Speaker 1: Previously on the Chosen people.
Speaker 2: The Edamites already told us in no uncertain terms, they
Speaker 2: would meet us in battle.
Speaker 3: I had hoped that hearing our light and drawing on
Speaker 3: our shared lineage with Esol's descendants would sway their minds.
Speaker 2: Or do they mean to finish what they started thirty
Speaker 2: eight years ago? Well, technically we started it. Perhaps we
Speaker 2: should prepare ourselves for war. They seem intent on finishing it.
Speaker 1: Either way, Eliza cut in decisively and interrupted his brother.
Speaker 4: If you want to be haunted by our past, then fine,
Speaker 4: let it be our teacher. Why did the campaign against
Speaker 4: the Canaanites fail? Why were we crushed against the walls
Speaker 4: of a rod. Our forefathers went without the presence of
Speaker 4: the Lord. I remember the ark of the Covenant sat
Speaker 4: idle in Kadesh, or they ventured up without a second thought.
Speaker 4: No one thought to pray in us Lord to be
Speaker 4: with them. No one thought about anything but the fear,
Speaker 4: and that is why they failed.
Speaker 5: I propose we changed that. Joshua.
Speaker 4: Draw up your plans and make the changes you need
Speaker 4: to our defenses. But first let us pray in us
Speaker 4: the Lord to be with us, and let us go
Speaker 4: a step further, and remember the warnings he gave about
Speaker 4: conquering the land of Canaan. We must make a holy vow.
Speaker 4: If the Lord should hand our enemy over to us,
Speaker 4: we must completely destroy their city, no half measures. We
Speaker 4: cannot allow ourselves to be led astray or tempted to
Speaker 4: follow their ways. Now let us go. Let us go
Speaker 4: and defeat our enemies and win back our captives.
Speaker 1: Beaming with approval and paternal pride, Moses rallied the man.
Speaker 3: To war, man to war.
Speaker 2: It is.
Speaker 6: Victory begins when we stop looking down at our pain
Speaker 6: and we start looking up to the God who heals Shelloh,
Speaker 6: my friends, from here in the holy land of Israel,
Speaker 6: I'm l Exstein with international Fellowship of Christians and Jews,
Speaker 6: and welcome to the Chosen People. The desert is a
Speaker 6: place of testing. Israel is tired and thirsty. Complaints rise
Speaker 6: like dust in the wind. The people of Israel speak
Speaker 6: against God, and he responds with serpents whose bites are
Speaker 6: swift and deadly. But mercy is never far behind. A
Speaker 6: bronze serpent is lifted high, and whoever looks at it lives,
Speaker 6: and their journey continues, leading them to battle and victory,
Speaker 6: all under the watchful eye of the God who saves.
Speaker 1: The temperature in the tent was sweltering, however, it was
Speaker 1: the only place Moses could discuss the matters of Israel
Speaker 1: with his trusted advisers in privacy. Sweat beaded on Caleb's face,
Speaker 1: who was now officially installed as a council member, as
Speaker 1: he led Israel's vanguard. The days since their victory over
Speaker 1: the Canaanites at Ormar had been grueling and relentless. Done
Speaker 1: were their days of wandering, and Israel pressed forward with
Speaker 1: a new found purpose. But it had also taken its toll.
Speaker 1: A warm spring had given way to a blistering summer,
Speaker 1: and the people were weary for months on the road.
Speaker 1: Moses cleared his throat and called the meeting to order.
Speaker 3: Let's hear the reports from the kingdoms of Moab and
Speaker 3: ammon ithamar In gersham Ah, faithful emissaries, we see that
Speaker 3: you had returned to us safely. We have also seen
Speaker 3: the ron's iron and horses. You have returned with your
Speaker 3: dipromises to be commanded. It seems that our kinsmen responded
Speaker 3: well to our gifts and promises of peace.
Speaker 1: Gersham nodded respectfully to his father and began.
Speaker 7: Yes, father, They were very receptive to our envoy. They were,
Speaker 7: of course pleased that we meant them no harm.
Speaker 1: If Amar never want to go without sharing the spotlight
Speaker 1: cut in with his retort.
Speaker 2: Oh, yes, it went very well. I've spent so much
Speaker 2: time in foreign lands lately that my wife likely thinks
Speaker 2: I've run off to become a bard. I was singing
Speaker 2: a new song in a different chort every week.
