Joshua 11 & 12 -- Wrapping Up The Conquest, But Leaving Some Things Undone

These chapters, along with the last part of chapter 10, quickly wrap up the rest of the general conquest of the Promised Land.  The conquest of the first two cities, Jericho and Ai, were told in several chapters in greater detail, and God was such a promisekeeper that the rest of the conquest was told in just these two chapters.  Joshua had effectively split the area in two, then took out the southern kings, followed by the northern kings.

My commentary noted that 11:23 said Joshua had taken control of all the land, but in 13:1, God says, "Joshua, you have grown old, but there is still much land for you to take."  The key cities throughout the Promised Land had been conquered and the land was under Israel's control and Joshua was able to divide the land among the tribes, yet there were still small towns and villages occupied by the Canaanites that still had to be defeated.

It mentioned the Anakim -- the giants who'd scared the first spies and led to the failure at Kadesh Barnea  which then led to the forty years of wondering through the wilderness.  Joshua and Caleb hadn't been afraid of them then, and now their trust in the Lord gave them victory.  Joshua fought them in 11:21-22 and Caleb in 14:12-15.  Gath is mentioned, and years later David would defeat Goliath, on of the last of the Anakim, who was from Gath.  These partial victories had helped them control the land, but the lack of a final defeat meant they had to deal with the problem for years to come.

Father, help me to take care of things fully when You show them to me, so that I won't have to revisit the problem over and over again.  Let me see the importance of finishing well.

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford