March 13 - Evening
“But Manasseh did not drive out the people of Beth Shan or Taanach or Dor or Ibleam or Megiddo and their surrounding settlements, for the Canaanites were determined to live in that land.” - Judges 1:27
Jezreel Valley: The Prime Real Estate of Canaan
The Jezreel Valley, or the plain of Megiddo, was used by all the trade routes and every military expedition that traveled between southern and northern Canaan. There were four major passes that led into the Jezreel Valley from the south through the foothills of Mount Carmel and one along the Jordan Valley. This valuable property fell within the borders of the territory of Manasseh. Israel would need this area controlled to secure their safety and their economy as a nation. It was Manasseh’s responsibility to secure the cities that guarded these essential passes into the Jezreel Valley.
The Canaanites maintained control of the Jezreel Valley by refusing to give up the cities that controlled the passes. This created a wedge between Israel’s occupation in the south and the tribes north of the Jezreel Valley. Canaanite control of these passes and the Jezreel Valley enabled the chariots of the Canaanites to be deployed effectively, which complicated things for the forces of Manasseh.
Beth Shan not only controlled north-south movement up and down the Jordan Valley, but also movement into the Jezreel Valley from the Jordan Valley and the eastern land across the Jordan River. . The city of Dor gave access to the coast so that trade from the east coming through Beth Shan could exit the country by sea at Dor. The Jezreel Valley was and still is the location of the best agricultural land in Israel. Manasseh’s failure to drive out the Canaanites not only prevented Israel from the economic benefits created by the agriculture and the trade in the Jezreel Valley, but their failure also gave these advantages to the Canaanites who used this situation, along with the given military advantage, to strengthen themselves against Israel.
It was not until the time of David 350 years later that this territory would be controlled by Israel, but by that time the Canaanites and their culture had been assimilated into northern Israel. This made true worship of Yahweh even more difficult since it was confused with the religion and culture the Canaanites mixed into Israel’s worldview.
The Canaanites maintained control of the Jezreel Valley by refusing to give up the cities that controlled the passes. This created a wedge between Israel’s occupation in the south and the tribes north of the Jezreel Valley. Canaanite control of these passes and the Jezreel Valley enabled the chariots of the Canaanites to be deployed effectively, which complicated things for the forces of Manasseh.
Beth Shan not only controlled north-south movement up and down the Jordan Valley, but also movement into the Jezreel Valley from the Jordan Valley and the eastern land across the Jordan River. . The city of Dor gave access to the coast so that trade from the east coming through Beth Shan could exit the country by sea at Dor. The Jezreel Valley was and still is the location of the best agricultural land in Israel. Manasseh’s failure to drive out the Canaanites not only prevented Israel from the economic benefits created by the agriculture and the trade in the Jezreel Valley, but their failure also gave these advantages to the Canaanites who used this situation, along with the given military advantage, to strengthen themselves against Israel.
It was not until the time of David 350 years later that this territory would be controlled by Israel, but by that time the Canaanites and their culture had been assimilated into northern Israel. This made true worship of Yahweh even more difficult since it was confused with the religion and culture the Canaanites mixed into Israel’s worldview.
Threneo (Gr) – Mourn (Eng) – threneo is a Greek word that means “to lament,” and “to wail.”
In John 16:20 the disciples threneo when the Lord is absent. In Luke 23:27 people threneo when Christ was prepared for crucifixion. A song of threneo, or a song of lamentation or a dirge, is called a threnos.
Do I face difficult challenges that I know the Lord expects me to handle?
Do I miss out on great advantages because I compromise?
I will focus on dealing with situations that the Lord has given me and resist taking the easy way out.
Do I miss out on great advantages because I compromise?
I will focus on dealing with situations that the Lord has given me and resist taking the easy way out.
Bible Reading Descriptions Here
Personal
Open doors for financial growth
Church
Life application of Biblical truth
Nation
IPERS
World
Bosnia
Someone to Quote
"The will of God — nothing less, nothing more, nothing else."
- F. E. Marsh
Something to Ponder
Angels are mentioned in thirty-four of the sixty-six books of the Bible:
1. Angels are mentioned in the oldest books of Scripture (Genesis, Job).
2. Angels were active in the days of Moses (Ex., Num.).
3. Angels are recorded in historical accounts of the time of the Judges and David (Judges, 1 and 2 Sam, 1 Chr).
4. Angels appear during days of the kings (2 Kg, 2 Chr, Is.).
5. Angels were part of the experience of prophets Daniel and Ezekiel in Babylon.
6. Angels continued their ministry to the returning exiles in Jerusalem (Zechariah).
7. Angels' activities are described in detail in the gospels, and are included in accounts of Jesus' teaching and activity (Mt., Mk., Lk., Jn).
