), Asher (4), Naphtali (4), Manasseh (3)
These included the refuge cities Golan (from Manasseh), and Kedesh (from Naphtali)

The Merarites - 12 towns - From Reuben (4), Gad (4), and Zebulun (4)
These included the refuge cities Remoth (from Gad), and Bezer (from Reuben)

So the Levites received a total of 48 towns.

Now, at the end of chapter 21, it says the the LORD gave them all the land he had promised to their forefathers. So, apparently, the Israelites had defeated (or enslaved) any enemies that may have remained. Not one of their enemies withstood them. I guess when land is at stake, Israel would have cause to obey the covenant. SLAM! And the chapter concludes with the statement that all of God's promises had been fulfilled. God is a...man...no...God of His word. We saw the promises He made way back in the day of Abraham, and here they are...fulfilled to the letter. Pretty amazing. Israel didn't coincidentally take over these towns because they wanted to fulfill the promises themselves...there was even reluctance to take possession of this promised land. Had to be an act of God.

Jos. 20: Cities of Refuge

Joshua 20:6 "He is to stay in that city until he has stood trial before the assembly and until the death of the high priest who is serving at that time. Then he may go back to his own home in the town from which he fled."

I've read about the cities of refuge before. God commanded Moses to have these towns distributed in the promised land back in Numbers 35. Six towns were to be given. In fulfillment of that command, the following towns were designated refuge cities:

In Naphtali - Kedesh
In Ephraim - Shechem
In Judah - Kiriath Arba
In Reuben - Bezer
In Gad - Ramoth
In Manasseh - Golan

In review, these cities are places where a person who accidentally kills another could flee to in order to escape the avenger of blood. Blood had to be shed for murder. Its a horrifying thing to have a family member killed, and maybe the first thought is vengeance. That's the way it is. So if it is done unintentionally and without malice aforethought, that's something the family of the departed will have to live with...it was an accident.

So this person needed to flee and go somewhere else. Find another place to live to escape their own death. To refuge. And there is a new caveat here in Joshua 20. They must stay there in the city of refuge, not only until they have stood trial before the assembly, but until the high priest dies. Once the high priest dies, they are set free to return to the way things were meant to be.

Justice would be done, and the avenger of blood had to accept it.

Jos. 19: Where They Goin'

Joshua 19:51 "These are the territories that Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun and the heads of the tribal clans of Israel assigned by lot at Shiloh in the presence of the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. And so they finished dividing the land."

Joshua 19 goes through the division of the rest of the land among the remaining tribes who had to be forced into their inheritance. Can you imagine such a thing?

Simeon, Zebulun, Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and Dan all receive their allotments here. And it goes as one who doesn't know jack about Bible time maps or geography. So and so gets this land somewhere. Guess I have some ancillary study to do.

With Simeon, they get Beersheba...which I've heard of before. It's where Abraham promised Abimelech that he wouldn't deceive him anymore in Genesis 21. Another interesting note about Simeon's land. It was apparently taken from the land of Judah, since Judah had to much land, more than they needed. Maybe Simeon praised Judah for this (Genesis 49:8).

Zebulun gets a bunch of towns, including Bethlehem, which was probably a pretty revered site, as it was where Rachel, the mother of Israel, was buried.

Dan has a little trouble taking their land, so they have to go in with swords drawn and take over Leshem, which they rename Dan.

After everyone else is all settled in, Joshua takes his portion. He didn't bust up in the place and take whatever he wanted, which is probably what typical kings would do. He waited until his people had their land, and then selected one measly town for himself, Timnath Serah. That shows humility, but something makes me think Joshua never gave any thought to taking whatever he wanted.

Jos. 18: The Division Ben

Joshua 18:3 "So Joshua said to the Israelites: "How long will you wait before you begin to take possession of the land that the LORD, the God of your fathers, has given you?"

