Page:An Exposition of the Old and New Testament (1828) vol 2.djvu/65

Rh and so did Joshua; he left nothing undone of all that the commanded Moses. 16. So Joshua took all that land, the hills, and all the south country, and all the land of Goshen, and the valley, and the plain, and the mountain of Israel, and the valley of the same; 17. Even from the mount Halak, that goeth up to Seir, unto Baal-gad, in the valley of Lebanon, unto mount Hermon: and all their kings he took, and smote them, and slew them. 18. Joshua made war a long time with all those kings. 19. There was not a city that made peace with the children of Israel, save the Hivites, the inhabitants of Gibeon: all other they took in battle. 20. For it was of the to harden their hearts, that they should come against Israel in battle, that he might destroy them utterly, and that they might have no favour, but that he might destroy them, as the  commanded Moses. 21. And at that time came Joshua, and cut off the Anakims from the mountains, from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab, and from all the mountains of Judah, and from all the mountains of Israel: Joshua destroyed them utterly with their cities. 22. There was none of the Anakims left in the land of the children of Israel: only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod, there remained. 23. So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the said unto Moses; and Joshua gave it for an inheritance unto Israel, according to their divisions by their tribes. And the land rested from war.

We have here the conclusion of this whole matter.

I. A short account is here given of what was done in four things,

1. The obstinacy of the Canaanites in their opposition to the Israelites. It was strange, that though it appeared so manifestly that God fought for Israel, and in every engagement the Canaanites had the worst of it, yet they stood it out to the last; not one city made peace with Israel, but the Gibeonites only, who understood the things that belonged to their peace better than their neighbours, v. 19. It is intimated that other cities might have made as good terms for themselves, without ragged clothes and clouted shoes, if they would have humbled themselves, but they never so much as desired conditions of peace. We are told whence this unaccountable infatuation came, It was of the Lord to harden their hearts, v. 20. As Pharaoh's heart was hardened by his own pride and wilfulness first, and afterward by the righteous judgment of God, to his destruction, so were the hearts of these Canaanites. To punish them for all their other follies, God left them to this, to make those their enemies, whom they might have made their friends. This was it that ruined them, they came against Israel in battle, and gave the first blow, and therefore might have no favour showed them. Those know not what they do, who give the provocation to divine justice, or the authorised instruments of it. Are we stronger than God? Observe here, that hardness of heart is the ruin of sinners. Those that are stupid and secure, and heedless of divine warnings, are already marked for destruction. What hope is there of those concerning whom God has said, Go, make their hearts fat?

2. The constancy of the Israelites in prosecuting this war, v. 18. Joshua made war a long time; some reckon it five years, others seven, that were spent in subduing this land. So long God would train up Israel to war, and give them repeated instances of his power and goodness in every new victory that he gave them.

3. The conquest of the Anakims at last, v. 21, 22. Either this was done, as they met with them where they were dispersed, as some think, or rather, it should seem the Anakims were retired to their fastnesses, and so were hunted out, and cut off at last, after all the rest of their enemies. The mountains of Judah and Israel were the habitations of those mountains of men; but neither their height, nor the strength of their caves, nor the difficulty of the passes to them, could secure, no, not these mighty men from the sword of Joshua. The cutting off of the sons of Anak is particularly mentioned, because these had been such a terror to the spies forty years before, and their bulk and strength had been thought an insuperable difficulty in the way of the reducing of Canaan, Numb. 13. 28, 33. Even that opposition which seemed invincible, was got over. Never let the sons of Anak be a terror to the Israel of God, for even their day will come, to fall. Giants are dwarfs to Omnipotence; yet this struggle with the Anakims was reserved for the latter end of the war, when the Israelites were become more expert in the arts of war, and had had more experience of the power and goodness of God. Note, God sometimes reserves the sharpest trials of his people by affliction and temptation for the latter end of their days. Therefore let not him that girds on the harness, boast as he that puts it off. Death, that tremendous son of Anak, is the last enemy that is to be encountered, but it is to be destroyed, 1 Cor. 15. 26. Thanks be to God, who will give us the victory.

4. The end and issue of this long war. The Canaanites were rooted out, (not perfectly, as we shall find after in the book of Judges,) but in a good measure; they were not able to make any head, either, (1.) So as to keep the Israelites out of possession of the land, Joshua took all that land, v. 16, 17. And we may suppose the people dispersed themselves and their families into the countries they had conquered, at least those that lay nearest to the head-quarters at Gilgal, until an orderly distribution should be made by lot, that every man might know his own. Or, (2.) So as to keep them in action, or give them any molestation, v. 23, The land rested from war. It ended not in a peace with the Canaanites, (that was forbidden,) but in peace from them. There is a rest, a rest from war, remaining for the people of God, into which they shall enter, when their warfare is accomplished.

II. That which was now done, is here compared with that which had been said to Moses. God's word and his works, if viewed and considered together, will mutually illustrate each other. It is here observed in the close,

1. That all the precepts God had given to Moses relating to the conquest of Canaan, were obeyed on the people's part, at least, while Joshua lived. See how solemnly this is remarked, v. 15, As the Lord commanded Moses his servant, by whose hand the law was given, so did Moses command Joshua, for Moses was faithful, as a lawgiver, to him that appointed him, he did his part, and then he died; but were the commands of Moses