Speaker 8: I'm surprised the meetings went as well as they did,
Speaker 8: considering your infamous charm, if Omar.
Speaker 2: Well, it's not my charm they enjoy. It's my grasp
Speaker 2: of our finances. Everyone respects the man holding the purse strings.
Speaker 8: A good thing. Gersham thought to bring the coin counter.
Speaker 1: Then the men around the table laughed. Caleb's playful and
Speaker 1: good natured spirit softened Lithamar's prickly temperament, Moses sighed. It
Speaker 1: also had the added benefit of keeping the far more
Speaker 1: serious High Priest Eliezer from pulling out his hair at
Speaker 1: his brother's sarcastic remarks. Every day, this new generation of
Speaker 1: leadership was learning how to work together, how to trust
Speaker 1: one another. Moses had gathered his counsel to discuss their
Speaker 1: plans as they moved out of Moab and into the
Speaker 1: viciously contested region on the Moabite Plains. It had once
Speaker 1: belonged to Moab, but it was now held by the Amorites,
Speaker 1: a cunning and formidable enemy to all the kingdoms. Descended
Speaker 1: from the patriarch Abraham. They were known for their depraved
Speaker 1: customs and the vile practice of child's sacrifice to their
Speaker 1: cruel god. Moleek Ithamar picked up the discussion once the
Speaker 1: table quieted.
Speaker 2: Well, now that you've heard of our sweeping success abroad,
Speaker 2: tell us how are things at home.
Speaker 1: The men around the table looked at one another. No
Speaker 1: one seemed to know where to start. Joshua leaned forward
Speaker 1: and rubbed his brow. He put it as delicately as
Speaker 1: he could.
Speaker 5: People are restless Moses, the tired and irritable. They are
Speaker 5: whispers of descent across the tribes.
Speaker 1: Eliezer, the newly appointed high priest, snorted and replied more directly,
Speaker 1: cutting to the heart of the matter.
Speaker 7: That's putting it mildly. The people are towing the line
Speaker 7: of rebellion. They're unsatisfied with the manner they grow impatient
Speaker 7: with the desert. It stems from their frustration with our
Speaker 7: plans to abandon Canaan instead of circuit Moab.
Speaker 1: Joshua quickly stepped in to clarify, and Moses could sense
Speaker 1: that he was doing so out of a deep loyalty
Speaker 1: and desire to protect him.
Speaker 5: They believe we should have pressed north crossed into Canaan
Speaker 5: after Omarh. They don't see the wisdom in waiting.
Speaker 3: They It's all right, Joshua, I can explain. It is true.
Speaker 3: The people cannot understand why we've taken the long way
Speaker 3: when we were at the doorstep to the promised land.
Speaker 3: They are also confused about why we take the time
Speaker 3: to send emissaries and ask before we enter land peacefully.
Speaker 3: We've won one battle, and they think that we're now
Speaker 3: a nation of conquerors. They look to the kingdoms of
Speaker 3: Moab and Ammon and their eyes get greedy. The temptation
Speaker 3: is to take their lands and wealth. But the Lord
Speaker 3: has been clear, we are not savage plunderers. We must
Speaker 3: not harm the descendants of Lot, for Moab and Ammon
Speaker 3: are his children and this land is their possession. We
Speaker 3: are not to raise a hand against them. We must
Speaker 3: focus on claiming the land that has been promised to us.
Speaker 3: One day, we may be grateful that we kept the
Speaker 3: peace with our neighbors.
Speaker 1: It was quiet for a moment, but then Moses's eldest Gersham,
Speaker 1: spoke up, saying what he knew. Most of Israel was
Speaker 1: probably thinking.
Speaker 7: Forgive me, father, But I have to ask why didn't
Speaker 7: we just press north after Hermah. Then we wouldn't be
Speaker 7: going through the millbiten Ammonite kingdoms at all.
Speaker 3: The Lord forbid it.
Speaker 5: We are not ready.
Speaker 1: Moses knew his answer was vague. He knew the younger
Speaker 1: men would likely not be satisfied with that answer. He
Speaker 1: wished Aaron was still alive to share this burden with him,
Speaker 1: the burden of being barred from the promised land he
Speaker 1: had told no one. He could only assume that Aaron
Speaker 1: had not either before he died. Eliezer and Athama certainly
Speaker 1: didn't seem as if they knew. Moses was trying to
Speaker 1: be grateful for the time he still had with this generation.
