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Joshua Chapter 12 (ESV)

Kings Defeated by Joshua

⁷ And these are the kings of the land whom Joshua and the people of Israel defeated on the west side of the Jordan, from Baal-gad in the Valley of Lebanon to Mount Halak, that rises toward Seir (and Joshua gave their land to the tribes of Israel as a possession according to their allotments, ⁸ in the hill country, in the lowland, in the Arabah, in the slopes, in the wilderness, and in the Negeb, the land of the Hittites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites): ⁹ the king of Jericho, one; the king of Ai, which is beside Bethel, one; ¹⁰ the king of Jerusalem, one; the king of Hebron, one; ¹¹ the king of Jarmuth, one; the king of Lachish, one; ¹² the king of Eglon, one; the king of Gezer, one; ¹³ the king of Debir, one; the king of Geder, one; ¹⁴ the king of Hormah, one; the king of Arad, one;¹⁵ the king of Libnah, one; the king of Adullam, one; ¹⁶ the king of Makkedah, one; the king of Bethel, one; ¹⁷ the king of Tappuah, one; the king of Hepher, one; ¹⁸ the king of Aphek, one; the king of Lasharon, one; ¹⁹ the king of Madon, one; the king of Hazor, one; ²⁰ the king of Shimron-meron, one; the king of Achshaph, one; ²¹ the king of Taanach, one; the king of Megiddo, one; ²² the king of Kedesh, one; the king of Jokneam in Carmel, one; ²³ the king of Dor in Naphath-dor, one; the king of Goiim in Galilee, one; ²⁴ the king of Tirzah, one: in all, thirty-one kings.

REFLECTION:

• Read the names of these kings and see if you remember any of them from study of the previous chapters 1-11. This chapter is the conclusion of the first half of the book of Joshua.
• Most scholars believe that the Conquest described so graphically in these chapters, actually took about seven years to accomplish. When total victory had finally been won, Joshua carefully listed the 31 Canaanite city-states that were defeated. Israel could look back on this impressive list and be encouraged. God, who had promised victory, had kept His word. Surely God could be trusted for victory in battles yet to come.
• Has God helped in your life to conquer anything: Bad temper? Shyness? Certain phobia? Smoking? Serious illness? Addiction? Marriage problems? Obesity? Poor self-image? The list could go on. Pause and recall. Write down what comes to mind in your Spiritual Journal Book. If ready, share it with another Christian or in your cell.

PRAYER:

Heavenly Father, I thank You because through the Lord who loves me, I am more than victorious in all things. For I firmly believe that neither death nor life, neither angels nor rulers, neither present nor future circumstances, neither powers nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate me from Your love, which is in my Lord Jesus Christ. Today, as I carefully consider Joshua’s seven-year-long battle, I recognize the immense challenges he faced, yet ultimately achieved great victory. Without Your mighty power and strength bestowed upon Joshua and the Israelites, how could they have conquered thirty-one cities and their kings? Heavenly Father, as I reflect on the journey of my own life, it resembles Joshua’s battle. Though I am far weaker than Joshua, I am able to avoid falling into the snares of the devil by placing my trust in You. For Your power is made perfect in my weakness, and by trusting in You, whenever I am weak, I am made strong. In the future, I will face countless battles, and I understand that overcoming my own heart is greater than conquering cities. I pray for Your presence to be with me, and may the Holy Spirit of truth guide me. May the love of our Lord Jesus Christ grant me infinite courage. Amen!

HYMN:

Nothing Ever Could Separate Us – youtu.be/pxx0vPDfv0Q