And it came to pass, when Israel was strong, that they put the Canaanites to tribute, and did not utterly drive them out.  Judges 1:28
 
    After the settlement on Canaan the tribes made no vigorous effort to complete the conquest of the land.  Satisfied with the territory already gained, their zeal soon flagged, and the war was discontinued.  "When Israel was strong,...they put the Canaanites to tribute, and did not utterly drive them out" (Judges 1:28).
 
    The Lord had faithfully fulfilled, on His part, the promises made to Israel; Joshua had broken the power of the Canaanites, and had distributed the land to the tribes.  It only remained for them, trusting in the assurance of divine aid, to complete the work of dispossessing the inhabitance of the land.  But this they failed to do.  By entering into league with the Canaanites they directly transgressed the command of God, and thus failed to fulfill the condition on which He had promised to place them in possession of Canaan.
 
    From the very first communication of God with them at Sinai, they had been warned against idolatry.  Immediately after the proclamation of the law the message was sent them by Moses concerning the nations of Canaan.  "Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works: but thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and quite break down their images.  And ye shall serve the Lord your God, and He shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee" (Exodus 23:24, 25). (Patriarchs and Prophets, 543)
 
Reflection:  As long as Israel remained faithful to God, He would subdue their foes.  From the beginning God gave us a blueprint.  By beholding we become changed.  We should always be careful who our friends are.  Choose them wisely,

 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.  Joshua 24:15
 
    Every child should understand the true force of the will.  He should be led to see how great is the responsibility involved in this gift.  The will is the governing power in the nature of man, the power of decision, or choice.  Every human being possessed of reason has power to choose the right.  In every experience of life, God's word to us is, "Choose you this day whom ye will serve" (Joshua 24:15).  Everyone may place his will on the side of the will of God, may choose to obey Him, and by thus linking himself with divine agencies, he may stand where nothing can force him to do evil.  In every youth, every child, lies the power, by the help of God, to form a character of integrity and to live a life of usefulness.
 
    The parent or teacher who by such instruction trains the child to self-control will be the most useful and permanently successful.  To the superficial observer his work may not appear to the best advantage; it may not be valued so highly as that of the one who holds the mind and will of the child under absolute authority; but after years will show the result of the better method of training. (Education, 289)
 
Reflection:  Forcing the will almost never works for the good.  Although we need to be lovingly firm at times, we should never force.  God never forces but always has consequences for good or for evil.

And the children of Joseph said, The hill is not enough for us: and all the Canaanites that dwell in the land of the valley have chariots of iron, both they who are of Bethshean and her towns, and they who are of the valley of Jezreel.  Joshua 17:16
 
    Another claim concerning the division of the land revealed a spirit wildly different from that of Caleb.  It was presented by the children of Joseph, the tribe of Ephraim with the half tribe of Manasseh.  In consideration of their superior numbers, these tribes demanded a double portion of territory.  The lot designated for them was the richest in the land, including the fertile Plain of Sharon; but many of the principal towns in the valley were still in possession of the Canaanites, and the tribes shrank from the toil and danger of conquering their possessions, and desired an additional portion in territory already subdued.  The tribe of Ephraim was one of the largest in Israel, as well as the one to which Joshua himself belonged, and its members naturally regarded themselves as entitled to special consideration.  "Why hast thou given me but one lot and one portion to inherit," they said, "seeing I am a great people?"  But no departure from strict justice could be won from the inflexible leader.
 
    His answer was, "If thou be a great people, then get thee up to the wood country, and cut down for thyself there in the land of the Perizzites and of the giants, if Mount Ephraim be too narrow for thee." (Patriarchs and Prophets, 513)
 
Reflection:  Their reply showed their lack of faith and courage to drive out the Canaanites.  But God had pledged His power; all they needed was faith in that power. (Patriarchs and Prophets, 514)

Then spake Joshua to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon.  Joshua 10:13
 
    By marching all night he brought his forces before Gibeon in the morning.  Scarcely had the confederate princes mustered their armies about the city when Joshua was upon them.  The attack resulted in the utter discomfiture of the assailants.  The immense host fled before Joshua up the mountain pass to Beth-horan; and having gained the height, they rushed down the precipitous descent upon the other side.  Here a fierce hailstorm burst upon them.  "The Lord cast down great stones from heaven...they were more which died with hailstones than they whom the children of Israel slew with the sword."
 
    While the Amorites were continuing their headlong flight, intent on finding refuge in the mountain strongholds, Joshua, looking down from the ridge above, saw that the day would be too short for the accomplishment of his work.  If not fully routed, their enemies would again rally, and renew the struggle.  "Then spake Joshua to the Lord,...and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand still upon Gibeon; and thou Moon, in the valley of Ajalon.  And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies....The sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day" (Patriarchs and Prophets, 508)
 
Reflection:  Before evening the enemy had fallen, showing that men of prayer receive power from above.  This miracle was preserved for us that we may know what He did for His people then and what He will do for us now.

 And Joshua made peace with them, and made a league with them, to let them live: and the princes of the congregation sware unto them.  Joshua 9:15
 
    The marvelous providences connected with Israel's deliverance from Egyptian bondage and with their occupancy of the Promised Land led many of the heathen to recognize the God of Israel as the Supreme Ruler.  "The Egyptians shall know," had been the promise, "that I am the Lord, when I stretch forth Mine hand upon Egypt, and bring out the children of Israel from among them" (Exodus 7:5).  Even proud Pharaoh was constrained to acknowledge Jehovah's power.  "Go, serve the Lord," he urged Moses and Aaron, "and bless me also" (Exodus 12:31, 32).
 
