YAHSHUA BEN NUN ESTABLISHES YISRAEL IN THE PROMISED LAND
Yahshua Ben Nun appeared as the military and political leader of Yisrael
Yahshua Ben Nun appeared in history for the first time at Rephidim; the Yisraelites had just left Egypt under Mosheh’ leadership and were on their way to Sinai. At that moment they were unexpectedly attacked by the Amalekites. Yahshua Ben Nun, at the head of the Yisraelite men at arms, won a brilliant victory over these formidable brigands.
Later on, there was his fierce opposition right at the beginning of the sojourn at Kadesh when almost all the men sent to Canaan exaggerated the difficulties of penetrating into enemy country and strongly advised against any attack. Yahshua Ben Nun had spoken strongly against this cowardly attitude which, in addition, took no account of YAHWEH’s orders. On this occasion Mosheh decided to change the name of his dynamic lieutenant. Hoshea, as he had formerly been called, was henceforth to be called Jehoshua (YAHWEH is my yeshua), of which we have made Yahshua Ben Nun. Directly Mosheh was informed of his approaching death he hastened to designate Yahshua Ben Nun as his successor. In the presence of the people and the high kohen Eleazar he laid hands upon him. From then on Yahshua Ben Nun appeared as the military and political leader of Yisrael.
Mosheh had just died. Carrying out the plan bequeathed to him Yahshua Ben Nun set to work; he made all arrangements for crossing the Jordan and starting on the conquest of the Promised Land.
When Mosheh the servant of YAHWEH was dead, YAHWEH spoke to Yahshua son of Nun, Mosheh’ adjutant. He said, ‘Mosheh MY servant is dead; rise-it is time-and cross the Jordan here, you and all this people with you, into the land which I am giving the sons of Yisrael. Every place you tread with the soles of your feet I shall give you as declared to Mosheh. ..I will be with you as I was with Mosheh; I will not leave you or desert you.
Yahshua Ben Nun 1;1-5
The various populations found by the Yisraelites in Canaan
For a thousand years and more -from 2500 until 1200 - the land into which the Yisraelites were to penetrate under Yahshua Ben Nun’s leadership suffered many waves of invasion. The following is a summary list.
1. In about 2500 occurred the great Canaanite invasion. They were Semites who left a profound mark on the country to which they gave its first geographical name, the land of Canaan.
2. In about 1800 B.C. (half a century before the arrival of Abraham) there was a further and massive invasion of Semites, probably people related by blood to the Canaanites. The two peoples merged quite quickly since they were of similar origins and mentality.
3. After these two principal Semitic invasions there began a series of infiltrations of tribes which did not belong to the Semitic group, namely:
(a) between 1800 and 1600 the Hyksos arrived with their chariots; at various strategic points they built their huge citadels and imposed on the country a feudal civilization;
(b) at the end of the fourteenth century (a century before the arrival of Mosheh and the Yisraelites on Sinai) the Hittites appeared. These, too, were non -Semites. They came from the centre of Asia where they had previously established a formidable military state; they settled here and there in Canaan in small colonies, choosing regions that were not yet occupied;
(c) lastly, in about 1200, occurred the arrival of the Philistines or Peoples of the Sea. Hordes of these well armed conquerors arrived, probably from Crete; but they seem to have also recruited adventurers from the Greek Isles, the coasts of the Aegean Sea and from different regions of the eastern Mediterranean.
The population of Canaan, it will be seen, was made up of very varied elements. Nevertheless, all these groups (the Philistines apart, at least for the time being) were in time absorbed by the old Canaanite stock.
Favourable and unfavourable factors for the Yisraelite conquest of Canaan
At the beginning of the twelfth century (1200-1175) when the Yisraelites began to penetrate into Canaan, they appeared to be on the one hand in an advantageous position since the territory had practically been freed from foreign domination; on the other hand, there was cause for anxiety in that the country bristled with impenetrable citadels. Both points merit further consideration.
In the first place we can examine the political situation. Hitherto, it had been difficult for an independent State to be established in the corridor situated between Jordan and the Mediterranean; sometimes one of the Mesopotamian powers annexed this small territory as an obvious bastion against attacks from Egypt; and sometimes Egypt, victorious over the Asiatic peoples of the north-east, used Palestine as a buffer to guarantee the valley of the Nile against invasions from Mesopotamia.
At the period in question the Hittites (the only ones worthy of consideration at the time) had just been vanquished by the powerful Rameses III. On the other hand, the Egyptians themselves had sustained heavy blows from the repeated attacks of the Peoples of the Sea; these latter had been pushed back but the military effort required of the Egyptian troops had been very considerable and they needed to withdraw within their own borders for the time being.
