Next stop, Hazor, the largest city in the country and one of the most pivotal in the Fertile Crescent.
Far to the north lay the forbidding fortress of Hazor. Situated in the Chorazin Plateau north of the Sea of Galilee, it controlled the northern approaches to the Promised Land. There ruled Jabin. Having heard of the signal successes of the children of Israel, “he sent to Jobab king of Madon, to the king of Shimron, to the king of Achshaph, and to the kings who were from the north, in the mountains, in the plain south of Chinneroth [another name for the Sea of Galilee], in the lowland, and in the heights of Dor on the west, to the Canaanites in the east and in the west, the Amorite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Jebusite in the mountains, and the Hivite below Hermon in the land of Mizpah” (Jos 11:1-3). This was going to be a BIG army. How big? “As many people as the sand that is on the seashore in multitude, with very many horses and chariots” (v 4). Note: this is not a mathematical calculation of the number of people; it is a visual simile. When you look at the seashore from a distance, the grains blend together as far as the eye can see. That’s the point. But the commanders made a fatal mistake. “They came and camped together at the waters of Merom” (v 5). They were counting on their horses and chariots for maneuverability. No doubt they were at this water source to provision their troops and animals. But, after God gave Israel His encouragement, “Joshua and all the people of war with him came against them suddenly by the waters of Merom” (v 7). Like a traffic jam in a parking lot, the enemy was caught in this box canyon. The battle was won almost before it began. It’s a great lesson. You can’t pick your enemy, but you can often choose when and where to fight. Usually better sooner than later, and always better when trusting the Lord.