Speaker 1: He had time to prepare them, nurture them, but his positions, loneliness,
Speaker 1: and uniqueness were crushing on his soul. Joshua met Moses' eyes,
Speaker 1: gave him an encouraging smile, and then turned to rally
Speaker 1: the men.
Speaker 5: We must trust the Lord's timing, and we must prepare.
Speaker 5: We are now about to enter our enemy's domain. I
Speaker 5: do not think the Amorites will be as receptive to
Speaker 5: our gifts as Egyptian hairlooms of copper.
Speaker 3: You're right, Joshua, but we will still try near them.
Speaker 3: Ah and Gersham go to King Sihon of the Amorites anyway,
Speaker 3: We will come across his territory first. He is a
Speaker 3: fierce protector of the land that they have stolen away
Speaker 3: from the Moabites. But hopefully he will see our amicable
Speaker 3: dealings with them and allow us to pass through their
Speaker 3: lands in peace.
Speaker 7: Doubtful, same message as before, Father, Yes we will not
Speaker 7: veer O.
Speaker 3: What was that?
Speaker 1: Joshua and Caleb sprang to their feet and drew their
Speaker 1: weapons as they charged out of the tent. The others
Speaker 1: were on their heels, but the scene outside moses tent
Speaker 1: caused them all to stop dead in their tracks. Pand ammonium.
Speaker 1: The people were screaming and running in every direction. Men
Speaker 1: had weapons drawn and were looking around at the ground wildly.
Speaker 1: Women clutched their children as they ran sobbing through the
Speaker 1: pathways between the tents. It didn't take long to realize
Speaker 1: the source of their fear. Snakes. Snakes were slithering and
Speaker 1: hissing every hundred feet or so. Their triangular heads and glossy,
Speaker 1: sinuous bodies told Moses everything he needed to know. Poisonous
Speaker 1: vipers deadly and by the hundreds. Moses council stood paralyzed
Speaker 1: with indecision. Should they attack the snakes, attempt to drive
Speaker 1: them back, help usher the people to safety. The serpents
Speaker 1: seemed to be everywhere already. The snake's victims littered the ground,
Speaker 1: writhing and crying out of burning pain as the poison
Speaker 1: took immediate effect. The snakes were supple and could press
Speaker 1: under tent walls and squeeze through openings and entryways. One
Speaker 1: serpent raised its head and poised to strike a woman
Speaker 1: beside Joshua, but he swiftly drew his blade and cut
Speaker 1: off its.
Speaker 5: Head, being a slash all them in time.
Speaker 1: When the do Moses shuddered, there would be no escaping them.
Speaker 1: The tents blocked his view, but he had a sneaking
Speaker 1: suspicion that there were thousands more out there. Moses tents
Speaker 1: stood before the tabernacle, and from where they were standing
Speaker 1: they could see a group of terrified people huddling by
Speaker 1: the altar. Just then, a particularly robust snake well over
Speaker 1: five feet long, slithered up to the entrance of the courtyard.
Speaker 1: Moses held his breath as he watched it lift its head.
Speaker 1: Fans beared tung the air before the entrance, turn away
Speaker 1: and slither on. Moses let out a sigh of relief
Speaker 1: and heard Eliezer do the same behind him, surely tracking Moses' thoughts,
Speaker 1: the snakes could not enter the holy space of the Tabernacle.
Speaker 5: To the Tabernacle, I cannot enter.
Speaker 7: It wouldn't decide what to do once we're inside the courtyard.
Speaker 1: The council didn't need to be told twice. They broke
Speaker 1: into a run as nearby snakes, tracking their sudden movement,
Speaker 1: shot forward, jaws snapping. Joshua and Caleb had their blades drawn,
Speaker 1: slashing back and forth like one would do to vines
Speaker 1: in a dense forest. Ihamah made it over the threshold
Speaker 1: just as a snake's mouth snapped shut inches away from him.
Speaker 1: It hissed in frustration, at being deprived of its prey. Ihamar,
Speaker 1: wide eyed, slumped to the ground, panting.
Speaker 2: My family's out there, hide in here while they're in danger.
