SEVENTH STUDY
The Conquest of Canaan
I. Let us notice the =Ca"naan-ites=, the peoples who were dispossessed by the Is"ra-el-ites.
1. They were of =one stock=, according to the Scriptures, belonging to the Ham"ite race, and all descended from the family of Ca"naan (Gen. 10.
15-19).
2. They were divided into =various tribes=, from seven to ten nations, arranged mainly as follows: 1.) On the seacoast plain, the Phi-lis"tines on the south, the Ca"naan-ites in the middle, and the Phoe-ni"cians, or Zi-do"ni-ans, on the north of Mount Car"mel. 2.) In the mountain region, the Am"or-ites in the south, the Jeb"u-sites around Je-ru"sa-lem, the Hi"vites in the center of the land, and the Hit"t.i.tes in the north. 3.) The Jor"dan valley was held by the Ca"naan-ites. 4.) On the eastern table-land, the Mo"ab-ites east of the Dead Sea, the Am"or-ites east of the Jor"dan, and the Ba"shan-ites in the north.
3. Their =government= was =local=. Not only was each tribe independent, but each little locality, often each city, had its own "king," or chief.
There was no unity of government, and scarcely any combination to resist the invasion of Is"ra-el, a fact which made the conquest far less difficult.
4. They were =idolatrous= and, as a result, grossly =immoral=. Idolatry is always a.s.sociated with immorality; for the worship of idols is a deification of sensuality. Ba"al and Ash"e-rah (plural Ash"to-reth) were the male and female divinities worshiped by most of these races (Judg.
2. 13).
5. They had been =weakened= before the coming of the Is"ra-el-ites either by war or by pestilence. The allusions in Exod. 23. 28; Deut. 7.
20; and Josh. 24. 12, have been referred to an invasion before that of Israel, or to some plague, which destroyed the native races.
II. =The Campaigns of the Conquest.= These may be divided as follows:
1. =The Campaigns East= of the Jor"dan. These were during the lifetime of Mo"ses, and gained for Is"ra-el all the territory south of Mount Her"mon.
[Ill.u.s.tration: CAMPAIGNS OF THE =CONQUEST=]
1.) The conquest of Gil"e-ad was made at the battle of Ja"haz, near the brook Ar"non (Num. 21. 21-31). In one battle the Is"ra-el-ites gained the land of Gil"e-ad east of the Jor"dan.
2.) The conquest of Ba"shan was completed at the battle of Ed"re-i, in the mountainous region (Num. 21. 33-35).
3.) The conquest of Mid"i-an (Num. 31. 1-8) was led by the warrior-priest Phin"e-has, and by smiting the tribes on the east protected the frontier toward the desert. The land won by these three campaigns became the territory of the tribes of Reu"ben, Gad, and the half tribe of Ma-nas"seh (Deut. 32).
2. =The Campaigns West of the Jor"dan= were led by Josh"u-a, and showed great tactical skill and resistless energy of action. Josh"u-a led his people across the Jor"dan and established a fortified camp, the center of operations during all his campaigns, at Gil"gal (Josh. 4. 19).
1.) The first invasion was of _Central Pal"es-tine_, beginning with Jer"i-cho (Josh. 6), taking A"i on the way (Josh. 8), and ending with She"chem, which apparently fell without resistance (Josh. 8. 30-33).
This campaign gave to Is"ra-el the center of the land and divided their enemies into two sections.
2.) Next came the campaign against _Southern Pal"es-tine_. At this time was fought the battle of Beth-ho"ron (Josh. 10. 10), the most momentous in its results in all history, and one over which, if ever, the sun and moon might well stand still (Josh. 10. 12, 13).[9] After this great victory Josh"u-a pursued his enemies and took the towns as far south as He"bron and De"bir (Josh. 10. 29-39).
3.) Lastly, Josh"u-a conquered _Northern Pal"es-tine_ (Josh. 11). The battle in this campaign was near Lake Me"rom (Josh. 11. 7), and, as before, it was followed by the capture of many cities in the north. Thus in those marches Josh"u-a won all the mountain region of western Pal"es-tine.
3. There were certain =supplementary campaigns=, partly in Josh"u-a"s time, partly afterward.
1.) Caleb"s capture of He"bron, which had been reoccupied by the Am"or-ites (Josh. 14; Judg. 1. 10-15).
2.) The Ju"dah-ites" capture of Be"zek, an unknown place between Je-ru"sa-lem and the Phi-lis"tine plain (Judg. 1. 1-8).
3.) The Dan"ites" capture of La"ish, in the extreme north, which afterward bore the name of Dan (Judg. 18).
But, after all these campaigns, a large part of the land was still unsubdued, and the war of the conquest did not end until the days of Da"vid by whom every foe was finally placed under foot.
