Category: Joshua

Joshua 24: Today, not tomorrow, Choose to Serve the LORD God

Two worldviews have clashed since the fall of mankind in Genesis 3. The last chapter of the book of Joshua depicts a microcosm of this clash: God vs. gods. Joshua, in love, confronted and challenged Israel to choose the truth over the falsehood.

Background

It has been about 10-15 years since the completion of the land distribution to all twelve tribes of Israel. Joshua might have seen how the Israelites behaved as they started to settle in the land that the LORD gave. Unfortunately, Joshua saw a few alarming signs among the Israelite community, who started to gradually allow the penetration of false gods in their presence in the past 10-15 years.

In the midst of this background, Joshua summoned Israel in Shechem to confront them by delivering his last public address. 

The Place of Gathering: Shechem before the LORD

Shechem was a very suitable place for Joshua to make his purpose clear in his last address. He wanted Israel to make an important decision and urged them to serve the true God. 

The actual physical place where Joshua gathered the Israelites was Shechem. Shechem was a special place for the Israelites. Shechem was one of the first cities in Canaan that Abraham visited and built an altar (Genesis 12:6-7). In Shechem, Jacob took all foreign gods in his household and buried them under the oak at Shechem (Genesis 35:4-5). Also, Shechem was one of the cities given to the Levites and also a city of refuge (Joshua 20:7). Thus, a special place for the Israelites. 

More importantly than the physical place itself was the presence of the LORD as Joshua and Israel gathered “before God (Joshua 24:1).” When Joshua cast lots, it was done before the LORD. When Israel made a big, important decision, it was before the LORD. 

Historical Account: The LORD led Israel (Joshua 24:2-13)

Therefore, Shechem was a suitable place for Joshua. It was the place where God was first acknowledged by Abraham and where all foreign gods were buried. Joshua gathered the Israelites and urged them to make almost exactly the same action – acknowledge the true God and bury all foreign, false gods. 

Joshua recounted the history of the Israelites, starting from Abraham. Joshua determined that this historical account that highlighted a few characters of God was the essential element in his last public address to Israel. Again, as in his statement in chapter 23, his message solely focused on what God did and His associated characters, as highlighted on the four points below. In other words, Joshua was illuminating there is no god like the LORD God, the God of Israel, who loved, rescued and led His people.

  • The LORD who rescues and leads: Terah made and sold physical idols made of woods or iron, and his son, Abraham was his assistant in the land of Haran. However, we see that the LORD in His sovereignty personally pursued and chose Abraham to lead him away from a life under idols.
  • The LORD who listens and delivers: During 400 years of slavery, the Israelites cried out to the LORD. The LORD had compassion on His people and chose Moses and Aaron and sent them to “deliver” the Israelites out of the bondage of slavery in Egypt.
  • The LORD who continues to fight: After crossing the Red sea, the LORD fought for the Israelites against the Amorites. After crossing the Jordan River, the LORD sent hornets to defeat the Canaanites and gave their land to Israel.
  • The LORD who bestows grace: In addition to the land, God gave cities, vineyards, olive groves that the Israelites did not build. Receiving something that you did not labor for? They are gifts, which are grace.

You may not think you have a “grand” history as stated by Joshua about Israel. However, you do have it. Have a quiet time to meditate on your life. Your life before and after Christ is fundamentally different with a new status although it may not be apparent outside. 

Now, Today (not tomorrow) Fear and Serve the LORD

“Now…fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and truth…
choose for yourselves today whom you will serve…
but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord”
Joshua 24:14-15 (underline added)

Joshua made an emphatic message that it needed to be “now” and “today” that they make a determination. Why “now” and “today”? First, most of the Israelites at the time of Joshua’s final address, had experienced God personally. They saw how God parted the Jordan River. They saw how God fought for them in the battles of Jericho, Ai, southern and northern kings. They experienced the God who fought for them. Because Joshua knew that they experienced God, there was simply no excuse for them not to serve the LORD God “now” and “today.” That was why Joshua stated that “Now, therefore” and gave a command for them to “serve Him in sincerity and truth.” Joshua was asking them to come to their senses and do something very logical and natural – which was to serve God.

Joshua also made a second emphatic message in a declaration form and also a minor provocation to the rest of the Israelites. Regardless of external circumstance, whatever the rest of the Israelites would do, he claimed that he and his household would serve the LORD (Joshua 24:15). He, in fact, declared that he would choose the best option and would never let his faith in and serve of God be a “dependent variable” of the spiritual condition of the rest of society.

Wise Confrontation and Three Declarations (Joshua 24:16-24)

In this section, Joshua and Israel conversed back-and-forth. In this set of exchanges, we see wisdom displayed by Joshua in drawing out self-conviction of the Israelites instead of directly condemning them. 

As soon as Joshua declared that his household would serve the LORD, Israel, who heard Joshua’s historical account, reiterated Joshua’ historical account in their word, and declared back “we will also serve the LORD (Joshua 24:18).” This was their first declaration.

Then, Joshua provoked them gently, responding back, “You will not be able to serve the Lord…” Perhaps, being challenged by this statement of Joshua, Israel emphatically made the same declaration the second time, “No, but we will serve the Lord (Joshua 24:21)”

After hearing the declaration the second time, Joshua finally told them that “you are witnesses for yourself.” It was not until the second declaration that Joshua pointed out their core problem – foreign gods. Joshua told them to put away the foreign gods which were in their midst and incline their hearts to the LORD (Joshua 24:23). Israel had nothing to counter Joshua’s remark because they had already stated twice that they would serve the LORD. With this, they made the same declaration the third time: “We will serve the Lord our God and we will obey His voice (Joshua 24:24).”

I see a sheer brilliance in communication displayed by Joshua. Joshua knew that the presence of foreign gods and the spiritual condition of the Israelites was a looming problem. If Joshua told them to put away foriegn gods in their midst at first directly, Israel might have balked, denied, or rebelled. Instead, Joshua outlined all the good things that the LORD had done and how they had experienced and draw out their voluntary response that “they would serve the LORD.” Once they made these responses, they were possibly convicted in their heart and just had to agree with Joshua to put away foreign gods that resided in their midst.

Clash of Worldviews: God vs. gods

Since mankind sinned in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3), there has been an inevitable clash between God and gods in our heart. Joshua chapter 24 also depicts a microcosm of this clash. 

One of the most repeated vocabularies in this chapter is “God” – the true God. The other frequently repeated word in this chapter is “gods” – the false gods of this world. Joshua knew this fundamental, cosmic clash, and urged God’s people to choose and serve the true God. 

How about you? This chapter is extremely relevant to our lives today. Let’s choose and serve the true God. 

