The Northern Kings

00:00:00 Speaker 1: Previously on the Chosen people. 00:00:03 Speaker 2: The castle is a bus you see. The Amorite and Canaanite kings to the west are scared. They're all beside themselves, worrying about those Hebrews outside the city Ah. 00:00:14 Speaker 3: But not concerned enough to send aid to augment our defenses. 00:00:18 Speaker 2: I assume no, not so concerned as that. 00:00:21 Speaker 3: They're worried. 00:00:22 Speaker 2: They'll come for them next when they're finished with us first Sihon and Oji, and now us. And you heard about what their God did down the plains with the river. Why should we risk God next? For Gibbeon, Does a treaty of peace between our countries mean we are their bannermen, obligated to ride out at their beckon call? 00:00:45 Speaker 4: I think it would be unwise to treat our oath so casually and burn their interpretations to our whims. But I also think this siege Dakast Kingdom may be presenting us the strategic break we need. Think of it. Five Amorite kings whose cities are key strongholds in the south, all in one place, lured out into the open, no longer hiding behind their high walls and defenses, and their haste to destroy Gibbeon. We could continue to conquer can in one stronghold at a time, our conquest would take years. But if we were to crush multiple enemies at once and further drive our wedge into the heart of the Southern Kingdom. You ask what I think? Why I think this is too good an opportunity to dismiss. Turn around, face your enemy. 00:01:37 Speaker 5: These Hebrew and raiders have come to take our lands. Kill them all. 00:01:42 Speaker 1: Attack as if on a queue. Churning, white, frosty, vertical columns of clouds rolled through the sky with a vengeance, covering the world in an opaque darkness and shielding the morning sun in its shadow. Lightning split the sky and illuminated the faces of the terrified Amorite soldiers below, while Israel continued their brutal attack, and then, without warning, hailstones the size of clenched fists rained down, fierce and unrelenting, each one landing with a force that felt like judgment. Joshua motioned for the officers to back away. He drew his sword from its sheath again, and in five quick successive blows, he struck down the Five king Alliance, sealing the doom of the Southern Canaanite kingdoms. 00:02:43 Speaker 6: When king's rally and enemies outnumber you, will you stand on unseen promises? Sell o, my friends, from here in the holy land of Israel i'my l Extein with international Fellowship of Christians and Jews, and welcome to the Chosen People. They have been on a journey like no other, from the sands of Egypt to the mountains beyond the Jordan. The Chosen People have fought and wandered. They have stumbled, and they have risen again. They have witnessed miracles, crossed rivers on dry grounds, and fortified walls crumble to dust. They have walked into unknown lands, armed with faith and the fierce conviction of a people called by God. And now they are here. The Northern kings have heard of Israel's God, the whispers, the shouts, the stories that these wandering people are not to be underestimated. Rumors ripple through the valleys and echo down palace corridors, And so the kings gather. They unite, determined to crush this so called Chosen nation before they grow any stronger. In the face of overwhelming opposition, when every voice rises up against you, what would you rely on your alliances, your resources, your own strength, or do you lean on something unseen, something even greater. 00:04:14 Speaker 1: As Joshua and his men marched back into Gilgal, their newly named riverside camp, the atmosphere was charged and crackling with excitement. The south of Canaan was secure. Israel was half way to her promise. Joshua held his head high, enthusiastically, clapping backs and shaking hands, every face beaming, gins lifted high. Slowly, soldiers peeled off to celebrate with their friends and families and headed off in the direction of their quarters. Exhausted but satisfied with all they had accomplished, Joshua trudged toward his own tent, already fantasizing about a warm bath and meal before collapsing into a deep slumber. But as he approached, his sleepy smile fell into a frown of concern as he beheld his counselor's worried looks from the doorway of his tent. 00:05:13 Speaker 4: What is it? 00:05:15 Speaker 1: Elieza warily eyed the still celebrating passers by and beckoned Joshua to enter the tent. 00:05:22 Speaker 5: You had better come in so we can speak privately. 00:05:25 Speaker 1: Joshua's fatigue vanished, replaced by a sharp, attentive vigor. The instincts he had come to trust over the years stirred within him, his intuition, warning that the next battle was drawn near, there would be no rest to night, or at least not for long. 00:05:43 Speaker 7: Well. 00:05:44 Speaker 1: Joshua stood just inside the entryway to his dwelling, as the others Elieza Ihamar, Finnahas and Moses sons, the leaders of Israel, who had remained behind to lead and guard the civilians, stood tentatively around the land table, reluctant to sit. The high priest began. 