Ep 570 – Joshua 21:43-22:9

By this time in the book of Joshua, it would be easy to assume that the whole storyline is nothing more than a synopsis of the Israelite's conquering of the land of Canaan. After all, for 21 chapters, we have seen little more than battles and skirmishes taking place between the people of Israel and the nations occupying the land of Canaan. And as the book begins to come to a close, it would appear that the days of conquest are coming to a close. Instead of battles, the people should be planting crops, raising flocks, expanding their cities and enjoying the fruit of all their labors. But the battle was far from over. There were still enemies in the land. They couldn't afford to rest on their laurels or go into early retirement. God had done His part and fulfilled His promise to give them the land. But now it was up to them to occupy the land, which included the continued work of clearing the land of any and all enemies. But by this point, they should have been confident in their prospects because of the miracles God had already performed on their behalf.