1. Joshua 11:1 Then it came about, when Jabin king of Hazor heard of it, that he sent to Jobab king of Madon and to the king of Shimron and to the king of Achshaph, 2 and to the kings who were of the north in the hill country, and in the Arabah -- south of Chinneroth and in the lowland and on the heights of Dor on the west -- 3 to the Canaanite on the east and on the west, and the Amorite and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Jebusite in the hill country, and the Hivite at the foot of Hermon in the land of Mizpeh.

2. 4 They came out, they and all their armies with them, as many people as the sand that is on the seashore, with very many horses and chariots. 5 So all of these kings having agreed to meet, came and encamped together at the waters of Merom, to fight against Israel. 6 Then the LORD said to Joshua, "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.”

3. Joshua 11:7 So Joshua and all the people of war with him came upon them suddenly by the waters of Merom, and attacked them. 8 The LORD delivered them into the hand of Israel, so that they defeated them, and pursued them as far as Great Sidon and Misrephoth-maim and the valley of Mizpeh to the east; and they struck them until no survivor was left to them. 9 Joshua did to them as the LORD had told him; he hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots with fire.

4. Joshua 11:10 Then Joshua turned back at that time, and captured Hazor and struck its king with the sword; for Hazor formerly was the head of all these kingdoms. 11 They struck every person who was in it with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying them; there was no one left who breathed. And he burned Hazor with fire. 12 Joshua captured all the cities of these kings, and all their kings, and he struck them with the edge of the sword, and utterly destroyed them; just as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded.

5. Joshua 11:13 However, Israel did not burn any cities that stood on their mounds, except Hazor alone, which Joshua burned. 14 All the spoil of these cities and the cattle, the sons of Israel took as their plunder; but they struck every man with the edge of the sword, until they had destroyed them. They left no one who breathed. 15 Just as the LORD had commanded Moses his servant, so Moses commanded Joshua, and so Joshua did; he left nothing undone of all that the LORD had commanded Moses.

6. Joshua 11:16 Thus Joshua took all that land: the hill country and all the Negev, all that land of Goshen, the lowland, the Arabah, the hill country of Israel and its lowland 17 from Mount Halak, that rises toward Seir, even as far as Baal-gad in the valley of Lebanon at the foot of Mount Hermon. And he captured all their kings and struck them down and put them to death.

7. Joshua 11:18 Joshua waged war a long time with all these kings
Joshua 11:18 Joshua waged war a long time with all these kings. 19 There was not a city which made peace with the sons of Israel except the Hivites living in Gibeon; they took them all in battle. 20 For it was of the LORD to harden their hearts, to meet Israel in battle in order that he might utterly destroy them, that they might receive no mercy, but that he might destroy them, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

8. Joshua 11:21 Then Joshua came at that time and cut off the Anakim from the hill country, from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab and from all the hill country of Judah and from all the hill country of Israel. Joshua utterly destroyed them with their cities. 22 There were no Anakim left in the land of the sons of Israel; only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod some remained. 23 So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the LORD had spoken to Moses, and Joshua gave it for an inheritance to Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. Thus the land had rest from war.

9. Joshua’s Northern campaign.
coalition of Canaanite kings gather near Merom, NE of Sea of Galilee (Chinnereth)
Joshua defeats them, pursues them (three red arrows)
Joshua destroys strong, fortified city of Hazor

10. 3 Questions:
1. Why did the Israelites kill everyone?
(They didn’t.)
2. Why did God ‘harden’ the Canaanites’ hearts?
(He didn’t.)
3. Why didn’t God give them a chance?
(He did.)

11. 1. Why did the Israelites kill everyone?
Joshua 11:10 Then Joshua turned back at that time, and captured Hazor and struck its king with the sword; for Hazor formerly was the head of all these kingdoms. 11 They struck every person who was in it with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying them; there was no one left who breathed. ….

12. Normally did not kill even captured enemy soldiers, much less conquered populations:
2 Kings 6:20 When they had come into Samaria, Elisha said, "O LORD, open the eyes of these men, that they may see." So the LORD opened their eyes and they saw; and behold, they were in the midst of Samaria. 21 Then the king of Israel when he saw them, said to Elisha, "My father, shall I kill them? Shall I kill them?" 22 He answered, "You shall not kill them. Would you kill those you have taken captive with your sword and with your bow? Set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink and go to their master.”