Conclusion

Chapters 23 and 24 together are Joshua’s last public address to Israel. He declared that his household and he would serve the LORD. In addition, he confronted the Israelites to draw out their declaration that they would serve the LORD God three times, and then made a witness of declaration in the stone under the oak tree in Shechem. 

Acknowledgement

I am very thankful for the opportunity to participate in this bible study held by the UM Korean Bible Study Group, and congratulate on finishing the 2019-20 year strong, especially in such a time as turbulent as this, exacerbated by covid-19 pandemic. I appreciate all the dedication shown by every member of this group. The reflection on this blog is the product of discussion, thoughts, meditation by this group, guided by the Holy Spirit. Thank you, all.

Joshua 23: Where the Spirit of the LORD is, there is freedom

The title may seem strange and you may wonder where the concept of freedom resides in the first part of Joshua’s farewell address in Chapter 23. At the end of his leadership, Joshua was free from himself. The sole focus of his message was the LORD God. His humility was a byproduct of him being free in the LORD. 

Chapters 23 and 24 together are Joshua’s Deuteronomy. Joshua’s last public message was essentially his will, which comprised both warning and love, before the sons of Israel. 

The LORD: What He did

Although an incredible servant of God, godly leader, and brilliant military strategist, Joshua never boasted about his achievements. Rather, he highlighted what the LORD did and what He had shown to the Israelites. 

His message started with “what the LORD God has done” for all the Israelites, and how He fought for them (Joshua 23:3). Joshua also emphasized that because the LORD fought for them, one man was able to fight a thousand and they were able to drive out other nations (Joshua 23:9-10). Although this was his last public message, his entire focus was on the LORD God, the true source of every blessing, victory, and miracle. 

The Israelites: What to Do 

In the midst of highlighting all the mighty acts of the LORD God, his message had three specific commands for the Israelites: 1) Be very firm to keep all that is written in the book of the law of Moses (Joshua 23:6); 2) Cling to the LORD your God as you have done to this day (Joshua 23:8); and 3) Diligently heed to yourselves and love the LORD your God (Joshua 23:11).  

Does this sound like a set of burdensome commands to you? Perhaps. However, I think these “commands” are in fact a love call from the LORD God and his strong desire to have an intimate father-children relation. They are an expression from a loving Father and His desire to be close to the Israelites. 

About Joshua: the LORD the Warrior

Joshua’s message in this chapter reveals a particular unique side of the LORD God he experienced. In more detail, how Joshua experienced God was different from how Moses experienced God. Moses’ first encounter with God was through the burning bush (Exodus 3:4). Another major encounter took place when Moses spent 40 days and nights to receive the word of God, the Ten Commandments. As such, Moses was a law giver to the Israelites. Mose experienced God the law giver. 

On the other hand, Joshua experienced God the warrior. Joshua’s very first encounter with God was when he fought the Amalekites in Rephidim (Exodus 17:8-16). After the Israelites crossed the Jordan River, Joshua led the Israelites to major battles against Jericho, Ai, southern kings, northern kings, and many others. To Joshua, the most personal character of God was the LORD God who fought and gave victories for Israel. As such, Joshua gave his personal message with many references to God in this way: He has been fighting for you (Josh 23:3); He will thrust them [enemies] out before you and drive them before you (Josh 23:5); The LORD has driven out great and strong nations from before you (Josh 23:10); for the LORD your God is He who fights for you (Josh 23:10)

How was and has been your encounter with God? What is your personal description of God? 

About Joshua: Humility

Many leaders usually do not think about the time they need to step away. Just take a look at many authoritarian leaders across the world today – they have done everything  (i.e. rigging election, suppressing opposition parties,  changing constitutions, etc.) to stay in power. However, Joshua admitted that his life on earth would end shortly and he did not worry too much about the next leadership as he fully trusted the LORD God. Even mentioning his death, he continued to emphasize the steadfastness of the LORD, who fulfilled all the promises He made (Joshua 23:14). 

The LORD: Father heart of God

The message’s end may seem strange (Joshua 23:12-13, 15-16) as it comprises a set of very strong warnings and stark consequences. Some of these warnings may cringe you and wonder how can a loving God allow such atrocities to take place if they disobeyed? 

I think imagining yourself as a parent (if you are not already) would help understand this part of the message. Because the world is a fallen place, most parents would give many warnings to children out of their love, such as: “make sure you cross the street after checking left and right”, “do not ever follow a stranger”,”do not take any food from a stranger”,”avoid dangerous places,” etc. So does God. He knows that His children are vulnerable in a place ruled by the prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:3). Therefore, He provided a set of strong warnings and stark consequences – not to destroy, but to protect their lives.

A very similar message was given by Moses to the Israelites in Deuteronomy 28. His message covered a lot more curses and adverse consequences than blessings. God loves His children and wants to protect them in a fallen world. The only way they are protected is to stay within the LORD God and fully love Him by obeying His commands. 

Conclusion

In his last public message, Joshua solely focused on the LORD His God. It was not about him, but about what the LORD God did for him and for the Israelites. Many of the most respected leaders in history started great, but fell precipitously at the end of their lives because they kept focusing on themselves and their glory, which eventually led to their downfall. By focusing on the true God, even at the end of his leadership tenure, Joshua was free. By focusing on the LORD God Himself and His love to His people, Joshua naturally imbued humility and peace in his farewell address to Israel. 

Joshua 22: People of God – still just (sinful) people

This chapter describes a rather strange event that resulted in a misunderstanding between the Israel tribes on the west and east side of the Jordan River. Although the Israelites were chosen by God to be His people, from this episode, we find that they were just a group of people prone to sin, misunderstanding, and insecurity. 

Summary

After the distribution of the land, Joshua commended the two and a half tribes (Rebeun, Gad, and half tribe of Manassah) for having faithfully engaged in a long battle with their fellow brothers in the past seven years to help them inherit the land on the west side of the Jordan River. Before sending them back to their land, Joshua blessed them, commanding them to follow the law of the LORD, to love the LORD their God, and to share their plunder with those who stayed on the east side of the Jordan River. 

On their way back, the two and a half tribes built an altar on the west side of the Jordan River, which became a source of confusion to the rest of the Israelites (nine and a half tribes on the west side of the Jordan River), almost to the point of a civil war breakout. The two and a half tribes explained the true intent of the altar as a witness, not for burnt offerings or sacrifices, and their explanation mitigated the tension. After listening to the explanation provided came the praise to the LORD God by the nine and a half tribes. Then, all of them went back to their land.