The result of all this was the weakening of the two opposing military powers; the land of Canaan was momentarily freed from occupation or, rather, from the domination of foreign nations. The Yisraelites were able to profit by these favourable political conditions.
On the other hand, as was pointed out above, the military situation gave cause for considerable anxiety. At the time when the Yisraelites were about to attack Canaan the country presented the curious feudal appearance imposed on it by the Hyksos. A military aristocracy not unlike that which existed in the West during the Middle Ages had erected huge fortresses on the summits of the steep slopes and cliffs.
All this would be formidable for the Yisraelites with their rather primitive arms. How, under these conditions, were they to attack the high walls of these well-defended citadels? And on the plains, how could they offer effective resistance to the quick-moving chariots?
Preliminary restatement of the historical question
If we keep to the general historical pattern as shown in Bemidbar, Devarim and the Book of Yahshua Ben Nun, the conquest of Canaan appears to have been effected with lightning-like rapidity and to have been complete. Under the protection of YAHWEH and on HIS orders Yisrael fell like an eagle on its prey. Everywhere the Yisraelites won resounding victories; we find them taking powerfully fortified cities; they were able to put the enemy formations to flight; they annexed whole provinces. After this rapid campaign the conquerors divided the country between them, deciding by drawing lots in which part of it each tribe should settle.
Thus to the former Canaanite organization there succeeded a new civilization, that of the Israelites, who occupied the conquered territory.
The historical reality is very different. By making use of the various indications scattered about in Bemidbar, Yahshua Ben Nun and, better still, by reading the Book of Shophtim carefully, we can see that Yahshua Ben Nun's conquest of Canaan was very far from taking place as rapidly, triumphantly and completely as the writer of Devarim (seventh century) and the kohen narrator (sixth-fifth centuries) would have us believe. Contrary to what is related in the Book of Yahshua Ben Nun, the Book of Shophtim show us the picture of a slow and very arduous penetration of the country. And we know too nowadays through archaeological discoveries that the settling of the Israelites in the country was incomplete and fairly limited. In fact, far from triumphantly ousting the inhabitants of Canaan the Israelites were glad in many cases to settle in isolated parts of the country and even in mountainous regions.
Generally speaking, Yahshua Ben Nun may be regarded as one of the most active of those who effected the penetration of the Israelites into Canaan, but he was certainly not alone in this, despite the fact that the only accounts which have come down to us make him the hero. It must also be said here that the writer of Devarim who, six centuries after the events described, composed the Book of Yahshua Ben Nun had at his disposition very slender information. On the other hand, he needed a traditional, well-known figure to prove his point that YAHWEH had showered blessings on the leader of Israel who had remained unwaveringly attached to the Law.
It can therefore be concluded that Yahshua Ben Nun occupies a preponderant place in the history of Israel. But this must not prevent our showing a certain reserve concerning some of the campaigns (mentioned below) attributed to this extraordinary warrior between 1200 and 1175 in Canaan.
The reader may be worried by the disparity between events as they actually happened and the account of them given either by Devarim or the Book of Yahshua Ben Nun. This can easily be explained.
The two books mentioned cannot be classed as historical works in the modern sense of the word. They form really a ‘theology of history’. There was no question of the author recording the events of the past with meticulous care; quite simply he wanted to bring out clearly YAHWEH’s direct action in granting the Promised land to HIS people. The writer illustrates and proves his thesis by carefully chosen examples.
It was important to show that the conquest was effected with lightning-like rapidity. This was necessary for the important moral lesson that Yisrael had to learn.
What can be thought, too, of the practice of herem, that form of set apart and total extermination of the cities captured or the tribes that had been conquered? We find Yahshua Ben Nun formulating this anathema against Jericho and later against other cities. The flocks were killed and their bodies burned; the houses were torn down and destroyed by fire. It was formally forbidden to take the smallest object even as booty. This was a command made by YAHWEH through Yahshua to the Yisraelites and it all belonged to YAHWEH.
To return to the Yisraelites in Yahshua’s time and the herem, it should be added that this systematic massacre of the Canaanites depicted in the Scriptures is, in true and historical. In fact the victories of the Yisraelite troops were small in number, but YAHWEH gave them great victory when they obeyed HIM and defeats when they disobeyed HIM (sin).
Thus to the former Canaanite organization there succeeded a new civilization, that of the Yisraelites, who occupied the conquered territory.
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