Text: Joshua chapter 13:

1 When Joshua was an old man, the Lord said to him, you are growing old, and much land remains to be conquered.


2 This is the territory that remains: all the regions of the Philistines and the Geshurites,


3 and the larger territory of the Canaanites, extending from the stream of Shihor on the border of Egypt, northward to the boundary of Ekron. It includes the territory of the five Philistine rulers of Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron. The land of the Avvites


4 in the south also remains to be conquered. In the north, the following area has not yet been conquered: all the land of the Canaanites, including Mearah (which belongs to the Sidonians), stretching northward to Aphek on the border of the Amorites;


5 the land of the Gebalites and all of the Lebanon mountain area to the east, from Baal-gad below Mount Hermon to Lebo-hamath;


6 and all the hill country from Lebanon to Misrephoth-maim, including all the land of the Sidonians.


I myself will drive these people out of the land ahead of the Israelites. So be sure to give this land to Israel as a special possession, just as I have commanded you.

Question:

Did God drive out all these remaining Canaanites?

Text: Joshua 16:

63 But the tribe of Judah could not drive out the Jebusites, who lived in the city of Jerusalem, so the Jebusites live there among the people of Judah to this day.

Text: Joshua 17:

11 The following towns within the territory of Issachar and Asher, however, were given to Manasseh: Beth-shan, Ibleam, Dor (that is, Naphoth-dor), Endor, Taanach, and Megiddo, each with their surrounding settlements.


12 But the descendants of Manasseh were unable to occupy these towns—

Question:

Why?

Text: Joshua 17:

12 because the Canaanites were determined to stay in that region.

Question:

Does this answer sound more like an excuse?

Lesson Guide:

Joshua 21:43–45, what picture does the book paint of God?

43 So the Lord gave to Israel all the land he had sworn to give their ancestors, and they took possession of it and settled there.

44 And the Lord gave them rest on every side, just as he had solemnly promised their ancestors. None of their enemies could stand against them, for the Lord helped them conquer all their enemies.

45 Not a single one of all the good promises the Lord had given to the family of Israel was left unfulfilled; everything he had spoken came true.”

Questions:

Would we rather concentrate on these three especially comforting and reassuring verses?


Or might it be good for us to read and think about this whole violent and confusing book?

Joshua’s Final Words to Israel

Text: Joshua 23:

1 The years passed, and the Lord had given the people of Israel rest from all their enemies. Joshua, who was now very old,

2 called together all the elders, leaders, judges, and officers of Israel. He said to them, I am now a very old man.

3 You have seen everything the Lord your God has done for you during my lifetime. The Lord your God has fought for you against your enemies.

4 I have allotted to you as your homeland all the land of the nations yet unconquered, as well as the land of those we have already conquered—from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea in the west.

5 This land will be yours, for the Lord your God will himself drive out all the people living there now. You will take possession of their land, just as the Lord your God promised you.

6 So be very careful to follow everything Moses wrote in the Book of Instruction. Do not deviate from it, turning either to the right or to the left.

7 Make sure you do not associate with the other people still remaining in the land.

Questions:

Do we think it might it be good for Israel to associate with Rahab and family, and perhaps also with the Gibeonites?

If not, how do we suppose that these Canaanites become, for hundreds of years, favorable parts of Israel’s history?

If so, could there have been other Canaanites whom it would be helpful for the Israelites to know?

Text: Joshua 23:

7 Do not even mention the names of their gods, much less swear by them or serve them or worship them.

Question:

Shall we wonder why holy men of God (2 Peter 1:21) would choose to boldly name Baal and Ashtoreth, in Judges 2:11 and 2:13?

Text: Joshua 23:

8 Rather, cling tightly to the Lord your God as you have done until now.

9 For the Lord has driven out great and powerful nations for you, and no one has yet been able to defeat you.

10 Each one of you will put to flight a thousand of the enemy, for the Lord your God fights for you, just as he has promised.

Interlude—Joshua remembers the “Battle of Jericho.”

Joshua 24:11

When you crossed the Jordan River and came to Jericho, the men of Jericho fought against you—

Compare with—

Joshua 6:6

Now the gates of Jericho were tightly shut because the people were afraid of the Israelites. No one was allowed to go out or in.

Questions:

Might our Bible, God’s inspired word, include poetic hyperbole?


If so, how shall we recognize it?

Text: Joshua 23:

11 So be very careful to love the Lord your God.

12 But if you turn away from him and cling to the customs of the survivors of these nations remaining among you, and if you intermarry with them,

13 then know for certain that the Lord your God will no longer drive them out of your land. Instead, they will be a snare and a trap to you, a whip for your backs and thorny brambles in your eyes, and you will vanish from this good land the Lord your God has given you.

14 Soon I will die, going the way of everything on earth. Deep in your hearts you know that every promise of the Lord your God has come true. Not a single one has failed!

15 But as surely as the Lord your God has given you the good things he promised, he will also bring disaster on you if you disobey him. He will completely destroy you from this good land he has given you.

16 If you break the covenant of the Lord your God by worshiping and serving other gods, his anger will burn against you, and you will quickly vanish from the good land he has given you.

