Joshua continues his promise to God by waging war against the inhabitants of the land. In chapter 11, he utterly destroys the people of the northern hill country and destroys most of their towns, as directed by the Lord. The Lord hardened the hearts of the inhabitants so that Joshua had no choice but to completely destroy all of them. Joshua knew that any of the inhabitants left alive would harbor bitterness against the Israelites and later foment rebellion, thus his harsh methods of killing all the inhabitants were used.
Joshua is representative of a person totally sold out to the will of the Lord. In 11:15 we read, "As the Lord had commanded his servant Moses, so Moses commanded Joshua. And Joshua did as he was told, carefully obeying all the commands that the Lord had given to Moses." Joshua did not develop his own plan, or his own law, instead he obeyed the Law as it was given to Moses. He was careful in his obedience. As we learned yesterday, there are only two recorded mistakes that Joshua made, and in both cases he quickly corrected his errors.
Because of his obedience and effectiveness, we read in 11:23, "So the land finally had rest from war." If we are faithful in battle, the we received rest from war. By ridding the land of its heathen inhabitants, the people of Israel were in a state where they could possess the portion of the land they were to be alloted. Joshua, through the leadership of the Holy Spirit and the unction of God, divides and allots the land to each tribe. Each tribe is positionally placed in the area that God foreordained. The type here is clear for the believer. Once we fully surrender to the will of God and conquer sin in our lives by the Holy Spirit, then the Lord can position us in the Body of Christ, each of us performing our role for the good of the Body. Some preach, some teach, some provide money, some lead, some heal, perform miracles, etc. Each of us have a job to do and a purpose to fulfill.
May God bless you and bless the reading of His Word.
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