This chapter contains a recap of the kings defeated by Israel under the leadership of Moses and Joshua.
“Now these are the kings of the land whom the people of Israel defeated and took possession of their land beyond the Jordan toward the sunrise, from the Valley of the Arnon to Mount Hermon, with all the Arabah eastward… Moses, the servant of the Lord, and the people of Israel defeated them. And Moses the servant of the Lord gave their land for a possession to the Reubenites and the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh. 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…” (v1,6-7)
In total, Moses and Joshua led Israel to defeat 33 kings and all of their lands. Some kings only controlled a single city, though many controlled entire nations. The important thing to observe here is: God won these wars for Israel – Israel was outnumbered and outmatched in most/all of these conflicts (especially when a large number of the kings banded together to attack Israel all at once) and they would not have survived if it wasn’t for God delivering these enemies into their hands.
Who are our enemies today? Criminals? Atheists? Tax collectors? No, not exactly. Paul tells us “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Eph 6:10-12) Clearly our enemies are the devil and his cohorts. People only become our enemies when they (either intentionally or unintentionally) follow the temporary king of this world (Satan the accuser and deceiver, the devil).
The great news is, Satan’s power (slavery to sin) is already defeated because of Jesus’ death and resurrection on the cross. “…having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This [God] set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in [Jesus].” (Col 2:13c-15)
If Satan is defeated, why do we still have evil and sin in this world? Well, Satan’s ultimate end hasn’t happened yet (see Rev 20), but in the mean time it’s kind of like this: Satan has a lease on the world, but that lease has an expiration date, and God is not renewing the lease. We’re basically waiting for the lease to run out and then God will permanently evict him. He’s just making life miserable for everyone while he’s still here, because misery loves company and he wants to take as many people with him as he can (he’s rebellious and “stickin’ it to the Man” [ie. God]).
Some more good news is we, when rooted in a firm relationship with God, are immune to spiritual death (eternal separation from God) and Satan cannot cross the line to get us back, because He who protects us has higher authority than he who attacks us. “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” (Jas 4:7-8a) If we are near to God, Satan cannot draw near to us. He can fire shots in our general direction and be a general nuisance, be he cannot destroy us. Our shield of faith extinguishes his flaming arrows (Eph 6:16).
Father God, our Savior and King, our Deliverer from our Enemies, great and mighty are You Lord. All honor, glory and praise be to You, the Lamb of God, who broke the bond of slavery to sin, and set the captives free. Thank you for Your selfless gift, and thank you for sending the Spirit to guide us. With Your wisdom and discernment may we learn to don the full armor of God, protecting ourselves and our neighbors from the wrath of our enemies. Praise be to You who gives us strength and protection, forever and ever, amen.
~ Conqueror in Training