Joshua 13:6
“all the inhabitants of the hill country from Lebanon to Misrephoth Maim, even all the Sidonians. I will drive them out from before the children of Israel. Just allocate it to Israel for an inheritance, as I have commanded you.”
What does Joshua 13:6 mean?
God is reassuring Joshua that the unconquered lands stretching across the northern hill country will ultimately belong to Israel, even though those territories still held strong populations like the Sidonians. The promise isn't that Joshua must personally defeat everyone immediately, but that God will handle the displacement over time, and Joshua's job is simply to divide up the land among the tribes as instructed. This reflects a pattern throughout Joshua's conquest: God gives the command and the promise, but the actual claiming of the land unfolds gradually as the people move forward in faith. For readers facing uncertainty about their own future, there's comfort in remembering that sometimes our role is to step forward and organize what God has promised, trusting that he'll fulfill his part even when the full picture isn't yet visible.