Joshua left one city, really the chief city, to be defeated hundreds of years later by David. But why?
Do you recall the five southern cities whose armies fought against the Lord in the Valley of Aijalon? Let’s see, there was Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, Eglon, and of course the ring-leader, Jerusalem. The few troops that had survived the battle and the brimstone had escaped back into their fortified cities. These cities were all significant for their strategic locations on major roads or mountain passes. It was essential for the long-term peace of Israel that they be under Jewish control. Now began the storming of these fortresses and surrounding towns, even though their kings had been executed and their armies decimated. The pattern is repeated: “Then Joshua passed…to Libnah; and they fought against Libnah. And the Lord also delivered it and its king into the hand of Israel” (Jos 10:29-30). “Then Joshua passed from Libnah, and all Israel with him, to Lachish; and they encamped against it and fought against it. And the Lord delivered Lachish into the hand of Israel” (vv 31-32). They fought and the Lord delivered. So it was with Gezer, Eglon, Debir, Hebron (vv 33-43), and…wait a minute, there’s nothing here about Jerusalem! No, for some reason, the stronghold of the Jebusites at Jerusalem, with some surrounding territory, lay in the hands of the Jebusites until the reign of David. Of course, God wanted to provide another prototype, of a Shepherd-King who would come to Zion. The reason? If Joshua had taken this territory, it would have been distributed to some families in Benjamin, and David would not have been able to purchase the site, either for the temple on the south end of Moriah or, even more importantly, for the crucifixion spot on the northern end of the same mountain. Wonders never cease!