After this, you crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho. The people of Jericho fought against you, as did the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites, and Jebusites, and I delivered them into your hand. Then you crossed the JordanThis phrase marks a significant transition for the Israelites, both geographically and spiritually. The crossing of the Jordan River symbolizes a passage from the wilderness into the Promised Land, a fulfillment of God's covenant with Abraham. The Hebrew root for "crossed" (עָבַר, 'avar) implies a movement from one state to another, suggesting not just a physical crossing but a spiritual transformation. Historically, the Jordan River served as a boundary, and crossing it was a bold step of faith, reminiscent of the earlier crossing of the Red Sea. This act signifies God's faithfulness and the Israelites' obedience. and came to Jericho
Jericho is one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world, and its mention here is significant. The city's name in Hebrew (יְרִיחוֹ, Yericho) is thought to be derived from a word meaning "fragrant" or possibly linked to the moon. Jericho was a fortified city, representing the first major challenge in the conquest of Canaan. Its walls were formidable, yet the Israelites' victory there, as described in Joshua 6, was achieved through faith and divine intervention, not military might. This underscores the theme of reliance on God rather than human strength. And the citizens of Jericho fought against you
This phrase highlights the resistance the Israelites faced upon entering the Promised Land. The "citizens of Jericho" were Canaanites, and their opposition represents the broader spiritual and physical battles the Israelites would encounter. The Hebrew term for "fought" (נִלְחָם, nilcham) conveys a sense of struggle and conflict. This opposition is a reminder of the spiritual warfare believers face, as described in Ephesians 6:12, and the need for reliance on God's power. as did also the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites, and Jebusites
These names represent the various peoples inhabiting Canaan, each with their own cultures and deities. The mention of these groups underscores the comprehensive nature of the conquest and the diverse challenges the Israelites faced. Historically, these tribes were known for their idolatry and moral corruption, which God sought to purge from the land. The listing of these nations serves as a reminder of the spiritual and cultural battles that accompany the physical conquest, echoing the call for holiness and separation from worldly influences. But I delivered them into your hand
This phrase is a powerful testament to God's sovereignty and faithfulness. The Hebrew root for "delivered" (נָתַן, natan) means to give or bestow, emphasizing that victory was a gift from God, not earned by human effort. This divine intervention is a recurring theme in the Old Testament, illustrating that success comes from God's grace and power. It serves as an encouragement to believers that God is in control and will fulfill His promises, as seen in Romans 8:31, "If God is for us, who can be against us?" This assurance of divine support is foundational to the Christian faith. Persons / Places / Events 1. The IsraelitesThe chosen people of God, led by Joshua, who crossed the Jordan River into the Promised Land. 2. The Jordan RiverA significant geographical boundary that the Israelites crossed to enter Canaan, symbolizing a transition from the wilderness to the Promised Land. 3. JerichoThe first city in Canaan that the Israelites conquered, known for its fortified walls. 4. The Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites, and JebusitesVarious groups of people inhabiting Canaan, representing the opposition to Israel's settlement in the land. 5. God's DeliveranceThe divine intervention by which God gave victory to the Israelites over their enemies. Teaching Points God's FaithfulnessGod fulfills His promises. Just as He delivered the Israelites into the Promised Land, He is faithful to fulfill His promises to us today. Divine InterventionRecognize that victories in life are not by our strength but by God's intervention. We must rely on Him for deliverance in our battles. Spiritual WarfareThe physical battles of the Israelites symbolize the spiritual battles we face. We must be prepared to fight against spiritual opposition with God's help. Obedience and TrustThe Israelites' success was contingent on their obedience to God's commands. Our spiritual success is similarly dependent on our obedience and trust in God. Remembrance and GratitudeRemembering past victories and God's deliverance should lead us to gratitude and strengthen our faith for future challenges. Bible Study Questions 1. How does the crossing of the Jordan River symbolize a transition in your own spiritual journey? 