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Jesus & Canaanite Kings Hung on Trees

I do not read much of Joshua.

So it was to my pleasant surprise that I noticed a theme recurring within this book that perhaps adds some perspective to the offense of the Cross to a Jewish person.

In the Book of Joshua, upon completing conquests of certain parts of the land, the Israelites would then hang Canaanite Kings on trees.

This described the "cursed" state of the Canaanite Kings in Deuteronomy 21:22-23

“And if a man has committed a crime punishable by death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, his body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall bury him the same day, for a hanged man is cursed by God. You shall not defile your land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance.

It is thus somewhat surprising to see that this law was applied not to Israelites, but to the Canaanite Kings.

First the King of Ai in Joshua 8:28-29:

So Joshua burned Ai and made it for ever a heap of ruins, as it is to this day. And he hanged the king of Ai on a tree until evening. And at sunset Joshua commanded, and they took his body down from the tree and threw it at the entrance of the gate of the city and raised over it a great heap of stones, which stands there to this day.

And then the five Canaanite Kings (from Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon) in Joshua 10:26-27:

And afterwards Joshua struck them and put them to death, and he hanged them on five trees. And they hung on the trees until evening. But at the time of the going down of the sun, Joshua commanded, and they took them down from the trees and threw them into the cave where they had hidden themselves, and they set large stones against the mouth of the cave, which remain to this very day.

Jesus suffers the same fate as these Canaanite Kings who have committed crimes "punishable by death". In Acts 5:30, Peter replies that the Jewish leaders have killed Jesus by hanging him on a tree.

It is indeed a total reversal. Canaanite Kings are hung on trees for their crimes. Jesus Christ, is hung on trees for the crimes committed by Canaanite sinners like us.

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