Joshua 10-11
Sunday Evening Bible Study
April 18, 1999
Introduction
The book of Joshua is a book about taking the Promised Land.
The Promised Land of learning to receive all that God has for us in our personal lives - victory over sin, experiencing God's peace, joy, love, power.
The principles that governed the nation taking the Promised Land are the same principles that help us live in God's promises.
We've seen recently:
Israel had a great victory in taking the city of Jericho. All they did was march around the city and shout. God took the walls down.
Israel had a humiliating defeat at Ai. They failed in their next step because there was sin in the camp. After taking care of the sin, God gave them a great victory at Ai. After being discouraged, get back in the saddle!
Last week we saw them meet a group of people who pretended to be something they weren’t. Because the Israelites believed their story and didn’t bother checking with God, they ended up getting into a relationship with these people that would end up causing them a great deal of trouble, beginning immediately…
Joshua 10
:1-5 Gibeon is attacked by it's neighbors
:1 Adonizedek
"Lord of Righteousness"
This king of Jerusalem is a far cry from an earlier king of Jerusalem we know about.
Genesis 14:18-20 AV And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he [was] the priest of the most high God. 19 And he blessed him, and said, Blessed [be] Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: 20 And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.
We believe that this king of Jerusalem was a "theophany", or, an appearance of Jesus before He was born.
Notice the similarity in their names: Adonizedek (Lord of righteousness), and Melchizedek (King of righteousness)
But the similarity ends there.
The first king was a priest of God, and came out to share with and bless Abraham.
The second king came out to destroy Abraham's descendants, the children of Israel.
This is just an example of how far the people of the land had fallen.
We've talked before that these people weren't innocent victims of a ruthless conquering nation.
What we're seeing is God's judgment on a wicked people, God's judgment coming through the hand of Israel.
:2 they feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city
They didn't like the prospects of a strong enemy like Israel joining forces with another strong force like Gibeon.
:3 Jerusalem ... Hebron ... Jarmuth ... Lachish ... Eglon
Locate on the map
Trace out the cities coming and gathering up at Gibeon.
:4 that we may smite Gibeon
They're going to teach Gibeon a lesson and also send a message to any other cities who would want to make peace with Israel.
:5 five kings of the Amorites
Joshua has now taken the city of Jericho and Ai. But he took each of these by themselves. And they appear to have been on the small side, at least compared to these other cities.
Now he’s going to be facing five kings all at once.
Lesson
The battle gets stronger.
If you think that the battles you face will just get easier in time, think again.
If you are a person who is growing in the Lord and beginning to acquire more and more of the Promised Land, you will find that the battle only gets worse.
The more you grow in the Lord, the more useful you are to Him, and the more the enemy will want to destroy you.
If you stay lukewarm and just feel content to sit on the sidelines, you will find that the battle isn’t all that bad. But you’re also probably pretty miserable, having a taste of what God has for you, yet never possessing it for yourself.
It starts off when you decide you want to get serious for the Lord. And so you begin to take a stand against areas in your life that aren’t pleasing to the Lord. That can be a battle for sure!
But as you begin to grow in the Lord, you find that God is able to use you, and you eventually begin to develop your own ministry of sorts. It may be getting the coffee ready for Sunday Morning, it may be cleaning the church, it may be having a group meet in your home. And you’ll find that as soon as you step out to be used by the Lord, you will face opposition. But if you learn to stick it out and fight, you will find that you can handle the opposition.
You find that you want to be used more, so you open yourself up to more opportunities to minister to others. Perhaps you start meeting with a small group to pray for each other. Perhaps you start going out to the local coffee shop to share Jesus with others. Perhaps you start teaching a Sunday School class. For those of you who have taken these kinds of steps, you are aware that the opposition has suddenly stepped up three fold.
I think that years ago I may have actually entertained the idea of wanting to be just like Chuck Smith. I no longer have such dreams. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll be whatever God wants me to be, but I’m learning that if I’m feeling the kind of pressure I am in my position as it is now, I’m not real envious of people like Chuck or Greg Laurie. In fact I feel very sorry for them. I pray for them.
Don’t be surprised when you step out and you face more opposition. It’s normal.
(1 Pet 5:8 KJV) Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
And as you’re going to see with Joshua, the battles have just begun.
:6-7 Gibeon calls for help
:6 to Gilgal
It seems that the Israelites have made Gilgal to be their base of operations.
When they had crossed the Jordan, their first camp was in Gilgal (ch.4)
After conquering Jericho, Ai, then going to mount Ebal, they settled back in at Gilgal.
It was in Gilgal that the Gibeonite ambassadors came to them.