13. Only God could put people ‘under the ban’
Deuteronomy 20:16 "Only in the cities of these peoples that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, you shall not leave alive anything that breathes. 17 "But you shall utterly destroy them, the Hittite and the Amorite, the Canaanite and the Perizzite, the Hivite and the Jebusite, as the LORD your God has commanded you, 18 so that they may not teach you to do according to all their detestable things which they have done for their gods, so that you would sin against the LORD your God.

14. Normal Canaanite practices included idolatry, sexual immorality, sexual perversion, aggressive warfare, kidnapping and slave trading, infant sacrifice…

15. What about the children?
God has the right to end anyone’s life anytime He chooses
He often allows people to die in childhood
He always ends everyone’s life eventually
What parents do really does impact their children
Would the Israelites have had the means to keep them alive?
Text does not say they went to hell

16. 2. Why did God ‘harden’ the Canaanites’ hearts?
Joshua 11:20 For it was of the LORD to harden their hearts, to meet Israel in battle in order that he might utterly destroy them, that they might receive no mercy, but that he might destroy them, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
Translation issue: the Hebrew word is not ‘harden’.

17. Hebrew word translated “harden” is chazaq (#2388): strong.
Joshua 1:6 "Be strong (chazaq) and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 "Only be strong (chazaq) and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go. … 9 "Have I not commanded you? Be strong (chazaq) and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."

18. Hebrew chazaq (#2388) used in OT ~290 times
275 times translated as strengthen, encourage, make firm, etc.
13 times translated ‘harden’—ONLY here plus 12 times in Exodus 4—14 regarding Pharaoh’s heart
Used 11 times in Joshua; 10 times translated as “strong, mighty, firm”
‘ harden’ is an incorrect, traditional translation

19. God strengthened the hearts of Canaanites, making them psychologically able to do what they wanted to: resist!
Joshua 2:9 and [Rahab] said to the men, "I know that the LORD has given you the land, and that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land have melted away before you. 10 "For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. 11 "When we heard it, our hearts melted and no courage remained in any man any longer because of you; for the LORD your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath..

20. But why didn’t God give them a chance?
Genesis 15:13 God said to Abram, "Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed four hundred years. … 16 "Then in the fourth generation they will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete."
And they still had a chance in the time of Joshua’s conquest!

21. 3. Why didn’t God give them a chance?
He did! The Canaanites had a chance to receive mercy and avoid destruction.
Joshua 11:19 There was not a city which made peace with the sons of Israel except the Hivites living in Gibeon; they took them all in battle. 20 For it was of the LORD to harden their hearts, to meet Israel in battle in order that he might utterly destroy them, that they might receive no mercy, but that he might destroy them, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

22. Remember Rahab and the Gibeonites…
You can say Gibeon was a mistake—making peace while still allowing them to keep their ethnic identity
Saving Rahab and her family wasn’t a mistake!
Verse 19 seems to imply terms of peace were available to all:
Joshua 11:19 There was not a city which made peace with the sons of Israel except the Hivites living in Gibeon…

23. The requirement for mercy: Unconditional surrender
acknowledge Yaweh
give up your ‘cultural identity’ with it’s idolatry, sexual immorality, sexual perversion, aggressive warfare, kidnapping and slave trading, infant sacrifice…
essentially become an Israelite, a different ethnicity
Remember, they had good evidence for believing!

24. God’s still offering salvation ONLY on those terms
acknowledge YHWH, the One true God, as He’s revealed Himself in the Bible
give up all your sins, repent and believe
by grace through faith be born again into a new family: God’s. Join a new ethnicity/kingdom: “Christ”-ian
Do this based on the good evidence God has given

25. Believe based on the good evidence God has provided for:
His existence (nature)
your sin (conscience)
the truth of His word (history, fulfilled prophecy).

26. Joshua’s complete obedience gave him victory
Joshua 11:15 Just as the LORD had commanded Moses his servant, so Moses commanded Joshua, and so Joshua did; he left nothing undone of all that the LORD had commanded Moses. … 23 So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the LORD had spoken to Moses, and Joshua gave it for an inheritance to Israel… .

27. Joshua’s complete obedience gave him victory
not sinless perfection (e.g. he failed to inquire of God about the Gibeonites), but repentance when necessary
a steady, determined pursuit of obedience to everything he knew—the entire 5 books of the Law!
a life characterized by ‘faith-obedience’—faith that works!

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