For whatever reason, be it laziness or complacency or fear, the Israelites had still not taken possession of the land, even though it was all conquered and handed over by God Himself. God had this great gift for the people, and the people didn't want to accept it. How heartbreaking or angering it must have been for God to see this happen.

Joshua takes charge and says, "All right, this is how it's going to happen." He has his crew go out and survey and map the land, and then by lot the land will be divided among the seven remaining tribes. The casting of lots removed human meddling, and apparently put the division of land back into God's hands.

I wonder how often I do this myself. I look forward to something great, and then I have the chance to take it and I chicken out or back down. How often when someone offers us a gift out of the goodness of their heart, do we look at it and say, "I won't accept that. You don't have to do that." Has that happened to you? For Pete's sake, take the gift, and don't refuse someone's generosity.

Then Benjamin gets his land.

Jos. 17: Joshua Tells Manasseh to Grow Some

Joshua 17:17-18 "But Joshua said to the house of Joseph—to Ephraim and Manasseh- 'You are numerous and very powerful. You will have not only one allotment 18 but the forested hill country as well. Clear it, and its farthest limits will be yours; though the Canaanites have iron chariots and though they are strong, you can drive them out.'"

This goes on to describe the rest of the land inherited by Joseph's offspring, more specifically the Manassites. Even more specifically the Fightin' Makirites.

Part of this chapter is a fulfillment of Numbers 27, where Zelophehad's daughters wanted to inherit some land, because they had no brothers. Tradition apparently was to only hook up the male with land. But Moses promised it, and Joshua delivered here in verse 4.

When the Manassites were "unable" to dislodge the Canaanites (I love the word dislodge, as though the Canaanites were a loogie or some sort of windpipe obstruction), I wonder if it means they were unwilling to dislodge them. Its nice to have slaves. Apparently. Again, does the Bible condone slavery? Nah...just reports it.

Then in verse 14, it would appear Joseph gets cranky, or discontent with their allotment. Rightly so? I'm no geographer, I'd defer to people who know maps. Anyway, they feel that their land just isn't enough, since they are an huge tribe. Joshua's like, "Eh, you're tough guys, if your land is too small, go on up and clear the forest...the land of the Perizzites and Rephaites." That's apparently still not enough. So Joshua, and I get the sense he's trying to instill a sense of, "You want it, go get it," in the Manassites. He gives them a little pep talk, and says "Go take on the Canaanites." Did Joseph's people here have a little bit of a sense of entitlement that they took from Jacob's favoritism all those years ago? I'm not sure. But maybe they expected all this to be handed to them.

God gave instructions to drive out people. And so far there have been pockets of settlements where Israel refused to or couldn't drive out the HACPHAJ.

Jos. 16: Eph 'n Manny

Joshua 16:4 "So Manasseh and Ephraim, the descendants of Joseph, received their inheritance."

This land belongs to the descendants of Joseph. Through his sons. Because Joseph received a double portion of the inheritance. Because Jacob, Joseph's father, reckoned Joseph's sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, as his own. So there you have it...confusion allayed. For now. Now the Bible makes complete sense, yes? Perfect. Now what about their land?

This chapter reads much the same as its surrounding chapters. So-and-so gets this land, it extends from whatever unknown ancient city through some boundary, and along the edge of some river by some mountain mentioned only in passing. What's the meaning? What's the bigger picture?

This is prophecy fulfilled. This is God establishing the nation of Israel in a home place. This is other nations only existing in the context of Israel, or Israel in the context of other nations...other wicked nations, who God needed wiped out, and has Israel do it. Israel is displacing...removing these other nations...assuming a rightful, provisional place. Other nations have been a substitute for Israel in Israel's homeland long enough.

The Ephraimites and Manassites could not boot the Canaanites though. Rather they enslaved them. Israel took captive what they could not remove. And, assuming God keeps His word, the blame for this falls on Eph and Manny failing to keep some portion of the covenant.