:6 all the kings ... in the mountains
Actually, of the five cities, Jerusalem, Hebron, and Jarmuth are located in the mountains, while Lachish and Eglon are located in the lowlands on the west side of the mountains.
:7 Joshua ascended from Gilgal
Gilgal is in the Jordan valley, to get to Gibeon, you have to climb the mountains.
Note: Last week we talked about how God wants us to keep our promises.
If Joshua had wanted to, he could have just let the Gibeonites be wiped out. But instead he keeps his promise to them.
:8-11 Slaughter at Gibeon
:8 Fear them not
One of the most repeated commands in Scripture.
I wonder why? No reason to wonder, we're just all a bunch of fraidy-cats.
God usually doesn't say this unless there's a reason to. In other words, Joshua might have been a little scared of what he was facing.
Think about it!
So far, Joshua has only had to face one city and one king at a time.
Now he's facing five kings at once!
Lesson
Fear not
Sometimes the thing that holds us back from taking the Promised Land is fear.
We don't want to head in the direction God's pointing us because we're afraid.
We’ll never get there if we never go.
:9 went up from Gilgal all night
The journey from Gilgal to Gibeon is a bit over 16 miles, climbing from well below sea level (Gilgal) to over 2000 feet in altitude (Gibeon), almost 4000 feet of climbing.
This doesn't sound like an easy thing to ask your army to do, especially if you're going to fight the next day! It was a journey that usually would have taken an army 3 days. They’re going to catch them by surprise.
:10 the Lord discomfitted them
Or, routed them.
:10 Gibeon ... Beth Horon ... Azekah ... Makkedah
Trace it out on the map.
:11 the Lord cast down great stones
God starts hurling huge hailstones at the enemy. They have to be fairly large if they're going to be killing people. More are killed from the hailstones than from Israel's swords.
Note:
While there were apparently a large number of the enemy killed by the hailstones, there is no mention of any Israelites dying from them.
These are no ordinary hailstones. These are guided missiles!
Lesson
God knows how to fight for you.
There are times when we have to be swinging the sword, but keep in mind, God knows how to take care of your enemies.
I was thinking today how hard it is to fight something like slander.
David knew how to handle it. When he was fleeing for his life from his rebellious son Absalom, he got some bad news:
(2 Sam 15:31 KJV) And one told David, saying, Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom. And David said, O LORD, I pray thee, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness.
Ahithophel was one of David’s own counselors. He was a smart guy. He gave good advice. But he had just turned traitor to David. There wasn’t much David could do, so he prayed. And he also left another man behind, Hushai, to also give advice to Absalom.
As it turned out, God worked so that Ahithophel’s excellent advice was not heeded. That saved David’s life.
:12-14 Sun stands still
:12 Sun, stand thou still
Why does Joshua make this request?
Because he's routing the enemy, and he doesn't want the enemy to get away and escape in the darkness. He wants to finish the job.
Have you ever wished the clock would stand still just long enough for you to get caught up on all your work?
:12 Ajalon
A city three miles south of Beth Horon.
When Joshua says this, it's probably about noon, with the sun over Gibeon, and the moon in the west, over Ajalon
:13 the book of Jasher
Jasher means: "right", "upright", or "righteous"
Thought to be a Hebrew literary collection of songs written in poetic style to honor the accomplishments of Israel's leaders.
It also included:
2Samuel 1:17-18 AV And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son: 18 (Also he bade them teach the children of Judah [the use of] the bow: behold, [it is] written in the book of Jasher.)
We don't have any copies of the book.
:13 the sun stood still
What an incredible statement!
Are we to believe that the sun didn't set for something like 36 hours? Yes!
From ICR:
This seems to be an amazingly documented fact in history.
As a matter of fact, traditions of a long day (or of a long night, among the American Indians and the South Sea Islanders) are quite common among early nations and tribes.
Immanuel Velikovsky, in his book "WORLDS IN COLLISION", {[6] "Worlds in Collision" (New York: Doubleday, 1950), 401 pp.} gives abundant documentation of this fact, as have many other writers.
From "Worlds in Collision", Immanuel Velikovsky:
There were ancient manuscripts found among some of the literate peoples in Mexico. Most were destroyed by the Dominican monks, but some survive in museums in Europe. In the manuscripts, they describe an event around the time of Joshua where the night was strangely prolonged. They called it a "fourfold" night, though in reality, they didn't have very accurate ways of keeping time.
Velikovsky traces all this down to document his theories about planets and comets, which may be partly correct, but the Bible records it as having happened after Joshua asked God to do it.
