Joshua 11-15 is a record of God’s victories on behalf of the children of Israel as well as a record of the children of Israel’s obedience and disobedience. We see where they obeyed by eradicating their enemy to the fullest and we see where they tolerated tribes that they ought not. (13:13) We can also see where they did not take down the cities built on the mounds that were dedicated towards the false gods while at the same time obeying in every other way in their battle. (11:13) This is a reminder to me that God does not tolerate in any way sin, but he calls us to complete obedience. This complete obedience is not because God is a hard or mean taskmaster but because he knows that for us to tolerate sin is to allow it in places in our lives that will ultimately cause us great pain.
I also see in the last two chapters of this passage what reminds me of my junior high school and high school days as we would have our annual sports banquet. In our christian school this was the pseudo prom. At the sports banquet you would receive rewards for your year of hard work. We see in the last two chapters of today’s reading the giving away of the specific land to the specific tribes of God’s people. There is a specific honor given to Caleb for his faithfulness back at Kadesh-Barnea when he went in as a spy and was faithful to the Lord and gave a good report of faith. There will be a day when every believer will receive his due reward – what a day that will be.
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