Jos. 15: Judah Gets Hooked UP

Joshua 15:42 "...Libnah, Ether, Ashan..."

Judah gets hooked up with so much land here. The boundaries of the land make me think it's huge. Basically everything west of the Jordan, down to Egypt, and back up the Mediterranean coast. Why do they get so much land? I looked back at the census, and found that Judah had the most people. And the land was alotted by population, if memory serves.

Anyway...lots of towns are inherited...taken over...delivered to (whatever) Judah.

29 towns in the south, 17 in the western foothills, 38 in the hill country, and 6 in the desert. Jerusalem was to belong to Judah as well, but the Bible says here that Judah could not dislodge the Jebusites from Jerusalem, and they lived there together...which is not good. Probably. And the reason is that the Jebusites called on their God, Jebus. OK, so they didn't. I'm guessing Judah did or didn't do something they should/shouldn't have.

Also, there is mention of a little vignette with Caleb and his daughter. Caleb, since he was fiesty, probably needed a hubsband for his daughter, the luscious Acsah. "Whoever captures Debir gets her hand in marriage.: One guy, Othniel, does it. I don't know whether or not he knew about Caleb's promise, but he was the one who took the city, and he got the girl. She and Othniel asked Caleb for some springs to go with their new land. Women just have to accessorize, am I right?

Jos. 14: Caleb: Fiesty Geezer

Joshua 14:12 "Now give me this hill country that the LORD promised me that day. You yourself heard then that the Anakites were there and their cities were large and fortified, but, the LORD helping me, I will drive them out just as he said."

Just as God commanded Moses, this promised land was going to be divided by lot. Urim and Thummim maybe? I highly doubt this is gambling...since nothing is at stake for loss, but there are presumably those out there who would see this as such. Anyway. There is apparently a little housekeeping that needs to be taken care of first.

Caleb needs the land promised to him in Deuteronomy 1:36, the land that would become his property wherever he set foot, since he followed the LORD wholeheartedly, and gave such a resoundingly confident report on the promised land back in Numbers 13. 85 years young and spry as ever, Caleb is asking for Hebron, where the Anakites (Nephilim...big, scary, extra-terrestrial, evil, monster people?) dwell. This guy is so faithful that God will give him the victory, that he specifically requests this land. Caleb is not going to play bocce on the lawn in his retirement...he's ready to go lay out some giants and take down a huge fortified city.

Joshua is like, "bless you, have at it."

Jos. 13: This Land is Your Land

Joshua 13:6-7 "Be sure to allocate this land to Israel for an inheritance, as I have instructed you, and divide it as an inheritance among the nine tribes and half of the tribe of Manasseh."

By this time, Joshua is old, and God even tells him about it. But the conquering of the land is apparently not even close to being done. There were still entire kingdoms and peoples to wipe out. A bunch of Canaanite, Philistine and Gebalite land. I don't really know who these people are as yet, or where it all is, and if you want to see for yourself, take a read. But anyway, Joshua is old and haggard, so in that weakness, God steps in and conquers the land Joshua was unable to.

God gives another command on faith, this time to divide this as-yet-unconquered land among the tribes, as if it were conquered. Joshua had to have faith that God would follow through on his promise.

Chapter 13 is mainly about the division of the 3 1/2 freak tribes, 2 1/2 who wanted their own land apart from the promised land...Reuben, Gad and half of Manasseh, and the Levites, who get no land period.

Lots of land is taken...including that of the Rephaites, the giants you'll remember. Some was not taken, like that of the people of Geshur and Maacah, whom the Israelites did not drive out, but the Bible doesn't yet say why this was...choice or not. Apparently, this wasn't part of the land God was going to conquer for Himself back in verse 6.

Balaam, the seer who prophesied good things about Israel, and frustrated Balak, was also put to the sword when the Midianites were crushed.

