Theme: The enemies of God will eventually be destroyed by God.
In chapter 10, we saw Israel go up and rescue Gibeon.
Israel kept their covenant with the Gibeonites and rescued them from the siege of five other kings.
We also looked at Joshua’s prayer of faith that trusted God for something that seemed impossible and that Joshua had never seen happen before.
The Christian who lives by faith has learned to take God at His Word and to trust Him even for things that they have never seen Him do before.
The prayer of faith which flows from the heart moves God to intervene on your behalf in ways that He otherwise would not.
In chapter 11 we see the hand of God in bringing all His enemies together into one place so that He could destroy them.
This chapter can be divided into three main sections:
- The Army of God Challenged (Joshua 11:1–5)
- The Army of God Marches (Joshua 11:6–12)
- The Army of God Conquers (Joshua 11:13–23)
1. The Army of God Challenged (Joshua 11:1–5)
The King of Hazor’s Coalition (Verses 1–3)
King Jabin of Hazor heard of Israel’s victory over the five-king coalition that came against Gibeon.
When he heard of their defeat, he formed his own coalition army to stop Israel’s conquest.
Hazor was situated approximately 16 km north of the Sea of Galilee, on a major trade route connecting Damascus and Megiddo. This gave it both economic and strategic importance.
Just as in the previous chapter, one king began calling others together to fight against Israel.
However, this coalition was much larger than the previous one.
King Jabin was not taking any chances. He called together every king he could persuade to join him in destroying Israel.
The alliance included rulers:
- From the mountains of the north
- From the valleys below
- From the region of Chinneroth (Gennesaret) near the Sea of Galilee
- From Dor on the Mediterranean coast
In other words, he gathered every possible ally he could find.
The King of Hazor’s Challenge (Verses 4–5)
The army Jabin assembled was enormous.
Scripture describes it as “as the sand that is upon the sea shore in multitude.”
Even sceptical historians estimate that the coalition may have included over 300,000 soldiers, along with horsemen and chariots.
The armies gathered together at the waters of Merom and prepared to fight against Israel.
The book of Joshua continually reminds us that the people of God are engaged in a spiritual battle.
The Psalmists often spoke of enemies surrounding them.
Psalm 56:1–2
“Be merciful unto me, O God: for man would swallow me up; he fighting daily oppresseth me.
Mine enemies would daily swallow me up: for they be many that fight against me, O thou most High.”
Yet the Psalmist could still say:
Psalm 56:3–4
“What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.
In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.”
2. The Army of God Marches (Joshua 11:6–12)
God’s Army Has Victory (Verses 6–8)
The Lord Encouraged Joshua
Once again the Lord encouraged Joshua in the face of overwhelming opposition.
If one phrase stands out throughout the book of Joshua, it is “Be not afraid.”
Although we tend to think of Joshua as a fearless conqueror, the repeated encouragement from God suggests that he was naturally inclined to fear when facing great difficulties.
Josephus records that the Israelites were terrified by the size of this army.
Therefore, God renewed His promise of victory to Joshua.
Encouraged by this promise, Joshua moved forward in faith.
Christian, we also have reason not to fear.
Matthew 28:18–20
“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth… and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”
The Psalmist knew what it meant to feel surrounded by enemies.
Psalm 18:2–6
“The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust…”
God remains our present help in trouble.
God’s Army Surprises the Enemy
Joshua and all the men of war came suddenly upon the enemy.
Their attack was swift and unexpected.
Because Joshua obeyed the Lord, God delivered the enemy into Israel’s hands.
Israel pursued them until none remained.
God gave Israel a complete victory, further establishing them in the land promised to Abraham’s descendants.
God’s Army Takes the Spoils (Verses 9–12)
Israel then turned against the Canaanite cities.
They killed the king of Hazor and destroyed everyone in the city, setting it on fire.
During a visit to Hazor in Israel, the evidence of this destruction can still be seen.
Archaeologists have discovered:
- Burned stones in the city walls
- Pottery that had melted from intense heat
- Idols that had been decapitated
Interestingly, Joshua 11:13 states that Hazor was the only city burned, and archaeology confirms exactly that.
Rather than disproving the Bible, archaeology continually confirms its accuracy.
The name Palestine itself was not used until AD 135, when the Roman emperor Hadrian renamed the region Syria Palaestina after suppressing the Bar Kokhba revolt.
This renaming was part of Rome’s attempt to erase Jewish identity from the land.
3. The Army of God Conquers (Joshua 11:16–23)
The General Conquest (Verses 16–18)
Joshua conquered the land as the Lord delivered the Canaanite cities into Israel’s hands.
These verses describe the regions subdued:
- The hills
- The south country
- The land of Goshen
- The valley and the plain
- The mountain of Israel
Joshua defeated their kings and smote them with the edge of the sword.
Scripture tells us something important here:
Joshua made war a long time with those kings.
Not every battle ends quickly.
Some spiritual battles last for generations.
Examples include:
- The battle for the authority of the Bible
- The battle for the minds of our children
- The battle for purity in the church
- The battle for sound doctrine
The enemy attacks different truths in different generations, but the battle never fully ends.
The Total Conquest Decreed (Verses 19–23)
No city made peace with Israel except the Gibeonites.
Verse 20 reveals that God allowed the enemy’s hearts to be hardened so that they would come against Israel and be destroyed.
A similar event will occur in the future.
Revelation 19:19–21
“And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse…”
Ultimately, God will defeat all His enemies.
As the old song says:
“We win, we win, Hallelujah we win.
I read the back of the book and we win.”
Joshua also cut off the Anakims from the land, except in Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod.
These were the giants mentioned by the spies.
Numbers 13:33
“And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak… and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers.”
Joshua and Caleb were not afraid because they trusted God.
Today we face giants as well:
- The giant of atheism
- The giant of evolution
- The giant of humanism
- The giant of false religion
Each of these attempts to draw people away from faith in God and from the sufficiency of the blood of Jesus Christ.
The Land Rested from War
The chapter concludes with these words:
“So Joshua took the whole land… and the land rested from war.”
This reminds us that although the Christian life involves battles, one day we will enter into eternal rest.
Revelation 21:2–5
“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying…”
Conclusion
We do not need to fear the enemy.
Instead, we must place our trust in God, who has promised that He will never leave us nor forsake us.
We must remain faithful in the battle until the Lord calls us home.
As the hymn “Am I a Soldier of the Cross?” says:
“Are there no foes for me to face,
Must I not stem the flood?
Is this vile world a friend to grace
To help me on to God?Sure I must fight if I would reign;
Increase my courage, Lord.
I’ll bear the toil, endure the pain,
Supported by Thy Word.”