Transcript of Radio Show #396:
Book of Joshua, Part 5
Continuing from last week, on the series in the Old Testament, with the book of Joshua...

Radio Show...

This program continues on various series of different topics of Bible studies and theology such as end times, prophecies, Old Testament, New Testament, daily living, etc. as the subject matter comes up.

The e-book on End times, Prophecies and Revelation, answering the questions “where are we in the events of the end times?” and “Are we now in the tribulation?” is available on this web site, which you can find throughout the pages.

Opening Narrative

Hello and welcome to another exciting radio program today on end times and prophecies and scriptures to live by... which is all about old-time gospel and worship music, praying for needs and preaching the Word of God....

And remember this radio programs Virtual Church for the Spiritual Unchurched is broadcast every Sunday at 7 am and 7 pm pacific time... and if you unfortunately miss it for whatever reason at any time, you can hear the program any time after that for 4 weeks...at my web site TimingRevelation.com

So, we continue today in the new series started a few weeks ago, based on my book “The Horizontal Chronology of the Four Gospels”...

And I did mention to you before that with this series begins the start of the 8th year of these radio programs Virtual Church for the Spiritual Unchurched.

As you already know In this series we look at the four gospels in a new light as they are presented by chronological events taking place within the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John which are presented separately in the Bible ...

It is all the same gospel.... but in chronological order of events taking place, which lets us hear or see side by side who reported and what each said on these events taking place in the gospels.

So, we continue today, with the new series from the book of Joshua in the Old Testament, which is the book following Deuteronomy.

We will begin here right after this opening music, prayer and worship...

Prayer
Praise God Doxology
Worship music

Narrative 1

Alright so last week we finished covering the book of Joshua, reading the last verses from verses 26 to verse 33 of the chapter 24, about the death of Joshua and Eleazar, the burying of the bones of Moses as he had requested back in Egypt...

and as we read last week, with the passing of Joshua and Eleazar, a new era came to a close in Israel's history... but a new historical period was about to begin which is often referred to as a “dark period” for the children of Israel... unfortunately...

a dark period of recurring cycles of spiritual apostasy, compromise, oppression, repentance and deliverance – which I have always called a virtual “Roller Coaster” ....

and right here I have to make a clarification of the timing of this period which was mentioned last week to be about 200 years according to the resource mentioned.

However the timing for the book of Judges as we will read it over the next programs is shown as taking place from about 1,390 B.C. to 1,340 B.C. which comes to a recorded history of about 50 years.

Now the reason for this is that, the timing in the Bible takes in the history of the book of Judges at within the 1300's, as well as the book of Ruth estimated to be in the 1100's... and there is a whole explanation about the timing of these books not being known specifically, which gets very complicated... and which is not going to be expounded upon at this time in these programs.

However, a searchable reading can be undertaken separately if you are interested in deciphering more of the timing details in this area of history.

However for the purpose of summarized studying of this books of the Old Testament in this series of radio programs, let's keep in mind that between the book of Judges that we are now focusing on, the book of Ruth which takes place after this book, and the beginning time of the Kings, we are looking at between 1,390 B.C. to 1,070 B.C. -- for a total of about 320 years...

In other words, about 320 years from the beginning of the book of Judges to the beginning of the books of the Kings which we will get into in a couple of programs from now.

So we will begin with that in mind as to where we are in history.... right after this...

Station ID

Narrative # 2

Alright, so with the historical timing in mind, let's first look at a little background on this book...

Who were the “Judges”? They were leaders who delivered Israel from foreign persecution and oppression during the time after the death of Joshua and the beginning of the monarchy. They exercised authority under God both in military and civil matters.

And the monarchy refers to the kings that Israel wanted God to provide them with – even though God was not in favour of this – He, God, wanted to be their “only King” -- quite unlike all the other nations around them....

Now some might ask, Why was there persecution and oppression in this “conquered” land?”

Well here's what it says in my OPEN Bible: “The generation that entered Canaan under Joshua had accomplished much by way of occupying strategic sites and settling the tribes in their assigned portions. However, important Canaanite strongholds had been bypassed by Joshua, and the individual tribes were expected to fight to occupy their territories” (Joshua 13:1-7). Wow, so here we have “why”!

So they did not have a leader to unite them and suffered again and again at the hands of the enemies. This turbulent period was the transition between the conquest of the land and the rise of the great prophet and judge Samuel who anointed their first king, Saul in the 11th century B.C. which we will get into in the future programs.

And right now as we begin this new book reading, I want to remind us again why it is important to read and know the Old Testament (or covenant).... and unfortunately, I might add, not many churches cover this at all in their weekly services...

For one thing, studying the Old Testament makes us appreciate so much more the New Testament... it makes us appreciate what Jesus did on the cross and why... why God had to do what He did in becoming flesh to give His physical life for our sins....

... and here's how an AI Overview search says this:..

“Reading the Old Testament is important because it provides a foundational understanding of God, lays the groundwork for the New Testament, and reveals the history and themes that are fulfilled in Jesus Christ. It shows God's character in detail, introduces the problem of sin, and foreshadows the coming of a Savior, making it essential for a complete understanding of biblical narratives, teachings, and the Christian faith itself.”

