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Okay, you can turn in your Bibles 
to Joshua chapter 11. Joshua 11, as we finish the portion 
that deals specifically with the conquest that began in chapter 
5. I'm sorry, chapter 6, when they 
enter Jericho, they destroy Jericho. Chapter 7 and 8 deals with AI. Chapter 9 is the treaty with 
the Gibeonites. Last week in chapter 10, we saw 
the southern campaign. And it only remains tonight in 
Joshua 11 to see the northern campaign. And chapter 12 deals 
with the kings conquered specifically. And then from 13 to about 21, 
that's where the land is divvied up. The land is given to the 
specific tribes. And then the last few chapters 
are exhortation on faithfulness in the land that God had given. 
We're going to take up the Northern Campaign this evening, which 
deals with or which is dealt with in chapter 11, verses 1 
to 15. And then verses 16 to 23 is a 
summary of the entire conquest. It's not just the Northern Campaign 
there in 16 to 23, but rather it's sort of a capstone on the 
chapters 6 to 11 preceding. So I'll just begin reading in 
chapter 11 at verse 1. You'll see the similarities between 
chapters 11 and chapters 10. Back in chapter 10, it was the 
Adonai Zedek, the king of Jerusalem, had heard about Israel and their 
goings forth. He calls a coalition of kings 
to try and stop and try and oppose them by attacking Gibeah. Well, 
here in chapter 11, it's a very similar convention. We have Jabin, 
the king of Hazor, he sends to various kings so that they can 
form a coalition so that they may indeed try and stop Israel. So it's similar in nature. It reads in a lot of places sort 
of the same way. This seems to be more of a compacted 
summary than what we found in chapter 10, but I'll just pick 
up in verse 1. And it came to pass when Jabin, 
king of Hazor, heard these things, that he sent to Jobab king of 
Maidan, to the king of Shimron, to the king of Akshaph, and to 
the kings who were from the north, in the mountains, in the plain, 
south of Kinneroth, in the lowland, and in the heights of Dor on 
the west, to the Canaanites in the east and in the west, the 
Amorite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Jebusite in the mountains, 
and the Hivite below Hermon in the land of Mizpah. So they went out, they and all 
their armies with them, as many people as the sand that is on 
the seashore in multitude, with very many horses and chariots. 
And when all these kings had met together, they came and camped 
together at the waters of Merom to fight against Israel. But 
the Lord said to Joshua, do not be afraid because of them, for 
tomorrow about this time I will deliver all of them slain before 
Israel. You shall hamstring their horses 
and burn their chariots with fire.' So Joshua and all the 
people of war with him came against them suddenly by the waters of 
Merom, and they attacked them. And the Lord delivered them into 
the hand of Israel, who defeated them and chased them to greater 
Sidon, to the brook Misraphoth, and to the valley of Mizpah eastward. They attacked them until they 
left none of them remaining. So Joshua did to them as the 
Lord had told him. He hamstrung their horses and 
burned their chariots with fire. Joshua turned back at that time 
and took Hazor and struck its king with the sword. For Hazor 
was formerly the head of all those kingdoms. And they struck 
all the people who were in it with the edge of the sword, utterly 
destroying them. There was none left breathing. 
Then he burned Hazor with fire. So all the cities of those kings 
and all their kings Joshua took and struck with the edge of the 
sword. He utterly destroyed them as Moses, the servant of the 
Lord, had commanded. But as for the cities that stood 
on their mounds, Israel burned none of them except Hazor only, 
which Joshua burned. And all the spoil of these cities 
and the livestock, the children of Israel, took as booty for 
themselves. But they struck every man with 
the edge of the sword until they had destroyed them, and they 
left none breathing. As the Lord had commanded Moses' 
servant, so Moses commanded Joshua, and so Joshua did. He left nothing 
undone of all that the Lord had commanded Moses. Thus Joshua 
took all this land, the mountain country, all the south, all the 
land of Goshen, the lowland, and the Jordan plain, the mountains 
of Israel and its lowlands, from Mount Halak and the ascent to 
Seir, even as far as Baal Gad in the valley of Lebanon below 
Mount Hermon. He captured all their kings and 
struck them down and killed them. Joshua made war a long time with 
all those kings. There was not a city that made 
peace with the children of Israel except the Hivites, the inhabitants 
of Gibeon. All the others they took in battle. 
