• The Book of Joshua reveals that victory, success, and progress result when God's people trust and obey Him consistently.
• The Book of Judges shows that defeat, failure, and retrogression follow when they fail to trust and obey Him consistently.
• In this respect Joshua and Judges are like two sides of one coin.

"This book is … quite negative: it begins bleakly, continues darkly, and ends horribly."
 
Judges 1-3 sets the stage for the period of the judges in Israel's history, highlighting the challenges the Israelites face in the Promised Land and the beginning of the cycle of disobedience and deliverance.

• Judges settled civil disputes but sometimes also served as military leaders.

1. Judges 1: After Joshua's death, the Israelites continued their efforts to conquer the remaining Canaanite territories.

• The tribe of Judah led the charge, achieving some victories, but many tribes failed to fully drive out the Canaanites.
• This incomplete obedience led to the Israelites living among the Canaanites, which set the stage for future idolatry and conflict.

1. Judges 2 : An angel of the Lord rebukes the Israelites for not obeying God's command to completely remove the Canaanites.

• The chapter outlines the cycle that will characterize the book of Judges: Israel's disobedience, oppression by enemies, crying out to God, and deliverance by judges.
• Chart of judges
• The chapter also notes the death of Joshua and the rise of a new generation that does not know the Lord, leading to their worship of other gods.

1. Judges 3 : The first judges are introduced.

• Othniel, the first judge, delivers Israel from the king of Aram, bringing peace for 40 years.
• Ehud, the second judge, delivers Israel from the Moabites by assassinating King Eglon, leading to 80 years of peace.
• Shamgar, the third judge, delivers Israel from the Philistines, though his story is briefly mentioned.

These chapters highlight the Israelites' struggle to remain faithful to God amidst the influences of the surrounding nations and set the pattern of recurring cycles of disobedience and deliverance that define the era of the judges.
 
 
DEBORAH AND BARAK
JUDGES 4
1 The Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord after Ehud had died. 2 So the Lord sold them to King Jabin of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. The commander of his army was Sisera who lived in Harosheth of the Nations.

• Northern Galilee area
• Hazor was one of the largest cities in the Promised Land – controlled by Canaanites.

3 Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord, because Jabin had nine hundred iron chariots, and he harshly oppressed them twenty years.
4 Deborah, a prophetess and the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time.

•  Her name means "Bee," and she did what often typifies a bee: She stung the enemy, and she brought sweet refreshment (as honey refreshes one's spirit and strength) to her people.

5 She would sit under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites went up to her to settle disputes.
6 She summoned Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali and said to him, “Hasn’t the Lord, the God of Israel, commanded you, ‘Go, deploy the troops on Mount Tabor, and take with you ten thousand men from the Naphtalites and Zebulunites?

• On this occasion, Israel's forces were very numerous.
• They had perhaps a 10 to one advantage over the Canaanites.

7 Then I will lure Sisera commander of Jabin’s army, his chariots, and his infantry at the Wadi Kishon to fight against you, and I will hand him over to you.’ ”
8 Barak said to her, “If you will go with me, I will go. But if you will not go with me, I will not go.”

• Most Israelite commanders called on God to help them but Barak called on Deborah.

9 “I will gladly go with you,” she said, “but you will receive no honor on the road you are about to take, because the Lord will sell Sisera to a woman.” So Deborah got up and went with Barak to Kedesh.

• Whatever his motivation may have been, Barak put a condition on obeying God.
• The will of God was clear.
• He even had God's promise of victory.
• Nevertheless he refused to obey unless Deborah accompanied him.
• Barak would defeat the Canaanites, but a woman would get the honor for defeating the commander, Sisera.
• This was Barak's punishment for putting a condition on his obedience to God.

10 Barak summoned Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh; ten thousand men followed him, and Deborah also went with him.
11 Now Heber the Kenite had moved away from the Kenites, the sons of Hobab, Moses’s father-in-law, and pitched his tent beside the oak tree of Zaanannim, which was near Kedesh.
12 It was reported to Sisera that Barak son of Abinoam had gone up Mount Tabor. 13 Sisera summoned all his nine hundred iron chariots and all the troops who were with him from Harosheth of the Nations to the Wadi Kishon. 14 Then Deborah said to Barak, “Go! This is the day the Lord has handed Sisera over to you. Hasn’t the Lord gone before you?” So Barak came down from Mount Tabor with ten thousand men following him.
15 The Lord threw Sisera, all his charioteers, and all his army into a panic before Barak’s assault. Sisera left his chariot and fled on foot. 16 Barak pursued the chariots and the army as far as Harosheth of the Nations, and the whole army of Sisera fell by the sword; not a single man was left.
17 Meanwhile, Sisera had fled on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, because there was peace between King Jabin of Hazor and the family of Heber the Kenite. 18 Jael went out to greet Sisera and said to him, “Come in, my lord. Come in with me. Don’t be afraid.” So he went into her tent, and she covered him with a blanket. 19 He said to her, “Please give me a little water to drink for I am thirsty.” She opened a container of milk, gave him a drink, and covered him again.

