September 27, 2025
The Conquest started on a great high – Jericho’s walls fell down and the army walked right in.
The rest of Canaan seemed a little less scary and the camp was riding a wave of total victory – then came Ai.
The Ai spies reported that it would take 3,000 men MAX to take the city – Ai would be NO problem.
3,000 men went to Ai, 36 died and the rest were chased back to where they came from – Disaster!
The people became terrified.
What went wrong? Why had Yahweh failed them?
Joshua tore his clothes and laid down in front of the Ark:
Joshua: Sovereign LORD, why did you bring us across the Jordan if You were only going to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites? We should have been content to stay on the other side of the Jordan! O Lord, what can I say, now that Israel has been routed by its enemies? The Canaanites and the other people of the land will hear about this and they will destroy us. What will you do then for your own great name?
Yahweh: Stand up! Why have you fallen on your face? Israel has sinned and transgressed my covenant. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions. That’s why you cannot stand against your enemies. I will not be with you until you destroy what was devoted to destruction…. In the morning you are to cast lots and he who is guilty shall be destroyed by fire, along with all that belongs to him. He has violated the covenant of the LORD and has done a disgraceful thing in Israel!
Lots were cast: Judah ? Zerahites ? Zabdi ? Achan!!
Achan: I have sinned against Yahweh! I took a beautiful mantle, 200 shekels of silver and a bar of gold. They are in a hole under my tent.
Achan, his entire household, and all that belonged to him were destroyed.
After the sin had been removed from Israel, Yahweh once again told Joshua to take Ai ---- This time, victory. The 12,000 inhabitants of Ai were destroyed and the city was burned. Only the cattle and spoils were taken in accordance with the command of God.
An altar of uncut stones was built on the top of Mount Ebal and a copy of the Law was written on the stones. Then Joshua read the entire Law, including the blessings and curses to the congregation.
The conquest of Canaan began in earnest - First against an alliance of southern kings and then against an alliance of northern kings.
Southern Campaign
The kings of the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites gathered together to fight Israel. The Gibeonites chose a different strategy: Pretend we live in a far-off country (they sent their envoys with worn out wineskins, sacks, sandals, clothes and stale bread).
“We live in a far-off country and we have come to make a covenant with you.”
“How do we know that you aren’t actually local?”
“Who are you and where do you come from?”
"We have come from a very far country because of the fame of your God. We’ve heard about what he did to the Egyptians and the 2 kings of the Amorites – Sihon and Og. The leaders of our country gave us provisions for the journey and told us to go and make a covenant with you ---- As you can see, our bread was warm and fresh when we left home, but now it is old and dry. Our wineskins were new as were our clothes and shoes. Now look, they are torn and worn out because our journey was very long.”
Joshua took the Gibeonite Envoys at their word. He did not ask too many questions. He did not consult with God. Instead, he decided to make a covenant with them. 3 days later he learned the truth.
This group “from a far-off land” were local. Their cities, Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth and Kiriath-jearim were only a 3-days journey away.
Joshua: Why did you lie to me? You are cursed – you will be slaves for the house of God – woodcutters and drawers of water.
Envoys: We were told that your God commanded you to take the land and we were afraid. We are in your hands, do what seems right to you.
The above statement did 2 things. It reminded Joshua of their covenant relationship and showed that they were prepared to accept the consequences of their deception.
This “curse” would become a blessing to the Gibeonites. Despite their deception they became members of the covenant community and shared in the service of the Sanctuary (when Solomon became king the Sanctuary was located in Gibeon) and they became partakers of the covenant blessings.
When Adoni-zedek, the king of Jebus (Jerusalem) heard about the treaty between Gibeon and Israel, he was afraid because Gibeon was a great city and it’s men were mighty. So, he sent word to Hoham king of Hebron, Piram king of Jarmuth, Japhia king of Lachish and Debir king of Eglon, saying, "Come and help me attack Gibeon because they made peace with Israel."
So, the five kings of the Amorites gathered with all their armies, and camped near Gibeon.
The Gibeonites sent word to Joshua, “Do not abandon us! Come quickly and save us!”
This time, Joshua consulted Yahweh, who said, “Do not be afraid of them; I have given them into your hand. They will not be able to withstand you.”
Joshua and his men marched all night and took the enemy by surprise.
Joshua 10:10-11 – Yahweh threw them into confusion before Israel, who defeated them in a great victory at Gibeon. Israel pursued them along the road going up to Beth Horon and cut them down all the way to Azekah and Makkedah. As they fled before Israel, Yahweh hurled large hailstones down on them from the sky, and more of them died from the hailstones than were killed by the swords of the Israelites.
It was starting to get dark but the battle wasn’t over, so Joshua said to Yahweh, in the presence of his men, “Sun stand still over Gibeon and moon over the valley of Aijalon.”
Joshua 10:13-14 - So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the nation avenged itself on its enemies, as it is written in the Book of Jashar. The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day. There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when Yahweh listened to a man. Surely Yahweh was fighting for Israel!
Joshua and the army of Israel completed the Southern Campaign destroying Makkedah, Libnah, Lachish, Gezer, Eglon, Hebron and Debir.
