Study 9 From The Book of Joshua Is: Joshua 11 and 12
1.
Again the aid of a map is needed to follow this summary of a war
which lasted several years. Which area is covered here? To what causes was
Joshua’s final victory due?
2.
Note the verses which point out the finality and harshness of
the treatment which Joshua carried out.
Why was this necessary? What spiritual lesson can we learn from this? Cf. Mt. 18:8, 9; Col. 3:5.
3.
Meditate on the statement at the end of chapter 11 in the light
of the continued conflict in chapters 13ff.
See esp. 13:1. In what ways does this history provide encouragement and
challenge to us today? Cf. the order
and progress of Rom. 6-8.
Notes
1.
11-20. See Dt. 9: 4,5;
and cf. Ex. 9:12. The Canaanites, like Pharaoh, were in the end provoked to go further
on their already self-chosen evil way.
This brought their judgment to a head.
2.
In 11:20. We read that
Joshua cut off the Anakin from Hebron, Debir and other places; in chapters 14
and 15 it is Caleb and Othniel who take Hebron and Debir; while in 10:36-39 we
have read that at a still earlier time Joshua took Hebron and Debit, and ‘destroyed
all the souls that were therein’. The explanation is that those whom Joshua is
said to have killed on the earlier occasion
were those whom he captured in the cities when he took them the first
time; a considerable part of the population must have fled before he attacked
the cities, and must have returned and reoccupied them while he was away in the
north. 11:21 describes in summary form
operations which covered a long time, and attributes to Joshua as
Commander-in-Chief what was done by Caleb and others under his orders.
