The Promised Land Series covers the books in the Bible from Exodus to Judges. These books describe events from the birth of Moses to the end of the era of the judges of Israel.
In Genesis, God promised Abraham that his descendants would inherit the land of Canaan, so Canaan became known as The Promised Land. Modern Israel and Palestine encompass the majority of Canaan.
Abraham’s grandson was Jacob, whose name was changed to “Israel” by God. His descendants became known as the Hebrews or Israelites. During the later life of Jacob, the Hebrews moved to Egypt during a famine. The book of Exodus opens about four centuries later with the Hebrews still in Egypt, having become slaves of the Pharaoh.
The book of Exodus is primarily about Moses leading the Hebrews out of Egypt and into the wilderness, their covenant with God, and the construction of the Tabernacle.
Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy tell of the Hebrews wandering in the wilderness, the laws given to the Hebrews by God, and their adventures on the way to the Promised Land. These books end with the Israelites poised to enter the Promised Land, and the death of Moses.
It’s been about forty years since the Israelites left Egypt. God had long been preparing the Promised Land for the Israelites. He left the Canaanites in place so the wild animals would not take over. God had every intention of driving the Canaanites out slowly in front of the Israelites so the land would already be fruitful and the cities already built and in place. Yes, the Promised Land was perfectly prepared for the Israelites to invade.
The Israelites should also have been perfectly prepared to invade. After all, they had just spent the last forty years depending on God and watching him do miracles. No men who were older than twenty at the time of the Exodus had survived the Wilderness. Overall, the Israelites had overcome many enemies and hardships, and were on the banks of the Jordan River, in a position to cross over and take the Promised Land. But they weren’t truly ready. It turns out the prophet Balaam had revealed a vulnerability of the Israelites that the Moabites quickly exploited.
Shiphrah – Eleanor Threatt Hardy Zipporah – Giovannie Cruz First Israelite Elder – Bill Jenkins Second Israelite Elder – Sean McGraw Aaron – Phil Mendoza Moses – Eric Starkey Bezalel – Kenny Gardner Nadab – Philip Ngorima Caleb – Lynn Miller Phinehas – Parker Gray Rahab – Ashton DeGroot Joshua – Marcus M. Mauldin Paul – Brian Shoop King Solomon – Todd Terry Deborah – Sally Vahle Gideon – Cody Bagshaw Delilah – Vanessa DeSilvio Eli – Donald Hampton
