Battles in the promised land

I. The origin of nations is described in Genesis 10, which lists the first nations, and Genesis 11:1-

    9, which shows the dividing of the people into nations according to their languages.

II. The land covenant

   A. God made a covenant with Abraham (Gen 12:1-3). He spoke to him 7 more times about this   

        covenant and gave additional details about it (Gen 12:5-7, Gen 13:14-17, Gen 15, Gen 17,    

        Gen 18:1-15, Gen 21:12-13, Gen 22:16-18). He promised him the land of Canaan, which

        was inhabited at that time by 7 nations. Those nations were wicked before the Lord and

        were committing many abominations such as idolatry, witchcraft, and sexual perversion

        (Lev 18:24-28, Deut 7:22-25, Deut 9:4-5, Deut 12:2 & 29, Deut 18:9-14). They were not

        going to give up their land willingly, so God's judgment for their sins was that they would

        be conquered by Israel (Ex 34:24, Lev 18:24-28, Deut 7, Deut 8:20, Deut 9:1-5, Deut 11:23,

        Deut 12:29, Deut 19:1, Deut 20:16-18, Deut 31:3). Some people criticize God and the Bible

        about this conquest, but who are we to challenge God's judgment? This was one-time

        situation, and conquest is not unique to Israel. It's interesting that sometimes people apply

        one set of criteria to God and the Bible and then abandon it for everything else. People have

        been challenging Israel's right to the land ever since they took it. He waited for the sins of

        the Amorites to be full (Gen 15:16).

   B. The preparation

      1. God gave Israel 3 practice battles before entering Canaan

         a. Amalek (Ex 17:8-16)

         b. Sihon (Num 21:21-32)

         c. Og (Num 21:33-35)

         d. This is like David facing the lion and the bear before facing Goliath the Philistine giant

             (1Sam 17:31-37).

      2. God was not only preparing Israel for their conquest of Canaan. He was preparing the

          seven nations for their defeat. Just before the battle with Sihon, God told Israel, “This day

          will I begin to put the dread of thee and the fear of thee upon the nations that are under the

          whole heaven, who shall hear report of thee, and shall tremble, and be in anguish because

          of thee (Deut 2:25)”.

      3. Yet when Israel sent twelve spies into Canaan as they approached their entry, ten of them

          came back and reported that they could not take the land. The two reasons they gave were     that the cities had high walls and there were giants (Num 13:28). They had already been

          given victory over Egypt and had conquered many cities with high walls (Deut 3:5).

          Edom, Moab, and Ammon had already conquered giants, and they were not even the

          chosen people of God; and so had Israel (Deut 3:11). They were not only failing to have

          faith for what God had promised them for the future for over 400 years since Abraham

         (Gen 12-17), they were failing to remember how God had already prepared them and their

          situation for the fulfillment and had demonstrated that He and they could do it. Sometimes

          we struggle with doubt, especially when the time between the promise and the fulfillment

          is long like it was with Abraham. He waited 25 years for Isaac to be born under impossible

          circumstances. It had been over 400 years since God promised Abraham’s descendants

the land of Canaan. Yet we must not forget the promises and how God has prepared us to

          inherit them. God is able, and He knows what He is doing. He does not forsake His people

          nor fail to keep His word. Our responsibility is to remain faithful to Him and not to live in

          fear of the current circumstances.

      4. When Joshua sent two spies to Jericho before the conquest began, they entered the home

          of Rahab (Josh 2). Rahab told them, “I know that the LORD hath given you the land, and

          that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of

          you. For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red sea for you, when ye

          came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were on the

          other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed. And as soon as we had heard

          these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man,

          because of you: for the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath

          (vs 9-11)”. It was not Israel who needed to be afraid. It was their enemies.

   C. Here are some further points to consider regarding Israel's conquest of Canaan.

     1. It was not genocide

        a. Joshua and Israel did not totally eliminate the former occupants.

        b. People from those nations continued to live there for centuries after Israel took the land.

           1. The Philistines continued to live there for at least 700 years despite numerous

battles between them and Israel (2Chr 28:18).

           2. The Jebusites continued to live there for at least 400 years (2Chr 8:7-8). David

                purchased the land that the temple was built on from a Jebusite after he took the city

                from them (2Sam 5:6-9, 2Sam 24:16-18).

           3. The Hittites continued to live there for at least 400 years (2Chr 8:7-8), One of David's

                mighty men was a Hittite (2Sam 11, 2Sam 23:29). Ahimelech the Hittite was also in

                David's army (1Sam 26:6).

