Canaan To King Saul Notes

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This was the same day that the Passover Lamb was chosen.  Joshua, as a type of Jesus Christ, led the Israelites through the Jorden River into the Promised Land.  Jesus, our Lamb, paid the price so that He could lead us the river of death to ourselves and enter the Kingdom of God with all its glorious riches. 

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“Thus ended that very busy year, 2553 AM.  In the first six months Moses conquered all the land east of the Jordan.  In the remainder of the year Joshua conquered most of the land west of the Jordan.  In the middle of the year the manna ceased, and the people of Israel began to live off the food in the land of Canaan.”  Ussher, pg. 51 

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“At this time Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, forty-five years after the time that he was sent by Moses to spy out the land, desired tohave Hebron, together with the mountain country of Judah.  This was assigned to him for his part in undertaking to expel the Anakims from there.  [Jos. 14:5, 10, 13]  Tremellius observed correctly that Joshua did not permit Caleb and his company to take Hebron alone but he went with the army to take it.  When Hebron was conquered, Joshua gave Caleb the adjoining lands and villages.  Joshua set apart the city with its common lands for a city of refuge and for the priests.  [Jos. 21:11-13, 1 Chr. 6:55-57]”  Ussher, pg. 51 

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“After the whole land was subdued, they came together at Shiloh and set up the tabernacle of the congregation [Jos. 18:1].  The tabernacle with the ark of the covenant stayed there for three hundred and twenty-eight years.  The meaning of the name and the city called Shiloh seems to be the same place as Salem...signifies Peace or Rest [Gen. 34:21, Na. 1:12]...  Also the Messiah is thought to have been called Shiloh [Gen. 49:10] because not only was He to be peaceable and quiet, but He was also the Author of our eternal rest and peace.  As well, Melchizedek, the king of Salem, the king of peace [Heb. 7:2] lived there...according to Jerome’s account and the Septuagint translation, Shiloh was called Sichem because it was located in the country of Sichem [Jos. 24:25-26, 18:1, Gen. 35:4, Jud. 9:6, 21:8-19].”  Ussher, pg. 52 

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“There was one whose name was Othniel, the son of Kenaz, of the tribe of Judah, an active man and of great courage.

He had an admonition from God not to overlook the Israelites in such a distress as they were now in, but to endeavor boldly to gain them their liberty; so when he had procured some to assist him in this dangerous undertaking, (and few they were, who, either out of shame at their present circumstances, or out of a desire of changing them, could be prevailed on to assist him,) he first of all destroyed that garrison which Chushan had set over them; but when it was perceived that he had not failed in his first attempt, more of the people came to his assistance; so they joined battle with the Assyrians, and drove them entirely before them, and compelled them to pass over Euphrates.

Hereupon Othniel, who had given such proofs of his valor, received from the multitude authority to judge the people; and when he had ruled over them forty years, he died.”  Josephus Book 5 Chapter 4 

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“So they continued to that hardship for twenty years, as not good enough of themselves to grow wise by their misfortunes.

God was willing also hereby the more to subdue their obstinacy and ingratitude towards himself: so when at length they were become penitent, and were so wise as to learn that their calamities arose from their contempt of the laws, they besought Deborah, a certain prophetess among them, (which name in the Hebrew tongue signifies a Bee,) to pray to God to take pity on them, and not to overlook them, now they were ruined by the Canaanites. So God granted them deliverance, and chose them a general, Barak, one that was of the tribe of Naphtali.

Now Barak, in the Hebrew tongue, signifies Lightning.

So Deborah sent for Barak, and bade him choose out ten thousand young men to go against the enemy, because God had said that that number was sufficient, and promised them victory.

But when Barak said that he would not be the general unless she would also go as a general with him, she had indignation at what he said 'Thou, O Barak, deliverest up meanly that authority which God hath given thee into the hand of a woman, and I do not reject it!" So they collected ten thousand men, and pitched their camp at Mount Tabor, where, at the king's command, Sisera met them, and pitched his camp not far from the enemy; whereupon the Israelites, and Barak himself, were so aftrighted at the multitude of those enemies, that they were resolved to march off, had not Deborah retained them, and commanded them to fight the enemy that very day, for that they should conquer them, and God would be their assistance.

So the battle began; and when they were come to a close fight, there came down from heaven a great storm, with a vast quantity of rain and hail, and the wind blew the rain in the face of the Canaanites, and so darkened their eyes, that their arrows and slings were of no advantage to them, nor would the coldness of the air permit the soldiers to make use of their swords; while this storm did not so much incommode the Israelites, because it came in their backs.

