“Now the whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled together at Shiloh, and set up the tabernacle of meeting there.” Shiloh was a city in the land of Ephraim. The presence of the Lord will rest in the tabernacle at Shiloh for over 300 years until the Ark of the Covenant is taken in battle by the Philistines. Shiloh, meaning peace, was previously mentioned in this Story when Jacob blessed Judah. “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the obedience of the people.” (Gen 49:10)

This prophecy points toward kings to come. The Lord will make a covenant with King David, from the tribe of Judah, promising that the kingdom will not leave the Davidic line. The ultimate King, our Savior Jesus, will come from this lineage as the ultimate Shiloh because no geographical location could ever give the people the rest they needed. Only Jesus can meet the deepest longings of our heart for peace and rest. When Jesus arrives on the scene, He will declare Himself to be the ultimate King. “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” (Matthew 28:18) Jesus will also declare Himself to be the place where we find rest. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:28-29)

Until then, we have the presence of the Lord at Shiloh, where Joshua is dividing up the land. “Then Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before the Lord, and there Joshua divided the land to the children of Israel according to their divisions.” Then the remaining tribes received their land. Tomorrow the Levites move in so keep reading.

(Joshua 18:1-19:48)

#bibleliteracymovement #chronologicalbibleteaching

Judah receives their inheritance today but they did not drive out the Jebusites; “…the Jebusites dwell with the children of Judah at Jerusalem to this day.” Next Ephraim receives their inheritance but they too “…did not drive out the Canaanites who dwelt in Gezer; but the Canaanites dwell among the Ephramites to this day and have become forced laborers.” Lastly we read that the other half of Manasseh, including the daughters of Zelophehad as the Lord instructed back in Numbers 27, receive their inheritance. “Yet the children of Manasseh could not drive out the inhabitants of those cities, but the Canaanites were determined to dwell in that land. And it happened, when the children of Israel grew strong, that they put the Canaanites to forced labor, but did not utterly drive them out.” Uh oh. This does not sound good! 😬 The Lord told them to drive the Canaanites out of the land. He did not say to make them slaves and dwell with them. Like all disobedience this is going to have a negative impact on the Israelites. Before we read about that, 7 more tribes need to settle into their home. Keep reading.

(Joshua 15:20-17:18)

#bibleliteracymovement #chronologicalbibleteaching

Reuben, Gad and 1/2 of Manasseh inherited the land east of the Jordan but they did not drive out the Geshurites or the Maachathites as the Lord had instructed them. Next is the division of the land west of the Jordan. The faithful spy Caleb steps forward first and requests to be given the land in Hebron where the descendants of Anak live. Remember when the 12 spies initially went to scout out the land they came back and 10 said, “There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.” (Numbers 13:33) Well Caleb, at the age of 85 is as strong as he was at the age of 40 when he first scouted out the land and he is just as faithful. Caleb is basically saying that this grasshopper is gonna take down the Anakims and that he did! 💪

Next Othniel, Caleb’s nephew, conquers Kirjath Sepher and as a reward he is given Caleb’s daughter in marriage. Othniel will one day become Israel’s first judge but before that the remaining tribes have to settle into the land. Keep reading.

(Joshua 12:7-15:19)

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Today the 5 kings of the Amorites, descendants of Canaan, gather together to make war against the Gibeonites in response to the covenant they made with Israel. The men of Gibeon ask Joshua for help. The Lord told Joshua that He would give him victory and He does so in an unusual way such as He did with the battle of Jericho. God rains hailstorms down on the enemy and holds the sun still until the battle is over and “the people had revenge upon their enemies”.

After the victory, the Israelites go on to conquer the other southern cities and then the Northern Territory of Canaan. “The Israelites had secured effective control of Canaan and the Transjordan. Although it seems these battles practically happened overnight, Canaan’s conquest actually required about six to seven years. Israel’s victory was really God’s victory, for God used Israel as his instrument to judge Canaan’s unbelieving people.” (From Encountering the Old Testament by Bill Arnold and Bryan Beyer)

Next up the children of Israel are allotted their land inheritance. Keep reading.

(Joshua 10:1-12:6)

#bibleliteracymovement #chronologicalbibleteaching

After the huge victory of Jericho, the Israelites get their tails whipped against puny Ai. Joshua tears his clothes, falls down at the altar and blames the Lord. 🤦‍♀️ Little does Joshua know that the defeat was due to someone’s disobedience. BUT the Lord knows bc the Lord sees all and He saw Achan take from the accursed things at the battle of Jericho. As a result of Achan’s sin and lack of faith, 36 men died in battle, Achan’s entire family was killed, and the entire community was impacted by having to stone and burn Achan, his family and everything he possessed. A person’s choices impact others either for good or bad. Achan, who grew up in the wilderness with the Lord, basically “in the church”, lacked faith and it cost the lives of him and his family. In contrast we saw yesterday how Rahab, an outsider harlot, showed such faith that it saved her and influenced her entire family to salvation. Well, after Achan was dealt with, the Lord went on to give the Israelites victory over Ai. Then Joshua renews the Lord’s covenant with the people and performs the ceremony on Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal as the Lord instructed them back in Deut 11 and 27.

