Black History Unmasked: Before Jerusalem: The Jebusites, Hivites, and Israel's Unfinished Conquest

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Welcome to the Diary of a Black Woman podcast. I'm your host,

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Connie Morris, and this is Faith on the Go, where you take the word with you

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on your drive to work, while you're getting ready in the morning,

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or even in those quiet moments before prayer.

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Real life, real word, and real growth, all while you are on the go.

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Before we get into today's word, let's take a moment to center ourselves with a familiar prayer.

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The prayer of Jabez.

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Oh, that you will bless me indeed and enlarge my territory.

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Let your hand be with me and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.

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Father God, we come before you this day asking that you will indeed bless us,

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not just with what we have, but in who we are becoming.

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Enlarge our territory, Lord. Lord, expand our capacity, our mindset,

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and our ability to receive what you have for us.

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Let your hand be upon us, guiding us, covering us, and leading us in every decision we make.

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And Father, keep us from harm, physically, emotionally, and spiritually,

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that we may walk in peace and not in pain.

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And Lord, just as you heard Jabez when he cried out to you, hear us now.

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Your word says that you granted his request, and we believe that you are the same God today.

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So we come boldly before you, knowing that you hear us, knowing that you see

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us, and knowing that you respond to the prayers of your people.

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Have your way in this moment as we sit, listen, and receive your word.

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In Jesus' name, amen.

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Hello and welcome back to the Diary of a Black Woman podcast.

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I'm your host Connie Morris and I want to also welcome you back to the Bible

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History Unmasked series, our summer series, where we are tracing people,

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nation, places named in the scripture and allowing the biblical record to tell the story.

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In our last episode, we examined the Gibbonites, a Canaanite people who entered

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covenant with Israel through deception, yet became protected under the oath

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made in the name of the Lord.

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Now we move deeper into the Canaanites world and focus on two people who names

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appear. They're not people, they're nations.

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Names appear repeatedly in the Israel early history.

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We see here that they are the Hivites and the Jebusites.

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These were not random tribes appearing briefly in the biblical text.

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They were part of the descendants of Canaan.

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We know the history of Genesis 10, where it tells us who are Canaan's relatives, who he begat.

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They're part of his family. And in that list, they list these two,

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the Hivites and the Jebusites.

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So before Israel ever entered the promised land, Scripture had already identified

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these nations in the genealogy.

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They belong to the Canaanite family line.

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And by the time Israel came out of Egypt and approached the land.

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These nation groups had already grown into established peoples occupying cities,

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territory, and strategic regions.

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God named them specifically when describing the land Israel would inherit.

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In Exodus 3.8, once again, we hear, and he says that I came down to deliver them

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out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of the land into a

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good land and large unto the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites,

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the Perizzites, and Hivites, and the Jebusites.

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So we see here that when God lists them as coming up and out of and conquering,

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they always get conquered.

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The Hivites and Jebusites were therefore already part of the land Israel was

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moving toward, but their stories unfold differently.

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The Hivites appear in an important covenant encounter.

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According to Joshua 9, 7, the Gibbonites was identified as Hivites.

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So Joshua 9, 7 tells us, and the men of Israel said unto the Hivites,

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preadventure you dwell among us and how should we make a league with you?

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So when we studied the Gibbonites, you know, we were already studying part of

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the Hivite story, but the Hivites appear in other places as well.

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They are associated with the areas around Shechem and they appear in Mount Lebanon

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and they become part of the network of people Israel encountered as they settled the land.

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The Jebusites, however, bring us to one of the most important cities in all

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of the scripture and it's Jerusalem.

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So long before David captured Jerusalem, long before Solomon built the temple,

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long before the prophets preached their sermons, long before Jesus walked in

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the streets, Jerusalem was associated with the Jebusites.

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In Joshua 15, 63, we see, and it reads, as the Jebusites in the inhabitants

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of Jerusalem, the children of Judah could not drive them out.

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But the Jebusites dwell with the children of Judah in Jerusalem unto this day.

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That's a very significant verse.

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When Israel entered to the land, when Israel conquered the cities,

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Israel defeated the kings, but the Jebusites remained in Jerusalem.

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It's like that one person that won't go away.

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The city had not yet become a political and spiritual center.

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Most readers immediately associate it with Israel, but it will become later.

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During the period of the Judges, Jerusalem still retained its Jebusite identity.

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Go with me to Judges 19, verses 10 through 11.