           4. The Kenites continued to live there for at least 400 years (Jud 5:24, 1Sam 15:6). King

               Saul even went out of his way to spare them.

        c. We must see words in their context and in their full mention.

           1. All doesn't always mean every last one. It can be a general word.

              a. Gen 11:8, Josh 10:20, Rev 13:5 with Rev 7:1-8 and Rev 20:4).

              b. The tribe of Benjamin was killed in battle except for 600 men (Jud 20-21).

              c. 16 times just in Matthew

                 1. 2:3 – all Jerusalem

                 2. 3:5 – all Judaea, and all the region (not one person left?)

                 3. 9:35 – all the cities and villages (not one missed?)

                 4. 10:22 – ye shall be hated of all men (even the disciples?)

                 5. 12:23 - all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David? (even the

                     Pharisees?)

                 6. 17:11 - Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things (even the devil?)

                 7.19:26 - with God all things are possible (Heb 6:18 – impossible for God to lie)

                 8. 19:27 - Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all (1Cor 9:5 - power to

                     lead about a sister, a wife)

                 9. 20:6 - Why stand ye here all the day idle? (still one hour left)

                 10. 21:22 - all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive

                       (Jam 4:3 -Ye ask, and receive not)

                 11. 21:26 - all hold John as a prophet (Lk 7:30 - the people saying that did not)

                 12. 23:3 - All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do (Mt

                       16:6-12 – beware of the leaven of the Pharisees)

                 13. 24:9 - ye shall be hated of all nations (every last one?) (vs 14)

                 14. 24:39 - the flood came, and took them all away (1Pet 3:20 – eight souls

were saved)

                 15. 26:52 - all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword (nobody that ever

                       used a sword in all of history ever died another way?)

                 16. 27:25 - Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us (including the

                       disciples?)

           2. Forever doesn't always mean for eternity

              a. Deut 23:3 with Ruth 1-4 and Mt 1:5 – Moabites

              b. 1Sam 1:22 - Samuel before the Lord

              c. 1Sam 27:12, 1Sam 28:2 - David a servant of Achish forever

              d. 1Ki 12:7 - they will serve Rehoboam forever

              e. Is 34:10 - smoke of Edom forever

              f. Is 13:19, Jer 50-52 - Babylon was destroyed by Persia around 540 BC but later

                  continued as a smaller, declining city until the 11th century AD.

              g. The law of Moses was not to be forever (Gal 3:24, Heb 5-11, etc.)

                 1. Ex 12 – Passover

                 2. Ex 21:6 – he shall serve him forever, Deut 15:17

                 3. Levitical priesthood (Ex 27:21, Ex 28:43, Ex 29:28, Ex 30:21, Lev 6:18 & 22, Lev

                     7:34 & 36, Lev 10:9 & 15, Lev 24:3, Num 18:8-23, Deut 18:5, 1Chr 15:2, 2Chr 2:4

                 4. Sabbath – Ex 31:17

                 5. Day of atonement – Lev 16:29 & 31, Lev 23:31

                 6. Pentecost – Lev 23:21

                 7. Tabernacles – Lev 23:41

                 8. Red heifer – Num 19:10

              h. Gentile slaves – Lev 25:46

              i. Memorial stones – Josh 4:7

              j. Ai (even unto this day) – Josh 8:28

              k. Saul’s kingdom -1Sam 13:13

              l. David and Jonathan – 1Sam 20:23 & 42

              m. King that judges the poor – Prov 29:14

        d. The phrase "drive out" is used 26 times from Exodus to Joshua to describe Israel's

            conquest of Canaan; and the book of Judges, which is after Israel's entry to the land,

            uses it 12 times. To drive out and to commit genocide are totally different.

        e. Israel did not invent the conquest ethic. It is the history of the entire world. Why is it that   

            some people only have a problem with Israel's conquest of Canaan (or Europeans

            possessing the land in what is now the U.S.) but none other?

        f. This was a one-time judgment of God.