For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts, that they should 
come against Israel in battle, that he might utterly destroy 
them and that they might receive no mercy, but that he might destroy 
them as the Lord had commanded Moses. And at that time Joshua 
came and cut off the Anakim from the mountains, from Hebron, from 
Debir, from Anab, from all the mountains of Judah and from all 
the mountains of Israel. Joshua utterly destroyed them 
with their cities. None of the Anakim were left 
in the land of the children of Israel. They remained only in 
Gaza and Gath and in Ashdod. So Joshua took the whole land 
according to all that the Lord had said to Moses, and Joshua 
gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their divisions 
by their tribes. Then the land rested from war. Amen. Well, as I said, a lot 
of similarities here in chapter 11 to what we find in chapter 
10 in terms of the campaign. the military excursions into 
these places where they met with these various enemies and foes 
and by God's grace and his power and under his delivering hand 
they were able to defeat their enemies through and through. 
So we see first of all in verses 1 to 5 this coalition of kings, 
secondly deliverance from the Lord in verses 6 to 11, thirdly 
is the faithfulness of the Lord's servant verses 12 to 15. Joshua 
would certainly be an example. Joshua would certainly serve 
as a great example of a leader in Israel. I mean, some of the 
things that are stated here in verses 12 to 15, what we read 
in the summary statement in verses 16 to 23, Joshua was not a perfect 
man, but he certainly was an obedient and a faithful man, 
and he should have served as a great example to Israel subsequent 
to his life and leadership. And then fourthly is the summary 
of Israel's conquests in verses 16 to 23. Verse 23 specifically 
is very much a transition statement. So I said chapter 12 deals with 
the king specifically that were defeated and then chapter 13 
is the division of the land. So that's what we find there 
in verse 23, Joshua gave it as an inheritance to Israel according 
to their divisions by their tribes, then the land rested from war. So at this time of rest from 
the war, it was the occasion where they were able to separate 
and divide up the land and give it to the various tribes there 
in Israel. But notice first with reference 
to this coalition of kings in verses 1 to 5, the coalition 
is identified in verses 1 to 3. Jabin is announced as the 
king of Hazor. You notice in verse 10 that Hazor 
is formerly the head of all those kingdoms. So Jabin is the ringleader. He's the big cheese. He's the 
big kahuna. He's the one that hears about 
what Israel is doing. So he rallies up these other 
men so that they can stand fast and try to resist and try to 
stop this spread of Israel. Now, Jabin is also mentioned 
in the book of Judges, in Judges 4, specifically with Deborah 
and with Barak. Notice I didn't say Barak. It 
is Deborah and Beric in Judges chapter 4 there. And some have 
speculated and tried to figure out why Jabin appears here and 
why Jabin appears there. There's been various theories 
that have been concocted. I think Woodstraw makes the most 
simple and probably the best explanation. The most likely 
is that Jabin was a hereditary title. adopted by successive 
kings in Hazor. Just like you might be called 
Pharaoh if you served in Egypt, or you were called Caesar if 
you served in Rome, you would be called Jabin if you served 
in Hazor. That's probably the best way 
to try and iron out what appears to at least some people to be 
a difficulty. And then notice the other kings 
are mentioned. Some of these places, the commentators 
aren't absolutely sure where they're at. Some of them are 
very clear, but it certainly just rehearses this coalition 
as it did in Chapter 10. He sent to Jobab, he sent to 
the king of Shimron, to the king of Akshaft. to the kings who 
are from the north and the mountains and the plains south of Kinerov, 
in the low land and in the heights of Dor on the west, to the Canaanites 
in the east and in the west, the Amorite, the Hittite, the 
Perizzite, the Jebusite in the mountains, and the Hivite below 
Hermon. in the land of Mizpah. So what 
we're dealing with is that area or that region in our studies 
in Matthew where Jesus finds himself. It is the region of 
Galilee. It's the northern part of Israel. Those are places that when you 
look on your map of Israel you look to the north and you will 
see these ones. Hence, the northern campaign. 
chapter 10 dealt with the southern campaign. So that region, at 
least at the time of Jesus, was called Judah. So you have Galilee 
in the north, you have Judah in the south, you have the northern 
tribes, you have the southern tribes at that particular time. 
Well, it goes back to this instance in history when the land was 
divvied up and they each took a portion of the land. You had 
ten northern tribes, you had two southern tribes. But at this 
particular time, this coalition is in the north, and now notice 
the coalition is described in verses four and five. And this 
is what we need to appreciate here. The author describes this 
to show us the power of God. These descriptions, or this description 
in verses 4 and 5, highlights for us the power, the deliverance, 
the victory that God the Lord gets when he defeats these people. Notice in verse 4, they have 
a numerical edge. They have numbers on their side. So they went out, they and all 
their armies with them, as many people as the sand that is on 
the seashore in multitude. That's a lot of people, isn't 
it? The text wants you to realize that this is a formidable enemy. There are a lot of opponents. 
