Joshua Chapters 11-17

Joshua Chapters 11-17

Chapter 11 11:1-3 These verses describe a northern coalition of kings which formed to attack the Israelites. “Jabin” is pronounced (JAY bin), and the name should be regarded as a dynastic title rather than a personal name (compare with Judges 4:2). The city of Hazor is modern Tell el-Qedah, which is located about 10 miles north of the Sea of Galilee. It was by far the most imposing city in all of Palestine, covering about two hundred acres, whereas the walled city of Jericho only covered about five or six acres.

Here are other names and their pronunciations: “Jobab”-(JOE bab); “Madon”(MAY dahn); “Shimron”-(SHIM rahn); “Achshaph”-(ACK shaf), a city possibly located about six miles southeast of Acre.

11:2 “Kings who were of the north in the hill country”: The cities in verse 1 were south of Hazor, but Jabin also summoned northern kings. The “Arabah” (AIR ah bah) is the valley through which the Jordan River flows. “Chinneroth” (SIN uh roth) is either the Sea of Galilee or the city with the same name which was located on the northwestern shore. The word Chinneroth, which means “harp”, may refer to the lake’s harp-like shape. The New Testament sometimes refers to the Sea of Galilee as the Lake of Gennesaret, which is a Greek spelling for the Hebrew Chinneroth (Luke 5:1). “The heights of Dor”, may refer to a town on the coastal plain, south of Mount Carmel where Dor was the principal city.

11:3 Jabin quickly sent messengers in all directions. Since Hazor was a most influential city in the region (11:10), it makes perfect sense that Jabin was the leader and originator of this coalition. ”Mizpeh”-(MIZ pah) means

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“watchtower”; consequently there are a number of cities with that name. This one was at the foot of Mount Hermon.

Have you ever wondered why the Biblical writers spend so much time describing in detail the opponents of God’s people? Why does Joshua spend so much time describing the various kings, locations, and ethnic groups that opposed Israel? “You see, it is precisely in reading this extended, detailed, particularizing description of Israel’s opposition that you begin to feel how overwhelming the enemy is, to sense in line-upon-line fashion the almost hopeless situation Israel faces” (Dale Ralph Davis p. 92). So when Joshua says that the enemy was like the “sand of the seashore”, such was not an exaggeration. The force that opposed Israel on this occasion was massive and overwhelming. Compare with Deut. 20:1.

11:4 “Josephus, Jewish historian of the first century A.D., speculated that this northern confederacy included 300,000 infantry soldiers, 10,000 cavalry troops, and 20,000 chariots” (Bible Knowledge Comm. p. 353). The city of Hazor itself probably contained about 40,000 inhabitants.

11:5 “Waters of Merom”: (MEE rahm). This is thought to be Wadi Merron, which flows from the northern mountains into the Sea of Galilee. It was probably their plan, after organizing their detachments and adopting a strategy, to sweep down the Jordan Valley and attack Joshua at Gilgal.

11:6 Once again God is there to give comfort and encouragement to Joshua. Yet lest we feel ourselves slighted, God has given the same comfort to all Christians (Hebrews 13:5-6). “You shall hamstring their horses and burn their chariots with fire”: After the battle Joshua and the Israelites were to cripple the horses of the enemy by cutting the leg tendons. This command was probably given, so that Israel would not place their trust in such new weapons of war. See Psalm 20:7. Someone thinking from a purely human perspective would have said, “Hey, let’s use these weapons ourselves”, yet God knows that His people can start to put their trust such things, rather than in Him. “The purpose of this act was to prevent Israel from gathering to themselves great military weapons and a large chariot force, for in time they would depend on these things rather than on their God (Deut. 17:16; Isaiah 31:1)” (Davis p. 74). I find that today we are tempted to pick up the weapons that the world uses against us, slander, abuse, dishonesty, etc…and use them ourselves. Let’s always make sure that when we defeat the enemy that we burn all the “chariots”.

