A GOD OF ASSURANCES

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Now the five kings had fled and hidden in the cave at Makkedah. When Joshua was told that the five kings had been found hiding in the cave at Makkedah, he said, "Roll large rocks up to the mouth of the cave, and post some men there to guard it. But don't stop! Pursue your enemies, attack them from the rear and don't let them reach their cities, for the Lord your God has given them into your hand."

So Joshua and the Israelites destroyed them completely—almost to a man—but the few who were left reached their fortified cities. The whole army then returned safely to Joshua in the camp at Makkedah, and no one uttered a word against the Israelites.

Joshua said, "Open the mouth of the cave and bring those five kings out to me." So they brought the five kings out of the cave—the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon. When they had brought these kings to Joshua, he summoned all the men of Israel and said to the army commanders who had come with him, "Come here and put your feet on the necks of these kings." So they came forward and placed their feet on their necks.

Joshua said to them, "Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Be strong and courageous. This is what the Lord will do to all the enemies you are going to fight." Then Joshua struck and killed the kings and hung them on five trees, and they were left hanging on the trees until evening.

At sunset, Joshua gave the order and they took them down from the trees and threw them into the cave where they had been hiding. At the mouth of the cave, they placed large rocks, which are there to this day.

That day Joshua took Makkedah. He put the city and its king to the sword and totally destroyed everyone in it. He left no survivors. And he did to the king of Makkedah as he had done to the king of Jericho.

Then Joshua and all Israel with him moved on from Makkedah to Libnah and attacked it. The Lord also gave that city and its king into Israel's hand. The city and everyone in it Joshua put to the sword. He left no survivors there. And he did to its king as he had done to the king of Jericho.

Then Joshua and all Israel with him moved on from Libnah to Lachish; he took up positions against it and attacked it. The Lord handed Lachish over to Israel, and Joshua took it on the second day. The city and everyone in it he put to the sword, just as he had done to Libnah. Meanwhile, Horam king of Gezer had come up to help Lachish, but Joshua defeated him and his army—until no survivors were left.

Then Joshua and all Israel with him moved on from Lachish to Eglon; they took up positions against it and attacked it. They captured it that same day and put it to the sword and totally destroyed everyone in it, just as they had done to Lachish.

Then Joshua and all Israel with him went up from Eglon to Hebron and attacked it. They took the city and put it to the sword, together with its king, its villages and everyone in it. They left no survivors. Just as at Eglon, they totally destroyed it and everyone in it.

Then Joshua and all Israel with him turned around and attacked Debir. They took the city, its king and its villages, and put them to the sword. Everyone in it they totally destroyed. They left no survivors. They did to Debir and its king as they had done to Libnah and its king and to Hebron.

So Joshua subdued the whole region, including the hill country, the Negev, the western foothills and the mountain slopes, together with all their kings. He left no survivors. He totally destroyed all who breathed, just as the Lord, the God of Israel, had commanded. Joshua subdued them from Kadesh Barnea to Gaza and from the whole region of Goshen to Gibeon. All these kings and their lands Joshua conquered in one campaign, because the Lord, the God of Israel, fought for Israel.

Then Joshua returned with all Israel to the camp at Gilgal.

When Jabin, king of Hazor, heard of this, he sent word to Jobab, king of Madon, to the kings of Shimron and Acshaph, and to the northern kings who were in the mountains, in the Arabah south of Kinnereth, in the western foothills and in Naphoth Dor on the west; to the Canaanites in the east and west; to the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites and Jebusites in the hill country; and to the Hivites below Hermon in the region of Mizpah. They came out with all their troops and a large number of horses and chariots—a huge army, as numerous as the sand on the seashore. All these kings joined forces and made camp together at the Waters of Merom, to fight against Israel.

The Lord said to Joshua, "Do not be afraid of them, because by this time tomorrow I will hand all of them over to Israel, slain. You are to hamstring their horses and burn their chariots."

So Joshua and his whole army came against them suddenly at the Waters of Merom and attacked them, and the Lord gave them into the hand of Israel. They defeated them and pursued them all the way to Greater Sidon, to Misrephoth Maim, and to the Valley of Mizpah on the east, until no survivors were left. Joshua did to them as the Lord had directed: He hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots.

At that time, Joshua turned back and captured Hazor and put its king to the sword. (Hazor had been the head of all these kingdoms.) Everyone in it they put to the sword. They totally destroyed them, not sparing anything that breathed, and he burned up Hazor itself.