           1. This conquest does not describe the pattern of Israel's history.

           2. God has the authority to judge.

              a. God destroyed the entire world except for those in Noah's ark (Gen 6-9).

              b. In just 2 verses in the book of Revelation, half of the world's population will die (Rev

                  6:8 (1/4), and Rev. 9:15 (1/3 of the remainder). They will know they are under

the judgment of God but will still refuse to repent (Rev 9:20-21, Rev 16:9-11).

              c. Although God will never again destroy the world with water (Gen 9:13-17), He will

                  destroy the world again by fire (2Pet 3:3-13). The only thing holding back His

                  judgment is that He is giving people time to repent.

              d. Do people that question God's judgment of evil think that evil should be punished or     

                  is it just their evil they think should not be punished?

              e. Where do the deniers get their ideas of right and wrong without God? Any value           

                  system that is not rooted in God is arbitrary and based on man's opinion which is

                  fickle at best. This is the lie the serpent told Eve - that she could know good and evil

                  on her own without God (Gen 3:5).

              f. Critics of the Bible usually embrace a utilitarian argument when confronted with the

                  question of the basis of morality. This means that morality serves a general purpose

                  to benefit mankind. That does not address the question. Who is to define good and

                  evil if it is not God? Hitler thought his program was serving the greater good of

                  mankind. His philosophy was based on Darwin's ideas. If someone could go back in 

                  time and kill the baby Hitler to prevent World War 2 and the Holocaust, should they

                  do it for the greater good of mankind? If so, why then would God eliminating the

                  people that would corrupt His people into idolatry, sexual perversion, and other

                  abominations, and thus interfere with His redemptive plan for them and the whole

                  world, be unjust?

           3. The same people that call Israel's conquest of Canaan genocide ask if God is good,

                then why does He allow evil?

              a. He allowed the Canaanites an extra 400 years to repent and they did not (Gen 15:13-      16).

              b. He gave Nineveh a chance to repent. They did, and God withdrew His judgment (Jon

                  1-4).

              c. Rahab survived the judgment of Jericho which was in Caanan because she repented

                 (Josh 2), and she became an ancestor of Jesus Christ (Mt 1:5).

              d. Ruth was a Moabite but she chose God and became an ancestor of Jesus Christ (Deut

                  23:3, Ruth 1-4, Mt 1:5).

              e. What about all the mercy God has shown to man? Manasseh (2Chr 33) and Paul (Acts

                  8-9) are individual examples. God manifested Himself in the flesh and gave Himself

                  willingly to a brutal death for the forgiveness of our sins (Jn 1:1-4, Jn 14:7-11, 2Cor

                  5:19, Col 2:9, 1Tim 3:16). He has done all He can do to provide for mercy and

                  forgiveness. Abraham Lincoln called giving your life for the cause the "last full     

                  measure of devotion". How much more did God give of Himself?

      2. What about the repeated attempts to commit genocide on the Jews such as the

Roman conquest, the Holocaust, and Islamic terrorism? It is part of the Hamas charter,

and is the meaning of the phrase "from the river to the sea". The Romans were so bent on

          annihilating the entire Jewish population that they laid siege to Masada to kill about 1,000

          Jews that had fled there and posed no threat to the Roman Empire. That is not even taking

          into account the dozens of times Israel was attacked in the Old Testament, most

notably by Assyria (2Ki 17) and Babylon (2Ki 25).

      3. Do the critics apply the same standard to Biblical history as they do to secular history?

III. The Philistines

   A. Background

       It is worth learning about the history of the Philistines to get some insight to who the Bible is

       referring to. The earliest Biblical reference to them is Genesis 10:14, which states that they

       came from the Casluhim. According to Strong and Gesenius, they were a people derived

       from the Egyptians. They in turn were descendants of Mizraim (Gen 10:13). Strong, Brown-

       Driver-Briggs, and Gesenius all say this means Egypt. The Philistines are referred to several

       times in Genesis during the lives of Abraham (Gen 21) and Isaac (Gen 26). The next

       references to the Philistines are after the Exodus (Ex 13:17, Ex 15:14, Ex 23:31). They are

       mentioned during the conquest of Canaan (Josh 13:2-3), during the time of the judges and

       kings to as late as king Ahab (2Chr 28:16-19), and by some of the prophets such as

       Jeremiah, Amos, Obadiah, Zephaniah, and Zechariah. This brings the timeline to near the

       close of the Old Testament around 500-450 BC. According to the Wikipedia article

       mentioned above, "In 604 BC, the Philistines, who had been under the rule of the Neo-

       Assyrian Empire (911–605 BC), were ultimately vanquished by King Nebuchadnezzar II of

       the Neo-Babylonian Empire. Much like the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, the Philistines

       lost their autonomy by the end of the Iron Age, becoming vassals to the Assyrians,

       Egyptians, and later Babylonians. Historical sources suggest that Nebuchadnezzar II

       destroyed Ashkelon and Ekron due to the Philistines’ rebellion, leading to the exile of many

       Philistines, who gradually lost their distinct identity in Babylonia. By the late fifth century

       BC, the Philistines no longer appear as a distinct group in historical or archaeological

       records, though the extent of their assimilation remains subject to debate." Dr. Nathaniel

       Jeanson has written a fascinating book called "Traced" in which he presents a very different

       view of human history based on genetics instead of the more common view.

