This passage of scripture is an accounting of the kings and kingdoms which God had commanded Joshua to destroy. All I can say is that God must have been really angry about the things the people from those places were doing to tell His army to destroy everything that breathes. This is biblical capital punishment! God is the judge sentencing these people to death and Joshua and the Israelites are the executioner. So God's will was done. As God commanded Moses and Moses commanded Joshua, Joshua did everything the Lord had commanded, leaving nothing undone.
I'm posting the same map as before because if you can enlarge it you can find some of these places listed on it to see what the bible is talking about. (Without a picture I am lost!)
Chapter 12 lists the 31 kings and the cities destroyed.
In ch 13 God tells Joshua there is still land He wants taken. Many of the places the bible describes are on the map. Some I can't find. I have looked for a map which is easy to read and lists all these places which tend to swirl endlessly in my mind and find no resting place because they have no real meaning for me, but alas, I have not as yet found such a document. So I'm making due with the one here...
Chapter 14 offers some relief from mysterious geography, with Caleb coming forward to claim his reward. Back in Numbers 13 he was the other guy besides Joshua from the scouting expedition who didn't shrink back in fear about going into Canaan and possessing the land that God had promised to give them. He and Joshua stood against the rest of the mob and believed in the power of God. Moses had promised him that he would inherit the land on which he had walked, because he followed God wholeheartedly. Caleb described himself as 85 years old and still strong enough to go out to battle as he did when he was young. I'm trying to imagine this. Then I realize they didn't have tv and junk food, air and water pollution, but most importantly, I believe he was strenghtened by God. So Joshua blessed him and gave him Hebron, which, on the map is shown as a city of refuge.
Tomorrow read Joshua 15-17
No comments:
Post a Comment