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And it says, But the man would not tarry that night, but he rose up and departed

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and came over against Jebus, which is in Jerusalem.

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And when they were in Jebus, the day was far spent.

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The scripture called the city Jebus, but it clarifies which is Jerusalem.

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So he went over to Jerusalem and gives us a window into the history of the city before David.

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Jerusalem existed before Israel made it the capital.

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It had inhabitants, it had defenses,

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it had leadership, and it had history connected to the Jebusite people.

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Then David enters the story. He enters in the story in 2 Samuel 5-6.

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And the king and his man went to Jerusalem unto the Jebusites,

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the inhabitants of the land. Nevertheless, David took the stronghold of Zion,

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and the same is the city of David. So he conquered the Jebusites.

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This is a turning point. The city that had remained under Jebusite control became the city of David.

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Jerusalem would soon become the political center of the kingdom.

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Later, under Solomon, it will become the location of the temple.

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But even after David captured the city, the Jebusite story did not completely disappear.

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One of the most important moments in David's reign involved a Jebusite named

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Aaronah, and he is found in 2 Samuel 24, verse 18.

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And.

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God came that day to David and said unto him, Go up rear and altar unto the

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Lord in the threshing floor of Araniah, the Jebusite.

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David purchased the threshing floor. He built an altar there.

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And according to the later biblical record, this location became connected with

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the site where Solomon would build the temple. How powerful is that?

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Everything's connected.

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Let's go to 2 Chronicles 3, verse 1.

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Then Solomon began to build the house of the Lord at Jerusalem in Mount Moriah,

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and the place that David had prepared in the threshing floor on on in Jebusite.

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When we think of Mount Uriah, we also must remember is that where Abraham and his son went.

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So they were on top of Mount Moriah. So that was a holy ground.

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You ever been to Israel? It's a lot of holy places that are biblically marked.

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And so you'll go there and if you know the Bible, you'll say,

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yep, that's that spot. Yep, that's where that happened.

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Yep, that's the upper room. Yes, that's this valley.

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So you start to mark the Israel and the places in Jerusalem as real places that

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are in the Bible. If you haven't been, you must go.

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And so let's think about that. A site associated with the Jebjah site became

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part of the sacred geography of Israel.

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The story is more layered than simply,

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Israel arrived, Canaanite disappeared, Israel took over, Scripture showed the

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interaction, the coexistence, treaties, failure to drive out certain people's

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people group, conversion and incorporation, conflict and land purchases,

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and generations of shared history.

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This is why we cannot study these nations only as names on the list.

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We have to follow them through the text because each nation carries a story.

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The Hivites connects us to the covenant encounters like Gibeon.

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The Jebusite connects us to Jerusalem before David.

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And Jerusalem itself becomes one of the most important locations in the entire biblical narrative.

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So this episode, we're going to examine who were the Hivites and Jebusites?

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Who did they come from? Where did they come from?

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Where did they live? And how did they connect to Canaan?

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Why did some remain in the land after Israel's conquest?

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And what was Jerusalem like before David? And how did the Jebusite stronghold

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eventually become the city of David and the location associated with the temple of the Lord?

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Because before Jerusalem became known as the city of Israel's king.

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Before it became associated with the temple, and before it became central in

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the story of Jesus, it has an earlier history. It has a Canaanite history.

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And the scripture preserves this history for us.

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So now we're in the episode 6, the Hibbites and the Jebusites,

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a Canaanite nation in Israel's path. So let's open the word and follow the genealogy. Here we go.

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So the Hivites and Jebusites were Afro-Asianic, brown-skinned Canaanite people

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living in strategic cities across the land of Canaan.

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Their interactions with Israel revealed covenant, ethnic, and divine justice,

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and the unfolding plan that eventually leads to David's kingdom and Jesus' lineage.

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So let's go into it. Once again, we're in Joshua, and we are studying the Hivites

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and the Jebusites. What a great introduction.

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Let's get into some more detail here. Joshua 11, 3, the Hivites listed among

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the Canaanite nations. We found that in Genesis 10.

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The Hivites appear repeatedly in the conquest nation as one of the six major Canaanite groups.

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The ethnic identity of the Hivites, the Hivites were Hurrian,

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Canaanite, Afro-Asianic people, brown skin near eastern connected to ham through

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canaan their language and culture tied them to egypt phoenicia and levent.