So Reuben gets:

• The territory of Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Gorge
• The whole plateau past Medeba to Heshbon
• The entire realm of Sihon

Gad inherits:

• The territory of Jazer
• All the towns of Gilead
• Half the Ammonite country
• Heshbon to Ramath Mizpah and Betonim
• Mahanaim to the territory of Debir
• Beth Haram, Beth Nimrah, Succoth and Zaphon
• The rest of the realm of Sihon king of Heshbon up to the Sea of Kinnereth (Apparently Reuben didn't get ALL the Sihon land)

Manasseh (Makir) inherits:

• Mahanaim and including all of Bashan
• The entire realm of Og king of Bashan
• All the settlements of Jair in Bashan, sixty towns,
• Half of Gilead
• And Ashtaroth and Edrei (the royal cities of Og in Bashan)

Levi inhereits:

• No land

So they got that going for them.

Jos. 12: All the Kings Defeated

Joshua 12:1 "These are the kings of the land whom the Israelites had defeated and whose territory they took over east of the Jordan, from the Arnon Gorge to Mount Hermon, including all the eastern side of the Arabah."

Joshua 12 reads like a brag page...reads like those WW2 planes that put stickers on their fuselages for shoot downs. It's a checklist, listing which kings were defeated and the land they vacated. All in all, there were two kingdoms taken down on the east side of the Jordan River, and 31 on the west side.

There's not much really to say about this. Israel took out 33 kings. In a span of a few years' time. Quite the military campaign.

Why was it necessary to keep an inventory of all that were vanquished? To boast? To keep record of the victories God granted? A sticker on the plane? I don't know how established and fortified these kingdoms were, but they were some (if not all) members of the HACPHAJ...who God told them to defeat for many many years. And here they are, and God has done it through them. And God would presumably not tell someone to war against someone else unless that someone else was an enemy of God.

Jos. 11: More Hineys Kicked.

Joshua 11:20 "For it was the LORD himself who hardened their hearts to wage war against Israel, so that he might destroy them totally, exterminating them without mercy, as the LORD had commanded Moses."

JRR Tolkien had to have read this chapter and drawn inspiration from it. At least when naming his characters and settings. It's all here...the kings of Shimron, Naphoth Dor, the waters of Merom, Misrephoth Maim.

Anyway, there's a lot of action here, too. It's kind of mentioned in passing, but Joshua takes way more land in this chapter, and exterminates (from the sounds of it) the entire HACPHAJ.

All the HACPHAJ kings come together to fight Joshua after hearing about his Van Dammage back in chapter ten. Probably a big army. Huge. More than has even been seen before. Lot's of nations. 12 groups are listed in chapter 11, but who knows how many men there are. But there goes God again. "Do not be afraid of them, because by this time tomorrow I will hand all of them over to Israel, slain. You are to hamstring their horses and burn their chariots." The command to hamstring the HACPHAJ horses is interesting here. It is an "afterthought" it seems. But what it really serves to do is to give Joshua even more confidence that God would deliver the HACPHAJ into Israel's hands. If God was commanding him to hamstring some horses, how could Joshua refuse? How could God give Joshua a command like that without wiping out the owners of those horses first?

And I hear you, man. Hamstringing horses sounds so very mean. Apparently a tendon is cut, rendering the horse crippled. I don't know how crippled. I would imagine very crippled, to the point of being useless. Completely useless to haul chariots, soldiers...messages...to work...

Joshua goes in and wreaks his special brand of havoc, slaughtering and exterminating human beings. Killing them off like they're nothing. Like they are not valued. The humanitarian side of me is sickened by all this. How can you not be? I wonder where God's heart was with all this death and killing. Did these people have a chance? Not really. They were part of another race. Is it possible that there were people that mattered not to God, and whose mere existance was in the context of the nation of Israel? Sounds horrible.