8. Angels became involved with the early church in Acts.
9. Angels are discussed by the writers of the New Testament Epistles (Rm, 1 Cor., 1 Tim., Heb.).
10. Angels' present and future assignments, battles and deeds are described in great detail in Revelation.
According to Scripture, there is no time period in history, including ours, that angels are not actively involved in human affairs.
1. Angels are mentioned in the oldest books of Scripture (Genesis, Job).
2. Angels were active in the days of Moses (Ex., Num.).
3. Angels are recorded in historical accounts of the time of the Judges and David (Judges, 1 and 2 Sam, 1 Chr).
4. Angels appear during days of the kings (2 Kg, 2 Chr, Is.).
5. Angels were part of the experience of prophets Daniel and Ezekiel in Babylon.
6. Angels continued their ministry to the returning exiles in Jerusalem (Zechariah).
7. Angels' activities are described in detail in the gospels, and are included in accounts of Jesus' teaching and activity (Mt., Mk., Lk., Jn).
8. Angels became involved with the early church in Acts.
9. Angels are discussed by the writers of the New Testament Epistles (Rm, 1 Cor., 1 Tim., Heb.).
10. Angels' present and future assignments, battles and deeds are described in great detail in Revelation.
According to Scripture, there is no time period in history, including ours, that angels are not actively involved in human affairs.
Here’s a Fact
The Zealots, a fourth sect of Judaism along with Pharisees, Sadducees and Essenes, considered themselves to be followers of Phinehas, Elijah and the Macabees. The Zealots of Jesus day believed their political and militant resistance would hasten the coming of the end of the age and bring about the blessing of found in the fulfillment of eschatology.
Proverb
"Righteousness guards the person of integrity, but wickedness overthrows the sinner."
- Proverbs 13:6
- Proverbs 13:6
Coach’s Corner
Teachers lead; disciplinarians push. Both are needed in the classroom and in life.
2 Chronicles 11:5-12
New International Version (NIV)
Rehoboam Fortifies Judah
5 Rehoboam lived in Jerusalem and built up towns for defense in Judah: 6 Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa, 7 Beth Zur, Soko, Adullam, 8 Gath, Mareshah, Ziph, 9 Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah, 10 Zorah, Aijalon and Hebron. These were fortified cities in Judah and Benjamin. 11 He strengthened their defenses and put commanders in them, with supplies of food, olive oil and wine. 12 He put shields and spears in all the cities, and made them very strong. So Judah and Benjamin were his.
New International Version (NIV)
Rehoboam Fortifies Judah
5 Rehoboam lived in Jerusalem and built up towns for defense in Judah: 6 Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa, 7 Beth Zur, Soko, Adullam, 8 Gath, Mareshah, Ziph, 9 Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah, 10 Zorah, Aijalon and Hebron. These were fortified cities in Judah and Benjamin. 11 He strengthened their defenses and put commanders in them, with supplies of food, olive oil and wine. 12 He put shields and spears in all the cities, and made them very strong. So Judah and Benjamin were his.
Judges 2
New International Version (NIV)
The Angel of the Lord at Bokim
2 The angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bokim and said, “I brought you up out of Egypt and led you into the land I swore to give to your ancestors. I said, ‘I will never break my covenant with you, 2 and you shall not make a covenant with the people of this land, but you shall break down their altars.’ Yet you have disobeyed me. Why have you done this? 3 And I have also said, ‘I will not drive them out before you; they will become traps for you, and their gods will become snares to you.’”
4 When the angel of the Lord had spoken these things to all the Israelites, the people wept aloud, 5 and they called that place Bokim. There they offered sacrifices to the Lord.
Disobedience and Defeat
6 After Joshua had dismissed the Israelites, they went to take possession of the land, each to their own inheritance. 7 The people served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had seen all the great things the Lord had done for Israel.
8 Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of a hundred and ten. 9 And they buried him in the land of his inheritance, at Timnath Heres in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.
