Joshua 21:44
And the LORD gave them rest on every side, just as He had sworn to their fathers. None of their enemies could stand against them, for the LORD delivered all their enemies into their hand.
And the LORD gave them rest on every side,

Israel’s major campaigns had broken the power of the Canaanite kings, and no surrounding nation could successfully threaten the land God had given them. Their security came from the LORD’s intervention rather than Israel’s military strength.

1Ki 5:4 But now the LORD my God has given me rest…
2Sa 7:1 After the king had settled into his palace,…
Deu 12:10 When you cross the Jordan and live in the land…

just as He had sworn to their fathers.

The settlement of Canaan fulfilled God’s covenant promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. After generations of waiting, the land was assigned to the tribes and the Levites received their cities among them.

Deu 7:8 But because the LORD loved you and kept the oath…
Deu 1:8 See, I have placed the land before you. Enter and possess…
Exo 6:8 And I will bring you into the land that I swore to give…

None of their enemies could stand against them,

The Canaanite forces, though established in fortified cities and united at times against Israel, could not resist the LORD’s purpose for His people. Their defeats demonstrated that God’s promise governed the outcome of the conquest.

Jos 1:5 No one shall stand against you all the days of your life.…
Deu 11:25 No man will be able to stand against you;…
Deu 7:24 He will hand their kings over to you, and you will…

for the LORD delivered all their enemies into their hand.

Israel fought the battles, but the victory belonged to the LORD. He had judged the Canaanite nations and established Israel in the land He had promised.

Jos 24:11 After this, you crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho.…
Deu 3:3 So the LORD our God also delivered Og king of Bashan…
Jdg 11:21 Then the LORD, the God of Israel, delivered Sihon…

Persons / Places / Events
1. The LORD (Yahweh)
The covenant-keeping God of Israel who fulfills His promises and grants rest and victory to His people.

2. Israelites
The descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who are the recipients of God's promises and the ones experiencing rest and victory in the Promised Land.

3. The Promised Land (Canaan)
The land promised by God to the patriarchs, where the Israelites are now settled and experiencing peace.

4. Enemies of Israel
The various nations and peoples who opposed Israel's settlement in Canaan but were defeated by God's intervention.

5. The Patriarchs (Fathers)
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to whom God originally made the promise of land and blessing.
Teaching Points
God's Faithfulness
God is faithful to His promises, as seen in the fulfillment of His word to the patriarchs. Believers can trust in God's promises today.

Divine Rest
The rest given to Israel is a picture of the spiritual rest available to believers through faith in Christ. We are called to enter into this rest by trusting in Him.

Victory Over Enemies
Just as God delivered Israel's enemies into their hands, He empowers believers to overcome spiritual battles through His strength.

Covenant Relationship
The relationship between God and Israel is based on His covenant promises. Believers are also in a covenant relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

Living in God's Promises
The Israelites' experience encourages believers to live in the reality of God's promises, knowing that He is able to fulfill what He has spoken.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the fulfillment of God's promise to give Israel rest in Joshua 21:44 encourage you in your personal walk with God?

2. In what ways can the concept of "rest" in this verse be applied to your life today, especially in the context of spiritual rest in Christ?

3. How does the victory over Israel's enemies in this passage relate to the spiritual battles you face? What can you learn from this about relying on God's strength?

4. Reflect on a time when you experienced God's faithfulness in your life. How does this reinforce your trust in His promises?

5. How can understanding the covenant relationship between God and Israel help you appreciate your own relationship with God through Jesus Christ?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Genesis 12:7
God's initial promise to Abraham about giving his descendants the land of Canaan, which is fulfilled in Joshua 21:44.

Exodus 33:14
God's promise of His presence and rest, which is realized as the Israelites settle in the land.

Deuteronomy 7:24
God's assurance that He would deliver Israel's enemies into their hands, a promise seen fulfilled in Joshua 21:44.