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Some might be tempted to view such as a terrible waste of excellent war horses.

But, to God there is something far more important than material resources. I find that professed Christians violate this principle when churches moving into liberalism tend to pick up methods, programs and unscriptural arrangements that the denominations have discarded.

11:7 Once again Joshua resorted to a surprise attack. Joshua did not wait for the battle to come to him, rather he marched the five day trek from his home base. It is interesting to note that the waters of Mermon are located in Upper Galilee, which is approx., 4000 feet above sea level. The terrain here is not situated for chariot maneuvering. The waters of Mermon appears to have been the assembly point for Jabin’s host, with the intent to encounter Israel further south on good and level ground. “Joshua’s blitz negated any tactical advantage chariots and horses could give. Just because Yahweh promises victory (6) is no reason not to use one’s brains” (Dale Ralph Davis pp. 93-94).

11:8-9 “Great Sidon”: Sidon which was located north of Mount Carmel on the Phoenician coast. Greater Sidon was located on the mainland, while lesser Sidon was an island fortress. “Misrephoth-maim”-(MIZ reh fahth).

11:10 For the first time since Ai and Jericho, Joshua ordered the city burned.

Because Hazor had held the leading position among the northern cities it received such a punishment. It was also by far the largest city in Palestine, occupying some 200 acres. “Archaeological excavations indicate that Hazor was destroyed sometime in the late fourteenth century B.C. and was not rebuilt until the time of Solomon (1 Kings 9:15)” (Gaebelein p. 310).

11:11-12 We may get tired of hearing the repetitive phrase that Joshua faithfully did just as Moses commanded, but God loves and cherishes such expressions.

11:13 “That stood on their mounds”: That is, cities which stood on artificial hills; cities which stood on sites which had been built, destroyed, rebuilt, and so on.

At some of these sites there are around 30 different occupational levels. The cities which weren’t burnt, there ready for Israelite occupation, just as God had promised (Deut. 6:10-11).

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Geography of the Conquest 11:16-17 The hill country is the southern part of the central highlands that run through Palestine from north to south. The Negev is the desert area in the south.

The lowland is the western foothills, which lie between the coastal plain and the central mountains. The Arabah is the valley in which the Jordan River and the Dead Sea are found. The hill country refers to the central highlands. “Mount Halak”-(HAH luhk) is probably modern Jebel Halaq, which is about 27 miles south of Beersheba. Seir, is the name for the mountains of Edom southeast of the Dead Sea. Baal Gad may be modern Baalbek in the Beqa Valley between the Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon Mountains.

11:18 “Long time”: “Though the style of the narrative creates the impression of a lightning-quick campaign, our author does not conceal the fact that it really took a long time” (Gaebelein p. 311). This is just as God had promised. The conquest of the land would be a gradual process (Exodus 23:29-30). The verse also infers that this book doesn’t mention all the battles that took place at this time.

The Theology of the Conquest 11:20 God did not keep the Canaanites from repenting, for Rahab did! Rather, instead of being an incentive for repentance, the Israelite invasion only made the Canaanites more determined to resist (Romans 2:1-5). The Canaanites abused God’s grace, and spurned it. God is not impressed by people who surrender, but who remain defiant. Be impressed, all the Canaanites knew of the mighty acts of God on behalf of His people, and yet only one was willing to renounce idolatry and embrace the Living God! “Don’t try to evade the clarity of this text. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Don’t think you can escape this God by running into the New Testament; you will meet the same God there (Hebrews 3:12-13). You will do better to tremble—and worship” (Dale Ralph Davis p. 101).

11:21-22 The Anakim (AN uh kim), who were so greatly feared by the unbelieving wilderness generation (Numbers 13:33;Deut. 1:19-33), were thoroughly defeated by their children. In the time of David, Goliath will come from Gath (1 Samuel 17). The text tells us that a fear that leads to disobedience is without excuse (Revelation 21:8). How groundless the fear of the previous generation had been. “Forty years before, Israel was sure that even God’s help

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was of no avail against these big bruisers” (Dale Ralph Davis p. 101). God is more than adequate to meet our most dreadful fears!

