In less than a year, our podcast has gone from an average of 10,000 downloads a month to 50,000

downloads. What made the difference? You leaving us a five-star review. The more positive reviews,

the more the algorithm picks us up. And more people are confronted by the law and gospel of Jesus

Christ. Help us press forward the crown rights of King Jesus by leaving us a five-star

review on your favorite podcast platform. Thanks. Matthew Henry, a late great Puritan and

commentating on our text today, says the following, nothing could justify this military execution,

but that herein they did exactly as the Lord God of Israel commanded.

We see that in verse 40 of our text, which was sufficient not only to save them, that is Israel,

to save them from the imputation of guilt and cruelty, but also to sanctify, not only to spare them to

maintain a sense of moral innocence that they wouldn't be guilty of cruelty, but also to

sanctify what Israel did and make it an acceptable peace of service to God's justice.

So what Israel is doing, remember the text that I've just read,

what we're seeing, the whole text can be summed up in this.

What we're seeing is Joshua is going to city to city to city, town to town,

king to town, king to king, and he's slaughtering everyone.

And the Lord loves it. It's good. It's just. It's right.

Now the point is that's unique. No country today has this kind of prescription or commandment

from God today. It would be incredibly wicked to go into another nation,

as wicked as that nation might be,

and to offer no quarter to anyone,

to slaughter not only the fighting men,

but also the women and the children.

...