The Israelites had to take possession
of the Promised Land by conquest. They
had to engage in a long and bloody war
before theCanaanitish tribes were finally
subdued. Except in the case ofJericho and
Ai, the war did not become aggressive
till after thedeath of Joshua. Till then the
attack was always first made by the
Canaanites. Now the measure of the
iniquity of the Canaanites wasfull, and
Israel was employed by God to sweep
them away from offthe face of the earth.
In entering on this new stage of the war,
thetribe of Judah, according to divine direction,
took the lead. In thedays of Saul and David
the people of Israel engaged in many wars
ith the nations around, and after the
division of the kingdom intotwo they
often warred with each other. They had
to defendthemselves also against the inroads
of the Egyptians, the Assyrians,and the
Babylonians. The whole history of Israel from
first to lastpresents but few periods of peace.
The Christian life is representedas a warfare,
and the Christian graces are also represented
underthe figure of pieces of armour
(Eph. 6:11-17; 1 Thess. 5:8; 2 Tim.2:3, 4).
The final blessedness of believers is attained
as the fruit ofvictory (Rev. 3:21).