Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
Now the five kings had fled and hidden in the cave at Makkedah. When Joshua was told that the five kings had been found hiding in the cave at Makkedah, he said, "Roll large rocks up to the mouth of the cave, and post some men there to guard it. But don't stop! Pursue your enemies, attack them from the rear and don't let them reach their cities, for the Lord your God has given them into your hand."
So Joshua and the Israelites destroyed them completely—almost to a man—but the few who were left reached their fortified cities. The whole army then returned safely to Joshua in the camp at Makkedah, and no one uttered a word against the Israelites.
Joshua said, "Open the mouth of the cave and bring those five kings out to me." So they brought the five kings out of the cave—the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish and Eglon. When they had brought these kings to Joshua, he summoned all the men of Israel and said to the army commanders who had come with him, "Come here and put your feet on the necks of these kings." So they came forward and placed their feet on their necks.
Joshua said to them, "Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Be strong and courageous. This is what the Lord will do to all the enemies you are going to fight." Then Joshua struck and killed the kings and hung them on five trees, and they were left hanging on the trees until evening.
At sunset Joshua gave the order and they took them down from the trees and threw them into the cave where they had been hiding. At the mouth of the cave they placed large rocks, which are there to this day.
That day Joshua took Makkedah. He put the city and its king to the sword and totally destroyed everyone in it. He left no survivors. And he did to the king of Makkedah as he had done to the king of Jericho.
Then Joshua and all Israel with him moved on from Makkedah to Libnah and attacked it. The Lord also gave that city and its king into Israel's hand. The city and everyone in it Joshua put to the sword. He left no survivors there. And he did to its king as he had done to the king of Jericho.
Then Joshua and all Israel with him moved on from Libnah to Lachish; he took up positions against it and attacked it. The Lord handed Lachish over to Israel, and Joshua took it on the second day. The city and everyone in it he put to the sword, just as he had done to Libnah. Meanwhile, Horam king of Gezer had come up to help Lachish, but Joshua defeated him and his army—until no survivors were left.
Then Joshua and all Israel with him moved on from Lachish to Eglon; they took up positions against it and attacked it. They captured it that same day and put it to the sword and totally destroyed everyone in it, just as they had done to Lachish.
Then Joshua and all Israel with him went up from Eglon to Hebron and attacked it. They took the city and put it to the sword, together with its king, its villages and everyone in it. They left no survivors. Just as at Eglon, they totally destroyed it and everyone in it.
Then Joshua and all Israel with him turned around and attacked Debir. They took the city, its king and its villages, and put them to the sword. Everyone in it they totally destroyed. They left no survivors. They did to Debir and its king as they had done to Libnah and its king and to Hebron.
So Joshua subdued the whole region, including the hill country, the Negev, the western foothills and the mountain slopes, together with all their kings. He left no survivors. He totally destroyed all who breathed, just as the Lord, the God of Israel, had commanded. Joshua subdued them from Kadesh Barnea to Gaza and from the whole region of Goshen to Gibeon. All these kings and their lands Joshua conquered in one campaign, because the Lord, the God of Israel, fought for Israel.
Then Joshua returned with all Israel to the camp at Gilgal.
When Jabin king of Hazor heard of this, he sent word to Jobab king of Madon, to the kings of Shimron and Acshaph, and to the northern kings who were in the mountains, in the Arabah south of Kinnereth, in the western foothills and in Naphoth Dor on the west; to the Canaanites in the east and west; to the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites and Jebusites in the hill country; and to the Hivites below Hermon in the region of Mizpah. They came out with all their troops and a large number of horses and chariots—a huge army, as numerous as the sand on the seashore. All these kings joined forces and made camp together at the Waters of Merom, to fight against Israel.
The Lord said to Joshua, "Do not be afraid of them, because by this time tomorrow I will hand all of them over to Israel, slain. You are to hamstring their horses and burn their chariots."
So Joshua and his whole army came against them suddenly at the Waters of Merom and attacked them, and the Lord gave them into the hand of Israel. They defeated them and pursued them all the way to Greater Sidon, to Misrephoth Maim, and to the Valley of Mizpah on the east, until no survivors were left. Joshua did to them as the Lord had directed: He hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots.
