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.
Joshua 1-6 is an intriguing passage. We get to see a war from the viewpoint of both opponents. The Israelites are numerous, but after forty years in the wilderness, they are still shepherds and former slaves. They have gotten some battle experience through victories over King Og, King Sihon, and the Midianites but they are not warriors at heart. They have just seen 24,000 of their kinsmen killed in a plague sent by God to punish them for their sexual misdeeds in the worship of false gods. They continue to behave as if they have some trust in God, but not complete trust.
The people of Jericho and other Canaanite cities greatly fear the Israelites. They don’t know about the plague on the Plain of Moab nor the other times God has punished the Israelites. Their information consists only of glowing reports about the strength of the Israelites and the power of their God. They know of the Egyptians’ destruction at the Red Sea, and the victories over Og and Sihon. They know the massive Israelite force is ready to invade Canaan, and they can do nothing but wait for it.
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