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The geographical center was gibeon the most famous city shechem and the lebanon

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foothills the theological insight tells us that their presence shows the diversity

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of canaan population and the complexity of israel's

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conquest joshua 9 you read joshua joshua did a lot of great one of a lot of great wars.

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The Hittites as Gibeonites. When Israel meets the Gibeonites,

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scriptures identify them as Hittites. That confirms that the Gibeonites were

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part of a larger ethnic group and not just an isolated city.

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In theological insight, we find out that their deception and covenant with Israel

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demonstrated that God's mercy extended beyond the Israel's ethnic boundaries.

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So we know they were in disguise. They made a covenant with them and God honored that covenant.

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Genesis 34-2, Shechem, the Hevite.

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Long before Joshua, Jacob's family encountered the Hevites of Shechem.

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Shechem was a Hevite city showing their long-standing presence in the land.

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Theological insights showed us that the Hevites were not newcomers.

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They were deeply rooted in Canaan's history. Let's go to Joshua 15, verse 63.

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The Jebusites remained in Jerusalem. The Jebusites controlled Jerusalem during Joshua's time.

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Jebusites were Hamite, Canaanites, brown-skinned Afro-Agiatic people.

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Their city, Jebus, Jerusalem, was fortified and strategically located.

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Israel was not just dislodged from them during the initial conquest.

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So we got the historical insight here.

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Theological insight shows us that Jerusalem future significance begins with

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a non-Israelite Afro-Asianic people.

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We're learning that there's a lot of diversity in the Bible.

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Let's go to Judges 121.

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We see here that Benjamin fails to drive out the Jebusites. The tribe of Benjamin

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allows the Jebusite to remain in Jerusalem.

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The ethnic insight is that Jerusalem lived alongside Israelites for generations.

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The theological insight shows us that this coexistence sets the stage for David's

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eventual conquest of Jerusalem.

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And then 2 Samuel 5, verses 6 and 9, it says David conquers Jerusalem.

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David finally captures Jerusalem from the Jebusite.

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The Jebusites were still a distinct Afro-Asianic people at the time of David.

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Their defeat marks the beginning of Jerusalem as an Israel capital.

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And when we look at it in a theological way, God uses David to establish a city.

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Where Jesus will later teach, die, and rise.

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All this fight was for the lineage and for the land. Let's go to 2 Samuel 24, 18-25.

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And we see here that Arenal the Jebusite, David buys a threshing floor from Arenal the Jebusite.

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Ethnic insight, the Jebusite man plays a role in Israel's worship history.

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The site becomes a local location of Solomon's temple, and God weaves non-Israelite

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Afro-Asianic people into Israel's sacred story.

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We think about the ethnic identity of the Hebusites and Jebusites.

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That his advice was hurry on Canaanite.

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Afro-Asianic blend, brown-skinned Near Eastern people, descendants of Ham through

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Canaan, cities with Gibeon, Shechem, Lebanon foothills, known for diplomacy and covenant seeking.

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Then we look at the Jebusites. We see they are Hamanic Canaanites,

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brown-skinned Afro-Asianic people, controlled Jerusalem for centuries,

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skilled in fortification and city defense, and it integrated into Israel's worship

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history through Aaronah.

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When we compare what we know from the world to the Bible, we see here that the

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world says the world depicts Jebusites

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and Hivites as European, treats them as mythical or generic villains,

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and ignores their Afro-Azianic identity.

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However, the Bible names their cities, records their genealogy,

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shows their interaction with Israel, and places them in the real geography and the real history.

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Where do they fall in place in Jesus' lineage?

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We see here that neither Hivites or Jebusites appear directly in Jesus' genealogy,

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but their stories shape the environment in which the Messianic and Lotmachians.

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We see that Jerusalem, the Jebusite city, because they call it the Jeb, right?

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Becomes David's capital. David's throne becomes a foundation of Jesus' kingship.

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And then the temple site, Aaron now threshing for, becomes essential to Israel's worship.

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Their presence influenced the geography and the history that leads to Jesus.

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Wow. And what did we really get out of that? That's a lot of information.

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And right now, like I said, put on your thinking cap and put on your spiritual

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hat that God has given us so that we can pay attention and also have the mind of Christ.

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But these are just, when you look at the ites in the Bible, some were giants

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and some were just the enemies of God.

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But we noticed that those enemies, just like when we saw Rahab as he,

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she had a change of heart, that a lot of these leaders had a change of heart

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when they realized who the Israel's gods were.

