But, now, another group thought they could combine forces and destroy God's people.
Joshua 11:1-5- And it came to pass, when Jabin king of Hazor had heard those things, that he sent to Jobab king of Madon, and to the king of Shimron, and to the king of Achshaph, And to the kings that were on the north of the mountains, and of the plains south of Chinneroth, and in the valley, and in the borders of Dor on the west, And to the Canaanite on the east and on the west, and to 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. And they went out, they and all their hosts with them, much people, even as the sand that is upon the sea shore in multitude, with horses and chariots very many. And when all these kings were met together, they came and pitched together at the waters of Merom, to fight against Israel.
Have you ever seen sand on the beach? Do you think there is a way to count all the little grains? That's how many enemy soldiers had assembled to battle Israel. It was so many that they couldn't be counted.
I don't know if Joshua was nervous, but God wasn't going to let anything happen to His people.
Joshua 11:6-9- And the LORD said unto Joshua, Be not afraid because of them: for to morrow about this time will I deliver them up all slain before Israel: thou shalt hough their horses, and burn their chariots with fire. So Joshua came, and all the people of war with him, against them by the waters of Merom suddenly; and they fell upon them. And the LORD delivered them into the hand of Israel, who smote them, and chased them unto great Zidon, and unto Misrephothmaim, and unto the valley of Mizpeh eastward; and they smote them, until they left them none remaining. And Joshua did unto them as the LORD bade him: he houghed their horses, and burnt their chariots with fire.
Not only did Joshua defeat these armies, but he also destroyed their war devices. No one could come along and claim them and try to attack Israel with them again.
Joshua 11:10, 12, 15- And Joshua at that time turned back, and took Hazor, and smote the king thereof with the sword: for Hazor beforetime was the head of all those kingdoms. And all the cities of those kings, and all the kings of them, did Joshua take, and smote them with the edge of the sword, and he utterly destroyed them, as Moses the servant of the LORD commanded. As the LORD commanded Moses his servant, so did Moses command Joshua, and so did Joshua; he left nothing undone of all that the LORD commanded Moses.
Joshua obeyed all the Moses had told him to do- Even after Moses was gone and could no longer make sure that Joshua obeyed! Joshua kept the promises that he made! And by doing that, Joshua also obeyed God.
That's the same when we obey our parents. We obey God and make Him happy when we obey our parents.
Joshua 11:23- So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the LORD said unto Moses; and Joshua gave it for an inheritance unto Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. And the land rested from war.
Finally, the children of Israel could relax. They had taken a good portion of the land for their possession. They had battled many mighty enemies. They had kept the promises that they made to Moses. And God had blessed them greatly!
How many kingdoms do you think they conquered?
Joshua 12:24b- all the kings thirty and one.
31 Kingdoms! But, that wasn't all that God had promised to them. He had promised much more land.
Joshua 13:1- Now Joshua was old and stricken in years; and the LORD said unto him, Thou art old and stricken in years, and there remaineth yet very much land to be possessed.
Joshua 14:1-3- And these are the countries which the children of Israel inherited in the land of Canaan, which Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel, distributed for inheritance to them. By lot was their inheritance, as the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses, for the nine tribes, and for the half tribe. For Moses had given the inheritance of two tribes and an half tribe on the other side Jordan: but unto the Levites he gave none inheritance among them.
The land was divided and the people were assigned their cities. They knew that God had kept His Word that He had spoken to Abraham so long ago.
God, who showed 10 wonders in Egypt, and parted 2 large bodies of water for them to cross. The God who fed and watered them in the wilderness, and spoke to them from the mountaintop.
God was there helping them the whole way! There were still some enemies to fight. There were still some cities to claim. Would they obey?
They had seen many miracles that God had performed. They were protected by His hand and guided by His Words. And now, Joshua wanted to make sure that they would always obey Him.
Joshua 24:1, 14, 15 - And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called for the elders of Israel, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers; and they presented themselves before God. Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD. And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
Joshua reminded the people of all the miracles that God had done for them. He then told them to choose who they would worship- God, who had blessed them and brought them to this land, or the idols of the people of the land.
Joshua 24:24- And the people said unto Joshua, The LORD our God will we serve, and his voice will we obey.
Joshua 24:26-28- And Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God, and took a great stone, and set it up there under an oak, that was by the sanctuary of the LORD. And Joshua said unto all the people, Behold, this stone shall be a witness unto us; for it hath heard all the words of the LORD which he spake unto us: it shall be therefore a witness unto you, lest ye deny your God. So Joshua let the people depart, every man unto his inheritance.
Joshua wrote everything down in a book, and then he set a stone as a reminder that they had promised to serve the Lord. And the people went to their homes.
Joshua 24:29-32- And it came to pass after these things, that Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died, being an hundred and ten years old. And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnathserah, which is in mount Ephraim, on the north side of the hill of Gaash. And Israel served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that overlived Joshua, and which had known all the works of the LORD, that he had done for Israel. And the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought up out of Egypt, buried they in Shechem, in a parcel of ground which Jacob bought of the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for an hundred pieces of silver: and it became the inheritance of the children of Joseph.
Joshua died at 110 years old. The people buried him in the land that God had given him.
They also kept their father's promise to Joseph. They buried Josheph's bones, which they had brought with them out of Egypt, in the tomb where Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were buried.
