Joshua 12 is a clear example of the fact that the Lord sets up kings and deposes them (Psalm 47:9). The kings of Canaan might take a stand against the Lord (Psalm 2:2), but he is sovereign, doing as he pleases (Daniel 4:34–35). All the Canaanite kings are defeated and destroyed.

From Job (Job 34:17–19, Job 34:24, Job 34:26, Job 34:28) we learn that when God deposes kings, it is because they ignored the cries of people in need and favoured the rich over the poor. Extra-biblical information from the time of the second millennium before Christ confirms that a social hierarchy headed by kings and a powerful bureaucracy dominated the daily lives of people in Syria and Canaan at the time.¹ An example of the cruelty that these leaders inflicted upon one another is seen in Judges 1:7. Joshua 12 thus remembers the demise of these kings. The only king left at the end of battle is the Lord, who reigns over the nations (Psalm 47:7–9).

In contrast with the kingship of sinful pagan people, Jesus Christ is a King who reigns with justice (Psalm 72:1–20). He is the long-awaited Messiah (Matthew 2:11; Isaiah 11:1–5; Zechariah 9:9) who is the supreme king of all (Revelation 19:16), before whom every knee will one day bow (Philippians 2:10). He was sent by the Father and anointed by the Holy Spirit to be the eternal King who governs his people by his Word and Spirit, defending and preserving them in the redemption that he has obtained for them by his blood.

The victory of the Lord over the kings of Canaan is a preview and a pledge of the time when the kingdom of the world will become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ who shall reign forever and ever (Revelation 11:15). Every one of the Lord’s victories over his enemies in history is a partial portrayal of his coming victory over all his enemies at the consummation of history, when Jesus Christ returns in glory.²