Obeying God's orders, Moses had conquered two vast kingdoms east of the Jordan River (Joshua 12:1-6). Now, Joshua has conquered a much larger area and its 31 wicked, pagan peoples west of the river (vv. 7-24). The reason is clear: ″For it was the Lord himself who hardened their hearts to wage war against Israel, so that he might destroy them totally, exterminating them without mercy, as the Lord had commanded Moses″ (11:20).

In giving this command, of course, the Lord was not being ruthless or maniacal. God does not want anyone to perish, but all to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). In Ezekiel 18:23, we read: ″Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign Lord. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?″

While conquering the promised land, Joshua obeys the Lord's commands and proves that all of God's promises will come to pass. By now, Joshua may be 85 years old. Yet his love, trust, and obedience in the Lord God are as strong as ever. As a result, ″Joshua took the entire land, just as the Lord had directed Moses, and he gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal divisions. Then the land had rest from war″ (Joshua 11:23).

Be sure to note the key words, ″inheritance″, ″land″, and ″rest″. These three terms are found throughout the book of Joshua. Land given is not the same as land accepted, taken, and claimed. Just like when a cheque is given, unless it is accepted, banked in, and reflected in the bank account statement, it remains merely a gift. This major theme runs throughout the rest of the book of Joshua, becomes the main theme of the book of Judges, continues throughout the Old Testament, and forms the backdrop of several New Testament passages. It features in Hebrews 10:35-39 and also in all of Hebrews 4, which reminds us to ″be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of [his rest]″ (v. 1). Verse 11 stresses that this gift of God's rest needs to be claimed: ″Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.″

How good and essential it is for us to accept, take, and claim God's great promises. Yet I can imagine the apostles, like the Old Testament writers before them, shaking their heads when they see people's response. When the Lord God promises us so much, why would anyone be content to accept so little?