Wow, I like that, that's pretty good, and that's why it makes us appreciate so much more what the New Covenant is and what Christ did on the Cross.

So now back to the book of Judges... Israel would encounter much trouble and tragedy in their new land of Canaan. The causes would be multiplied. First they failed to consolidate the land, then they disobeyed God by omitting to keep their religion and cultural life strong before the Lord; soon idolatry crept in, and vicious oppressors rose up... on top of that famine was a recurring calamity.

But during all these terrible times, God would help them. Whenever things got really bad and enemies would oppress them, the people would cry out to God in despair, and repent, and God would raise up “a deliverer”, or “a judge” to save them from their oppressors.

This book shows the many times God did come to their rescue. His faithfulness in spite of their disobedience is seen as lessons for generations to come. Lessons to obey God and trust God. It is clear to see that chaos can be expected to creep in the lives of people when they turn from God's commandments and “do what is right in their own eyes.” Lessons for us, lessons for countries here, now, today.

Music Interlude

Narrative #3

Alright let's continue with

Chapter 1, verses 1 to 7, the capture of Adoni-bezek:

First we see Israel having to continue their conquest of the people in the land of Canaan.

The first people we read about in chapter 1 are the Canaanites of the city of Bezek...

v. 1_Now after the death of Joshua it came to pass, that the children of Israel asked the Lord, saying, Who shall go up for us against the Canaanites first, to fight against them?

2 And the Lord said, Judah shall go up: behold, I have delivered the land into his hand.

3 And Judah said unto Simeon his brother, Come up with me into my lot, that we may fight against the Canaanites; and I likewise will go with thee into thy lot. So Simeon went with him.

4 And Judah went up; and the Lord delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand: and they slew of them in Bezek ten thousand men.

5 And they found Adonibezek in Bezek: and they fought against him, and they slew the Canaanites and the Perizzites.

6 But Adoni-bezek fled; and they pursued after him, and caught him, and cut off his thumbs and his great toes.

7 And Adoni-bezek said, Threescore and ten kings, having their thumbs and their great toes cut off, gathered their meat under my table: as I have done, so God hath requited me (to requite = to make appropriate return). And they brought him to Jerusalem, and there he died.

Ok, so here's some explanatory notes to help us understand some important details of what we are reading here:

1st, Adoni-Bezek was the king of the city of Bezek. The whole word means “my lord is Bezek”...

and, “Bezek” means “lightning”... hummmm right here doesn't that ring some bells??? Who was it that was thrown down from heaven like “lightning”?

Alright Ok, now as for verse 7, and the “Threescore and ten kings, (that's 70 kings), having their thumbs and their great toes cut off”, I will read from the Liberty Commentary:

“The passage indicates that Adoni-bezek had conquered seventy kings, whom he brought under his submission by having their thumbs and their great toes cut off. This may seem strange to the modern reader, but was very significant in the ancient Near East. Physical mutilation disqualified a person from religious or political office. It was also used to render a person militarily impotent. By having his thumb cut off he could no longer handle a weapon effectively".

Now “That the defeated kings gathered their meat under my table” indicates that they became vassal servants of the overlord and were allowed to remain alive.

And the Commentary adds: “In a similar fashion, Adoni-bezek was allowed to remain at Jerusalem until he died.”

And in one of my Jewish Bibles, we can read of other violent things that the Canaanites did to people which I could not even read here at all, it is so awful...

Now we see why God had to kill all these horrible demon-possessed groups of people of the time.

Music Interlude...

Narrative #4

So next we read about the conquests of Judah,

in, still, chapter 1, now verses 8 to 10

v.8 Now the children of Judah fought against Jerusalem and took it; they struck it with the edge of the sword and set the city on fire.

9 And afterward the children of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites who dwelt in the mountains, in the South, and in the lowland.

10 Then Judah went against the Canaanites who dwelt in Hebron. (Now the name of Hebron was formerly Kirjath Arba.) And they killed Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai.

And then, we read about Othniel conquering Debir, and receives Achsah,

again, chapter 1, now verses 11 to 15

11 From there they went against the inhabitants of Debir. (The name of Debir was formerly Kirjath Sepher.)

12 Then Caleb said, “Whoever attacks Kirjath Sepher and takes it, to him I will give my daughter Achsah as wife.”

13 And Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, took it; so he gave him his daughter Achsah as wife.

14 Now it happened, when she came to him, that she urged him to ask her father for a field. And she dismounted from her donkey, and Caleb said to her, “What do you wish?”

15 So she said to him, “Give me a blessing; since you have given me land in the South, give me also springs of water.”
And Caleb gave her the upper springs and the lower springs.

Then after this, we read of the extent of the conquests of Judah and Benjamin...
from Chapter 1, verses 16 to 21:

16 Now the children of the Kenite, Moses’ father-in-law, went up from the City of Palms with the children of Judah into the Wilderness of Judah, which lies in the South near Arad; and they went and dwelt among the people.