   B. Gaza

        There has never been a specific nation called Palestine in all of history. The word

        is used 8 times in the Bible to generally refer to a geographical area and not a specific

        nation (Ex 15:14, Ps 60:8, Ps 83:7, Ps 87:4, Ps 108:9, Is 14:29 & 31, Joel 3:4). The Hebrew

        word is pelesheth, According to Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, this word

        means "rolling, i.e. migratory; Pelesheth, a region of Syria:—Palestina, Palestine, Philistia,

        Philistines". According to the Brown, Driver, and Briggs Lexicon, it means "proper name of

        a territory, Philistia". According to Genesius' Hebrew Lexicon, it means the land of

        wanderers, strangers, of a region on the southern shores of Syria, to the south and west of

        Canaan, called by Josephus a name which he afterwards uses for the whole land of the

        Israelites.” In 4 of the 8 verses cited above it is translated Philistia or Philistines. Therefore,

        although this word is used to refer to a general geographical area, it is only used to describe

        one specific group of people - the Philistines. They lived in the area now called Gaza after

        the name of one of their cities. According to Webster's Dictionary, "The original Philistines

        were a people who occupied the southern coast of Palestine more than 3,000 years ago"

and were enemies of the Israelites. According to an article on Wikipedia, they were "ancient

        people who lived on the south coast of Canaan during the Iron Age in a confederation of

        city-states generally referred to as Philistia". They lived in the area now called the Gaza

        Strip. Gaza was also one of the cities of the Philistines. This area changed hands several

        times between Israel and the Philistines. It was part of the conquest by Joshua (Josh 10:41,

        Josh 11:22-23, Josh 15:47, Jud 1:18, 1Chr 7:28). By the time of Samson, the Philistines had

        regained control (Jud 16:1 & 21). In the time of Amos around 780 BC, it was in control of

        the Philistines (Amos 1:1-8). It was taken back by Hezekiah around 700 BC (2Ki 18:8). At

        the time of Jeremiah about 600 BC it was in the control of the Philistines again (Jer 47:1 &

        5). Zephaniah prophesied around 630 BC that the Philistines would be judged and that

        Israel would reinhabit the area (Zeph 2:3-8). Zechariah also made a similar prophecy around

        500 BC (Zech 9:5-7). Some historians think there may be evidence that the Philistines were

        descendants of a people called the Sea People. This Wikipedia article states, "There is

        compelling evidence to suggest that the Philistines originated from a Greek immigrant

        group from the Aegean. The immigrant group settled in Canaan around 1175 BC, during the

        Late Bronze Age collapse. Over time, they intermixed with the indigenous Canaanite

        societies and assimilated elements from them, while preserving their own unique culture."

    C. The Golan Heights

         Another area of contention is the Golan Heights in the northeast of the area. God

         commanded that there were to be 6 cities in Israel where someone who accidentally killed

         someone could flee for refuge (Num 35, Josh 20-21). One of those cities was Golan, which

         was in the area formerly controlled by Og the king of Bashan, but it was conquered by

         Israel when Og attacked them without provocation (Num 21:33-35). This land was just east

         of the Jordan River, and it was given to the tribe of Manasseh (Josh 13:30-31). It was never

         part of the land of the Philistines. Lebanon and east of the Jordan River to the Euphrates

         River were originally part of the promised land (Gen 15:18, Deut 1:7, Deut 11:24, Josh 1:4,

         Josh 9:1, Josh 11:17, Josh 12:7, Josh 13:5-6). The West bank was Israelite land after the

         conquest by Joshua in the Old Testament and belonged to several of the northern tribes.

IV. Israel in the late Old Testament and the New Testament

      As far as the Israelites during the later Old Testament period, the northern 10 tribes were    

      conquered by Assyria around 733 BC (2Ki 17), and the southern two tribes were conquered

      by Babylon around 600 BC with the final assault in 583 BC. The Assyrians would use

      displacement as part of their strategy. The Israelites that remained mingled with displaced

      Gentiles and were later called Samaritans. The Babylonians allowed some Jews to remain in

      the land while they took others captive to Babylon. 70 years later, the Medo-Persians

      conquered Babylon and allowed the captive Jews to return to their homeland (Lev 25:34 &

      43, 2Chr 36:32-33, Ezra 1, Is 44:28-45:1, Jer 25:11-12, Jer 29:10, Dan 9:2). Later, the Greeks

      under Alexander expanded into an empire, and after them the Romans (Dan 2, Dan 7, Dan 8).

