Eglon

And the Gibeonite men were strong warriors.

So King Adonai Zedek of Jerusalem sent messages to several other kings, Haram of Hebron, Piram of Jamath, Japhia of Lachish, and Deborah of Eglon.

Come and help me destroy Gibeon, he urged them, for they have made peace with Joshua and the people of Israel.

So these five Amorite kings combined their armies for a united attack.

These were the kings.

The king of Jericho, the king of Ai near Bethel, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, the king of Eglon, the king of Gezer, the king of Debir, the king of Geder, the king of Hormah, the king of Arad, the king of Libnah, the king of Adullam, the king of Makkedah, the king of Bethel, the king of Tappuah, the king of Hepher, the king of Aphek, the king of Lashron, the king of Madon, the king of Hazor, the king of Shimron Meron, the king of Akshaph, the king of Taanach, the king of Megiddo, the king of Kedesh, the king of Jothol in Carmel, the king of Dor, the king of Goiim in Gilgal, the king of Tirzah: all together thirty-one kings in all." And so friends, this is gonna be a just very brief comment.

The Lord saw fit to list these victories just as evidence of the, the breadth of Israel's conquest, both, um, in the area of ... that's now modern Jordan, where three of the tribes located, and then the Holy Land itself, Israel proper, where these 31 kings were defeated by Joshua.

So Lord, we thank you for this recap.

He and his people were very much alarmed at this, because Gibeon was an important city, like one of the royal cities; it was larger than Ai, and all of its men were good fighters.

So Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem appeared to Hoham king of Hebron, Piram king of Jarmuth, Japhia king of Lachish, and Debir king of Eglon.

'Come up and help me attack Gibeon,' he said, 'because it has made peace with Joshua and the Israelites.' Then the five kings of the Amorites—the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon—they joined forces and moved up with all of their troops and took positions against Gibeon and attacked it.

The Gibeonites then sent word to Joshua at the camp at Gilgal: 'Do not abandon your servants.

Come up to us quickly and save us.

Attack them from the rear and don't let them reach their cities, for the Lord your God has given them into your hand.' So Joshua and the Israelites defeated them completely, but a few survivors managed to reach their fortified cities.

The whole army then returned safely to Joshua in the camp at Makkedah, and no one uttered a word against the Israelites.

Joshua said, 'Open the mouth of the cave and bring those five kings out to me.' So they brought out the five kings out of the cave, the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon.

The story also shows that even when deceived, Israel's commitment to their promises made in the name of the Lord must be honored.

After the alliance with the Gibeonites, the kings of five Amorite cities, Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmath, Lachish, and Eglon, unite to attack Gibeon in retaliation.

The Gibeonites, now allies of Israel, send an urgent message to Joshua asking for help, Joshua and his army march all night from Gilgal to Gibeon and attack the Amorites by surprise.

The Lord confuses the Amorite armies, and Israel inflicts great losses.

This action serves as a clear warning to the other kings and strengthens Israel's determination.

After Makeda, Joshua and his men marched to Libna, which is also captured and destroyed.

The sequence of victories continues with the cities of Lachish, Eglon, Hebron, and Debir, each falling before the Israelite army.

The southern campaign is marked by effective military strategy combined with unwavering faith in God's support.

The king of Lachish, one.

The king of Eglon, one.

The king of Gezer, one.

The king of Debir, one.

And after crossing the river and a steady campaign of war that happened over approximately seven years, Joshua led the Israelites to conquer and begin to possess the land God promised them.

Joshua chapter six through nine summarizes how when the Israelites obeyed God, he brought Israel victory in his central campaign against the city's in Canaan of Jericho and Ai, and how even the unauthorized peace treaty Joshua forged with Gibeon, another major city of Canaan, and galvanized the southern kings of Jerusalem like Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon, to form an alliance against Israel.

Joshua 10 then summarizes the conquest of those kings and the rest of southern Canaan.

Finally, Joshua 11 records the Israelite conquest of the northern Canaanite kings led by Jabin of Hazor.

The latter part of chapter ten tells the account of Joshua leading Israel in successive defeats against rival nations.

First, there was Makkedah, then Libnah, then Lachish, Horam, Eglon, Hebron, and Debir.

From Kadesh Barnea to Gaza and the country of Goshen as far as Gibeon, the Lord led Joshua battle after battle and fight after fight.

Now, on one hand, this is an amazing testimony to the reliability of God's promises.

But using war as an intimidation tactic, they could discourage other people groups from following Gibeon's example.

And so, once they heard about God's children's destruction of Ai and their relationship with the Gibeonites, the king of Jerusalem contacted the kings of Hebron, Jarmath, Lichas, and Eglon, asking them to help him destroy Gibeon.

They agreed, united their troops, and launched an attack.

Gibeon quickly sent word to Joshua, stating in verse 6, Don't abandon your servants now.

The king of Lachish won.

The king of Eglon won.

The king of Gezer won.

The king of Debir won.