17 And Judah went with his brother Simeon, and they attacked the Canaanites who inhabited Zephath, and utterly destroyed it. So the name of the city was called Hormah.

18 Also Judah took Gaza with its territory, Ashkelon with its territory, and Ekron with its territory.

19 So the Lord was with Judah. And they drove out the mountaineers, but they could not drive out the inhabitants of the lowland, because they had chariots of iron.

20 And they gave Hebron to Caleb, as Moses had said. Then he expelled from there the three sons of Anak.

21 But the children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites who inhabited Jerusalem; so the Jebusites dwell with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day.

And lastly we read about the conquests of other tribes,
Chapter 1, verses 22 to 26...

22 And the [e]house of Joseph also went up against Bethel, and the Lord was with them.

23 So the house of Joseph sent men to spy out Bethel. (The name of the city was formerly Luz.)

24 And when the spies saw a man coming out of the city, they said to him, “Please show us the entrance to the city, and we will show you mercy.”

25 So he showed them the entrance to the city, and they struck the city with the edge of the sword; but they let the man and all his family go.

26 And the man went to the land of the Hittites, built a city, and called its name Luz, which is its name to this day.

And finally for now, Incomplete Conquest of the Land
Chapter 1, verses 27 to 36...

27 However, Manasseh did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth Shean and its villages, or Taanach and its villages, or the inhabitants of Dor and its villages, or the inhabitants of Ibleam and its villages, or the inhabitants of Megiddo and its villages; for the Canaanites were determined to dwell in that land.

Wow that's still a lot of land to conquer...

v. 28 And it came to pass, when Israel was strong, that they put the Canaanites under tribute, but did not completely drive them out.

29 Nor did Ephraim drive out the Canaanites who dwelt in Gezer; so the Canaanites dwelt in Gezer among them.

30 Nor did Zebulun drive out the inhabitants of Kitron or the inhabitants of Nahalol; so the Canaanites dwelt among them, and were put under tribute.

31 Nor did Asher drive out the inhabitants of Acco or the inhabitants of Sidon, or of Ahlab, Achzib, Helbah, Aphik, or Rehob.

Lots of places... probably don't pronounce properly but, lots of villages.

v. 32 So the Asherites dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land; for they did not drive them out.

33 Nor did Naphtali drive out the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh or the inhabitants of Beth Anath; but they dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land. Nevertheless the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh and Beth Anath were put under tribute to them.

34 And the Amorites forced the children of Dan into the mountains, for they would not allow them to come down to the valley;

35 and the Amorites were determined to dwell in Mount Heres, in Aijalon, and in Shaalbim; yet when the strength of the house of Joseph became greater, they were put under tribute.

36 Now the boundary of the Amorites was from the Ascent of Akrabbim, from Sela, and upward.

So this gives us a lot of details about those places and those people we read about in other books of the Bible and how they ended up still being in those areas of the promised land.

And so with this chapter 1, we end this portion of the book of Judges and will pick up next week with chapter 2 where we will read about Israel' unfaithfulness – in spite of God's faithfulness.... and His provision of judges...

Closing Narrative…

Oh how wonderful to appreciate what Jesus has done in our lives to save us from sin by Grace... and how He continues to keep us by His on-going and unlimited Grace...

...that wonderful Grace that comes into our life the moment that we receive Him as for who He is -- the Saviour of mankind and of every individual like you and me personally...

... and this Jesus the Son of God who came to give His life for you and me is the same Jesus who's life we've been reading about in these series of programs right now, and who's death on the cross we will see as we go through the gospel story to where He gave Himself as the sacrificial Lamb of God that took the sin of the world...

...but right now, the question is:

...do you know this Jesus that we're talking about? If you don't know the Lord...

...Just say this prayer, “Lord come into my heart, come into my life, I turn to you right now and ask for forgiveness, I repent of my sins and receive your work on the cross... I receive your gospel as it was delivered through your blood shed on the cross in my place, and I thank you, Amen...

The Blessing

Before I dismiss the service today, I want to read to you the Blessing that was read to the people of God in Numbers 6:24-26 which is the benediction from God to you today:

“The Lord bless thee, and keep thee: The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace."

I hope and pray that you will come back next Sunday at SpiritFM.ca, 7 am and 7 pm pacific time. And if you want to hear the service again at any time, you can go to my website at TimingRevelation.com, and click on the Radio Shows navigational tab along the left side. The replays are available there for five weeks, then they are transcribed into articles as new radio shows are put up.

I encourage you to go to your Bible and read further on the scriptures that were given throughout the program today. And if you like these programs and you've been blessed, call or write the station and let them know... if you said the prayer and have accepted the Lord or you've been healed or touched in some way by the Holy Spirit, write to me on the contact form of this web site...

...and this web site is also where you will find the Free Offer of the “Christian Growth and Maturity Chart” that I talked to you about in the last weeks... you will see the graphic on any page called “Get your free CGM Chart”, click on it and it will take you to a page that will tell you about it and how you can subscribe to my newsletter to get your free copy of the Chart sent to you.

Until next week, Maranatha, the Lord is coming, very soon. Goodbye and Blessing.

/DMH

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Blessings,