Compliment to the two and a half tribes (Joshua 22:1-9)

Joshua gave a full compliment to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh (the two and half tribes) because they had kept the charge of the commandments of the LORD God by fighting along with the rest of the Israel tribes for all the long seven years of battle. Joshua’s praise to the two and a half tribes was fitting as they remained steadfast for seven years for the land that would be inherited for the other tribes, not for themselves. For this reason, Joshua blessed them (Joshua 22:6-7). 

Although the battles with the enemies might have ended, Joshua, in his blessing, also commanded the two and half tribes to observe the commandment and the law of the law and love the LORD. In addition, he also commanded them to share the wealth with those who stayed behind in their land on the east side of the Jordan. Note that this was Joshua’s version of the greatest command to the two and half tribes – first, love the LORD, and second, love your neighbor by sharing your great riches and spoil that they attained during the war time. The two and a half tribes would now face a different battle of keeping the law of the LORD to build up their society that would be worthy of God’s kingdom. 

Large “Strange” Altar (Joshua 22:10)

Then an unexpected event took place. The two and half tribes on their way back to their home built a large altar in appearance by the Jordan, which would eventually cause confusion and an escalated hostile response from the rest of the Israelite tribes (nine and half tribes) on the west side of the Jordan River. 

Why did they build the altar absent of God’s command? Let’s find out. 

Fast and Furious Initial Reaction (Joshua 22:11-15)

After hearing about the altar, the Israelites on the west side of the Jordan were alarmed and reacted hostile and quickly mobilized to go up against the two tribes in war. Positively viewed, their reaction was based on the LORD’s strict command to worship Him only in one designated place and to purge any person who prophesied false gods based on Moses’ last words (Dueteronomy 12 and 13). Therefore, in accordance with these commands, their quick reaction and determination to punish anything that rebelled against the LORD was understandable. 

On the other hand, however, in response to a strange, large altar, the rest of the Israel tribes could have sought first to have a session of conversations. In addition, given that two and half tribes fought along with them for a long seven years to help them settle over the Canaan region on the west side of the Jordan River, the rest of the Israelites could have demonstrated patience.  

Premature Accusation (Joshua 22:16-20)

This section covers the accusation by the sons of Israel against the two tribes. The content of the accusation shows two elements: 1) danger of premature assumption; and 2) hidden superior mentality of the Israel tribes on the west side of the Jordan River. 

First, this event shows that a premature, unverified assumption is dangerous. The sons of Israel assumed that the two and a half tribes already turned away from the following the LORD (Joshua 22:16) and built an altar. They already assessed that the sins committed by the two and a half tribes was commensurate with the iniquity of Peor (Numbers 25) and sin by Achan (Joshua 7). It was surprising to see how quickly this assumption was made by the Israelites on the west side of the Jordan. Didn’t they fight together with the two and a half tribes, and underwent a few life and death situations in the past seven years against the other nations? I thought that the camaraderie among them would have been stronger than what can be referred in this accusation. 

Second, in this accusation some superiority mentalities were demonstrated. In Joshua 20:19, the sons of Israel told the two and half tribes that if their land were unclean, “cross ino the the land of possession of the LORD, where the LORD’s tabernacle stands.” This statement shows that the nine and half tribes on the west side of the Jordan River consciously or unconsciously viewed their land “cleaner” than the land on the east side of the Jordan River. 

Although the entire Israel was chosen by God, the unity among the twelve tribes does not seem to be strong. Although chosen by God, they were still sinful humans. 

Defense and Insecurity (Joshua 22:21-29)

In response, the two and a half tribes told the rest of the sons of Israel that they did not turn away from the LORD. They articulated the reason for building an altar (Josh 22:24). They were concerned that their children would be blocked out of the land of the LORD and His tabernacle by the sons of the nine tribes in the west of Jordan. Because of this concern, they build the altar as a witness between the east and west side of the Israelite tribes. 

This was a strange reason. Why did the two and half tribes feared that in the future generation, the tribes on the west side of the Jordan River could block them from worshiping the LORD? Although all of them were one nation as God’s chosen people, a geographical division had already caused an anxiety and the fear of being left out. I would call this “insecurity.”

Again, this kind of insecurity seemed to be a byproduct of lack of unity among the Israelites although they fought together for seven years of long war against the inhabitants of the Canaan region. 

Conclusion

Although the hostile reaction was mitigated by the explanation provided by the two and half tribes, building an altar that the LORD God did not command was not a good idea. This event brought a division embedded among the twelve tribes of Israel into the surface. Noticeably, the LORD God and Joshua remained absent throughout this episode. The event indirectly shows that the “people” of God were still just humans prone to sin. 

On the other hand, we see a steadfastness of God – as demonstrated in the next chapters of Joshua (Joshua’s last messages) and all throughout the Bible – in continually pursuing His sinful people. Also, another aspect of the Bible is that it never shies away from depicting the shortcomings and depravity of people – even if they are people chosen by God.

Joshua 20-21: Signs that Point to God

Summary

After the distribution of land to the twelve tribes, chapters 20 and 21 describe cities given to the Levites, including cities of refuge. A total of 48 cities were given to the Levites, of which six were cities of refuges. With the allotted cities to the Levites, land distribution concludes. With the conclusion of the land distribution, the author attributed all the successes that Israel experienced to the LORD their God.

Institution of the Cities of Refuge

Although not a topic frequently highlighted in today’s Christianity, the cities of refuge must have been a very important topic for God and for the Israelites as it was repeated multiple times. The cities of refuge were given so that the man slayer who killed any person unintentionally could flee there to take asylum from the avenger of blood. The first set of commands associated with the cities of refuge were given by God to Moses in Numbers 35. In Deuteronomy 19, in his last message to the second-generation Israelites, Moses reiterated the importance of the cities of refuge. In Joshua 20, the LORD reminded Joshua of this command and told him to establish the cities of refuge. The repetition probably means the importance of this to the formation of Israel’s future society. Let’s find out why. 

The institution of the cities of refuge embodied the loving, caring heart of God and His very practical wisdom to protect people in the fallen nature of the world. 

The necessity of establishing cities of refuge originated from the fallen nature of the world since Adam transgressed God’s command to allow the entrance of sin to the world (Genesis 3). Because the world was tainted by sin, homicides as well as unintentional murder took place. To protect those people who accidentally kill others by mistake without any premeditation or hatred, God placed this institution. God knew the fallen world, and placed a very practical way to prevent unnecessary vengeance and murder. 

The protection that the cities of refuge provided is two-way. The most visible purpose of the cities of refuge was to protect any person who accidentally kills another person from the hand of the avenger of the blood. The other important purpose, though not explicit, was to protect the avenger of the blood from committing a presumptuous sin by killing an innocent person. Hence, the cities of refuge provided a two-way protection: 1) person from the avenger of the blood; and 2) the avenger of the blood from committing an unnecessary murder. By establishing this institution, the LORD desired the society of His people to minimize the adverse effect of the revenge cycle. 