      However, the Jews continued to live in their homeland through the period between the Old

      and New Testaments. After the Romans conquered the land, the Jews attempted several

      rebellions under the Maccabees.

      At the beginning of the New Testament, the Jews obviously lived in their homeland. Because

      of their rejection and murder of their Messiah, Jesus Christ, they would be conquered by the

      Romans in 70 AD (Mt 21:33-46, Mt 23:37-39, Lk 21:24). They attempted to revolt but

      eventually they were by and large driven from their homeland. The Romans destroyed

      Jerusalem and the temple. The Jews continued to live there and attempted 3 more revolts

      against Rome. The Romans sought to crush all pockets of Jewish resistance. Almost 1,000

      Jews fled to the mountaintop fortress called Masada, which is surrounded by cliffs. After a

      long siege, the Romans began building a ramp to the top which can still be seen today. The

      Jews opted for death over surrender. The main concentration of Jews eventually became

       more centralized in Galilee which is northern Israel, and they also spread out into the world.

V. From then until now

     Although after that there was no state of Israel, Jews lived there off and on in varying

amount throughout the centuries. Also, there was no other state established there either. This

period is called the diaspora. The geographic area came to be called the Levant or Palestine.

The Romans purposely called it Palestine as an insult to Jews because it means Philistine.

During the Crusades between Catholics and Muslims in the middle ages, Jews were present.

King Baldwin, Saladin, and Richard the Lionheart, are some of the famed participants. When

     Sulemain led the rise of the Ottoman Empire, he led many architectural projects including the

     building of the walls of Jerusalem. Britain conquered the Ottomans in World War 1 and took

     control of the area. Although there were Jews already living there, a migration of Jews back to

     their homeland began in the late 1800s and surged in the early 20th Century. Several million

     Jews returned from all over the world but mostly from eastern Europe and Russia. More

     recently many Jews have returned from Africa as well. This continues now. This is called

     Aliyah, which means ascent, because Israel is a hilly land and Jerusalem sets on a hill.

VI. Modern history

   A. Israel has been a blessing to the world, even to their enemies, because of God's covenant

        with them. Modern Israel:

     1. Was re-born May 14, 1948

     2. Is 1/625 size of the Arab world

     3. Has about 8 million Jews out of 10 million, 370 million Arabs in middle east

     4. Has the only thriving Christian population in middle east

     5. Is the only democratic ally in middle east

     6. Has the world’s highest ratio of scientists

     7. Is the third highest in patents and entrepreneurship

     8. Has the highest concentration of high tech companies in the world

     9. Has the third highest number of NASDAQ companies

     10. Is a world leader in computer tech

   B. Israel has given the world its 2 greatest gifts, the Messiah and the Bible:

     1. The Messiah

        a. Mt 15:24-26 – not sent but to the lost sheep, children’s bread

        b. Jn 1:11 – He came unto His own

        c. Jn 4:22 – salvation is of the Jews

        d. Rom 15:8 - Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to

            confirm the promises made unto the fathers

     2. The Bible

        a. Acts 10:36, Acts 13:26 – word sent to Israel

        b. Rom 3:1-2 – what advantage? Much every way, unto them committed oracles

     3. The spiritual legacy of Abraham

        a. Romans 4

           1. vs 12 & 16 – father to all who walk in that faith

           2. vs 17-18 – father of many nations (not just literal but spiritual)

        b. Galatians 3

            1. vs 7 – they of faith children of Abraham

            2. vs 8 - preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be

                blessed

            3. vs 9 - they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham

            4. vs 14 - the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that

                we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith

            5. vs 16 - to thy seed, which is Christ

            6. vs 29 - if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise

     4. Not all circumcised in the flesh are Jews spiritually (Mt 8:11, Lk 3:8, Jn 8:39, Rom 2:25-

         29, Rom 4:9-12, Rom 9:7, 1Cor 7:19, Gal 5:6, Gal 6:15, Phil 3:3, Col 2:11, Col 3:11).

         There are several ways to be Jewish – by genealogy, by culture, and by belief, either Jewish

         belief in the Old Testament or New Testament belief in Jesus Christ.

   C. Israel still has a place in God's prophetic plan in the future. There are Biblical prophecies

        about them as a people which have not been fulfilled yet.