Joshua took all these royal cities and their kings and put them to the sword. He totally destroyed them, as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded. Yet Israel did not burn any of the cities built on their mounds—except Hazor, which Joshua burned. The Israelites carried off for themselves all the plunder and livestock of these cities, but all the people they put to the sword until they completely destroyed them, not sparing anyone that breathed. As the Lord commanded his servant Moses, so Moses commanded Joshua, and Joshua did it; he left nothing undone of all that the Lord commanded Moses.

So Joshua took this entire land: the hill country, all the Negev, the whole region of Goshen, the western foothills, the Arabah, and the mountains of Israel with their foothills, from Mount Halak, which rises toward Seir, to Baal Gad in the Valley of Lebanon below Mount Hermon. He captured all their kings and struck them down, putting them to death. Joshua waged war against all these kings for a long time. Except for the Hivites living in Gibeon, not one city made a treaty of peace with the Israelites, who took them all in battle. For it was the Lord himself who hardened their hearts to wage war against Israel, so that he might destroy them totally, exterminating them without mercy, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

At that time, Joshua went and destroyed the Anakites from the hill country: from Hebron, Debir, and Anab, from all the hill country of Judah, and from all the hill country of Israel. Joshua totally destroyed them and their towns. No Anakites were left in Israelite territory; only in Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod did any survive. So Joshua took the entire land, just as the Lord had directed Moses, and he gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal divisions.

Then the land had rest from war.

Joshua 10:16-43, 11

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

When Israel entered Canaan, they had direct orders from God to conquer all nations currently residing in the land He had promised to give them as an inheritance. In response to this, we have seen where Joshua and Israel have already defeated the nations located in the central part of Canaan, gaining victory over Jericho and Ai. We have also seen where they triumphed over a combined army from the south, organized by Jerusalem’s king, Adoni-Zedek, who had attacked the Gibeonites.

Well, as chapter 10 closes, we find Joshua executing the five kings from Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish and Eglon who had joined forces against the people of Gibeon. He then turned his attention to the southern part of Canaan, winning battles over the cities of Makkedah, Libnah, Lachish, Eglon, Hebron, and Debir. Indeed, the scriptures tell us that “Joshua subdued the whole region, including the hill country, the Negev, the western foothills, and the mountain slopes, together with all their kings”, leaving “no survivors (while)…totally destroy(ing) all who breathed, just as the Lord, the God of Israel, had commanded”. Israel’s leader “subdued them from Kadesh Barnea to Gaza and from the whole region of Goshen to Gibeon” and “all these kings and their lands (were) conquered in one campaign, because the Lord, the God of Israel, fought for Israel”. And after the southern conquest, “Joshua returned with all Israel to the camp at Gilgal”.

All this shows us how Joshua and the Israelites were on a roll…all because of the help of God. Indeed, anyone who would dare come to oppose them with the goal of stopping God’s plan to be carried out would be stopped for He had assured His people that He would be with them, delivering al foes into their hands.

And as He always does, God made good on His word.

As Joshua, chapter 11 opens, we find “Jabin, king of Hazor”, hearing about what had transpired in the central and southern regions of Canaan and this prompted him to send word to “Jobab, king of Madon, to the kings of Shimron and Acshaph, and to the northern kings who were in the mountains, in the Arabah south of Kinnereth, in the western foothills and in Naphoth Dor on the west; to the Canaanites in the east and west; to the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, and Jebusites in the hill country; and to the Hivites below Hermon in the region of Mizpah”. Just as the south had tried to do, the northern kings chose to combine forces, coming out with “all their troops and a large number of horses and chariots—a huge army, as numerous as the sand on the seashore”. All these kings and their forces met at the “Waters of Merom” where they “made camp together…to fight against Israel”.

So we see where another fight with a different foe was on the horizon for the people of Israel but one thing remained the same for the Lord would be with His people. We find Him saying this to Joshua:

“Do not be afraid of them, because by this time tomorrow I will hand all of them over to Israel, slain. You are to hamstring their horses and burn their chariots."

With this, the scriptures tell us that “Joshua and his whole army” attacked the northern enemy forces “suddenly at the Waters of Merom…and the Lord gave them into the hand of Israel” who in turn defeated their opponents, ensuring “no survivors were left” while Joshua “hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots” as “the Lord had directed”.

When the dust settled, Joshua did in the north as he had done in the south, systematically conquering cities while taking control of what God had given to his hand in victory. He began with Hazor, putting its “king to the sword” as well as everyone else there. The city was “totally destroyed…not sparing anything that breathed” before being burned to the ground.