00:06:04 Speaker 5: We received news with the Ghibbeanite servants who sent back to us to attend the tabernacle. They heard whispers of messages being sent through Canaan, whispers that were confirmed by friends of Rahab's family, sending words of warning to them here in Gilgal. The northern kings have formed an alliance against us. 00:06:24 Speaker 4: How many, it's. 00:06:25 Speaker 5: Hard to say for sure, but it looks to be all the major players of the North. Jabin, King of Hazor, leads the charge, as well as Jobab, King of Maidon, King of Shimron, King of Akshaff, Kings from the northern hill country kings from the Ahrabah south of Kinnaroth, kings from the Lowland, kings from the heights of Door on the west, and the various other Canaanite, Amorite, Hittide, Peserite, Jebusite in high right kings. 00:07:00 Speaker 4: So many and they are amassing their forces. Do we know how many Phineas go and send for Caleb. He needs to hear this as well. Give his wife and daughter my apologies, but this is more important than their reunion. 00:07:14 Speaker 1: Phinnahas hurried off to fetch Joshua's commander, while moses sons slumped in their seats, their expressions despondent. Following their lead, Ithamarl pulled himself a cup of wine from the pitcher left by Joshua's servants, intended to be celebratory, but now serving to steady the men's nerves. After the troubling news. Across the low table, Elieza stood straight and resolute, facing Joshua. Joshua began to pace, but held back his questions until Caleb entered the tent and joined them. Joshua efficiently got him up to speed. 00:07:51 Speaker 4: The Northern kingdoms have formed an alliance and are raising a great host against us. It seems they have no intention of letting us pick them off one by one. 00:08:02 Speaker 8: Of course they're not where would be the fun in that? 00:08:05 Speaker 5: Yes, it seems they're gathering at a place called the waters of Moran, northwest of the Sea of Chinaith. 00:08:13 Speaker 1: Joshua started to pace and visualize the landscape and terrain in his mind's eye. He didn't need to consult his maps. He had looked at them so often they were now committed to memory. The place Salieza spoke of was over seventy miles away, about a five day march north of their camp at gilgal Ithamar set his cup down on a table with a snap and answered the question they were all thinking. 00:08:39 Speaker 2: Three hundred thousand. That's the number being reported for their infantry, ten thousand cavalry, and twenty thousand chariot. You all remember the damaged chariots can do on the battlefield. I trust from our Egyptian masters, the way they could provide a stable platform for archers in the midst of battle and transport multiple wars aryas in each twenty thousand chariots means the number of the swords and arrows swinging for your head is doubled or tripled, and coming at you with speed. 00:09:10 Speaker 1: The room hung quiet for a moment at it Thomar's words. The men of Joshua's council were among the few who remembered the chariots of Egypt, though they were hardly more than children when. 00:09:21 Speaker 7: They left her. 00:09:22 Speaker 1: Cavalry could be devastating enough for ground troops, but the intimidation factor of chariots alone, well, there was a reason Egypt was one of the most feared military powers of their world. But yet Eliezer broke the tense silence. 00:09:38 Speaker 4: First, what of our own cavalry not enough to compete with ten thousand? 00:09:44 Speaker 5: What of the plunder from Ai and then the other southern cities. Surely we could purchase more horses or even build our own chariots if mah, how much do we have in our stores? 00:09:57 Speaker 2: More than enough? 00:09:58 Speaker 4: But that's not the resources we lef back. 00:10:00 Speaker 2: Time is the waters of Merum is a five day journey from here. It will take time to acquire more horses than chariots, but it will also take time to build up defenses. If we cannot do both effectively in the time it would take our enemies to unite and march down the Jordan valley. 00:10:19 Speaker 4: I fear they would be at. 00:10:20 Speaker 2: Our doorstep and catch us in the middle of building chariots. We could have been mounting defenses of our own. 00:10:27 Speaker 5: Build defenses where in the ruins of Jericho, here on the river's edge. I'm no military strategist, but our women and children went their backs to the river, and a great battle before them would be irresponsible. 