Incidentally, this language is used in the book of Revelation, 
specifically in chapter 20 in that final battle. It says that 
the opponents are as many as the sand that is on the seashore. in multitude. It's a phrase. 
It's an idiom. It means, get this, a whole lot 
of people. It's used in Judges. It's used 
again in 1 Samuel. It means there's a great multitude, 
but I think what the author wants us to appreciate is that they 
had a numerical advantage. They had they beat Israel out, 
or at least it looks as if they beat Israel out with reference 
to the numbers game. And then notice as well, they 
have a technological advantage. They have a technological advantage. They don't have iPods, and they 
don't have Bradley tanks, and they don't have F-16s and B-2 
bombers, but they had horses and chariots. That is a technological 
advantage. in a ground war, isn't it? Chariots 
and horses are very helpful when it comes to doing battle. And 
so what the author is saying is that this great multitude 
also has equipment. They have horses. They have chariots. They have military might. They 
have power. They have strength. They have 
centralization. They have an overall commander, 
which is Jabin. He is marshalling these troops 
together. They're going to mount this attack 
upon Israel. and we are being told here that 
we need to pay attention to this so that when the victory comes 
we can praise God that it's not just a handful of Boy Scouts 
that Israel defeats there in the north but rather it is a 
great multitude with a lot of armament certainly Deuteronomy 
20 verse 1 comes to mind when you go out to battle against 
your enemies and see horses and chariots and people more numerous 
than you, do not be afraid of them. For the Lord your God is 
with you, who brought you up from the land of Egypt." So if 
we are reading this and we start to get a little bit afraid when 
we read verses 4 and 5, it means we don't remember Deuteronomy 
20 verse 1. It is simply setting the stage 
to show us the glory, the majesty, and the power, and the victory 
of the God of Israel. So it's putting all that into 
place. We're seeing these armies amass. Now notice in verse 5, 
when all these kings had met together, They came and camped 
together at the waters of Merom to fight against Israel. So the 
battle is going to be on. We have the northern kings. We 
have this alliance. We have this coalition. They're 
heavily armed. They're well trained. They're 
ready for battle. And then we come, secondly, to 
the deliverance from the Lord. Notice, first, his instructions. But the Lord said to Joshua, 
as he has said every step of the way, Remember that God tells 
Joshua on several occasions, do not be afraid of them. You 
see, Joshua, as a military leader, fear will paralyze you. Faith 
is to motivate you. Faith in the living God, faith 
in the promises of God, faith in the power of God, and not 
fear of the power of the enemy. So the Lord, in his kindness, 
again gives this encouragement, gives this word of instruction 
to Joshua, their number and their equipment must not be seen as 
a cause for fear, but rather do not be afraid because of them." 
God then gives this promise for tomorrow, about this time, I 
will deliver all of them slain before Israel. Now, as we have 
seen time in and time out, as we've moved with Joshua and the 
armies of Israel throughout the promised land, divine sovereignty 
does not diminish human responsibility, nor does human responsibility 
diminish divine sovereignty. In fact, Joshua chapter 11 is 
a wonderful example of these two things living in harmony, 
just like they do in Matthew's gospel in Matthew chapter 11, 
so they do in Joshua's book, Joshua chapter 11. So God makes 
this promise based on his purpose, based on his plan, based on his 
unchanging character, and his faithfulness. He says, do not 
be afraid because of them for tomorrow about this time I will 
deliver all of them slain before Israel. Now certainly, if God 
tells you that, it would add a spring to your step when you 
go into battle, wouldn't it? If God the Lord tells you, do 
not be afraid of them, for I am going to deliver them, certainly 
that would enable you and hopefully empower you to go with joy and 
happiness and with earnestness about the task at hand. And then 
notice that God not only sovereignly promises, but he employs or gives 
them the strategy that they are to employ for this. He says, 
you shall hamstring their horses and burn their chariots with 
fire. Love that. Hamstring their horses 
and burn their chariots with fire. So the one who comes to 
this passage, who doesn't know who God is yet, is reading verses 
4 and 5 and he sees this numerical edge, he sees this technological 
edge, and then he hears the God of Israel tell his military leader, 
I want you to hamstring their horses and I want you to burn 
their chariots. Now hamstringing simply means 
that you render the animal militarily useless. Davis says it involved 
cutting the large tendon at the back of the knee on the hind 
legs. Now certainly PETA and other 
animal rights activists would not be happy with this passage 
of scripture, they would rather see Joshua and the armies of 
Israel die than to see a horse's tendon cut. But the people of 
God would rather see horses' tendons cut than the people of 
God die. So certainly this is a happy 
requirement that God institutes with reference to this plan. 