Joshua followed this by taking “all…royal cities and their kings” putting them to the sword and totally destroying them. The only thing done differently than Hazor was that the Israelites didn’t “burn any of the cities built on their mounds” but they did carry off “all the plunder and livestock of (the) cities” before putting all the people to the sword, “not sparing anyone that breathed”.

In doing all this, Joshua “left nothing undone of all that the Lord commanded Moses”.

So to recap what Joshua did in the north, he “took…the hill country, all the Negev, the whole region of Goshen, the western foothills, the Arabah and the mountains of Israel with their foothills, from Mount Halak, which rises toward Seir, to Baal Gad in the Valley of Lebanon below Mount Hermon”. He also “destroyed the Anakites from the hill country: from Hebron, Debir, and Anab, from all the hill country of Judah, and from all the hill country of Israel…leaving “no Anakites…in Israelite territory”. Joshua “captured all their kings…putting them to death” and no treaty was made with anyone, except the Gibeonites who had done so prior. As for survivors, they were only found in “Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod”.

When all was said and done, “Joshua took the entire land, just as the Lord had directed Moses, and he gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal divisions” (more to come on this in later chapters) and then “the land had rest from war”.

Looking at everything has happened so far in this book through the first eleven chapters, we can’t help but be amazed. For the people of Israel went from being desert wanderers to fierce-fighting, victorious warriors who rarely lost momentum after crossing the Jordan to claim the land that God had given them. At this point, they had successfully conquered most of the land and were now poised to enjoy the spoils of their victory as the land would be divided up amongst the tribes. Additionally, and most importantly, we read where the land (Canaan) could finally rest from war.

From this passage and Israel’s victory over Canaan as a whole, there are three key takeaways we should embrace and remember as we set out to do God’s will each and every day.

First, God always keeps His promises.

Rest assured that if God has said through His Word that He would do something for us, then He will do it. He doesn’t lie or deceive for these are sinful actions and there is nothing about our Lord that is sinful. He is a Lord of truth and a Man of His word, something we would be well served to never forget.

Secondly, God delivers us from our enemies.

As we go through life, rest assured that there will be people who will choose to come against us in some way. For our enemy Satan is ever trying to get at every servant of God any way he can and will do this sometimes through other people, people who appear on the surface to be friends when underneath they are anything but that.

Maybe you can relate to having been fooled by someone you considered to be a friend only to find out otherwise. The good news is that God will always expose anyone who is trying to do us harm if we open ourselves up to Him. For everything done in the dark will be exposed and brought to light, illuminated by the One who is truth and wants us to not only be truthful but experience truth ourselves.

With this, we need to always turn to the Lord and seek His guidance in all matters, including all relationships we’re in. For He will clearly warn us when an enemy is at work and help you gain victory over our opposition.

Finally, our God is always with us.

Joshua and Israel went forward with a sure confidence because they knew and saw how God was with them. He told them so and then made good on His promises because He always perfectly keeps them.

This same truth is present with us today because He is with and for all those who have placed their hope, faith, and trust in Him. He doesn’t leave or forsake us, and no one can stand against us when He is on our side, just as it was with the ancient people of Israel.

Friends, our Lord has given us an awesome, blessed assurance in life…an assurance that liberates and sets us free to boldly and confidently go forth in His service so to accomplish His will. Whether in Old Testament times or here in the twenty-first century, God is always loyal and perfectly faithful in keeping His Word and ever stands ready to deliver us from our enemies. He has been, is, and always be a God of assurances.

Let us always be in a spirit of thanksgiving, praise, and rejoicing for these truths.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

A HOLY TEAM EFFORT

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Now Adoni-Zedek, king of Jerusalem, heard that Joshua had taken Ai and totally destroyed it, doing to Ai and its king as he had done to Jericho and its king, and that the people of Gibeon had made a treaty of peace with Israel and were living near them. He and his people were very much alarmed at this, because Gibeon was an important city, like one of the royal cities; it was larger than Ai, and all its men were good fighters. So Adoni-Zedek, king of Jerusalem, appealed to Hoham, king of Hebron; Piram, king of Jarmuth; Japhia, king of Lachish; and Debir, king of Eglon. "Come up and help me attack Gibeon," he said, "because it has made peace with Joshua and the Israelites."

Then the five kings of the Amorites—the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon—joined forces. They moved up with all their troops and took up positions against Gibeon and attacked it.

