If you are following The Plan you should be through the end of the Book of Joshua.  (Actually, you should have been through the end of the Book of Joshua two days ago, and this is not March 28th, but I got a little behind on my blogging.....)

Moses is now dead and buried east of the Jordan.   God charges Joshua to "...arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them—the children of Israel."  So Joshua mobilizes the tribes and sends out spies to Jericho. 

We read the famous story of Rahab in Chapter 2 - and it is clear that the inhabitant of these lands have heard about the Children of Isreal - what God has done for them and what they have done to Sihon and Og, and they are terrified.  "I know that the LORD has given you the land, that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land are fainthearted because of you."  And, by the way, they should be.

Israel crosses the Jordan, which dries up for them like the Passage of the Red Sea and the Children of Israel set up camp in Gilgal - and a few interesting things happen: 

• First, the sons of Israel are circumcised.  With Flint knives.  Before antiseptic, scalpels, and pain medicine.  Ouch.  It's safe to say they are committed at this point.
• Second, they ate the produce of the land and Manna ceased the next day.   Remember that?  God had been providing for them all this time, and once they eat the produce of the land, the manna stops. 

And then it begins - a devastating war of extermination against those living in the land that God had promised the Children of Israel.

• Jericho falls - "...And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, ox and sheep and donkey, with the edge of the sword."  All except Rahab and here household, that is.
• Ai falls - "...So Joshua burned Ai and made it a heap forever, a desolation to this day.  And the king of Ai he hanged on a tree until evening. And as soon as the sun was down, Joshua commanded that they should take his corpse down from the tree, cast it at the entrance of the gate of the city, and raise over it a great heap of stones that remains to this day.
• Gibeon saves themselves from destruction with a deceitful treaty, choosing slavery over destruction.    But this upsets some of the Southern Kingdoms (Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon).  They march on Gibeon, where Joshua descends upon the five Kings from Gilgal, and "..the Lord routed them before Israel, killed them with a great slaughter at Gibeon...cast down large hailstones from heaven."   Were are told the sun stands still in the sky on this day and the five kings are hunted down..."and afterward Joshua struck them and killed them, and hanged them on five trees."
• Makkedah falls - Joshua "struck it and its king with the edge of the sword.  He utterly destroyed them - all the people..."
• Libnah falls - Joshua "let none remain in it, but did to its king as he had done to the king of Jericho."
• Lachish falls - ".. and struck it and all the people who were in it with the edge of a sword."
• Horam, King of Gezer falls - coming to the aid of Lachish.  "Joshua struck him and his people, until he left him none remaining."
• Eglon falls - "...They took it on that day and struck it with the edge of the sword; all the people who were in it he utterly destroyed that day..."
• Hebron Falls - "...And they took it and struck it with the edge of the sword—its king, all its cities, and all the people who were in it; he left none remaining..."
• Debir Falls - "...they struck them with the edge of the sword and utterly destroyed all the people who were in it. He left none remaining..."

And that's just in the South.   They then turned north, where the northern kingdoms rallied together and fought Israel near the "waters of Merom," with predictable results I might add.

• Hazor falls - "...And they struck all the people who were in it with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying them."

And by this time it just seemed too much work keeping track of each and every city put to the sword - "So all the cities of those kings, and all their kings, Joshua took and struck with the edge of the sword."

"Then the land rested from war."

Once the warfare ends, they begin dividing up the land among the twelve tribes.   The Tabernacle is erected at Shiloh.  Caleb and Joshua are rewarded for their faithfulness (remember - they are the only two of the original Israelites over 20 who are allowed to cross the Jordan).  They receive Hebron and Timnath Serah as their inheritance.  Cities of refuge are established.  The Covenant is renewed at Shechem (Ch24) and the bones of Joseph are buried there - remember Shechem is the plot of ground that Jacob bought.   Joshua and Eleazar die.

So, there they are - the Children of Israel settled in the land God had promised them.  Mission Accomplished, right?

We'll see - on to Judges....

Blessings.

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Pray.