So notice, God encourages, God promises, God gives them a particular 
strategy. And then notice in, well, I'll 
just back up for just a moment. No, let's keep going here. Verse 
7, so Joshua and all the people of war with him came against 
them suddenly by the waters of Merom and they attacked them. 
The promise of God of verse 6 does not result in let go, let God 
sort of an attitude. Joshua doesn't say, hey, the 
victory's in the bag, the Lord has promised, let's go golfing. Let's go to Boston Pizza and 
count our victory. No, this is something we need 
to appreciate. Sovereignty does not diminish 
responsibility. Sovereignty is the basis for 
and the foundation of responsibility. So Joshua and all the people 
of war with him came against them suddenly by the waters of 
Merom and they attacked them. And it's interesting, these waters 
of Meron, Davis says that it's about a 4,000 foot, it's about 
4,000 feet above sea level and probably not the best place for 
charioteering or for maneuvering chariots. What could possibly 
be the case is that this coalition of kings gather at these waters 
of Meron where they will strategize, where they will plan, and then 
take their chariots, in fact there's some extra biblical literature, 
extra biblical writings where they would actually disassemble 
the chariots for ease of transport when they were in hilly or rocky 
area and then when they were on the lowlands or when they 
were in places where it was more conducive to chariot maneuvering, 
they'd put the chariots back together and off you'd go. So 
probably at these waters of Meron, they're just sitting there getting 
ready, strategizing. What does Joshua do? God the 
Lord says, I promise I'm going to deliver them. It's a sudden 
attack. Let's strike them first, let's 
strike them aggressively, let's get them before they can even 
put their chariots together and let's devastate them. You see, 
sovereignty does not remove responsibility. So Davis says the point is that 
Merom was in Upper Galilee, approximately 4,000 feet above sea level and 
not conducive to chariot maneuvering. Could it be that Merom was only 
an assembly point for Jabin's host and that they intended to 
encounter Joshua further south on the plain of Esterlon, where 
Canaanite tanks, the horses and chariots, could be used to real 
advantage? He says, in any case, Joshua's 
blitz negated any tactical advantage chariots or horses could give. Just because God promises victory, 
verse 6, is no reason not to use one's brains Verse 7, it 
is a sudden, swift, quick attack to nail them and to devastate 
them and to bring them to defeat. And that is precisely what happens. It is done under the power and 
the sovereignty of God. We are never ever given opportunity 
to forget that in these narratives. Remember, they're theological 
history. It's history, yes, it's reporting 
what happened, but it's theology woven in so that we can behold 
our God every step of the way. Verse 8. And the Lord delivered 
them into the hand of Israel, who defeated them and chased 
them to greater Sidon, to the brook Misraphoth, and to the 
valley of Mizpah eastward. They attacked them until they 
left none of them remaining. So Joshua did to them as the 
Lord had told him. He hamstrung their horses and 
burned their chariots with fire." It is a beautiful thing. Now, 
some speculate that they hamstrung the horses and they destroyed 
the chariots, because as of yet, the Israelites weren't skilled 
on how to use those things. I mean, face it, if we were an 
army and we were in battle and we defeated our enemy and there 
were lots of guns sitting there, we'd probably take those guns 
and use them. Unless, of course, we didn't 
know how to use them, then we'd destroy them. That's probably 
not what's going on. Remember that the king of Israel, 
according to Deuteronomy 17, was forbidden from multiplying 
horses. He was forbidden from multiplying 
women, and he was forbidden from multiplying wealth. He wants 
to be unique among the kings of the nations. And then additionally, 
the psalmist says, some trust in chariots and some trust in 
horses, but we will trust in the name of the Lord our God. So probably what the Lord is 
doing is telling them to hamstring these horses and to destroy by 
fire these chariots so that they will not trust in those implements, 
so that they will not adopt those and then use them for warfare 
and forget all about God. The grand lesson is they are 
the Lord's people, they are fighting holy war, and they are to be 
dependent upon the Lord. Again, Davis says, divine help, 
verses 6 and 8, does not exclude human effort. Verse 7, acting 
in faith on divine assurance, but it does forbid using human 
machinery as a substitute for God's aid. So the Lord knows 
the tendency of His people to trust in those horses, to trust 
in those chariots, so instead, the horses are hamstrung, and 
the chariots are destroyed with fire. And then Hazor is destroyed, 
verses 10 and 11. Joshua turned back at that time 
and took Hazor, struck its king. Apparently this was a big city 
too, in terms of cities. of that particular day. It was 
one of the big cities, and so it is obvious why they make an 
example, if you will, out of this city. You know, if you go 
on to the schoolyard and you take the 200-pound guy that's 
got muscles on his muscles and you beat him up, then all the 
150-pound guys want nothing. They're not going to mess with 
you. Probably the same sort of thing here. Hazor was the biggest 
city. King of Hazor was the head of 
this coalition. And so Joshua turns back at that 
time, takes Hazor. struck its king with the sword, 
for Hazor was formerly the head of all those kingdoms. And they 
struck all the people who were in it with the edge of the sword, 
utterly destroying them. There was none left breathing. 
