The Book of Joshua – Part 13, Joshua 11:1-23

For Jehovah is a God of judgment; blessed are all those who wait for Him (Isa 30:18)

[Study Aired May 20, 2023]

When we read the book of Joshua and spiritually understand the metaphors for endless wars and killing of everything – man, woman, child and city – but for the Lord’s spirit, it is possible to insidiously reflect the nature of a listless harlot.

How do we become a harlot? It is quite easy. A seasoned harlot will fake her pleasure, hoping her earnest laborer will be substantially ravished to finish early while being a dispassionate production line operator mechanically watching the clock. She can be us, detachedly listening to a study’s content read for the one-hundredth time in forty years, hoping it will finish early. It is typified by Israel becoming bored with her Lord’s power of going before her to win her battles and hearing “… and Joshua left nothing remaining; he destroyed it, and all the souls that were in it; and every soul in it he completely destroyed that day…”, and so forth unceasingly. If we are a dull-eyed wife, we could inwardly hate our Lord’s light bread, having heard this stuff a hundred times before, provoking the same emotion as reading the Chronicles of who begat whom.

Num 21:5 And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.

Pro 27:5 Open rebuke is better than secret love. 
Pro 27:6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.

Christ is our enemy when we get bored with his kisses where our flocks (teeth – Song of Solomon metaphor) rest at noon when we are no longer aroused in our passion for him. In the negative, it is possibly a bit late when we subsequently need a hit of “strong drink” for our dying man. (Pro 31:6)

2Ti 1:6 Therefore I remind you to inflame anew the gift of God, which is in you by the putting on of my hands. 
2Ti 1:7 For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
2Ti 1:8 Therefore you should not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner. But be partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God.

Hopefully, let’s be inflamed by the holy spirit discerning our Lord’s spirit as His hands mould us through our many afflictions. We must learn to delight in routing our land from the endless giants, men, women and children; representing our sins.

Conquests in Northern Canaan

Jos 11:1 And it happened when Jabin, king of Hazor, had heard, he sent to Jobab king of Madon, and to the king of Shimron, and to the king of Achshaph,
Jos 11:2 and to the kings on the north of the mountains, and on the plains south of Chinneroth, and in the valley, and in the borders of Dor on the west,
Jos 11:3 and to the Canaanite on the east and on the west, and 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.
Jos 11:4 And they went out, they and all their armies with them, many people, even as the sand on the seashore in multitude, with very many horses and chariots.
Jos 11:5 And when all these kings had met together, they came and pitched together at the waters of Merom, to fight against Israel.
Jos 11:6 And Jehovah said to Joshua, Do not be afraid because of them, for tomorrow about this time I will deliver them up, all killed before Israel. You shall hamstring their horses and burn their chariots with fire.
Jos 11:7 And Joshua came suddenly, and all the people of war with him, against them by the waters of Merom. And they fell on them.
Jos 11:8 And Jehovah delivered them into the hand of Israel, who struck them and chased them to great Sidon, and to the salt pits, and to the valley of Mizpeh eastward. And they struck them until they left them none remaining.
Jos 11:9 And Joshua did to them as Jehovah commanded him. He hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots with fire.
Jos 11:10 And Joshua at that time turned back and took Hazor [‘khaw-tsore], and struck its king with the sword. For Hazor formerly was the head of all those kingdoms.
Jos 11:11 And they struck every soul in it with the edge of the sword, destroying them. And he left none breathing. And he burned Hazor with fire.
Jos 11:12 And Joshua took all the cities of those kings, and all the kings of them. And he struck them with the edge of the sword. He destroyed them, as Moses the servant of Jehovah commanded.
Jos 11:13 But Israel did not burn any of them, the cities that stood in their strength, except Hazor only. Joshua did burn it.
Jos 11:14 And all the spoil of these cities and the cattle the sons of Israel took for a prize to themselves. But they struck every man with the edge of the sword, until they had destroyed them. They left none breathing.
Jos 11:15 As Jehovah commanded Moses His servant, so did Moses command Joshua, and so Joshua did. He left nothing undone of all that Jehovah commanded Moses.
Jos 11:16 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 mountains of Israel, and its lowlands,
Jos 11:17 from mount Halak [khaw-lawk] that goes up to Seir, even to Baal-gad in the valley of Lebanon under Mount Hermon. And he took all their kings, and struck them and killed them. 
Jos 11:18 Joshua made war a long time with all those kings.
Jos 11:19 There was not a city that made peace with the sons of Israel, except the Hivites, the inhabitants of Gibeon. All others they took in battle.
Jos 11:20 For it was of Jehovah to harden their hearts so that they should come against Israel in battle, so that they might be destroyed, so that they might have no favor, but that He might destroy them, as Jehovah commanded Moses.
Jos 11:21 At that time Joshua came and cut off the giants 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 with their cities.
Jos 11:22 There were none of the giants left in the land of the sons of Israel; only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod there remained some.
Jos 11:23 And Joshua took the whole land, according to all that Jehovah commanded Moses. And Joshua gave it for an inheritance to Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. And the land rested from war.