• Sisera had violated every part of the code governing the actions of host and guest.
• Sisera should have gone directly to Heber, the head of the household, not to his wife's tent.
• This violation of hospitality customs would have alerted Jael that something was amiss.
• Furthermore, Sisera should not have accepted Jael's offer of hospitality.
• But when he did, this doubtless indicated to Jael again that his intentions were not right.

20 Then he said to her, “Stand at the entrance to the tent. If a man comes and asks you, ‘Is there a man here?’ say, ‘No.’ ” 21 While he was sleeping from exhaustion, Heber’s wife, Jael, took a tent peg, grabbed a hammer, and went silently to Sisera. She hammered the peg into his temple and drove it into the ground, and he died.

• To die by the hand of a woman was a disgrace in the ancient Near East (cf. 9:54 - Abimelech).

22 When Barak arrived in pursuit of Sisera, Jael went out to greet him and said to him, “Come and I will show you the man you are looking for.” So he went in with her, and there was Sisera lying dead with a tent peg through his temple!

• The man who should have taken the initiative in attacking Israel's enemy years earlier now got another order from a woman—a seemingly "ordinary housewife," who had conquered General Barak's mighty enemy: General Sisera.

23 That day God subdued King Jabin of Canaan before the Israelites. 24 The power of the Israelites continued to increase against King Jabin of Canaan until they destroyed him.[1]
 
DEBORAH’S SONG
JUDGES 5
1 On that day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang:
2 When the leaders lead in Israel,
when the people volunteer,
blessed be the Lord.
3 Listen, kings! Pay attention, princes!
I will sing to the Lord;
I will sing praise to the Lord God of Israel.
4 Lord, when you came from Seir,
when you marched from the fields of Edom,
the earth trembled,
the skies poured rain,
and the clouds poured water.
5 The mountains melted before the Lord,
even Sinai, before the Lord, the God of Israel.
6 In the days of Shamgar son of Anath,
in the days of Jael,
the main roads were deserted
because travelers kept to the side roads.
7 Villages were deserted,
they were deserted in Israel,
until I, Deborah, arose,
a mother in Israel.
8 Israel chose new gods,
then there was war in the city gates.
Not a shield or spear was seen
among forty thousand in Israel.
9 My heart is with the leaders of Israel,
with the volunteers of the people.
Blessed be the Lord!
10 You who ride on white donkeys,
who sit on saddle blankets,
and who travel on the road, give praise!
11 Let them tell the righteous acts of the Lord,
the righteous deeds of his villagers in Israel,
with the voices of the singers at the watering places.
Then the Lord’s people went down to the city gates.
12 “Awake! Awake, Deborah!
Awake! Awake, sing a song!
Arise, Barak,
and take your prisoners,
son of Abinoam!”
13 Then the survivors came down to the nobles;
the Lord’s people came down to me against the warriors.
14 Those with their roots in Amalek came from Ephraim;
Benjamin came with your people after you.
The leaders came down from Machir,
and those who carry a marshal’s staff came from Zebulun.
15 The princes of Issachar were with Deborah;
Issachar was with Barak;
they were under his leadership, in the valley.
There was great searching of heart
among the clans of Reuben.
16 Why did you sit among the sheep pens
listening to the playing of pipes for the flocks?
There was great searching of heart
among the clans of Reuben.
17 Gilead remained beyond the Jordan.
Dan, why did you linger at the ships?
Asher remained at the seashore
and stayed in his harbors.
18 The people of Zebulun defied death,
Naphtali also, on the heights of the battlefield.
19 Kings came and fought.
Then the kings of Canaan fought
at Taanach by the Waters of Megiddo,
but they did not plunder the silver.
20 The stars fought from the heavens;
the stars fought with Sisera from their paths.
21 The river Kishon swept them away,
the ancient river, the river Kishon.
March on, my soul, in strength!
22 The horses’ hooves then hammered--
the galloping, galloping of his stallions.
23 “Curse Meroz,” says the angel of the Lord,
“Bitterly curse her inhabitants,
for they did not come to help the Lord,
to help the Lord with the warriors.”
24 Jael is most blessed of women, is Jael,
the wife of Heber the Kenite;
she is most blessed among tent-dwelling women.
25 He asked for water; she gave him milk.
She brought him cream in a majestic bowl.
26 She reached for a tent peg,
her right hand, for a workman’s hammer.
Then she hammered Sisera--
she crushed his head;
she shattered and pierced his temple.
27 He collapsed, he fell, he lay down between her feet;
he collapsed, he fell between her feet;
where he collapsed, there he fell—dead.
28 Sisera’s mother looked through the window;
she peered through the lattice, crying out:
“Why is his chariot so long in coming?
Why don’t I hear the hoofbeats of his horses?”
29 Her wisest princesses answer her;
she even answers herself:
30 “Are they not finding and dividing the spoil--
a girl or two for each warrior,
the spoil of colored garments for Sisera,
the spoil of an embroidered garment or two for my neck?”
31 Lord, may all your enemies perish as Sisera did.
But may those who love him
be like the rising of the sun in its strength.
And the land had peace for forty years. [2]