Then he burned Hazor with fire." So it was an utter destruction, 
an utter devastation of that particular city. And then that 
brings us thirdly to consider the faithfulness of the Lord's 
servant in verses 12 to 15. So all the cities of those kings 
and all their kings Joshua took and struck with the edge of the 
sword. So it was a systematic execution 
of the inhabitants of those cities. So the conquest is going on. Remember in the southern campaign, 
it indicated the several cities by name. Here it's more of a 
summary. It's an overarching look at what 
happened here. So he takes the kings, he takes 
the peoples, and he strikes them with the edge of the sword. He 
utterly destroyed them." Now notice, "...as Moses the servant 
of the Lord had commanded." This indicates to us This is God's 
decree. It is God's plan. This holy war 
in Canaan is being fought because the Lord had commanded it. It 
wasn't willy-nilly. It wasn't a group of people who 
said, let's go in and utterly devastate this other group of 
people. No, this was God who spoke to 
His servant Moses. Moses wrote these things. Moses 
encouraged. Moses exhorted. Moses commanded 
Israel and what we find in the conquest is that Joshua is faithful, 
Joshua is obedient, Joshua leads the people on to victory. And 
then verse 13 it's basically essentially says the only city 
that was burned was Hazor and I think that's important I didn't 
have time to explore this, but apparently some of these cities 
were burned in the 13th century, and people have blamed Israel. 
Well, that brings the dating out of whack to a conservative 
traditional dating. The text is conspicuous that 
other than Jericho and Ai, it's Hazor alone that was burned. 
So these other cities that were burned wasn't necessarily Israel, 
so therefore it wasn't the 13th century. It's rather the 15th 
century, or the 1400s when this conquest actually took place. 
So the text is conspicuously highlighting this, not to answer 
this particular thing, but there is an apologetic thrust here. 
And by that I mean defense, not I'm sorry. But as for the cities 
that stood on their mounds, Israel burned none of them except Hazor 
only, which Joshua burned. and all the spoil of these cities, 
and the livestock, the children of Israel took as booty for themselves, 
but they struck every man with the edge of the sword until they 
had destroyed them, and they left none breathing." Again, 
this was what was commanded. This is what the Lord God told 
them to do. And then the faithfulness of 
Joshua is seen in verse 15. As the Lord had commanded Moses 
his servant, so Moses commanded Joshua, and so Joshua did. Again, he ought to have served 
as a great model for the kings in Israel that would follow. He wasn't technically the king 
in Israel, but as leader in Israel, as successor to Moses, his example 
should have been followed. He was an obedient man. He did 
what he was told. God the Lord spoke through his 
word, and Joshua took it seriously. When we get to Joshua chapter 
24, when he says, as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. 
He ain't kidding. He's a faithful brother. He is 
consistent through and through. If anything, in these studies 
in Joshua, I hope you've been endeared even more to this brother 
who did things that you and I probably could never do. I mean, he's 
in breaking things, killing people, delivering the edge of the sword, 
burning cities, dividing up the spoil, dividing up the land itself 
under the God of heaven and earth. The man is certainly obedient. 
Notice the end of verse 15, he left nothing undone of all that 
the Lord had commanded Moses. Could you imagine that being 
on your tombstone? I mean, I don't know that we 
fully appreciate the weight of this sentence. He left nothing 
undone. I like the margin in the New 
King James. He turned aside from nothing. That means whatever God commanded 
Joshua to do, he did it. He didn't grumble, he didn't 
whine, he didn't complain, he didn't disobey. He was faithful 
to the very end. He had that issue with the Gibeonites 
to be sure. He didn't seek the Lord, they 
didn't inquire of the Lord, but he swore to his own hurt and 
he didn't change. He honored that covenant with 
the Gibeonites. He protected them from his own 
people who wanted their throats and he protected them from that 
coalition of southern kings who wanted to destroy them. Joshua 
is a faithful brother, brothers and sisters, one that we ought 
to emulate, one that we ought to imitate. Certainly a great 
man of God. I wonder if the margin would 
ever say that of us. He turned aside from nothing 
that God the Lord had commanded. We see this command throughout 
the Pentateuch, Exodus 34, Numbers 33, Deuteronomy 20, also specifically 
with reference to Joshua in Numbers 27, Deuteronomy 3 and 31, where 
God tells them as the nation to go in and dispossess the land 
And as time goes on, it's obvious that Joshua is going to succeed. 