The Gibeonites then sent word to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal: "Do not abandon your servants. Come up to us quickly and save us! Help us, because all the Amorite kings from the hill country have joined forces against us."

So Joshua marched up from Gilgal with his entire army, including all the best fighting men. The Lord said to Joshua, "Do not be afraid of them; I have given them into your hand. Not one of them will be able to withstand you."

After an all-night march from Gilgal, Joshua took them by surprise. The Lord threw them into confusion before Israel, who defeated them in a great victory at Gibeon. Israel pursued them along the road going up to Beth Horon and cut them down all the way to Azekah and Makkedah. As they fled before Israel on the road down from Beth Horon to Azekah, the Lord hurled large hailstones down on them from the sky, and more of them died from the hailstones than were killed by the swords of the Israelites.

On the day the Lord gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the Lord in the presence of Israel:

"O sun, stand still over Gibeon, O moon, over the Valley of Aijalon."

So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the nation avenged itself on its enemies, as it is written in the Book of Jashar.

The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day. There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the Lord listened to a man. Surely the Lord was fighting for Israel!

Then Joshua returned with all Israel to the camp at Gilgal.

Joshua 10:1-15

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

In the latter part of Joshua, chapter 9, we saw where the people of Gibeon successfully convincingly convinced Joshua and the Israelites that they were from a distant land when the truth of the matter was that they only lived a little more than twenty miles away. You’ll recall that Joshua made a treaty of peace with them, one that would ensure that Israel would not attack them but after becoming aware of their deception, he made the Gibeonites life-long servants of them and the Lord as wood cutters and water carriers.

As chapter 10 begins, we see where the agreement between Israel and the Gibeonites caused concern with the king of Jerusalem, Adoni-Zedek, because Gibeon was “an important city, like one of the royal cities…larger than Ai (with) all its men (being) good fighters”. So we read where Jerusalem’s king “appealed to Hoham, king of Hebron; Piram, king of Jarmuth; Japhia, king of Lachish; and Debir, king of Eglon” telling them to come and “help (him) attack Gibeon…because it has made peace with Joshua and the Israelites."

So the “five kings of the Amorites — the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon — joined forces” and “moved up with all their troops”, taking “up positions against Gibeon” and attacking the city. In turn, the besieged Gibeonites called out for help, sending “word to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal”, saying:

"Do not abandon your servants. Come up to us quickly and save us! Help us, because all the Amorite kings from the hill country have joined forces against us."

Joshua had little choice but to honor the call given the treaty he had sworn to and so we read where he left “Gilgal with his entire army, including all the best fighting men” and marched toward Gibeon. While on the way, the Lord spoke to Joshua, telling him:

"Do not be afraid of them (speaking about the forces assembled against Gibeon); I have given them into your hand. Not one of them will be able to withstand you."

Once again, we see how the Lord instills great confidence in Joshua and the Israelites as they entered into battle. They knew ahead of time that they would be triumphant, not by their own might but the might of their God. Together, they made an unstoppable holy team with nothing beyond their doing and victory certain.

Well, the scriptures tell us that Joshua used a great strategy, traveling all night to Gibeon from Gilgal so to launch a surprise attack on the Amorite forces. For when the Israelites armies began their assault, the Lord “threw (the enemy) into confusion and Israel defeated them”, pursuing them “along the road going up to Beth Horon” and cutting them down “all the way to Azekah and Makkedah”. And as if Israel’s vicious offensive wasn’t bad enough for the Amorite armies, the Lord got involved further, hurling “large hailstones down on them from the sky”. Of interest, we see where there is a point of emphasis added that more enemy forces died from the hailstones than by way of the swords of the Israelites.

In other words, although the battle was a holy team effort between the God and His people, the majority of the credit for victory was placed where it should have been…on the Lord.

Now, that all would have been enough amazement in and of its own right but God wasn’t finished putting His divine power on full display. For we read where He made the “sun (stand) still, and the moon (stop), making the day supremely unique. In fact, the scriptures tell us that there had “never been a day like it before or since”…a day when the Lord listened to a man and honored his request after Joshua asked for the sun and moon to stop.

As we look at this scripture passage, we need to remember one very important thing about life for we never go into any day and the happenings within without our God being fully ready to go with us. In fact, as we go forth to carry out the cause and call of Christ to make disciples of all nations and teach them to obey all He commanded, we need to know we don’t go it alone. For Jesus, our Savior, gave us this promise:

“…lo I am with you even until the end of the age”. Matthew 28:20b

You see, ministry has always been a holy team effort and it ever will be. For as believers, we are always in partnership with our Lord as we serve as instruments used to accomplish His will and way. He tells us what to do through His Word and the leading of His Holy Spirit and then stands by to help and guide us as needed. He will always bring us through what He brings us to.