Question:

Does it seem that Israel broke their covenant, promptly and repeatedly, by worshiping and serving other gods?

Comment:

Yes, just peek at what will follow:

Text: Judges 2:

10 After that generation died, another generation grew up who did not acknowledge the Lord or remember the mighty things he had done for Israel.

11 The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight and served the images of Baal.

12 They abandoned the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They went after other gods, worshiping the gods of the people around them. And they angered the Lord.

13 They abandoned the Lord to serve Baal and the images of Ashtoreth.

14 This made the Lord burn with anger against Israel, so he handed them over to raiders who stole their possessions. He turned them over to their enemies all around, and they were no longer able to resist them.

Question:

And did the people of Israel vanish from the good land God had given them?

Comment:

Yes, they did:

Assyria forcibly deported and scattered the people of the northern kingdom of Israel c. 722 BC.

The Babylonians deported people of the southern kingdom of Judah on three occasions (c. 605-586 BC).

Questions:

So, in fact, did the people of Israel quickly vanish from their land?

Well, they did vanish….

Questions:

And did “quickly” turn out to be hundreds of years in the future?


So, it seems.

Let’s take another peek at the book of Judges.

Text: Judges 1:

19 The Lord was with the people of Judah, and they took possession of the hill country. But they failed to drive out the people living in the plains, who had iron chariots.

21 The tribe of Benjamin, however, failed to drive out the Jebusites, who were living in Jerusalem. So, to this day the Jebusites live in Jerusalem among the people of Benjamin.

27 The tribe of Manasseh failed to drive out the people living in Beth-shan, Taanach, Dor, Ibleam, Megiddo, and all their surrounding settlements—

Question:

And why did Manasseh not drive out the surrounding Canaanites?

Answer?

—remember, because the Canaanites were determined to stay in that region.

Questions:

And who else declined to be forced out of their ancestral homes?

More texts, with more failures, from Judges 1:

29 The tribe of Ephraim failed to drive out the Canaanites living in Gezer,
so, the Canaanites continued to live there among them.

30 The tribe of Zebulun failed to drive out the residents of Kitron and Nahalol,
so the Canaanites continued to live among them.

31 The tribe of Asher failed to drive out the residents of Acco, Sidon, Ahlab, Aczib, Helbah, Aphik, and Rehob.

32 Instead, the people of Asher moved in among the Canaanites, who controlled the land, for they failed to drive them out.

33 Likewise, the tribe of Naphtali failed to drive out the residents of Beth-
shemesh and Beth-anath.

Instead, they moved in among the Canaanites, who controlled the land.

34 As for the tribe of Dan,

the Amorites forced them back into the hill country and would not let them come down into the plains.

Text: Judges 2:

15 Every time Israel went out to battle, the Lord fought against them, causing them to be defeated, just as he had warned. And the people were in great distress.

Question:


Yes, of course they were distressed: And did the people of Israel return to their Lord?


No, not exactly—and with what result?

Text: Judges 2:

20 So the Lord burned with anger against Israel. He said, because these people have violated my covenant, which I made with their ancestors, and have ignored my commands,

21 I will no longer drive out the nations that Joshua left unconquered when he died.

22 I did this to test Israel—to see whether or not they would follow the ways of the Lord as their ancestors did.

23 That is why the Lord left those nations in place. He did not quickly drive them out or allow Joshua to conquer them all.

Text: Judges 3:

1 These are the nations that the Lord left in the land to test those Israelites who had not experienced the wars of Canaan.

2 He did this to teach warfare to generations of Israelites who had no experience in battle.

3 These are the nations: the Philistines (those living under the five Philistine rulers), all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites living in the mountains of Lebanon from Mount Baal-hermon to Lebo-hamath.

4 These people were left to test the Israelites—to see whether they would obey the commands the Lord had given to their ancestors through Moses.

5 So the people of Israel lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites,

6 and they intermarried with them. Israelite sons married their daughters, and Israelite daughters were given in marriage to their sons. And the Israelites served their gods.

Why should all these sad stories be included in our Bible?

Do they suggest important questions to us?

Would we rather be free, or not free?

How free would we choose to be?

Is freedom a risky business?

Are we free to make very bad choices?

Are we grateful to God for giving us this much freedom?

Would we prefer to have the choices of

A two-year-old?

A twelve-year-old?

A twenty-two-year-old?

A sixty-two-year-old?

If you were God?

Would you grant your creatures more freedom?

Or less freedom?

Does freedom always include opportunity to make destructive choices?

Do we look forward to a blissful future, when we will no longer be free to make bad choices?

Or does God offer us an open future, where we will remain free to choose things that, at this point, we cannot even imagine?

If so, is it worth the risk?

If you were able to pick your heavenly neighbors, whom would you pick?

Why?

And if you picked your heavenly neighbors, might these neighbors also pick you?

Why?

Should we concern ourselves with such questions?

Would you wish to carry the responsibilities of God?

Is there good evidence that God can Himself be trusted?

Should God expect of us flawless performance? Or complete trust?

And if we place our full trust in God, will God expect us to also be plagued with worry?

© 2025 R. Wresch, M.D.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.