How does Joshua 11:16 connect with God's command in Deuteronomy 7:1-2? Setting the Scene • Israel is on the brink of entering Canaan in Deuteronomy 7. • God details exactly how His people are to deal with the nations occupying the land. • Several decades later, Joshua 11 chronicles the actual military campaign that unfolds under Joshua’s leadership. The Command in Deuteronomy 7:1-2 “When the LORD 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 the LORD your God has delivered them over to you and you have defeated them, then you must devote them to complete destruction. Make no treaty with them and show them no mercy.” Key elements: • God Himself promises to “drive out” the nations. • Israel is to “defeat” and “devote [them] to complete destruction.” • No treaties, no mercy, full obedience. Joshua 11:16 “So Joshua took all that land—the hill country, all the Negev, all the land of Goshen, the foothills, the Arabah, and the hill country of Israel with its foothills—” What the verse shows: • A sweeping summary: “all that land.” • Specific geographic regions match the territory described in earlier promises (cf. Joshua 1:4). • Joshua’s leadership results in possession of the entire land just as commanded. Point-by-Point Connection 1. Scope of Conquest • Deuteronomy: Seven nations, the whole land of Canaan. • Joshua: “All that land” taken; later verses (11:17-23) list the very kings driven out. 2. Divine Initiative • Deuteronomy: “The LORD your God brings you in… drives out… delivers them over.” • Joshua 11:16 follows repeated statements like 10:42, “the LORD, the God of Israel, fought for Israel,” proving God made good on His promise. 3. Total Devotion to Destruction • Deuteronomy orders complete destruction. • Joshua 11:20 notes God hardened the hearts of the Canaanite kings “to wage war against Israel… to devote them to destruction,” confirming Israel’s obedience to the earlier directive. 4. No Treaties • Deuteronomy forbids covenants. • Joshua 11 records no alliances with Canaanite nations; only the Gibeonite treaty (Joshua 9) stands as the lone exception—and even there, Israel honored the letter but not the spirit of Deuteronomy 7. Theological Takeaways • God’s Word proves true: centuries of promise (Genesis 15:16) culminate in fulfilled prophecy. • Obedience brings blessing: Joshua’s success flows directly from meticulous faithfulness (Joshua 1:7-8). • Judgment and mercy coexist: destruction of the nations highlights God’s holiness while preserving a line for redemption (ultimately Christ, Matthew 1:1-2). Implications for Us Today • Trust God’s promises—He finishes what He starts (Philippians 1:6). • Obedience is not optional; partial obedience is disobedience (1 Samuel 15:22-23). • Spiritual warfare calls for decisive action against sin (Colossians 3:5); just as Israel could not coexist with idolatry, believers must not compromise with sin. Thus, Joshua 11:16 stands as the narrative fulfillment of the command first given in Deuteronomy 7:1-2, demonstrating that God’s instructions are carried out to the letter when His people respond in faith and obedience. |
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