God at Work in History 10: Remembering What God Has Done — Joshua 12
Joshua 11 ended with a remarkable statement:
“And the land had rest from war.” —Joshua 11:23
After chapter after chapter of battles, opposition, danger, and conquest, Israel had reached a moment of rest.
But Joshua 12 begins in a different way.
There is no new battle.
There is no new enemy coalition.
There is no dramatic miracle.
Instead, there is a list.
A long list.
Kings and territories are named one after another.
At first glance, Joshua 12 may seem like one of those chapters we are tempted to read quickly—or perhaps skip altogether.
But if we do that, we may miss something important.
Joshua 12 is a chapter about remembering what God has done.
When God Gives Us a Record
The chapter begins by looking backward.
Before Joshua's victories are listed, the writer remembers two kings defeated during the days of Moses: Sihon king of the Amorites and Og king of Bashan.
These victories had taken place east of the Jordan.
Moses had led Israel in those battles, and the land was eventually given to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.
Then the story moves to Joshua.
The chapter records the kings defeated on the western side of the Jordan and concludes:
“In all, thirty-one kings.” —Joshua 12:24
Thirty-one kings.
Thirty-one reminders that what once looked impossible had become history.
Israel had not conquered the land in a single day.
There had been battles, setbacks, marches, waiting, danger, and difficult obedience.
But now there was a record.
God had done what He promised.
The Importance of Remembering
One of the recurring problems in the Bible is that God's people are often remarkably good at forgetting.
They see God act.
They experience His provision.
They witness His power.
Then another difficulty comes—and suddenly they wonder whether God will help them again.
Joshua 12 gives Israel something to remember.
The names of the kings may not mean much to us individually, but collectively they tell a powerful story.
God had been faithful again and again.
The list is not really about thirty-one kings.
It is about one faithful God.
Every name represents another obstacle that God brought Israel through.
Every defeated kingdom represents another step in the fulfillment of God's promise.
Every territory points back to the God who had promised the land to His people.
The chapter is therefore more than a military record.
It is a testimony.
Moses and Joshua
There is another important feature of Joshua 12.
The chapter does not separate God's work through Moses from God's work through Joshua.
It begins with Moses.
Then it moves to Joshua.
That reminds us that God's work in history is larger than any one human leader.
Moses had his assignment.
Joshua had his assignment.
Neither man was the whole story.
God was.
Moses served God.
Joshua served God.
God's purposes continued from one generation to another.
This is an important lesson for us because we can sometimes become too focused on individual personalities.
We admire particular pastors, teachers, missionaries, leaders, authors, or Christian heroes. We are grateful for the ways God has used them.
But God's work does not depend upon one person.
Leaders come and go.
Generations change.
Circumstances change.
God remains faithful.
The story of Joshua 12 reminds us that the kingdom of God is not built around one human personality.
It is built upon God Himself.
The Victory Was Not Instant
Joshua 12 also helps us see something that is easy to overlook.
The conquest did not happen all at once.
Israel had to move forward step by step.
God had promised the land, but Israel still had to walk into it.
There were enemies to face.
There were battles to fight.
There were places to occupy.
There were responsibilities to fulfill.
The list of defeated kings therefore represents more than military success.
It represents progress through obedience.
This is often the way God works in our lives as well.
We may want God to solve everything immediately.
We want the whole problem removed.
We want the entire future explained.
We want to know how everything will turn out.
But God often gives us something different.
He gives us the next step.
Then another.
Then another.
And when we look back years later, we may discover that God was faithfully leading us all along.
We simply could not see the whole story while we were living it.
Do Not Forget the Earlier Victories
There is a wonderful connection between Joshua 11 and Joshua 12.
Joshua 11 says:
“And the LORD gave them into the hand of Israel.” —Joshua 11:8
Joshua 12 records the results.
This is important.
Chapter 11 shows us God at work in the battle.
Chapter 12 shows us what that work looked like when remembered afterward.
That is often true in our own lives.
While we are in the middle of a difficult situation, we may see only uncertainty.
But later, when we look back, we can sometimes see God's hand much more clearly.
We realize:
“He carried me through that.”
“He provided when I did not know where provision would come from.”
“He opened that door.”
“He closed another one.”
“He gave me strength when I thought I had none left.”
“He was there, even when I did not recognize it at the time.”
Joshua 12 encourages us to become people who remember.
Build Your Own Memorials
The Bible repeatedly encourages God's people to remember.
Israel had physical reminders of God's faithfulness.
The stones taken from the Jordan in Joshua 4 were intended to provoke future generations to ask what they meant.
Joshua 12 gives us another kind of memorial.
It is a written record.
The names and places may seem ordinary, but together they tell the story of God's faithfulness.
Perhaps we need our own ways of remembering.
Keep a journal of answered prayer.
Write down significant moments when God provided.
Record prayers that were answered in unexpected ways.