Then, who was eligible to be protected? Note that in Joshua 21:9, these cities of refugees were appointed for all the sons of Israel as for the strangers. The strangers, in other words, even the foreigners or non-Israelites who resided within the Israelites communities were also to be protected. The heart of God was to encompass everyone. 

Finally, this institution also pointed out the caring heart of God for especially the marginalized in the society.  Unintentional killing of other people was probably more prone to occupations that were hazardous, requiring strenuous physical labors, as shown in the example provided in Deuteronomy 19 (i.e. when a man accidentally swung the axes to cut down the tree strikes someone else). God wanted to ensure that social structure would be in place to protect those in the hazardous occupations from unintentional, fatal mistakes. 

Presence of Levites by Number and Table

The table below summarizes the number of cities, including the cities of refuge, given to the Levites by each tribe. 

TribePopulation (Based on Numbers 26)Number of Levite citiesRefuge Cities (included in the Levite cities)
Reuben43,73041
Gad40,50041
Judah & Simeon76,500 (Judah) and 22,200 (Simeon)91
Issachar64,3004
Zebulun60,5004
Ephraim32,50041
Manasseh52,70041
Benjamin45,6004
Dan64,4004
Asher53,4004
Naphthali45,40031
Total601,730486
Number of Levite Cities by Tribe

The number of Levite cities were roughly given in proportion to each tribe’s population. Because Judah and Simeon together accounted for the largest population, they together provided the most number of cities to the Levites. 

Ubiquitous Presence of Levite: A Sign that points to God

The Gospel of John uses this word more often than the other three Gospels when describing miracles done by Jesus. That word is “sign.” The Gospel of John highlights seven miracles of Jesus Christ and John deliberately use the word “sign.” A sign for what? Miracles in themselves were meaningless – unless they point to Jesus. In other words, miracles were merely a sign that points to Jesus Christ.  

Land is one of the major topics of the book of Joshua. The LORD God swore to give this land to the Israelites with the first promise tracing all the way back to Abraham. Land is described as inheritance to the sons of Israel. Although land is a very important topic, it can and should never displace the LORD God. Other than providing a physical space for the Israelites to reside and settle, what was the purpose of the inherited land? 

Land was to serve as a “sign” that points to the LORD God. That the Levites were dispersed to 48 cities across the twelve tribes was to facilitate this role. For the Levites, the land was not inherited because the LORD Himself was the inheritance to them. By having the Levites in inherited land for other tribes, other tribes were to be continually reminded that the “true” inheritance was the LORD Himself, not the land. For us, likewise all the blessings and great gifts are merely signs that nudged us to see the true origin of the blessing: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. 

Fitting Conclusion: Acknowledge the True Source of the Promises 

With the assignment of cities to the Levites, chapters 20 and 21 concluded the logistics section of the land distribution, which began back in Chapter 15. 

Joshua acknowledged the true source of all the fulfilled promises – the LORD God. The LORD gave Israel all the land (Joshua 21:43). The LORD gave them rest on every side as He defeated all the enemies (Joshua 21:44). All the promises that the LORD had made to Israel were fulfilled (Joshua 21:45). These three statements ensured that the main subject was the LORD God, not the Israelites, not Joshua. This surely was the fitting conclusion of the land distribution section of the book of Joshua, from chapters 15 to 21.

Joshua 18-19: Land Division to the Rest; Judah vs. Dan

Summary

The whole congregation of Israel assembled at Shiloh. At that place, Joshua urged the rest of the tribes to proactively take possession of the land which the LORD the God had given to them. To facilitate this process, Joshua commanded the remaining seven tribes to send three men from each tribe to survey the land for the lot. After the land survey, they came back and Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before the presence of the LORD. The rest of the land was divided and given to the remaining seven tribes (Benjamine, Simeon, Zebulun, Issachar, Asher, Naphthali, and Dan).

Before the LORD

Casting lots may be considered a strange way to discern how the land would be distributed to each tribe. However, there is a key phrase that was continually repeated in these two chapters, “before the LORD” (Joshua 18:6, 18:8, 18:10, and 19:51). The LORD commanded Joshua to distribute the land by lot, and Joshua and Eleazar the priest did this before the presence of the LORD. Casting lot in itself may not be a valid method, but it being conducted before the presence of the LORD was the most important aspect. 

Reset by Joshua: Bite-sized Tasks

Chapter 18 goes in tandem with Chapter 13. Back in Chapter 13, the LORD reminded Joshua of the remaining land that needed to be possessed and of the promise that the LORD had made that He would drive out the inhabitants (Joshua 13:6). In Chapter 18, Joshua himself urged the remaining seven tribes to enter to take possession and gave them a concrete mission – to select three men from each tribe to survey the land and report back to him. 

A modicum of wise leadership by Joshua can be noted here. Perhaps, the seven tribes were afraid and were lost in the grand purpose of conquering the vast land area, or the thought of possessing a remaining large size land paralyzed their next actions. Therefore, Joshua broke down the task for them. First, select three men from each tribe. Second, dispatch those selected men to survey the land. Third, divide the remaining land into seven parts. By taking a few small steps, Joshua gave a digestible concrete mission for the tribes to the next step. By leading them to see and survey the land themselves, Joshua made the task more concrete for the remaining tribes. By dividing the whole land into seven areas, Joshua directed them to engage in a divide and conquer strategy to reduce their mental burden and facilitate their action. 

The order of Lot Allotment

During the bible study, there was a question about how the lot order was determined. Although not explicitly stated in the text, upon some pondering, we found that the allotment order was roughly the reverse of the birth order of the seven remaining tribes – the only exception was Simeon. 

Birth order for the remaining tribesSimeon, Dan, Napthali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin
Allotment order for the remaining tribesBenjamin, Simeon, Zebulun, Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and Dan

Benjamin was the youngest, and his tribe received the first allotment located in between Ephraim and Judah. Simeon, although he was the oldest of the seven, received next probably because Simeon tribe was the fewest in numbers of all tribes.

Although the order may not be of significant importance, if we assume that the youngest roughly equates to the weakest, this may show that God’s intricate care of the weak first. 

Meek Leadership: Judah and Simeon 

*Side note: Biblical definition of meekness is “power under control.” 

Let’s take a closer look at the inheritance given to Simeon (Joshua 19:1-9). Inheritance given to the Simeon tribe stood out because unlike other six tribes, Simeon received thirteen cities within the Judah’s inheritance. Although the explicit reason was that Judah inheritance was more than they needed, some things may have been ongoing behind the scene. 

