Joshua at Hazor
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HAZOR
1 And it came to pass, when Jabin king of Hazor had heard those things, that he sent to Jobab king of Madon, and to the king of Shimron, and to the king of Achshaph,
2 And to the kings that were on the north of the mountains, and of the plains south of Chinneroth, and in the valley, and in the borders of Dor on the west,
3 And to the Canaanite on the east and on the west, and to the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Jebusite in the mountains, and to the Hivite under Hermon in the land of Mizpeh.
4 And they went out, they and all their hosts with them, much people, even as the sand that is upon the sea shore in multitude, with horses and chariots very many.
5 And when all these kings were met together, they came and pitched together at the waters of Merom, to fight against Israel.
establish the story
yet another coalition
shows the strength of the israelites (really God) by this point
Hazor, up in the Galilee region, north of the sea of Galilee
located at the convergence of several major trade routes. Connects Turkey/europe, egypt, and mesopotamia/asia to the galilee region
“Jabin” - dynastic name of the kings of Hazor in the time of Joshua
mentioned in mari texts and cuneiform tablets
hazor was 200 acres, huge for those days
hazor was the biggest canaanite city and the most influential
in many ways, God was saving the best for last
verse 4 really paints the picture of the scale of this battle, as well as the intensity that it would have
chariots were of the highest powered war machines back in this time
“The presence of chariots among the northern coalition suggests a sophistication not found in the south. Here in the north the leaders had more wealth and power so that they could afford to field the most advanced weaponry of the era. Horses were not used for transportation by themselves but rather to pull chariots. The chariots functioned as mobile fighting platforms, particularly to move archers quickly across the battlefield and to aid in their effectiveness. Hamstringing the horses would render them useless for battle. Chariots needed to be light and were often built of wood. Hence they could be burned. Bronze or iron could be used as linchpins for the wheels and perhaps to protect the wood”
6 And the Lord said unto Joshua, Be not afraid because of them: for to morrow about this time will I deliver them up all slain before Israel: thou shalt hough their horses, and burn their chariots with fire.
7 So Joshua came, and all the people of war with him, against them by the waters of Merom suddenly; and they fell upon them.
8 And the Lord delivered them into the hand of Israel, who smote them, and chased them unto great Zidon, and unto Misrephoth-maim, and unto the valley of Mizpeh eastward; and they smote them, until they left them none remaining.
9 And Joshua did unto them as the Lord bade him: he houghed their horses, and burnt their chariots with fire.
We can have strength in the Lord, as Paul says, right, we can do all things through Christ, who strengthens us
Joshua doesn’t have chariots, he doesn’t have superior numbers, but He does have faith in God who has promised to be behind him
not only could they muster themselves up enough to do it, but they could be bold and brave in the face of what seems impossible to man
As God always does, He kept His promise here
This victory is perhaps the biggest victory strategic and number wise yet, and will wind up being the capstone or high watermark of the conquest
not only did Joshua defeat an army that was like the sand of the sea, but also disabled their chariots as well, even though they had none
“hough” - ham, essentially the horses were hamstrung
12 And all the cities of those kings, and all the kings of them, did Joshua take, and smote them with the edge of the sword, and he utterly destroyed them, as Moses the servant of the Lord commanded.
13 But as for the cities that stood still in their strength, Israel burned none of them, save Hazor only; that did Joshua burn.
14 And all the spoil of these cities, and the cattle, the children of Israel took for a prey unto themselves; but every man they smote with the edge of the sword, until they had destroyed them, neither left they any to breathe.
15 As the Lord commanded Moses his servant, so did Moses command Joshua, and so did Joshua; he left nothing undone of all that the Lord commanded Moses.
verse 13 tells something that is worth pointing out, that only hazor was burned out of all these cities in this passage
in fact, the only cities burnt in the book of Joshua were Jericho, ai, and hazor
what makes this incredibly interesting is that we have found “ash layers” at jericho AND hazor, at the right time period
ai is debated, but a place has been found which was destroyed at the right time that’s thought to be ai
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIjNXNOuHzQ
we have a miracle in the way of God helping His people fight and win the battle, taking out the biggest city in canaan AND it’s allies
We also have the miracle of God’s Word
from the words of creation
to the events described in Joshua
to the incarnation of Jesus Christ
and all the way down to today
THE WORDS OF GOD ARE THE TRUTH, HAVE ALWAYS BEEN THE TRUTH, AND WILL ALWAYS BE THE TRUTH UNTIL THE END OF TIME
just like we can read His words about hazor being burned and see the ash layer in person there today
just like we can read the creation account and see the heavens declaring God’s glory all around us
just like we read about Christ and can see His movements in souls every day, feel His presence in our lives
GODS WORDS ARE THE ETERNAL, UNCHANGING TRUTH
we see the words in the Bible reflected all over the world, because it’s the truth, both are God’s creation, and God cannot lie
post modernism - make your own truth, there is no truth
we have a people, a culture, who are yearning
this yearning makes them miserable, some can hide it better than others, but they are unfulfilled
they yearn, they are empty, they are LOST
there is a reason we call them lost, sheep without a shepherd, they are just floating through life like a leaf on a wind, like a puff of vapor
some people try to fill this longing with money, but money can be stolen, money can’t be taken with you when you die, so it’s ultimately pointless
money can become an idol, Paul tells us greed is idolatry
money often times has corrossive effects on one’s attitude, they get uppity
money often exposes the emptiness more than before
some can handle money, but it’s the large minority, and temptation is much greater
some try to fill this longing with people and relationships
but people are people, and are not perfect
people leave, people backstab, people disappoint
fallen people cannot fill the longing we all have for God and the truth
some try to fill this longing with work
this is nothing more than keeping your mind off the yearning
it’s pointless in the eternal scheme of things
you are just running away from coming to terms with the fact that you’re longing for God
some try to fill this longing with drugs and alcohol
there are many other ways of running from God and facing the truth
some don’t even realize what they are longing for, it’s the whole concept of “how will they know if nobody tells them?”
The gospel of Christ satisfies our longings, as nothing else can do
we need every tool in the toolshed possible when sharing the gospel with someone
Peter tells us to be able to give an explanation to people, we need every tool in the toolshed that we can have
if someone doesn’t believe in the things from the Bible you can’t see, help them along by showing them the things you can see (Hazor, Jericho, Altar at Mt Ebal, etc)
let’s look at some verses elaborating on this
6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
4 For the word of the Lord is right; And all his works are done in truth.
14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
11 The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd.
We see an interesting moment in...
37 Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.
38 Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all.
Jesus had just told Pilate what truth is, before he even asked the question
Jesus tells Pilate that His word is the truth, that He was on earth bearing witness to the truth
in other words, His WORD
13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.