In our lesson, “Israelites: Ma & Pa Kettle of the Canaanites or Something Else?” we explored the origins of the Israelites in Canaan. Sharing the same genetic lineage as the Canaanites, they were deeply connected to the region. Yet, in Exodus, Yahweh promised Moses that Canaan would belong to the Israelites.

It’s intriguing that Exodus, a book traditionally attributed to Moses, concludes with an account of Moses’ death. How could he have written about his own passing? If only miracles like that could occur in modern times, especially now that we have cameras to capture the impossible. It’s curious how these extraordinary events seem confined to eras before humanity had the means to document them. Is Yahweh camera-shy?

It seems quite generous of Yahweh, considering that archaeological evidence so far provides no support for the captivity in Egypt or the 40 years of wandering in the desert. Instead, findings suggest they originated in Canaan as a rural offshoot(hillbillies) of the Canaanites. Essentially, he’s promising them the land they’re already inhabiting. Fortunate indeed!

The Promised Land might not be quite the paradise the Bible paints it to be. If you think the past 75 years of Israel’s history have been chaotic, you’d be stunned to learn what it was like long before that.

Nina Paley, known for her creative animation projects like Sita Sings the Blues (a retelling of the Hindu epic Ramayana), captures the tumultuous history of the region beautifully in a segment from her feature film Seder-Masochism.

She even provides a handy list so you can tell who’s killing who.

You may be wondering, “Teacher, how does this relate to our Bible studies?”

Well, in this lesson, we explore how Canaan, the Promised Land, has been claimed by various groups over the centuries. But who truly holds a legitimate claim? Is it God, Yahweh, Allah, or perhaps even Rama? The challenge lies in the fact that these divine figures communicate only through individuals who often bring their own human agendas—agendas that are frequently far from sacred.

But what about the deities themselves? What do you say deities? Wanna make things clear to us all by showing yourselves to settle this? Didn’t think so.

It feels as if they don’t exist at all, and deities are merely creations of the human imagination. However, if I were to speculate on who The Promised Land truly belongs to, I’d say it was promised to The Angel of Death, a notion Nina subtly alludes to in her animation.