• This chapter celebrates the fact that God gave His people a great victory through these women.

And today, the fighting between Israel and it’s enemies ceases for another season as the peace treaty goes into effect between Israel and Gaza.

[1] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jdg 4:1–24.
[2] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jdg 5:1–31.

Joshua 9-10 left the Israelites conquering kings but not overtaking the land.
In Joshua 11-12 they defeat all the kings and take over most of the land of Israel.
 
UNCONQUERED LANDS
JOSHUA 13
1 Joshua was now old, advanced in age, and the Lord said to him, “You have become old, advanced in age, but a great deal of the land remains to be possessed. 2 This is the land that remains:
All the districts of the Philistines and the Geshurites: 3 from the Shihor east of Egypt to the border of Ekron on the north (considered to be Canaanite territory)—the five Philistine rulers of Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron, as well as the Avvites 4 in the south; all the land of the Canaanites, from Arah of the Sidonians to Aphek and as far as the border of the Amorites; 5 the land of the Gebalites; and all Lebanon east from Baal-gad below Mount Hermon to the entrance of Hamath,--6 all the inhabitants of the hill country from Lebanon to Misrephoth-maim, all the Sidonians.
I will drive them out before the Israelites, only distribute the land as an inheritance for Israel, as I have commanded you. 7 Therefore, divide this land as an inheritance to the nine tribes and half the tribe of Manasseh.”

• Having successfully removed the major military threats to Israel’s survival in Canaan, Joshua the aged soldier now became an administrator.
• The land conquered by bloody warfare had to be assigned to the various tribes and Joshua would oversee this important transaction.
• It would be a service less exhausting and more suited to his advancing years.
• To many people this section of the Book of Joshua, with its detailed lists of boundaries and cities, seems tedious.
• Someone has said, “Most of this long section reads like a real estate deed.”
• And that is precisely what is found in these lengthy narrations—legal descriptions (after the manner of that ancient day) of the areas allocated to the 12 tribes.
• Title deeds are important documents so these should not be regarded as insignificant or superfluous.
• This was a climactic moment in the life of the young nation.
• After centuries in Egyptian bondage, decades in the barren wilderness, years of hard fighting in Canaan, the hour had arrived when the Israelites could at last settle down to build homes, cultivate the soil, raise families, and live in peace in their own land.
• The days of land allotment were a happy time for Israel.[1]

8 With the other half of the tribe of Manasseh, the Reubenites and Gadites had received the inheritance Moses gave them beyond the Jordan to the east, just as Moses the Lord’s servant had given them[2]
 
14 He did not, however, give any inheritance to the tribe of Levi. This was their inheritance, just as he had promised: the food offerings made to the Lord, the God of Israel.[3]
 
23 The border of the Reubenites was the Jordan and its plain. This was the inheritance of the Reubenites by their clans, with the cities and their settlements. [4]
 
28 This was the inheritance of the Gadites by their clans, with the cities and their settlements. 29 And to half the tribe of Manasseh (that is, to half the tribe of Manasseh’s descendants by their clans) Moses gave 30 this as their territory: [5]
 
ISRAEL’S INHERITANCE IN CANAAN
JOSHUA 14
1 The Israelites received these portions that the priest Eleazar, Joshua son of Nun, and the family heads of the Israelite tribes gave them in the land of Canaan. 2 Their inheritance was by lot as the Lord commanded through Moses for the nine and a half tribes, 3 because Moses had given the inheritance to the two and a half tribes beyond the Jordan. But he gave no inheritance among them to the Levites. 4 The descendants of Joseph became two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim. No portion of the land was given to the Levites except cities to live in, along with pasturelands for their cattle and livestock. 5 So the Israelites did as the Lord commanded Moses, and they divided the land.[6]

• Map

 

• Caleb was promised territory by Moses for being a great scout the 2nd time.