11:23 Even though pockets of resistance still existed (13:1), Joshua had succeeded in destroying the Canaanite war machine, and the major centers of resistance.

“He means that the enemy’s chief resistance was now broken. The united effort of “all Israel” was now over. From this point on it would remain for each tribe to remove remaining pockets of Canaanites from their inheritance” (Smith p. 94).

Chapter 12 This chapter lists the 33 kings, on the east and west side of the Jordan who were defeated. Verses 1-6 lists those kings which were conquered on the east side of the Jordan. On the surface, this chapter appears to only repeat information already recorded. Someone might ask, “Isn’t this chapter a bit tedious and boring?” Yet the chapter echoes a number of truths: 1. God is faithful, God kept His promises. 2. Listing and detailing the acts of God’s faithfulness is very important. “It would be unfair to suggest that the Church is unwilling to thank God for all His many mercies, but on the whole it is unwilling to indulge in detailed and specific thanks. If we were to train ourselves to recognize God’s goodness act by act, and detail by detail, many of us would come to think more highly both of God and of the Church. Much of our despondency comes from failing to see how much God has really achieved” (Dale Ralph Davis p. 105).

Compare with Psalms 105, 135, 136. Instead of thanking God for our many blessings, maybe it would be more profitable to name some of those blessings!

This chapter also makes it clear that Joshua was simply continuing a conquest that Moses had already started on the east side of the Jordan, and that the land on the east side was as much “Israel” as the land on the west side.

“It is beneficial to stop and take a regular tally of the deeds of God in your life, as we do in this chapter. Living through the drama of the conquest of Ai was exhausting—hopeful at the outset, demoralizing in the middle, exhilarating in the end. The rear-view mirror perspective reveals God’s justice an mercy and brilliance in it, which escaped us when we saw only trees and no forest…Chapter 12 of Joshua is a pause to take stock of where we’ve been and what we’ve done--more importantly, what God has done” (Andree Seu).

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12:1 Sihon had ruled a stretch of land about 90 miles from north to south. The land stretched from the Arnon Gorge in the south to the foothills of Mount Hermon in the north. This territory included all the Arabah or plain of the Jordan east of the river. The Arnon river also formed Moab’s northern boundary. “The Arnon River flows through this gorge and drops 3,500 feet in thirty-eight miles to enter the Dead Sea at about its midpoint north and south” (Gaebelein p. 313). Many of the defeated kings in this chapter are also mentioned in such secular documents as the Amarna Letters, and thus one cannot deny the historicity of the text.

Chapter 13 The military victories recorded in the previous chapters were only the first steps in the settlement of the land. Chapters 13-24 describe the assignment of land made to various tribes in considerable geographical detail. “Joshua had been successful in removing the significant military threats of Israel’s existence. It would now be the responsibility of the tribes to conquer and to colonize their designated territories” (Davis p. 77).

13:1 “Joshua was old and advanced in years”: We are not given his specific age at this time, but we know that Caleb was around 85 (14:10).

13:2-6 This section contains a description of territory in Canaan which remained occupied by hostile forces. Pockets of resistance remained along the southwest coast, along the Phoenician coast as far as Aphek some 25 miles north of modern Beruit, and the mountainous regions of Lebanon. This is the only time that the Philistines are mentioned in this book. The Philistines were originally from Crete and had migrated to Canaan and Egypt in various waves. The Romans derived the name Palestine from Philistine. The Philistines would continue to oppress and harass the Israelites throughout the period of the Judges and the reign of Saul, until they were subdued by David. “Geshurites” is pronounced (GESH you rites).