From ICR:
Recent widely circulated reports that computer calculations made in connection with the space program had turned up a missing day in astronomic history are, unfortunately, not factual. The nature of the phenomenon would preclude its identification by such means as this, regardless of whether or not it actually occurred.
How did this occur?
Probably with a gradual slowing down, then speeding up of the earth's rotation.
Don't forget who's doing this! God's hand is in this!
:14 the Lord hearkened unto the voice of a man
Note:
It was the Lord that hearkened, not the sun. Some are teaching that we can speak to the elements themselves, that we command them. No, we are to pray to the Lord, because He's the one who does the work.Lesson
Nothing's impossible for God
Illustration
As a kid, growing up, there wasn't anything your Dad couldn't do.
But as you grow up, you realize that your Dad's only human. You outgrow the idea that Dad can do anything.
But the idea that God can do anything is something we should never think we can outgrow.
What kind of situations are you facing?
Is there anything too difficult for the Lord?
Jeremiah 32:17-AV Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, [and] there is nothing too hard for thee:
We have a great God
Isaiah 40:12-AV Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?
God is omnipotent. There is nothing He can't do.
:15-27 Five Kings executed
:16 in a cave at Makkedah
Makkedah is up in the mountains, south west from Gibeon, between Hebron and Lachish.
The flight thus far (after traveling all night for 16 miles uphill to Gibeon):
From Gibeon, down the mountain to Beth Horon: 9 miles
From Beth Horon to Azekah: 14 miles
From Azekah, back up the mountains to Makkedah: 11 miles
Total journey from Gibeon to Makkedah: 34 miles, going down and up mountains, fighting, and the hail storm.
:18 roll great stones
Rolling Stones?
Joshua commanded that huge stones be moved to cover up the mouth of the cave so the kings can't get out.
:21 none moved his tongue against any of the children of Israel
NIV:
no one uttered a word against the Israelites.
Lesson
God judges rightly
We need to be careful how we view all this carnage.
Our point of view is kind of tainted from our own recent history in the U.S., especially from the Vietnam era and the peace marches.
If we're not careful, we can find ourselves struggling with whether this was very fair on these poor, poor Amorites.
But the Bible says:
Psalms 19:9b-AV the judgments of the LORD [are] true [and] righteous altogether.
What do I do with the knowledge of all this?
It needs to become one of those anchors in my soul. It needs to be one of those immovable truths in my life that no matter what seems to be going on, I know that God is good and He always does what’s right.
:24 put your feet upon the necks of these kings
This was an eastern custom of conquerors.
It is often found in pictures in Egyptian and Assyrian monuments. This was a symbol of complete subjugation of the defeated enemy.
:25 thus shall the Lord do to all your enemies
That sounds great for Joshua's army, but does this help us at all?
Yes!
Isaiah 54:17-AV No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue [that] shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This [is] the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness [is] of me, saith the LORD.
But for us, it's important to know who our enemy is.
Ephesians 6:11-12 AV Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high [places].
Your enemy isn't the guy at work that ridicules you all the time. It isn't even your husband or wife. Don’t go home tonight and put your foot on his neck!
:26 hanged them on five trees
As we saw before in Jos. 8, this speaks of judgment, carrying out a sentence on these wicked people.
They were only hanged until evening, then taken down, according to the Mosaic Law Deut. 21:23)
:27 the time of the going down of the sun
We have recorded now that the long day was finally over!
:28-30 Makkedah and Libnah fall
:28 Makkedah
Locate on map
:28 as he did unto the king of Jericho
The king of Jericho was hanged as the other kings were.
We aren't told this directly, but God told Joshua to do to the king of Ai as he did to the king of Jericho, and the king of Ai was hanged.
Joshua 8:2-AV And thou shalt do to Ai and her king as thou didst unto Jericho and her king: only the spoil thereof, and the cattle thereof, shall ye take for a prey unto yourselves: lay thee an ambush for the city behind it.
Joshua 8:29-AV And the king of Ai he hanged on a tree until eventide …
Again, this was done to show judgment. Hanging was a death penalty.
:29 Libnah
Locate on map
:31-32 Lachish falls
:31 Lachish
Locate on map
:33 Gezer defeated at Lachish
:33 Gezer came up to help Lachish
Locate Gezer on map.
The king of Gezer brings his troups to help Lachish, but is defeated himself at Lachish.
:34-37 Eglon and Hebron fall
:34 Eglon
Locate on map
:36 Hebron
Locate on map
What about when Caleb takes Hebron? Is it a different Hebron? Is Caleb's account just the explanation of how Hebron is taken?
