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The Scriptorium

Rest

Even more than Israel under Joshua, we have entered the Lord's rest.

Joshua 11 (6)

And at that time Joshua came and cut off the Anakim from the mountains: from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab, from all the mountains of Judah, and from all the mountains of Israel; Joshua utterly destroyed them with their cities. None of the Anakim were left in the land of the children of Israel; they remained only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod. So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the LORD had said to Moses; and Joshua gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. Then the land rested from war. Joshua 11.21-23

Reflect.
1.  Who were the Anakim (cf. Deut. 1.28; 2.10, 11, 21; 9.1, 2)? Why were they mentioned specifically so often?

2.  The writer is emphatic in mentioning the destruction of the Anakim. Why? 

Think about it.
This section serves as summary, overview, and introduction to the next major section of the book of Joshua. The statement that “Joshua took the whole land” is true, but only in principle. As we shall see, at the end of his life, Joshua was still exhorting the tribes to finish the work they had begun. Chapter 12 will review the major conquests against the Canaanites, then chapters 13-21 will report the actual division of the land mentioned here in verse 23. The report offered in our verses for today is repeated with some enlargement in Joshua 21.43-45. The writer offers it here, then adds more detail, much as we see Moses doing in Genesis 1 and 2. Then, in 21.43-45, he states his summary again.

The destruction of the Anakim was significant because, of all the peoples of Canaan, this overly-tall tribe was the one Israel feared the most. It is mentioned here as a kind of crowning achievement to the conquest of the land. The writer wanted us to be sure to understand that not even the Anakim could resist the will of God.

“Then the land rested from war.” True, but only as a general condition. The shalomof God is a permanent possession of His faithful people, but it must always be reinforced and renewed. While the war of conquest was ended, and the land would shortly be divided, Israel would still have many battles ahead to maintain the rest God had given them. The rest to which Joshua led them was not the full and final rest God intends for His people (cf. Heb. 4.8-11).

So it is with us as well. We have come to know Jesus’ rest, and are enjoying His peace (Rom. 5.1, 2). But we still have much work to do in realizing all the promises of our salvation (Phil. 2.12). Moreover, there is yet much in this world that can threaten our peace and cause us to fall into an anxious state of mind. The Word of God and prayer with thanksgiving are the weapons we must engage to win the battles that maintain and deepen our peace (Phil. 4.6, 7; Col. 3.16).

Meditate and discuss.
1.  Israel had entered the rest of God (cf. Ps. 95.5-11). What did that mean for them? Did it mean they no longer had to work at gaining or maintaining the promises of God? 

2.  We are called to enter God’s rest (Heb. 4.1). What does that mean for us? What can keep us from knowing God’s rest (Heb. 4.2)?

3.  Are we likely to devote our lives to gaining and enjoying the promises of God if we do not see those promises as precious and very great (2 Pet. 1.4)? Explain. How can we grow in our appreciation of, and desire for, the promises of God? 

“I do not see that Jesus [Joshua] the son of Nun took possession of all the earth. For how much of the earth does one take who seizes only Judea? But our Lord Jesus truly took possession of all the earth, because a multitude of believers from all over the earth and out of all the nations flock to him. After these things, after ‘Jesus [Joshua] took possession of all the earth,’ it is also added, ‘And the earth rested from wars.’ How will this phrase—that ‘the earth rested from wars’—seem to have been uttered truthfully concerning the son of Nun, when the earth never entirely rested from wars in his time? This is fulfilled in my Lord Jesus Christ alone.” Origen of Alexandria (185-254 AD)

Thank You for bringing me into Your rest, O Lord. Battles remain, however, and especially today as I…

Pray Psalm 95.

Rejoice in God’s sovereignty and salvation, and devote yourself to Him anew, beginning in your heart.

Psalm 95 (Tidings: O Zion, Haste, Thy Mission High Fulfilling)
Come, let us sing with joy to God, our Savior!
Let us with joy to Him, our Rock, bow down!
Come now before Him, grateful for His favor;
Let joyful psalms break forth from all around.
Refrain v. 6
Come let us worship, kneel to our Lord;
Worship our Maker: Father, Holy Spirit, Word.

Great are You, Lord, a King above all nations.
All of earth’s depths lie hidden in Your hand.
Yours are the mountains, Yours the sea, You made it;
You by Your hands created the dry land.
Refrain

You are our God, we are Your sheep, Your people:
Speak, Lord, and let us hearken to Your Word.
Let not our hearts grow hard through sin, and feeble,
As when our fathers sinned against You, Lord.
Refrain

Long years You loathed that wicked generation,
Who in their hearts, rebelled against Your path.
Them You forsook, and kept from Your salvation;
Them You subjected to Your fearsome wrath.
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 hereAnd 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).

T.M. Moore

T. M. Moore is principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He and his wife, Susie, make their home in the Champlain Valley of Vermont.
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