Commentary - Joshua 9:1-2

Bird's-eye view

In these opening verses of Joshua 9, we see the natural and predictable reaction of the world to the successful advance of God's kingdom. The news of Israel's stunning victories at Jericho and Ai has spread like wildfire, and the pagan kings of Canaan are now fully alert to the threat. Their response is not repentance or surrender, but rather panicked consolidation. Disparate and likely rival kingdoms suddenly find common cause in their opposition to the people of God. This is a foundational principle of spiritual warfare: the success of the gospel will inevitably provoke a unified hostility from the world. This passage serves as a living illustration of the second Psalm, where the kings of the earth set themselves and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against His Anointed. This is the world's board meeting, and the only item on the agenda is how to stop the progress of God's covenant people.

The text gives us a sweeping geographical and ethnic catalogue of the opposition, emphasizing its comprehensive nature. From the mountains to the sea, all the "-ites" are now united. This is not a minor skirmish; it is the formation of a grand, anti-God coalition. Their unity is not born of genuine fellowship, but of shared fear and hatred. This is the counterfeit unity of the wicked, a temporary alliance of darkness against the light. God, in His sovereignty, is flushing His enemies out into the open, causing them to band together for their own destruction. What they intend as a masterstroke of strategic defense, God will use as an occasion for His judgment.

Outline

Context In Joshua

These verses serve as a crucial pivot in the narrative. Chapters 6 through 8 have detailed Israel's initial, stunning military successes. Jericho fell by a miracle, and after the hiccup of Achan's sin was dealt with, Ai was decisively conquered. Israel has established a firm beachhead in the center of the promised land. The covenant has been renewed at Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim (Josh 8:30-35), reaffirming that this is a holy war, conducted according to God's commands. The events of Joshua 9:1-2 are the direct consequence of this success. The surrounding nations are no longer watching curiously; they now see Israel as an existential threat. This hostile gathering sets the stage for two contrasting responses to Israel's advance: the deceptive submission of the Gibeonites in the rest of chapter 9, and the open warfare of the southern coalition in chapter 10. The kingdom is advancing, and the world is forced to react.

Key Issues

The World's Board Meeting

When the church is faithful, the world takes notice. When the gospel advances and begins to reclaim territory for Christ, you can be sure that the rulers of this present darkness will call a meeting. That is precisely what we see here. The victories at Jericho and Ai were not just military triumphs; they were declarations that the God of Israel is the one true God, and that His claim on the land of Canaan was now being enforced. The pagan kings heard this, and they understood the implications. Their idols were being challenged, their kingdoms threatened, and their entire way of life was on the line.

Their reaction is instructive for us. They did not debate the truth claims of Yahweh. They did not send ambassadors to seek terms. Their immediate, instinctual response was to form an alliance to fight. This is the spirit of the age, in every age. When confronted with the exclusive claims of Jesus Christ, the world does not want to parley; it wants to persecute. It seeks unity, not in the truth, but in opposition to the truth. This is why Christians must never be naive about the nature of the opposition. The world's enmity against God is a deep, spiritual reality, and it will forge alliances out of the most unlikely materials in order to resist the crown rights of King Jesus.

Verse by Verse Commentary

1 Now it happened when all the kings who were beyond the Jordan, in the hill country and in the Shephelah and on all the coast of the Great Sea toward Lebanon, the Hittite and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite and the Jebusite, heard of it,

The report has gone out. The phrase heard of it refers to the whole campaign thus far, the miraculous fall of Jericho and the strategic destruction of Ai. The news has now penetrated every corner of the land. The author is meticulous in listing the regions and the peoples. This is a comprehensive roll call of the doomed. We have the kings "beyond the Jordan," meaning west of the Jordan, in the land itself. The geography covers the three main longitudinal strips of land: the central "hill country," the "Shephelah" or lowlands between the hills and the coast, and the coastal plain of the "Great Sea," the Mediterranean. This is all-encompassing.

Then we have the ethnic list, the standard litany of the inhabitants of Canaan. These were not monolithic peoples; they were a collection of tribes and city-states, often rivals. But the threat of Israel has superseded all their petty squabbles. The Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites are all now on the same page. God's mighty acts have a way of clarifying things, of forcing people to choose a side. In hearing the report of God's power, these kings were rendered accountable. Their decision to fight was not made in ignorance, but in deliberate defiance of the God whose power they had just heard about.

2 that they gathered themselves together with one accord to fight with Joshua and with Israel.

Here is the result of their hearing. They gathered together. This was a deliberate, strategic decision. And they did it with one accord. The Hebrew here is literally "one mouth." They were speaking the same thing, thinking the same thing. This is a counterfeit Pentecost. At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit gave the disciples one heart and one mind to proclaim the gospel. Here, a demonic spirit gives the Canaanite kings one mouth to oppose the gospel's advance. This is the negative solidarity of rebellion.

Their purpose is explicit: "to fight with Joshua and with Israel." But of course, their fight was ultimately not with Joshua, but with the God who sent Joshua. As Psalm 2 tells us, the kings of the earth set themselves against the Lord's Anointed. They see the human agent and fail to recognize the divine authority behind him. This is always the world's mistake. They think they are fighting against a political movement, a cultural shift, or a group of religious fanatics. They do not realize they have picked a fight with the sovereign Lord of heaven and earth. This gathering, which they believe is their best hope for survival, is in fact God's chosen instrument for bringing them to judgment all at once.

Application

The principle laid down in these two verses is a permanent one. The church should expect opposition, and we should expect that opposition to be unified. When a faithful church begins to have an impact on its community, it should not be surprised when the local abortion clinic, the secularist university department, the libertine artists, and the compromised politicians all suddenly find common ground in their opposition to that church. They may despise one another, but they despise Christ more. This is not a sign that the church has done something wrong; it is a sign that it is doing something right. It is a confirmation that the kingdom of God is advancing, and the kingdom of darkness feels the pressure.

Our response to such opposition should not be fear or a desire to compromise. Our response should be to look at the coalition arrayed against us and see it as God gathering the sheaves for threshing. Their unity is a sign of their desperation, not their strength. The counterfeit unity of the wicked, based on a shared hatred, is no match for the true unity of the saints, which is gifted by the Holy Spirit and rooted in a shared love for Jesus Christ. We should, therefore, take courage. When the world holds its board meetings to plot against the Lord and His church, we should remember that the One who sits in the heavens laughs (Ps. 2:4). He holds them in derision, because He has already set His King on His holy hill. The victory is not in doubt.