The Theology of the Boot
Introduction: The God Who Wins
We live in an age that has tried to domesticate God. The modern evangelical impulse, particularly in the West, is to file down the sharp edges of Scripture until we are left with a deity who is little more than a celestial therapist, a divine affirmation machine. We want a God who is nice, safe, and above all, tolerant. And when we come to passages like this one in Joshua, our modern sensibilities are scandalized. We blush. We stammer. We try to explain it away as a relic of a primitive, unenlightened time.
But the God of the Bible is not safe; He is good. He is a consuming fire. He is a man of war. And the events at the cave of Makkedah are not an embarrassing footnote to be apologized for; they are a glorious and necessary revelation of His character. This is not a story about ethnic hatred. This is a story about divine judgment. The Canaanites were not being dispossessed because of their ethnicity, but because of their wickedness. God, the sovereign judge of all the earth, had given them centuries to repent, and their cup of iniquity was now full to the brim (Gen. 15:16). This is a capital punishment sentence being carried out by God's designated executioner, Joshua, on a culture that had given itself over to child sacrifice, sexual perversion, and every kind of demonic foulness.
What we see here is not a problem for our faith, but a profound comfort. We do not serve a weak God who negotiates with evil. We serve a conquering King who crushes it. This passage is a living, breathing object lesson, designed by God to teach Israel, and to teach us, what true victory over God's enemies looks like. It is a lesson in the theology of the boot.
The Text
And these five kings fled and hid themselves in the cave at Makkedah. Then it was told Joshua, saying, “The five kings have been found hidden in the cave at Makkedah.” And Joshua said, “Roll large stones against the mouth of the cave and assign men by it to keep watch over them, but as for you, do not stand there; pursue your enemies and attack them in the rear. Do not allow them to enter their cities, for Yahweh your God has given them into your hand.” Now it happened when Joshua and the sons of Israel had finished striking them with a very great slaughter until they were completely destroyed, and the survivors, those of them who survived, had entered the fortified cities, that all the people returned to the camp to Joshua at Makkedah in peace. No one so much as lifted his tongue against any of the sons of Israel.
Then Joshua said, “Open the mouth of the cave and bring these five kings out to me from the cave.” And they did so and brought these five kings out to him from the cave: the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon. Now it happened that when they brought these kings out to Joshua, Joshua called for all the men of Israel and said to the chiefs of the men of war who had gone with him, “Come near, put your feet on the necks of these kings.” So they came near and put their feet on their necks. Joshua then said to them, “Do not fear or be dismayed! Be strong and courageous, for thus Yahweh will do to all your enemies with whom you fight.” So afterward Joshua struck them and put them to death, and he hanged them on five trees; and they hung on the trees until evening. Now it happened that at sunset Joshua gave a command, and they took them down from the trees and threw them down into the cave where they had hidden themselves, and they put large stones over the mouth of the cave, to this very day.
Now Joshua captured Makkedah on that day and struck it and its king with the edge of the sword; he devoted it to destruction and every person who was in it. He left no survivor. Thus he did to the king of Makkedah just as he had done to the king of Jericho.
(Joshua 10:16-28 LSB)
Patient Justice and Pragmatic Warfare (vv. 16-21)
The narrative begins with the pathetic flight of the five Amorite kings. These potentates, who thought themselves masters of their own destiny, are now scurrying like rats into a hole in the ground. They hide in a cave, a place of darkness and refuge. When Joshua is told, his response is pure, sanctified pragmatism.
"And Joshua said, 'Roll large stones against the mouth of the cave and assign men by it to keep watch over them, but as for you, do not stand there; pursue your enemies and attack them in the rear.'" (Joshua 10:18-19)
Joshua is not distracted by the prize. The kings are the head of the snake, but the body is still thrashing. He understands that you don't stop to celebrate while the enemy's army is still in the field. So he says, in effect, "Bottle them up. We'll deal with them later. The main task is to finish the rout." This is a crucial lesson in spiritual warfare. We are often tempted to fixate on one big, trophy sin, one "king in a cave," while a whole army of lesser sins, anxieties, and compromises are allowed to escape back to their fortified cities in our hearts. Joshua teaches us to be thorough. Finish the job God has given you. The justice for the ringleaders can wait a moment; the destruction of the rebellion cannot.
After the main army is annihilated, the Israelites return to the camp "in peace." This is not the peace of compromise or the peace of exhaustion. It is the shalom that comes from righteousness, the settled quiet that follows the decisive execution of justice. And the result is that "No one so much as lifted his tongue against any of the sons of Israel." The fear of God had fallen on the land. When God's people are obediently and courageously prosecuting His wars, their enemies are silenced. A silent enemy is a defeated enemy.