13:2 “It is counted as Canaanite”: Though the Philistines and Geshurites were not Canaanite in origin, they were occupying land that had belonged to the Canaanites and thus now belonged to Israel. In addition, they were just as immoral as the Canaanites. “Shihor”-(SHIGH hohr) was probably a stream now known as the River of Egypt (1 Chron. 13:5), which flows from the Sinai Peninsula into the Mediterranean Sea about 45 miles southwest of Gaza and

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marks the boundary between Egypt and Palestine. “Ekron”-Was the farthest north of the five major Philistine cities. These verses confirm the accuracy of 12:23, for the only land that remained was a Philistine corridor in southwest Canaan, and in the north, a swath of territory about 50 miles wide (4-6), the northern edge of which extended inward to about 50 miles north of Damascus.

The rest of the chapter describes the territory which was given to the tribes on the east of the Jordan. Reuben was given the territory which was previously occupied by Moab, just to the east of the Dead Sea (13:5-23). Gad was given territory north of the Arnon River in the original land of Gilead (13:24-28). The territory east of the Sea of Galilee was assigned to the half tribe of Manasseh (13:29-33).

“To many people this section of the Book of Joshua, with its detailed lists of boundaries and cities, seems tedious. Someone has said, ‘Most of this long section reads like a real estate deed.’ And that is precisely what is found in these lengthy narratives---legal descriptions of the areas allocated to the 12 tribes” (Bible Knowledge Comm. p. 355). The fact that God goes into such detail, infers that these boundaries are to be respected through Israel’s history as the people of God. “There is value in writing things down, in keeping lists of concrete answers to prayer. ‘Vague confession yields vague absolution’, said the Friar of Romeo.

Similarly, vague awareness of God’s benefits toward you yields vague gratitude---and negligible encouragement for future battles” (Andree Seu).

13:13 This is the beginning of a dangerous trend. Geshur and Maacah (MAY ah kah) were Aramean states northeast of the Sea of Galilee. “We will hear more such statements later (chapters 15-17; Judges 1)…..It brings no immediate crisis.

It seldom does. However, here is testimony to all God’s people: we frequently and strangely prove faithful in the great crisis of faith, remain steadfast in severe storms, perhaps even relish the excitement of the heaviest assaults, yet lack the tenacity, the dogged endurance, the patient plodding often required in the prosaic (mundane) affairs of believing life; we are often loath to be faithful in (what we regard as) little” (Dale Ralph Davis p. 112).

13:22 “Is an embarrassing postscript for Balaam. The once famous man is reduced to a footnote. So it is with all who are wined and dined and flattered for a season. The sought-out prophet was a double-minded man who loved money and the proximity of power. But every man dies alone in the end” (Andree Seu).

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Chapter 14 14:1-2 Eleazar the priest and various tribal leaders assisted Joshua in dividing up the land west of the Jordan. “But blind chance did not decide the tribal location, for God was superintending the whole procedure (Proverbs 16:33; Joshua 18:8; 19:51)” (Bible Knowledge Comm. p. 356). “As the Lord commanded through Moses”: “No command of Yahweh is ever trivial, and therefore, all obedience is both necessary and significant” (Dale Ralph Davis p. 116).

14:3 Once again it is emphasized that the Levities were not given territory, rather, they were given specific cities in which to live (4). Compare with Numbers 35:1-8.

14:6-11 “Jephunneh”-(juh FUH nuh); “Kenizzite”-(KEE nuh zight). Caleb recounts to Joshua the events of Numbers 13 and 14. The time interval between Joshua 14 and Numbers 13 is 45 years. This means that if Caleb was 40 at the time of the spy mission, plus 38 years of wandering, this leaves 7 years for the period of the initial conquest.

Caleb is such a great example: 1. He refused to bow to peer pressure and contradicted the claims of the unbelieving spies. 2. He patiently waited 45 years for the fulfillment of God’s promise, and during this long time he didn’t become cynical or skeptical. 3. He didn’t say, “Well it’s about time”, or, “all those years of waiting were wasted years”. Caleb was not bitter or resentful concerning the fact that he would inherit the land at the age of 85 and not 40. Carefully look at verse 11. Caleb didn’t view his time in the wilderness as lost time. “In spite of his age, Caleb was not inclined to seek retirement. He felt he was strong as ever” (Smith p. 100). Be impressed that being faithful often means being faithful alone.