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He was only one and how it changed their life and their destination and how

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God is always in the business of protecting his lineage.

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And I want you to know that we are part of his lineage. Let's pray.

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Father God, help us to understand the peoples you place in the land before Israel arrived.

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Teach us to see the ethnic diversity in scripture and the way you weaved all

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the nations into your redemptive plan.

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In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

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The next group are going to be the Hittites and the Perizzites and then the

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remaining Canaanite nations.

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Completing the ethnic map of Canaan and showing how each group fits into Israel's story.

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Isn't that powerful? We're going to get into it and you probably don't make

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sense to you now, but when we get to the stories, now you'll understand why

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knowing that information is so.

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Important and God wants us to always pay attention to what he is doing.

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And so I want to just thank you for joining me on this podcast,

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for listening, for paying attention, and for just allowing me just to give you

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information that you said, what I'm going to do with this.

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You never, never know because it's in the Bible and God can pull it out for

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a pop quiz at any time. Amen.

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So I will see you all on the next episode.

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Bye-bye. Before we close today, I don't want to take for granted that everyone

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listening knows Jesus personally.

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If you have listened to this episode or any other episodes and felt something

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stirring in your heart, maybe you know about God, but you're not sure you truly know Him.

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Maybe you grew up in church, walked away, got hurt, became tired.

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And never fully surrendered your life to Jesus.

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I want you to know this. God loves you. He has not forgotten you.

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He is not waiting to shame you.

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He is calling you home.

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The Bible says in Romans 10, 9, if you declare with your mouth,

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Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

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Salvation is not about being perfect.

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It's about surrendering to the one who is perfect.

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Jesus died for your sins, rose again, and made a way for you to be forgiven, restored, and made new.

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So right where you are, you can pray this prayer with me.

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Lord Jesus, I come to you today with an open heart. I believe you are the Son of God.

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I believe you died on the cross for my sins, and I believe that God raised you from the dead.

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Today, I confess that I need you. I repent of my sins.

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I ask you to forgive me, cleanse me, and make me brand new. Jesus, come into my heart.

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Be my Lord, my Savior, my Redeemer, and my King.

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I surrender my life to you. I give you my past, my present, and my future.

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Teach me how to walk with you. Fill me with your Holy Spirit.

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Lead me in truth, healing, obedience, and love.

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From this day forward, I belong to you.

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In Jesus' name, amen. If you pray that prayer from your heart,

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I want you to know that heaven has heard you. This is not the end.

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This is only the beginning of your walk with Jesus. Find a Bible-believing church.

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Begin reading the Word of God.

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Pray daily. and ask the Holy Spirit to help you grow.

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God is not looking for perfection from you. He is inviting you into relationship,

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transformation, and eternal life through Jesus Christ.

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And remember, you are loved, you are not forgotten, and God still has a purpose for your life.

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Thank you for listening to the Diary of a Black Woman podcast.

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Until next time, keep walking in truth, faith, and freedom.

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Family, thank you for spending time with me today.

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To every woman listening who has ever felt hidden, overlooked,

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or pushed aside, hear me clearly.

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God has not forgotten you, and neither have I.

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Now let's go before the Lord and close this out with a word from God,

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because someone out there needs this reminder today.

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Jeremiah 29, 11, verses 11 through 14.

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For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you

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and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

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Then when you call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you,

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you will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

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I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and bring you back from captivity.

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Father God, we thank you for your word, that it is true, that it is living, that it is for us.

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You said you know the plans you have for us, plans to prosper us and not to

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harm us, plans to give us hope and a future.

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So today we receive that, not just in our minds, but in our hearts.

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When we feel overlooked, remind us you still see us.

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When we feel forgotten, remind us you still have a plan. And when we feel hidden,

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remind us you are still working.

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Your word says that when we call on you, you will listen.

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So we call on you now. Hear us. Strengthen us. Guide us. Help us to seek you with our whole heart.

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Not halfway, not sometimes, but fully. And as we seek you, let us find you in

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every season, in every place.

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Even the hidden one. Restore what was lost, renew what feels broken,

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and remind us that nothing in our lives is wasted in your hand.

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Lord, we trust you, we believe you, and we stand on your word. In Jesus' name, amen.

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This is Diary of a Black Woman podcast, and I'm your host, Connie Morris,

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and I'll see you on the next episode.