     1. Isaiah 11:6-10

     2. Daniel 9:24-27

     3. Zechariah 14, Revelation 14:20, Revelation 16:16-19

     4. Matthew 23:38, Luke 13:35 – house desolate, until time come

     5. Luke 21:24, Revelation 11:2 – city trodden until time of the Gentiles

     6. Romans 9-11

VII. Modern Israel and the Arabs

   A. Israel is the nation and land of the descendants of Abraham through Isaac and Jacob.

      1. 3,000 years of continuous Jewish presence

      2. When Rome conquered in A.D. 70, they renamed the area Palestine after the Philistines.

          Until 1948, the terms Palestine and Palestinian referred to Jews.

      3. Jerusalem was never a capital during Muslim control. It was an outpost in a province. The

          only time Israel was ever home to one nation was for the Jews.

      4. Arabs did not use the word until the 20th century

      5. No such nation ever as Palestine

      6. 1860s – Jewish majority in Jerusalem

      7. Between 1878 and 1914, Jews bought deserted undeveloped land from absentee Arab

          land owners at high prices

      8. After WWI – Ottoman empire fell, British control

      9. 1917 Balfour Declaration – Britain recognizes Jewish communities and promotes idea of

           homeland for Jews

      10. 1920 San Remo Conference – international law recognizes British policy

      11. 1922 – League of Nations instructs facilitation of Jewish immigration (British mandate)

      12. 1920s-1940s – Jews continue to rebuild land, and re-establish culture and industry.

            100,000 Arabs living there benefitted from Jewish industry, and were welcome.

         a. Muslim infant mortality rate cut in half from 1925-1945

         b. Muslim life expectancy rose from 37 in 1926 to 49 in 1943

      13. 1937 Peel Commission – peace w. Israel and Arabs by partition. Arabs reject and attack.

            Grand Mufti opposed (concordat w. Hitler against Jews)

      14. 1936-1939 – Nazis support Arab attacks

      15. 1882-1939 – over 400,000 Jews immigrate, mostly from Russia and Poland, to escape

             persecution and poverty and to build  their homeland

      16. 1947 – U.N. proposed partition with Palestinians – Israel gets only 13 percent, 60% of

             which is desert – Palestinians refuse and instead attack attempting to destroy Israel

      17. 1948 – independence and war with 5 nations (Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, TransJordan, Egypt)

             within hours, Israel won and gained land

         a. several hundred thousand Arabs voluntarily leave although welcome to stay and

              become  “refugees” unwelcome in neighbor Arab nations who had told them to flee

              the war because they assumed they would win

         b. Arab nations refuse to recognize or negotiate with Israel

      18. 1967 – 6-day war with 4 nations, Israel wins, Arabs refuse to negotiate

         a. Israel took land won in war defending itself that the Palestinians did not claim before.

         b. Israel repeatedly tried to end the occupation but they refused to negotiate. Israel still

             built them infrastructure, gave them freedom of movement and medical and

             educational facilities. The West Bank was the fourth fastest growing economy in the

             70’s. Per capita income rose 80%, unemployment dropped to 2%, number of school kids

             went up 102%.

      19. 1973 – Syria and Egypt defeated in Yom Kippur War

      20. 1979 – Israel cedes entire Sinai Peninsula captured in 6 day war

      21. 1993 Oslo Accord – Israel gave control to the Palestinian Authority

      22. Israel withdraws from Lebanon in 2000 and West Bank and Gaza in 2005 – continuous

            assaults from those places including 15,000 rockets from West Bank toward civilians.

            Israel gave their towns and infrastructure.

      23. 2000 – Yasser Arafat rejected Camp David proposals and began terror attacks

      24. Arabs always initiate the attacks and target civilians including children

         a. Hamas

         b. PLO

         c. Fatah

         d. Islamic Jihad

         e. Hezbollah

         f. Popular Front

      25. Refugees

         a. Arab refugees created by refusal to accept U.N. partition and subsequent war, not by

             Israel driving them out

         b. Over 850,000 Jews driven out of Muslim lands between 1948 and 1954

         c. 160,000 Arabs accepted Israel’s invitation in 1948 to become citizens. 3 were elected to

             Knesset.

         d. between 472,000 and 750,000 Arabs left because of the coming Arab invasion which

             they were told would be short and conquer Israel and they could  then return. The Arab

             countries who encouraged them to leave refused to let them integrate in their lands

             and made refugee camps for them. The Palestinian Authority has received billions from

             the U.N. and even Israel, but they have not used the money to help the people. They

             want them to suffer so they can use them politically.

VIII. 3 reasons

      God had told Abraham that before his descendants would inherit the land, they would be in

      bondage in another land; but after 400 years they would return (Gen 15:13-16). At the set

      time, Moses led Israel out of Egypt to go to the promised land (Ex 1-14). However, they fell

      into unbelief, so that whole generation was sentenced to die in the wilderness (Num 13-14).