Pulpit Commentary: Joshua didn't take all the cities in the south in this campaign. It was very likely that some of the other cities sent settlers to re-occupy some of the devastated cities.
:38-39 Debir falls
:38 Debir
Locate on map
:40-43 The Southern Kingdoms taken
:41 Kadeshbarnea ... Gaza ... Goshen ... Gibeon
Locate on map
It's the entire southern part of the Promised Land.
:42 all these kings and their land did Joshua take at one time
It kind of reminds me of some of modern Israel's wars.
Each time they are attacked, they defend themselves and end up taking some of their attacker's land, and grow each time they are attacked.
Up until this chapter, Israel has conquered new territory by taking the offensive.
But now, the battles in this chapter are caused by Israel being attacked and defending themselves and their allies.
Lesson
Growth comes in trials
Spiritual growth doesn't just come when we take our own positive steps (like Bible Study and prayer), though is definitely a good way to grow.
Sometimes growth comes when we learn how to respond to attacks, to trials and persecution.
The goal is taking possession of the land. Sometimes that happens when we take the offensive, sometimes it happens when we learn to properly respond to being attacked.
1Peter 1:6-7 AV Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: 7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
There is something special that happens when we face difficult times, we are given an extra "measure" of the Holy Spirit to help us.
1Peter 4:14a-AV If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy [are ye]; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: ...
We see this also in Jesus' teaching:
Luke 12:11-12AV And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and [unto] magistrates, and powers, take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say: 12 For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say.
What we need is to learn to fall back upon the Holy Spirit and allow Him to take us through and give us victory.
I think we often get so caught up in our problems, and get so busy trying to solve them, that we don't take the time we need to quiet down and realize that there's an extra strengthening from the Holy Spirit there to carry us through.
God hasn't abandoned you. He's there more than ever.
Joshua 11
Think we’ve seen big battles? You ain’t seen nothin’ yet!
:1-5 The enemies are gathered
:1 Hazor ... Madon ... Shimron ... Achshaph
Locate on map
:2 the plains south of Chinneroth
Chinneroth is an Old Testament name for the Sea of Galilee
See map
:2 Dor
Locate on map
:3 Canaanite ... Amorite ... Hittite ... Perizzite ... Jebusite ... Hivite
These are the six major nationalities that inhabited the Promised Land.
These are the Big Six that God had promised to give Israel victory over. (Ex. 34:11)
And they're all gathered together at once!
:4 even as the sand that is upon the sea shore in multitude
Josephus (an ancient Jewish historian, 100 A.D.) wrote that it was 300,000 foot soldiers, 10,000 cavalry troops, and 21,000 chariots.
In comparison, Israel had 600,000 troops, but no cavalry, and no chariots.
Ever feel like everybody's against you?
Ever had one of those major trial times where it's not just one or two things going wrong, but it's a couple dozen things?
Think of what Joshua's feeling right now!
:5 at the waters of Merom
Locate on map
:6-9 The initial battle
:6 hough their horses
Pronounced "hewed"
It means to hamstring the horses.
From Stu Hales: It cuts the tendon just above the hock (like the knee on a horse's back legs). Renders the back legs useless and immobile. It would essentially kill the horse because the horse wouldn't be able to stand up. Horses need their back legs to get up.
Why do this do the horses?
Why not just use the horses and chariots for their own use?
1) They didn't know how to use horses and chariots. It would probably be a greater burden taking care of them than to just destroy them. Plus, if they kept them, the enemies could possibly recapture them again.
2) So they would trust in the Lord and not the horses or chariots.
Psalms 20:7-AV Some [trust] in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.
:7 Joshua came ... suddenly
He did this in last week's chapter, surprising the enemy with his quick response.
The march from Gilgal to Merom is 65 miles along the Jordan Valley
:8 chased them ... Zidon ... Misrephothmain ... valley of Mizpeh
Locate on map
:10-20 The Northern Cities are taken
:10 Joshua at that time turned back
After having won a decisive battle out on the battle field, Joshua now turns to capture the cities of these kings.
:10 Hazor beforetime was the head of all those kingdoms
Because it was the head, Joshua takes it first.
Hazor was also the largest city of ancient Palestine. It was 200 acres in size, compared with Megiddo at 13 and Jericho at 8.
It also dominated several branches of an ancient highway which led from Egypt to Syria and on to Assyria and Babylon. The location on the trade routes contributed to the city's wealth.
It served as the capitol of these other cities.
Lesson
Deal with the root problems first
Sometimes we like to dance around the important issues in our lives.
We like to blame other people for our problems.
"Dysfunctional family"
The guy at work keeps bugging me, so I can't work like I should.
We focus on small things but ignore the big things.
