Obey His Commands Wholeheartedly
Scripture Passage: Joshua 11:11-15 (NASB)
10 Then Joshua turned back at that time and captured Hazor, and struck its king with the sword; for Hazor previously was the head of all these kingdoms. 11 They struck every person who was in it with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying them; there was no one left who breathed. And he burned Hazor with fire. 12 Joshua captured all the cities of these kings, and all their kings; and he struck them with the edge of the sword and utterly destroyed them, just as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded. 13 However, Israel did not burn any cities that stood on their mounds, except Hazor alone, which Joshua burned. 14 And all the spoils of these cities and the cattle, the sons of Israel took as their plunder; but they struck every person with the edge of the sword, until they had destroyed them. They left no one breathing. 15 Just as the Lord had commanded His servant Moses, so Moses commanded Joshua, and so Joshua did; he left nothing undone of all that the Lord had commanded Moses.
SUMMARY
Hearing that Israel had occupied the central and southern areas of Canaan, King Jabin of Hazor gathered the people of northern Canaan and formed an allied army to fight Israel. However, the LORD handed them over to Israel, and Israel defeated them. Then Joshua turned back to capture Hazor, utterly destroying every person and everything in its city by burning it with fire. Joshua also captured all the cities of the kings who formed an ally against Israel, striking everyone with the edge of the sword, but taking the spoils from these cities unlike Hazor.
REFLECTION
The allied army that the northern Canaan kings formed was as many as the sand grains on the seashore, with many horses and chariots. (described in Joshua 11:4) In terms of military power, Israel could not stand against them. It must have been such an overwhelming situation for Joshua and Israel thinking about this reality that was ahead of them. However, God told Joshua once again not to fear, and promised Israel’s victory over them. Joshua 11:6 says, “yet the LORD said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid because of them, for tomorrow at this time I am going to turn all of them over to Israel as good as dead; you shall hamstring their horses and burn their chariots with fire.”” And against all odds, Israel utterly destroyed all those northern kings and their cities. Just like many battles that Israel faced before, God Himself fought for Israel. It did not matter how high the wall was in Jericho, how confident the army of Ai was, or how big the size of the army against Israel was, God was with them in those battles and it led them to complete victory.
Israel was able to take all the spoils of the cities that they captured, but they were commanded by God to “hamstring their horses and burn their chariots with fire”. All the horses and chariots that these northern kings owned could have been a valuable resource to fight future battles. They could have added to Israel’s military power. Thus, this command required Joshua’s full obedience again, not to trust and depend on what the world considers as power, but to solely obey His commands and instruction. Joshua 11:15 says, “Just as the LORD had commanded His servant Moses, so Moses commanded Joshua, and so Joshua did; he left nothing undone of all that the LORD had commanded Moses.”
APPLICATION
God tells me over and over through the reading of Joshua not to lean on worldly wisdom to decide on important matters in life. Actually, whether big or small, I need to consult with God for everything I do. If God tells me to do something that’s not comprehensible in my mind, instead of doubting and rejecting, I need to follow with full obedience. All the victories of Joshua were possible because he acted on obedience to God. I need to remember that God is the one who holds true power and knows what’s best for me, thus obeying His commands wholeheartedly.
PRAYER
Lord, your way is hard for me to follow as you ask us to let go of what we know and what we can do, but rather to rely solely on you. Sometimes even though I know your way is right, I choose to take care of things in my own way. I’m sorry for not listening and rejecting your instruction. Thank you for teaching and reminding through your words over and over again that true victory against all the struggle that I have comes from obeying you. Let your guiding word be the lamp unto my feet and the light unto my path. Let my obedience be full and with gladness.
In Jesus’ name I prayed.
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