2. In what ways can you see God's faithfulness in your life, similar to His deliverance of the Israelites? 3. What are some "walls of Jericho" in your life that require faith and divine intervention to overcome? 4. How can the account of the Israelites' conquest of Canaan encourage you in your spiritual battles today? 5. Reflect on a time when you experienced God's deliverance. How can this memory strengthen your faith and trust in Him for future challenges? Connections to Other Scriptures Exodus 3:8God's promise to deliver the Israelites from Egypt and bring them to a land flowing with milk and honey, inhabited by the same groups mentioned in Joshua 24:11. Deuteronomy 7:1-2Instructions given to the Israelites about how to deal with the nations in Canaan, emphasizing God's role in delivering these nations into their hands. Hebrews 11:30The faith of the Israelites in the fall of Jericho, highlighting the importance of faith in God's promises. People Aaron, Amorites, Balaam, Balak, Beor, Canaanites, Egyptians, Eleazar, Esau, Girgashite, Girgashites, Hamor, Hittites, Hivite, Hivites, Isaac, Israelites, Jacob, Jebusites, Joseph, Joshua, Nachor, Nahor, Nun, Perizzites, Phinehas, Seir, Serah, Terah, ZipporPlaces Canaan, Egypt, Euphrates River, Gaash, Gibeah, Jericho, Jordan River, Moab, Red Sea, Seir, Shechem, Timnath-serahTopics Amorite, Amorites, Canaanite, Canaanites, Citizens, Crossed, Delivered, Fight, Fought, Girgashite, Girgashites, Gir'gashites, Hands, Hittite, Hittites, Hivite, Hivites, Jebusite, Jebusites, Jeb'usites, Jericho, Jordan, Pass, Perizzite, Perizzites, Per'izzites, Possessors, Thus, WarDictionary of Bible Themes Joshua 24:11-13 4438 eating Library February the Tenth Registering a Verdict
"The Lord our God will we serve, and His voice will we obey." --JOSHUA xxiv. 22-28. Here was a definite decision. Our peril is that we spend our life in wavering and we never decide. We are like a jury which is always hearing evidence and never gives a verdict. We do much thinking, but we never make up our minds. We let our eyes wander over many things, but we make no choice. Life has no crisis, no culmination. Now people who never decide spend their days in hoping to do so. But this kind of life …
John Henry Jowett—My Daily Meditation for the Circling YearA Summary of Israel's Faithlessness and God's Patience
'And an angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you. 2. And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye done this? 3. Wherefore I also said, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture Jesus Sets Out from Judæa for Galilee.
Subdivision B. At Jacob's Well, and at Sychar. ^D John IV. 5-42. ^d 5 So he cometh to a city of Samaria, called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6 and Jacob's well was there. [Commentators long made the mistake of supposing that Shechem, now called Nablous, was the town here called Sychar. Sheckem lies a mile and a half west of Jacob's well, while the real Sychar, now called 'Askar, lies scarcely half a mile north of the well. It was a small town, loosely called …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel Meditations for Household Piety.
1. If thou be called to the government of a family, thou must not hold it sufficient to serve God and live uprightly in thy own person, unless thou cause all under thy charge to do the same with thee. For the performance of this duty God was so well pleased with Abraham, that he would not hide from him his counsel: "For," saith God, "I know him that he will command his sons and his household after him that they keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and judgment, that the Lord may bring upon …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety The Promise to the Patriarchs.
A great epoch is, in Genesis, ushered in with the history of the time of the Patriarchs. Luther says: "This is the third period in which Holy Scripture begins the history of the Church with a new family." In a befitting manner, the representation is opened in Gen. xii. 1-3 by an account of the first revelation of God, given to Abraham at Haran, in which the way is opened up for all that follows, and in which the dispensations of God are brought before us in a rapid survey. Abraham is to forsake …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament Sovereignty and Human Responsibility
"So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God" (Rom. 14:12). In our last chapter we considered at some length the much debated and difficult question of the human will. We have shown that the will of the natural man is neither Sovereign nor free but, instead, a servant and slave. We have argued that a right conception of the sinner's will-its servitude-is essential to a just estimate of his depravity and ruin. The utter corruption and degradation of human nature is something which …
Arthur W. Pink—The Sovereignty of God And for Your Fearlessness against them Hold this Sure Sign -- Whenever There Is...