10 After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel. 11 Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord and served the Baals. 12 They forsook the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various gods of the peoples around them. They aroused the Lord’s anger 13 because they forsook him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths. 14 In his anger against Israel the Lord gave them into the hands of raiders who plundered them. He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, whom they were no longer able to resist. 15 Whenever Israel went out to fight, the hand of the Lord was against them to defeat them, just as he had sworn to them. They were in great distress.
16 Then the Lord raised up judges, who saved them out of the hands of these raiders. 17 Yet they would not listen to their judges but prostituted themselves to other gods and worshiped them. They quickly turned from the ways of their ancestors, who had been obedient to the Lord’s commands. 18 Whenever the Lord raised up a judge for them, he was with the judge and saved them out of the hands of their enemies as long as the judge lived; for the Lord relented because of their groaning under those who oppressed and afflicted them. 19 But when the judge died, the people returned to ways even more corrupt than those of their ancestors, following other gods and serving and worshiping them. They refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn ways.
20 Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel and said, “Because this nation has violated the covenant I ordained for their ancestors and has not listened to me, 21 I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations Joshua left when he died. 22 I will use them to test Israel and see whether they will keep the way of the Lord and walk in it as their ancestors did.” 23 The Lord had allowed those nations to remain; he did not drive them out at once by giving them into the hands of Joshua.
New International Version (NIV)
The Angel of the Lord at Bokim
2 The angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bokim and said, “I brought you up out of Egypt and led you into the land I swore to give to your ancestors. I said, ‘I will never break my covenant with you, 2 and you shall not make a covenant with the people of this land, but you shall break down their altars.’ Yet you have disobeyed me. Why have you done this? 3 And I have also said, ‘I will not drive them out before you; they will become traps for you, and their gods will become snares to you.’”
4 When the angel of the Lord had spoken these things to all the Israelites, the people wept aloud, 5 and they called that place Bokim. There they offered sacrifices to the Lord.
Disobedience and Defeat
6 After Joshua had dismissed the Israelites, they went to take possession of the land, each to their own inheritance. 7 The people served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had seen all the great things the Lord had done for Israel.
8 Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of a hundred and ten. 9 And they buried him in the land of his inheritance, at Timnath Heres in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.
10 After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel. 11 Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord and served the Baals. 12 They forsook the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various gods of the peoples around them. They aroused the Lord’s anger 13 because they forsook him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths. 14 In his anger against Israel the Lord gave them into the hands of raiders who plundered them. He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, whom they were no longer able to resist. 15 Whenever Israel went out to fight, the hand of the Lord was against them to defeat them, just as he had sworn to them. They were in great distress.
16 Then the Lord raised up judges, who saved them out of the hands of these raiders. 17 Yet they would not listen to their judges but prostituted themselves to other gods and worshiped them. They quickly turned from the ways of their ancestors, who had been obedient to the Lord’s commands. 18 Whenever the Lord raised up a judge for them, he was with the judge and saved them out of the hands of their enemies as long as the judge lived; for the Lord relented because of their groaning under those who oppressed and afflicted them. 19 But when the judge died, the people returned to ways even more corrupt than those of their ancestors, following other gods and serving and worshiping them. They refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn ways.
20 Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel and said, “Because this nation has violated the covenant I ordained for their ancestors and has not listened to me, 21 I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations Joshua left when he died. 22 I will use them to test Israel and see whether they will keep the way of the Lord and walk in it as their ancestors did.” 23 The Lord had allowed those nations to remain; he did not drive them out at once by giving them into the hands of Joshua.
Deuteronomy 7
New International Version (NIV)
Driving Out the Nations
7 When the Lord your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess and drives out before you many nations—the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites, seven nations larger and stronger than you— 2 and when the Lord your God has delivered them over to you and you have defeated them, then you must destroy them totally. Make no treaty with them, and show them no mercy. 3 Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, 4 for they will turn your children away from following me to serve other gods, and the Lord’s anger will burn against you and will quickly destroy you. 5 This is what you are to do to them: Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones, cut down their Asherah poles and burn their idols in the fire. 6 For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession.
7 The Lord did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. 8 But it was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath he swore to your ancestors that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. 9 Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments. 10 But
those who hate him he will repay to their face by destruction; he will not be slow to repay to their face those who hate him.