At that time Joshua turned back and captured Hazor and put its king to the sword. (Hazor had been the head of all these kingdoms.) Everyone in it they put to the sword. They totally destroyed them, not sparing anything that breathed, and he burned up Hazor itself.
Joshua took all these royal cities and their kings and put them to the sword. He totally destroyed them, as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded. Yet Israel did not burn any of the cities built on their mounds—except Hazor, which Joshua burned. The Israelites carried off for themselves all the plunder and livestock of these cities, but all the people they put to the sword until they completely destroyed them, not sparing anyone that breathed. As the Lord commanded his servant Moses, so Moses commanded Joshua, and Joshua did it; he left nothing undone of all that the Lord commanded Moses.
So Joshua took this entire land: the hill country, all the Negev, the whole region of Goshen, the western foothills, the Arabah and the mountains of Israel with their foothills, from Mount Halak, which rises toward Seir, to Baal Gad in the Valley of Lebanon below Mount Hermon. He captured all their kings and struck them down, putting them to death. Joshua waged war against all these kings for a long time. Except for the Hivites living in Gibeon, not one city made a treaty of peace with the Israelites, who took them all in battle. For it was the Lord himself who hardened their hearts to wage war against Israel, so that he might destroy them totally, exterminating them without mercy, as the Lord had commanded Moses.
At that time Joshua went and destroyed the Anakites from the hill country: from Hebron, Debir and Anab, from all the hill country of Judah, and from all the hill country of Israel. Joshua totally destroyed them and their towns. No Anakites were left in Israelite territory; only in Gaza, Gath and Ashdod did any survive. So Joshua took the entire land, just as the Lord had directed Moses, and he gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal divisions.
Then the land had rest from war.
Joshua 10:16-43, 11
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
When Israel entered Canaan, they had direct orders from God to conquer all nations currently residing in Canaan so they could claim the land Promised to them…a land that was their inheritance.
We have seen already where Joshua and Israel defeated all nations in the central part of Canaan, gaining victory over Jericho and Ai. We have also seen where victory was gained over a combined army from the south, organized by Jerusalem’s king, Adoni-Zedek, after these forces attacked the Gibeonites.
As Chapter 10 finishes, Joshua executes the five kings (the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish and Eglon.) that participated on the attack on Gibeon and sets out to defeat the southern portion of Canaan. His conquest included victories over the cities of Makkedah, Libnah, Lachish, Eglon, Hebron and Debir. Indeed, scripture tells us that “Joshua subdued the whole region, including the hill country, the Negev, the western foothills and the mountain slopes, together with all their kings” and “left no survivors…totally destroy(ing) all who breathed, just as the Lord, the God of Israel, had commanded”. Joshua “subdued them from Kadesh Barnea to Gaza and from the whole region of Goshen to Gibeon” and “all these kings and their lands (were) conquered in one campaign, because the Lord, the God of Israel, fought for Israel”. And after the southern conquest, “Joshua returned with all Israel to the camp at Gilgal”.
Joshua and Israel were on a roll…all with God’s help. Anyone who came out to oppose them and attempt to stop them from carrying out God’s plan were thwarted because God had assured Israel that He would be with them and would deliver their enemies into their hands. And as He always does, God made good on His word.
But Israel wasn’t finished because there was some unfinished work to be done in the north, who were anticipating what was to come. Surely word had spread and spread quickly of how Israel had conquered the central and southern sections of Canaan. We know because Chapter 11 opens with “Jabin, king of Hazor”, hearing about what had transpired, prompting him to send word to “Jobab king of Madon, to the kings of Shimron and Acshaph, and to the northern kings who were in the mountains, in the Arabah south of Kinnereth, in the western foothills and in Naphoth Dor on the west; to the Canaanites in the east and west; to the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites and Jebusites in the hill country; and to the Hivites below Hermon in the region of Mizpah”. Just as the south had tried to do, the northern kings combined forces and “came out with all their troops and a large number of horses and chariots — a huge army, as numerous as the sand on the seashore”. And all the kings and their forces met at the “Waters of Merom” where they “made camp together…to fight against Israel”.
