Following the death of Moses, Joshua, the son of Nun, was appointed to lead the people. Prior to Moses’ death Joshua’s selection as successor was made known (Numbers 27.18-23). Joshua’s faithfulness and integrity had been well established long before this. Joshua was one of the twelve spies sent into the land of Canaan forty years earlier (Numbers 13.8) and was one of only two spies who stated the land could be taken (Numbers 14.6-9) for which he was nearly stoned (Numbers 14.10). Joshua accompanied Moses onto mount Sinai when God gave the Law (Exodus 24.13). These events demonstrate that Joshua had a great deal of faith in the promises and direction of God over His people.
Moses directed the people to remain faithful to God as they went into the land that was their inheritance. Under the leadership of Joshua the people remained faithful with a continuation of the warnings and blessings begun by Moses. As a united nation the Hebrews and their relationship to God can be seen through the leadership of those such as Moses and Joshua, and through the events that followed. While there were warnings given for transgressing the Law and forgetting God, the story of the Hebrew nation is one of rejection. As the nation aged their faithfulness to God rose and fell eventually bringing their destruction. In this chapter we shall examine the events that transpired during this period of unity and contrast those events with the continued care that God demonstrated toward His people.
Preparing for their entry into Canaan, Joshua reminded the people that God would be with them. The Israelites promised, “All that thou commandest us we will do, and whithersoever thou sendest us, we will go. According as we hearkened unto Moses in all things, so will we hearken unto thee, only the Lord thy God be with thee, as he was with Moses.” (Joshua 1.16-17).
God instructed Joshua, “Be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then shalt thou have good success. Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.” (Joshua 1.7-9).
The passages cited above place spiritual significance on the Hebrews’ passage into Canaan. God was fulfilling the promises made to Abraham many years before. The commands of God also set a serious task before the people and Joshua within a context of keeping the Law. A spiritual nation under the leadership of God, through Joshua, would render God’s judgment against the pagan inhabitants of Canaan. It should be noted however that the warnings remained to avoid corrupting themselves as the Hebrews took possession of the land. The conquest of Canaan, as recorded, is as spectacular as the delivery of the Israelites from Egypt.
The job of driving out the inhabitants of the land would not be accomplished quickly. Moses states, “And the Lord thy God will put out those nations before thee by little and little: thou mayest not consume them at once, lest the beasts of the field increase upon thee. But the Lord thy God shall deliver them unto thee, and shall destroy them with a mighty destruction, until they be destroyed.” (Deuteronomy 7.22-23). God sets an example that the best things take time, or, in other words, a job done right is done slowly and with care. It is also interesting that God acknowledges the natural order in which He works as indicated by the statement about the “beasts of the field”. God could have miraculously destroyed the nations that were in Canaan but left the work for His people to do. An important principle can be seen in this example. God designs the plan, delivers it through His messengers, then entrusts it to the faithful to complete the task.
Under the leadership of Joshua spies were sent to Jericho (Joshua 2), the Jordan river was crossed (Joshua 3) and stones were taken from the midst of the river as a memorial for future generations (Joshua 4). Joshua circumcised the people who were children of those commanded to wander forty years in the wilderness (Joshua 5.2-8). Following this God stated that the “reproach of Egypt” was “rolled away” from the people (Joshua 5.9). The Passover was kept in the new land for the first time (Joshua 5.10) and God caused the manna to cease which had fed them in the wilderness (Joshua 5.11-12). Following God’s instructions Jericho was taken (Joshua 6) and the conquest of Canaan began in earnest.
It was not long before sin caused a breach in God’s blessings on the Hebrews. The spoils of Jericho were to be left untouched as they were cursed by God (Joshua 6.17-18) with the exception of the silver, gold, brass and iron implements which were to be placed in the treasury of the Lord (Joshua 6.18). In the subsequent battle for Ai, thirty-six men lost their lives because this command had been violated (Joshua 7.1-6). God revealed the violation to Joshua (Joshua 7.10-12). A careful search among the families of the Hebrews revealed that Achan had taken a “Babylonish garment”, two hundred shekels of silver and a wedge of gold (Joshua 7.20-21). Achan and his family were stoned for this sin against God (Joshua 7.23-26). Once the transgression was purged from Israel, Ai was taken (Joshua 8.1-28).
Following this the Israelites were reminded of their spiritual obligations. Joshua built an altar on mount Ebal, wrote a copy of the Law on the stones of the mountain and offered burnt offerings to the Lord (Joshua 8.30-32). Once this was done Joshua divided the people between the mountains of Ebal and Gerezim and read to them the entire Law (Joshua 8.33-35). The sin of Achan was a reminder that God was not only good in His intent to bless the people but also severe in dealing with transgression.