First, we may wonder why Simeon was not given the land for themselves on the northern territory. Was it possible that the Simeon tribe was not liked by the others? The leadership in the Simeon tribe committed a huge sin at Shittim (Numbers 25), and as a result, many people, probably those in the Simeon tribe, died, reducing their size significantly. It was possible that the Simeon tribe was not looked upon favorably by the other tribes due to this incident and the three dispatched men were not able to do a proper survey of the land. 

Second, perhaps, Simeon, having nowhere to settle, Judah took them in and voluntarily provided 13 cities. In Judges 1:3, we also see that Judah helped Simeon to fight together against the Canaanite and the Perizzites, defeating 10,000 men at Bezek to claim the territory allotted to Simeon. Judah was not required to help Simeon to claim his lot. However, from this episode, we see that not only Judah voluntarily provided 13 cities for Simeon, but also helped the Simeon tribe (about 22,000 men compared to 76,500 men in Judah) to claim the allotted territory. 

The strongest tribe helped the weakest tribe and fought alongside with them to claim the allotted land. This is a meek leadership – using power appropriately to serve the weak. 

Colossal Failure: Dan Tribe

Varying degrees of “success” across each tribe was pronounced. Most of them were not able to drive out 100% of the inhabitants in their allotted land. Even Judah was not able to drive out Jebusites and they remained in Jerusalem until King David. However, the contrast between Judah and Dan drew our attention. 

The Dan tribe was a prime example of a colossal failure in inheriting the land. Although the size of the Dan tribe was second only to that of the Judah Tribe (64,400 to 76,500), they were humiliated by the Amorites (Judge 1:34). The Amorites were determined to stay in the land allotted to the Dan tribe, and Dan tribe was driven out, instead of driving out the inhabitants. As a result, the Dan tribe had to meander toward the very north of the Canaan region until they settled in Leshem, which was named Dan (Joshua 19:47).

What a difference between Judah and Dan!

Conclusions

Joshua continued to demonstrate his leadership over the seven tribes who needed a nudge to take action to take possession of the land. Most importantly, however, Joshua submitted before the presence of the LORD when he cast lots for the land inheritance. 

We see that the way in which the land was inherited to each tribe varied greatly. Judah not only settled well, but also used its strength to help Simeon to settle. Dan, despite having the size, was overpowered by the Amorites and was pushed out of its land to settle in the very north of Canaan area. 

The contrast between Judah and Dan gives us something to think about claiming the promise of God.

Joshua 16-17: Ask not what your God can do for you – ask what you can do for your God

After distributing land to the Judah tribe, the next in line were the Manasseh and Ephraim tribes, sons of Joseph. 

Summary

Chapters 16 and 17 provide a detailed contour of the land given to the tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim. Unlike chapter 15, however, chapters 16 and 17 did not list all the cities to be inherited to tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh. 

In addition, the author highlighted the episode of five Zelophedad’s daughters and how they inherited land. The land distributions to these two tribes concluded with a slightly heated conversation between the sons of Joseph and Joshua over the size of inherited land. These two events will be the focus of this post. 

Zelophedad’s Five Daughters (Joshua 17:3-6)

This is a notable event that Joshua deliberately recorded in the land distribution to the tribe of Manasseh. Let’s take a closer look. 

Five daughters of Zelophedad came before Eleazor the priest and before Joshua to remind them of Moses’s command to give them an inheritance (land) although Zelophedad had no sons (Joshua 17:3-4). Joshua and Eleazor honored the command given by the LORD through Moses to ensure the families preserve their father’s name.

This special request by Zelophedad’s five daughters was brought up, first, in Numbers 27, about 7 to 8 years before Joshua 16-17, right after the second census took place to number the total men for the second-generation Israelites. Subsequently, the LORD commanded Moses to assign inherited land according to the number of families (Numbers 27:1-2). Because the census counted only males who were 20 years or older at that time, Zelophedad’s household, with no sons and Zelophedad having passed away in the wilderness, would receive no inheritance. Five daughters, spotting this “gap” in the land inheritance procedure, brought up the issue immediately to Moses and asked for a possession to preserve their father’s name. Because this was an unprecedented case, Moses brought this case to the LORD (Numbers 27:5) and the LORD agreed with the five daughters’ logical request and complemented the “gap” in the land inheritance process to account for special situations if the family had no sons (Numbers 27:6-11). 

From this Zelophedad’s daughters’ request and subsequent grant, I would like to draw out three specific insights. First, humility in the Israel leadership led by Moses. When he received this request, Moses did not automatically dismiss their request in a male-dominated world that time. Because of the unprecedented nature of this case, Moses brought the case before the LORD and was willing to totally submit to the guidance of the LORD – and he did. The next leaders, Joshua and Eleazor the priest did not hesitate to honor this command. The Israel community had quality leadership back to back to obey the LORD’s command.  

Second, very related to the first point, Moses and the leadership must have created a safe environment for anyone, including minorities, such as women, aliens and others, to speak up. Moses was described as the most humble leader (Numbers 12:3) and If the top leader had shown humility in leadership, the rest of the leadership was very likely as well. Under this kind of open environment, the Israelites must have felt comfortable to speak up to be heard in a just manner. This could have facilitated five daughters of Zelophedad to boldly point out a potential “gap” in the land distribution process without any fear. 

Third, I would like to pose a question. Was there a gap in the law of the LORD? Why didn’t the LORD ensure that the “original” law of Moses addressed the situation of families with no sons in the land inheritance process? Although the Bible does not provide an explicit answer, the LORD may have allowed this “gap” to test the Israel leadership and increase awareness of this potential “gap” to the whole community. From this event, the people of Israel would be aware of this exceptional situation and the rights to inherit would be equally applied to daughters as well. Indeed, God shows no favoritism. 

Sons of Joseph and Sons of Judah

The second notable episode was the conversation between the sons of Joseph and Joshua. As the sons of Judah drew near to speak with Joshua (Joshua 14:6), so did the sons of Joseph drew near to Joshua (Joshua 17:14) in this chapter. However, that’s where the similarity between the Judah Tribe and two tribes of Joseph ends. Please refer to the table below to compare and contrast two tribes on how they viewed the land to be conquered.  