They also took such courage, upon the apprehension that God was assisting them, that they fell upon the very midst of their enemies, and slew a great number of them; so that some of them fell by the Israelites, some fell by their own horses, which were put into disorder, and not a few were killed by their own chariots.

At last Sisera, as soon as he saw himself beaten, fled away, and came to a woman whose name was Jael, a Kenite, who received him, when he desired to be concealed; and when he asked for somewhat to drink, she gave him sour milk, of which he drank so unmeasurably that he fell asleep; but when he was asleep, Jael took an iron nail, and with a hammer drove it through his temples into the floor; and when Barak came a little afterward, she showed Sisera nailed to the ground: and thus was this victory gained by a woman, as Deborah had foretold.

Barak also fought with Jabin at Hazor; and when he met with him, he slew him: and when the general was fallen, Barak overthrew the city to the foundation, and was the commander of the Israelites for forty years.”  Josephus Book 5 Chapter 5 

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“There was one Manoah, a person of such great virtue, that he had few men his equals, and without dispute the principal person of his country. He had a wife celebrated for her beauty, and excelling her contemporaries. He had no children; and, being uneasy at his want of posterity, he entreated God to give them seed of their own bodies to succeed them; and with that intent he came constantly into the suburbs together with his wife; which suburbs were in the Great Plain.

Now he was fond of his wife to a degree of madness, and on that account was unmeasurably jealous of her.
Now, when his wife was once alone, an apparition was seen by her: it was an angel of God, and resembled a young man beautiful and tall, and brought her the good news that she should have a son, born by God's providence, that should be a goodly child, of great strength; by whom, when he was grown up to man's estate, the Philistines should be afflicted. He exhorted her also not to poll his hair, and that he should avoid all other kinds of drink, (for so had God commanded,) and be entirely contented with water.

So the angel, when he had delivered that message, went his way, his coming having been by the will of God.

Now the wife informed her husband when he came home of what the angel had said, who showed so great an admiration of the beauty and tallness of the young man that had appeared to her, that her husband was astonished, and out of himself for jealousy, and such suspicions as are excited by that passion: but she was desirous of having her husband's unreasonable sorrow taken away; accordingly she entreated God to send the angel again, that he might be seen by her husband.

So the angel came again by the favor of God, while they were in the suburbs, and appeared to her when she was alone without her husband.

She desired the angel to stay so long till she might bring her husband; and that request being granted, she goes to call Manoah.

When he saw the angel he was not yet free from suspicion, and he desired him to inform him of all that he had told his wife; but when he said it was sufficient that she alone knew what he had said, he then requested of him to tell who he was, that when the child was born they might return him thanks, and give him a present.

He replied that he did not want any present, for that he did not bring them the good news of the birth of a son out of the want of any thing.

And when Manoah had entreated him to stay, and partake of his hospitality, he did not give his consent.
However he was persuaded, at the earnest request of Manoah to stay so long as while he brought him one mark of his hospitality; so he slew a kid of the goats, and bid his wife boil it.

When all was ready, the angel enjoined him to set the loaves and the flesh, but without the vessels, upon the rock; which when they had done, he touched the flesh with the rod which he had in his hand, which, upon the breaking out of a flame, was consumed, together with the loaves; and the angel ascended openly, in their sight, up to heaven, by means of the smoke, as by a vehicle.

Now Manoah was afraid that some danger would come to them from this sight of God; but his wife bade him be of good courage, for that God appeared to them for their benefit.”  Josephus Book5 Chapter 8 

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“It plainly appears by the history of these spies, and the innkeeper Rahab's deception of the king of Jericho's messengers, by telling them what was false in order to save the lives of the spies, and yet the great commendation of her faith and good works in the New Testament, Hebrews 11:31; James 2:25, as well as by many other parallel examples, both in the Old Testament and in Josephus, that the best men did not then scruple to deceive those public enemies who might justly be destroyed; as also might deceive ill men in order to save life, and deliver themselves from the tyranny of their unjust oppressors, and this by telling direct falsehoods; I mean, all this where no oath was demanded of them, otherwise they never durst venture on such a procedure. Nor was Josephus himself of any other opinion or practice... And observe, that I still call this woman Rahab, an innkeeper, not a harlot, the whole history, both in our copies, and especially in Josephus, implying no more. It was indeed so frequent a thing, that women who were innkeepers were also harlots, or maintainers of harlots, that the word commonly used for real harlots was usually given them.”  Editor of Josephus Book 5

See Responsible Lying