11 Therefore, take care to follow the commands, decrees and laws I give you today.
12 If you pay attention to these laws and are careful to follow them, then the Lord your God will keep his covenant of love with you, as he swore to your ancestors. 13 He will love you and bless you and increase your numbers. He will bless the fruit of your womb, the crops of your land—your grain, new wine and olive oil—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks in the land he swore to your ancestors to give you. 14 You will be blessed more than any other people; none of your men or women will be childless, nor will any of your livestock be without young. 15 The Lord will keep you free from every disease. He will not inflict on you the horrible diseases you knew in Egypt, but he will inflict them on all who hate you. 16 You must destroy all the peoples the Lord your God gives over to you. Do not look on them with pity and do not serve their gods, for that will be a snare to you.
17 You may say to yourselves, “These nations are stronger than we are. How can we drive them out?” 18 But do not be afraid of them; remember well what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt. 19 You saw with your own eyes the great trials, the signs and wonders, the mighty hand and outstretched arm, with which the Lord your God brought you out. The Lord your God will do the same to all the peoples you now fear. 20 Moreover, the Lord your God will send the hornet among them until even the survivors who hide from you have perished. 21 Do not be terrified by them, for the Lord your God, who is among you, is a great and awesome God. 22 The Lord your God will drive out those nations before you, little by little. You will not be allowed to eliminate them all at once, or the wild animals will multiply around you. 23 But the Lord your God will deliver them over to you, throwing them into great confusion until they are destroyed. 24 He will give their kings into your hand, and you will wipe out their names from under heaven. No one will be able to stand up against you; you will destroy them. 25 The images of their gods you are to burn in the fire. Do not covet the silver and gold on them, and do not take it for yourselves, or you will be ensnared by it, for it is detestable to the Lord your God. 26 Do not bring a detestable thing into your house or you, like it, will be set apart for destruction. Regard it as vile and utterly detest it, for it is set apart for destruction.
New International Version (NIV)
Driving Out the Nations
7 When the Lord your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess and drives out before you many nations—the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites, seven nations larger and stronger than you— 2 and when the Lord your God has delivered them over to you and you have defeated them, then you must destroy them totally. Make no treaty with them, and show them no mercy. 3 Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, 4 for they will turn your children away from following me to serve other gods, and the Lord’s anger will burn against you and will quickly destroy you. 5 This is what you are to do to them: Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones, cut down their Asherah poles and burn their idols in the fire. 6 For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession.
7 The Lord did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. 8 But it was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath he swore to your ancestors that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. 9 Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments. 10 But
those who hate him he will repay to their face by destruction; he will not be slow to repay to their face those who hate him.
11 Therefore, take care to follow the commands, decrees and laws I give you today.
12 If you pay attention to these laws and are careful to follow them, then the Lord your God will keep his covenant of love with you, as he swore to your ancestors. 13 He will love you and bless you and increase your numbers. He will bless the fruit of your womb, the crops of your land—your grain, new wine and olive oil—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks in the land he swore to your ancestors to give you. 14 You will be blessed more than any other people; none of your men or women will be childless, nor will any of your livestock be without young. 15 The Lord will keep you free from every disease. He will not inflict on you the horrible diseases you knew in Egypt, but he will inflict them on all who hate you. 16 You must destroy all the peoples the Lord your God gives over to you. Do not look on them with pity and do not serve their gods, for that will be a snare to you.
17 You may say to yourselves, “These nations are stronger than we are. How can we drive them out?” 18 But do not be afraid of them; remember well what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt. 19 You saw with your own eyes the great trials, the signs and wonders, the mighty hand and outstretched arm, with which the Lord your God brought you out. The Lord your God will do the same to all the peoples you now fear. 20 Moreover, the Lord your God will send the hornet among them until even the survivors who hide from you have perished. 21 Do not be terrified by them, for the Lord your God, who is among you, is a great and awesome God. 22 The Lord your God will drive out those nations before you, little by little. You will not be allowed to eliminate them all at once, or the wild animals will multiply around you. 23 But the Lord your God will deliver them over to you, throwing them into great confusion until they are destroyed. 24 He will give their kings into your hand, and you will wipe out their names from under heaven. No one will be able to stand up against you; you will destroy them. 25 The images of their gods you are to burn in the fire. Do not covet the silver and gold on them, and do not take it for yourselves, or you will be ensnared by it, for it is detestable to the Lord your God. 26 Do not bring a detestable thing into your house or you, like it, will be set apart for destruction. Regard it as vile and utterly detest it, for it is set apart for destruction.