III. =General Aspects of Is"ra-el at the Close of the Conquest.=
1. With regard to the =native races=. They were not destroyed nor driven away, as had been commanded.[10] They remained as subject people in some places, as the ruling race on the seacoast and in the Jor"dan valley. We see their influence, always injurious, throughout all Is"ra-el"s history (Exod. 23. 31-33; Deut. 7. 1-5); and some think that the present inhabitants of the country belong to the original Ca"naan-ite stock.
2. The =Is"ra-el-ites= did not occupy all the country. They possessed most of the mountain region, but none of the seacoast plain on the Jor"dan valley. They were like the Swiss in modern times, living among the mountains. Even in the New Testament period the lowlands were occupied mainly by Gen"tiles.
3. The =landed system= was peculiar. =Estates= were inalienable. They might be leased, but not sold; and on the year of jubilee (every fiftieth year) all land reverted to the family originally owning it.
Thus every family had its ancestral home, the poor were protected, and riches were kept within bounds.
4. The =government= was a republic of families without an executive head, except when a judge was raised up to meet special needs. Each tribe had its own rulers, but there was no central authority after Josh"u-a (Judg. 21. 25). This had its evils, for it led to national weakness; but it had its benefits: 1.) It kept Is"ra-el from becoming a great worldly kingdom like E"gypt and As-syr"i-a, which would have thwarted the divine purpose. 2.) It promoted individuality and personal energy of character. There would have been no "Age of Heroes" if Is"ra-el had been a kingdom like E"gypt.
5. The =religious system= was simple. There was but one altar at Shi"loh for all the land and for all the tribes, and the people were required to visit it for the three great feasts (Deut. 12. 11, 14; Josh. 18. 1).
This was the religious bond which united the people. If it had been maintained they would have needed no other const.i.tution, and even its partial observance kept the people one nation.
6. The =character= of the people was diverse. Throughout the history we trace the working of two distinct elements: There was the true Is"ra-el--the earnest, religious, G.o.d-worshiping section, the Is"ra-el of Josh"u-a and Gid"e-on and Sam"u-el. Then there was the underlying ma.s.s of the people--secular, ignorant, p.r.o.ne to idolatry, the Is"ra-el that worshiped Ba"al and Ash"to-reth, and sought alliance with the heathen. One element was the hope of the nation; the other was its bane.
We shall constantly see the evidences of these two elements in the story of the Is"ra-el-ites.
Blackboard Outline
I. =Can.= 1. One st. 2. Var. tri. 1.) S. P. Phil. Can. Phoe.
2.) M. R. Am. Je. Hiv. Hitt. 3.) J. V. Can. 4.) E. T.-L. Mo.
Am. Bash. 3. Gov. loc. 4. Idol. imm. 5. Weak.
II. =Camp. Conq.= 1. Camp. Eas. Jor. 1.) Gil. Jah. 2.) Bash. Ed.
3.) Mid.
2. Camp. Wes. Jor. 1.) Cent. Pal. Jer. Ai. She. 2.) Sou. Pal.
Beth-hor. 3.) Nor. Pal. L. Mer.
3. Supp. Camp. 1.) Cal. cap. Heb. 2.) Jud. cap. Bez. 3.) Dan.
cap. Lai.
III. =Gen. Asp. Isr. at Clo. Conq.= 1. Nat. rac. sub. 2. Isr. in mtn. reg. 3. Land. sys. 4. Gov. rep. fam. 5. Rel. sys.
6. Char. peo.
Questions for Review
To what race did the Ca"naan-ite tribes belong? What were their tribes, and where located? What was their government? What was their worship? What was the effect of their worship on their character? What had taken place shortly before the coming of the Is"ra-el-ites? What campaigns of conquest were made before the death of Mo"ses? What battles were fought in these campaigns? What tribes took possession of this territory? On which side of the Jor"dan were Josh"u-a"s campaigns? What traits as a military leader did he show? What places were captured on the first of Josh"u-a"s campaigns? What was the effect of this campaign on the enemies? Against what section was Josh"u-a"s second campaign? Where was the great battle fought? What is said to have taken place at this battle? What cities were captured at this time? Where was the third campaign of Josh"u-a directed? Where was the battle fought in this campaign? What were the three supplementary campaigns? What city was conquered by Ca"leb? What city was occupied by the tribe of Dan?
What king, long after Josh"u-a, completed the conquest of Ca"naan? What was the condition of the native races after the conquest? What was the result of their continuance in the land? What portion of the country was occupied by the Is"ra-el-ites? What modern a.n.a.logy is given to them? What was the system of land tenure among the Is"ra-el-ites? What were some of its benefits? What was the form of government? Wherein was the system defective? What were its excellences? What was the religious system of the Is"ra-el-ites? What was the effect of this system? What was the religious character of the people? What was the condition of the ma.s.s of the Is"ra-el-ites?
EIGHTH STUDY
The Age of the Heroes