So Joshua and his whole army came against them suddenly at the Waters of Merom and attacked them. – Joshua 11:7

Today's Scripture Reading (April 2, 2025): Joshua 11

It was codenamed "Operation Overlord." In the West, we have all heard of it, yet we probably don't understand how much of a longshot the battle was. Until the last moment, military officials were not even sure that the operation would take place. But it did, although the cost was high. Among the allies alone, Operation Overlord resulted in almost 250,000 casualties, and over half of that number were military personnel from the United States. 

If you are still unsure what I am talking about, "Operation Overload" was the codename for the Normandy landings in June 1944. The problem was that the Western Allies had lost all footholds on the European continent. They needed to gain not just a foothold back onto the continent but also a way to resupply troops fighting in the European Theater. Adolf Hitler knew they would have to attempt something and had wanted to build his "Atlantic Wall" along the coast, but a lack of concrete and human resources meant that most of that wall never got built.

Still, the Normandy Landings were a longshot. The Allies had to dedicate all of their resources to the attempt. It just didn't make any sense not to. To accomplish anything, they had to win on the Atlantic Coast. And so, it was time to risk everything to try to gain that foothold.

The Kings of Canaan decided it was time to unite and fight against Israel. It was an all-or-nothing moment, and they had agreed to go with the all. They gathered their troops and then began to plan their attack on Israel. The coming battle would be another faith test for Joshua. God told Joshua that Israel would win, so Joshua decided not to delay the fight. He surprised his Canaanite opposition in two ways. First, Joshua attacked quickly. The Kings weren't expecting the rapidity of this attack. Second, Joshua committed all of his forces to the battle. If Joshua had lost, Canaan would have been lost to Israel. The rest of the nation would have been driven to the other side of the Jordan River and would have no foothold on the west side of the Jordan, making the defense of Canaan for these Palestinian Kings an easier task. Joshua trusted God and dedicated all his forces in this battle.

The phrase "His whole army" should be taken to mean not only that all of the forces of Israel were dedicated to the battle but that there was political unity in the nation. The coming battle was not just a statement of faith by Joshua but a statement that was echoed by the whole country.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Joshua 12