Joshua 5:1 - "God's Sovereignty Exercised"

Joshua 5:1

"And it came to pass, when all the kings of the Amorites, which were on the side of Jordan westward, and all the kings of the Canaanites, which were by the sea, heard that the Lord had dried up the waters of Jordan from before the children of Israel, until we were passed over, that their heart melted, neither was there spirit in them any more, because of the children of Israel."

Joshua 5:1 draws our attention to a moment that appears quiet on the surface, yet it thundered through the hearts of kings. Israel had crossed the Jordan, not by strength, wisdom, or courage, but because the LORD Himself dried up the waters until all His people passed over. This single verse unveils the sovereignty of God exercised openly before both His redeemed people and His enemies. Salvation and conquest begin not with man’s resolve, but with the LORD’s determinate Hand, (Ephesians 1:11).

The kings of the Amorites and the Canaanites heard what the LORD had done, and their hearts melted. These were not timid men. They were hardened rulers, accustomed to power, bloodshed, and idolatry. Yet at the hearing of the LORD’s work, their courage collapsed. Scripture says their heart melted and their spirit failed. This was not a coincidence, nor a psychological weakness. It was the LORD acting upon them. The same God Who opened the Jordan restrained their armies and struck fear into their souls. He prepared the way for His people by first breaking the strength of their enemies.

When the LORD makes His power known, every enemy heart melts, and all resistance fails—not by human strategy, but by sovereign decree. The kings of Canaan did not lose courage because Israel had sharpened its swords, but because God Himself had gone before His redeemed people, drying up the Jordan and declaring the victory as already His. So it is with our salvation in Christ: the conquest is not achieved by our strength or resolve, but by the finished work of the Captain of our Salvation, Who passed through death and judgment on our behalf. In Him, the enemies of sin, death, and condemnation are rendered powerless, and the people of God stand secure—not trembling at their weakness, but resting in the unstoppable grace of the sovereign Redeemer.

Here we are taught that the LORD not only governs the salvation of His people, but also rules over the hearts of men. “The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD” (Proverbs 16:1). Whatever these kings planned, whatever threats they imagined, the outcome belonged to God. Their authority existed only because the LORD had raised them up for a time, and when His purpose required it, He brought them low. This truth humbles pride and silences boasting.

Fear and unrest expose unbelief. It is possible to speak of God’s sovereignty as doctrine while failing to rest in it. Unless this truth settles the heart with peace, it has not yet been learned. Israel did nothing to melt the hearts of these kings. There were no negotiations, no military threats, no demonstrations of strength. The LORD acted, and the result followed. So it is still. Where the LORD is pleased to work, He prepares the way in His way and in His time.

David’s prayer in 1 Chronicles 29 gives voice to this reality with reverence and clarity. “Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine” (1 Chronicles 29:11). Kings imagine land to be theirs. Nations imagine strength to be theirs. Men imagine wealth to be earned and secured. Yet all things belong to the LORD, and all men are but stewards for a moment. When life ends, everything is left behind. Nothing possessed here is permanent.

This sovereignty of God is neither abstract nor distant. It is personal, purposeful, and moral. The LORD brought Israel into the land to fulfill His promise, not because Israel was stronger or more faithful, but because He loved them and would keep His oath. At the same time, He brought judgment upon nations given over to idolatry. False worship is never harmless. It provokes the righteous judgment of God, though He is patient and long-suffering, even toward vessels of wrath (Romans 9:22).

Many religions speak of God while denying His rule. A god who waits on human permission, who desires but cannot accomplish, who hopes but may be frustrated, is not the God of Scripture. The God revealed in Joshua 5 is the Most High, the Almighty, the Governor among the nations. “Our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased” (Psalm 115:3).

Christ Himself is the clearest Revelation of this sovereign God. In Him, the LORD saves whom He will, overcomes every enemy, and is the Surety for every soul given to Him. As Israel crossed the Jordan under the LORD’s hand, so every believer is brought safely through by Divine Power alone. The hearts of enemies may rage or melt, but the purpose of God stands unmoved. God is God. All glory belongs to Him—both in mercy and in judgment—and His will is done in heaven and on earth.