But I guess I am learning about what God is doing with the nation of Israel. So far, there's only been a couple of brief references about God's love for people, even then, only the nation of Israel. I must be overlooking some things here, and I'm not suggesting that couldn't love certain people. That whole business with Adam...but even then, that was the only man alive. Was creation an act of love? Moses describes God as "abounding in love" in Exodus. Deuteronomy could lead one to believe that God loves those who keep His covenant. If that's the case, then maybe at this point, it would be reasonable to expect God to harden the hearts of the Pharaohs and the HACPHAJ. The idea that there could be people (at any point in time) that God just didn't love is an amazing and horrifying thought that never occurred to me. And then I think, well, these nations came to fight against Israel. To attack God, essentially. But would this attack have been necessary to begin with? Could Israel have lived peaceably with these other nations? What would the cost have been? What would Israel have fallen into? Curious, ponderous, unsettling.

Then the land had rest from war. Another in the line of the planet rising and falling as man does. War takes a toll not only on those who fight the war, but the land that has to endure it as well. I wonder if this is the same sense of rest that the land enjoys after being planted and harvest for six years.

Jos. 10: The Longest Day

Joshua 10:13 "So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the nation avenged itself on its enemies, as it is written in the Book of Jashar. The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day."

Israel basically goes on a tear in chapter ten. They kick so much...hiney in this chapter, its amazing. And probably the most terrifying vision of God I have ever encountered is here. Also, the sun stands still in the sky. Is that amazing? Can you believe that?

Lots of great Bible action in this chapter.

Anyway, the king of Jerusalem heard of Gibeon's strategic alliance with Israel. He was not ok with this whole deal. Israel was strong. And not only that, the men of Gibeon apparently had the reputation of being bulldogs on the battlefield as well. So he forms his own alliance with some other kings to take down Gibeon.

Gibeon, under attack, calls on Joshua to come and "save his servants." So, we see a couple of sides to the Gibeon alliance. On one hand, Gibeon had good fighters, and would fight alongside Israel in the battle. On the other hand, without this alliance, Joshua wouldn't have to drag all his men out to fight this ridiculous battle and save the people that deceived him, and would probably do it again, dagnabbit.

But God tells Joshua that He has delivered the enemy into his hands. So he takes his army on an all-night march from Gilgal to Gibeon, which is like...however long, but it took all night. And I'd be tired, but the men handled it, and God was on their side, and filled them with courage, so, what the heck, right?

And get this, as the enemy is fleeing, it says God hurled hailstones down on them. And these hailstones killed more than Israel's swords did. Wow, that would just about wreck any hope that would have remained. You have Israel bearing down on you, and then these giant ice rocks start raining down all around you, smashing your comrades...yikes. Just a scary thought.

Well, by this time, Joshua notices maybe its starting to get a little late in the evening, and they haven't killed enough Amorites yet. Joshua, brilliant strategic mind that he is, asks God to stop the sun in the sky, to give him more time to slaughter Amorites. And God does it. At least according to the book of Jashar, whatever that may be. So, did it really happen? I guess. If I believe all this about God so far, what's to stop him from slowing the earth's rotation, or moving the sun, or whatever happened? The point here, is that somehow Joshua got another day of daylight. Secondly, is it so weird that God would listen to a man, and do what a man requests? This is just about the most outstanding act of faith I've ever read about. God, stop the moon and sun, please. Good idea, comin' right up.

Then for some reason, the five kings are found hiding in a cave like some pansies. Joshua finds them, and has his men step on their necks while he kills them. Then he hangs them. Then Israel basically moves on from city to city leaving a path of destruction everywhere they go. Makkedah, Libnah, Lachish, Eglon, Hebron, Debir. Joshua wipes 'em all out, destroying all people and cities in one campaign. That's some kind of display of power.

This is unimaginable. What an amazing story. What would have kept Joshua going...Powerade? Just an amazing story of God's might, and what can be accomplished when God tells someone to do someone, and God and man are both locked in on one another.