Remember the people God placed in your life at exactly the right time.
Tell your children and grandchildren the stories of God's faithfulness.
When difficult days come, return to those memories.
Not because the past guarantees that every future circumstance will be easy.
But because the God who was faithful then has not changed.
The Danger of Forgetting
There is a spiritual danger in forgetting.
When we forget what God has done, today's problem can appear larger than God Himself.
Fear says:
“This time is different.”
“This time there is no way forward.”
“This problem is too great.”
“This enemy is too strong.”
But remembrance answers:
“God has been faithful before.”
“He has not changed.”
“He has brought me through difficulties before.”
“He has never ceased to be God.”
This does not mean that every future difficulty will end exactly as we want.
Joshua 12 does not teach us that God's people will never suffer.
It teaches something deeper:
God can be trusted even when we do not know what He will do next.
Thirty-One Kings
The final number is striking.
Thirty-one kings.
Thirty-one conquered kingdoms.
Thirty-one reminders that the land Israel had been promised was becoming a visible reality.
What looked overwhelming at the beginning had become a list at the end.
That is one of the great perspectives of Scripture.
The enemy may look enormous when we are facing him.
But from the perspective of God's completed work, the things that frightened us become testimonies of His faithfulness.
The list in Joshua 12 is therefore almost like a spiritual monument.
“Remember what God has done.”
“Remember who brought you here.”
“Remember that the promises of God are not empty words.”
God at Work in History
Joshua 12 fits beautifully into our larger theme: God at Work in History.
History is not merely a collection of dates, battles, rulers, and kingdoms.
For the biblical writer, history is the arena in which God fulfills His purposes.
Moses' victories mattered.
Joshua's victories mattered.
The defeated kings mattered.
The promised land mattered.
But behind all of these events stood the faithfulness of God.
Human beings acted.
Armies marched.
Kings resisted.
Joshua obeyed.
Moses led.
But God remained sovereign over the story.
That is why remembering history matters for faith.
When we look backward, we see more than events.
We see evidence of God's faithfulness.
What Joshua 12 Teaches Us Today
Joshua 12 gives us several lessons worth carrying with us.
First, remember God's faithfulness.
Do not allow today's difficulty to erase yesterday's testimony.
Second, recognize that God's work often unfolds gradually.
Thirty-one kings did not fall in one battle. God's purposes unfolded step by step.
Third, remember that God's work is bigger than any one leader.
Moses served his generation. Joshua served his. God remained faithful through both.
Fourth, record what God has done.
Our memories are often unreliable. Write down God's answers, God's provision, and God's faithfulness.
Fifth, tell the next generation.
The story is not meant to stop with us. What God has done in our lives can become encouragement for those who come after us.
From Joshua to Christ
There is also a larger story here.
Joshua's victories were real, but they were not the final victory.
The kings of Canaan could be defeated, but the deeper problem of sin remained.
The land could be possessed, but God's people still needed redemption.
Israel could experience rest from war, but humanity still needed peace with God.
The story of Joshua therefore points beyond Joshua.
It points toward the greater Savior.
The name Joshua is the Hebrew form of the name Jesus.
Joshua brought Israel into the promised land.
Jesus brings His people into the greater salvation promised by God.
Joshua defeated earthly enemies.
Jesus came to deal with sin and death themselves.
Joshua's victories became history. Christ's victory becomes the hope of all who trust Him.
Remember and Give Thanks
Joshua 12 may appear to be a chapter of names.
But behind those names is a testimony.
God had been faithful.
He had brought His people through one battle after another.
He had kept His promises.
And He was not finished.
Perhaps that is the word we need today.
Remember.
Remember what God has done.
Remember His faithfulness.
Remember His provision.
Remember His promises.
Remember the times when the situation looked impossible and God made a way.
And when another difficult season comes, do not begin by asking only, “How big is this problem?”
Ask instead:
“What has God already shown me about Himself?”
Joshua 12 teaches us that God's people should never forget the victories God has already given.
Yesterday's victories become today's testimony.
And today's testimony can become tomorrow's faith.
God is still at work in history.
God is still at work in history.
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Soldiers of Immanuel, go forward in His name,
Holy warfare waging, pow’rs of sin engaging;
Lift His royal standard & His truth divine proclaim,
Till the world shall own Him King.
Refrain:
Go forth, go forth, and battle for the right,
Defeat the foe and put his host to flight;
Ye soldiers of Immanuel, press on
Until the victory is won.
Soldiers of Immanuel, go forward to the fray,
Songs of triumph singing, shouts of vict’ry ringing;
Follow your Commander, He is with you every day;
Onward! is the battle cry.
Soldiers of Immanuel, the battle soon shall cease;
In a home of splendor we shall homage render
Unto Jesus, He who is the glorious Prince of Peace,
When we lay our armor down.
Haldor Lillenas 1885-1959
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