The king of Tirzah, one. Thirty-one kings in all. – Joshua 12:24

Today's Scripture Reading (February 16, 2022): Joshua 12

We live in nations that exist in states of unity and conflict. It is unified in that we live in countries that are often governed by a single political body. The United States, regardless of whether you agree with the political leader, is led by a President. Canada and Britain are examples of governments led by a Prime Minister. In almost all modern nations, vast swaths of land are controlled by one government or one king. This fact gives the countries at least a semblance of unity.

But it is also a world of conflict. Political parties that vie for control of the nations are seldomly in agreement with each other, and conflict is usually the result. In countries with numerous political parties, it is very seldom that political leaders are even able to enjoy the support of most of the people. In Canada, it is not unusual for a Prime Minister to be voted into office with a popular vote that is significantly less than forty percent, something that is impossible to imagine in the United States.

Beyond this political conflict, there is also regionalized conflict. Mayors of cities are often in conflict with the regional leaders of the state or province. And regional leaders often find themselves in conflict with the national leaders. But even in those situations, there is also the possibility for compromise and influence. And cities never go to war against each other, other than in a symbolic way.  

As Israel moves into Canaan, they do not meet a unified nation, but one made up entirely of the regional or local kings. Joshua's priority was to defeat those kings. Sometimes, they were kings over a city or a region, but at other times it was a king over a small town. But each of these kings was the absolute ruler over their domain. Joshua says that there were over thirty-one kings over this small region of the Levant. In some instances, the kings teamed up to try to defeat Israel. But at other times, they approached Israel alone, or possibly in pairs. It was a long and arduous journey for Israel. But one by one, the nations fell.

But that didn't mean that the battle was over. Once the kings had been removed, there would still be regional resistance and the possibility that new kings might arise to lead a group of people in the area. Once the thirty-one kings had been defeated, the tribes would have to continue to subdue the land. Canaan was beginning a journey, moving from being ruled by city kings to one led by a single leader, at this point Joshua. After the time of Joshua, the area would regress to being led once more by regional leaders for a time, interrupted by periods where the leader might be a regional judge. The full attainment of the political ideal that began in the time of Joshua would not find its ultimate fulfillment until the reigns of Saul, David, and Solomon. Then, finally, Israel would be unified. But even that would only last for a time. 

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Joshua 13