Jos 11:10-11 | KingComments | STEP | Hazor is taken. Because it is a mighty city, the human mind might reason that it could be a suitable capital for Israel. But God does not allow the seat of worldly power and influence to become the seat of His people, for His people depend solely on Him. Hazor will not become the new capital of Israel, but will be completely destroyed. God will not leave any trace of the power that has ruled before. Unfortunately, by the unfaithfulness of God’s people this city is rebuilt. In the time of the judges it appears that this city even rules over God’s people for some time. This happens as a result of the discipline God has to impose on His people because of their unfaithfulness ( ). When the people call to Him, He delivers them from this enemy by Barak and Deborah. Deborah sings with Barak of that deliverance in a song ( ). In that song she mentions the downfall of this enemy ( ). In Psalm 83 God is called up to do to the great northern collection of armies in the last days what He did with this king ( ). Not all cities are burned. God has promised His people that they will live in cities which they themselves have not built ( ). Not everything should be destroyed. Things that are of use to them must be spared ( ). But all inhabitants are killed, according to the commandment of the LORD ( ). This total extermination should not come as a surprise, as has happened so often, that a loving God commands it. Whoever accuses God of cruelty does not know Him, nor does he know himself. The God of the Old Testament is no other God than the God of the New Testament, as if we had a God of love there and a God of revenge here. Of the New Testament God it says: “For our God is a consuming fire” ( ), while the God of the Old Testament is also a God of love. Is it unjust that God should have all these people killed? No. There are several reasons to give that make it clear that God is right to do so: 1. God never judges without warning and sufficient time to take the warning to heart. These Canaanites have had a testimony of God in their midst in Melchizedek ( ). So they cannot say that they have never heard of God. They also know what He did for His people in Egypt and after. 2. The meekness of God waited four hundred years, until the iniquity of the Amorites was complete ( ). He waits long, but not endlessly. He waited one hundred and twenty years before he let the flood come ( ). He has been waiting in His meekness for almost two thousand years now ( ) since man has committed the greatest sin ever by killing His Son. But if the wickedness of the Canaanites goes beyond everything, God can only judge them. They do everything a person can think of and do in sinning. They deserve judgment. 3. They know that God is a Judge. They know what He has done in and with Egypt. But none of the cities behave kindly toward the Israelites ( ). That is the result of the hardening of their hearts. That does not undo their guilt. God hardens a heart only if someone has hardened his heart first. Hardening is a judgment from God, after man has refused to submit to God. There is a hardening of the Gentiles ( ), the Jews ( ) and the nominal Christians ( ). The example of Rahab and the Gibeonites makes clear that God is unaltered in His desire to save people ( ). Rahab and also the Gibeonites speak of the threat, of which all inhabitants of Canaan have heard ( ). Yet only they resort to the people of God to escape the judgment, albeit in different ways. There, they both find the salvation against judgment. God does not destine anyone to hell. It is now still “the acceptable time”, ” behold, now is “the day of salvation”” ( ) to escape the judgment of hell. But God does determine the time of the end of that time and that day, while He still makes the call to repentance sound. “Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all [people] everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead” ( ).

‏ Joshua 11:10-11

Judgment on the Cities

Hazor is taken. Because it is a mighty city, the human mind might reason that it could be a suitable capital for Israel. But God does not allow the seat of worldly power and influence to become the seat of His people, for His people depend solely on Him. Hazor will not become the new capital of Israel, but will be completely destroyed. God will not leave any trace of the power that has ruled before.

Unfortunately, by the unfaithfulness of God’s people this city is rebuilt. In the time of the judges it appears that this city even rules over God’s people for some time. This happens as a result of the discipline God has to impose on His people because of their unfaithfulness (Jdg 4:1-2). When the people call to Him, He delivers them from this enemy by Barak and Deborah. Deborah sings with Barak of that deliverance in a song (Jdg 5:1). In that song she mentions the downfall of this enemy (Jdg 5:19-21). In Psalm 83 God is called up to do to the great northern collection of armies in the last days what He did with this king (Psa 83:9).

Not all cities are burned. God has promised His people that they will live in cities which they themselves have not built (Deu 6:10-11). Not everything should be destroyed. Things that are of use to them must be spared (Deu 20:19-20). But all inhabitants are killed, according to the commandment of the LORD (Deu 7:1-6 ; Deu 20:16-18). This total extermination should not come as a surprise, as has happened so often, that a loving God commands it. Whoever accuses God of cruelty does not know Him, nor does he know himself.

The God of the Old Testament is no other God than the God of the New Testament, as if we had a God of love there and a God of revenge here. Of the New Testament God it says: “For our God is a consuming fire” (Heb 12:29), while the God of the Old Testament is also a God of love.

Is it unjust that God should have all these people killed? No. There are several reasons to give that make it clear that God is right to do so:

1. God never judges without warning and sufficient time to take the warning to heart. These Canaanites have had a testimony of God in their midst in Melchizedek (Gen 14:18). So they cannot say that they have never heard of God. They also know what He did for His people in Egypt and after.

2. The meekness of God waited four hundred years, until the iniquity of the Amorites was complete (Gen 15:16). He waits long, but not endlessly. He waited one hundred and twenty years before he let the flood come (Gen 6:3). He has been waiting in His meekness for almost two thousand years now (2Pet 3:8-9) since man has committed the greatest sin ever by killing His Son. But if the wickedness of the Canaanites goes beyond everything, God can only judge them. They do everything a person can think of and do in sinning. They deserve judgment.

3. They know that God is a Judge. They know what He has done in and with Egypt. But none of the cities behave kindly toward the Israelites (Jos 11:19). That is the result of the hardening of their hearts. That does not undo their guilt. God hardens a heart only if someone has hardened his heart first. Hardening is a judgment from God, after man has refused to submit to God. There is a hardening of the Gentiles (Rom 1:24 ; 26 ; 28), the Jews (Rom 11:25) and the nominal Christians (2Thes 2:11-12).

The example of Rahab and the Gibeonites makes clear that God is unaltered in His desire to save people (Rom 10:13). Rahab and also the Gibeonites speak of the threat, of which all inhabitants of Canaan have heard (Jos 2:9-11 ; Jos 9:9-10). Yet only they resort to the people of God to escape the judgment, albeit in different ways. There, they both find the salvation against judgment.

God does not destine anyone to hell. It is now still “the acceptable time”, ” behold, now is “the day of salvation”” (2Cor 6:2) to escape the judgment of hell. But God does determine the time of the end of that time and that day, while He still makes the call to repentance sound. “Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all [people] everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead” (Acts 17:30-31).