So another fight with a different foe was on the horizon but one thing remained the same: The Lord reassured Joshua telling him yet again, "Do not be afraid of them, because by this time tomorrow I will hand all of them over to Israel, slain. You are to hamstring their horses and burn their chariots."
So we read that “Joshua and his whole army” attacked the northern enemy forces “suddenly at the Waters of Merom…and the Lord gave them into the hand of Israel”. Israel defeated their opponents, ensuring “no survivors were left” while Joshua “hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots” as “the Lord had directed”.
Joshua then did as he did with the south. He began to systematically defeat the cities, taking control of what God had given to his hand in victory. He began with Hazor, putting its “king to the sword” as well as everyone else there. The city was “totally destroyed…not sparing anything that breathed” before being burned to the ground.
Joshua followed this by taking “all…royal cities and their kings” putting them to the sword and totally destroying them. The only thing done differently than Hazor was that Israel “did not burn any of the cities built on their mounds”. But Israel did carry off “all the plunder and livestock of (the) cities” before putting all the people to the sword, “not sparing anyone that breathed”. In doing this, Joshua “left nothing undone of all that the Lord commanded Moses”.
So to recap what Joshua did in the north…he “took…the hill country, all the Negev, the whole region of Goshen, the western foothills, the Arabah and the mountains of Israel with their foothills, from Mount Halak, which rises toward Seir, to Baal Gad in the Valley of Lebanon below Mount Hermon”. He also “destroyed the Anakites from the hill country: from Hebron, Debir and Anab, from all the hill country of Judah, and from all the hill country of Israel…leaving “no Anakites…in Israelite territory”. And “only in Gaza, Gath and Ashdod did any survive”. Joshua “captured all their kings…putting them to death”. And no treaty was made with anyone, except the Gibeonites who had done so prior.
When all was said and done, “Joshua took the entire land, just as the Lord had directed Moses, and he gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal divisions” (more to come on this in later chapters) and “the land had rest from war”.
As we consider all that has happened in Joshua in just 11 chapters, we can’t help but be amazed. Israel had went from desert wanderers to victorious warriors, rarely losing momentum after crossing the Jordan and setting out to claim the land that God had given to them. They had successfully conquered most of the land (God will fill Joshua in soon on what’s left to gain) and were now poised to enjoy the spoils of their victory with the land being divided up amongst the tribes. And most importantly, we’re told the land could finally rest from war.
There are three important take aways from today’s scripture and Israel’s overall triumph over Canaan…take aways that we need to always remember as we go forth to do God’s will each and every day:
1. God keeps His promises. Rest assured that if God said He would do something for us, then He will see that through. God doesn’t lie or deceive. For that is sinful action and there is nothing about God that is sinful. We serve a God of truth and a God of His word. We need to remember this as we go through life and its challenges day after day.
2. God delivers us from our enemies. As we go through life, rest assured that there will be those who would want to come against us in some way. Satan is ever trying to get at every servant of God any way he can and will do his best work sometimes through other people, sometimes people who appear on the surface to be our friends when underneath they are everything but. Maybe you can relate to having been fooled by someone you considered to be a friend only to find out otherwise. The good news is that God will always expose anyone who is trying to do us harm. For everything done in the dark will be exposed and brought to light, illuminated by the One who is truth and desires us to not only be truthful but experience truth ourselves. So ever turn to the Lord and seek His guidance in all matters, including your relations in life. He will clearly warn you if there is an enemy near and, more importantly, help you gain victory over those who would oppose you.
3. God is always with us. Joshua and Israel went forward with an awesome confidence because God was with them. They knew this because He told them so. We know this because He has told us so as well. He promised He would never leave us nor forsake us. And remember…God always keeps His promises.
Friends, we have an awesome assurance in life…an assurance that liberates and sets us free to boldly and confidently go forth in God’s service to accomplish His will. For we serve a God who keeps His promises, delivers us from our enemies and is always with us. Is this not reason for us to be thankful and in a spirit of rejoicing? The answer is a resounding “YES”! Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
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