Year 7, Day 198: Joshua 13

Theological Commentary: Click Here

When we hit Joshua 13, we hear that there is work et to be done. We also occasionally hear people being harsh on Joshua, indicating that he hadn’t done his job.  After all, this chapter begins with saying that Joshua was advancing in years.  However, remember that Joshua was already a mature man when he took command.  He was old enough in the community to be sent out as one of the spies to investigate Canaan.  Then, he was there to wander for forty years.  Therefore, Joshua is already at least 55, and probably older than that before he even steps foot into Canaan.  We don’t need to read these words that open this chapter as a critique.  Rather, it is simply just a statement of fact.  Joshua was getting up in age for that time period.  (Jewish tradition actually says that Joshua was 85 when he took over for Moses)

That being said, God doesn’t want the people to be getting complacent when there is still work to be done.  All of the big cities had been taken with help from the Lord.  The easy land had been taken with help from the Lord.  There was plenty of place to settle down.  Only the hard places – places like mountains that are hard to navigate and root out small enclaves of people – remained.  It would be easy for the people to see the task at hand and become satisfied with what they had already been able to accomplish.  God does not want that to happen.

Remember that there are two reasons for the conquest of Canaan.  The people of Canaan had turned to other gods.  They are worshipping beings other than the true Creator.  They have brought judgment upon themselves by their choices.  Second, they were a people who were genuinely living in self-centered pursuit of their own sins.  This had brought judgment upon them as well.

These are important to remember.  If the Canaanites are allowed to remain – and unfortunately, we know they are – then the behavior of these Canaanites will seep into the Hebrew culture.  We know that it does.  This is why God encourages the people to be diligent and complete the work at hand.  It’s a lesson we can all learn.  We must be diligent and see God’s work through to the end.

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