Throughout his career as the leader of God’s people, Joshua remained a faithful servant. During his time a treaty was made with the inhabitants of Gibeah who deceived the Israelites (Joshua 9). God caused the sun to stand still during a battle with the Amorite kings in which they were defeated (Joshua 10). The majority of the land was conquered and divided among the tribes (Joshua 10-22). Division of the land included the designation of cities of refuge (Joshua 20) and cities for the Levites (Joshua 21).
Joshua’s final words to the Israelites were admonitions to remain faithful to God and put away their idols (Joshua 23-24). Joshua states, “Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord. And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24.14-15). Joshua led the people not only by word but by example throughout his life demonstrating the type of leadership and obedience that resulted in the continuation of God’s blessings on the new nation.
The conquest of the land however had not been complete. The tribe of Benjamin failed to drive out the Jebusites (Judges 1.21). Manasseh did not fully drive out the Canaanites (Judges 1.27-28). The Canaanites were also not driven out by the tribes of Zebulun, Asher and Naphatili who chose to live among the pagans (Judges 1.30-33). The tribe of Dan was forced into the mountains by the Amorites (Judges 1.34). God sent an angel to rebuke Israel for this. The angel stated, “I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers: and I said, I will never break my covenant with you. And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye done this? Wherefore I also said, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you.” (Judges 2.1-4).
In spite of Joshua’s leadership, the people failed to do exactly as God commanded them and quickly fell away after his death (Judges 2.8-9,17). The Hebrews began to worship Baal and Ashtaroth (Judges 2.12) as well as other idols. As a result of this they could not stand before their enemies as God had warned (Judges 2.14).
The spiritual state of the nation described above continued to characterize the Israelites throughout the remainder of their history. Periods of faithfulness were followed by times of idolatry and departure from God and His Law. The goodness of God can be seen in the fact that through the judges He delivered His people. Whenever the judge died the people became corrupt once more (Judges 2.19) which again brought God’s anger upon them (Judges 2.20). God states, concerning this situation, “I also will not henceforth drive out any from before them of the nations which Joshua left when he died: that through them I may prove Israel, whether they will keep the way of the Lord to walk therein, as their fathers did keep it, or not.” (Judges 2.21-22). Those who learned the lessons from the past would be faithful to God while those who failed to respect the Lord would be consumed by their enemies.
God’s care for Israel is manifested by His deliverance of the people from oppressors through the judges. Israel was delivered from the forces of Chushan-rishathaim by Othniel (Judges 3.9). Victory against king Eglon of Moab was accomplished by Ehud (Judges 3.15). Shamgar fought against the Philistines and won a victory for God’s people (Judges 3.31). Deborah, a prophetess, and Barak fought for the people against Jabin king of Canaan (Judges 4.4-7). Gideon delivered the people from the Midianites (Judges 6-8). Jotham delivered a curse against the rebellion and inhumanity of Abimelech who killed his own brothers (Judges 9.5-57). Two other judges, of whom little is known are also listed. These are Tola (Judges 10.1) and Jair (Judges 10.3).
Jephthah was called upon to deliver the people from the Ammonites (Judges 11-12). Samson won victory over the Philistines (Judges 14-16) and killed more when he died than he did in his lifetime after praying to God (Judges 16.30).
The latter portion of the book of Judges gives a dismal view of the state of the nation that had been founded by God. Idolatry and spiritual ambivalence is exemplified in the story of Micah and a Levite he hired to be his priest (Judges 17-18). Prostitution, violence and civil unrest unfold in the story of the Levite and his concubine with the subsequent account of the search for wives for the tribe of Benjamin (Judges 19-21). The book of Judges ends with a sad note concerning the state of the nation. “In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” (Judges 21.25).
The last two Judges of Israel were Eli and Samuel who also served as priests of God. Eli caused the people to develop a bad attitude toward the sacrifices because of the actions of his sons (1 Samuel 2.12-17). Eli was rebuked by God because he did not restrain his sons from acting as they did (1 Samuel 3.27-35, 3.13). In Eli’s place, Samuel assumed Eli’s role as the priest and served the Lord faithfully. Samuel’s two sons “n walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment.” (1 Samuel 8.3)
Due to the actions of Samuel’s sons the Israelites asked for a king to rule over them (1 Samuel 8.4-22). This request by the elders of Israel is significant. First of all they rejected God’s leadership as the Lord told Samuel in response to his prayer (1 Samuel 8.7). Secondly, God warned the people of the oppression a king would bring upon them (1 Samuel 8.11-18). A third point is their desire to be like the nations around them (1 Samuel 8.20) which was apparent in the idol worship in the nation (1 Samuel 8.8). This signaled a profound departure from God and His law as can be seen in the statement God makes to Samuel. God states, “....for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should reign over them. According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee.” (1 Samuel 8.7-8).