Our Lord never used words in scripture that weren’t relevant; moreover, they often had extensive spiritual meanings. On the surface, sometimes the meanings of names appear bland and of little consequence, yet, almost always, some body member will be gifted with greater spiritual insight for our delight. So if we are to get much out of the endless killing of the enemy within or reading the Chronicles of who begat who, our priestly obligation is to study the nuances of our Lord’s word.

Although it may seem tedious to a dull-eyed harlot, the bright-eyed wife of righteousness can construct a spiritual picture from the meanings of the below names.

Jos 11:1 And it happened when Jabin [‘whom God observes; to discern, understand, consider’], king of Hazor [‘Castle, court, enclosures’], had heard, he sent to Jobab [Phonetic – jaw-bab. ‘desert; to cry shrilly’]  king of Madon [‘strife; stature; size; garment’], and to the king of Shimron [‘watch-height; lees, dregs; to guard, observe, give heed; have charge’], and to the king of Achshaph [‘I shall be bewitched; to practice witchcraft or sorcery’],
Jos 11:2 and to the kings on the north [Judgement comes from the north and is the Lord’s people’s ‘treasure’] of the mountains, and on the plains south of Chinneroth [‘harps; lyre; sing. Early name of the sea of Galilee’], and in the valley, and in the borders of Dor [‘generation’ – the coastal city of Manasseh. ‘period, generation, habitation, dwelling’] on the west [While the light of Christ comes from the east, neither the east, west or south sustains growth without judgment from the north. (Psa 75:6 For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south.)]
Jos 11:3 and to the Canaanite on the east and on the west, and 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.

For our understanding, the essence of that 6-member pictorial is, as always, describes the Beast sitting on the throne of God. He’s both full of pomp and glory, yet schizophrenic when ruled by evil spirits that cause him to cry and regain strength through his ‘clothing’ of self-righteousness and support for his cause from his neighbour’s equal spiritual derangements. It is precisely what we can expect when we fight without the Lord’s power to go before us.

Thankfully, and at our appointed time, our Lord is guaranteed to cut off the horns of our power.

Psa 75:1 To the Chief Musician. Do not destroy. A Psalm of Asaph. A Song. To You, O God, we have given thanks, to You we have given thanks; for Your name is near, Your wonderful works declared.
Psa 75:2 When I take the appointed time, I will judge uprightly.
Psa 75:3 The earth and all its people are melting away; I hold up its pillars. Selah.
Psa 75:4 I said to the proud, Do not boast; and to the wicked, Do not lift up the horn;
Psa 75:5 do not lift up your horn on high; nor speak with a stiff neck.
Psa 75:6 For lifting up comes neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south.
Psa 75:7 But God is the judge; He puts down one and sets up another.
Psa 75:8 For in the hand of Jehovah there is a cup, and the wine is red; it is fully mixed; and He pours out from it; but the dregs of it, all the wicked of the earth shall drain its dregs and drink.
Psa 75:9 But I will declare forever; I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.
Psa 75:10 Also I will cut off all the horns of the wicked; but the horns of the righteous shall be lifted up.

Jos 11:4 And they went out, they and all their armies with them, many people, even as the sand on the seashore in multitude, with very many horses and chariots.

Immediately, any time we see the term ‘sand of the seashore’, we know that that sand represents the billions of humans who will have ever lived. Because of Abraham’s faithfulness (as was Joshua’s) to do all that the Lord commanded, he made Abraham’s seed as numerable as the stars of heaven and the sand of the seashore.

Gen 22:16 and said, I have sworn by Myself, says Jehovah; because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only one;
Gen 22:17 that in blessing I will bless you, and in multiplying I will multiply your seed like the stars of the heavens, and as the sand which is upon the seashore. And your Seed shall possess the gate of His enemies.

Gen 32:11 Deliver me [Jacob, Abraham’s son], I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau: for I fear him, lest he will come and smite me, and the mother with the children.
Gen 32:12 And thou saidst, I will surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.

Of course, those coming out of the resurrection to judgment, the Lake of Fire, are those numberless stars finally (figuratively) ascending into their inheritance of eternal life in God’s realm. They are of Esau, who serve Jacob. However, by the strength of their power (horses and chariots) in high places within, these books of Joshua represent our seemingly inexhaustible sins. In the duality of meaning, and when these sins and people are ground to powder and burned with fire, we will possess, that is, rule and judge numberless humanity beginning in the one-thousand years and completed in the resurrection to judgment.

Jos 11:5 And when all these kings had met together, they came and pitched together at the waters of Merom [may-rome – ‘high place’], to fight against Israel.
Jos 11:6 And Jehovah said to Joshua, Do not be afraid because of them, for tomorrow about this time I will deliver them up, all killed before Israel. You shall hamstring their horses and burn their chariots with fire.

Our fine Australian member, Anthony, knows what it is like to be hamstrung when he tore his Achilles tendon. Joshua slashing the horse’s hamstrings rendered the horses utterly incapacitated, meaning spiritually that the pride of our power is rendered useless, as are the conveyances of our power represented by chariots.

