Thursday
Evening Bible Study
March
24, 2011
Introduction
Do people see Jesus? Is the gospel
preached? Does it speak to the broken hearted? Does it build up the church? Milk
– Meat – Manna Preach for a decision
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.
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 dealing
with the sin, they were able to take the city of Ai.
Joshua
9
9:1-27 The Treaty with Gibeon
:1 And it came to pass when all the kings who were on this side of the
Jordan, in the hills and in the lowland and in all the coasts of the Great Sea
toward Lebanon— the Hittite, the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite—heard about it,
:2 that they gathered together to fight with
Joshua and Israel with one accord.
:1 all the kings
The news of Israel crossing of the Jordan and their conquests of Jericho
and Ai has made it onto the evening news (so to speak).
As a result, the people of the land of Canaan start to unite to face the
threat of the Israeli invasion.
See Map. It is
interesting to note that with the conquest of Jericho and Ai, Israel has kind of divided the land
in half.
Instead of starting at one end of the land of Canaan and working their way
to the other, they have launched out into the middle of the land, dividing the
land in half.
:3 But when the inhabitants
of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai,
:4 they worked craftily, and went and pretended to
be ambassadors. And they took old sacks on their donkeys, old wineskins torn
and mended,
:5 old and patched sandals on their feet, and old
garments on themselves; and all the bread of their provision was dry and moldy.
:6 And they went to Joshua, to the camp at Gilgal, and said to him and to the men of Israel, “We have
come from a far country; now therefore, make a covenant with us.”
Play “Gibeon
Map” clip.
Gibeon is about 17 miles from the Israelite camp at Gilgal,
and about 6 ½ miles from Ai.
:4 they worked craftily
It seems possible that the people of Gibeon are aware of God’s directions
to Israel about who they are to make peace treaties
with and who they are to wipe out. (Deut. 20:10-18)
(Dt 20:10–18 NKJV) —10 “When you go near
a city to fight against it, then proclaim an offer of peace to it. 11 And it
shall be that if they accept your offer of peace, and open to you, then all the
people who are found in it shall be placed under tribute to you, and serve you.
12 Now if the city will not make peace with you, but war against you, then you
shall besiege it. 13 And when the Lord
your God delivers it into your hands, you shall strike every male in it with
the edge of the sword. 14 But the women, the little ones, the livestock, and
all that is in the city, all its spoil, you shall plunder for yourself; and you
shall eat the enemies’ plunder which the Lord
your God gives you. 15 Thus you shall do to all the cities which are very far
from you, which are not of the cities of these nations. 16 “But of the cities
of these peoples which the Lord
your God gives you as an inheritance, you shall let nothing that breathes
remain alive, 17 but you shall utterly destroy them: the Hittite and the
Amorite and the Canaanite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite,
just as the Lord your God has
commanded you, 18 lest they teach you to do according to all their abominations
which they have done for their gods, and you sin against the Lord your God.
God told Israel that they were allowed to make peace treaties with other
nations, but only those that were “very far” from them.
The nations that lived in the land that they were to occupy were supposed
to be completely wiped out. (Deut.
7:1-2)
(Dt
7:1–2 NKJV)
—1 “When the Lord your God brings
you into the land which you go to possess, and has cast out many nations before
you, the Hittites and the Girgashites and the
Amorites and the Canaanites and the Perizzites and
the Hivites and the Jebusites,
seven nations greater and mightier than you, 2 and when the Lord your God delivers them over to
you, you shall conquer them and utterly destroy them. You shall make no
covenant with them nor show mercy to them.
The city of Gibeon was a part of the Hivites (Josh 11:19). They were on the list for judgment.
The people of Gibeon decide that they don’t want to take on the Israelites
in a war, yet in order to survive, they are going to
have to look like they are ambassadors from a distant nation in order to make a
treaty with Israel.
Their
ambassadors are carrying old, stale, bread, and wearing old clothes.
In a way, you can’t blame the Gibeonites for
trying to survive.
:7 Then the men of Israel
said to the Hivites, “Perhaps you dwell among us; so
how can we make a covenant with you?”
The men of Israel know they aren’t
supposed to make any treaties with people living in the land they are to
conquer.
:8 But they said to Joshua, “We are your
servants.” And Joshua said to them, “Who are you, and where do you come from?”
:9 So they said to him: “From a very far country
your servants have come, because of the name of the LORD your God; for we have
heard of His fame, and all that He did in Egypt,
:10 and all that He did to the two kings of the
Amorites who were beyond the Jordan—to Sihon king of Heshbon, and Og king of
Bashan, who was at Ashtaroth.
:10 all that He did …
Just like Rahab did, they know what God had done
in Egypt and with the kings of Sihon and Og.
Notice that they don’t mention what happened at Jericho and Ai. They keep up appearances that they are from a
far distant country to the east.
