The Conquest of Canaan

00:00:00 Speaker 1: Previously on the Chosen People. 00:00:03 Speaker 2: I have heard concerning reports from the reaches of our kingdoms, even here closer to home. The men who took the promised land are grandfathers and great grandfathers, now children we raised to starting to lead their own families. And those families who are starting to entertain the customs and cultures of the land. The very people we subdued are tempting us with their gods, and I am hearing too many stories confirming that those invitations are being accepted. They are welcoming the gods of our neighbors with open arms. In short, gods people are yet again flirting with their own destruction. 00:00:46 Speaker 3: Emboldened by the memory of all the wonders he had seen first hand, Joshu were charged forward to the heart of their gathering, the covenant renewal. 00:00:57 Speaker 4: Therefore, fear Lord and worship him in sincerity and truth. Rid yourselves of the gods of your ancestors, the gods they worship beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and worship the Lord. As for me and my family, we will worship the Lord. 00:01:20 Speaker 2: How do you answer, Israel. 00:01:24 Speaker 5: We wealth worship the Lord. 00:01:26 Speaker 3: Joshua nodded. He had expected as much, but he pressed them further. 00:01:32 Speaker 6: Remember, our God is a holy God, but jealous God. If you abandon the Lord and worship foreign gods, you will turn against you and utterly destroy you. 00:01:45 Speaker 5: Now we will worship the Lord. 00:01:48 Speaker 6: You are witnesses against yourselves that you, yourselves, have chosen to worship the. 00:01:54 Speaker 3: Lord under his leadership is swrail. Worship the Lord throughout Joshah was lifetime because of his commitment to the next generation and to renewing the Covenant. Israel worshiped the Lord during the lifetimes of the eldest who outlived Joshua and all those who had experienced the words the Lord had done for Israel. 00:02:24 Speaker 7: One foot in the House of God with another foot in the world sets us up for a world of troubles. Partial obedience is betrayal in disguise. 00:02:35 Speaker 8: Shelloh, my friends, from here in the holy Land of Israel, i'm ya l extein with the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, and welcome to the Chosen People. Each day we'll hear. 00:02:46 Speaker 7: A dramatic story inspired by the Bible, stories filled with timeless lessons of faith. Imagine this a people chosen by God let out of slavery, through a desert wasteland, through battle and blood. 00:02:58 Speaker 5: Their eyes fixed on. 00:03:00 Speaker 7: Promise, they stand on the very edge of Kanaan Canaan, the land of milk and honey, as promised to them by the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. But this isn't a story of triumph. It isn't neat or noble. It's a story of compromise, of hesitation, and of missed steps. What happens when God's people have the promise but lack the resolve to act on it. And what happens when we know what's right, but we choose what's easy instead. Welcome to the Book of Judges. It's not an easy story, but it's a necessary one, because within these tales of woe we find God's faithfulness on full display. 00:03:47 Speaker 3: The land lay before them like an unveiled bride, radiant and wild, overflowing with promise, the land of milk and honey. Canaan hills rolled in verdant splendor, swathed in a living green so deep it seemed as if the very earth had bled emeralds. The air was thick with the scent of wild flowers, honeysuckle, and jasmine twining together, and the rivers carved deep silver veins through the valley floor. The soil was dark and damp with life. Fruit hung heavy on every branch, the trees groaning with their burden, and the grain fields bowed like subjects before an unseen king. It was a land fit for kings, though no king ruled it. Not yet it had been promised to Abraham a dream, borne beneath the canvas of a desert sky and sealed with the stars. 00:04:48 Speaker 1: As witnesses look around, you behold the land, not only the east, but also the north, south, and west. As I to told you before, this is the land I will give to you and your offspring, and it will be yours forever. 00:05:09 Speaker 5: Yes, my God, I remember what you told me. 00:05:13 Speaker 1: Do you believe it? 00:05:14 Speaker 2: Though? 00:05:15 Speaker 1: I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth. If there was ever anyone who could count up all the dust of the earth, and there is not, then your offspring could also be counted. You are to get up and walk around this land. I will show you where to go, and what's more, I will give it to you. You will need not take it. I would provide you with everything you need. 00:05:45 Speaker 3: For centuries that promise had echoed in the bones of his descendants, passed from father to son like an AirLand, too valuable to sell, too powerful to forget. Now, at long last they stood at the border of that dream made flesh. They were a generation born not in Egypt's bondage, but in the wild uncertainty of the wilderness, where every meal was a miracle and every knight carried the scent of sand and dew. Their parents had spoken of a land of milk and honey, but they had only seen sand and stone until now. But beauty is a treacherous thing. Just as the serpent once lay coiled in the heart of Eden, so too did darkness