Speaker 1: Before anyone could answer, the frightened people swarmed them.
Speaker 3: Please, Lord Moses, we have said by speaking against the Lord,
Speaker 3: against you us.
Speaker 1: Your Moses, needing no other encouragement, immediately fell on his
Speaker 1: face and interceded on the people's behalf. The other members
Speaker 1: of his council joined. The Lord responded to Moses frantic
Speaker 1: prayers over the desperate people's cries.
Speaker 5: Make a snake image and mount it on a pole.
Speaker 9: When anyone who is bitten looks at it, he will recover.
Speaker 1: Moses immediately turned to his council. The frightened shouts of
Speaker 1: the people were unrelenting from the other side of the
Speaker 1: courtyard walls. Moses stood up, steal eyed and determined to
Speaker 1: make it all right.
Speaker 10: Moses, where are you going? The Lord has spoken, eliezar
Speaker 10: item I. Gather the priests and have them meet me
Speaker 10: in the courtierd Caleb. Take some of the soldiers and
Speaker 10: have them carry the bit into me. Jojua hack every
Speaker 10: snake you see.
Speaker 1: Moses took a hammer in his trembling hands, he commanded
Speaker 1: the blacksmiths to bring him the molten bronze. Like the
Speaker 1: pounding of a heartbeat, Moses swung his hammer down to
Speaker 1: form a coiling serpent of bronze. Its molten red hue
Speaker 1: cooled into a dark bronze sheen. Moses attached it to
Speaker 1: a large pole and took it out to the people
Speaker 1: Caleb had assembled, hundreds of suffering people, people who had
Speaker 1: been bitten, nearing death. Moses rose the pole high, then
Speaker 1: drove it down into the dirt. The sound of vibrating
Speaker 1: metals silenced the crowd. All were still for a moment,
Speaker 1: awaiting deliverance as they always had.
Speaker 10: Look, Behold the very symbol of what's killing you.
Speaker 3: Behold it risen high for all to see. It is
Speaker 3: your salvation.
Speaker 1: The people peered up at the serpent, its bronze frame
Speaker 1: shimmering in the dying light of day. Their quivering faces
Speaker 1: dripped with tears of anguish as they beheld the very
Speaker 1: image of their sin. The sickness that plagued them subsided.
Speaker 1: Their bodies, once racked with pain, were healed. This serpent
Speaker 1: high and lifted up before them, brought healing Moses looked
Speaker 1: at it, wondering what it truly meant. He sensed deep
Speaker 1: in his bones that the Lord was working out something
Speaker 1: for the future, a symbol of salvation to come. Moses
Speaker 1: resolved to keep the bronze snake with them on their journey,
Speaker 1: a tangible reminder of repentance. Each time they looked upon
Speaker 1: it for healing, they would remember where that healing truly
Speaker 1: came from. The men were huddled together for warmth in
Speaker 1: the foothills of the Pisca Mountain range. Their horses similarly
Speaker 1: grouped together, nickered softly in their sleep. Joshua had stationed
Speaker 1: their units, gone over orders, oversaw the distribution of rations,
Speaker 1: set shifts for the night's watch, and now there was
Speaker 1: nothing to do but wait. Sleep would be hard to
Speaker 1: find tonight, for they would attack the Amorites in the morning.
Speaker 1: Joshua sat away up the hill from the other men,
Speaker 1: the distant peak of Mount Nebo at his back, to
Speaker 1: keep an eye on the plains below. Israel's fires were
Speaker 1: like a night sky of warm, inviting stars that stretched
Speaker 1: for miles. Joshua scanned the landscape for the thousandth time.
Speaker 3: All was well.
Speaker 1: Joshua's fingers tapped his dagger and repeated irregular patterns over
Speaker 1: and over. A pile of wood shavings littered the ground
Speaker 1: at Joshua's feet. He had started out shaping something, but
Speaker 1: then slowly whittled it away to nothing. Joshua didn't have
Speaker 1: to look up to know that Caleb approached him, returning
Speaker 1: from his watch, his footfall and tread as familiar as
Speaker 1: his own.
Speaker 9: Ah, I'm surprised this part isn't getting any easier.
Speaker 5: What do you mean.
Speaker 9: The waiting.
Speaker 5: True? I doubt it ever will.