00:10:44 Speaker 2: So what then you would have as fight out in the. 00:10:47 Speaker 5: Open yesh our God, not with us. 00:10:50 Speaker 1: Ishamar back down at that, and the room quieted. After the brothers spirited back and forth, but Joshua could tell that Ithamar was still skeptical of the precarious situation. Joshua continued to pace and turn over options in his mind. Caleb then voiced one. 00:11:08 Speaker 3: Of them, Chariots and horses are intimidating, yes, but if they are overcome, they are just as likely to be a liability as an advantage. There are ways. 00:11:21 Speaker 4: Yes, and those ways placed us in an offensive position, not a defensive one. It would be impossible to topple chariots and lame horses from behind walls. No, we bring the fight to them. We have fought the entirety of this war so far on the offensive. I see no reason why that's your change. You say they are amassing their forces at the waters of Merrim. These kingdoms who have never united as one before a dozen different regions and cultures. Take time for them to organize themselves. While they're doing that, we could complete the five day march north and be upon them before they realize what is happening. It doesn't matter how big an army is if they are not united. How could they stand against us with. 00:12:05 Speaker 9: The Lord on our side? How could they rally in vase us. We've seen his might, his power, and seek his guidance. But I know he would want us to be bored. He would want us to be courageous. He would want us to go fight, right does. 00:12:20 Speaker 10: The Joshua's forces marched at a relentless pace along the flats of the Jordan and then cut west and over the gently rolling hills of the Galileean countryside, and used the large swathes of forests that dotted. 00:12:40 Speaker 1: The land for coverage from any enemy scouts in the area. Joshua felt the familiar confidence of the Lord's guiding hand as they covered the miles they've laid between Israel and her amassing enemy in the north. They camped a few miles away, and Joshua joined Caleb and the other scouts at dusk as they snuck to the vantage point of a nearby hilltop to spy on the Northern Alliance's armies in the valley below at the waters of Merom. Flat on his stomach and propped up on his elbows, Joshua's breath was stolen away as he beheld what three hundred thousand men of war in one place looked like. It was a city of war, teeming with chaotic activity and purpose. Its dissonance. Sounds drifted up to his hiding place, shouts in foreign tongues, equine, brain and neighing, and metal clanging. Cook Fires sprang to life at odd intervals between the tents, bringing the strange third dimension to the flat mass of men and tents filling the valley before them. Despite the sheer numbers and chaos, walkways and orderly thoroughfares were cut into the landscape, creating rough rectangles that broke up the mass of humanity and beasts, lines and lines of horses. More than Joshua had ever seen made up the edges of camp. The smell of them overpowered even the distant aroma of fires and cooking meat. Joshua wrinkled his nose. Or perhaps it was the latrine pits, it was hard to tell, but one thing was for sure. The blight of man and beast on the landscape would leave a stain polluting the region for years and years to come, and once the battle began, blood and gore would compound the filth and stench in the mud by the lake. Caleb's whisper interrupted Joshua's grim thoughts. 00:14:41 Speaker 8: I know that looks like your guess was right. They're still organizing. They don't look anywhere near ready to march out, Huk. I still see sections that are setting up their tents and unloading their supplies. 00:14:58 Speaker 4: Aye, we'll hit them just before the first light, just as they're starting to wake. Now, let's get back and get some rest before then. We had a long march to get here. 00:15:10 Speaker 1: Joshua found himself lying awake on his bed roll a short time after that, unable to take his own advice. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw the horde of Canaanites in the neighboring valley. Their dark masses swirled and loomed before him, threatening to stamp out Israel's destiny. 00:15:31 Speaker 4: If I overreached my confidence. I a fool for marchin us all the way up here to take such a great host. 00:15:37 Speaker 1: But then came the quiet, comforting voice, as he knew it would in the depths of his doubt and uncertainty. 00:15:45 Speaker 7: Do not be afraid of them, for tomorrow I will cause all of them to be killed before Israel. You are to hams doing their horses and burn their chariots. 00:15:58 Speaker 1: Joshua nodded, knotted stomach and racing mind finally easing. He remembered nothing else until he woke a few hours before dawn. Joshua used the time efficiently to organize his forces to launch the attack. He divided his forces and sent them around on either side of their sleeping enemy to enact a pincer movement to disorient and scatter them. 00:16:24 Speaker 4: Like the snapping. 