Moses, God through Moses, tells Joshua he will be the one to 
lead these people into Canaan and to destroy the Canaanites 
and to divvy up the land for the people there. So certainly 
a great testimony to our brother Joshua. He left nothing undone 
of all that the Lord had commanded Moses, a great hero of the faith 
for our consideration. And then the summary in verses 
16 to 23. Note first the extent Summarizing the extent of the 
conquest, it deals with the boundaries, deals with regions, verses 16 
and 17. Again, there's summary statements. It's telling us the nature of 
the conquest as it has happened. And then note the duration, verse 
18. Joshua made war a long time with 
all those kings. Now, we read Joshua, and it seems 
like it's just like this, right? It takes time to break things 
and kill people, doesn't it? I think. I would imagine. I've never gone in and broken 
things and killed people, but I would imagine it takes time. 
Remember, Israel didn't have horses and chariots. Their feet 
were their horses and chariots. The book of Joshua is a compendium. It is a summary. It is a condensed 
version. Not every city is mentioned. 
Not every stop is mentioned. Not every battle is given. Not 
every event is described. Notice in verse 18, Joshua made 
war a long time with all those kings. Now, based on chapter 
14 and verse 10, some calculate it as having taken about seven 
years. About seven years is what we've 
covered in ten lessons, okay? So in ten weeks, we think, wow, 
this book of, you know, they're just moving and shaking and killing 
and breaking. I didn't even mean that. That's 
a little poetry here, right? Seven years. Josephus reckoned 
five. So probably between five and 
seven years. Again, that's one of those things. 
I didn't have time to search out why Josephus thought five 
and others think seven. But suffice it to say, it took 
several years to go about this particular task. There's a reason 
for this. Back in Exodus chapter 23. Exodus 
chapter 23. And then again in Deuteronomy 
7. The text in Exodus 23 at verse 
29, I will not drive them out from before you in one year, 
lest the land become desolate and the beasts of the field become 
too numerous for you. You see, if it would have been 
done in a year before they could have inhabited those particular 
portions of land, before they could get into the allotments 
and tribal divisions, there would be wild beasts there. So it's 
going to take some time. It's going to be gradual. Little 
by little, I will drive them out from before you until you 
have increased and you inherit the land. And I will set your 
bounds from the Red Sea to the sea. Philistia, and from the 
desert to the river. For I will deliver the inhabitants 
of the land into your hand, and you shall drive them out before 
you." A similar statement is found in Deuteronomy chapter 
7 at verse 22 as well. Deuteronomy 7.22, And the Lord 
your God will drive out those nations before you. Little by 
little you will be unable to destroy them at once, lest the 
beasts of the field become too numerous for you. Now, I think 
that sheds some light on Joshua's obedience. I mean, probably most 
of us could obey God for like two days. I mean, if it was do 
or die, yeah, I know we could. I'm giving us the benefit of 
the doubt. Two days is easier than seven 
years, right? Seven years of faithfulness. That's just in the conquest. That's not the time going up 
to the conquest. It's not the time subsequent 
to the conquest in terms of the division of the land, the final 
exhortations, and all those sorts of things. The brother was faithful 
over the long haul. We need to understand that Canaan 
wasn't conquered in a day. Faithfulness over the long haul 
is crucial to the accomplishment of the mission. It is not the 
case that the church goes out and evangelizes once and the 
city falls down and confesses its sins before God. That just 
doesn't happen. We need to be faithful. We need 
to be enduring. We need to be persevering. We 
need to realize and settle in for the task that is at hand. 
The church is not a here today, gone tomorrow sort of a thing. 
It's not a flash in the pan. We have to build strong so that 
we can build far. We must be faithful to the long 
haul. Just a quote from Dale Ralph 
Davis where he mentions something about the conquest and then gives 
a bit of an analogy or parallel to us. He says, the conquest 
then was a long, grueling, demanding process. Seven years of war. That's a long, demanding, grueling 
process. He says, Joshua 2 to 11 rightly 
gives you the highlights, but you must not think it was merely 
one hot summer's work. And then he says, I don't want 
to get drippy and spiritualized, but. It may be proper to point 
out that this remains one of God's patterns with his people. 
