Hittite חִתִּי

We are in chapter thirty-three of Exodus with our word for today. חִתִּי Hittite, Hittites. It is used 48 times in the Old Testament. Our word is used to describe a nation of people. The place where Abraham and Isaac was buried was originally owned by a Hittite (Genesis 25:9). Esau marries women from this nation against his parents’ wishes (Genesis 26:34-35). The man that King David committed adultery with his wife was also one of his 30 renowned soldiers in his army. David later murders him to cover up the adultery. This man named Uriah was from this nation. 2 Samuel 12:9-10 Why have you despised the word of the Lord, to do what is evil in his sight? You have struck down Uriah הַֽחִתִּי֙ the Hittite with the sword and have taken his wife to be your wife and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah הַחִתִּ֔י the Hittite to be your wife.’ 2 Samuel 23:24, 39 Asahel the brother of Joab was one of the thirty … Uriah הַֽחִתִּ֔י the Hittite: thirty-seven in all. Our word is used to describe the land where one of the nations lived that God was going to give his people. This promised land started with Abraham Genesis 15:18-20. This is exactly how our word is used in our chapter today. Exodus 33:2 I will send an angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanites, the Amorites, וְהַֽחִתִּי֙  the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. Yesterday we looked at how many times this list is used in the Old Testament, 20 times. What I find real interesting is when God is talking to Joshua about his succession in referencing the land he only uses one of these nations. Our word for today. Joshua 1:2-6 Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of הַֽחִתִּ֔ים the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory … Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you … for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. It looks like the Hittites is also a term synonymous with all of the land of Canaan based on this passage. However, later on in chapters 3, 9, 11, 12, and 24 Joshua refers to the whole list of nations in the land not just the Hittites. Not sure what this means that God would summarize the group with our word for today? But it is interesting. King David is a good example for us of Repentance. Like all of us David was not perfect and sinned like we have just looked at. But because he repented of his sin God was able to bless his people beyond his life even when their leaders were sinning against Him. 1 Kings 15:4-5 Nevertheless, for David's sake the Lord his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem, setting up his son after him, and establishing Jerusalem, because David did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and did not turn aside from anything that he commanded him all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah הַחִתִּֽי the Hittite. David became the standard of what a good king should be not that he was perfect but that he turned from his evil and followed God like he was before his sin. I’ll close with David’s prayer of repentance. Psalm 51:1-2, 4, 10-12 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment … Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.