was his master-grace, and yet it seems, he had need to be again and again cautioned not to be afraid. Fresh dangers and difficulties make it necessary to fetch in fresh supports and comforts from the word of God, which we have always nigh unto us, to be made use of in every time of need. Those that have God on their side, need not be disturbed at the number and power of their enemies; more are they that are with us, than they that are against us; they have the hosts of the Lord, that have the Lord of hosts engaged for them. For his encouragement, 1. God assures him of success, and fixes the hour; To-morrow about this time, when an engagement (it is probable) was expected and designed on both sides, I will deliver them up slain. Though they were to be slain by the sword of Israel, yet it is spoken of as God's work, that he would deliver them up. 2. He appoints him to hough their horses, hamstring them, lame them, and burn their chariots, not only that Israel might not use them hereafter, but that they might not fear them now, their God designing this contempt to be put upon them. Let Israel look upon their chariots but as rotten wood designed for the fire, and their horses of war as disabled things, scarcely good enough for the cart.
This encouragement which God here gave to Joshua, no doubt, he communicated to the people, who perhaps were under some apprehensions of danger from this vast army, notwithstanding the experiences they had had of God's power engaged for them. And the wisdom and goodness of God is to be observed, (1.) In infatuating the counsels of the enemy, that all the kings of Canaan, who were not dispersed at such a distance from each other, but that they might have got altogether in a body, did not at first confederate against Israel, but were divided into the southern and northern combination, and so became less formidable. And, (2.) In preparing his people to encounter the greater force, by breaking the less. They first engage with five kings together, and now with many more. God proportions our trials to our strength, and our strength to our trials.
III. Joshua's march against these confederate forces, v. 7, He came upon them suddenly, and surprised them in their quarters. He made this haste, 1. That he might put them into the greater confusion, by giving them an alarm, when they little thought he had been near them. 2. That he might be sure not to come short of the honour God had fixed, to give him the meeting at the enemy's camp, to-morrow about this time. It is fit we should keep time with God.
IV. His success, v. 8. He obtained the honour and advantage of a complete victory; he smote them and chased them, in the several ways they took in their flight; some fled toward Zidon, which lay to the north-west, others toward Mizpeh, east-ward, both the parties Joshua sent out, pursued them each way. So the Lord delivered them into the hand of Israel; they would not deliver themselves into the hands of Israel to be made proselytes and tributaries, and so offered up to God's grace, Rom. 15. 16. and therefore God delivered them into their hands to be made sacrifices to his justice; for God will be honoured by us or upon us.
V. His obedience to the orders given him, in destroying the horses and chariots, v. 9. which was an instance, 1. Of his subjection to the divine will, as one under authority, that must do as he is bidden. 2. Of his self-denial, and crossing his own genius and inclination in compliance with God's command. 3. Of his confidence in the power of God engaged for Israel, which enabled them to despise the chariots and horses which others trusted in, Ps. 20, 7.—33. 17. 4. Of his care to keep up in the people the like confidence in God, by taking that from them, which they would be tempted to trust too much to. This was cutting off a right hand.
10. And Joshua at that time turned back, and took Hazor, and smote the king thereof with the sword: for Hazor beforetime was the head of all those kingdoms. 11. And they smote all the souls that were therein with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying them: there was not any left to breathe: and he burnt Hazor with fire. 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 ny to breathe.
We have here the same improvement made of this victory, that was of that in the foregoing chapter.
1. The destruction of Hazor is particularly recorded, because in it, and by the king thereof, this daring design against Israel was laid, v. 10, 11. The king of Hazor, it seems, escaped with his life out of the battle, and thought himself safe when he was got back into his own city, and Joshua was gone in pursuit of the scattered troops another way; but it proved that that which he thought would have been for his welfare, was his trap, in it he was taken as in an evil net, there he was slain, and his city, for his sake, burnt. Yet we find that the remains of it being not well-looked after by Israel, the Canaanites rebuilt it, and settled there under another king of the same name, Judg. 4. 2.
2. The rest of the cities of that part of the country are spoken of only in general; that Joshua got them all into his hands, but did not burn them as he did Hazor, for Israel was to dwell in great and goodly cities which they builded not, Deut. 6. 10. and in these among the rest. And here we find Israel rolling in blood and treasure. (1.) In the blood of their enemies; they smote all the souls, v. 11. neither left they any to breathe, v. 14. that there might be none to infect them with the abominations of Canaan, and none to disturb them in the possession of it. The children were cut off, lest they should afterward lay claim to any part of this land in the right of their parents. (2.) In the wealth of their enemies: the spoil, and the cattle, they took for a prey to themselves, v. 14. As they were enriched with the spoil of their oppressors when they came out of Egypt, wherewith to defray the charges of their apprenticeship in the wilderness; so they were now enriched with the spoil of their enemies, for a stock wherewith to set up in the land of Canaan. Thus is the wealth of the sinner laid up for the just.
15. As the Lord commanded Moses his servant, so did Moses command Joshua,
