Joshua 11:21-23 meaning

Joshua 11:21-23 brings the war to a close and begins the allotting of the land to the tribes.

The previous section records Israel's success in all the southern and northern Canaanite towns. The people of the Promised Land did not make peace with Israel because the LORD hardened their hearts to destroy them for their years of iniquity and stubbornness. Thus, the Israelite soldiers captured the Canaanite cities and slaughtered their kings, showing no mercy to them. They only spared Gibeon because its inhabitants sought a peace treaty, albeit under pretense (Joshua 11:16-20).

After Israel's successful campaign in the north, Joshua came at that time and wiped out the Anakim, the descendants of a man named Anak (Numbers 13:33). The Anakim were a race of giants, "a people great and tall" (Deuteronomy 2:10). They were fearsome warriors.

After Israel's exodus from Egypt, Moses commanded twelve men to map out the land of Canaan to discover the condition of the people, the cities, and the landscape. Upon their return, ten spies gave a frightening report, telling Moses and the Israelites they would not overcome the Canaanites because they were huge and had fortified cities. Moreover, they were afraid because they "saw the descendants of Anak there" (Numbers 13:28). They saw themselves as mere "grasshoppers" in the sight of the enemy (Numbers 13:33). Only two spies, Caleb and Joshua, encouraged the Israelites to press on toward Canaan because they had faith in God (Numbers 13-14).

The Israelite congregation focused on the bad report and rebelled against God's command to go and possess the Promised Land (Deuteronomy 1:26-28). For this reason, He caused them to wander in the wilderness for about 38 years until everyone "from twenty years old and upward" died there (Numbers 14:29). Caleb and Joshua were the only exceptions (Deuteronomy 1:35-36). They entered Canaan with the next generation.

During the conquest, Joshua cut off the Anakim from the hill country, from Hebron, from Debir, and from Anab (v 21). The town of Hebron was on the crest of the Judean mountain ridge, about 20 miles south of Jerusalem, while Debir was about eight miles southwest of Hebron (Joshua 10:36-39). The city of Anab was about fifteen miles southwest of Hebron.

In addition to the cities of Hebron, Debir, and Anab, Joshua expelled the Anakim from all the hill country of Judah, and from all the hill country of Israel (v 21). That means that Joshua removed them from the southern and northern parts of the country. He utterly destroyed them with their cities (v 21). In other words, there were no Anakim left in the land of the sons of Israel (v 22). The people of God could live safely and peacefully because the Israelite territory became free of the most fearful enemy. None of them survived during Joshua's attack, some remained only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod.

Three of the five major Philistine city-states are listed here: Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod. The first one was near the coast, about 50 miles southwest of Jerusalem. It was a rich agricultural area and an important trading center due to its highways, which allowed caravans to arrive from all parts of the Fertile Crescent. Gath was a Philistine city in the Shephelah, near the territory of Judah to the east. Ashdod was a city located midway between Joppa and Gaza, about three miles from the coast. Today, it is Tel Ashdod, 9 miles north of Ashkelon and approximately 2.5 miles inland from the Mediterranean Sea. Goliath whom David slew was from Gath and probably descended from these giants who retreated to the coast (1 Samuel 17:4).

Joshua and his army destroyed all the Anakim living in the land except for a few who dwelt in Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod. Thus, the giants who had frightened the Israelite spies lost their lives during the conquest. Joshua and Caleb's initial report and faith were proven correct these many years later, that God would give them victory over their enemies, even the most physically imposing.

Caleb, who has fought faithfully at Joshua's side during this war, will ask for the Anakim's hill country by name. "Give me this hill country," he will say at age eighty-five, and will drive out the three descendants of Anak from Hebron (Joshua 14:12, 15:13-14). Caleb's generation let their fear of the giants drive them to rebellion against God and loss of their reward. Caleb persevered in faith, and received as his inheritance the lands of the slain giants.

And so Joshua took the whole land according to all that the LORD had spoken to Moses (v 23).

The LORD had vowed to give the Israelites the land of Canaan, "a land flowing with milk and honey" (Exodus 3:8, Deuteronomy 26:9). He promised to grant them longevity so they could enjoy the fruits of that beautiful place (Deuteronomy 11:9).

That is why He commanded them to execute the Canaanites and take control of their land once they arrived there (Deuteronomy 20:17-18). Joshua did that. He conquered the land and gave it for an inheritance to Israel according to their divisions by their tribes (v 23). He followed the divine instructions and achieved victory. He took all the prominent centers in all parts of Canaan. Thus, the land had rest from war (v 23). That means the Israelites lived securely in the Promised Land.

The chapter's final words the land had rest from war (v 23) carry weight beyond Joshua's day. Hebrews 4:8-9 teaches that the rest Joshua won was real, yet not complete: "For if Joshua had given them rest, He would not have spoken of another day after that. So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God." Joshua's rest points ahead to the deeper rest God offers in Christ to those who endure in faith.

The author of the book of Hebrews makes multiple comparisons between the Israelites in the wilderness and believers in Jesus.

Like the first generation of Israelites in the Old Testament, who did not prove themselves faithful to God and did not possess the land as their inheritance, so too can New Testament believers fail to prove themselves faithful, and can also fall short of receiving their inheritance (Hebrews 3:6). The inheritance promised to New Testament believers to possess is to share in Christ’s reign over the earth as God originally designed (Hebrews 2:7-9).

The author of Hebrews exhorts believers to prioritize the Godly fear of falling short of receiving our inheritance (Hebrews 4:1). We should care greatly about whether or not we are living lives of obedience, like Joshua and Caleb.

For the Israelites, entering the Promised Land is defined as entering God's rest (Hebrews 3:18). Believers enter God's "rest" of being a new creation in Christ simply by believing (2 Corinthians 2:17), however, there is another "rest" that goes beyond spending eternity with God (Hebrews 4:8-9). That is the "rest" of the reward of the inheritance, to reign as fellow rulers with Christ when He one day establishes His kingdom on this earth (Hebrews 2:10).

This echoes the picture of the Land at rest, where the war has ended, there is peace and the growth of new civilization founded on obedience to God who reigns. The tribes receive their lands; Caleb receives a portion of the hill country of Judah and the city of Hebron as a reward for faithfulness. Joshua receives the city of Timnath-serah (Joshua 19:49-50). The war is over, God is king of the people of the land (Isaiah 43:15), and His faithful servants are given portions over which to rule and prosper. There is a similar future and offer awaiting us, if we are faithfully obedient like Joshua and Caleb, and not like the fearful Israelites who refused to obey.

The unbelieving Israelites of the first generation in the Old Testament did not enter God's rest of possessing their inheritance (entering the Promised Land), but they were still God's chosen people; they were punished by losing their reward, but were not abandoned by God. God still miraculously took care of their needs in the wilderness, clothing and feeding and preserving them (Deuteronomy 8:3-4). Likewise, New Testament believers are made new creations in Christ, which is a completed and irrevocable work. We are God’s children regardless of subsequent behavior or failings (Hebrews 3:1).

But what is in question is our reward--the consequences from our choices in life, whether we obey and are faithful or choose to sin or fail to obey (James 4:17, Matthew 25:26-28). We are exhorted to pursue this additional "rest" (Hebrews 4:8-9), which refers to the opportunity to receive an inheritance as a reward for completing the work God gives us to do (Ephesians 2:10).