Joshua 11:16-23 – War Wrap-Up

This section – summarising the whole conquest, south and north – tells us that it took “a long time”! This is probably inserted to guard us against the impression that, since the record of these wars is brief, the time taken must have been brief too. The conquest was a long, gruelling, demanding process. God had told His people it would take time (see Ex. 23:29, 30 and Deut. 7:22). God’s power was at work, but there still needed to be endurance and persistence from His people. God’s power at work among us is not necessarily in quick flashes but sometimes over a long time – calling for simple, durable faithfulness.

V19-20 show us that it was the LORD who hardened the hearts of the nations against Israel. He hardened their hearts so that they might be utterly destroyed; that they might make no plea for grace. This is because the Canaanite’s day of grace had passed; their iniquity was full. They had not turned away from their idolatrous and perverted worship. So the LORD gave them up, confirmed them in their rebellion, and led them to destruction by it. Who are we to say God should not do that? He is sovereign. A better response would be to tremble and worship. “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Heb. 10.31).

We also see in this section how needless our fears are. V21-22 talk about the Anakim. Dale Ralph Davis, an Old Testament professor, says: “They were the incredible hulks of the land of Canaan. Forty years before, Israel was sure that even God’s help was of no avail against these big bruisers. In Israel’s dictionary Anakim spelled terror”. Now we read of these same Anakim being “cut off” by Joshua. God exposes how unnecessary the fear and unbelief of the Numbers 13 generation had been. The LORD’s power is adequate to meet our most dreadful fears.