Joshua 11:1-12:24 Comments by Stephen Ricker
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The Lord Kept His Promise to Go Before Them
Comments for Study 9

Joshua 11:1-12:24
Memory Verse: 8

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I. No Northern Enemy Survivors (11:1-9)

>1. Who joined forces against Israel? (1-3)

* Joshua 11:1-3 "When Jabin king of Hazor heard of this, he sent word to Jobab king of Madon, to the kings of Shimron and Acshaph, and to the northern kings who were in the mountains, in the Arabah south of Kinnereth, in the western foothills and in Naphoth Dor on the west; to the Canaanites in the east and west; to the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites and Jebusites in the hill country; and to the Hivites below Hermon in the region of Mizpah."

* "Hazor" -Hazor means enclosed settlement.” 1. Hazor was located in upper Galilee on the site now known as tell el-Qedah, ten miles north of the Sea of Galilee and five miles southwest of Lake Huleh. The site of Hazor is composed of a 30-acre upper tell or mound rising 40 meters above the surrounding plain and a 175-acre lower enclosure which was well fortified. These dimensions make Hazor the largest city in ancient Canaan. Estimates set the population at its height at over 40,000. (Holman Bible Dictionary)

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>Where did they come together to fight Israel? (4-5)

* Joshua 11:4-5 "They came out with all their troops and a large number of horses and chariots--a huge army, as numerous as the sand on the seashore. All these kings joined forces and made camp together at the Waters of Merom, to fight against Israel."

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* "Waters of Merom" -Merom means "high place" located in Galilee near a wadi which is fed annually by a spring during the wet season, modern Merdion.

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>2. What did the Lord tell Joshua?

* Joshua 11:6 "The LORD said to Joshua, "Do not be afraid of them, because by this time tomorrow I will hand all of them over to Israel, slain. You are to hamstring their horses and burn their chariots."

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>3. Who initiated the battle? (7)

* Joshua 11:7 "So Joshua and his whole army came against them suddenly at the Waters of Merom and attacked them,"

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>Who won it?

* Joshua 11:8 "and the LORD gave them into the hand of Israel. They defeated them and pursued them all the way to Greater Sidon, to Misrephoth Maim, and to the Valley of Mizpah on the east, until no survivors were left."

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>What did Joshua do?

* Joshua 11:9 "Joshua did to them as the LORD had directed: He hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots."

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II. The Lord Hardened His Enemies Hearts (11:10-23)

>4. What did Joshua do to Hazor and all the other cities in Galilee? (10-11)

* Joshua 11:10-11 "At that time Joshua turned back and captured Hazor and put its king to the sword. (Hazor had been the head of all these kingdoms.) 11 Everyone in it they put to the sword. They totally destroyed them, not sparing anything that breathed, and he burned up Hazor itself."

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>Why?

* Joshua 11:12 "Joshua took all these royal cities and their kings and put them to the sword. He totally destroyed them, as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded."

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>What did they do to the cities and plunder? (13-15)

* Joshua 11:13-15 "Yet Israel did not burn any of the cities built on their mounds--except Hazor, which Joshua burned. 14 The Israelites carried off for themselves all the plunder and livestock of these cities, but all the people they put to the sword until they completely destroyed them, not sparing anyone that breathed. 15 As the LORD commanded his servant Moses, so Moses commanded Joshua, and Joshua did it; he left nothing undone of all that the LORD commanded Moses."

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>5. Was the war quickly won? (16-18)

* Joshua 11:16-18 "So Joshua took this entire land: the hill country, all the Negev, the whole region of Goshen, the western foothills, the Arabah and the mountains of Israel with their foothills, 17 from Mount Halak, which rises toward Seir, to Baal Gad in the Valley of Lebanon below Mount Hermon. He captured all their kings and struck them down, putting them to death. 18 Joshua waged war against all these kings for a long time."

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>Why is it important that only one city made peace with Israel? (19; Deut. 20:10-18)

* Joshua 11:19 "Except for the Hivites living in Gibeon, not one city made a treaty of peace with the Israelites, who took them all in battle."

