The scribe who compiled the book of Joshua decided to make a list: a list of the kings conquered by Moses and Joshua. East of the River Jordan, Moses had led the Israelites in the conquest of Sihon king of of the Amorites and Og king of Bashan, and their territory was given to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh (Joshua 12:2-6).

And west of the River, Joshua had led the Israelites in the conquest of 31 kings and their territories. These kings are only named by their cities. Some of them are quite familiar: the king of Jericho and the king of Jerusalem, the king of Bethel and the king of Galilee. Other names are unfamiliar: cities like Aphek, Hormah, and Tappuah (12:7-24).

The Hebrew text carefully includes the word ‘one’ (echad, אֶחָד) after each king in the list of Joshua’s conquests, thus making explicit that this is a deliberate count-your-blessings kind of listing. Yes, Joshua was in command; yes, the Israelite army was victorious in each of these battles; but in each ‘one’ of these battles God brought us through and enabled us to succeed.

It is a useful discipline for us as well: to make a specific enumeration of the ways that our God has sustained us along the way. Some of the battles have been small and relatively easy, while others were hard and had severe casualties. But God is the one who brought us through: and every one of those victories counts, so let’s count each one.

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And we give glory to you, O Lord! We are so quick to forget how your grace has supported us, in good times and hard times. Teach us to count each victory – this one, and this one, and this other one too – and to thank you with grateful hearts every time.