13 Then Joshua blessed Caleb son of Jephunneh and gave him Hebron as an inheritance. 14 Therefore, Hebron still belongs to Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite as an inheritance today because he followed the Lord, the God of Israel, completely.[7]

• Map

 
JUDAH’S INHERITANCE
JOSHUA 15
1 Now the allotment for the tribe of the descendants of Judah by their clans was in the southernmost region, south to the Wilderness of Zin and over to the border of Edom.[8]
 
63 But the descendants of Judah could not drive out the Jebusites who lived in Jerusalem. So the Jebusites still live in Jerusalem among the descendants of Judah today.[9]
 
EPHRAIM’S INHERITANCE
JOSHUA 16
8 This was the inheritance of the tribe of the descendants of Ephraim by their clans, together with 9 the cities set apart for the descendants of Ephraim within the inheritance of the descendants of Manasseh—all these cities with their settlements. 10 However, they did not drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer. So the Canaanites still live in Ephraim today, but they are forced laborers. [10]
 
WEST MANASSEH’S INHERITANCE
JOSHUA 17
1 This was the allotment for the tribe of Manasseh as Joseph’s firstborn. Gilead and Bashan were given to Machir, the firstborn of Manasseh and the father of Gilead, because he was a man of war. 2 So the allotment was for the rest of Manasseh’s descendants by their clans,[11]
 
12 The descendants of Manasseh could not possess these cities, because the Canaanites were determined to stay in this land. 13 However, when the Israelites grew stronger, they imposed forced labor on the Canaanites but did not drive them out completely.
 
JOSEPH’S ADDITIONAL INHERITANCE
14 Joseph’s descendants said to Joshua, “Why did you give us only one tribal allotment as an inheritance? We have many people, because the Lord has been blessing us greatly.”
15 “If you have so many people,” Joshua replied to them, “go to the forest and clear an area for yourselves there in the land of the Perizzites and the Rephaim, because Ephraim’s hill country is too small for you.”
16 But the descendants of Joseph said, “The hill country is not enough for us, and all the Canaanites who inhabit the valley area have iron chariots, both at Beth-shean with its surrounding villages and in the Jezreel Valley.”
17 So Joshua replied to Joseph’s family (that is, Ephraim and Manasseh), “You have many people and great strength. You will not have just one allotment, 18 because the hill country will be yours also. It is a forest; clear it and its outlying areas will be yours. You can also drive out the Canaanites, even though they have iron chariots and are strong.”[12]
 
LAND DISTRIBUTION AT SHILOH
JOSHUA 18
1 The entire Israelite community assembled at Shiloh and set up the tent of meeting there. The land had been subdued before them, 2 but seven tribes among the Israelites were left who had not divided up their inheritance. 3 So Joshua asked the Israelites, “How long will you delay going out to take possession of the land that the Lord, the God of your ancestors, gave you?[13]

• They went and surveyed the land and returned to Joshua.

10 Joshua cast lots for them at Shiloh in the presence of the Lord where he distributed the land to the Israelites according to their divisions.[14]
 

• Land distributed to:
• Benjamin – 18:21-28
• Simeon – 19:1-9
• Zebulun – 19:10-16
• Issachar – 19:17-23
• Asher – 19:24-31
• Naphtali – 19:32-39
• Dan – 19:40-48

 
JOSHUA 19
49 When they had finished distributing the land into its territories, the Israelites gave Joshua son of Nun an inheritance among them. 50 By the Lord’s command, they gave him the city Timnath-serah in the hill country of Ephraim, which he requested. He rebuilt the city and lived in it.
51 These were the portions that the priest Eleazar, Joshua son of Nun, and the family heads distributed to the Israelite tribes by lot at Shiloh in the Lord’s presence at the entrance to the tent of meeting. So they finished dividing up the land.[15]
 
CITIES OF REFUGE
JOSHUA 20
1 Then the Lord spoke to Joshua, 2 “Tell the Israelites: Select your cities of refuge, as I instructed you through Moses, 3 so that a person who kills someone unintentionally or accidentally may flee there. These will be your refuge from the avenger of blood. 4 When someone flees to one of these cities, stands at the entrance of the city gate, and states his case before the elders of that city, they are to bring him into the city and give him a place to live among them. 5 And if the avenger of blood pursues him, they must not hand the one who committed manslaughter over to him, for he killed his neighbor accidentally and did not hate him beforehand. 6 He is to stay in that city until he stands trial before the assembly and until the death of the high priest serving at that time. Then the one who committed manslaughter may return home to his own city from which he fled.”
7 So they designated Kedesh in the hill country of Naphtali in Galilee, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah. 8 Across the Jordan east of Jericho, they selected Bezer on the wilderness plateau from Reuben’s tribe, Ramoth in Gilead from Gad’s tribe, and Golan in Bashan from Manasseh’s tribe.
9 These are the cities appointed for all the Israelites and the aliens residing among them, so that anyone who kills a person unintentionally may flee there and not die at the hand of the avenger of blood until he stands before the assembly. [16]
 