* Deuteronomy 20:10-18 "When you march up to attack a city, make its people an offer of peace. If they accept and open their gates, all the people in it shall be subject to forced labor and shall work for you. If they refuse to make peace and they engage you in battle, lay siege to that city. When the LORD your God delivers it into your hand, put to the sword all the men in it. As for the women, the children, the livestock and everything else in the city, you may take these as plunder for yourselves. And you may use the plunder the LORD your God gives you from your enemies. This is how you are to treat all the cities that are at a distance from you and do not belong to the nations nearby. However, in the cities of the nations the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, do not leave alive anything that breathes. Completely destroy them--the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites--as the LORD your God has commanded you. Otherwise, they will teach you to follow all the detestable things they do in worshiping their gods, and you will sin against the LORD your God."

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>Why only one city? (20)

* Joshua 11:20 "For it was the LORD himself who hardened their hearts to wage war against Israel, so that he might destroy them totally, exterminating them without mercy, as the LORD had commanded Moses."

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>6. Where did Joshua move to attack next? (21)

* Joshua 11:21 "At that time Joshua went and destroyed the Anakites from the hill country: from Hebron, Debir and Anab, from all the hill country of Judah, and from all the hill country of Israel. Joshua totally destroyed them and their towns."

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>Where did the Anakites hold out against Israel? (22)

* Joshua 11:22 "No Anakites were left in Israelite territory; only in Gaza, Gath and Ashdod did any survive."

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>After all the Israelites had received an inheritance what happened? (23; Deut. 7:22-24)

* Joshua 11:23 "So Joshua took the entire land, just as the LORD had directed Moses, and he gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal divisions. Then the land had rest from war."

* Deuteronomy 7:22-24 "The LORD your God will drive out those nations before you, little by little. You will not be allowed to eliminate them all at once, or the wild animals will multiply around you. But the LORD your God will deliver them over to you, throwing them into great confusion until they are destroyed. He will give their kings into your hand, and you will wipe out their names from under heaven. No one will be able to stand up against you; you will destroy them."

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III. List of Defeated Kings (12:1-24)

>7. What conquered territory is listed first? (1)

* Joshua 12:1 "These are the kings of the land whom the Israelites had defeated and whose territory they took over east of the Jordan, from the Arnon Gorge to Mount Hermon, including all the eastern side of the Arabah:"

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>Look on a map for the lands listed in 2-5.

* Joshua 12:2-5 "Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon. He ruled from Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Gorge--from the middle of the gorge--to the Jabbok River, which is the border of the Ammonites. This included half of Gilead. 3 He also ruled over the eastern Arabah from the Sea of Kinnereth to the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea), to Beth Jeshimoth, and then southward below the slopes of Pisgah. 4 And the territory of Og king of Bashan, one of the last of the Rephaites, who reigned in Ashtaroth and Edrei. 5 He ruled over Mount Hermon, Salecah, all of Bashan to the border of the people of Geshur and Maacah, and half of Gilead to the border of Sihon king of Heshbon."

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>Who lead Israel at that time?

* Joshua 12:6 "Moses, the servant of the LORD, and the Israelites conquered them. And Moses the servant of the LORD gave their land to the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh to be their possession."

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>8. What conquered territory is listed next? (7-8)

* Joshua 12:7-8 "These are the kings of the land that Joshua and the Israelites conquered on the west side of the Jordan, from Baal Gad in the Valley of Lebanon to Mount Halak, which rises toward Seir (their lands Joshua gave as an inheritance to the tribes of Israel according to their tribal divisions-- 8 the hill country, the western foothills, the Arabah, the mountain slopes, the desert and the Negev--the lands of the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites):"

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>Look on a map for the lands listed in the rest of the chapter.

* Joshua 12:9-24 "the king of Jericho, one the king of Ai (near Bethel), one 10 the king of Jerusalem, one the king of Hebron, one 11 the king of Jarmuth, one the king of Lachish, one 12 the king of Eglon, one the king of Gezer, one 13 the king of Debir, one the king of Geder, one 14 the king of Hormah, one the king of Arad, one 15 the king of Libnah, one the king of Adullam, one 16 the king of Makkedah, one the king of Bethel, one 17 the king of Tappuah, one the king of Hepher, one 18 the king of Aphek, one the king of Lasharon, one 19 the king of Madon, one the king of Hazor, one 20 the king of Shimron Meron, one the king of Acshaph, one 21 the king of Taanach, one the king of Megiddo, one 22 the king of Kedesh, one the king of Jokneam in Carmel one 23 the king of Dor (in Naphoth Dor), one the king of Goyim in Gilgal, one 24 the king of Tirzah, one thirty-one kings in all."

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