Friends, what an awesome assurance this is for us for when we stay connected to the Lord as we carry out His purposes daily, we see how He brings us success and victories, just as He did for Joshua and the Israelites more than 3,400 years ago. Indeed, He is just as much with His people now as He was then and so there’s no reason for us to ever fall or fail in doing anything as long as we remain spiritually tethered to the One who wants to work with us through a holy team effort so to accomplish everything He wants done

Today and every day we live, now and forever, let us give thanks that we serve a God who isn’t distant and disconnected but always with us and for us, a God who loves and values us dearly.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

IF YOU CAN'T BEAT THEM, JOIN THEM

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Now when all the kings west of the Jordan heard about these things — those in the hill country, in the western foothills, and along the entire coast of the Great Sea as far as Lebanon (the kings of the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites) - they came together to make war against Joshua and Israel.

However, when the people of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai, they resorted to a ruse: They went as a delegation whose donkeys were loaded with worn-out sacks and old wineskins, cracked and mended. The men put worn and patched sandals on their feet and wore old clothes. All the bread of their food supply was dry and moldy. Then they went to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal and said to him and the men of Israel, "We have come from a distant country; make a treaty with us."

The men of Israel said to the Hivites, "But perhaps you live near us. How then can we make a treaty with you?"

“We are your servants," they said to Joshua. But Joshua asked, "Who are you and where do you come from?"

They answered: "Your servants have come from a very distant country because of the fame of the Lord your God. For we have heard reports of Him: all that He did in Egypt, and all that He did to the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan — Sihon, king of Heshbon, and Og, king of Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth. And our elders and all those living in our country said to us, 'Take provisions for your journey; go and meet them and say to them, "We are your servants; make a treaty with us.” This bread of ours was warm when we packed it at home on the day we left to come to you. But now see how dry and moldy it is. And these wineskins that we filled were new, but see how cracked they are. And our clothes and sandals are worn out by the very long journey.’"

The men of Israel sampled their provisions but did not inquire of the Lord. Then Joshua made a treaty of peace with them to let them live, and the leaders of the assembly ratified it by oath.

Three days after they made the treaty with the Gibeonites, the Israelites heard that they were neighbors, living near them. So the Israelites set out and on the third day came to their cities: Gibeon, Kephirah, Beeroth and Kiriath Jearim. But the Israelites did not attack them, because the leaders of the assembly had sworn an oath to them by the Lord, the God of Israel.

The whole assembly grumbled against the leaders, but all the leaders answered, "We have given them our oath by the Lord, the God of Israel, and we cannot touch them now. This is what we will do to them: We will let them live, so that wrath will not fall on us for breaking the oath we swore to them." They continued, "Let them live, but let them be woodcutters and water carriers for the entire community." So the leaders' promise to them was kept.

Then Joshua summoned the Gibeonites and said, "Why did you deceive us by saying, 'We live a long way from you,' while actually you live near us? You are now under a curse: You will never cease to serve as woodcutters and water carriers for the house of my God."

They answered Joshua, "Your servants were clearly told how the Lord your God had commanded His servant Moses to give you the whole land and to wipe out all its inhabitants from before you. So we feared for our lives because of you, and that is why we did this. We are now in your hands. Do to us whatever seems good and right to you."

So Joshua saved them from the Israelites, and they did not kill them. That day, he made the Gibeonites woodcutters and water carriers for the community and for the altar of the Lord at the place the Lord would choose. And that is what they are to this day.

Joshua 9

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

After the victory over Ai, the dedication of the altar, and the reading of the law at Mount Ebal, Israel returned to their encampment at Gilgal. Meanwhile, enemy forces, realizing that Jericho and Ai had been attacked and defeated individually, decided their best chance of survival was to band together and fight.

And so, the scriptures tell us that “all the kings west of the Jordan…those in the hill country, in the western foothills, and along the entire coast of the Great Sea as far as Lebanon (the kings of the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites)…came together to make war against Joshua and Israel.” These forces had no other motive in mind outside of wiping out the people of Israel, feeling that their sheer numbers would overwhelm the invading people and result in easy victory.