Sons of Joseph Sons of Judah
Source of ConfidenceTheir number and the fact that they are blessed by the LORD (Josh 17:14) The LORD their God. The promise of the LORD to give the land which the foot of the Israelites trod upon (Josh 14:10-11) 
ObstaclesCanaanites have chariots fitted with iron in both Beth Shean and the Valley of Jezreel (Josh 17:16)Anakites and their large, fortified cities (Josh 14:12)
AttitudeWe cannot do it because of the obstacles ! (Josh 17:16)Despite obstacles, we can overcome (Josh 14:12)
Main Point The hill country is not enough for us (give us easier land) – Give us more land! (Josh 17:16) We will drive them out with the help of the LORD (Josh 14:12)
Table 1: Contrast between sons of Joseph and sons of Judah

The main attitude difference between the Judah tribes and two tribes of Joseph stemmed from the different degrees of acknowledging the presence of the LORD their God. When Caleb came to Joshua, he cited the promise of the LORD. Based on the promise of the LORD, Caleb and Judah expressed their confidence in victory with the LORD in driving out large, fortified cities of Anakites. In contrast, the sons of Joseph demonstrated the entitlement mentality ( Josh 17:14) that they deserved more land because they are blessed by the LORD. Despite obstacles like fortified cities of Anakites, Caleb showed the courage to surely drive them out with the help of the LORD (Joshua 14:12). The sons of Joseph complained that because of iron chariots by the inhabitants, they would not be able to expand their territories (Joshua 17:16). Noticeably, the LORD God was absent in the conversation from the sons of Joseph, but the LORD God was the central force in Caleb’s and the Judah tribe’s confidence. What a difference between the two!

Joshua did not seem to be pleased with the request of the sons of Joseph. Although Joshua was part of the Ephraim tribe (second son of Joseph), he did not grant any land, and told them that they themselves needed to take the initiative to clear the forest and develop extra land –  and they were dismissed. 

Lessons

Five daughters of Zelophadad were brave. Moses, Joshua, and Eleazor were all leaders of humility to listen to their request attentively and granted it. LIkewise, Jesus, our Lord, has created a safe environment for us to pray and plead before Him. 

The heated conversation between the sons of Joseph and Joshua reminded me of John F. Kennedy’s famous speech: “ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can for your country.” 

Just swap “your country” with “your God.”

Joshua 15: Manifestation of God’s Promise – Land to Judah Tribe

The book of Joshua can be broadly divided into three parts: 1) entering the land; 2) conquering the land; and 3) the distribution of the land. Starting from chapter 15 began the third part of the book. From this chapter to chapter 21, Joshua provided a detailed description of the land and cities inherited to the twelve tribes and the Levi tribe.

As a reader, one of the most difficult challenges associated with these chapters on land distribution is drawing out applicable messages. The details of geographic and cities, if you are not familiar with the Israel geographic, would be difficult to follow and to extract appropriate meanings. 

Thankfully, the most important message that we, the reader, need to obtain from the land distribution chapters is nicely summarized by the last three verses in chapter 21, as summarized below: 

“43 So the Lord gave Israel all the land which He had sworn to give to their fathers, and they possessed it and lived in it. 
44 And the Lord gave them rest on every side, according to all that He had sworn to their fathers, and no one of all their enemies stood before them; 
the Lord gave all their enemies into their hand. 
45 Not one of the good promises which the Lord had made to the house of Israel failed; all came to pass.
Joshua 21:43-45 [underline added by the blog author]

Joshua 21:43-45 provides a key summary of both conquering and distribution of land chapters. God is the subject of all the accomplishments. The phrase, “the LORD gave,” is repeated three times, along with two repetitions of “He had sworn.” As the LORD loved the Israelites, He had sworn to give the land to their fathers. The LORD is the main promise keeper and enabler of all the promises. 

Detailed descriptions of land, territories, and cities are a manifestation of God’s faithfulness. Faithful God is always the central message of the entire Bible. These detailed accounts of borders, territories and cities are one of the manifestations of God’s goodness and promises to the Israelites. 

Now let’s go over the content of chapter 15. 

Chapter Summary

Chapter 15 provides a detailed description of the land and the cities given to the tribe of Judah. 

The effective first born

Let’s note that the lot allocation started with the tribe of Judah. In terms of biological order, Reueben was the first born of Jacob. In terms of the number of lots inherited, Joseph was considered the first born as he received two lots, one each for his son, Manasseh and Ephraim. In terms of land allocation order, however, the LORD seemed to have chosen Judah, biologically the fourth born, as the first born. Why was Judah the first? Perhaps, they were the most actively obedient among the twelve tribes? 

Description of the border and cities (v. 1-13, v. 22-63)

The Judah tribe inherited the southern part of Canaan, the detailed conquest of which was described in chapter 10 (Joshua 10:29-43). Compared with other tribes, Judah received an expansive area of land and many cities as they were numerous and the most dedicated tribe to fulfill the promise of God with their active obedience. However, even the Judah tribe was not able to drive out the Jebusites in Jerusalem. The Jebusites were driven away much later by the second king of Israel, David (2 Samuel 5:6-10).

Caleb and Othniel (v13-21)

A more description of a military exploit by Caleb was given in these verses. Approximately 45 years ago, the descendants of Anak placed a fear into the first-generation Israelites (Numbers 13:32-33). In contrast, verse 14 pointed out that Caleb drove out three sons of Anak to emphasize the victorious aspect for Caleb, who represented all those who followed the LORD fully. 

Othniel, along with his wife, Achsah (Caleb’s daughter), were introduced in verse 17. Joshua might have highlighted this event to introduce Othniel, who would be the next leader of Israel as a judge. Othniel was described as a man of God filled with the Spirit of the LORD, who delivered Israel from an adversary (Judges 3:9-10). 

Lesson

Land distribution was one of the major manifestations of God’s faithfulness to the Israelites, and He provided the land and the cities abundantly. The first lot was allocated to the Judah tribe, who under the leadership of Caleb, showed a full heart to follow the LORD and fulfill His promises.

What are some manifestations of God’s faithfulness in your life?

Joshua 13-14: Inheritance; Active Inheritance; and True Inheritance

Summary

The LORD directly told Joshua that he was old and advanced in years and reminded him that very much of the land remained to be possessed. The LORD reinforced His promise that He would drive out the rest of inhabitants from before the sons of Israel, and commanded Joshua to apportion the land to the nine and a half tribes. Then, the author recounted all the land which was on the east side of the Jordan that was inherited to the two tribes and the half tribes (Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh).

The sons of Judah and Caleb, the leader of the tribe, drew near to Joshua in Gilgal to demonstrate their insatiable desire to fulfill God’s promise by asking for one of the most difficult lands to conquer, Hebron in the hill country. Joshua was pleased and blessed Caleb and gave Hebron to Caleb for an inheritance. 

Remaining Land

Why was still very much of the land remaining to be possessed (Joshua 13:1)? Joshua probably exerted his best effort with the help of the LORD to make the most of his ability to conquer a large portion of the Canaan region. Not every tribe was likely to be as fully engaged as Joshua was in fulfilling the promise of God, however.