      Moses also was not allowed to enter the land (Num 20:12, Deut 32:49-52). Joshua was

      appointed his successor, and he led Israel over the Jordan River to possess the land (Deut

      1:38, Deut 3:28, Deut 31:14 & 23, Josh 1, Josh 3). He led them in battle until they possessed

      the land (Josh 6-11).

      God warned them several times to drive out and destroy those nations so they would not lead

      them into their sins and bring a curse upon themselves instead of a blessing (Lev 26, Deut

      28). That first generation did not fall away, but they didn't fully remove all the inhabitants

      (Jud 1). The Lord had told them that He would not drive them out all at once. He gave them 3

      reasons for this. A natural reason was so that they would not be overrun by the wildlife (Ex   

      23:29-30, Deut 7:22-25). A spiritual reason was that God was going to use those nations that

      were left to test Israel to see if they were committed to keep His commandments (Jud 2:21-

      14, Jud 3:1-4). They had a history of falling into idolatry and sin. Abraham came from a

      family of idolators (Josh 24:2). They worshipped idols when they were in Egypt (Lev 17:7,

      Josh 24:14, Eze 20:5-10, Eze 23:3 &19). They worshipped idols when they were in the

      wilderness (Ex 32, Acts 7:39-43 (Amos 5:25-26). They also failed to circumcise their

      children (Josh 5:1-9), and God foresaw that they were going to sin in the promised land

      (Deut 31-32), which they did (Deut 31:16-18, Deut 32:15-21 & 37-40, Judges 2, Eze 23:8

      &27, etc.). They worshipped idols during their captivity (Deut 28:36 & 64), and while in

      exile (Eze 20:39). They needed to be tested and proven, especially because they had failed

      many times before.

      Another reason God left some of the nations in the promised land was because Israel had

      spent 400 years in bondage in Egypt and had no experience in war (Jud 3:2). That was why

      He did not bring them on the shortest route to the promised land, which was only an 11-day j

      journey (Deut 1:2). They were not mentally ready for war (Ex 13:17-18). They were failing  

      to get out of the mindset of their slavery in Egypt (Ex 14:11-12, Ex 16:3-6 & 32, Ex 17:3).

      The Lord gave them a preparatory victory over the Amalekites (Ex 17:8-16). When they were

      ready to enter the promised land, they chose to believe the 10 spies that said they could not

      conquer the land rather than the 2 spies who said they could (Num 13-14).  They were afraid

      of the giants, but the descendants of Jacob's brother Esau as well as the Moabites who were

      not in covenant with God had already conquered giants (Deut 2:9-12). They chose instead to

      return to Egypt (Num 14:4)., although they did not. Later, God gave Israel three victories in

      the wilderness to prepare them for the promised land (Num 21, Num 31). They conquered the

      Amorites, the people of Bashan, and the Midianites. These were important victories which

      they referred to throughout their history (Deut 2, Deut 3:2-6, Deut 4:46, Deut 29:7, Josh 2:10,

      Josh 9:10, Jud 11:19-21, Neh 9:22, Ps 135:11, Ps 136:19). You can read the book "The

      Warrior Mindset" available at bibleforever.com or at Amazon.com for more on the frame of

      mind Christians need for spiritual warfare.

      The Israelites never did drive out all the inhabitants of Canaan, and they never did stop

      falling into idolatry and sin until they were conquered and taken captives. The northern tribes

      were conquered by Assyria (2Ki 17), and the southern tribes were conquered by Babylon

      (2Ki 25). There are references to such people as the Philistines, Hittites, and Jebusites

       throughout their history before they were conquered.

      These 3 reasons God left some of the nations in the promised land have spiritual correlations

      for Christians today. Sometimes people get discouraged at the pace at which they are

      progressing, whether that is individually or as a church. Just as the Israelites were not ready

      to take all the land, we may not be ready to move into what God wants us to eventually

      possess. For example, a church may be relatively new and does not yet have trained staff to

      handle a sudden influx of many people.

      God wants us to be successful, and He knows what we need to be so (2Tim 3:17). We cannot

      circumvent the process or we will end up not acquiring everything we need. God does not

      operate like the public schools. There is no age-based advancement. We don't get promoted

to the next level automatically by virtue of time spent at this one. He will make sure we have

      learned the lessons of this stage before we move on. This includes testing to confirm that.