Jos. 9: The Gibeonite Rope-a-Dope

Joshua 9:11 "And our elders and all those living in our country said to us, 'Take provisions for your journey; go and meet them and say to them, "We are your servants; make a treaty with us." '"

Well, the HACPHAJ was well aware of what God did (v. 9) through Joshua and the Israelite army, so they figured an alliance was the best way to confront this terror that was now upon their land. But one country figured there was no overcoming an almighty God, so the last resort is to trick his followers into allowing them to be near them, and live in (essential) harmony with them. So the Gibeonites saddled up their donkeys, loaded up their crusty moldy bread, their dried-out wineskins, and their grubby sandals to make it look like they traveled a long distance to come and hang around Israel and live peaceably near them. Deception.

They showed up, and the Israelites inspected all their Goodwill-esque junk and figured they were on the up and up. The Bible says they did not inquire of God about all this...usually a bad omen when this neglect is mentioned specifically. The Israelites even asked them, "What if you actually live nearby?" They knew they were not to make treaties with the HACPHAJ specifically.

They're like, "Psshh, check out our sandals."

Joshua's like, "Whatever, they're probably cool." He makes an oath with them, and the elders ratified it. It only took three days for the normal everyday Israelites to find out that these people actually lived in the neighboring towns. So they took up arms, since God commanded them to wipe these people out. But then they find out about the oath. Israel had about as much faith in their government as most US citizens do today at that point. The people in this case were ready to follow God's commands (when it comes to war and the prospect of more land...hmmm), but Joshua had to uphold this treaty and oath.

I want to say a little more about oaths...why couldn't Joshua just say, "Up yours, Gibeon, you lied to me anyway. The oath is off." Because oaths were serious business, Leviticus says so (5:4, 27:2). God would hold Joshua to this oath, whether it was made in the most honest of circumstances or not.

But he does something here that I never would have thought to do. He asks them why they made this deception. I would have just gotten mad and cursed them to being the wood cutters and water carriers, no questions asked. The Gibeonites knew about the promised Moses made to God, which I never thought about. This was their only hope of survival, even if it was under a curse. Can you imagine?

So there is another lesson learned for Joshua...ask God. Realize that these other nations are more aware then he thought about the covenant made with God and Israel, as well as them being able to blow through their enemies like a hot knife through butta.

Jos. 8: Joshua vs. Ai II: This Time, It's Biblical

Joshua 8:26 "For Joshua did not draw back the hand that held out his javelin until he had destroyed all who lived in Ai."

Another military victory for Joshua. This time they get it right. This time, God is in on the plan, rather than Joshua just sending dudes out to take over a city. They use some strategy this time out, setting an ambush. The men of Ai, confident in their recent victory over Israel, probably assume its more of the same when Israel sends men up against them and then flee again. But this time, Israel had more dudes west of Ai. When the men of Ai pursued Joshua's men, the ambush dudes waltzed right in and burnt the bejeebers out of Ai. Then the men turn around and see their city burning. Can you imagine that?

Then Israel slaughters them. Then Israel slaughters whoever is left in the city. Then Israel is allowed to plunder the city. Achan should have just waited, man. He got greedy too soon.

A mystical God thing of note in this chapter is how Joshua was instructed to point his javelin at Ai, and the ambush started, and the city was leveled. And for as long as Joshua held his javelin up, Ai was demolished.

Then Joshua hangs the king of Ai, the enemy of Israel on a tree in complete humiliation, and in the evening, throws his corpse down on the city gate. Seems kind of extreme, and I have no idea if God sanctioned that, or if the Bible is simply recording this. Anyway, this would freak me out, if I had any lingering thoughts about taking on Israel.

Then Joshua renews the covenant with God and Israel. He gives a refresher course.

Jos. 7: Everybody Must Get Achan Stoned

Joshua 7:12 "That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies; they turn their backs and run because they have been made liable to destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction.