First, two and a half tribes already received their inheritance on the east side of the Jordan. Although they did send their men of war to the west side of the Jordan River, it would have been very difficult for them to sustain their best effort in every battle for the land that would be for other tribes. Therefore, over the long period of war of seven years from chapters 10 to 13, their enthusiasm for this conquest was almost inevitably to decline over the time. 

Second, because the two and a half tribes already inherited the land on the east side of the Jordan, there might have been other tribes that were jealous over them or to some extent demonstrated discontent. Instead of focusing on the land that they could acquire in the future through the battles, some tribes might have longed for some land in the east side of the Jordan River.  

Third, a varying degree of God-aligned leadership across the nine and a half tribes would have played an important factor in how much each tribe exerted its effort in fulfilling the promise of God in possessing the land.

For example, the Judah tribe had a leader who followed the LORD fully like Caleb, who in chapter 14 demonstrated his insatiable desire to fulfill God’s promise as much as possible even at an old age of 85. The Judah tribe under the leadership of Caleb, who followed the LORD fully (Joshua 14:14), would have had many followers who were motivated to fulfill the promise of God. On the other side of the spectrum, one of the leaders among the Simeonites, Zimri played the harlot with the Midianite woman in the sight of Moses and all the congregation of Israel while they were at Shittim (Numbers 25), only a few months before entering the land of Canaan.  Zimri was soon killed by Phinehas the son of Eleazor (Numbers 25:7-15), who righteously demonstrated the zeal of the LORD. Given that Zimri, who prioritized his sexual pleasure over the holiness of the LORD, was one of the leaders of the Simeon tribe, it would be hard to imagine that the Simeon tribe would have had a leadership quality commensurate with that of the Judah tribe. Therefore, as a whole tribe, it would be hard to imagine that the performance of the Simeon tribe was anywhere near that of the Judah tribe. 

Perhaps for the aforementioned three reasons, it was a difficult task, even for Joshua, to conquer all the land of Canaan. Therefore, some land remained to be possessed. 

Reset

Despite the land that remained to be possessed, God reminded of His promise to Israel again that He would drive the inhabitants of Canaan out. Then, He commanded Joshua to apportion the land as an inheritance. 

This was a call to reset. The LORD acknowledged that Joshua did well in spite of a difficult task of uniting the diverging interests of the twelve tribes over the past seven years. God was encouraging Joshua to reset to start again to motivate each tribe again to conquer the remaining land. 

Inheritance 

In chapters 13 and 14, the word “inheritance” appeared very often. Although the land was taken after defeating the inhabitants, inheritance, not conquest, was the main principle that guided how the land was given.

The use of the word “Inheritance” reveals a few important aspects of God. The first important aspect is the relation between the LORD God and Israel. Inheritance is typically defined as a transaction of properties from parents to children. Even in the midst of fierce wars, the word “inheritance” implicitly reveals an important relational aspect between the LORD God and the Israelites – a father and sons, and a father and daughters. The second important aspect of the word “inheritance” points out the ownership of the land. The ultimate, true owner of all land, including the land of Canaan, is the LORD God – as mentioned in the book of Leviticus (Leviticus 25:23). Notwithstanding however many years the Canaanites had occupied the land, the true owner of all the land is the LORD God. 

“Active” Inheritance

The land was not just given to the Israelites to each tribe in a “supernatural” way, with no action from the Israelites.  Although the LORD promised to give the land as an inheritance to the twelve Israel tribes, the role of the Israelites was to obey the LORD. They had to step on the land that God promised and drive out the inhabitants (Joshua 1:3). They had to actively proclaim the promise of God. 

Fulfilling the promise of God requires active obedience. 

True Inheritance

For the Levites, land was not given to them because the LORD Himself is their inheritance. This was repeated twice in Joshua 13 (Joshua 13:14 and 13:33).  

Land is one of the most important topics in the book of Joshua. Inheritance was mainly manifested as land from the LORD God to the Israelites. However, these two verses in Joshua 13 emphasize a very important message, not just to the Levites, not just to the other twelve tribes and Joshua, but to all the followers of Christ. The true inheritance, the true portion and wealth, is the LORD our God Himself. In addition, many psalmists also expressed this truth. 

Let’s not forget. Let’s remember that gifts – in this case the land – mainly serve as a sign that points to the giver – our God. Our Lord Jesus Christ is our most valuable possession. He is our true portion and inheritance.

Caleb and His Identity

The latter part of chapter 14 exclusively focused on Caleb. Caleb was described as “the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite.” So, who was Caleb in the Bible? 

His father Jephunneh was a Kenizzite. Genesis chapter 15 shows that the land of Kenizzites was one of the many nations in the land of Canaan (Genesis 15:19). This indicated that Caleb was not a direct descendant of Abraham. It might have been that his father was integrated to the Israel society when Israel was under slavery in Egypt. As a gentile, his family might have easily been marginalized in the community. Besides, the name of Caleb also possibly indicated his humble background as it meant dog.

Although we do not know exactly how he rose to become a leader of the Judah tribe, one thing that was clear in this chapter was that the LORD God showed no partiality in ethnicity as long as the person was fully dedicated to the LORD. He actively obeyed the LORD to claim the promised inheritance by the LORD. Because Caleb knew the LORD, the true inheritance, he was able to actively obey to claim the promised inheritance, land, by the LORD. 

Lesson 

Caleb and Judah knew the LORD, the true inheritance. Therefore, Caleb was able to actively claim the promise of the LORD’s inheritance, which in this case manifested as the land in Canaan.  

I pray that you will be able to actively follow our Lord Jesus Christ to claim all the promises and blessings that He has granted. More importantly, I pray that all these promises and blessings will allow you to have greater intimacy with our Lord Jesus Christ, the true inheritance.

Joshua 11-12: Military Genius Joshua – against the Northern Kings

Joshua and Israel conquered the southern Canaan area. Then, Joshua and Israel battled the coalition of the northern kings and defeated them. 

Second United Force in Canaan

After hearing the southern area was conquered by the Israelites, the kings on the northern side decided to unite their force to fight against the Israelites (Joshua 11:5). The size of the army was as numerous as the sand on the seashore, and their forces looked formidable with very many horses and chariots (Joshua 11:4).

God’s Encouragement and Military Genius Joshua III

However, God personally spoke to Joshua and assured that He would deliver all of them before Israel (Joshua 11:6). Empowered by this encouragement, Joshua made a swift decision and translated into execution.