Joshua 10:40-42 - Thus Joshua struck all the land, the hill country and the Negev and the lowland and the slopes and all their kings. He left no survivor, but he utterly destroyed all who breathed, just as Yahweh, the God of Israel, had commanded. And Joshua struck them from Kadesh-barnea even as far as Gaza, and all the country of Goshen even as far as Gibeon. And Joshua captured all these kings and their lands at one time, because Yahweh, the God of Israel, fought for Israel.
Northern Campaign
The king of Hazor called for reinforcements from the kings of Madon, Shimron and Achshaph – from the kings north of the hill country - in the Arabah - south of Chinneroth in the lowlands - and Dor to the west – to the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites and Hivites…..
They all gathered to fight against Israel.
Yahweh: "Do not be afraid because of them, for tomorrow at this time I will deliver all of them slain before Israel; you shall hamstring their horses and burn their chariots with fire."
Joshua 11:16-23 - So Joshua took this entire land: the hill country, all the Negev, the whole region of Goshen, the western foothills, the Arabah and the mountains of Israel with their foothills, from Mount Halak, which rises toward Seir, to Baal Gad in the Valley of Lebanon below Mount Hermon. He captured all their kings and struck them down, putting them to death. Joshua waged war against all these kings for a long time. Except for the Hivites living in Gibeon, not one city made a treaty of peace with the Israelites, who took them all in battle. For it was Yahweh the LORD himself who hardened their hearts to wage war against Israel, so that he might destroy them totally, exterminating them without mercy, as the LORD had commanded Moses. At that time Joshua went and destroyed the Anakites from the hill country: from Hebron, Debir and Anab, from all the hill country of Judah, and from all the hill country of Israel. Joshua totally destroyed them and their towns. No Anakites were left in Israelite territory; only in Gaza, Gath and Ashdod did any survive. So Joshua took the entire land, just as the LORD had directed Moses, and he gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal divisions. Then the land had rest from war.
Chapter 12 concludes this section of Joshua with an inventory of the Conquest:
These are the kings of the land whom the Israelites had defeated and whose territory they took over east of the Jordan, from the Arnon Gorge to Mount Hermon, including all the eastern side of the Arabah:
Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon.
Og king of Bashan, one of the last of the Rephaites, who reigned in Ashtaroth and Edrei.
Moses, the servant of the LORD, and the Israelites conquered them. And Moses the servant of the LORD gave their land to the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh to be their possession.
These are the kings of the land that Joshua and the Israelites conquered on the west side of the Jordan, from Baal Gad in the Valley of Lebanon to Mount Halak, which rises toward Seir – the hill country, the western foothills, the Arabah, the mountain slopes, the desert and the Negev – the lands of the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites – the kings of:
Jericho --- Ai --- Jerusalem --- Hebron --- Jarmuth --- Lachish --- Eglon --- Gezer --- Debir --- Geder --- Hormah
Arad --- Libnah --- Adullam --- Makkedah --- Bethel --- Tappuah --- Hepher --- Aphek --- Lasharon ---- Madon
Hazor --- Shimron Meron --- Acshaph --- Taanach --- Megiddo --- Kedesh --- Jokneam in Carmel --- Dor
Goyim in Gilgal --- Tirzah ---- 31 kings in all.
Through out these chapters we see the “kherem” (ban – to devote to destruction – total annihilation) policy on full display. The “kherem” policy only applied to the conquest of Canaan and 1 time in 1 Samuel 15:3-35 – never to nations outside of Canaan and it does not apply to modern conflict.
The “Kherem” policy was intended to preserve ancient Israel as Yahweh’s holy people:
Exodus 23:23-24, 33 - "For My angel will go before you and bring you in to the land of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites and the Jebusites; and I will completely destroy them. You shall not worship their gods, nor serve them, nor do according to their deeds; but you shall utterly overthrow them, and break their sacred pillars in pieces…… "You shall make no covenant with them or with their gods. They shall not live in your land, lest they make you sin against Me; for if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you."
Deuteronomy 7:1-4 – “When Yahweh your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess and drives out before you many nations – the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites, seven nations larger and stronger than you – and when Yahweh your God has delivered them over to you and you have defeated them, then you must destroy them totally. Make no treaty with them, and show them no mercy. Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, for they will turn your sons away from following me to serve other gods, and Yahweh's anger will burn against you and will quickly destroy you.”
And judge the nations who had stepped over the line of His mercy.
In Genesis 15:16, Yahweh told Abraham, “The iniquities of the Amorites are not yet complete,” so for at least 470 years a knowledge of the true God was available to the Canaanites. And as Rahab testified last week, they all knew the stories of Yahweh’s mighty acts of behalf of Israel – and “their heart melted within them.” They were given every opportunity to repent – YET:
Deuteronomy 9:3-5 - "Know therefore today that it is Yahweh your God who is crossing over before you as a consuming fire. He will destroy them and He will subdue them before you, so that you may drive them out and destroy them quickly, just as Yahweh has spoken to you. Do not say in your heart when Yahweh your God has driven them out before you, 'Because of my righteousness Yahweh has brought me in to possess this land,' but it is because of the wickedness of these nations that Yahweh is dispossessing them before you. It is not for your righteousness or for the uprightness of your heart that you are going to possess their land, but it is because of the wickedness of these nations that Yahweh your God is driving them out before you, in order to confirm the oath which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”
In the midst of all the destruction, it is important for us to note the stories of Rahab and the Gibeonites. Even though technically under the ban, Yahweh was still in the mercy business and both found refuge in Israel’s God.
Until Next Time…………..