“God’s people then must be prepared, for devoted faith frequently means lonely faith” (2 Tim. 4:16-17) (Dale Ralph Davis p. 117).

14:12-15 Caleb now at age 85 wanted a crack at the very people who had so terrified the 10 spies. “Though most older people are more apt to talk about old conflicts than to take on new ones, Caleb was ready for one more good battle” (Bible Knowledge Comm. p. 357). Like Caleb we need to develop a passion to battle the errors that have lead astray many in our generation.

14:12 “Perhaps”: This is not the language of doubt, but neither it is the language of presumption or arrogance. “We must remember---if we believe Numbers 13---

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this is not because Caleb was an optimist whereas the Israelites had been realists, but because Caleb was a believer whereas the Israelites had refused to be…He is confident but not cocky. Biblical faith will always keep this tension; it will not dictate to the sovereign God or write His script for Him---“perhaps Yahweh will”; yet it will not doubt God when it can cling to any clear promise in the matter---“as Yahweh has promised” (Dale Ralph Davis p. 120).

14:15 A historical note, the previous name of Hebron had been Kiriath-arba (KIR ih ath AHR buh), and had been so named after a great leader among the Anakim.

Chapter 15 15:1-12 These verses contain the borders of the land given to the tribe of Judah.

Remember the size of the territory also was to correspond to the size of the tribe (Numbers 33:54). Let’s make sure that we don’t just pass over this section and consider it unimportant. “Adolf Hitler read the Bible once but had a low opinion of it as far as religious works go. Commenting on the Old Testament, he said it appeared to be a book about Hebrew cattle dealing” (Andree Seu). Of course, it’s not about that at all. So what can we learn from chapters that read more like real estate transactions, then chapters dealing with important and eternal truths? “It just so happens that every child of God is darling to Him. So He cannot resist featuring all their names. And like it or not, you and I are supposed to be as excited about all the rest of His kids as we are about our own…Think of the many lists in the Bible as God’s Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall, if you will....Each name is a story. The dust of each conquered town divulges its tales anew to the read who was there” (Andree Seu).

15:13-19 It was not uncommon to offer special incentives for acts of bravery (1 Samuel 17:25). “Othniel”-(OATH nih el) was the brother of Caleb (the actual relationship between these two men is disputed). “Brother” here can refer to an actual blood brother, or a member of the same clan or tribe. Compare with Judges 1:13 and 3:9. Later, Othniel became one of Israel’s judges (Judges 3:9-11).

“Achsah”-(ACK sah). Joshua 15:13-19 is parallel to Judges 1:10-15. It is sometimes difficult to evaluate the various attacks on Hebron and Debir. The attacks in 10:36-39 were probably prior to Caleb’s. We need to remember that some of these towns had to be taken more than once. Again, we see a pattern in the conquest. Joshua destroyed the ability for the Canaanites to assemble

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coalitions or massive armies. Each tribe then had to clean out the Canaanite resistance in its own area and nail down the land.

15:19 Caleb’s daughter was also very insightful and determined. She knew that land without water, especially in the Negev was worthless, but is very productive when irrigated.

15:20-63 A list of towns found in the territory given to the tribe of Judah. The end of the chapter makes the point that when the book was written, Jerusalem was still inhabited by the Jebusites. In fact, Jerusalem wouldn’t be taken until the time of David some 400 years later.

Chapter 16 16:1-10 Territory which was given to the tribe of Ephraim. Remember, what we are reading is the fulfillment of a Promise made to Abraham.

16:10 Making forced labors out of the Canaanites wasn’t such a good idea.

“Motivated by a materialistic attitude, they chose to put the Canaanites in Gezer under tribute to gain additional wealth…In addition to the historical lesson there is a spiritual principle here. It is all too easy for a believer to tolerate and excuse some pet sin only to wake up some day to the grim realization that it has risen up to possess and drive him to spiritual defeat. It pays to deal with sin decisively and harshly” (Bible Knowledge Comm. p. 360).