This particular episode speaks of the mercy of God toward His people. God had given strict commands and warnings against having other gods before Him and yet there is acknowledgment that the entire nation was filled with enough idolatry to warrant destruction. God mercifully preserves the nation in spite of the fact that Israel, as a whole, had never been as faithful to Him as they should. God’s mercy and purpose can be seen in His kindness toward the nation as part of the preparation for the coming of Christ. A physical nation would be the vehicle for bringing this about.
Samuel, following God’s instructions, sought out and anointed Saul as the first king of Israel (1 Samuel 10). Saul at first seemed to be a very humble individual. He was reluctant to accept the position as king (1 Samuel 10.21-24). Saul however rose to the position intended for him by rescuing those of Jabesh from the Ammonites who wished to subdue them and put out the right eyes of the men (1 Samuel 11). Two years later Saul sinned against God by offering a sacrifice which only the priest was authorized to perform (1 Samuel 13). Samuel told Saul that God had rejected him since he had done “foolishly” (1 Samuel 13.12). Saul’s former humility had turned to pride. His impatience and presumptuous nature caused him to violate certain boundaries God had put in place.
Saul was known for taking credit for the actions of others. When his son Jonathan overcame a Philistine garrison, Saul took credit for it (1 Samuel 13.1-4) and spread this report throughout Israel. Later Saul became jealous of David’s accomplishments while in the king’s service (1 Samuel 18.1-8).
Saul’s greatest flaw was changing the conditions of God’s commands. God instructed Saul to utterly destroy the Amalekites and their king Agag. God stated, “I remember that which Amelek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way when he came up from Egypt. Now go and smite Amelek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.” (1 Samuel 15.2-3) Saul faltered in the execution of the Lord’s command. The record states, “But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but every thing that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly.” (1 Samuel 15.9).
Samuel rebuked Saul for his transgression against the Lord. In this episode and others it is evident that Saul was willing to alter God’s commands, substituting them with his own ideas. Saul also attempted to avoid responsibility for his actions by blaming others for what he had allowed. When confronted by Samuel, Saul stated, “...for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God; and the rest have we utterly destroyed.” (1 Samuel 15.15). Saul was willing to lie acting as if he had done as God instructed him.
Samuel’s statement to Saul was one which is fitting in any age. Samuel knew Saul had not properly completed his assigned task to destroy the Amalekites. Samuel, heard the animals which should have been destroyed (1 Samuel 15.14) and stated, “Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.” (1 Samuel 15.22). Saul convinced himself that a violation of God’s instructions would be allowed based on his good intentions. Saul failed to realize that the only way to please God is to do as he was instructed without deviation. As a result of this God rejected Saul as king (1 Samuel 15.11,26).
Saul’s character can be contrasted to that of others, particularly David’s, by studying how Saul reacted to being confronted with his sin. Saul, as demonstrated above, immediately gave excuses. He tried to blame others and expressed reasons to justify himself. In addition to this he attempted to convince Samuel that he had carried out God’s instructions (1 Samuel 15.20). These traits often times surface in those who fail to respect God’s word and authority in all things.
God’s rejection of Saul brought about the selection of a new king. Samuel was sent to the house of Jesse to anoint the individual who would be named by God. Several sons of Jesse were not chosen causing Samuel to be concerned. God told Samuel, “...the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.” (1 Samuel 16.7). David, the last of Jesse’s sons to be presented, was anointed king in place of Saul (1 Samuel 16.12-13).
God’s selection of David caused trouble for Saul as the king’s jealousy rose against David. Saul was so enraged that he allowed his envy and anger to drive him to attempt to kill David (1 Samuel 20.18-31). David demonstrated a greater integrity and faithfulness to God in these troubled times by sparing Saul’s life (1 Samuel 24.1-7, 26.5-25). David also respected Saul as being one who had been chosen by God (1 Samuel 24.5-6, 26.11). David later showed mercy to members of Saul’s household after the king’s death (2 Samuel 9). Through all of these things David emerges as one of the greatest of the Hebrew kings.
After the death of Saul civil unrest remained as Ishbosheth, one of Saul’s sons, led part of the country against David (2 Samuel 2-4). The war eventually ended with the death of Ishbosheth and David assumed leadership of the entire nation (2 Samuel 5). The reign of David as king over Israel is one that is marked by contrasts. David himself perceived that God had blessed him for the sake of the nation (2 Samuel 5.12). It was through the descendants of David that God promised to bring the Messiah into the world which makes David’s rule significant from a spiritual standpoint.
