Joshua was beginning to experience an important lesson regarding spiritual leadership. When the people of God disobey the Lord’s commands, God will use any means necessary including pagan nations to bring about repentance. However, when God’s people obediently follow the Lord, there is great blessing. Notice the results of his obedience as we see the phrase repeated that he did all “the Lord commanded”.
Josh. 11:12 “And all the cities of those kings, and all the kings of them, did Joshua take, and smote them with the edge of the sword, and he utterly destroyed them, as Moses the servant of the LORD commanded.”
V15, 18 “As the LORD commanded Moses his servant, so did Moses command Joshua, and so did Joshua; he left nothing undone of all that the LORD commanded Moses. Joshua made war a long time with all those kings.”
V19-20 “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. For it was of the LORD 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 LORD commanded Moses.”
LESSON - Today, your life can either be characterized by obedience or disobedience. I’m thankful that the grace of God does not demand perfection, but the soul who desires true holiness will maintain a life characterized by obedience. The lesson within this chapter is that each day we will either chose to live outside of the will of God and experience chastisement, or we will live in accordance with God’s word and be used by Him to accomplish His will in the lives of others. So today, how would God characterize your life?
~Mike
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