Joshua 11:1-23

11:1-4 | Another set of allied armies came against Israel. Josephus, the secular historian, says that the combined force of the Canaanites in this war was 300,000 foot soldiers, 10,000 calvary, and 20,000 chariots – the armies and horses seemed as vast of grains of sand on the seashore (Judg. 7:12; 1 Sam. 13:5). The use of horses and chariots was a new element in the battle for the land, indicating that Canaan was a formidable foe.

11:6-9 | The destruction of the horses and chariots is important for at least two reasons: (1) God did not want the chariots used against His own people in some future war; and (2) Israel had been commanded never to take horses unto themselves, for they were not to trust in horses or chariots but in God alone (Deut. 17:14-20; Ps. 20:7).

11:10 | After the victory was won, Joshua returned to the city of Hazor and brought out King Jabin to have him executed. Jabin was made an example for creating this coalition of enemy armies and being a champion of evil.

11:12-15 | Joshua left nothing undone regarding the Lord’s instructions. This is how the victories recorded in this book were possible. None of the cities were burned except Hazor only. This was probably done to make a statement about the fate of those who might try to resist Israel’s occupation of the land.

11:20 | In order for Israel to settle in the land and be the nation God intended them to be, all pagan and evil influences had to be eradicated. God’s people often have to engage in battle to take full possession of what God has promised. Today, this takes the form of spiritual warfare – fighting the devil’s schemes to undermine God’s work (Eph. 6:10-18).

11:22 | The Anakim were the giants the 12 spies saw in the land (Num. 13-14). Just as Joshua and Caleb predicted, God enabled the Israelites to conquer these mighty men so they could claim the land He had promised them.