Speaker 1: Caleb sat heavily next to Joshua, letting his legs and
Speaker 1: feet sprawl before him. He sighed as he leaned back
Speaker 1: on his elbows and relaxed his shoulders.
Speaker 5: How are the men?
Speaker 1: Caleb gave Joshua a conspiratorial look and pretended to look concerned.
Speaker 1: Joshua bit back a smile. He would let Kleb play
Speaker 1: out his joke.
Speaker 9: They're telling ghost stories again? What about they say? The
Speaker 9: blood in the waters we found earlier, the dead emeralds
Speaker 9: are haunting us. The men fear they will take their vengeance.
Speaker 3: On us tomorrow.
Speaker 5: Are the men actually worried interpreting the bodies we found
Speaker 5: as a bad omen.
Speaker 9: No, no, no, we all know was the Lord. He
Speaker 9: cleared the way for us.
Speaker 3: It was a miracle.
Speaker 8: Your plan will work, Joshua, it will work.
Speaker 1: Joshua and Caleb took a detachment of men and horses
Speaker 1: from the tribe of Judah. They broke off from the
Speaker 1: larger army a few days ago as it continued along
Speaker 1: the King's Highway into Amorite held territory without them. Together,
Speaker 1: they led their unit through the foothills, where they would
Speaker 1: travel parallel to the larger army on the road down
Speaker 1: on the plains, they knew King Sihon was coming for them.
Speaker 1: He practically spat in Ishamar and Gersham's faces when they
Speaker 1: delivered MOS's message. But Israel had marched forward and their
Speaker 1: spies had reported that the Amorite king's army was now
Speaker 1: headed to meet them. But when they did, the Amorites
Speaker 1: were in for a surprise. The two armies would meet
Speaker 1: on the plains below, and Israel would drive them to
Speaker 1: the foothills, where Joshua and Caleb would be waiting on
Speaker 1: the higher ground with a cavalry. Joshua smiled. It was
Speaker 1: a good plan, but it was not an original one,
Speaker 1: as it turned out. When the men stopped to water
Speaker 1: the horses yesterday, they noticed the blood in the water.
Speaker 1: They followed the trail of blood until they found the
Speaker 1: crushed bodies of a unit of Amorite soldiers, men who
Speaker 1: clearly had the same idea Joshua had. They were planning
Speaker 1: to wait in the foothills when the scattered army was
Speaker 1: sent their way, and they were in the foothills before Joshua.
Speaker 1: The Amorites would have seen them coming and could have
Speaker 1: quickly taken the manawares. The Lord, however, had something else
Speaker 1: in mind. Joshua shivered at the memory of their mangled bodies.
Speaker 1: They had been crushed by large rocks that had fallen
Speaker 1: from higher up the peaks, but the Israelites had not
Speaker 1: felt the earth shake or heard the rocks shift, and
Speaker 1: they were never more than a few miles away from
Speaker 1: these unfortunate Amorites, and Joshua as keen eyes saw that
Speaker 1: all the men had been lethally crushed, despite inconsistencies with
Speaker 1: how the rocks had fallen or how near or far
Speaker 1: away they were from each other. Joshua shook off the
Speaker 1: memory and gripped Caleb's shoulder affectionately.
Speaker 5: The mortar has already gone before us and stopped the
Speaker 5: first man. We oppressed the advantages laid before us tomorrow
Speaker 5: and strike.
Speaker 3: The second.
Speaker 1: Morning arrived swiftly, but Joshua, Caleb.
Speaker 5: And their men were ready.
Speaker 1: The battle unfolded as Joshua had envisioned. The vanguard tribes Judah, Isakar,
Speaker 1: and Zebulun led the eastern unit. They fought valiantly, driving
Speaker 1: a powerful wedge through the Amorite army and breaking their lines.
Speaker 1: The tabernacle and Ark of the Covenant were securely placed
Speaker 1: at the center of the formation, protected by the southern
Speaker 1: unit and the Levite clans. The western unit, Ephraim, Manassa
Speaker 1: and Benjamin herded the shattered enemy toward the foothills, that
Speaker 1: is where Joshua and Caleb's cavalry awaited them. The Amorites,
Speaker 1: thinking they were retreating toward their allies, showed shock in
Speaker 1: their eyes as the cavalry smashed into their scattered lines. Meanwhile,
Speaker 1: the northern unit and Israel's rear guard ensured no stragglers escaped.