dwell in Canaan. Its fields and pastures were rich, but the roots of its cities were tangled with rot. Every stone wall hid cruelty, and every high place stank of burnt flesh and blood laid at the altars of lesser gods. The Canaanites lived as kings in this land, but their thrones were built on corpses. Children burned on them altars, women were taken broken and discarded. Kings carved their glory from the marrow of their subjects. Beneath all its beauty, the land groaned beneath the weight of its own corruption. The children of Israel gathered at the edge of this land, twelve tribes, bound by blood, by law, and by a promise older than any of them. Their new High Priest, Finnahass, cloaked in dust and worn leather, came before the ark of the Covenant and bowed with his forehead pressed to the ground. Finnahaus had always been a man of few words, a better listener than a speaker. Now, as the appointed high priest after his father Eliezer, he was determined to listen. 00:07:49 Speaker 5: Well, how shall we take this land? Lord? How shall we claim what you have given us? 00:07:55 Speaker 3: The answer came not as a whisper, but as a roar from the heart of heaven. A voice like a furnace made of thunder and steel. 00:08:04 Speaker 1: Declared, Judah shall go first. 00:08:08 Speaker 3: A shudder passed through the tribes of the name Judah, the Lion's tribe, largest and strongest, as full of pride as it was of courage, there was no one more fit to lead. Their warriors, led by the aged but still strong Caleb, were weathered as old oak, their swords sharp and well tested, it would be Judah's spear that first pierced the heart of Canaan. Their first target was the Perizites and their king Adoni Bezek, a man whose name was a curse and a warning. He was a butcher king, infamous for cutting the thumbs and toes from his vanquished foes, leaving them to crawl like dogs beneath his table, scavenging scraps of bread from the dirt. He dined on their humiliation. Such a man did not deserve a king's death. Caleb marched with his men. Although his bones were weary and his arm could no longer swing with fervor, he still led his people well. He was a master tactician, having learned every trick of the trade from Joshua. 00:09:17 Speaker 6: Men of Judah remember the promise together hol. 00:09:25 Speaker 4: Ach huzzak well. 00:09:28 Speaker 3: At dawn, the Ram's horn shattered the quiet. The men of Judah moved like the breaking tide, pouring from the hills in a rush of bronze and steel. The tribe of Simon followed close behind a second wave, to crush whatever remained. The walls of Bezek loomed before them, jagged stone and timber, drenched in shadow. Arrows rained down from above, black streaks like sharp winged crows. Shields locked together. The Ram's horn blew again, and Judah surged forward. Axes crashed into gates, Ladders clawed their way up the walls. Stone cracked, wood splintered. Then came a Donnie Bezek himself. He rode a black charger through the city streets, his mace a star of iron, and wherever it fell, men died. Not just died, they were broken. 00:10:22 Speaker 6: Hey, brew dogs, come at me and taste the might of my steel. 00:10:29 Speaker 3: Sculls split, jaws unhinged. His laughter echoed over the din of war, a sound sharp as the shriek of a dying animal. His soldiers, emboldened by his presence, pushed back with desperate fury. Judah stumbled, fear swept through them like a plague. Some fell back, others hesitated. The dark king left carnage in his wake until Caleb chose to stand and face him. The aged warrior of Judah strode forward with the veracity of a man high off his age. He missed, Joshua, what hasa come off? Caleb charged, but his stride was abruptly cut off by another A youth named Othniel, son of Caleb's brother Keen. As the young man jolted in front of his general and leaped into the King of Shield had only Bezeg stumbled backward, then returned with a swift downward swim of his mace. Caleb wasn't insulted by the young man. He shouted from behind, being Offnil's eyes. 00:11:31 Speaker 2: Off Fiel, find the high crown. 00:11:34 Speaker 3: Offnil leaped onto a crate and then scaled the wall beside the king. A donny Bezek's eyes followed the young man. 00:11:42 Speaker 2: Come down and fight me, coward. 00:11:46 Speaker 3: Caleb took the opportunity and hurled a spear of the king. It barely grazed at on e Bezek's shoulder, but provided the perfect distraction for Offnil to pounce. He leaped off the wall and taggled the king to the ground. The two men wrestled, blood stained the dirt. A donny Bezeck was a head taller than off Neil, and his grin was a red line of teeth. As he drove his knee down on off Nil's throat, the young man choked and clawed at the ground. 00:12:15 Speaker 2: Quick man do off meelsame. 00:12:18 Speaker 3: Caleb and the others surged forward with the wrath of men whose brother was about to die. Ten spears and six swords found a Donnie Bezeck, pinning him like a beast caught in a hunter's snare. He roared, cursed, spat, But no man escapes the judgment of the lord. After the king was captured, the tides of battle quickly shifted. Bound in iron, a Donnie Bezeck was dragged before Caleb. He spat blood and curses, laughing all the while. His words were venom. 