      Sometimes we wonder why we have struggles and why God does not remove them. One

      reason is because salvation does not eliminate our human nature (Rom 6-8). God equips us

to mortify our sinful nature through self- denial, discipline, prayer, Bible devotion, fasting, and

      partaking of His divine nature (Mt 16:24-25, 2Pet 1:1-15). God will do what we cannot do,

      but He will not do what we can. He is not raising softees or entitled spoiled brats. He doesn't

      expect new Christians to act like they've been around for 20 years, but neither does He expect

      those that have been around for 20 years to act like babies. Sometimes we make the mistake

      of just working on overcoming bad habits without replacing them with good ones. There is

      no spiritual vacuum (Mt 12:43-45). So, just as with Israel's conquest of Canaan, some things

      fall relatively easily (Josh 10-11), and others will take effort (Heb 12:4).

      Sometimes the question is not about if God wants us to possess His promises. It is about how

      much we want it. After the battles for Canaan were over, and after 5 of the 12 tribes had

      received their land, there were still 7 tribes that had not possessed their inheritance (Josh

      18:1-10). God had not failed to keep His word (Josh 21:42-45), but there was apparent

      apathy among those tribes to go get what God had for them. Sometimes people make

excuses for why they have not taken possession of their promises like the tribe of Joseph

(Josh 17:14-19). They say it is too hard. Sometimes people blame others instead of taking

inventory of their commitment. Caleb provides a stark contrast to this (Josh 14:6-15). When

he was 85 years old, he went to Joshua to claim his promise, and he had to fight to get it. He

imparted this drive to his daughter also (Josh 15:13-19). He demanded this tenacity in any

who would marry his daughter. Othniel accepted the challenge of what it would take to be

her husband. I taught my children to value the things they had and not to treat them

frivolously. I told them that God watches us to see how we take care of what He gives us.

Why would God give more if we are not taking care of what we already have (Mt 25:14-30, Lk

10:11-12)? Whether you have $10 or $10 million, the question is about how we are handling

what we have. Most lottery winners are back where they were and sometimes even worse

within 5 years because they weren't handling what they already had. It is a matter of

principle.

      Entering the promised land has some correlation for us. It is not about taking possession of

      physical land like Israel did, but we are to take possession of spiritual territory. Just as Israel

      had to fight for their territory, so will we. God gives us the strategy, armor, weapons, and

      strength to win (2Cor 10:3-5, Eph 6:10-18). If we fail, it is not God's fault. We can enter into

      God's promise by being born again of water and the Spirit (Lk 24:44-47, Jn 3:3-5, Acts 2:38-

      39), but there are still battles to face. The difference is we don't have to face them alone. God

      will be with us when we follow Him. David was one of the greatest warriors in the Bible, and

      the reason for his success was that he prayed to get direction from God before going into

      battle, and then He followed it. Someday Christians will be able to rest from their battles in

      this life. Whether by death or rapture, we will enter into a future rest (Heb 3-4).

     The Bible also shows us that sometimes we get involved in battles that God never intended

     for us (Prov 26:17). We can get ourselves into situations that God did not ordain for us by our

     own poor choices. The very source of the middle-east conflict between Israel and the Muslim

     Arabs is Abraham trying to jumpstart God’s promise, taking the matter into his own hands

and having Ishmael (Gen 16, especially vs 12). The Koran and Islam claim Ishmael as their

     spiritual and physical ancestor. Ishmael is regarded by Muslims as an Islamic prophet. In

     Islam, he is associated with Mecca and the construction of the Kaaba, which is the holiest

     Islamic site. The Koran mentions him 12 times. David sinned by adultery and murder (2Sam

     11). Although he was spared the death penalty, he suffered adversity for the rest of his life in

     direct correlation to his errors (2Sam 12, 2Sam 15-18, 1Ki 1). He wanted to build the temple

     but was forbidden because of the bloodshed that occurred during his tenure as king. Yet God

     told him that He would raise up his son who would have a kingdom of peace to do it (2Sam

     7). This son’s name Solomon means peace. Solomon started out well, but in his later years he

     fell into idolatry. His sin caused a breach in that peace and several enemies rose up because

of it, and the nation was divided into two (1Ki 11-12). If you find yourself reaping what you

     have sown (Gal 6:7-9), there is still hope. God did not cast David or Solomon completely

     away. God chastens those He loves (Deut 8:5, Prov 13:24, Heb 12:6-7). A good parent who

     loves their child does this. God is not an absentee or a disinterested Father. He is good and

     faithful, and He loves us more than we can comprehend. He loves us more than we do.

     Chastening is not rejection, it is correction, instruction, or discipline. It is teaching us to reject

     the wrong and follow the right. We can clear the field and start sowing new seed which will

     lead to a better harvest.