    The advancing hosts of Israel found that knowledge of the mighty workings of the God of the Hebrews had gone before them, and that some among the heathen were learning that He alone was the true God.  In wicked Jericho the testimony of a heathen woman was, "The Lord your God, He is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath" (Joshua 2:11).  The knowledge of Jehovah that had thus come to her, proved her salvation.  By faith "Rahab perished not with them that believed not" (Hebrews 11:31).  And her conversion was not an isolated case of God's mercy toward idolaters who acknowledged His divine authority.  In the midst of the land a numerous people--the Gibeonites--renounced their heathenism and united with Israel, sharing in the blessings of the covenant. (Patriarchs and Prophets, 369)
 
Reflection:  God is the Maker of all.  With Him there is no distinction of nationality, race, or caste.  He loves everyone, but He hates all sin.  Let us renounce our sins to Him today.

And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done.  Joshua 7:20
 
    Achan's sin was committed in defiance of the most direct and solemn warnings and the most mighty manifestations of God's power.  "Keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed," had been the proclamation to all Israel.  The command was given immediately after the miraculous passage of the Jordan, and the recognition of God's covenant by the circumcision of the people--after the observance of the Passover, and the appearance of the Angel of the covenant, the Captain of the Lord's host.  It had been followed by the overthrow of Jericho, giving evidence of the destruction which will surely overtake all transgressors of God's law.  The fact that divine power alone had given the victory to Israel, that they had not come into possession of Jericho by their own strength, gave solemn weight to the command prohibiting them from partaking of the spoils.  God, by the might of His own word, had overthrown this stronghold; the conquest was His, and to Him alone the city with all that it contained was to be devoted.
 
    Of the millions of Israel there was but one man who, in that solemn hour of triumph and of judgment, had dared to transgress the command of God. (Patriarchs and Prophets, 495, 496)
 
Reflection:  Achan's deadly sin was rooted in covetousness--the most common sin and the one most lightly regarded.

And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said unto the people, Shout; for the Lord hath given you the city.  Joshua 6:16
 
    The simple act of blowing a blast upon the trumpet by the army of Joshua around Jericho, and by Gideon's little band about the hosts of Midian, was made effectual, through the power of God, to overthrow the might of His enemies.  The most complete system that men have ever devised, apart from the power and wisdom of God, will prove a failure, while the most unpromising methods will succeed when divinely appointed and entered upon with humility and faith.  Trust in God and obedience to His will are as essential to the Christian in the spiritual warfare as to Gideon and Joshua in their battles with the Canaanites.  By the repeated manifestations of His power in behalf of Israel, God would lead them to have faith in Him--with confidence to seek His help in every emergency.  He is just as willing to work with the efforts of His people now and to accomplish great things through weak instrumentalities.  All heaven awaits our demand upon its wisdom and strength.  God is "able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think" (Ephesians 3:20). (Patriarchs and Prophets, 554)
 
    The Israelites had not gained the victory by their own power; the conquest had been wholly the Lord's; and as the first fruits of the land, the city, with all that it contained, was to be devoted as a sacrifice to God. (Patriarchs and Prophets, 491)
 
Reflection:  The Battle of Jericho proved that God would fight battles for His people.  He is just as willing now to fight your battles.  Our responsibility is to be submitted and committed to His will, daily.

And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the rams' horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him.  Joshua 6:5
 
    For six days the host of Israel made the circuit of the city.  The seventh day came, and with the first dawn of light, Joshua marshaled the armies of the Lord.  Now they were directed to march seven times around Jericho, and at a mighty peal from the trumpets to shout with a loud voice, for God had given them the city.
 
    The vast army marched solemnly around the devoted walls.  All was silent, save the measured tread of many feet, and the occasional sound of the trumpet, breaking the stillness of the early morning.  The massive walls of solid stone seemed to defy the siege of men.  The watchers on the walls looked on with rising fear, as, the first circuit ended, there followed a second, then a third, a fourth, a fifth, a sixth.  What could be the object of these mysterious movements?  What mighty event was impending?  They had not long to wait.  As the seventh circuit was completed, the long procession paused, the trumpets, which for an interval had been silent, now broke forth in a blast that shook the very earth. (Patriarchs and Prophets, 491)
 
Reflection:  The watchers on the wall would soon tumble with the wall, but knew it not.

And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once.  Thus shalt thou do six days.  And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams' horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets.  Joshua 6:3, 4
 
    In obedience to the divine command Joshua marshaled the armies of Israel.  No assault was to be made.  They were simply to make the circuit of the city, bearing the ark of God and blowing upon trumpets.  First came the warriors, a body of chosen men, not now to conquer by their own skill and prowess, but by obedience to the directions given them from God.  Seven priests with trumpets followed.  Then the ark of God, surrounded by a halo of divine glory, was borne by priests clad in the dress denoting their sacred office.  The army of Israel followed, each tribe under its standard.  Such was the procession that compassed the doomed city.  No sound was heard but the tread of that mighty host and the solemn peal of the trumpets, echoing among the hills and resounding through the streets of Jericho.  The circuit completed, the army returned in silence to their tents, and the ark was restored to its place in the tabernacle.
 
    With wonder and alarm the watchmen of the city marked every move, and reported to those in authority. (Patriarchs and Prophets, 488)
 
Reflection:  The soldiers of Jericho inspected their defenses, but what might this God of the Hebrews, who parted the Red Sea, do to their city?