God's power still works among us, not necessarily in quick 
flashes, but over a long time, which calls for simple, durable 
fidelity over such time. Even though God is at work, many 
days still consist of washing your face, brushing your teeth, 
taking out garbage and attending class. That is why you have need 
of endurance. It is faithful plotting that 
the Lord God used in the conquest of Canaan. It wasn't just this 
one time big event where we settle up all accounts. It's the same 
with the church. It's not the case where it's 
just an immediate thing. We need to labor long, we need 
to pray hard, we need to pray often, we need to be faithful 
to preach the Word whether it seems as if God is attending 
in great power or not. Our task, as the Apostle says 
in 1 Corinthians chapter 4, is to be faithful. He says, moreover, 
it is required of stewards that they be found faithful. Not that 
they be found successful, not that they be found popular, not 
that they be found everybody's favorite guy, but that they be 
found faithful. That's the point. That's the 
emphasis. Verse 18 jumps out from the passage 
to tell us this was a long and hard process. Anything that God 
calls his people to is probably going to be likewise. the Great 
Commission. We are to go, therefore, and 
make disciples of all the nations. We are to baptize them in the 
name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and we need 
to teach them to observe all things that Christ has commanded, 
and He's promised, Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of 
the age. Even to the end of the age. What's 
the implication? You need to do this to the end 
of the age. It's not going to happen overnight. 
Immediate success is not something that the church ought to look 
for. In fact, some of us are so to the opposite when there 
appears to be any sign of success, we're wondering what's going 
on here. But God the Lord tells us in verse 18 that he made war 
a long time with all those kings. There's a very important principle 
here. We are to be faithful plotters in the Christian life rather 
than just we're going to get it all done overnight. Notice 
thirdly, with reference to this summary, we've seen the extent 
of the conquest, the duration of the conquest. Notice the divine 
purpose. Verses 19 and 20. There was not 
a city that made peace with the children of Israel except the 
Hivites, the inhabitants of Gibeon. All the others they took in battle." 
We already know this because we've gone through Joshua chapters 
1 to 10, right? We know they've taken them in 
battle. We've just read about the Northern Campaign. He put 
the edge of the sword to everybody. Well, why is this? Verse 20. Again, this isn't just history. It's theological history. There 
is a divine purpose behind all this. For It was of the Lord 
to harden their hearts, that they should come against Israel 
in battle, that he might utterly destroy them, and that they might 
receive no mercy, but that he might destroy them, as the Lord 
had commanded Moses. Now if you remember in our studies 
in Matthew over the last few weeks, we've been in a passage 
that deals with election and reprobation. One of the things 
we've noticed along the way is that sometimes people balk at 
that particular doctrine, the doctrine of predestination. because 
at its root it asserts the Godhood of God. It writes God entirely 
too large, as Machen says, and man entirely too small to suit 
our human pride. And so man likes to reject and 
man likes to try and argue that that's not really what it says. 
There is no out in verse 20. There is no escape divine sovereignty 
in verse 20. For it was of the Lord to harden 
their hearts. Now, if we've read the Pentateuch, 
we shouldn't be surprised here. God hardened Pharaoh's heart, 
right? Now, a lot of people who are 
opposed to this doctrine of divine sovereignty say, well, Pharaoh 
hardened his own heart. The first instance is God hardened 
Pharaoh's heart. He also hardened either Sihon 
or Og. The particular king escapes me 
at this particular moment. I think it was Sihon. He hardened 
his heart as well. And so it's not uncommon for 
God to do this. In the language of Calvin, it 
is simply, hence the hardness is called his work because it 
secures the accomplishment of his design. He will harden that 
heart so he can accomplish his purpose. The victory of Israel, 
the punishment and judgment of the wicked Canaanites. God the 
Lord is operating according to his own sovereign prerogatives 
and privilege. And so it says, it was of the 
Lord to harden their hearts that they should come against Israel 
in battle, that He might utterly destroy them, and that they might 
receive no mercy, but that He might destroy them. In case you 
have a problem with that, let me just tell you twice. It's 
that He might destroy them. You see that? It's almost like 
the author of Joshua is writing against Arminians. It's almost 
like he's writing against the opponents of sovereign grace. 
How dare God do that? Well, let me just tell you again. 
He hardens their hearts so that they will not, or should come 
against Israel in battle, that He might utterly destroy them. 