00:16:25 Speaker 1: Jaws of a wolf. They would close in on their prey and drive stragglers toward the foothills where they had camped that night. The rough to rain would be hard for the horses to navigate, and impossible for the chariots to maneuver from there. They would root every last one of them in the foothills, as they had done to their southern counterparts. Joshua and his division crouched in the darkness of pre dawn and waited for the signal to attack. They had picked off the enemy's scouts easily enough, and, judging by the quietness of the enemy's camp, Kleebbe's division on the other side of the valley had similar success. Joshua gripped his javelin tightly in one hand while he flipped his sword in the other to ease the tension of waiting. His body was coiled and tight, ready to spring into action in a moment. Just then, a piercing yell cut through the sleeping count Wow. But that the horses neighed and nickered as they took off, running in all directions. The ropes keeping them tight to their lines had been cut by Joshua's men. Distant yells and the sound of hoofs on the other side of the valley told Joshua that Caleb's men had done the same. 00:17:38 Speaker 4: That was the signal to attack. It was time wiz All attack. Rack Shazakh a lots. 00:17:47 Speaker 1: Joshua charged forward and easily cut down the first men who came screaming out of their tents further into the heart of the camp, where the general's tents surely lay. Shouts to form up and get to Chariots and horses rang out over the panic. 00:18:03 Speaker 2: Form up mount your horses beat them back. 00:18:06 Speaker 1: But with the Israelites all ready within their lines and descending through the rows and rows of tents from two sides of the camp, their enemy's attempts to obey their commanders and go on the defensive were clumsy and easily thrown down by Joshua's disciplined soldiers. Joshua thrust his javelin high into the air and shouted, rallying his men scattered throughout the dense enemy tents to keep advancing. 00:18:34 Speaker 4: There's forward, swords advance with me. 00:18:37 Speaker 1: Joshua's swordsman roared in response and ACKed and harried at his side. As the Canaanites slowly started to get their defenses up, Joshua was yanking his long javelin from a now fallen man's sternom, digging in his heel on the man's chest for leverage. When the first arrow whizzed past his ear and sunk itself into the ground next to him. With a dus from Joshua jerked his head up. That was when he heard it, the tell tale pounding of hoofs and the rotation of wooden whools grounding through the trampled grass and hardened mud. The caneit soldiers before them heard them too, and scrambled out of the way, glee starting to overtake looks of panic. Joshua's men found themselves alone in a small clearing between the tents, a thoroughfare where several walkways seemed to dead end. They couldn't see the chariots yet, but they were coming, likely from multiple directions. They would face them here in this clearing. 00:19:38 Speaker 4: Before the lines. 00:19:39 Speaker 9: Shields up spears behind archers ready swords. 00:19:44 Speaker 1: With me, Joshua led the swordsmen behind the wall of still forming shields and protruding spears to join the archers who had been trailing them. 00:19:54 Speaker 7: The last spear. 00:19:55 Speaker 1: Snapped down into a defensive position as the first of the chariots came into view over the rise and hurled toward them. In the narrow passageways between tents, Joshua's men ready themselves to defend. Multiple walkways. 00:20:10 Speaker 9: Wagers ruddyrboles over the horses, draw knock Loose arrows. 00:20:18 Speaker 1: Hissed through the air, sicing over the shields. Many striking true horses shrieked as they fell, collapsing spectacularly to the ground, bringing their chariots crashing down behind them. The second line of chariots, unable to stop in time, was thrown into chaos as rearing, panicked horses became even easier targets for Joshua's archers, and advantage they exploited without hesitations worry. A formidable wall of debris from fallen chariots and horse carcasses now stood between Joshua's men and the next line of chariots, pinned down in the narrow walkways and trapped by the rows of chariots behind them. With a smirk, Joshua seized the advantage of a crowded field. This was no place for chariots. He sunk his javelin into the ground and took up a discarded shield in. 00:21:13 Speaker 4: The other swords with me advance shields. 00:21:17 Speaker 1: Up, Joshua and his men scrambled over the fallen line of chariots and quickly fell upon the trapped men in their chariots. Joshua wasted no time. He leaped to the ground and spun to avoid the spears from the desperate men atop the platform with the chariot before him, and sliced through the hamstrings of the crowded trails with a vicious downward stroke. The animals screamed as it collapsed. He continued the movement into another spin, and the momentum powered the upstroke of his sword, cleaving the wide eyed spearsman's face open on the platform above. His companion was dead with another downward stroke before he could cry out as Joshua jumped onto the platform and the chariot. Joshua's shield was up an instant later, and the thunk of several arrows sinking themselves into the thick wood followed in quick succession. But Joshua's men had secured the chariots to his right. 00:22:14 Speaker 2: And left archers to me advance and ready bouse the archers behind. 