We're afraid to ask anybody for advice or counsel, because they might just hit on the big thing we're afraid to face.
We don't want to hear it.
In contrast, Joshua's tactic for taking the Promised Land included going after the big ones first!
:13 the cities that stood still in their strength
Joshua 11:13-NIV Yet Israel did not burn any of the cities built on their mounds-- except Hazor, which Joshua burned.
Hebrew: "on their heap"
Interesting to note that in Israel there are many hills or mounds, as they have found that many of them are actually sites of ancient cities.
When a city was conquered, the rubble would form the foundation of the next city, and so a new city was built on top of the old one's ruins.
Why Joshua didn't burn these cities is not known.
:15 As the LORD commanded Moses ... did Moses command Joshua ... so did Joshua
Lesson
Learn obedience.
Joshua learned to obey what God had commanded. That’s why he was successful.
Sometimes we get the silly idea that we can still get to the same place without having to do it God’s way. It won’t work.
:16 the land of Goshen ... the valley ... the plain ... the mountain ... the valley of the same
Locate on map
:17 mount Halak ... Seir ... Baalgad ... Lebanon ... mount Hermon
Locate on map
:18 Joshua made war a long time with all those kings
If we're not careful, we might get the impression from verse 6 (tomorrow ... I will deliver them up ...) that the victory happened overnight.
But that was just the first big battle.
After the big battle came a number of smaller battles to be fought, as Israel went from city to city, taking the land.
Lesson
Some victories take patience
Don't look for over night wonders!
Sometimes they happen quickly.
Sometimes the victory takes a long time.
If you've been struggling with a certain problem for a long time, don't be discouraged.
Illustration
Harvey Mackay in his book Swim with the Sharks tells of the 88 year old President of Japan's largest enterprise, Matsushita Electric, answering an interviewer's questions on the future of his company. The interview went as follows:
Question: "Mr. President, does your company have long-range goals?"
Answer: "Yes."
Question: "How long are your long-range goals?"
Answer: "Two hundred fifty years."
Question: "What do you need to carry them out?"
Answer: "Patience."
:20 it was of the LORD to harden their hearts
The NIV reads:
Joshua 11:20-NIV 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.
As we have discussed throughout the entire book of Joshua, the taking of the Promised Land fulfilled two purposes of God:
1. It gave the Israelites their promised homeland.
2. It was time for God's judgement on the people of the land.
And so God took these wicked people, whose hearts were already hard against the Lord, and He strengthened their hardness even more.
With these hard hearts, they walked right into the fight with Israel.
:21-23 Giants killed
:21 the Anakims
They are a race of giants (Num.13:33; Deut.2:10-11; 9:2)
Forty years ago, when the land had first been spied out, the report came back:
Numbers 13:33-AV And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, [which come] of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.
I find it interesting that here was one of the biggest reasons not to go in to the promised land, and now they're taken care of in only two verses!
Is it because the giants weren't really a problem like they thought?
No! These were scary guys.
It's because Israel has matured so much in the last 40 years:
They were refined through the trials in the wilderness.
Then they faced King Sihon and King Og on the western side of the Jordan.
Then God parted the Jordan river so they could cross.
Then God gave them victory in Jericho.
After a little problem, they finally had victory at Ai.
Then they took on five kings at once.
Then they took on the entire northern alliance.
So what's a few little giants?
Lesson
God grows us up
As we grow in the Lord, we are better equipped to handle the battles, and we are able to handle more.
We see the idea of growth in the life of David, when he faced Goliath:
1Samuel 17:34-37 And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father's sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock: 35 And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered [it] out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught [him] by his beard, and smote him, and slew him. 36 Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God. 37 David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the LORD be with thee.
David knew that he could face Goliath because he had seen God help Him in the smaller things, the bear and the lion.
The Lord didn't start Israel out with the Northern Alliance.
He worked them up to it.
But once they were at a level where they could handle the Northern Alliance, something like the Anakims weren't hardly to blink at.
:21 only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod
See map.
These are three of the cities that would form the five-city confederation of the Philistines.
Will we ever see any of these giants again?
Yes!
Goliath the Philistine was from the town of Gath. (1Sam.17:4)
:23 Joshua took the whole land
Be careful not to take this as if everybody's finished with their jobs.
There will still be some land that needs to be taken.
But from Joshua's perspective, they're done.
Joshua has completed the work he was to do.
He's done the main part of the conquering.
The rest will be up to the individual tribes themselves.
:23 for an inheritance unto Israel according to their divisions
We'll be seeing through the next few chapters how the land is going to be divided up among the tribes of Israel.