Joshua 11
Pastor David Groendyk

Here we have the last true battle in the book of Joshua, and we’re not even halfway done with the book! Notice a few things about this final war scene. First, it’s interesting how we’ve moved from Israel fighting against individual kings and nations (like Jericho) to entire coalitions of armies. I tried to count the number of kings Israel would’ve been fighting in this war, and I ran out of fingers. While Jericho gets so much of the attention in the book of Joshua, chapter 11 is truly climactic when it comes to the sheer size and intensity of war. But besides the number of enemies, there’s nothing new here. God makes a very familiar promise to deliver the enemy into their hand swiftly, he commands Joshua again not to be afraid, and he brings about the same outcome as the rest of the battles. In case you haven’t gotten the message yet, our God is an awesome God!

Second, we get just a small window into the inner workings of God’s plan. Read verses 19–20. There is something so much bigger going on in the book of Joshua than merely God giving Israel a piece of land. He is also demonstrating his justice and sovereignty. Remember all the way back in Genesis 15 when God appears to Abraham and promises to give his descendants the land of Canaan, he makes this curious remark: “And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete” (Gen. 15:16). Joshua echoes that note. God had a reason for letting Abraham and his descendants wait hundreds of years before inheriting the Promised Land. One of the reasons was to let the Canaanites’ sin build up so that it was evident to anyone who witnessed Israel’s conquest that our God is a God who punishes sin. God allowed the sin of the Canaanites to continue so that something of his glory might be witnessed. It’s just like Pharaoh’s heart being hardened in Exodus or God giving up unbelievers to the lusts of their hearts in Romans 1. The joy and reward of the Promised Land was not given to Israel because they deserved it, but because of God’s gracious choice.

Third, notice the very last sentence of the chapter: “And the land had rest from war” (v. 23). It’s almost a throwaway line, but that word ‘rest’ is significant. It’s the first time since Joshua 1:15 that we’ve seen that word. Back in Joshua 1, God promised to give his people rest, and in Joshua 11:23, his people finally have it. God’s awesome promises have been accomplished. His people are freed from their former bondage, wandering, homelessness, and trials. They’re freed now to worship and serve their Creator and Redeemer. The question is: will they use their newfound freedom for godly purposes, or will they use it to do whatever they want? It’s not hard to guess which way they’ll lean, but for now we can simply enjoy and worship God for the glorious fulfillment that is verse 23.