But next Joshua makes a very poor decision. When the Gibeonites pretend to be from a far away country and ask to make a covenant with the Israelites, Joshua does not seek wisdom from the Lord and makes a covenant with them. Remember that God already told them DO NOT makes covenants with the people around you (Exodus 23:32). Well 3 days later Joshua finds out the Gibeonites deceived them and they are actually their neighbors 😳 so Joshua makes them woodcutters and water carriers for the congregation and the altar of the Lord. Will this covenant come back to bite the Israelites? Keep reading to find out.

(Joshua 7:1, 1 Chronicles 2:7, Joshua 7:2-9:27)

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Today we read how the Lord parts the waters so that the people of Israel can cross the Jordan on dry land, much like the miracle He did with Moses and the Red Sea, proving that the Lord is with the Israelites. The tribes set up stones as a memorial to the children of Israel forever and so “..that all the people of the earth may know the hand of the Lord, that it is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever”. Afterwards the new generation of Israelites are circumcised, they keep the Passover (first one since they first came out of Egypt), the manna ceases, and they eat the food of the land of Canaan.

Joshua then receives from the Lord some unusual instructions regarding the battle of Jericho that involve marching around the city, blowing trumpets and shouting. Not your typical attack plan but the Lord is teaching His people that this battle is His, the Israelites can’t rely on their own abilities, and they must trust the Lord. Joshua orders that Rahab and anyone in her home be spared. He tells the Israelites to NOT take of the accursed things and to bring the silver, gold, bronze vessels and iron to the treasury of the Lord bc this is the Lord’s battle. Rahab’s family proves to share the same faith as Rahab as they chose to hide under her roof during the battle resulting in the salvation of Rahab and her family. Rahab, the former harlot, will go on to become the great great-grandma of King David and ultimately a distant great-grandma to Jesus. 🙌 Tomorrow we find out if someone took of the accursed things so keep reading.

(Joshua 3:1-6:27)

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Excerpt from “The 14 Eras” booklet by Iva May

The Conquest Era

Joshua (Approximately 50 years)

Under Joshua, God delivered the land into the hands of His people. He divided the land into twelve sections and led Israel to conquer the peoples of the land. God used Joshua to fulfill the promise that He had made to Abraham regarding the land of Canaan in Genesis 15.

Joshua’s encounter with the Commander of the army of the LORD prepared him to lead Israel. During the early days of his leadership he built an altar to the Lord, gathered Israel, and read the Book of the Law to the entire assembly.

Israel’s first battle (at Jericho) offered the nation an opportunity to see God demonstrate His power. God met with Joshua and gave Him precise instructions for taking the city—instructions that made no sense and required faith on his part. God had Israel march around the city walls for seven days and caused the walls to collapse at the sound of His people’s shout on the seventh day. Out of this large walled city only one woman and her family were saved. Rahab exhibited extraordinary faith in the God of Israel because she had heard of His exploits for Israel to dry up the Red Sea as they left Egypt, provide for them in the wilderness for forty years, and protect them from the people on the other side of the Jordan River.

After conquering most of the Canaanites Joshua divides the land of Canaan among the twelve tribes.

Joshua loved God; he began his leadership role by exalting the Book of the Law of Moses (1:8) and celebrating the Passover (5:10), and ended his leadership by reciting Israel’s history and God’s faithfulness. He recorded His final exhortation in the Book of the Law of God (24:26). He lived his life in the shadow of God’s Word. Joshua was faithful in his task and as long as Joshua was alive, the people followed the Lord. After he died, they began to worship the idols of the people who had lived in the land, and they turned away from God.

What does the Conquest Era reveal about God? God Speaks

• God links Bible literacy to the spiritual vitality of Israel (1:8).

• God establishes Himself as the Commander of the army of Israel.

• God gives instruction that require faith in Him and demand obedience from them.

God Acts

• God exhibits His power as He parts the Jordan River and destroys Jericho in a most unusual way.

• God protects Rahab and her family when she places her trust in Him.

• God destroys Achan and his family for Achan’s disobedience.

• God holds the sun in place while Joshua battles to protect the Gibeonites.

• God divides the land of Canaan among the twelve tribes.

God Reveals

• Godly leaders must mentor next-generation leaders by exalting Bible literacy and trust in the Living God. The majority of God’s people are followers and need strong godly leaders to prevent them from drifting and disobeying God.

• God rescues people who put their trust in Him, even if they are from pagan nations.

• God allows His people to encounter enemies to teach them to rely upon Him and to demonstrate His power.