Jesus’s conquest is not one of judgment. He travels and brings transformation. He ministers and restores. He brings light to the darkness because he is the Light shining in the darkness. Indeed, his name is the equivalent to the Hebrew name “Joshua,” which means “Yahweh is salvation.”

The first half of the book of Joshua is about the conquest of the promised land. When the Israelites begin overtaking cities, the momentum is initially small. First there is Jericho (Josh. 6). Then there is Ai (Josh. 7–8). But things quickly escalate when coalitions of kings unite against the Israelites. The sentiment seems to be, “We can do more together than we can apart, so let’s join and destroy those Israelites!”

But battle after battle, the Lord gives the Canaanite armies into the hands of the Israelites. In chapter 10, the focus is on the southern part of the land. And in chapter 11, the focus is on the northern part of the land.

In Joshua 10:40 we read, “So Joshua struck the whole land, the hill country and the Negeb and the lowland and the slopes, and all their kings. He left none remaining, but devoted to destruction all that breathed, just as the LORD God of Israel commanded.” This language encapsulated the victories in the south.

In Joshua 11:10–12 we read, “And Joshua turned back at that time and captured Hazor and struck its king with the sword, for Hazor formerly was the head of all those kingdoms. And they struck with the sword all who were in it, devoting them to destruction; there was none left that breathed. And he burned Hazor with fire.

Read More