Speaker 1: The battle was fierce yet swift. It was a decisive
Speaker 1: victory for Israel. The killing calm had settled into Joshua's bones.
Speaker 1: His breath was steady as his arm blocked and cut
Speaker 1: down his opponents with masterful ease. The motions were a practiced,
Speaker 1: familiar rhythm. Years of training and the wilderness with their
Speaker 1: army had shaped him. His calloused hands knew the handle
Speaker 1: of his blade as if it were an extension of
Speaker 1: his arm. His mind filtered out the gruesome dicing of
Speaker 1: his sword and the contorted faces of his life dying enemies.
Speaker 1: Any empathy he might have felt for this butchery was
Speaker 1: quickly set aside when he beheld the city's altars. Though
Speaker 1: hastily abandoned while the city fortified itself, the remains of
Speaker 1: small charred, undeniably juvenile bones still adorned the pias. The
Speaker 1: sight of the remains of sacrificed children twisted Joshua's stomach
Speaker 1: with a haunting memory, one that would stick with him
Speaker 1: for a lifetime. His enemies all fell before him. As
Speaker 1: the Israelites smashed their forces against the walls and fought
Speaker 1: their way into the city, Joshua focused solely on the
Speaker 1: repetition of his breath and the motion of his arm.
Speaker 1: After seeing the altars of child's sacrifice, Joshua felt the
Speaker 1: weight of his mission. This wasn't just about getting to
Speaker 1: the Promised Land. This was about exacting justice for the
Speaker 1: innocence they had slaughtered and the atrocities they committed on
Speaker 1: behalf of them false gods. In haile, guard exhal cut
Speaker 1: in hal guard, exhale, frust repeat for hours. Joshua lost
Speaker 1: himself in the cycle as the bodies fell before him
Speaker 1: and his feet steadily advanced through the city's narrow streets.
Speaker 1: It wasn't until Joshua yanked his blade free from a
Speaker 1: weak spot in his opponent's armor, watching him fall lifeless
Speaker 1: to the ground with a soft thud, that he realized
Speaker 1: no more soldiers were left to fight. The thick wooden
Speaker 1: door of the keep stood before him. Joshua wasn't surprised
Speaker 1: when he saw his men were already bringing up a
Speaker 1: battering ram. Joshua finally paused to catch his breath and
Speaker 1: wipe the sweat from his brow with the back of
Speaker 1: his hand. It came away stained with grime, gore, and
Speaker 1: who knows what else, matting his hair and dripping down
Speaker 1: the back of his neck. In the commotion of the
Speaker 1: men readying to work on the door, Joshua saw Caleb
Speaker 1: trot up to him.
Speaker 8: There you all right, there, brother, didn't leave any men
Speaker 8: for the rest of us to kill.
Speaker 1: A grin tugged at the corner of Joshua's mouth at
Speaker 1: Caleb's surprisingly upbeat attitude in the middle of a killing field.
Speaker 1: But then he looked behind him. Israelites struggled to climb
Speaker 1: over the Amorites who had been in Joshua's path. The
Speaker 1: carnage was staggering. Crows were already circling and perching on
Speaker 1: the walls above them. Joshua looked back to Caleb as
Speaker 1: their men began battering the door.
Speaker 5: Don't worry, Gallab, I've saved some for you as well.
Speaker 5: Beyond this door is the last of the guard protecting
Speaker 5: the king.
Speaker 1: A confident smile stretched across Caleb's face as he responded
Speaker 1: enthusiastically to his general.
Speaker 8: The last stand of king. Let's make it enough fight
Speaker 8: worth remembering.
Speaker 1: With that, the door shattered from the final slam of
Speaker 1: the battering ram. The Israelites soldiers cleared the splintered wood
Speaker 1: away to create an opening for their commanders. As one,
Speaker 1: Joshua and Caleb turned and their swords lifted into a
Speaker 1: practiced guard. They advanced through the open door with war cries.
