Joshua 11 (5)

Thus Joshua took all this land: the mountain country, all the South, all the land of Goshen, the lowland, and the Jordan plain—the mountains of Israel and its lowlands, rom Mount Halak and the ascent to Seir, even as far as Baal Gad in the Valley of Lebanon below Mount Hermon. He captured all their kings, and struck them down and killed them. Joshua made war a long time with all those kings. There was not a city that made peace with the children of Israel, except the Hivites, the inhabitants of Gibeon. All the others they took in battle. For it was of the LORD to harden their hearts, that they should come against Israel in battle, that He might utterly destroy them, andthat they might receive no mercy, but that He might destroy them, as the LORD had commanded Moses. Joshua 11.16-20

Reflect.
1.  What does it mean to say that someone has hardened his heart against the Lord?

2.  Can people whose hearts have been hardened against the Lord expect to be saved? Ever?

Think about it.
Here the writer summarizes Joshua’s conquest of the south, the mountain country and lowlands, in the north, and in Goshen and the Jordan plain. It seems to me that more fighting is encapsulated in this summary than what has been reported previously, especially as we ponder the report in verse 18.

Verse 18 offers the first indication we’ve had that this fighting has gone on for “a long time.” The early battles seem to have been fought and won within a few weeks. Once the campaign moved to the north, though the narrative didn’t stretch out any longer, apparently, the time of fighting did.

Only the Gibeonites sought to make peace with Israel and, by association, Israel’s God. The others were hardened against Him. Here is a mystery. God hardened the hearts of these kings and their people, just as He had hardened Pharaoh’s heart in an earlier generation. But they were held responsible for their hard hearts, and paid the terrible price of their refusal to repent.

Those who persist in resisting the God of mercy will ultimately receive what they have chosen – no mercy. Only the mercy of God keeps people alive, grants them anything of beauty or goodness or truth, and offers the hope of forgiveness if they will repent. All who scorn the mercy of God are responsible for the destruction that will come upon them.

Meditate and discuss.
1.  Could we say that Saul of Tarsus had hardened his heart against God and Christ? How did God overcome that hardness? How should this give us hope for our unbelieving friends?

2.  We say that the hardening of people’s hearts against God is a mystery. Why? What makes this a mystery?

3.  If someone does indicate a hardness of heart against the Lord, should we simply leave them to their choice? We can’t change them, but can they change? What can we do?

“It is said that ‘heir heart was strengthened through the Lord,’ that is, that their heart was hardened, just as in the case of Pharaoh. There can be no doubt that this is justly done by a divine and lofty judgment, when God abandons someone and the enemy takes possession of him; the same applies in this case as in Pharaoh’s.” Augustine (354-430 AD)

Give me grace, Lord, that I may show mercy and love to all people, even those whose hearts are hardened against You, so that…

Pray Psalm 107.1-22.
As you pray this psalm, think of people you know who fit the vignettes presented of lost people being rescued, and pray for their salvation.

Psalm 107.1-22 (Faithfulness: Great is Thy Faithfulness)
Lord, You are good, we give thanks and we praise You!
Your steadfast love will forever endure.
Let the redeemed, who from trouble You rescue,
Gather and say that Your mercy is sure!
Refrain vv. 1-3
Lord, for Your wondrous works, and for Your steadfast love,
We give You thanks, we exalt Your great Name!
We who from east and west, north and south gather,
Boldly redemption in Christ we proclaim!

Wand’ring in deserts, no city, no dwelling,
Hungry and thirsty and faint in our soul –
Lord, when we cried, all our misery telling,
You brought us home and in grace made us whole!
Refrain

Though we in darkness of death and affliction,
Pris’ners of sin and rebellion were bound;
Though we Your Word denied, You brought conviction,
Crying to You we deliverance have found!
Refrain

Foolish and sinful, afflicted and dying,
All of our ways with iniquity fraught – 
You hear our tears, our laments, and our crying,
You sent Your Word and to us mercy brought!
Refrain

T. M. Moore

Where does the book of Joshua fit in the ongoing story of God’s covenant? Our workbook, God’s Covenant, can help you discover the place in God’s work of redemption not only of Joshua but of all the books of the Bible. God’s Covenant is a valuable resource to guide you in all your studies in God’s Word. To order your copy, click here. And when you order, we’ll send you a free copy of Bricks and Rungs: Poems on Calling.

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing adapted from The Ailbe Psalter. All quotations from Church Fathers from Ancient Christian Commentary Series, General Editor Thomas C. Oden (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2006).