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April 23 - Joshua 11 · A Chapter a Day Bible Reading

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  Hello friends, it's Sean here. It's Thursday, it's the 23rd of
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  April. And it's so good that you have
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  dialled in. Well, probably not dialled in.
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  You'll probably just press play. And you and I are going to
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  continue reading the story, this brutal and often horrific story,
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  as we read in this book of Joshua, about whole populations
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  being slaughtered by the Israelites as they move through.
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  Now, this is a good time to remember that this is not a
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  historical document. This has not been written from
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  an archaeological perspective to help us understand exactly what
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  happened blow by blow to these nations.
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  Nope. This is a theological story.
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  And the point of this book being written down is that God keeps
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  his promises and that when God promised to give this land to
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  his people, that is what God did.
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  And so when this story talks about victory, it doesn't talk
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  about the battles. It talks about God gave them
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  this victory. And when it talks about God
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  giving them the victory, it makes that very clear that it
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  was a comprehensive and total victory.
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  So that's the language that they use of utter destruction, not
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  because necessarily that is the historical fact of what went
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  down, but this story is here to remind God's people that God is
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  faithful and follows through on his promises.
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  So as you read it, read it as a theological document that talks
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  about God, the faithful God of the Israelites, not God the
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  historically brutal warlord. Very different way of recording
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  these events. So with that lens, let's
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  continue as they have defeated the South and now they have
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  moved to the north. And notice the language that
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  doesn't speak about the battles, but it speaks about God's
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  victory. As we read together Joshua
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  Chapter 11, when King Jabin of Hazor heard
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  what had happened, he sent messages to the following kings.
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  King Jobab of Maiden, the king of Shimron, the king of Akshath,
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  all the kings of the northern Hill Country, the kings of the
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  Jordan Valley South of Galilee, the kings of the Galilean
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  foothills, the kings of Nafoth Dor on the West, the kings of
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  Canaan both east and West, The kings of the Amorites, the
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  Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites in the Hill Country,
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  and the Hivites in the towns on the slopes of Mount Hermon in
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  the land of Mizpah, all these kings came out to fight.
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  Their combined armies formed a vast horde, and with all their
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  horses and Chariots they covered the landscape like the sand on
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  the seashore. The kings joined forces and
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  established their camp around the water near Merom to fight
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  against Israel. Then the Lord said to Joshua, do
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  not be afraid of them. By this time tomorrow I will
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  hand all of them over to Israel as dead men.
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  Then you must cripple their horses and burn their Chariots.
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  So Joshua and all his fighting men travelled to the water near
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  Marram and attacked suddenly, and the Lord gave them victory
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  over their enemies. The Israelites chased them as
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  far as Great a Sidon and Misrepothe Maim, and eastwardly
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  into the valley of Mizpah, until not one enemy warrior was left
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  alive. Then Joshua crippled the horses
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  and burned all the Chariots as the Lord had instructed.
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  Joshua then turned back and captured Hazor and killed its
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  king. Hazor had at one time been the
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  capital city of all these kingdoms.
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  The Israelites completely destroyed every living thing in
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  the city, leaving no survivors. Not a single person was spared.
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  And then Joshua burned the city. Joshua slaughtered all the other
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  kings and their people, completely destroying them, just
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  as Moses the servant of the Lord, had commanded.
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  But the Israelites did not burn any of the towns built on mounds
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  except Hazel, which Joshua burned.
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  And the Israelites took all the plunder and livestock of the
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  ravaged towns for themselves, but they killed all the people,
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  leaving no survivors. As the Lord had commanded his
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  servant Moses. So Moses commanded Joshua, and
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  Joshua did as he was told. Carefully obeying all the
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  commands that the Lord had given to Moses.
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  Sir Joshua conquered the entire region, the Hill Country, the
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  entire Negev, the whole area around the town of Goshen, the
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  western foothills, the Jordan Valley, the mountains of Israel,
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  and the Galilean foothills. The Israelite territory now
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  extended all the way from Mount Halleck, which leads up to Sayer
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  in the South, as far as Balgad at the foot of Mount Hermon in
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  the valley of Lebanon. Joshua killed all the kings of
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  those territories, waging war for a long time.
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  To accomplish this, no one in this region made peace with the
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  Israelites except the Hivites of Gibeon.
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  All the others were defeated, for the Lord hardened their
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  hearts and caused them to fight the Israelites, so they were
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  completely destroyed without mercy, as the Lord had commanded
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  Moses. During this period, Joshua
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  destroyed all the descendants of Anak who lived in the Hill
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  Country of Hebron, Deba, Anab, and the entire Hill Country of
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  Judah and Israel. He killed them all and
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  completely destroyed their towns.
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  None of the descendants of Anak were left in all the land of
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  Israel, though some still remain in Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod.
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  So Joshua took control of the entire land, just as the Lord
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  had instructed Moses. He gave it to the people of
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  Israel as their special possession, dividing the land
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  among the tribes. So the land finally had rest
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  from war. Ah, Lord, you are a faithful
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  God, and what you say to us you will do, you will do, and in
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  fact you have done it already. You have saved us.
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  You have given us not just land, but you have given us membership
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  into the royal family and an inheritance that cannot rust or
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  spoil or be taken from us. This inheritance, this eternal
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  life, this fellowship with you in your wonderful presence,
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  because that is who we are. We are your children, and we are
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  loved by you. Thank you that we can trust
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  wholeheartedly that what you say you will do, and what you say
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  you have done, you have indeed done for us.
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  And so we rest in your promises, we rest in your provision, and
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  we rest in the sure hope that we have as we rest in you.
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  Fill us with that indescribable joy.
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  Oh, we love you so much, Lord, and we're so grateful for how
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  you provide for us. So we lift you up and we praise
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  you every day of our life until we see you face to face.
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  And we pray this in your name, Jesus, Amen.