Well, Israel does what they do. After taking down Jericho, someone disobeys, and swipes some plunder from the ruins for themselves. It was Achan, grandson of Zimri. Hmm...Zimri...we've heard that name before. It wasn't that Zimri, who was boning a Midianite chick while God was punishing Israel for sexual immorality and idolatry. That Zimri was a Simeonite. This Zimri was a Judah...ite.

Anyway...God was not pleased. Which isn't good.

So the next city in the crosshairs was a rather diminutive town called Ai. The scouts told Joshua they'd only need a few thou to overrun it. So Joshua sends out his men, and the people of Ai kick their butts all the way back to the quarries. It was Israel's turn for their hearts to melt like water. If they couldn't take down Ai, then this would hearten the neighboring lands and give them confidence to attack Israel.

I'm sure Joshua knew what would happen if there was sin in the camp. Moses had to have told Joshua what would be the underlying reason of a military defeat. And Joshua reacted to this defeat in a ... less than heroic fashion. He was confused. He was upset. What was happening? What about what God had promised? Well...disobedience broke the covenant. God was held to ... the curses. But this was a lesson that Joshua probably had to learn the hard way. He learned here that being a leader is not easy, even with God on your side.

And God tells Joshua, "What did you expect? There's sin in the camp." The Israelites were "liable to destruction." How could God continue to be on the side of the Israelites if there was that kind of sin in the camp? It needed to be eliminated. And Joshua had to take action immediately. So the next day, Joshua has each tribe step forward, and see who stole from God.

Can you imagine being Achan, and the fear and dread that must have gripped him? I tried putting myself in his place when he found out Joshua was going to scour the Israelites, tribe by tribe, clan by clan until the thief was revealed...but I didn't want to. He had to have seen what happened to Korah back in Numbers 16. God took offenses against him pretty seriously.

Ach...anyway, Achan is stoned, and his family is stoned. And then burned. And then rocks are heaped up as a reminder not to steal from God.

Achan admitted what he did, but it was only under duress. Would he have admitted to it on his own accord, if Joshua hadn't brought the hammer down? Probably not. I don't know. Even when he knew he was going to be busted, he didn't repent.

Jos. 6: Jericho Falls

Joshua 6:20 "When the trumpets sounded, the people shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the people gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so every man charged straight in, and they took the city."

This is Joshua's famous "Battle" of Jericho. The way chapter 6 reads, it was basically a massacre. And it opens with a rather unorthodox way of taking a city.

For six days, the armed men, the priests and the ark are supposed to march once around the city. That's it. On the seventh day, with a trumpet blast and a shout, the wall will collapse, and then the Israelites can storm the city.

So they do this. Except the priests blow the trumpets during the first six days...and while there was no specific instruction not to do this, I would have thought they weren't supposed to. I thought it was supposed to be silent. But maybe it was only supposed to be the people being silent, not giving their war cry.

Then on the seventh day, they march around the city seven times as commanded, then the trumpet blast and the shout, and sure enough, God brings down the walls. I say God brings down the walls, because...well, I'm no scientist, but to crumble a stone wall...how loud would that shout have to be?

Joshua gives specific instructions before the slaughter not to steal any of the "devoted things." Since this city was the first to be conquered, it was like it was the firstfruits. The plunder went to the LORD.

Of course Rahab was spared, since she helped out the spies.

Then the destroyed city was burned.

Then cursed.

Joshua pronounced this curse on Jericho.

"Cursed before the LORD is the man who undertakes to rebuild this city, Jericho:
'At the cost of his firstborn son
will he lay its foundations;
at the cost of his youngest
will he set up its gates.'"

So, I wonder if historical record will bare that out. Jericho is up and running today. I'm no historian, so whether the current Jericho was made out of the ancient Jericho, or if Israel destroyed a certain section of Jericho...or if there was a territory of Jericho...who knows. But that is a curiosity.