CITIES OF THE LEVITES
JOSHUA 21
1 The Levite family heads approached the priest Eleazar, Joshua son of Nun, and the family heads of the Israelite tribes. 2 At Shiloh, in the land of Canaan, they told them, “The Lord commanded through Moses that we be given cities to live in, with their pasturelands for our livestock.” 3 So the Israelites, by the Lord’s command, gave the Levites these cities with their pasturelands from their inheritance. [17]
 
THE LORD’S PROMISES FULFILLED
43 So the Lord gave Israel all the land he had sworn to give their ancestors, and they took possession of it and settled there. 44 The Lord gave them rest on every side according to all he had sworn to their ancestors. None of their enemies were able to stand against them, for the Lord handed over all their enemies to them. 45 None of the good promises the Lord had made to the house of Israel failed. Everything was fulfilled. [18]
 
JOSHUA 23
1 A long time after the Lord had given Israel rest from all the enemies around them, Joshua was old, advanced in age. 2 So Joshua summoned all Israel, including its elders, leaders, judges, and officers, and said to them, “I am old, advanced in age, 3 and you have seen for yourselves everything the Lord your God did to all these nations on your account, because it was the Lord your God who was fighting for you. 4 See, I have allotted these remaining nations to you as an inheritance for your tribes, including all the nations I have destroyed, from the Jordan westward to the Mediterranean Sea. 5 The Lord your God will force them back on your account and drive them out before you so that you can take possession of their land, as the Lord your God promised you.
6 “Be very strong and continue obeying all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, so that you do not turn from it to the right or left 7 and so that you do not associate with these nations remaining among you. Do not call on the names of their gods or make an oath to them; do not serve them or bow in worship to them. 8 Instead, be loyal to the Lord your God, as you have been to this day. [19]
 
14 “I am now going the way of the whole earth, and you know with all your heart and all your soul that none of the good promises the Lord your God made to you has failed. Everything was fulfilled for you; not one promise has failed. 15 Since every good thing the Lord your God promised you has come about, so he will bring on you every bad thing until he has annihilated you from this good land the Lord your God has given you. 16 If you break the covenant of the Lord your God, which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods, and bow in worship to them, the Lord’s anger will burn against you, and you will quickly disappear from this good land he has given you.” [20]

• Like a masterful preacher, Joshua restated his discourse, this time emphasizing that he was a dying man, hoping that this would make his words sink more deeply into their hearts.
• Once more he spoke of God’s punctilious faithfulness to every promise; once more he warned of the doom caused by disobedience.
• The terrible climax of this message to the nation’s leaders emphasized the fact that Israel’s greatest danger was not military—it was moral and spiritual.
• If Joshua were alive today the strong likelihood is that he would say the same thing to this nation.[21]

 
JOSHUA 24
29 After these things, the Lord’s servant, Joshua son of Nun, died at the age of 110. 30 They buried him in his allotted territory at Timnath-serah, in the hill country of Ephraim north of Mount Gaash. 31 Israel worshiped the Lord throughout Joshua’s lifetime and during the lifetimes of the elders who outlived Joshua and who had experienced all the works the Lord had done for Israel. [22]

[1] Donald K. Campbell, “Joshua,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 355.
[2] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jos 13:1-8.
[3] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jos 13:14.
[4] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jos 13:23.
[5] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jos 13:28–30.
[6] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jos 14:1–5.
[7] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jos 14:13–14.
[8] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jos 15:1
[9] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jos 15:63.
[10] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jos 16:8–10.
[11] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jos 17:1–2.
[12] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jos 17:1–18.
[13] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jos 18:1–3.
[14] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jos 18:10.
[15] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jos 19:49–51.
[16] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jos 20:1–9.
[17] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jos 21:1–3.
[18] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jos 21:43–45.
[19] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jos 23:1–8.
[20] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jos 23:14–16.
[21] Donald K. Campbell, “Joshua,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 368.
[22] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jos 24:29–31.

Joshua 8 left the Israelites recommitting to the Law after they conquered the city of Ai.
 