The problem was they forgot one important thing. For the Israelites had God on their side and He had promised them success over anyone who would come against them in the Promised Land. With this, things weren’t looking good for the combined enemy forces but as we see in today’s passage, there was a group of people, the Gibeonites, who took a different approach, daring to be different in what they did and, as a result, exchanging sure death for life.

You see, the nation of Gibeon was very aware of “what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai” and decided to take a very daring, cunning strategy in dealing with Joshua and the Israelites. Unlike the other enemy forces who chose aggression and combat, the Gibeonites “resorted to a ruse”, going “as a delegation” to the Israelites but appearing as if they had traveled a very long distance to do so although they were actually close neighbors.

We read where the people of Gibeon loaded their donkeys with “worn-out sacks and old wineskins” that were “cracked and mended”. Additionally, the men put “worn and patched sandals on their feet and wore old clothes” and “all the bread of their food supply was dry and moldy”. And so with their real identity disguised, the Gibeonites “went to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal” and said this:

"We have come from a distant country; make a treaty with us."

At first, the plan looked like it was on shaky ground as there was a sense of suspicion within the Israelite camp as the men asked:

"…perhaps you live near us. How then can we make a treaty with you?"

They said this because God had forbidden His people to make any treaty with another people inhabiting Canaan (Deuteronomy 20:16-18). But as we see, the Gibeonites had their deception well rehearsed as they replied:

“We are your servants."

Still, Joshua sought more information, asking:

"Who are you and where do you come from?"

The people of Gibeon answered:

"Your servants have come from a very distant country because of the fame of the Lord your God. For we have heard reports of Him: all that He did in Egypt, and all that He did to the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan — Sihon, king of Heshbon, and Og, king of Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth. And our elders and all those living in our country said to us, 'Take provisions for your journey; go and meet them and say to them, "We are your servants; make a treaty with us." This bread of ours was warm when we packed it at home on the day we left to come to you. But now see how dry and moldy it is. And these wineskins that we filled were new, but see how cracked they are. And our clothes and sandals are worn out by the very long journey."

Notice how the Gibeonites were careful not to mention any recent events even though they were very aware of them. They were careful to not blow their assertion that they had come from a distant land.

Well, their plan worked for we see where “Joshua made a treaty of peace with them to let them live, and the leaders of the assembly ratified it by oath”. No matter what happened from that point on, no harm could be done to the Gibeonites without breaking the oath and finding disfavor from God.

Now, what’s interesting about these series of events is that neither Joshua nor Israel stopped to “inquire of the Lord” for if they had done so, God would have exposed the Gibeonite scheme and Israel wouldn’t have broken God’s command to completely destroy everything in Canaan lest they end up being adversely influenced by their sinful worship practices. But not one Israelite sought the Lord on this and, in turn, the oath was made and sealed, ensuring Gibeon’s survival…even after Joshua discovered he and Israel had been duped three days after making the treaty.

The scriptures tell us that the Gibeonites had returned home and it was after this that the Israelites realized that they were actually “neighbors, living near them”. And so we read where the Israelites “set out and on the third day came to (the Gibeonite’s) cities: Gibeon, Kephirah, Beeroth and Kiriath Jearim”. And although I’m sure it must have been tempting for Israel to attack Gibeon, they didn’t “because the leaders of the assembly had sworn an oath to them by the Lord, the God of Israel”. This led to “the whole assembly” grumbling “against the leaders”, wanting to exact revenge but the leaders told them this:

“We have given them our oath by the Lord, the God of Israel, and we cannot touch them now…We will let them live, so that wrath will not fall on us for breaking the oath we swore to them."

We should note that this didn’t mean that the Gibeonites would get off free of consequences. For although the nation of Gibeon had survived attack and eradication from Canaan, the Israelite leaders proposed that the Gibeonites would be forced into a life of hard labor, serving as “woodcutters and water carriers for the entire community."

And this is what happened. For the scriptures tell us that Joshua summoned the Gibeonite people and let them know they were under a curse for their deceitful actions and would “never cease to serve as woodcutters and water carriers for the house of…God."

In response to this, the people of Gibeon answered:

"Your servants were clearly told how the Lord your God had commanded His servant Moses to give you the whole land and to wipe out all its inhabitants from before you. So we feared for our lives because of you, and that is why we did this. We are now in your hands. Do to us whatever seems good and right to you."

And so we read where “Joshua saved them from the Israelites” who “did not kill them” and “made the Gibeonites woodcutters and water carriers for the community and for the altar of the Lord at the place the Lord would choose”.