What I see is a full trust between God and Joshua – let me call this two-way trust. As shown in many previous chapters in Joshua, God usually did not provide details on what Joshua should do, but gave mostly a strategic direction only. God fully trusted Joshua’s military prowess to formulate a set of appropriate tactical decisions.

Similar to how Joshua launched a sudden attack on the cohort of the five Amorite kings in Chapter 10, Joshua spotted a great opportunity for a sudden attack when he heard that the coalition of northern kings gathered at the waters of Merom.

First, the distance from Gilgal to the waters of Merom was about 60 miles, which made the northern kings thought that a surprise attack by the Israelites was a low possibility. Second, the terrain of the water of Merom was mountainous, on which the use of horses and chariots would be very limited. They might have gathered in that place just to have a strategic discussion on how to repel Joshua and Israel, not to have actual battles.

While Joshua was contemplating these in his mind (this is my educated imagination), the LORD gave a message of assurance that He would deliver them slain before Israel by the next day (Joshua 11:6). With the assurance by the LORD, Joshua made an all night trip to make a quick, sudden attack on the coalition of northern kings (Joshua 11:7).

With God’s promise, Joshua was able to defeat the army with a sudden attack. The sudden attack must have confounded the coalition of five northern kings, and rendered horses and chariots useless on the mountainous terrain. Unlike the battle against the five kings in chapter 10, God did not directly intervene in this battle against the northern kings. However, this battle highlighted an upgraded version of military tactics by Joshua.

Long War

After defeating the united forces, Joshua took their land. Yet, verse 18 says that “Joshua waged war a long time with all these kings.” Then, how long did war continue? From a few references from Joshua chapter 14 and the book of Numbers, we can deduct that the total length of the Canaan war up to chapter 11 and 12 was about seven years. In chapter 14, Caleb stated that he was 40 years old when he was sent as a spy to scout out the land of Canaan for the first time, and he became 85 years old in Chapter 14. Since the dispatch of the first spies, the Israelites wandered in the wilderness for 38 years before crossing the Jordan River. Caleb must have been around 78 years old when the second-generation Israetlies just crossed the Jordan River. Since the crossing of the Jordan River, it had been about seven years of war. Given that each World War, both first and second, lasted four years, seven years was a long time.

The Role of Moses

Although Moses passed away right before entering the Canaan land, the name of Moses was mentioned often (Joshua 11:12,15, 20,and 23). In fact, it was not Moses, but the command given by the LORD through Moses was very important to Joshua and Israel. 

The main command given by Moses to the Israelite was not just to occupy the land, but also to utterly destroy all the inhabitants in Canaan. The reason for utter destruction was to ensure that Israel would not be influenced by their evil idol worship and unjust economic/political institutions that defy the very nature of God (Exodus 34:11-12, Duet 7:1-2). Joshua took this command seriously and fully implemented it. 

Finally, defeating Anakim – after 38 years!

In the first scout of the land of Canaan, about 38 years ago in reference to Joshua chapters 11 and 12, the entire first-generation Israelites succumbed to the fear at the report of the giant inhabitants in Canaan, especially Nephilim, the descendants of Anak (Numbers 13:33). Only Joshua and Caleb demonstrated their faith in the power of the LORD to conquer the land at that time. 38 years ago, because of the unfaithfulness of Israel, the LORD had forbidden them to enter the land of Canaan. However, 38 years later, finally, Joshua and Israel struck down the nation of Anakites, which placed a fear into the first-generation Israelites. With this statement, chapter 11 briefly concluded that the land had rested from war.

Faithfulness of God, Moses, and Joshua

Chapter 12 recaps all the victories under the leadership of Moses and Joshua. The author of the book wanted to ensure that the LORD worked wonders for Israel, and His work never stopped even in the midst of monumental transition of leadership from Moses to Joshua. The work of the LORD never stopped, never stops, and will never stop.

This chapter reminds me of a verse in the letter to the Philippians by Paul, “He who began a good work in you will continue to perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus (Phil 1:6).” As God’s work continued through Moses to Joshua and beyond, I pray that His work in you through the Holy Spirit will never stop.

Joshua 10: Military Genius Joshua

Chapter 10 is deja vu of chapter 8. Chapter 10 shows the second account of a genius aspect in the military affair by Joshua. It also shows an effective partnership between the LORD and Joshua in defeating the five kings of central Canaan. 

Summary

Five kings in the center region of the Canaan decided to join their force to attack the Gibeonites, who just made a covenant with Israel. The Gibeonites sent word to Joshua, asking for help, and Joshua came to their rescue. Against the cohort of five kings, Joshua made a quick, sudden attack, and with the LORD’s raining of hailstones, he fought the five kings and defeated them in a single, lengthened day. After the victory over the united army of five kings, Joshua and Israel subsequently conquered one city at a time to occupy the entire southern area of the Canaan. 

Military Genius II 

When Joshua received a help request from the Gibeonites to rescue them from the united force of the five kings, he instinctively knew that this was a great opportunity. Joshua knew that the five kings would be busy preparing to attack the Gibeonites. They concentrated their effort solely to destroy the Gibeonites. Considering some distance between their location and Gilgal, where Joshua and Israel were stationed, approximately 35 to 40 miles, the kings probably did not anticipate a sudden attack by the Israelites as a high possibility. 

Against this backdrop, Joshua quickly formed a force composed of best-mobile men of war to make an expeditious move to march over a distance of 35 miles all night (Joshua 10:9) to make a sudden attack on the armies of five kings. This attack must have confounded them because they were solely concentrating on the Gibeonites and they did not expect the Israelites to appear that soon given some distance between them and Gilgal. 

Once and for All II

This surprise attack by Joshua was just the beginning of the victorious process. The LORD sealed the deal with the shower of hailstones on the enemies (Josh 10:11). As he did in the Ai battle (Joshua 8), he was determined to “crush the enemy” once and for all. Joshua asked the LORD to lengthen the day, and the sun stood still to lengthen the day for Israel to utterly destroy the enemies (Josh 10:12-15). 

A complete destruction of enemies in a single, day-long battle was very important for Israel, especially in a foreign land surrounded by other potential enemies. Joshua maximized his military genius, with critical help from the LORD God, he was able to quickly destroy the cohort of five kings. 

Conquest of Southern Canaan

After achieving a quick victory over the five kings, Joshua and Israel went on to conquer the rest of the southern area of Canaan – one city at a time. We see a continual, consistency of Joshua and Israel to destroy one city at a time. 

Lessons

We see a risk taken by Joshua. Joshua made a bold decision to launch a sudden attack against the cohort of five kings. He spotted the opportunity and quickly made a move to attack the enemy at the most vulnerable time. 

What about you? 

Are there certain God-given tasks that you need to be courageous and take risk to tackle?