43. And for your fearlessness against them hold this sure sign--whenever there is any apparition, be not prostrate with fear, but whatsoever it be, first boldly ask, Who art thou? And from whence comest thou? And if it should be a vision of holy ones they will assure you, and change your fear into joy. But if the vision should be from the devil, immediately it becomes feeble, beholding your firm purpose of mind. For merely to ask, Who art thou [1083] ? and whence comest thou? is a proof of coolness. …
Athanasius—Select Works and Letters or Athanasius Covenanting Performed in Former Ages with Approbation from Above.
That the Lord gave special token of his approbation of the exercise of Covenanting, it belongs to this place to show. His approval of the duty was seen when he unfolded the promises of the Everlasting Covenant to his people, while they endeavoured to perform it; and his approval thereof is continually seen in his fulfilment to them of these promises. The special manifestations of his regard, made to them while attending to the service before him, belonged to one or other, or both, of those exhibitions …
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting The First Commandment
Thou shalt have no other gods before me.' Exod 20: 3. Why is the commandment in the second person singular, Thou? Why does not God say, You shall have no other gods? Because the commandment concerns every one, and God would have each one take it as spoken to him by name. Though we are forward to take privileges to ourselves, yet we are apt to shift off duties from ourselves to others; therefore the commandment is in the second person, Thou and Thou, that every one may know that it is spoken to him, …
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments Moses and his Writings
[Illustration: (drop cap W) Clay letter tablet of Moses' time.] We now begin to understand a little of the very beginning of God's Book--of the times in which it was written, the materials used by its first author, and the different kinds of writing from which he had to choose; but we must go a step farther. How much did Moses know about the history of his forefathers, Abraham and Jacob, and of all the old nations and kings mentioned in Genesis, before God called him to the great work of writing …
Mildred Duff—The Bible in its Making "The Carnal Mind is Enmity against God for it is not Subject to the Law of God, Neither Indeed Can Be. So Then they that Are
Rom. viii. s 7, 8.--"The carnal mind is enmity against God for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God." It is not the least of man's evils, that he knows not how evil he is, therefore the Searcher of the heart of man gives the most perfect account of it, Jer. xvii. 12. "The heart is deceitful above all things," as well as "desperately wicked," two things superlative and excessive in it, bordering upon an infiniteness, such …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning Gen. xxxi. 11
Of no less importance and significance is the passage Gen. xxxi. 11 seq. According to ver. 11, the Angel of God, [Hebrew: mlaK halhiM] appears toJacob in a dream. In ver. 13, the same person calls himself the God of Bethel, with reference to the event recorded in chap. xxviii. 11-22. It cannot be supposed that in chap xxviii. the mediation of a common angel took place, who, however, had not been expressly mentioned; for Jehovah is there contrasted with the angels. In ver. 12, we read: "And behold …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament Manner of Covenanting.
Previous to an examination of the manner of engaging in the exercise of Covenanting, the consideration of God's procedure towards his people while performing the service seems to claim regard. Of the manner in which the great Supreme as God acts, as well as of Himself, our knowledge is limited. Yet though even of the effects on creatures of His doings we know little, we have reason to rejoice that, in His word He has informed us, and in His providence illustrated by that word, he has given us to …
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting Joshua
The book of Joshua is the natural complement of the Pentateuch. Moses is dead, but the people are on the verge of the promised land, and the story of early Israel would be incomplete, did it not record the conquest of that land and her establishment upon it. The divine purpose moves restlessly on, until it is accomplished; so "after the death of Moses, Jehovah spake to Joshua," i. 1. The book falls naturally into three divisions: (a) the conquest of Canaan (i.-xii.), (b) the settlement of the …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Joshua 24:11 NIVJoshua 24:11 NLTJoshua 24:11 ESVJoshua 24:11 NASBJoshua 24:11 KJV
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