On the surface, this story would appear to be one that would shine the spotlight on lying and dishonesty but I think that would be too shallow of an interpretation of what was really going on here. For I feel the real theme here is servitude…willing servitude unto God.

You see, the Gibeonites knew everything that all the other people of Canaan knew…that Israel had arrived in the land and had already wiped out their first two adversaries. Further, they knew that God had promised His people victory against any enemy they would face.

So what made the people of Gibeon different?

We can see where they made the choice to join God vice try to beat Him, realizing that their only chance at survival was to change who they were and what they were…becoming a part of God’s people. They introduced themselves as servants and there’s little doubt that they feared and respected Israel’s God, knowing that His will was going to be carried out in Canaan. No one could stand against Him and hope to win.

And so after reaching the treaty with Joshua and the people of Israel, the Gibeonites got to do what they said they had come to do…serve. Yes, they may have been relegated to being woodcutters and water carriers in the Lord’s service but at least they were alive and would remain so.

Now, you might be wondering where I’m going with this and how it has a life application for us today. Let me share my thoughts there.

For think about who you were before you came to the Lord in your life. He was your Father but only because He created you. You were not yet a true child of His because that only happened when you placed your belief in Jesus as Savior (Romans 8:16-17). And so, having not become a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), you were actually still condemned and in your sins, choosing to chase after your desires while opting to not follow or obey the One who was not only Your Maker but your Master as well. This placed you in a position where death would lead to an eternal life in Hell where everlasting darkness, torment, and suffering would be waiting.

But then, something opened your eyes up to the impending doom and destruction you faced…like Gibeon coming to grips that Jericho and Ai had fallen and they were going to be next unless they came up with a survival plan and did it fast. To spark your change of heart, maybe someone told you the good news of the Gospel and how you could trade in eternity in Hell for a life forever in Heaven if you would only just believe and trust in Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Perhaps these words prompted you to take immediate action, joining the countless others who also had made the same decision to become a Christian, therefore choosing life over death, victory over defeat, and hope over despair.

In making that key, life-altering choice, you, like the people of Gibeon, entered into a lifetime of servitude to the Lord…giving Him your all in whatever He called you to do…whether that was woodcutting, water carrying, or anything else.

Friends, this scripture passage carries with it good news. For if it wasn’t God’s will for the Gibeonites to be His servants, then He would have brought about events that would have stopped that from happening. But that’s not the way things went down, was it? No…the treaty with Israel was made…the people of Gibeon were saved…and God gained a whole community of servants in return.

Before I close, two questions for you:

Have you made your personal commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ, placing your belief in Him? Have you decided to join Him and find your way from death to life…not just life as the world knows it, but rather life with the Father and His Son forever?

If your answers to these questions are yes, then praise God that you have made the only right choice in life…the choice to believe, trust, and serve the One (Jesus) who died so you might live.

But if your answers to these questions were no, I implore you to not delay coming to Jesus right now, this very moment, professing Him as your personal Savior and pledging your service unto Him. Know and trust He is ready to receive you, love you, and lead you to a life like no other…both now and forevermore.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

THE POWER IN THE WORD

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Then Joshua built on Mount Ebal an altar to the Lord, the God of Israel, as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded the Israelites. He built it according to what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses — an altar of uncut stones, on which no iron tool had been used. On it they offered to the Lord burnt offerings and sacrificed fellowship offerings. There, in the presence of the Israelites, Joshua copied on stones the law of Moses, which he had written. All Israel, aliens and citizens alike, with their elders, officials and judges, were standing on both sides of the ark of the covenant of the Lord, facing those who carried it — the priests, who were Levites. Half of the people stood in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, as Moses the servant of the Lord had formerly commanded when he gave instructions to bless the people of Israel.

Afterward, Joshua read all the words of the law — the blessings and the curses — just as it is written in the Book of the Law. There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded that Joshua did not read to the whole assembly of Israel, including the women and children, and the aliens who lived among them.