00:12:52 Speaker 2: You say you have me. 00:12:59 Speaker 6: I have dined on the pride of kings greater than you. 00:13:04 Speaker 2: I have bound seventy kings beneath my table, and they begged me for crumbs. You will do the same. 00:13:14 Speaker 3: Caleb, voice hoarse and weary, placed a hand on the hilt of his sword. 00:13:21 Speaker 1: Ah, our people have done enough begging. 00:13:28 Speaker 3: A sword flashed quick as light me his big toe rolled in the dust. Another flash. His thumb joined it. A Donny Bezek screamed. But it was not the pain that broke in. It was justice. The man laughed even as he wept. 00:13:46 Speaker 6: Seventy kings, seventy kings, I may crawl in the dirt. 00:13:55 Speaker 3: I kiss your God has repaid me. 00:14:01 Speaker 8: A a a a a A. 00:14:06 Speaker 2: I guess yes. 00:14:08 Speaker 3: With one final slash of steel, taleb ended a Donni Bezek. Judah's conquest was only the beginning. City after city fell before them. Jerusalem's walls crumbled to ash and flame. The kings of Hebron, Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai were struck down in the hills, the land of Negeb, the lowlands, the valley. All of it fell, blood soaked the roots of ancient trees. The lion of Judah had roared, and none could stand before it. But not every tribe was the lion. Manassa, Ephraim and Zebulun grew tired, their swords dulled, and their spirits dulled faster. The Canaanites were cunning. They offered gifts, daughters in marriage, and alliances whispered in the night. The men of Israel took them. They had forsaken the promises made before Joshua. 00:15:11 Speaker 6: Remember, our God is a holy god, a jealous god. If you abandon the Lord and worship foreign gods, he will turn against you and utterly destroy you. 00:15:24 Speaker 5: Now we will worship the Lord. 00:15:28 Speaker 6: You are witnesses against yourselves, that you, yourselves, had chosen to worship the Lord. 00:15:34 Speaker 5: We are witnesses weakness. 00:15:38 Speaker 6: Then listen, rid yourselves of those foreign gods that are among you, and turn your hearts to the Lord, God of Israel. 00:15:46 Speaker 5: Alone. 00:15:48 Speaker 8: We will worship the Lord, our God, and obey him. 00:15:54 Speaker 3: The gods of Canaan were patient. Each compromise was a stone in the fountain of Israel's downfall. Women bore children who were sacrificed at foreign altars. Elders allowed the worship of Baal in secret places. Ephraim took Gizer, but let its people live. Asher settled among the Canaanites instead of driving them out. The blood of the Covenant grew thin in their veins. One night, as the tribes gathered by a great fire, the wind grew sharp, thunder, rolled by a drum beat from the heights. The fire died. Silence fell. In that silence, an angel of the Lord appeared. No footsteps had brought him. He was not a man, but something more, a figure wreathed in flame. His face was fire, his eyes brighter still. His voice was a storm made word. 00:16:54 Speaker 2: You have done this to yourselves. I gave you the land. I made your people, but you made covenants with my enemies. You lay with them. Now they shall be thorns. 00:17:06 Speaker 1: In your side. 00:17:08 Speaker 3: The fire swelled, and his presence vanished. The silence left behind was louder than war. They fell to their knees, weeping and tearing their clothes. But the tears of men could not drown their sins. They thought they could be kings, but they were still slaves, slaves to their own sin and ruin. And now the kings of Canaan would teach them that lesson. But there was a promise that remained, one that echoed from the depths of Eden. 00:17:42 Speaker 1: One day, from the. 00:17:43 Speaker 3: Tribe of Judah, a lion would rise, a king like no other, a king to break all chains. Before the breaker of chains came, the Lord would send lesser heroes, fractured and broke, images of the deliverer to come. 00:18:02 Speaker 2: They would be. 00:18:03 Speaker 3: Imperfect vessels in God's hands, crafted to lead Israel out of itself inflicted destruction. 00:18:19 Speaker 7: What a story right here we have Israel, fresh out of the wilderness, having survived years of testing in battle. You'd think they'd be fierce and unshakable. You'd think they'd run a full speed into Canaan with hearts ablaze, but there's hesitation. They're fighting, sure, they're taking cities and lands, but they're not following through. Can you feel their creeping doubt? Can you feel their fear? The Chosen people know this is God's command, they know the land is promised, but they falter, they cut corners, they hold back. It's both inspiring and unnerving. And sometimes when we look into these stories from the Bible, we see ourselves, don't we now. The very first verse of the Book of Judges finds the children Visrael asking God an important question. We read quote after the death of Joshua, the Israelites asked the Lord, who of us is going to go up first to fight against the Canaanites? 