Joshua 11-13
What I Noticed Today (Joshua 11-13)
Joshua 11
In verses 1-5, Jabin, king of Hazor, was the leader of the kings in the northern region. When he heard about how Israel had conquered the southern region he called kings in the north together to form a united army to attack Israel.
Note: Hazor was a very important city in the north; it governed trade throughout the northern region.
In verses 6-15, the Lord came to Joshua, reassured him and told him the very next day they would hamstring the horses of the opposing army, and burn their chariots with fire.
- The next day Joshua and the entire Israelite army attacked the kings of the north.
- The Lord was in the midst of the battle.
- Joshua did exactly as God had directed by hamstringing the horses and burning the chariots.
- All of their enemies were struck down with the sword.
- Joshua burned the city of Hazor to the ground.
- The people were allowed to take spoils from all the cities in the north that they conquered.
Note: Josephus, the Jewish historian, estimated the army of the northern confederacy of kings to be 300,000 infantry soldiers, 10,000 cavalry soldiers, and 20,000 chariots.
In verses 6-23, Joshua had taken all the land that God had spoken of to Moses. Joshua gave the land to the people as an inheritance, and they had rest from war.
Note: Joshua 11:23 is the first of many references to the inheritance of the Israelites in Joshua.
Joshua 12
Joshua 12 is a listing of all the cities and lands conquered by Moses east of the Jordan, and then the cities and lands conquered by Joshua west of the Jordan. The sixteen kings of the southern region are listed first (vv. 9-16), followed by the 15 kings in the northern region (vv. 17-24).
Joshua 13
In Joshua 13, Joshua is described as getting on in years with much of the land the Lord promised still to be claimed.
- The Lord describes the land yet to be conquered beginning in the south and moving north
- The Lord reassures Joshua that He will drive the people out, but wants the land divided and given to the people as an inheritance.
In verses 8-33, specific direction for how the land on the east side of the Jordan was divided and given to each tribe as an inheritance is provided:
- On the east side of the Jordan River the Reubenites, Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh received their inheritance.
- The tribe of Levi received no specific land as an inheritance but received 48 towns and cities throughout the land of the Israelites.
Some thoughts for further consideration:
- In chapter 11, God reassured Joshua before the battle and gave him instructions, God delivered the enemy into Joshua’s hands, and Joshua did everything that God required after the battle.
- There are times when enemies will band together against God’s people. But what they fail to realize is that in reality, they are fighting against God Himself, not just God’s people. God is with us before, during, and after the battle. We are never alone!
What did you notice in your study today? Feel free to visit the website and leave a question or a comment.
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Tomorrow: Joshua 14-16