DECEPTION BY GIBEON
JOSHUA 9
1 When all the kings heard about Jericho and Ai, those who were west of the Jordan in the hill country, in the Judean foothills, and all along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea toward Lebanon—the Hethites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites--2 they formed a unified alliance to fight against Joshua and Israel.
3 When the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai, 4 they acted deceptively. They gathered provisions and took worn-out sacks on their donkeys and old wineskins, cracked and mended. 5 They wore old, patched sandals on their feet and threadbare clothing on their bodies. Their entire provision of bread was dry and crumbly.

• Map
• Gibeon stood seven miles south of Bethel.
• It was "one of the largest towns in the central part of Canaan,” larger than Ai (10:2), and possibly the capital city of the Hivites.
• It later became a Levitical town (18:25; 21:17).
• The Israelites much later pitched the tabernacle there, and it remained at that site until Solomon built his temple (1 Kings 3:4-5; 1 Chron. 16:39; 21:29).
• Hivites inhabited Gibeon at the time of the conquest (v. 7).

6 They went to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal and said to him and the men of Israel, “We have come from a distant land. Please make a treaty with us.”

• God had not forbidden the Israelites from making peace treaties with non-Canaanite peoples (Deut. 20:11), but He had expressly commanded them not to make treaties with the native Canaanites (Exod. 23:32; 34:12; Num. 33:55; Deut. 7:2).

7 The men of Israel replied to the Hivites, “Perhaps you live among us. How can we make a treaty with you?”
8 They said to Joshua, “We are your servants.”
Then Joshua asked them, “Who are you and where do you come from?”
9 They replied to him, “Your servants have come from a faraway land because of the reputation of the Lord your God. For we have heard of his fame, and all that he did in Egypt, 10 and all that he did to the two Amorite kings beyond the Jordan—King Sihon of Heshbon and King Og of Bashan, who was in Ashtaroth. 11 So our elders and all the inhabitants of our land told us, ‘Take provisions with you for the journey; go and meet them and say, “We are your servants. Please make a treaty with us.” ’ 12 This bread of ours was warm when we took it from our houses as food on the day we left to come to you; but see, it is now dry and crumbly. 13 These wineskins were new when we filled them; but see, they are cracked. And these clothes and sandals of ours are worn out from the extremely long journey.” 14 Then the men of Israel took some of their provisions, but did not seek the Lord’s decision.

• The Israelites had failed at Ai because they had confidence in their own strength.
• They failed here because they had confidence in their own wisdom.
• How easy it is even in the service of the Lord to take God's guidance and blessing for granted!

15 So Joshua established peace with them and made a treaty to let them live, and the leaders of the community swore an oath to them.
 
GIBEON’S DECEPTION DISCOVERED
16 Three days after making the treaty with them, they heard that the Gibeonites were their neighbors, living among them. 17 So the Israelites set out and reached the Gibeonite cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath-jearim.

• Wait… what?
• Joshua has been deceived.

18 But the Israelites did not attack them, because the leaders of the community had sworn an oath to them by the Lord, the God of Israel. Then the whole community grumbled against the leaders.

• Here, the wilderness motif had been turned upside down, for in the wilderness, the leaders were justified, while the congregation was guilty.
• Here, the congregation is justified, while the leaders are at fault.

19 All the leaders answered them, “We have sworn an oath to them by the Lord, the God of Israel, and now we cannot touch them. 20 This is how we will treat them: we will let them live, so that no wrath will fall on us because of the oath we swore to them.” 21 They also said, “Let them live.” So the Gibeonites became woodcutters and water carriers for the whole community, as the leaders had promised them.
22 Joshua summoned the Gibeonites and said to them, “Why did you deceive us by telling us you live far away from us, when in fact you live among us? 23 Therefore you are cursed and will always be slaves—woodcutters and water carriers for the house of my God.”

• The reason God forbade His people from allowing the pagan Canaanites to live, and subsequently become incorporated into Israel, was that they might lead the Israelites into idolatry.
• The leaders of Israel therefore punished the Gibeonites for their deception in a way designed to minimize the possibility of their ever doing this:
• They made them servants in the tabernacle, namely, gatherers of firewood and drawers of water for the Israelite congregation.

