Joshua 11:23 –
So Joshua took control of the entire land, just as the LORD had instructed Moses. He gave it to the people of Israel as their special possession, dividing the land among the tribes. So the land finally had rest from war.
As I read through these chapters I often wonder why there was no grace extended to the people who occupied these lands. They came in and killed everyone; “all the descendants” of these kings and tribes were killed. This is very harsh when you think about it. What would have been the world’s response if Israel had killed everyone who was living there when they were given back the lands in the 40’s? I am sure many of the problems that exist in that region today would not be. But at the same time there would possibly be more issues, who knows.
Honestly this verse brings a bit of joy, since they “finally had rest from war” since I have a difficult time figuring this killing everyone out. It’s throughout the Old Testament with many examples. One event that comes to mind is Saul’s disobedience with the Amalekite’s. God said kill everything and Saul spared the king and some livestock. This caused issues and was ultimately Saul’s downfall.
When you compare this to the grace in the Gospel it’s difficult to reconcile. First God is killing everyone in the world and now we are to save everyone. How does one explain this to non-believers? You have an instance in Ninevah where God spares the town because they showed remorse. From this one could assume that God would have spared the others if they had repented. Now take this to a personal level, either you will die or live with God; it all depends on your belief and repentance. Either way I am glad we are going back to peace so I don’t have to figure out the logic behind committing effectively genocide.