Chapter Introduction
The word is spreading across the land. God and His people were taking over the land. This alarmed all the other inhabitants of the land. Joshua sets his sights on the northern Canaanite territory.
Joshua 11:1-5
Jabin was the king of Hazor, located ten miles north of the Sea of Galilee. It was one of the largest cities in the fertile crescent. The upper part is 25 acres, and the lower is 175 acres. The walls on the upper part were 23-foot thick mudbrick. They had close ties with Egypt and are mentioned in many ancient writings. The Amarna texts list this as the most crucial city in the region.
A collection of 350 cuneiform tablets from the 14th century bc containing correspondence between various rulers of the ancient Near East and the New Kingdom Egyptian pharaohs Amenhotep III, Amenhotep IV (Akhenaten), Smenkhkara, and Tutankhamun. They contain references to numerous Canaanite cities that are featured prominently in the Bible and provide a glimpse into the cultural and political landscape of the world of the Bible prior to the emergence of ancient Israel.
Kelley, J. L. (2016). Amarna Letters.
In J. D. Barry, D. Bomar, D. R. Brown, R. Klippenstein, D.
Mangum, C. Sinclair Wolcott, L. Wentz, E. Ritzema, & W. Widder (Eds.),
The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Lexham Press.
Jabin was concerned with all he heard about Joshua, Israel, and their God. He sent messages to several kings to form an army to face and conquer Israel. He gathered:
- Jobab, king of Madon.
- The king of Shimron
- The king of Achshaph
- To the Canaanites to the East
- To the Canaanites to the west.
- To the Amorites
- To the Hittites.
- To the Perizzites.
- To the Jebusites
- To the Hivites below Hermon.
The call went out to the important cities, then to the regions in general, then to people groups. After all were gathered, they formed an army as numerous as the sand on the seashore with horses and chariots. This would appear to be an insurmountable force.
Interestingly, most of these others would have to be conquered before the army approached Hazor. While a coalition served all of them, it benefitted Hazor the most.
This northern coalition of darkness must have thought that all the southern kings had gone about it all wrong. Surely, this coalition could stand against God's people. After all, there was a multitude of them with many horses and chariots. No army could stand against this! Or at least it seemed that way to Jabin and company.
Joshua 11:6-9
The Lord determined victory for Joshua and Israel. The battle was won before it started. If they looked at the situation with human logic, numbers against numbers, weapons, and skill against the same, then it may have been a bleak outlook. It could have struck fear in the faithless. The Lord commanded them not to be afraid because they served Him, and there would be victory.
This was a spiritual battle won by faith, not by sight, and following The King of all kings.
Was there ever a thought by a military-minded man, "We could keep these chariots and horses and strengthen our army!" Maybe we don't know. How many of us would fall into that trap? The enemy had those things, and it did them no good.
Would the possession of superior weapons cause them to trust in them?
Joshua 11:10-11
After the defeat of the army, Joshua turned back and went to Hazor. He executed the king, who had led the coalition. He also killed all the people and burned the city. The city was erased by the principle of charem (devoted to destruction).
Joshua 11:12-15
The destruction of Hazor was essentially cutting the head off the snake. Hazor appears to have been a royal city that controlled a large area. The Amarna letters indicate the king was a vassal in good standing with Egypt. There was no reason to destroy the surrounding cities held by the authority of the King of Hazor and not necessarily loyalty. These other cities, built on tels, were militarily strong and would be valuable in the future. They were conquered and looted by Israel. They struck down the men, leaving them defenseless.
All of this was consistent with the commands of Moses (and the Lord).
Joshua 11:16-20
We get an overview of the conquests up until that time. The treaty with the Hivites at Gibeon was the only exception to what was commanded. Otherwise, they had destroyed the people and the cities designated as charem.
This wiping away of a people in this nation may seem harsh or cruel in our minds. Genesis 15:16 says, “But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.” These people had sinned until a time when the Lord considered it complete. God didn't cause them to sin. He allowed them to do what was in their heart. God was righteous to judge them.
The Lord hardened the hearts of these people against Israel. Their sin was complete. They were committed to their position and hatred of God and His people. This hardness is a willingness to shake their fist at God and all His people and make war on them. It's a confidence in the flesh that leads to destruction.
See Romans 1:24-28 and Romans 9:14-18.
Joshua 11:21-
The Anikim were the descendants of Anak and were generally considered giants (Numbers 13:21-33; Deut 2:10-11; 2 Samuel 21:18-22). Joshua eliminated them from the Promised land so they only existed in the three Philistine cities. Goliath would rise from the Anikim and face a little runt of a shepherd with a slingshot in the future years.
The war lasted seven years, another interesting parallel with Revelation.
The Big Idea
We read pretty quickly through wars that were frightening events to Israel. They were moving from place to place slaughtering people. How did they keep going? We rarely think of the spiritual aspect. This was God’s people bringing a war against Satan’s kingdom and significant people groups that were committed to serving the devil or some demon.
©2006 Doug Ford, revised and updated 2008, 2015, 2024
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