And that they might receive no mercy, but that He might destroy 
them, as the Lord had commanded Moses. Make no mistake about 
it. Our God is sovereign. Our God 
controls events. There is an eternal purpose and 
plan. There is an eternal decree. It 
is being orchestrated by a good, gracious, merciful, kind, and 
loving God. The heart of the king is in the 
hand of the Lord, and he turns it wherever he wishes the way 
the waters go in their particular channels. If you think, and I 
don't think any of you think this, but if someone thinks that 
they can run from Joshua 11, 20 into the New Testament to 
try and hide against the sovereign God, may I suggest he stop at 
Jesus' prayer in Matthew 11, 25 and 26. I thank you, Father, Lord of 
heaven and earth, for you did hide these things from the wise 
and prudent, and you revealed them to babes." May I suggest 
that he keeps running from Matthew 11 into Romans 9, and there he 
will see even again that God hardens whom He hardens, and 
He shows mercy to whom He shows mercy. There is no escaping. You cannot leave the Old Testament 
into what you think is a nicer, calmer, more settled New Testament 
to try and escape divine sovereignty. There is no escape. We live in 
a world governed by a sovereign God. We live in a world under 
control. We live in a world that is foreordained, 
predestined, whatever you want to call it. God the Lord is in 
charge. And that is the point in verse 
20. Notice with reference to this 
summary, fourthly, the anarchy are mentioned. Again, I think 
this is just a shot in the arm to the people of Israel. Praise 
your God. Remember the Anakim? They were 
those giants in the land that terrified that first generation. Numbers 13, we don't want to 
go into the land because there's Anakim there. That literally 
means long necks is what Anakim translates to. Giraffe type people. No, I'm kidding. That one guy 
would think they were probably lion-like people and giraffe-type 
people. But they were afraid of the Anakim. 
The Anakim were a foe. They were formidable. They were 
paralyzing in terms of what they were and how they had ability. Look at what we find here. Verse 
21, and at that time Joshua came and cut off the Anakim from the 
mountains. from Hebron, from Debir, from 
Anab, from all the mountains of Judah, and from all the mountains 
of Israel. Joshua utterly destroyed them 
with their cities. None of the Anakim were left 
in the land of the children of Israel. They did remain, though, 
in Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod. It wasn't an utter destruction. 
There were still Anakim, but they were defanged, and they 
were cut off at the feet. They no longer had that They 
no longer had that strength. They had been defeated. And that 
is the point. As we continue or as we summarize 
this conquest, that fearful foe that caused the first generation 
to tremble has been taken care of by God the Lord in his goodness 
and in his kindness. And then the fifth observation 
with reference to the summary is an official summary and transition 
as I've already mentioned in verse 23. So Joshua took the 
whole land, according to all that the Lord had said to Moses. 
Now when you read that, and you look at chapter 13, verse 1, 
you say, wait a minute. Chapter 13, verse 1. Joshua was 
old, advanced in years. And the Lord said to him, you're 
old, advanced in years, and there remains very much land yet to 
be possessed." You'll see similar statements along the way in Joshua. 
And lo and behold, when you get to Judges, you still see them 
having to go in and engage the enemy. How could it be said that 
Joshua took the whole land? I think Kyle and Dalich explain 
it very well. The taking of the whole land 
does not imply that all the towns and villages to the very last 
had been conquered or that all the Canaanites were rooted out 
from every corner of the land. but simply that the conquest 
was of such a character that the power of the Canaanites was 
broken. Their dominion overthrown and 
their whole land so thoroughly given into the hands of the Israelites 
that those who still remained here and there were crushed into 
powerless fugitives who could neither offer any further opposition 
to the Israelites nor dispute the possession of the land with 
them. If they would only strive to fulfill the commandments of 
their God, and persevere in the gradual extermination of the 
scattered remnants. Moreover, Israel had received 
the strongest pledge in the powerful help which it had received from 
the Lord in the conquest thus far obtained that the faithful 
covenant God would continue his help in the conflicts which still 
remain and secure for it a complete victory and the full possession 
of the promised land." In other words, they broke the back of 
their enemy. Yeah, there were pockets. Yeah, 
there were still some places. But all in all, Joshua and the 
children of Israel had taken the whole land. So they were 
faithful. The land then had rest from the 
war. And they were able to divide 
up the portions for the people in the various tribes. And then 
the emphasis, as I said at the end of the book, is how do we 
keep this land? And that's where in Israel ultimately 
falls. Judges already starts. The downfall, 
the rest of the historical books, the former prophets and following, 
show us that they did not remain faithful and were ultimately 
cast out of the land by God himself. So that's chapter 11, the northern 
campaign. and the summary of the entirety 
of the conquest up to this point. So let's close in prayer. Father, 
we thank you for your word and we thank you for your faithfulness. 
Certainly it jumps out at us from every chapter in this great 
book. We know that you promised to 
Abraham and we know that you delivered on that promise. We 
pray, Father, that we would learn the lessons from passages such 
as these, that we would have assurance, that we would have 
faith, that we would have strength and courage, and that we would 
be faithful for the long haul. We just pray that you would bless 
us and strengthen us and encourage our hearts, and we pray through 
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.