Joshua 11:23: “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.”

April 1st, 2023 by Pastor Ed in devotional

In Joshua 11, we read that God gave Joshua complete victory and then the land rested from war. This chapter closes out the first section of the book of Joshua. The power of the Canaanite kings within the land had been crushed, and in that sense, Joshua had taken the whole land.  However not every small town and village was occupied. Total occupation would have to be accomplished by each individual tribe going in and possessing the land allotted to them, which would include completely driving out the remaining inhabitants. Each tribe was to do individually what it had done previously as a united people. And only if they succeeded in that, would they truly possess their total inheritance. Sadly, some of the tribes were not completely successful. Their failure was not due to a lack of God’s power, He had given them the land, but rather it was a failure on the tribe’s part. They did not obey and go in and possess all that God had given them.

Jesus has already defeated the enemy at the cross and conquered the land for us also. And like the tribes possessing the land, we are called to go into battle to gain what is ours. For the children of Israel, every piece of land had to be walked on, claimed, and lived in, just as every truth of God must be walked in, claimed by possession, and lived in daily for it to truly become ours. We can hear about, read about, and discuss the great truths of the believer’s life, but that does not necessarily mean we own those truths. We will only own them when we consistently live them. It is still easy to talk the talk, but successfully walking the walk remains a difficult. It is a daily war.

“LORD, we desire to be consistent in both what we say and do. Help us to make our actions match our words this day.”

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Joshua 11 KJV

¹ And it came to pass, when Jabin king of Hazor had heard those things , that he sent to Jobab king of Madon, and to the king of Shimron, and to the king of Achshaph, ² And to the kings that were on the north of the mountains, and of the plains south of Chinneroth, and in the valley, and in the borders of Dor on the west, ³ And to the Canaanite on the east and on the west, and to the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Jebusite in the mountains, and to the Hivite under Hermon in the land of Mizpeh. ⁴ And they went out, they and all their hosts with them, much people, even as the sand that is upon the sea shore in multitude, with horses and chariots very many. ⁵ And when all these kings were met together, they came and pitched together at the waters of Merom, to fight against Israel. ⁶ And the LORD said unto Joshua, Be not afraid because of them: for to morrow about this time will I deliver them up all slain before Israel: thou shalt hough their horses, and burn their chariots with fire. ⁷ So Joshua came, and all the people of war with him, against them by the waters of Merom suddenly; and they fell upon them. ⁸ And the LORD delivered them into the hand of Israel, who smote them, and chased them unto great Zidon, and unto Misrephoth-maim, and unto the valley of Mizpeh eastward; and they smote them, until they left them none remaining. ⁹ And Joshua did unto them as the LORD bade him: he houghed their horses, and burnt their chariots with fire. ¹⁰ And Joshua at that time turned back, and took Hazor, and smote the king thereof with the sword: for Hazor beforetime was the head of all those kingdoms. ¹¹ And they smote all the souls that were therein with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying them: there was not any left to breathe: and he burnt Hazor with fire. ¹² And all the cities of those kings, and all the kings of them, did Joshua take, and smote them with the edge of the sword, and he utterly destroyed them, as Moses the servant of the LORD commanded. ¹³ But as for the cities that stood still in their strength, Israel burned none of them, save Hazor only; that did Joshua burn. ¹⁴ And all the spoil of these cities, and the cattle, the children of Israel took for a prey unto themselves; but every man they smote with the edge of the sword, until they had destroyed them, neither left they any to breathe. ¹⁵ As the LORD commanded Moses his servant, so did Moses command Joshua, and so did Joshua; he left nothing undone of all that the LORD commanded Moses.  ¹⁶ So Joshua took all that land, the hills, and all the south country, and all the land of Goshen, and the valley, and the plain, and the mountain of Israel, and the valley of the same; ¹⁷ Even from the mount Halak, that goeth up to Seir, even unto Baal-gad in the valley of Lebanon under mount Hermon: and all their kings he took, and smote them, and slew them. ¹⁸ Joshua made war a long time with all those kings. ¹⁹ There was not a city that made peace with the children of Israel, save the Hivites the inhabitants of Gibeon: all other they took in battle. ²⁰ For it was of the LORD to harden their hearts, that they should come against Israel in battle, that he might destroy them utterly, and that they might have no favour, but that he might destroy them, as the LORD commanded Moses. ²¹ And at that time came Joshua, and cut off the Anakims from the mountains, from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab, and from all the mountains of Judah, and from all the mountains of Israel: Joshua destroyed them utterly with their cities. ²² There was none of the Anakims left in the land of the children of Israel: only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod, there remained. ²³ So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the LORD said unto Moses; and Joshua gave it for an inheritance unto Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. And the land rested from war.