24 The Gibeonites answered him, “It was clearly communicated to your servants that the Lord your God had commanded his servant Moses to give you all the land and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land before you. We greatly feared for our lives because of you, and that is why we did this. 25 Now we are in your hands. Do to us whatever you think is right.” 26 This is what Joshua did to them: he rescued them from the Israelites, and they did not kill them. 27 On that day he made them woodcutters and water carriers—as they are today—for the community and for the Lord’s altar at the place he would choose.[1]

• This plan probably reinstated the leaders in the good favor of the Israelites.
• Nevertheless, this was not a wise move, because the LORD wanted only authorized Israelites (Levites) to assist in tabernacle worship.
• By bringing these foreigners into tabernacle service, the leaders of Israel violated the holiness of God.
• The Gibeonites never led the Israelites into idolatry, as far as the text records, but their presence in the tabernacle displeased the LORD (cf. Ezekiel 44:7 - 7 When you brought in foreigners, uncircumcised in both heart and flesh, to occupy my sanctuary, you defiled my temple while you offered my food—the fat and the blood. You broke my covenant by all your detestable practices. 8 You have not kept charge of my holy things but have appointed others to keep charge of my sanctuary for you.’ [2]).
• So there really are exact parallels between Rahab the individual and the Gibeonites the corporate unit.
• Rahab (plus her family) was the only individual saved out of Jericho.
• The Gibeonites were the only people saved out of the land.
• Rahab believed, left Jericho and came among the people of God.
• The Gibeonites were the only people in the land who turned to God, and they flowed on through all the years of Jewish history.

 
THE DAY THE SUN STOOD STILL
JOSHUA 10

• This chapter records the Canaanites' first aggressive action against the Israelites.
• The Canaanites threw the first stone against God’s people.

1 Now King Adoni-zedek of Jerusalem heard that Joshua had captured Ai and completely destroyed it, treating Ai and its king as he had Jericho and its king, and that the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were living among them. 2 So Adoni-zedek and his people were greatly alarmed because Gibeon was a large city like one of the royal cities; it was larger than Ai, and all its men were warriors. 3 Therefore King Adoni-zedek of Jerusalem sent word to King Hoham of Hebron, King Piram of Jarmuth, King Japhia of Lachish, and King Debir of Eglon, saying, 4 “Come up and help me. We will attack Gibeon, because they have made peace with Joshua and the Israelites.” 5 So the five Amorite kings—the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon—joined forces, advanced with all their armies, besieged Gibeon, and fought against it.

• Here the writer used the name Amorites (v. 6), in a general sense, to describe the Canaanites who were living in the nearby hills, including the Jebusites.
• The Amorites who lived in the mountains were the strongest of all the Canaanites.

6 Then the men of Gibeon sent word to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal: “Don’t give up on your servants. Come quickly and save us! Help us, for all the Amorite kings living in the hill country have joined forces against us.”
7 So Joshua and all his troops, including all his best soldiers, came from Gilgal.

• Map

8 The Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them, for I have handed them over to you. Not one of them will be able to stand against you.”

• This was the first time that Israel went into battle against an alliance of city-states.
• God reassured Joshua that he would be victorious.

9 So Joshua caught them by surprise, after marching all night from Gilgal.

• Their night march covered about 20 miles up steep terrain, with gear, under stress, in the middle of the night, and with a battle still before them.

10 The Lord threw them into confusion before Israel. He defeated them in a great slaughter at Gibeon, chased them through the ascent of Beth-horon, and struck them down as far as Azekah and Makkedah.

• Map

11 As they fled before Israel, the Lord threw large hailstones on them from the sky along the descent of Beth-horon all the way to Azekah, and they died. More of them died from the hail than the Israelites killed with the sword.

• The Amorites and the Israelites realized that the victory came as a result of the supernatural help of Yahweh, and not simply by Israel's own power.
• Yahweh, not just Israel, had devoted the Amorites to destruction.

12 On the day the Lord gave the Amorites over to the Israelites, Joshua spoke to the Lord in the presence of Israel:

• Joshua based his impressive petition on God's promise (v. 8).
• It was a public prayer that he spoke to the LORD in the hearing of the Israelites.

“Sun, stand still over Gibeon,
and moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.”
13 And the sun stood still
and the moon stopped
until the nation took vengeance on its enemies.
Isn’t this written in the Book of Jashar?
So the sun stopped
in the middle of the sky
and delayed its setting
almost a full day.
14 There has been no day like it before or since, when the Lord listened to a man, because the Lord fought for Israel. 15 Then Joshua and all Israel with him returned to the camp at Gilgal.
 
