Did a Sabbath rest or a land of rest, finally give Israel true rest, or do both picture a blissful, eternal rest far greater than any worldly rest? Let’s begin in Joshua 11.
After Israel’s initial conquests, did many other kings join forces against them?
When Jabin, king of Hazor, heard of this, he sent to Jobab king of Madon, and to the king of Shimron, and to the king of Achshaph, and to the kings who were in the northern hill country, and in the Arabah south of Chinneroth, and in the lowland, and in Naphoth-dor on the west, to the Canaanites in the east and the west, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, and the Jebusites in the hill country, and the Hivites under Hermon in the land of Mizpah. And they came out with all their troops, a great horde, in number like the sand that is on the seashore, with very many horses and chariots. And all these kings joined their forces and came and encamped together at the waters of Merom to fight against Israel. (Joshua 11:1-5 ESV)
Did God provide Israel with yet another great victory?
The Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them, for at this time tomorrow I will cause all of them to be killed before Israel. You are to hamstring their horses and burn up their chariots.” So Joshua and his whole military force surprised them at the waters of Merom and attacked them. The Lord handed them over to Israel, and they struck them down, pursuing them as far as Great Sidon and Misrephoth-maim, and to the east as far as the Valley of Mizpeh. They struck them down, leaving no survivors. Joshua treated them as the Lord had told him; he hamstrung their horses and burned up their chariots. (Joshua 11:6-9 HCSB)
What did God require Joshua to do to those kings and their cities?
Joshua then turned back and captured Hazor, executing its king, because Hazor used to be the head of all of those kingdoms. They executed all of the people who lived in it, completely destroying it and leaving no one alive. Then he burned Hazor in fire. So Joshua captured and annihilated all of these cities, along with their kings, completely destroying them, just as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded. However, Israel did not burn any of the cities that had been built on mounds of ruins, except for Hazor only, which Joshua burned. The Israelis took the spoils of war from these cities, along with their livestock, but they executed every human being until they had completely destroyed them, leaving no one alive. Joshua did just what the Lord had commanded his servant Moses and just what Moses had commanded him, leaving nothing unfinished. (Joshua 11:10-15 ISV)
Did any of those kings make peace with Israel or were they all destroyed?
So Joshua took all that land, the hills, and all the south country, and all the land of Goshen, and the valley, and the plain, and the mountain of Israel, and the valley of the same; Even from the mount Halak, that goeth up to Seir, even unto Baalgad in the valley of Lebanon under mount Hermon: and all their kings he took, and smote them, and slew them. Joshua made war a long time with all those kings. There was not a city that made peace with the children of Israel, save the Hivites the inhabitants of Gibeon: all other 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 destroy them utterly, and that they might have no favour, but that he might destroy them, as the Lord commanded Moses. (Joshua 11:16-20 KJV)
Did Joshua finally conquer the whole land and was there peace?
Then Joshua came at that time and eliminated the Anakim from the hill country, from Hebron, Debir, Anab, and from all the hill country of Judah and all the hill country of Israel. Joshua utterly destroyed them with their cities. There were no Anakim left in the land of the sons of Israel; only in Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod some remained. So Joshua took the whole land, in accordance with everything that the Lord had spoken to Moses; and Joshua gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. So the land was at rest from war. (Joshua 11:21-23 NASB)
If the land was only at rest from war, what was true rest? Did a Sabbath keeping people have true rest? What kind of rest could there be beyond the Sabbath rest and beyond the Israelite’s land of rest?
For if Joshua [or Jesus] had given them rest, He would not have spoken of another day after that. So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall into the same example of disobedience. (Hebrews 4:8-11 LSB)
Did a Sabbath rest or a land of rest, finally give Israel true rest, or do both picture a blissful, eternal rest far greater than any worldly rest? You decide!
