The Land of Israel Before the Time of Christianity

Because we are just beginning our journey with God’s people into the land of Israel, and because the journey will be long, I want to pause a moment and give you a summary of their time in Israel. This will be a three-part study. This lesson covers the time period from Joshua to Jesus, the next one will encompass the time from Jesus to present day, and the last one will be about Israel’s future. With the current conflict over the nation of Israel, I hope this equips you with all the facts that you need in order to feel educated and informed. There are many years to cover, so you may want to first scan the headings and then go back and get the details. It’s up to you. Also, there is a full timeline at the end, so don’t miss that.

The Promised Boundaries (Numbers 34:1-15) 470 years from promise to entrance (1921-1451BC)

The land that God promised Abraham’s descendants encompassed what is now Israel, the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, the Golan Heights, Lebanon, and the Southwestern portion of Syria. East to west, it stretched from the River to the Sea (the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea). South of the Dead (Salt) Sea, the land went as far as the Gulf of Aqaba (inlet from the Red Sea) to form a V shape, with the Sanai Peninsula on its southwestern border and Jordan on its southeastern border. God also promised them the land north of Lebanon and into Syria, then eastward to the Euphrates River. The northeastern border of the land went south from the Euphrates River, to the east of the Sea of Galilee along the slopes, and ended at the Jordan River. This entire area should have been the nation of Israel, but they never fully possessed it all. So, here’s the story…

Joshua’s Territory (1451-1095 BC) 356 years from entrance to first king

The Israelites crossed the Jordan River and began fighting for the land. After seven years of battles, all of it still hadn’t been conquered. They had not made it all the way to the Mediterranean Sea on the west, or south much further than the Salt Sea. They also had not yet expanded into Lebanon, Syria, or the Golan Heights in the north. But Joshua was getting old and tired, and the Lord wanted him to find rest in the land before his death. So, God told Joshua to divide the land, and He would continue to extend their borders in the years after his death.

So Joshua divided the land, although they still had not dispossessed all their enemies. The Philistines, Canaanites, Sidonians, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites all remained among them or on their borders, but no one posed a threat to them at that time.

Unfortunately, not long after Joshua’s death, they began to intermarry with these people and serve their gods, which is why they never fully possessed all the land. Although, they did gain territory in the following years, and were also able to put some of the surrounding nations under tribute. This meant that the people weren’t dispossessed or ruled by Israel, but the nations were beholden to them for their sovereignty. Basically, they paid Israel to leave them alone.

Saul’s Kingdom (1095-1055) reigned 40 years

After Joshua died, the tribe of Judah briefly took control of the Gaza Strip, but the Philistines quickly regained control, and Israel never did conquer and possess that small portion of coastal land. When Saul became their king, they still had not gained control of all the land to the north and south or all the way to the coast. Some of the territories had been put under tribute but they did not completely dispossess the people living there or take possession of the land.

During the time of the Judges and the reign of King Saul, the Philistines in particular (which just meant coastal people) continued to be a threat. They fought many battles. Some were won by the Philistines and some by the Israelites, but Israel never won the war against them.

During the time of King Saul, though David was not yet a soldier, when he saw Goliath challenging the Israelites, he killed the Philistian giant. Their victory did not last however and the two continued to fight. The Philistines were responsible for the death of King Saul’s sons and Saul himself asked one of his soldiers to kill him so that he would not die by the hand of the Philistines.

David’s Kingdom (1055-1015 BC) reigned 40 years

After David’s battle with Goliath, he went on to become a powerful warrior during the reign of King Saul. Then after Saul died in the battle with the Philistines, David took the throne. By that time, Israel had fully extended their borders in the south and east except for that small area in the Gaza strip that was never conquered. They also had expanded north into southern Lebanon and Syria, and they possessed the Golan Heights fully. The West Bank had been part of Israel since the days of Joshua. Jericho was in the West Bank, so this was the first land they conquered.

Solomon’s Kingdom (1015-975 BC) reigned 40 years

After David died, his son Solomon became the king of Israel. God gave him peace in every direction and his kingdom extended further north into Lebanon and Syria and reached from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea (except for the Gaza Strip which still belonged to the Philistines). Solomon also made the people pay him tribute in Syria as far as the Euphrates River, but they never took full control of northern Lebanon or all the promised land in Syria. Even though Israel still did not possess all of the Promised Land, Solomon’s Kingdom was vast and prosperous. Soon after he took the throne, he began building the temple and Jerusalem. During his reign, the people lived and worshipped in peace.

The Divided Kingdom (975-721) 254 years the kingdoms were divided)

Despite all God had given him, Solomon wasn’t satisfied, and he disobeyed the Lord with many foreign women. Because of this, God was angry with him. But out of respect for David, the Lord left Solomon’s kingdom intact. Instead, He took it from Solomon’s son after he died. Ten of the tribes of Israel rejected Rehoboam and chose Solomon’s servant as their king instead. So, Solomon’s son ruled only over Judah and Benjamin in the south and Jeroboam ruled the rest of Israel in the north.

Israel - Assyria (721-606 BC) 115 years from Israel’s capture to when the Babylonians began taking exiles from Judah

The people continued to disobey the Lord and eventually, as God promised, He allowed foreign nations to overtake them. First, Israel was conquered by Assyria. Then a little over a century later, Judah fell to the Babylonians. The Assyrians scattered the people from all their defeated territories amongst each other, so that no one nation could be united and revolt against them. So, the ten tribes of Israel began to intermarry with various other nations, which tainted their bloodlines and put them at odds even with the Judeans after that.

Judah -Babylonian (Iraq) & Persian(Iran) Empires (606-333 BC) 273 years of their control

King Josiah was killed in a battle against Egypt and Assyria. His son Jehoahaz served only three months as king before he was carried off by the Egyptians. His brother Jehoiakim became king, and 3 years later, the Babylonians began raiding the temple and taking exiles back to Babylon (Iraq). Babylon also overtook Assyria around this time so they had control of the territory of Israel also. Then, twenty years after the first group of exiles were taken from Judah, the city fell to the Babylonians. Everything valuable was taken, the Temple was destroyed, the city was burned, and only the weak and poor were left behind. All others were taken captive into Babylon.

But in fulfillment of Jeremiah’s prophecy, 70 years after the first captives were taken by the Babylonians, with the rise of the Persian Empire, the Jews were free to return to their land. Persia (Iran) had overtaken Babylon, and the new king immediately decreed that the Jews were free to leave. Then King Cyrus made a proclamation for the Temple to be rebuilt and its treasures to be returned. Israel remained part of the Persian Empire, but they resumed worship in Jerusalem and were governed by Jewish leaders again.

Alexander the Great - Greek (333-323) 10 years part of Macedonian Empire

Daniel prophesied about the fate of Israel, but the Bible does not say what happened to them after the Persian Empire fell. Although history tells us that Alexander the Great conquered Persia and the land of Israel was transferred to him. After he died, there was a period of confusion, but ultimately his kingdom was divided and ruled by four different rulers.

Egypt (323-198 BC) 125 years controlled by Egypt

In the beginning, Ptolemy ruled Egypt, along with Israel and Gaza, and allowed the Jews to practice their own religion. But there were a series of wars between the Egyptian and Syrian rulers with both Israel and Gaza very temporarily changing hands. But, in the end, Syria gained control over both territories.