David, while described as a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13.14, Acts 13.22), is still human and his humanity surfaces during his reign. David saw a woman, Bathsheba, bathing herself and committed adultery with her (2 Samuel 11.1-4). The result of this sinful union was a pregnancy which could have been embarrassing and deadly to the king (2 Samuel 11.5). When David’s attempts to convince Uriah to go home to his wife failed (2 Samuel 11.6-13), he conspired with his general, Joab, to have Uriah killed (2 Samuel 11.14-25). David’s web of deceit was not hidden from the eyes of God who sent Nathan the prophet to rebuke him (2 Samuel 12.1-9). As a result of his sin, which gave their enemies “occasion to blaspheme the name of God ” (2 Samuel 12.14), David and his house would never again see peace (2 Samuel 12.10-11).
David was told that his enemies would be those of his own household and the sword would never pass from his house (2 Samuel 12.10-11). Several disruptions came about in David’s life because of his sin. David’s son Amnon raped his daughter Tamar (2 Samuel 13.1-15). Absalom, Tamar’s brother, and Amnon’s half brother, killed Amnon (2 Samuel 13.23-29) and led a revolt against David (2 Samuel 15.1-13). During the rebellion, David was forced to flee from Jerusalem (2 Samuel 15.14). These events are only summarized here. The trouble that arose in David’s life due to these situations were difficult to live with but David remained faithful to God. Unlike Saul, David acknowledged his sin and asked God for forgiveness when confronted with his error. Unlike Saul, David did not make excuses or blame others for his failure.
Solomon, the last king of the united kingdom, was the son of David and Bathsheba (2 Samuel 12.24). Solomon was also named Jedidiah by God through the prophet Nathan (2 Samuel 12.25). Solomon expanded the Hebrew nation to it’s greatest extent and made other notable accomplishments. God allowed Solomon to build the temple (1 Kings 5-8) recognizing it as the house of worship (1 Kings 9.1-9).
Solomon began his reign in faithfulness to God and with a good spirit. Over the course of his reign however he strayed from the Lord in spite of admonitions not to do so. Solomon is recorded as loving many “strange”, or foreign women (1 Kings 11.1-3). His love for these women caused him to fall away as he engaged in idolatrous practices. The scriptures state that Solomon’s heart was turned from God by his wives (1 Kings 11.4,8). Solomon worshiped Ashtoreth, Milcom, Chemosh and Molech (1 Kings 11.5-7). God’s anger was made known to Solomon (1 Kings 11.9-10) and He informed Solomon that the kingdom would be torn from his house (1 Kings 11.11-13) with the exception of two tribes; one for the sake of David, and one for the sake of Jerusalem.
The latter part of Solomon’s reign is more easily compared with that of Saul than his father David. Solomon learned that God had given ten of the tribes to Jereboam of the tribe of Ephraim (1 Kings 11.28-39). Solomon attempted to kill him (1 Kings 11.40) causing Jereboam to flee to Egypt. Years before Saul had treated David in a similar fashion. While being wise, Solomon is a good example of how vulnerable all humans are to pride and power. Solomon’s death marked the end of an era as the period of the united kingdom draws to a close.
After Solomon’s death, his son Rehoboam became king. Rehoboam is an example of someone who had enough knowledge to act wisely but chose a faulty course anyway (1 Kings 12.1-15). After taking the throne, Rehoboam consulted with the older and younger men concerning the manner in which he should reign. The older men advised that if he was “....a servant unto this people this day, and wilt serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, they will be thy servants forever.” (1 Kings 12.7). The younger men told Rehoboam, “Thus shalt thou speak unto this people that spake unto thee, saying, Thy father made our yoke heavy, but make thou it lighter unto us; thus shalt thou say unto them, My little finger shall be thicker than my father’s loins. And now whereas my father did lade you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke: my father hath chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.” (1 Kings 12.10-11).
Rehoboam displayed his essential character by leaving the good counsel of the older men behind. The older men knew the nation had grown tired under the oppressive reign of Solomon and needed a rest. The younger men, who had grown up with Rehoboam (1 Kings 12.10), had not experienced the burden of the country as the older men had and so gave faulty advice. As a result of this the people were divided. Ten tribes broke away from the house of David in rebellion as God had foretold.
The union of the nation was thus destroyed as Rehoboam revealed his hardness of heart. In spite of good counsel, Rehoboam’s desire to be powerful, rather than a friend and servant to the people, cost him the trust and loyalty he needed. The period of the divided kingdom then begins on a rather bleak note. From this point on in the history of the Israelites, the narrative becomes an exploration of God’s mercy, patience, tolerance and justice toward his people. The story also demonstrates how the influence of one person can corrupt a nation leading them to eventual destruction.