Joshua 8:30-35

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Moses and the elders of Israel commanded the people: “Keep all these commands that I give you today. When you have crossed the Jordan into the land the Lord your God is giving you, set up some large stones and coat them with plaster. Write on them all the words of this law when you have crossed over to enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your fathers, promised you. And when you have crossed the Jordan, set up these stones on Mount Ebal, as I command you today, and coat them with plaster. Build there an altar to the Lord your God, an altar of stones. Do not use any iron tool upon them. Build the altar of the Lord your God with fieldstones and offer burnt offerings on it to the Lord your God. Sacrifice fellowship offerings there, eating them and rejoicing in the presence of the Lord your God. And you shall write very clearly all the words of this law on these stones you have set up." Deuteronomy 27:1-8

As we see in today’s passage from the closing verses of Joshua, chapter 8, this demand from “Moses and the elders of Israel” didn’t get forgotten after the Israelites crossed the Jordan River and won victories over the cities of Jericho and Ai. For we read that “Joshua built on Mount Ebal an altar to the Lord, the God of Israel, as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded the Israelites”, doing so exactly per the specifications given by Moses before his death. Indeed, Joshua performed the acts ”according to what (was) written in the Book of the Law of Moses”, constructing “an altar of uncut stones on which no iron tool had been used”.

Once the altar was constructed, the scriptures tell us that the Israelites “offered to the Lord burnt offerings and sacrificed fellowship offerings” before “Joshua copied on stones the law of Moses…in the presence of the Israelites” who were “were standing on both sides of the ark of the covenant of the Lord, facing those who carried it — the priests, who were Levites”. “Half of the people” stood in “front of Mount Gerizim” and the other half “in front of Mount Ebal…as Moses the servant of the Lord had formerly commanded” We read where Joshua then “read all the words of the law — the blessings and the curses — just as it is written in the Book of the Law”. We know he didn’t skip anything for “there was not a word of all that Moses had commanded that Joshua did not read to the whole assembly of Israel, including the women and children, and the aliens who lived among them”. No one was absent and so there wasn’t anybody who wasn’t reminded of what God commanded and expected from His people. This also meant that there wasn’t a single person who didn’t understand that there would be harsh consequences doled out for disobedience and/or worshipping any other god than God Himself.

The bottom line was that this event on Mount Ebal amounted to a refresher course for the Israelite people, a reminder of what the Lord expected straight out of His Word.

So why did the people of Israel need reminded?

Well, for starters it would be impossible to completely remember everything that God had commanded. So having His commands read regularly would keep His expectations fresh on the minds of His people.

Maybe just as good a reason, if not more so, was Israel’s high rate of failure. For despite being told by God not to do certain actions, Israel historically didn’t listen, blatantly disobeying the Lord over and over again leading to His disfavor and punishment. Now, as Joshua wrote down all the words of God, the hope was that they would remain fresh on the hearts and minds of the Israelites, leading to a lower failure rate while choosing righteousness over sinfulness.

So how about us as believers today? Do we do a good job of keeping our hearts and minds refreshed with the Word of God?

My concern is that we don’t do it nearly enough. In fact, I’m afraid that a lot of Christians fail to even open and read their bibles up outside of church on Sundays and that simply doesn’t cut it when we are on the spiritual battlefield every day against an enemy like Satan.

For when we fail to read the Word of God every day, it is the same as going up against the enemy unarmed and that’s not going to allow anyone to defend themselves against the devil. It’s of little wonder that we see people falling into sin so much.

The Apostle Paul addresses this matter of being properly armed for spiritual self defense when he writes this in the seventeenth verse of Ephesians, chapter 6:

“Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

Need an example of someone using this weapon to perfection?

Go to the fourth chapter of Matthew and you will find this from our Savior Jesus:

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

After fasting forty days and forty nights, He was hungry. The tempter came to Him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Then the devil took Him to the holy city and had Him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If You are the Son of God,” he said, “throw Yourself down. For it is written:

‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”

Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give You,” he said, “if You will bow down and worship me.”

Jesus said to him, “Away from Me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.’”

Then the devil left Him, and angels came and attended Him. Vv.1-12

As in every other area of life, Jesus shows us how to use the scriptures to protect ourselves and fend off Satan. We see Him leading by example in regard to defending ourselves when Satan tries to tempt us and we should note that each time Jesus invoked the Word of God, Satan stopped that particular attack and tried a different approach. After the third unsuccessful try, he fled and the angels attended to Jesus.

My brothers and sisters, if we’re going to have any hope in fending off the devil’s advances, we need to be grounded in the scriptures each and every day. We must know the Word well enough that we can pull out just the right verse to use against the enemy to fend off the attack he chooses, just as Jesus did.

To that end, we need to know and trust that Jesus is ready to equip us with the right words at the right time when we have the scriptures embedded in our hearts and minds. We only need to draw near to Him every day, so near that there’s no room for the enemy to operate when he decides to come upon us.

There is unbelievable, wonder-working power found in the Word of God but it’s up to us to use it. Don’t let a day pass without making it central to your life.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.