How does Joshua 11:5 connect with God's promises to Israel in Deuteronomy? Setting the scene at Merom “All these kings joined forces and encamped at the waters of Merom to fight against Israel.” (Joshua 11:5) • A vast northern coalition—experience, weaponry, and numbers on their side • Israel, newly arrived in the land, appears outmatched • The moment looks ominous, yet it is exactly what God had foreseen and spoken of through Moses Promises echoing from Moses’ farewell Deuteronomy repeatedly spelled out what Israel would face and how God would respond: • Deuteronomy 7:1-2 – God would “drive out before you many nations, greater and stronger than you” and “deliver them over to you.” • Deuteronomy 7:17-18, 21 – When the people felt outnumbered, they were told, “Do not be afraid of them… the LORD your God… is a great and awesome God.” • Deuteronomy 7:24 – “He will deliver their kings into your hand… No one will be able to stand against you.” • Deuteronomy 20:1 – Even when Israel saw “horses and chariots and an army larger than yours,” they were not to fear because the LORD was with them. • Deuteronomy 11:25 – “No man shall be able to stand against you.” Point-by-point connections between Deuteronomy and Joshua 11:5 • Coalition of kings (Deuteronomy 7:24) → Kings in unity at Merom (Joshua 11:5) • Superior weaponry—horses & chariots (Deuteronomy 20:1) → Enemy war-horses & chariots at Merom (implied in Joshua 11:6) • Fear banished by divine presence (Deuteronomy 7:18; 20:1) → God immediately says, “Do not be afraid of them” (Joshua 11:6) • Promise of total victory (Deuteronomy 11:25) → “Tomorrow I will hand all of them over to Israel, slain” (Joshua 11:6) God’s faithfulness on display • What looked like Israel’s greatest military threat became God’s platform to showcase His reliability. • Every detail Moses relayed decades earlier is now unfolding in real-time. • God’s word proved literal, specific, and unfailing—down to the collective assault, the kings involved, and Israel’s complete triumph. Living it out today • Large-scale opposition never voids God’s prior promises. • What feels like a sudden crisis may actually be the scheduled fulfillment of Scripture. • Confidence rests not in numerical advantage but in the character of the God who speaks and then acts exactly as He said. |
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