Speaker 1: King Og pressed himself against the stone wall and blubbered
Speaker 1: in fear. It was a pitiful sight. What remained of
Speaker 1: his king's guards shakily stood their ground. They knew they
Speaker 1: were outmatched. As he and Caleb, who stood head and
Speaker 1: shoulders over most men, strode toward them. Joshua almost felt
Speaker 1: remorse for what was about to happen, but Joshua knew
Speaker 1: that their God was delivering them this victory. The Amorites
Speaker 1: would never let the people of Israel live if the
Speaker 1: roles had been reversed. Without looking away from their foe,
Speaker 1: Caleb asked in a steady.
Speaker 9: Voice, three and three.
Speaker 5: You brigg left. I'll go right with that.
Speaker 1: Joshua lunged forward and shot down with force, obliterating the
Speaker 1: fire soldier's guard. Joshua's body continued through the movement, and
Speaker 1: his elbow connected with the man's face, breaking his nose
Speaker 1: and causing him to stagger back. Before the second soldier
Speaker 1: could respond, Joshua's sword changed direction from its chop and
Speaker 1: cut upward, splitting him from navel to nose. Blood sprayed
Speaker 1: somewhere in the back of his mind, Joshua wondered at
Speaker 1: the weakness of the king's guard. Were they purely ceremonial guards,
Speaker 1: so much for a last stand? Caleb would be disappointed.
Speaker 1: The third soldier hesitated at the quick brutal death of
Speaker 1: his companion, and Joshua closed the gap between them with
Speaker 1: a lethal thrust just under the man's breastplate, impaling him
Speaker 1: through the gut. Joshua turned to see that the first
Speaker 1: man was still stumbling and disorientated by his broken nose.
Speaker 1: Joshua ended his life quickly and efficiently. Beyond him, Caleb
Speaker 1: stood similarly victoriously among the three fallen soldiers. Together, they
Speaker 1: turned to the now defenseless king. His eyes flashed with hate,
Speaker 1: and he spat at their feet. Before he could say
Speaker 1: anything vile, Joshua struck him down with a mighty blow.
Speaker 1: Joshua triumphantly climbed back up the rubble of the toppled
Speaker 1: gate and thrust his sword over his head, declaring victory.
Speaker 1: They had done it. They had battered the gate and
Speaker 1: stormed the city walls of Edrie. They had done what
Speaker 1: everyone thought would be impossible for nomadic shepherds. They had
Speaker 1: taken a fortified city. Moses approached the city to survey
Speaker 1: the damage. He stared in awe at what his army
Speaker 1: had inflicted. Then, with a determined look, he made to
Speaker 1: climb the rubble and join Joshua at the top. Joshua
Speaker 1: leaped down the stones to meet him.
Speaker 5: The stones are unstable.
Speaker 3: You're standing on them? Why can't I? I am standing,
Speaker 3: But but you're not ancient like me.
Speaker 1: Joshua laughed in surprise at Moses' lightheartedness. He had not
Speaker 1: seen Moses smile in a long time. This victory brought
Speaker 1: Israel the confidence and assurance it's.
Speaker 5: So desperately needed.
Speaker 1: Moses made to move again, one unsteady foot after another,
Speaker 1: edging his way up the broken stones. Joshua reached to
Speaker 1: him and offered an arm. They climbed together, shoulder to shoulder.
Speaker 3: The Lord told me he had the city over to us,
Speaker 3: and then he told me that I would stand on
Speaker 3: the battlements the wake of.
Speaker 1: Our Lookly they arrived at the top and looked out
Speaker 1: at the Transjordan Plains, the entire area now in their control.
Speaker 1: The Jordan River lay directly to the west and beyond it.
Speaker 1: Was still catching his breath, Joshua looked at Moses and
Speaker 1: saw that his mind was far from here. He followed Moses'
Speaker 1: gaze to the Pisca mountain range and saw it linger
Speaker 1: on the tallest peak, Mount Nebo. Beyond its crest, just
Speaker 1: out of view was the promised Man.
Speaker 6: There's a story passed down through Jewish tradition. It was
Speaker 6: the night before the wedding of the daughter of Rabbi Akiva.
