Conquest and Settlement (1280-1020 B.C.E.)

B. Conquest and Settlement (1280-1020 B.C.E.)

The Israelites remained in the Sinai wilderness for forty years, enough time for Moses and the original generation to die off after they disobeyed God and were denied entry into the Promised Land. Then, under the leadership of Moses' successor, Joshua, the twelve tribes undertook the conquest and penetrated Canaan to begin the long process of settling in (see Chapter 6). Loosely organized into a federation of tribes, there was no centralized government at this time and, after Joshua died, no overall leader. Each tribe was driven by its own interests.
    Occasionally, certain gifted leaders came to the forefront, typically when there was a problem with other groups in the area. These leaders were called judges, and included Deborah, Gideon, and Samson (see Chapter 7). While certain judges did hear legal cases, typically they were military captains who organized and inspired Israelite tribal groups to defeat their enemies.
    In addition to judges, priests directed the spiritual life of the people. Usually from the tribe of Levi, they managed various sacred sites throughout the land and presided over religious ceremonies, most of which involved animal sacrifices. There were rival priestly factions in Israel, and the tension among these factions gave rise to rival interpretations of Israel's history. These alternative perspectives are reflected in the different sources that underlie the Torah (see Part 1).
    The most famous priest, who also happened to be a judge, was Samuel. Two books of the Old Testament are named after him. He was the most effective leader of his time. As a youth he lived in Shiloh, which was the major religious center of the twelve-tribe federation. There a tent shrine housed the ark of the covenant, the sacred chest which stored Israel's covenant documents.
    The major national threat at the time of Samuel was the territorial expansion of neighboring Philistines. Around 1200 B.C.E. they settled on the coastal plain of Canaan. As they expanded eastward toward the Jordan River they put pressure on the Israelites living there. Eventually, it became too much for tribal captains and regional judges to handle. The nation needed a centralized government and national leader capable of meeting the Philistine threat. Israel was on the verge of extinction until it found a king.