00:22:19 Speaker 1: Joshua crawled up the now secured platforms of the fallen chariots and prepared for another volley. Joshua grinned this would work Joshua rolled his shoulders back and tightened his grip on his sword and shield as he prepared for the next wave of attack. They would take down every line of chariots before them until there were no more left. When the battle was over, they burned every last chariot. Israel had no need for mighty weapons of war, not when their God fought for them. The conquest of the Northern cities marked the fine chapter in Israel's campaign to claim the land. Hatsaw, whose king had orchestrated the mighty Northern Alliance, fell first. Burning the city of Hatsaw to the ground sent an unmistakable message. If even the great capital of these kingdoms could not escape judgment, no city was safe from there. Joshua methodically subdued the northern territories. Victory did not come quickly, however. The campaign stretched over long, grueling years. City after city fell, their kings defeated, their fortresses destroyed. Save for Gibeon, the hearts of the Canaanites remained hardened, their days of grace long past. Their sin had reached its limit, and as it had been foretold in the days of Abraham, judgment had come upon them. 00:24:05 Speaker 6: Why would the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob bring his Chosen people to face he had another battle? Haven't they endured enough? But here we find the Chosen People, after so much struggle, facing yet another enemy. And these kings are not mere tribes. They are powerful coalitions, forces united to block Israel's path to the Promised Land. From a human perspective, it might seem wise to strike up alliances, to lean on other nations, or even to compromise. But from the beginning, the Chosen People have been called to walk a different path, one that does not follow the strength of man, but rests instead on the promises of God. The words of the David from the twentieth thalm Ring true quote. Some trust in chariots and some trust in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord, our God. Human alliances are fragile, but God's covenant is unbreakable. And this is the lesson Israel must carry into each new land, through each new battle. Do not look to the left or right, nor to your own strength, for God alone is our stronghold and fortress. There's one verse in this chapter that I'd like to take a closer look at. Verse nineteen tells us that other than the Gibeonites, not one city made a treaty of peace with the Israelites. 00:25:33 Speaker 5: Not one. 00:25:34 Speaker 6: But here's the thing. According to God's word, the Chosen people must offer peace to any enemy we offer it, and they could decide what to do. And so the Israelites offered peace, with the only condition being to observe the seven basic rules of morality and to perform national service. But guess what all the Canaanite cities refused this offer. The message here is that the land of Israel requires a special level of morality from all of its inhabitants, and it requires that everyone recognized the sovereignty of God, and the struggle for the Holy Land to retain this precious quality continues today. Faith in God isn't a passive trust. It's an active trust. It's a trust that propels us into action, that dares us to believe that God will deliver. In Joshua's day, this faithful obedience to God meant marching into battle against mighty kings. Today can mean standing firm in a world that pressures us to compromise our beliefs and to choose comfort over conviction. But here's the thing. Faith in and obedience to God's word don't guarantee an easy life, but they do promise a life aligned with the God of Abraham, a life rooted day in the strength that does not come from us, but from God above and from God's abundant love. Today, some of us might not be called to the physical battle, but to every one of us, it's very clear that we all face our own struggles that sometimes could feel insurmountable. There are voices that tell us to give up, to settle for something less, to walk away from our values for the sake of comfort. This story of Joshua and the Kings reminds us that true victory, the kind of victory that lasts, is born not of earthly strength, but of trust in God, of obedience that stands firm, and a faith that leads us to action. So here's a question I'll leave you with today. When you face resistance, where will you place your trust? Because, as this Bible story shows, the true battle is not in the strength of our enemies, but in the faithfulness of our hearts. As David did as he's sang his psalm from here in the Holy Land, let us remember some trust in chariots, and some trust in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord, our God, as it says in hebrewheve e le Bassussim van Nachnu beshame Elohim Nisko. 00:28:24 Speaker 1: You can listen to The Chosen People with Isle Eckstein add free by downloading and subscribing to the prey dot com app today. This preydog comproduction is only made possible by our dedicated team of creative talents. Steve Katina, Max Bard, Zach Shellabarger and Ben Gammon are the executive producers of The Chosen People with Yaile Eckstein, edited by Alberto Avilla, narrated by Paul Caltefianu. Characters are voiced by Jonathan Cotton, Aaron Salvado, Sarah Seltz, Mike Reagan, Stephen Ringwold, 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 Yile Eckstein, please rate and leave a review.