Speaker 6: The bride to be was preparing for bed. Her heart
Speaker 6: was full of excitement and maybe just a little bit
Speaker 6: of fear. She removed the golden hairpin from her hair,
Speaker 6: and as she did every night, she placed it into
Speaker 6: a hole in the wall beside her bed. Well morning
Speaker 6: came and a scream shattered the silence. When the rabbi's
Speaker 6: daughter pulled the hairpin from the wall, a snake hung
Speaker 6: from it, and it was dead. The serpent had been
Speaker 6: ready to strike in the night, poised to kill her,
Speaker 6: but without even knowing it, she had pierced the snake
Speaker 6: with her pin, and it saved her life. Rabbi Akiva
Speaker 6: saw the dead serpent and he said Bahusham, blessing God
Speaker 6: for this huge miracle. Today's Bible story showed us another
Speaker 6: miracle involving serpents one far more dramatic. Once again we
Speaker 6: find the Chosen People complaining to Moses and to God,
Speaker 6: this time about the Mana, the very food from heaven
Speaker 6: that sustained them every day there in a desert where
Speaker 6: food was almost impossible to come by. God sustained them.
Speaker 6: And still they complained, And so God sent a fiery
Speaker 6: serpent to deliver a poisonous bite. There were serpents everywhere.
Speaker 6: But then God sent the Chosen people a cure. And
Speaker 6: it was a cure if you ask me. God commands
Speaker 6: Moses to construct a bronze serpent and to place it
Speaker 6: on a high pull. And verse nine tells us, quote,
Speaker 6: then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked
Speaker 6: at the bronze snake, they lived, end quote.
Speaker 3: What was this?
Speaker 6: The image of a bronze serpent actually cured them from
Speaker 6: a serpent bite. This troubled the sages throughout Jewish tradition,
Speaker 6: and they all asked the same question, does a bronze
Speaker 6: serpent cause death or life? And then the sages answered,
Speaker 6: and what they said was, it wasn't the serpent that healed,
Speaker 6: But when they looked upward at the serpent, they lifted
Speaker 6: their eyes and their hearts to their Father in heaven.
Speaker 6: That's when they were healed. And if they didn't lift
Speaker 6: their eyes up then died. This is very clear. The
Speaker 6: sin of speaking against the very food that God provided
Speaker 6: them each day was a serious sin. It was slandering
Speaker 6: God himself and the cure. It was repentance. It was
Speaker 6: looking to the heavens and committing themselves to the God
Speaker 6: who was guiding them through the wilderness. And the serpent
Speaker 6: was the perfect vehicle for both their sin and their repentance.
Speaker 6: We can look all the way back to that serpent
Speaker 6: in the garden of Eden, that serpent who spoke ill
Speaker 6: of God himself and who was punished for it. But
Speaker 6: repentance is always available, and we see that here as
Speaker 6: the bronze serpent now had the ability to erase sin
Speaker 6: and to give life. If there was ever a lesson
Speaker 6: and the sin of not appreciating good that's been done
Speaker 6: for you, this is it. Even though the Chosen People
Speaker 6: experienced God's protection every single day, they still complained over
Speaker 6: and over again, even complaining about the miraculous food that
Speaker 6: God provided them. This story's a lesson for all of us,
Speaker 6: isn't it. It's so easy to complain, but usually our
Speaker 6: complaining is completely useless. Just as God told the Israelites
Speaker 6: to take a deep breath and appreciate what they were receiving,
Speaker 6: he tells us the same thing every single day. Look
Speaker 6: around you and appreciate the blessings that God has bestowed.
Speaker 1: You can listen to The Chosen People with Isle Eckstein
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Speaker 1: Com app today. This Prey dog comproduction is only made
Speaker 1: possible by our dedicated team of creative talents. Steve Katina,
Speaker 1: Max Bard, Zach Shellabaga and Ben Gammon are the executive
Speaker 1: producers of The Chosen People with Yile Eckstein, Edited by
Speaker 1: Alberto Avilla by Paul Coltofianu. Characters are voiced by Jonathan Cotton,
Speaker 1: Aaron Salvato, Sarah Seltz, Mike Reagan, Stephen Ringwold, Sylvia Zaradoc
Speaker 1: and the opening prayer is voiced by John Moore. Music
Speaker 1: by Andrew Morgan Smith, written by Bree Rosalie and Aaron Salvato.
Speaker 1: Special thanks to Bishop Paul Lanier, Robin van Ettin, kayleb Burrows,
Speaker 1: Jocelyn Fuller, and the team at International Fellowship of Christians
Speaker 1: and Jews. You can hear more Prey dot com productions
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Speaker 1: Chosen People with Yeile Eckstein, please rate and leave a review.