Our Lord comes suddenly upon our sins as he drags us out of Babylon.

Jos 11:7 And Joshua came suddenly, and all the people of war with him, against them by the waters of Merom. And they fell on them.
Jos 11:8 And Jehovah delivered them into the hand of Israel, who struck them and chased them to great Sidon, and to the salt pits, and to the valley of Mizpeh eastward. And they struck them until they left them none remaining.
Jos 11:9 And Joshua did to them as Jehovah commanded him. He hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots with fire.
Jos 11:10 And Joshua at that time turned back and took Hazor [‘khaw-tsore], and struck its king with the sword. For Hazor formerly was the head of all those kingdoms.

As we saw in Joshua Part 12, if we crush an enemy’s head, the rest of him is rendered as useless as a horse without his hamstrings. In war, for the most part, if the capital is captured, the rest of the country yields to the coup. For the spiritual-minded, it means to kill the heart, the spirit of the intent for the proposed sinful act.

Jos 11:11 And they struck every soul in it with the edge of the sword, destroying them. And he left none breathing. And he burned Hazor with fire.
Jos 11:12 And Joshua took all the cities of those kings, and all the kings of them. And he struck them with the edge of the sword. He destroyed them, as Moses the servant of Jehovah commanded.
Jos 11:13 But Israel did not burn any of them, the cities that stood in their strength, except Hazor only. Joshua did burn it.

Verse 13 sounds alarm bells for us to not burn to the ground our sins standing in their strength. Nonetheless, and as represented above, if Hazor, the capital of our land, is destroyed, the remaining parts of the body submit. Even if the sin isn’t decapitated, the strength of our spiritual walk is utterly incapacitated, symbolised by cut hamstrings.

Jos 11:14 And all the spoil of these cities and the cattle the sons of Israel took for a prize to themselves. But they struck every man with the edge of the sword, until they had destroyed them. They left none breathing.

Mercifully, our Lord doesn’t lay our land waste in one move since we would become overwhelmed by his chastisement.

Exo 23:29 I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become a waste, and the beast of the field multiply against you.
Exo 23:30 By little and little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased, and inherit the land.

Jos 11:15 As Jehovah commanded Moses His servant, so did Moses command Joshua, and so Joshua did. He left nothing undone of all that Jehovah commanded Moses. 
Jos 11:16 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 mountains of Israel, and its lowlands, 
Jos 11:17 from mount Halak [khaw-lawk] that goes up to Seir, even to Baal-gad [bah’-al gawd ‘lord of fortune’] in the valley of Lebanon under Mount Hermon. And he took all their kings, and struck them and killed them. 
Jos 11:18 Joshua made war a long time with all those kings.

Our Lord, instead of dispatching all our enemies within in one fell swoop with the high probability of us being overwhelmed, stretches our faith by making us contend with our adversaries in dying daily.

1Co 15:30 And why are we also in danger every hour? 
1Co 15:31 Day by day I die, by your rejoicing, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Jos 11:19 There was not a city that made peace with the sons of Israel, except the Hivites, the inhabitants of Gibeon. All others they took in battle.

We harken back to the Gibeonites being a Levitical city of Benjamin, our brother kin to whom we extend mercy for their inherited unwitting Christian Babylonian ways. They are hardened of heart by God not to have ears that hear and eyes that see. They serve the Tabernacle and, for the time being, feed our Benjaminite kin with magic sermons suitable for etching ears (2Ti 4:3).

Isa 61:5 And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers.

Rom 9:15 For He said to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.”
Rom 9:16 So then it is not of the one willing [Babylonian Christians], nor of the one running, but of God, the One showing mercy.
Rom 9:17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “Even for this same purpose I have raised you up, that I might show My power in you, and that My name might be declared throughout all the earth.”
Rom 9:18 Therefore He has mercy on whom He will have mercy, and whom He will, He hardens.

Our Lord’s mercy upon the Gibeonites highlights the Lord’s power to choose the weak and beggarly elect of God to raise them to royal honor that His name will be declared throughout all the earth.

We, too, in our time, have been made by God to come against him to do battle so that he will be given an occasion to destroy and remake us in his image.

Jos 11:20 For it was of Jehovah to harden their hearts so that they should come against Israel in battle, so that they might be destroyed, so that they might have no favor, but that He might destroy them, as Jehovah commanded Moses.
Jos 11:21 At that time Joshua came and cut off the giants 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 with their cities.
Jos 11:22 There were none of the giants left in the land of the sons of Israel; only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod there remained some.
Jos 11:23 And Joshua took the whole land, according to all that Jehovah commanded Moses. And Joshua gave it for an inheritance to Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. And the land rested from war.

We will be battling our spiritual giants, and the meaning of their names in the recent studies in Joshua perfectly describes the nature of our enemies.

These verses show us that our battle against the flesh is fought until the first resurrection, and we hopefully gain Christ, our inheritance. Then we will be totally at rest from the wars of our flesh in Christ.