Today’s Scripture Reading (October
15, 2012): Joshua 11
The Hundred
Years war was a series of conflicts fought over a period of one hundred and
sixteen years (1337 – 1453) between England and France. In the end it was the French
that came out of the war with the victory. The immediate consequences of the
war was that the Kingdom of England lost all of their Continental land assets
except for the Pale of Calais (which would not become a part of France until
1558) and the French maintained control over its own throne. But the long term
effects of the war ran much deeper. Historians have argued that it was The
Hundred Years War that was the key element in developing English pacifism. The
cost of The Hundred Years War highly outweighed the benefits of the war. And in
France, the French came to understand that it was okay to go to war to expel
invaders from its own territory. In both cases, the reaction to war was now
ingrained in the psyche of the nations.
Joshua lists
the conquests of Israel in a brief narrative. But it is almost as if he thought
that the people might forget the struggle that the conquests brought with them.
And so he adds this statement, in essence the words simply underline that the wars
he was listing took a long time to complete. This was not either a quick or an easy
fix. It was a struggle that molded the character of a young nation.
There are at
least four reasons why the wars had to be completed over a period of time. The
first was so that if the conquest happened to quickly the land would lie empty,
and therefore either be taken by neighbouring powers or by wild animals, which
would require the land to be defeated once again. It would take time to be able
to inhabit the land. But the second reason was so that Israel would never take
armed conflict as an “easy” thing to be involved in. As much as this point was
missed by future generations, war was never meant to be seen as the most
convenient response to hardships. Connected with the second reason was that the
nation also needed to be learn the art of war. They were a nation of slaves. They
had learned some things in the desert, but there were still many things to be
learned.
But maybe
the most important reason for the many years is that they were also a nation designed
to be ruled by God (they were a theocracy.) So much of what would follow would
only be possible if they had learned to find their patience and courage in God.
War could never be the first response, or a response taken in the absence of
God’s direction - because war would forever threaten to destroy the image that
God had created in man. War was a last resort, one that could be entertained
only when every other alternative had failed.
Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Joshua
12
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