Joshua 11 recounts the final battles as Israel takes the northern cities. Do you know what a Hail Mary play is? It’s a thing in football where nothing else is working so the quarter back just tells everyone to go long and he lofts up the ball along with a "hail Mary" and hopes someone catches it. It is a last ditch effort, a last stand, a desperation move.
That’s where the Canaanites find themselves in Joshua 11. Joshua and Israel entered the land, destroyed Jericho and the rest of the southern cities. Then they turned their attention to northern Israel and the leaders of those cities realized the tide had turned and if things went as they were headed they would be destroyed.
So Jabin, king of the large city of Hazor, heard what had happened, he got everyone together in a huge army to overwhelm Israel. Now if they had done this from the beginning perhaps they might have had more success (not really since God was in charge). But perhaps they were a bit arrogant about their own abilities and underestimated the God they were really fighting.
At some point in your own battle for the victorious Christian life, the enemy will realize that he is about to lose influence over you. He lost your soul, and is now about to lose any ability to stop your effectiveness for the Lord. So his "hail Mary" play involves great numbers and great fears - both of which can be overcome when you are ready.
Verses 1 - 5
Even when you have victory, the enemy will not stop. He cannot stop waging war against the Christian. He is God’s sworn enemy and if you belong to God he is your sworn enemy. He keeps fighting even though he knows he is defeated and is going to everlasting punishment. Why is beyond me. All I can say is that it is his nature.
And the nature of the kings arrayed against Joshua was to destroy Israel. You’d think after all the battles they lost that these kings would surrender or make peace or something. But they were opposed to Israel and will not stop fighting even though they probably know they are fighting a losing battle because they want nothing to do with Israel or Israel’s God.
And you know, in the end, the people that go to hell will be those who want nothing to do with Jesus Christ. They will get their wish of eternal separation. We cannot save everyone. We share the gospel, live our lives as a testimony to His love, and leave the rest to God.
Here, you have the kings of the northern parts of the land coming together in "a great horde, in number like the sand that is on the seashore." If they enemy cannot win the battle he will try to intimidate God’s warriors.
But God promises total and sudden victory. Joshua wastes no time in attacking.
Verses 6 - 9
This is seemingly impossible. Josephus estimated that there were 300,000 infantry soldiers, plus 10,000 cavalry troops and 20,000 chariots. They met on a plain a few miles northwest of the Sea of Galilee. Joshua did not wait for the battle to come to him but went out head to head against the enemy.
There are times when we don’t wait for Satan’s attack to come to us either but proactively go out and fight against the powers of darkness. I would caution here that I don’t mean we should go looking for demons to pick a fight with. But when Satan has a stronghold in a place that will not respond to the gospel we need to wage war in the Spirit against him.
The chasing to Sidon was no small task. It’s interesting that God had them hamstring the horses and burn the chariots. The Canaanites used horses in their pagan religion, and perhaps God did not want Israel to get used to weapons of warfare outside of trusting in Yahweh so he had them burn the chariots as well.
Verses 10 - 15
Hazor was a huge city (200 acres compared to 8 in Jericho) and was very important militarily. Its king would call out the armies. So Joshua burns it in part to show that if Hazor could be burned, so could any city.
Notice that they plundered these cities. It was primarily Jericho that was to be totally devoted to God.
Over and over it says they obeyed God and God’s servant Moses. This will stand in stark contrast as Israel settles in the land, in part because of what happens near the end of this chapter.
Verses 16 - 20
Notice that no city wanted to make peace with Israel except the Gibeonites. Some people might call God unfair for hardening the hearts of the people so they’d fight. It might seem like God was stacking the deck. I don’t think so.
We need to keep in mind a couple of things:
1. God is fair and just
2. God knew their hearts more than we do
3. God often gives us the power to do what we want to do anyway (Pharaoh 7x he hardened his heart, 7x God hardened it)
4. Overall we learn that the world and the enemy will not make peace with us and we shouldn’t with it or him.
Verses 21 - 23
Why does Joshua single out the Anakim? If you remember, when the original spies from Moses came into the land a generation before they reported back that the sons of Anak lived there (Numbers 13:33, Deut 2). They called them the Nephilim (which was where they came from) "and we seemed ourselves like grasshoppers." Apparently they were very tall and probably had a good NBA team at the time.
It was this report that scared Israel into rebelling against God. So now, here they are, facing their worst fear: the dreaded Anakim!
The fact that Israel so easily defeated the Anakim is testament to how far they’ve come in trusting God.
What is your worst fear? What is your greatest enemy? We sometimes stop ourselves from serving or following God and growing in our walk with Him because we have this great enemy that scares us. Perhaps it is a habit pattern or a life circumstance. Maybe it’s a loved one, boss, or acquaintance that holds power over you and will discourage and persecute you in your growing faith. Perhaps you fear what you will have to give up or fear what God might call you to do.
Israel faced its greatest fear after spending a "long time" in battle against other enemies. By the time Israel got to the Anakim they fell like everyone else. For us the lesson is that instead of refusing to trust God for fear of a great obstacle, trust Him to take small steps, to see small victories, then larger ones and so on until you are ready to face the final battle.
Of course, though the land had rest from war, not all the enemies were gone. It could perhaps be seen as a tactical error on Joshua’s part for not completely wiping out the Anakim. The cities they retreated to were three of the five Philistine city-states. The Philistines would be a thorn in Israel’s side for a long long time. That also includes a son of Anak named Goliath.
For us, there will always be temptations and attacks and influences for us to battle, both in our flesh, the world system around us and from the enemy. Though we rest from war, we never rest from vigilance in watching our borders.
1 Peter 5:8-11 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 11 To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen. ESV
Lessons
Don’t be afraid of large scale attacks - our enemy, Satan too has underestimated the God he fights against.
Don’t even think about adopting the world’s standards for fighting God’s battles
Vs 6 "burn their chariots with fire and hamstring their horses"
2 Corinthians 10:4-5 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, NKJV
Do all that God commands - finish the task
Don’t let your greatest fear stop you from serving God - He will make you ready to face them in due time.
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