Jos. 5: The Second Circumcision

Joshua 5:12 "The manna stopped the day after they ate this food from the land; there was no longer any manna for the Israelites, but that year they ate of the produce of Canaan."

What a visual. I love the description of "hearts melting" at the thought of the Israelites coming to town. The HACPHAJ had no will or courage left to face them. The heart is all that makes a person who they are...and for the Canaanites and Amorites...it melted. It completely changed states.

Anyway, since leaving Egypt, Israel didn't keep up with the circumcision on the eighth day law very well. In fact, they neglected it altogether. By this time a whole uncircumcised generation had passed (as is my understanding), and not one man was circumcised. So the LORD had Joshua make a flint knife and have every man's foreskin cut off. They even named a hill after it.

Another point of interest is in verse 6. "...promised their fathers to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey..." I believe this is the first time the Biblical narrative is told in first-person point of view. Us, meaning the Israelites, of course. So, at this point, we can identify the writer with the Israelites. Where previously, I don't know, I guess my assumption was that God was ghostwriting, and maybe He still is, but here we have a perspective.

Apparently, while ignoring the covenant of circumcision, Israel was still under the "reproach" of Egypt. Israel was still under the blame...the reputation of sin from Egypt. Which is quite the thought. But after this renewal of circumcision, it was a new life, and the Israelites were able to eat the produce of Canaan, which I suspect has more than a surface meaning. The manna no longer appeared after this point. And manna was to keep Israel alive while wandering...

Joshua is balls to the wall, man. He's hanging around near Jericho, and sees this guy with his sword drawn (presumably meaning he's ready to cave some faces in). Joshua goes right up to him in his courageousness and asks, flat out, "Are you for us or against us?"

"Neither," he replied, "but as commander of the army of the LORD I have now come."

Whoa, commander of the army of the LORD. Can you imagine how Joshua's heart must have leapt. I would have been scared 3/8ths to death. Joshua could only do what the commander told him to do, which was to take off his sandals, since he was on holy ground. The last time someone had to do this...Exodus 3:5, where someone named Moses was commissioned.

And what's this business about "Neither?" The commander of the army of the LORD was neither for the nation of Israel or for Israel's enemies. What does this mean? Is the army of the LORD something beyond earth? Something heavenly? Angels? Would this commander of the army of the LORD have a chat with Jericho's military leaders then, too? Curious.

And he has now come. That's another enigmatic piece of scripture. Where has he been? Why did he come, and why now? What's the significance? There wasn't any forewarning of this coming, otherwise Joshua would have known...would have expected it. I'm curious as to who this person is. And I'm about to find out.

Jos. 4: Twelve More Stones

Joshua 4:15-17 "Then the LORD said to Joshua, "Command the priests carrying the ark of the Testimony to come up out of the Jordan." So Joshua commanded the priests, "Come up out of the Jordan."

OK, so once you're on the other side of the Jordan (permanently), how do you remember what God did in order for Israel to get where they are? You set up a monument, that's how. What better way than to grab some stones from the middle of the Jordan, and carry them onto dry land. One man from each tribe took a stone from the river, and set it up on the (usually) dry land in Gilgal, outside of Jericho where they were camped.

"Where did those stones come from?"
"Why, the middle of the Jordan River of course."
"How did they get them?"
"Well, son, that's an interesting story. The flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever."
"I see...."

So that's pretty amazing.

And I love verses 15-17. God spoke a command to Joshua, and he did it. "So" Joshua commanded the priests. God spoke and it is so. I wonder how often I just completely neglect the "so." Is this evidence against free will. Probably not. Is this evidence of Joshua eagerly desiring to serve God? Probably closer. Is this how it is when God chooses something, and sets a plan in motion, and then issues a command? Yes.

And we've seen twelve stones before, gemstones each signifying a place on the breastplate of the priest for each tribe. Each tribe held a place of it's own honor. Each tribe here had a responsibility to pass on the stories of Israel's history.