Did you know that the United States’ war with Iraq in 2003 is actually a perfect demonstration of what ancient Israel experienced when they attempted to conquer the land of Canaan?
Recall that the Iraq war was the conflict when the US-led coalition overthrew the government of Saddam Hussein.
Here’s the thing.
After only a few weeks into the battle, even though President Bush proclaimed victory to the world, the reality is that the conflict continued on for much of the following decade.
Saddam Hussein may have been removed from power, but the battle to control the whole region was far from won.
As soon as the US forces had established a new Iraqi central government, insurgent forces emerged from all over the place to challenge the US soldiers and the Iraqis who had chosen to side with them.
Well, it was the exact same situation for Joshua and his men.
Joshua Chapters 10 and 11 tell us that Israel won many major battles.
But emerging victorious in major conflicts and controlling every tribe and village in a given region is another thing altogether.
Armed conflict always has its ups and downs since there are always these unseen pockets of rebellion (local tribal princes or war lords) who actually view war as an opportunity to advance their own greedy goals to acquire more power.
And we’re not just talking about rebel forces inside the Promised Land.
We’re also talking about bordering nations who viewed the conflict as a prime opportunity to further their own national interests.
Shortly after Israel invaded Canaan, the Philistines started harassing Israel and Egypt also tried to take advantage of the situation.
Here’s another way to look at it.
Throughout all of Israel’s history, the northern borders of the Holy Land were perpetually under attack from Babylonian and Assyrian rulers.
And we can see that this situation hasn’t changed much today.
The Middle Eastern region with Israel smack dab at the very center is a constant hotbed of conflict and warfare.
So what’s the big takeaway here?
The takeaway is this.
We shouldn’t be so wide-eyed or gullible to think that Joshua PERFECTLY obeyed all of the Lord’s commands concerning taking the Promised Land.
He didn’t perfectly obey all of the Lord’s commands.
Yet, on the other hand, this doesn’t mean we should conclude he was a failure because he didn’t.
He was a man who had a sincere heart and desire to obey God just like King David.
But he was still a man with all of the flaws and faults that we all have.
However, there is a man coming who in the original Hebrew has the exact same name of the Joshua (ישוע) we’re reading about here…
…and the good news he is going to PERFECTLY finish the job that the first Joshua didn’t finish during the battle we all know by the name “Armageddon”.
And you can rest assured, when Messiah Yeshua returns, no pockets of rebellion are going to be overlooked.
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