Hebrews 4:8-10
The New Testament reflection on the rest given to Israel as a foreshadowing of the ultimate rest found in Christ.
Divine FaithfulnessR. Hall, M. A.Joshua 21:1-45
Ministers Liberally TreatedC. Ness.Joshua 21:1-45
Ministers Wisely LocatedW. Seaton.Joshua 21:1-45
The Divine Fidelity AcknowledgedA. Maclaren, D. D.Joshua 21:1-45
The Supreme WorkerA. Maclaren, D. D.Joshua 21:1-45
The Triumphant Record of God's FaithfulnessA. Maclaren, D. D.Joshua 21:1-45
An Enumeration of PrivilegesS.R. Aldridge Joshua 21:43-45
God's FaithfulnessW.F. Adeney Joshua 21:43-45
The Lord is not a Man that He Should LieE. De Pressense Joshua 21:43-45
People
Aaron, Abdon, Anak, Anathoth, Arba, Asher, Benjamin, Bezer, Caleb, Dan, Debir, Eleazar, Eshtemoa, Gad, Gershon, Gershonites, Gersonites, Gibeon, Israelites, Issachar, Jephunneh, Joshua, Kohath, Kohathites, Levi, Levites, Manasseh, Merari, Naphtali, Nun, Rehob, Reuben, Simeon, Simeonites, Zebulun
Places
Abdon, Aijalon, Ain, Almon, Anathoth, Bashan, Beeshterah, Beth-horon, Beth-shemesh, Bezer, Canaan, Daberath, Debir, Elteke, En-gannim, Eshtemoa, Galilee, Gath-rimmon, Geba, Gezer, Gibbethon, Gibeon, Gilead, Golan, Hammoth-dor, Hebron, Helkath, Heshbon, Holon, Jahaz, Jarmuth, Jattir, Jazer, Jokneam, Juttah, Kartah, Kartan, Kedemoth, Kedesh, Kibzaim, Kiriath-arba, Kishion, Libnah, Mahanaim, Mephaath, Mishal, Nahalal, Ramoth, Rehob, Shechem, Shiloh, Taanach
Topics
Delivered, Enemies, Fathers, Forefathers, Giveth, Handed, Hands, Peace, Presence, Rest, Round, Sides, Stood, Sware, Swore, Sworn, Withstood
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Joshua 21:43-45

     4207   land, divine gift

Joshua 21:44-45

     8331   reliability

Library
October 8. "There Failed not Aught of any Good Thing which the Lord had Spoken" (Josh. xxi. 45).
"There failed not aught of any good thing which the Lord had spoken" (Josh. xxi. 45). Some day, even you, trembling, faltering one, shall stand upon those heights and look back upon all you have passed through, all you have narrowly escaped, all the perils through which He guided you, the stumblings through which He guarded you, and the sins from which He saved you; and you shall shout, with a meaning you cannot understand now, "Salvation unto Him who sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb."
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth

The End of the War
'And the Lord gave unto Israel all the land which He sware to give unto their fathers; and they possessed it, and dwelt therein. 44. And the Lord gave them rest round about, according to all that He sware unto their fathers: and there stood not a man of all their enemies before them; the Lord delivered all their enemies into their hand. 45. There failed not ought of any good thing which the Lord had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass. 'Then Joshua called the Reubenites, and the Gadites,
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Mountainous Country of Judea.
"What is the mountainous country of Judea? It is the king's mountain." However Judea, here and there, doth swell out much with mountains, yet its chief swelling appears in that broad back of mountains, that runs from the utmost southern cost as far as Hebron, and almost as Jerusalem itself. Which the Holy Scripture called "The hill-country of Judah," Joshua 21:11; Luke 1:39. Unless I am very much mistaken,--the maps of Adricomus, Tirinius, and others, ought to be corrected, which have feigned to
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica

Divers Matters.
I. Beth-cerem, Nehemiah 3:14. "The stones, as well of the altar, as of the ascent to the altar, were from the valley of Beth-cerem, which they digged out beneath the barren land. And thence they are wont to bring whole stones, upon which the working iron came not." The fathers of the traditions, treating concerning the blood of women's terms, reckon up five colours of it; among which that, "which is like the water of the earth, out of the valley of Beth-cerem."--Where the Gloss writes thus, "Beth-cerem
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica

Nob. Bahurim.
That Nob was placed in the land of Benjamin, not far from Jerusalem, whence Jerusalem also might be seen,--the words of the Chaldee paraphrast, upon Isaiah 10:32, do argue. For so he speaks; "Sennacherib came and stood in Nob, a city of the priests, before the walls of Jerusalem; and said to his army, 'Is not this the city of Jerusalem, against which I have raised my whole army, and have subdued all the provinces of it? Is it not small and weak in comparison of all the fortifications of the Gentiles,
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica

Joshua
The book of Joshua is the natural complement of the Pentateuch. Moses is dead, but the people are on the verge of the promised land, and the story of early Israel would be incomplete, did it not record the conquest of that land and her establishment upon it. The divine purpose moves restlessly on, until it is accomplished; so "after the death of Moses, Jehovah spake to Joshua," i. 1. The book falls naturally into three divisions: (a) the conquest of Canaan (i.-xii.), (b) the settlement of the
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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