The Pedagogy of the Neck (vv. 22-25)
Now we come to the central, and for many, the most jarring part of the story. The stones are rolled away, and the kings are dragged out into the sunlight. This is a picture of all hidden sins being brought into the light of God's judgment.
"Joshua called for all the men of Israel and said to the chiefs of the men of war who had gone with him, 'Come near, put your feet on the necks of these kings.' So they came near and put their feet on their necks." (Joshua 10:24 LSB)
This was an ancient, well-understood symbol of total conquest and subjugation. It was a formal, public declaration that the enemy's authority was broken and that he was now utterly helpless. But Joshua is doing more than just celebrating a victory. He is teaching a class. This is a divine pedagogy. He calls his commanders, the men who will lead future battles, and commands them to participate. He wants them to feel the neck of a king under their boot. He wants them to understand in their bones what God's victory feels like.
And then he preaches his short, powerful sermon. "Do not fear or be dismayed! Be strong and courageous, for thus Yahweh will do to all your enemies with whom you fight." This act was designed to be a permanent cure for fear. He is saying, "Remember this moment. Remember the feel of this conquered enemy under your foot. This is not a one-time event. This is a pattern. This is what God will do, through you, to every single enemy you face from now on." This is not a pep talk; it is a promise grounded in a historical, physical reality. God is training His people to think like victors, not victims.
Cursed, Crucified, and Entombed (vv. 26-27)
Following this symbolic act, Joshua carries out the sentence. He strikes them, puts them to death, and hangs them on five trees. This is not gratuitous cruelty; it is precise, covenantal justice.
"So afterward Joshua struck them and put them to death, and he hanged them on five trees; and they hung on the trees until evening." (Joshua 10:26 LSB)
The act of hanging a body on a tree was a sign of being under God's curse. Deuteronomy 21:23 says, "he who is hanged is accursed of God." These kings were not just enemies of Israel; they were enemies of Yahweh, and their public hanging was a visible declaration of that fact. They were displayed as trophies of God's judgment. Of course, this points us directly to the cross. Our Lord Jesus, the great Joshua, was also hung on a tree, and in doing so He became a curse for us (Gal. 3:13). He took the curse that men like these kings, and men like us, deserved, so that we might receive the blessing.
And notice Joshua's scrupulous obedience. At sunset, he commands the bodies be taken down, in direct compliance with the law in Deuteronomy. This is not a frenzied mob action; it is a controlled, lawful, holy war. The bodies are then thrown into the very cave where they had sought refuge. The place of their supposed safety becomes their tomb, sealed with great stones. This is a profound irony. Every refuge apart from God is a tomb. Every cave you hide your sin in will become its grave, and yours, if you do not bring it into the light.
Our Great Joshua and Our Conquered Sins
This entire episode is a magnificent portrait of the gospel. The name Joshua is, in Hebrew, Yeshua. The name Jesus is the Greek form of Yeshua. Joshua is a type, a forerunner, of the Lord Jesus Christ, our great captain.
Like the Israelites, we are in a battle. Our enemies are not the Amorites, but the unholy trinity of the world, the flesh, and the devil. These are the kings who rule in the land of our hearts before Christ comes. When we are converted, our great Joshua wins the decisive victory. He leads captivity captive. But there are remaining pockets of resistance. There are sins that flee and hide in the dark caves of our souls, promising us refuge and safety.
The command of the gospel is the same as Joshua's command at Makkedah. First, we are to pursue the fleeing army of our sins to destruction. This is the daily work of sanctification. But we must also deal with the kings. The Holy Spirit reveals them to us, holdovers from our old life, pride, lust, bitterness, fear, and unbelief, hiding in their caves. Our Joshua, the Lord Jesus, commands us to drag them out into the light of His Word.
And then He says to us, "Come near. Put your feet on the necks of these sins." By faith in Christ, we are to assert the victory He has already won. We are to mortify our members which are on the earth. We are to reckon ourselves dead to sin. This is not a grim, morbid duty. It is a victorious act. And as we do it, we hear our Captain's voice: "Do not fear or be dismayed! Be strong and courageous, for thus I will do to all your enemies." The victory at Makkedah is the pattern for our victory over sin.
The God of peace is not a God who makes peace with sin. He is the God who crushes sin in order to create peace. And He has given us this glorious promise, which echoes down from the hills of Canaan into our lives today: "The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet" (Rom. 16:20). Let us therefore be strong and very courageous, for our Joshua has already won the war.