, Lachish, and Jarmuth in alarmed response to the success of theIsraelties. The battle took place in the valley of Aijalon. The attack was aided by a violenthailstorm. The great hailstones killed many of the enemy and cause the Israelite minstrels tosing a song about the sun standing still at Gibeon (10:15- 27). The kings were captured, and a symbolic ceremony was conducted in which theIsraelite leaders placed their feet on the kings’ necks. As they did, Joshua charged them tobe strong. He promised that the Lord would lead them to be just as successful against allIsrael’s enemies if they remained faithful to him (10:15- 27). The next chapters of Joshua discusses the success in battle of Joshua and theIsraelites. It was a war of extermination with the Lord’s assistance. For, “they should beutterly destroyed, and should receive no mercy, but to be exterminated..”(11:20). The next chapters describe the succession over the surrounding cities and how theland is to be distributed amongst the tribes. They are to be thankful for their good fortuneand not take any other man’s. Of special interest are the cities assigned to the Levites (21:1-42). They were to recieve cities within each of the territories, centrally located to provideaccessible worship centers and also to include refuge centers where an accused criminalcould be held to his case was resolved. Otherwise, the criminal would be at the mercy of the“avenger of blood” who was a member of the family of the criminal’s victim. The avengerfelt a moral obligation to punish the criminal since there was no state to carry outpunishment. An insight on how the Israelites dealt with disagreement among the tribes can be seenin the story of the building of an altar by the tribes east of Jordan. Upon, receiving word ofthis, the tribes in the west became concerned. Such an altar would seem to violate a ...
