Joshua 13:3

Joshua 13:3

From Sihor, which is before Egypt, even unto the borders of Ekron northward, which is counted to the Canaanite: five lords of the Philistines; the Gazathites, and the Ashdothites, the Eshkalonites, the Gittites, and the Ekronites; also the Avites:

a.       In this verse it is shown quite clearly that Gaza was part of the inheritance that God gave to Israel. In particular, it was given to the tribe of Judah.

1). Joshua 15:20-63 This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Judah according to their families.

And the uttermost cities of the tribe of the children of Judah toward the coast of Edom southward were Kabzeel, and Eder, and Jagur,

And Kinah, and Dimonah, and Adadah,

And Kedesh, and Hazor, and Ithnan,

Ziph, and Telem, and Bealoth,

And Hazor, Hadattah, and Kerioth, and Hezron, which is Hazor,

Amam, and Shema, and Moladah,

And Hazargaddah, and Heshmon, and Bethpalet,

And Hazarshual, and Beersheba, and Bizjothjah,

Baalah, and Iim, and Azem,

And Eltolad, and Chesil, and Hormah,

And Ziklag, and Madmannah, and Sansannah,

And Lebaoth, and Shilhim, and Ain, and Rimmon: all the cities are twenty and nine, with their villages:

And in the valley, Eshtaol, and Zoreah, and Ashnah,

And Zanoah, and Engannim, Tappuah, and Enam,

Jarmuth, and Adullam, Socoh, and Azekah,

And Sharaim, and Adithaim, and Gederah, and Gederothaim; fourteen cities with their villages:

Zenan, and Hadashah, and Migdalgad,

And Dilean, and Mizpeh, and Joktheel,

Lachish, and Bozkath, and Eglon,

And Cabbon, and Lahmam, and Kithlish,

And Gederoth, Bethdagon, and Naamah, and Makkedah; sixteen cities with their villages:

Libnah, and Ether, and Ashan,

And Jiphtah, and Ashnah, and Nezib,

And Keilah, and Achzib, and Mareshah; nine cities with their villages:

Ekron, with her towns and her villages:

From Ekron even unto the sea, all that lay near Ashdod, with their villages:

Ashdod with her towns and her villages, Gaza with her towns and her villages, unto the river of Egypt, and the great sea, and the border thereof:

And in the mountains, Shamir, and Jattir, and Socoh,

And Dannah, and Kirjathsannah, which is Debir,

And Anab, and Eshtemoh, and Anim,

And Goshen, and Holon, and Giloh; eleven cities with their villages:

Arab, and Dumah, and Eshean,

And Janum, and Bethtappuah, and Aphekah,

And Humtah, and Kirjatharba, which is Hebron, and Zior; nine cities with their villages:

Maon, Carmel, and Ziph, and Juttah,

And Jezreel, and Jokdeam, and Zanoah,

Cain, Gibeah, and Timnah; ten cities with their villages:

Halhul, Bethzur, and Gedor,

And Maarath, and Bethanoth, and Eltekon; six cities with their villages:

Kirjathbaal, which is Kirjathjearim, and Rabbah; two cities with their villages:

In the wilderness, Betharabah, Middin, and Secacah,

And Nibshan, and the city of Salt, and Engedi; six cities with their villages.

As for the Jebusites the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the children of Judah could not drive them out; but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Judah at Jerusalem unto this day.

b.      The Lord specifically warned Israel that if they left any of the former inhabitants remain that they would be snares and thorns, constant problems for them.

1). Numbers 33:55  But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you; then it shall come to pass, that those which ye let remain of them shall be pricks in your eyes, and thorns in your sides, and shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell.

2). In the same way as leaving the former inhabitants remain to be a problem, Israel giving up part of their inheritance to an enemy will cause the same effect.

c.       In 2005 Israel, in an attempt to win peace withdrew from part of their God given inheritance, but as Scripture says, these will only be thorns in their eyes and in their sides.

d. Evacuation of  of Israelie citizens completed 8/22/05, Today, Monday, August 22, 2005, the evacuation of all Israeli civilians from the Israeli communities in the Gaza Strip has been completed, in accordance with the Implementation of the Disengagement Plan Law 2005. IDF Spokesman http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Government/Communiques/2005/Evacuation+of+Israeli+civilians+from+the+Gaza+Strip+completed+22-Aug-2005.htm

e. Because Israel gave away Gaza which was part of the Inheritance that God gave them, Arab terrorists are using Gaza as a point to launch rockets into Israel and kill and wound Israeli citizens. Early in 2008, three years after Israel gave up Gaza, terrorists sent rockets into Israel. Israel in self defense sent troops into Gaza to root out the terrorists. Even though Israel was only protecting itself the US, beginning with President

Bush pressured Israel to withdraw its troops.

1). Israel Collapses to US Pressure, Pulls Troops Out of Gaza, by Hana Levi Julian 4/11/08 Despite vows last week to continue military operations until there is an end to all rocket fire on southern Israel, the Israeli government has pulled troops out of Gaza.

The move came after US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice pressured Israeli leaders last week to end the counterterrorism operations against rocket-firing terrorists. More than 7,600 rockets have battered communities in the western Negev since the outbreak of the Oslo War in 2000, most recently striking the coastal city of Ashkelon…”

2). Just in 2012 from January to November, 2,256 rockets have been fired into Israel from Gaza.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Palestinian_rocket_attacks_on_Israel,_2012