EXECUTION OF THE FIVE KINGS
16 Now the five defeated kings had fled and hidden in the cave at Makkedah. 17 It was reported to Joshua, “The five kings have been found; they are hiding in the cave at Makkedah.”
18 Joshua said, “Roll large stones against the mouth of the cave, and station men by it to guard the kings. 19 But as for the rest of you, don’t stay there. Pursue your enemies and attack them from behind. Don’t let them enter their cities, for the Lord your God has handed them over to you.” 20 So Joshua and the Israelites finished inflicting a terrible slaughter on them until they were destroyed, although a few survivors ran away to the fortified cities. 21 The people returned safely to Joshua in the camp at Makkedah. And no one dared to threaten the Israelites.
22 Then Joshua said, “Open the mouth of the cave, and bring those five kings to me out of there.” 23 That is what they did. They brought the five kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon to Joshua out of the cave. 24 When they had brought the kings to him, Joshua summoned all the men of Israel and said to the military commanders who had accompanied him, “Come here and put your feet on the necks of these kings.” So the commanders came forward and put their feet on their necks. 25 Joshua said to them, “Do not be afraid or discouraged. Be strong and courageous, for the Lord will do this to all the enemies you fight.”
26 After this, Joshua struck them down and executed them. He hung their bodies on five trees and they were there until evening. 27 At sunset Joshua commanded that they be taken down from the trees and thrown into the cave where they had hidden. Then large stones were placed against the mouth of the cave, and the stones are still there today.
 
CONQUEST OF SOUTHERN CITIES
28 On that day Joshua captured Makkedah and struck it down with the sword, including its king. He completely destroyed it and everyone in it, leaving no survivors. So he treated the king of Makkedah as he had the king of Jericho.
29 Joshua and all Israel with him crossed from Makkedah to Libnah and fought against Libnah. 30 The Lord also handed it and its king over to Israel. He struck it down, putting everyone in it to the sword, and left no survivors in it. He treated Libnah’s king as he had the king of Jericho.
31 From Libnah, Joshua and all Israel with him crossed to Lachish. They laid siege to it and attacked it. 32 The Lord handed Lachish over to Israel, and Joshua captured it on the second day. He struck it down, putting everyone in it to the sword, just as he had done to Libnah. 33 At that time King Horam of Gezer went to help Lachish, but Joshua struck him down along with his people, leaving no survivors.
34 Then Joshua crossed from Lachish to Eglon and all Israel with him. They laid siege to it and attacked it. 35 On that day they captured it and struck it down, putting everyone in it to the sword. He completely destroyed it that day, just as he had done to Lachish.
36 Next, Joshua and all Israel with him went up from Eglon to Hebron and attacked it. 37 They captured it and struck down its king, all its villages, and everyone in it with the sword. He left no survivors, just as he had done at Eglon. He completely destroyed Hebron and everyone in it.
38 Finally, Joshua turned toward Debir and attacked it. And all Israel was with him. 39 He captured it—its king and all its villages. They struck them down with the sword and completely destroyed everyone in it, leaving no survivors. He treated Debir and its king as he had treated Hebron and as he had treated Libnah and its king.

• The purpose of Joshua's raids was to destroy the military capability of these city-states, and to instill fear and confusion in the remaining Canaanites.
• Archaeology has confirmed that many of these cities did not suffer complete destruction at this time.
• But beyond inflicting immediate loss, this campaign achieved little else by itself—it was a sweep, not an occupation: 'Joshua returned and all Israel with him, to the camp, to Gilgal' (Joshua 10:15, 43).
• Occupation of the land, to live in it, keep livestock and cultivate crops in it, etc., was a far slower process, visible in part later in Joshua and in Judges.

40 So Joshua conquered the whole region—the hill country, the Negev, the Judean foothills, and the slopes—with all their kings, leaving no survivors. He completely destroyed every living being, as the Lord, the God of Israel, had commanded. 41 Joshua conquered everyone from Kadesh-barnea to Gaza, and all the land of Goshen as far as Gibeon. 42 Joshua captured all these kings and their land in one campaign, because the Lord, the God of Israel, fought for Israel.

• The writer again emphasized the main reason for Israel's military success: "The LORD, the God of Israel, fought for Israel".

43 Then Joshua returned with all Israel to the camp at Gilgal.[3]

• Israel did not defeat every town or kill every Canaanite without exception.
• However, Joshua did remove the military threat to Israel that the larger cities in the south posed.

 

• The Israelites fought one battle at a time, and so must we.
• We need to do what God puts before us to do—day by day—rather than taking on more responsibility than God wants us to assume at that moment (cf. Matt. 6:25-34).
• The Israelites fought one battle at a time, and so must we.

Matthew 6:25-34
25 “Therefore I tell you: Don’t worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Consider the birds of the sky: They don’t sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they? 27 Can any of you add one moment to his life span by worrying? 28 And why do you worry about clothes? Observe how the wildflowers of the field grow: They don’t labor or spin thread. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was adorned like one of these. 30 If that’s how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and thrown into the furnace tomorrow, won’t he do much more for you—you of little faith? 31 So don’t worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. 34 Therefore don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.[4]

[1] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jos 9:1–27.
[2] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Eze 44:7–8.
[3] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jos 10:1–43.
[4] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Mt 6:25–34.