Chapter 17

17:1-13 Refers to the territory which was given to the tribe of Manasseh. Part of this tribe had already been given an allotment east of the Jordan (17:1).

17:3 “If they had not been so determined and desirous---if they had not asked--the daughters of Zelophehad may well not have received an allotment among the children of Israel, and their clan of Manasseh would have died out…It’s scary to think of the things we don’t have because we don’t ask” (Andree Seu). For the historical situation behind this section see Numbers 27:1-11.

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“This incident is significant, for it shows a concern for the rights of women at a time when most societies regarded them as mere chattel” (Bible Knowledge Comm. p. 360). In addition, it shows that there are no forgotten people with God. Things do work out and nice people do finish first, and with God the vulnerable can receive their portion. In addition, these women teach us that when God has promised us something, we must not be shy or hesitant, rather we need to boldly lay hold on such promises (Hebrews 4:16).

17:12 This verse has one more indication that some in this generation are sowing the seeds for failure to bear fruit in the book of Judges. Are we setting up the next generation of Christians for failure or success? Are we sowing the seeds of faith, or of doubt and apostasy? Note that people tend to justify failing to keep very clear commands of God. The word from God had been clear on this point (Exodus 23:33; Deut. 7:2). Expelling the Canaanites would require years of faithful and determined effort (Exodus 23:30). “Sometimes we relish the call for heroism but not that for durability. We find being faithful is a little more annoying than satisfying. No wonder Jesus warns us that those who are at first are most ecstatic over him may only endure for a while (Mark 4:16-17). The Christian’s faith is not so much proved by his courage in a sudden crisis as by his faithfulness in daily plodding” (Dale Ralph Davis p. 135).

In contrast to the go-getters in 17:4, we find excuse makers in the following passages. “In contrast to the happy state of affairs in Zelophehad’s corner of the camp is the whiny attitude of ‘the people of Joseph’. Through Ephraim and Manasseh have been given the largest piece of the pie, they grumble that it’s no good for two reasons: There are chariot-driving Canaanites living on part of it; there is dense forest on another part of it. To these complaints Joshua responds, as diplomatically as he can: 1) So get rid of the chariot-driving Canaanites! And clear the forest” (Andree Seu). Remember, God had addressed the Chariot Question before (Deuteronomy 20:1). “It strikes me as ironic that of all people, Ephraim and Manasseh---the sons of Joseph, should show so little zeal in claiming their inheritance….Bill Johnson of Redding Calif., speaking on revivals, once commented, ‘The next generation always seems to be unwilling to pay a price to advance what they received for free’” (Andree Seu).

17:13-18 The tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh complain about the size of their territory, but such a complaint is completely unjustified. If their tribes were so large, why were they unable to drive out the Canaanites? With tact and firmness Joshua challenges them to first clear the trees and settle in the forested hill

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country. He suggested that they combine their energies and drive out the Canaanites together. This isn’t what they wanted to hear (16-18).

When one looks on a map the land given to these tribes was large. In addition, the land they were given was the most fertile in all Palestine. Compare the attitude expressed by Caleb with the attitude of these tribes. In the light of true faith, human rationalizations look weak and inexcusable. The problem was not with the amount of land given to them, the problem was with their lack of confidence in God’s power. “Once you see Yahweh, Perizzite swords and Canaanite chariots lose their dread….Again and again our Lord has to remind us that God is not the prisoner of human odds, that His promises are at least as real as the iron plating on Canaanite chariots” (Dale Ralph Davis p. 137). These ancestors of Joseph certainly did not manifest the faith of their forefather.

Perhaps they expected some kind of favoritism from Joshua. How often do we complain about our lack of resources or difficult lot in life? Instead of asking for the barriers and obstacles to be removed, maybe we should assert ourselves and trust that God will provide.

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