00:19:20 Speaker 5: End quote. The key phrase here is to go up? Why up? 00:19:26 Speaker 7: Couldn't they have just asked who of us will go first to fight against the Canaanites. The Jewish ages asked this question, and they said, by referring to the War of Conquest as going up, the main purpose of the battle wasn't just twin Land, as important as that was. Rather, the main point was to go up to elevate the Holy Land by getting rid of contamination of immorality and idolatry and infusing it with the spiritual enlightenment and elevation of God's commandments. The Holy Land was never meant as just a place for the chosen people to live. It was meant as a place for God's presence and his word that he had revealed at Mount Sinai. Even today, we refer to someone who comes to live in Israel as one who rises up, and we refer to that person's act of uprooting their life abroad and moving here to the Holy Land, as in Alia, making aliyah, moving upward. I feel that idea every time I welcome a Fellowship Alia flight on the tarmac at David Bengorian Airport here in Israel, I go to welcome new Israeli's new Olim who are making aliyah, who are moving to their biblical homeland. I feel that each day that I live here in the Holy Land, that just waking up on this holy soil is in Alia is going up spiritually. And I tried to communicate that feeling to you in these podcast episodes as we study the Bible together. The Israelites in the time of the Judges felt that same way when they asked who will go up? 00:21:14 Speaker 5: But as we will see, the. 00:21:15 Speaker 7: People didn't always uphold that idea, even if they knew that going up spiritually was the right direction, there was an inherent problem with the Chosen People. During the time of the Judges, the Israelites often felt the need to be more like their neighbors, the Canaanites. God has specifically commanded his people not to make covenance with the Canaanites and not to worship the Canaanites God. But as we've seen too often, the people didn't always listen, and so the Judges urged the people to repent. When the people repented, things went well. When the people slid back, their situation became more difficult. There's a lot we can learn today from the period of the Judges. It's not always easy to do the right thing. Sometimes it's actually really hard. God understands this, but he also knows that to follow through in his ways creates for us a better life. This is the mission of the Chosen People to help ourselves and the whole world understand the right path, and to work hard to encourage the world to take that path. Here at the Fellowship, the organization that I lead. The millions of Christians who work with us very much follow God's way. They help bring God's word to fruition here in the Promised Land, as they help the fellowship to feed the hungry, help the needy, and to bless the people of Israel. 00:22:42 Speaker 5: The Book of Judges is all about. 00:22:44 Speaker 7: The kingless kingdom. It makes me think about something that I read. Some ancient Babylonian relics were discovered and they were an account of every known nation during this time period. 00:22:55 Speaker 5: There were the. 00:22:56 Speaker 7: Mentions of each nation, and then a king was named besides aid each nation. But when the nation of Israel was mentioned, there was no king who was named. And it made me wonder, and it made me think about how Israel did have a king. It was God, God himself. Every other nation had a king that could be named, but the people of Israel didn't because we had God. Israel was called to be different in a world of idle worshipers and many gods. Israel was called to follow one God. But in this book of the Bible we find Israel living in a time of moral ambiguity. They have no king, no central leader to bind them to God's commandments. Is the time when verse twenty five of chapter twenty one tells us everyone does what is. 00:23:45 Speaker 5: Right in their own eyes. 00:23:47 Speaker 7: There is freedom, yes, but there's a cost a fractured faith. Real faith doesn't just act when it's easy. It commits, it sacrifices, it goes the whole way. So what does this mean for us? It's easy to judge Israel's missteps from a distance, but how many times do we find ourselves in the very same place, knowing what's right but choosing what's easy. We don't always conquer our own canaans. Sometimes we settle for halfway. We tell ourselves that it's good enough. But good enough is a compromise, and even small compromises have a way of building up, of fracturing our connection to God. And yet God invites us back every time. He doesn't give up on his chosen people then or now. Like Israel, we stand on the edge of promises of purpose, and like Israel, we have a choice. But are we willing to do what it takes to get there? Let us all be inspired to walk in God's way with courage and without compromise. 00:24:53 Speaker 3: You can listen to the chosen people with the isle Eckstein add free by downloading and subscribing to the pray dot Com app today. This Prey dot Com production is only made possible by our dedicated team of creative talents. Steve Gattina, Max Bard, Zach Shellabarger and Ben Gammon are the executive producers of The Chosen People with Yiel Eckstein, Edited by Alberto Avilla, narrated by Paul Coltofianu. Characters are voiced by Jonathan Cotton, Aaron Salvado, Sarah Seltz, Mike Reagan, Stephen Ringwald, Sylvia Zaradoc, Thomas Copeland, Junior, Rosanna Pilcher, and the opening prayer is voiced by John Moore. Music by Andrew Morgan Smith, written by Aaron Salvato, bre Rosalie and Chris Baig. Special thanks to Bishop Paul Lanier, Robin van Ettin, kayleb Burrows, Jocelyn Fuller, and the team at International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. You can hear more Prey dot com productions on the Prey dot com app, available on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. If you enjoyed The Chosen People with Yail Egstein, please rate and leave a review,