Joshua 10-12
“I will not trust in my bow neither shall my sword save me” (Psa. 44:6).
Israel’s alliance with Gibeon brought them severe warfare; but God’s grace overcame, and the most remarkable victory recorded in the book was the result.
While at the camp at Gilgal, Israel heard of the purpose of the five kings of the Amorites, “So Joshua ascended from Gilgal, he and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valor.” Then, the Lord said, “Fear them not: for I have delivered them into thine hand; there shall not a man of them stand before thee.” Resting on this promise, Joshua “therefore came unto them suddenly,” and, responding to his faith, “the Lord discomfited them before Israel.” Here we may trace the order of God’s gracious working for His people. He leads them into the path of obedience, He gives them encouraging promises – assurances of victory upon their way, He enables them to believe His faithful word in the face of every danger, and then, crowns all with complete success. Well may we say, “Thou hast wrought all our works in us.”
Upon the memorable day of Israel’s victory, in answer to faith, Jehovah turned the powers of nature to the help of His people. He proved, for their encouragement and for their foes’ discomfiture His authority, “in heaven above, and in earth beneath,” and the sun and moon, which they worshipped as Baal and Ashtaroth (Judg. 2:13), bowed before the Most High. “For the Lord fought for Israel.”
An instructive lesson is to be gathered from the second victory at Hebron (Josh. 10:23,36). The King of Hebron was one of the five kings who had been destroyed, and whose people had been scattered; yet we find it recorded a second time that the King of Hebron was put to death. In Israel’s rapid conquest they had not had time to search out all the hiding places of the fugitives, who therefore returned, re-peopled and re-fortified Hebron, and set up a fresh king there (Josh. 10:20). Hence Hebron had to be re-conquered.
It is not enough in the Christian’s warfare to dispossess and to scatter enemies; the stronghold must be garrisoned. Spiritual foes may be defeated, yet they are by no means annihilated. The baffled enemy retires only to issue again from his lurking-place with revived energy. There can, therefore, be no rest, no sitting still; spiritual energy must be incessant; if not, the old battles will have to be re-fought.
In this campaign not one inhabitant was left remaining; all that breathed were utterly destroyed as the Lord God of Israel commanded; victory followed victory in rapid succession; “All these kings and their land did Joshua take at one time, because the Lord God of Israel fought for Israel.” Implicit obedience to the Lord earned its reward; and what strength would accrue to the Christian soldier, and what victories would be awarded him, if he went on in the spirit of Israel in this campaign, making no terms with God’s enemies but in the power of his separation to God obeying His word.
At this time the rulers of the land, the five kings, bowed before Israel. Then Joshua bade the captains “which went with him to come near,” and told them “put your feet upon the necks of these kings”; and the Lord has promised shortly to bruise Satan under the feet of those who are His soldiers. “Fear not, nor be dismayed; be strong and of good courage; for thus shall the Lord do to all your enemies against whom ye fight.”
After the battle with the five kings, Israel returned to their camp “in peace” (Josh. 10:21). Jehovah had watched over each combatant for good; He had shielded and strengthened them, and brought each back safe and unharmed.
The conquest of the south country attained, Israel, as their custom was, returned to their camp at Gilgal.
It is only when in the place of true spiritual self-judgment that we can find the renewed vigor needful for the fresh conflicts awaiting us. We go to our Gilgal, in a sense, naturally after defeat; but the necessity for turning thither after victory is as great; otherwise we become boasters or trusters in victories instead of in the Lord, for prosperity usually begets self-confidence, and induces negligence. Well would it be if we had the wisdom always to remember that the flesh is dead, and grace to mortify our members, and thus be prepared to fight the fight of faith.
The victories gained by the people of Israel were soon followed by further conflicts, for the kings of the north united to attack them. Jehovah gave fresh strength for the subjugation of these new foes. “Be not afraid of them.” So they came upon them “suddenly,” for delay in the path of obedience causes weakness. The Lord bade Joshua destroy the chariots and horses wherein Israel’s enemies trusted, and Joshua obeyed exactly. And if the Lord would not have His people lean upon any other arm than His, neither would He allow that they should make a center for themselves of the seat of their enemies’ government; consequently Hazor, the head city of the district, was burnt. Yet in Christendom these lessons are forgotten, and hard it is for individual Christians to accept their instructions. Few there are who practically own that the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, and that through God they are mighty to pull down strongholds; and fewer still who refuse the influence and strength which the powers of the world offer to Christianity, and who own no other head than the risen Lord.
There cannot be peace between good and evil, or affinity between light and darkness. As the record of Israel’s warfare closes, on the one hand it is said, “There was not a city which made peace with the children of Israel save Gibeon,” and on the other, “Joshua made war a long time with all those kings.”
“As the man so is his strength!” “At that time came Joshua,” and the giants of the mountains – the tall men, who struck terror into Israel and Eschol were cut off. They were the first terror to Israel, and were the last to fall. When Israel first saw them, they measured man by man, and were, in their own sight and in the sight of the giants, like grasshoppers, but now they had learned, by the experience of many victories, dependence upon Jehovah – to compare the strength of the giant with that of the Almighty. What a growth in God’s strength does the cutting off of those Anakims express, yet how many, many years had passed, what disciplining, what blessing had been learned before this result was attained! And now, the giants being cut off, we read of rest.
“So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the Lord said unto Moses; and Joshua gave it for an inheritance unto Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. And the land rested from war.”
The character of the rest is however different from that of Joshua 21. Here it is rest consequent upon the subjugation of the land, “according to all that the Lord said unto Moses”; there the rest is that which the Lord sware to give them as He had promised to their fathers. The rest here is such as Israel being freed from the power of their foes might enjoy, but it does not imply a cessation from warfare.
Thus, although the victories over the rulers and governments that had been vanquished are enumerated (Josh. 12), yet there were remnants of these vanquished nations among them which had to be rooted out. These foes God had purposely left among them; they were tests of the children of Israel’s faithfulness, who were told when they had overcome their foes, utterly to detest, and utterly to abhor the accursed things of the nations (Deut. 7:22-26).
So it is with the Christian. The Lord Jesus has broken the powers of evil. He has conquered Satan, and it is for His people, to utterly abhor and to contend with the enemies He has conquered, while resting in the completeness of His victory.
“They got not the land in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them: but Thy right hand and Thine arm, and the light of Thy countenance, because Thou hadst a favor unto them” (Psa. 44:3).