:11 Therefore our elders and
all the inhabitants of our country spoke to us, saying, ‘Take provisions with
you for the journey, and go to meet them, and say to them, “We are your
servants; now therefore, make a covenant with us.” ’
:12 This bread of ours we took hot for our
provision from our houses on the day we departed to come to you. But now look,
it is dry and moldy.
:13 And these wineskins which we filled were new,
and see, they are torn; and these our garments and our sandals have become old
because of the very long journey.”
:14 Then the men of Israel took some of their
provisions; but they did not ask counsel of the LORD.
:15 So Joshua made peace with them, and made a
covenant with them to let them live; and the rulers of the congregation swore
to them.
:15 Joshua made peace
Joshua inks a treaty with the Gibeonites,
insuring their safety.
We think this is possibly also a treaty where they promise to help and
defend each other.
:16 And it happened
at the end of three days, after they had made a covenant with them, that they
heard that they were their neighbors who dwelt near them.
Oops. They weren’t who they claimed
to be…
:17 Then the children of Israel journeyed and came
to their cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kirjath Jearim.
:18 But the children of Israel did not attack
them, because the rulers of the congregation had sworn to them by the LORD God
of Israel. And all the congregation complained against
the rulers.
:18 the congregation complained
It’s not easy being the person in the
place of making decisions. I think that
sometimes we think it must be grand and glorious to be in charge. More than likely it’s a matter of being the
one that everyone complains about. You
aren’t going to make everyone happy.
:19 Then all the rulers said to all the
congregation, “We have sworn to them by the LORD God of Israel; now therefore,
we may not touch them.
:19 We have sworn to them
They didn’t attack Gibeon because the
leaders kept their promise.
Lesson
Your promise counts
God expects you to keep your promise, even if you didn't ask His advice
first.
A few hundred years later we have a bizarre situation take place:
(2 Sa
21:1 NKJV) Now
there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year; and
David inquired of the LORD. And the LORD answered, “It is because of Saul and
his bloodthirsty house, because he killed the Gibeonites.”
Apparently when Saul had been king, he had gone on a
military mission to wipe out these same Gibeonites.
Because of Saul’s attack on the Gibeonites,
they had cried out to God, and the result was that God brought a famine on the
land until David came along to resolve the issue.
The Gibeonites asked David to
put to death some of Saul’s sons as retribution, and it wasn’t until the Gibeonites were satisfied that justice had been served that
the famine and drought ended and the rains came.
Do you think God is serious about you keeping your promises?
(Deu 23:21 NIV) If you
make a vow to the LORD your God, do not be slow to pay it, for the LORD your
God will certainly demand it of you and you will be guilty of sin.
(Prov
20:25 NLT) It is dangerous to make a
rash promise to God before counting the cost.
Do you think God wants you to keep your promises, even when you made them
foolishly?
As a general rule, YES!
Marriages
- stay in your marriage. If you’re not
married yet, be careful what you get in to!
The couple that wasn’t following the
Lord, but got married. Does their
marriage count? You bet!
Debt
- I think God wants you to pay what you owe.
Even if you got into debt while being carnal!
To
your kids: Keep your promises or
don’t promise too quickly!
As a
business man/woman
Because you claim the name of Jesus, you should be the
most ethical, dependable person that your clients know. After all, you
represent the most ethical, dependable person in the universe - Jesus!
:20 This we will do to them:
We will let them live, lest wrath be upon us because of the oath which we swore
to them.”
:21 And the rulers said to them, “Let them live,
but let them be woodcutters and water carriers for all the congregation, as the
rulers had promised them.”
:22 Then Joshua called for them, and he spoke to
them, saying, “Why have you deceived us, saying, ‘We are very far from you,’
when you dwell near us?
:23 Now therefore, you are cursed, and none of you
shall be freed from being slaves—woodcutters and water carriers for the house
of my God.”
:23 you
are cursed
In God’s
instructions about warfare (Deut. 20), when an agreement was made with a
foreign land, that foreign land became a “tributary”, or, a “servant” of
Israel. And so, the Gibeonites, since they can’t be killed, are at least made
servants of the nation.
:24 So they answered Joshua and said, “Because
your servants were clearly told that the LORD your God commanded His servant
Moses to give you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land
from before you; therefore we were very much afraid for our lives because of
you, and have done this thing.
:24 we were very much afraid for
our lives
In a way, you can’t blame the Gibeonites for
saving their own lives.
If they had stood against Israel in battle, they would have been wiped out.
At least now they are spared.
Was this treaty with the Gibeonites a good thing
or a bad thing? Were they justified in
their deception?
It was certainly good for the Gibeonites. It will
be a bad thing for Israel.
The Gibeonites
saved their lives, but they did it in a way that wasn’t justifiable.
Mathew Henry: Had
they owned their country, but left its idolatries, giving up themselves
to the God of Israel, we have reason to think Joshua would have been directed
by the oracle of God to spare their lives.
In other words, they could have been honest with the
Israelites, pled for mercy, repented of their idolatries, and begged for the
mercy of God.
Was there precedence for this kind of thing?
Think of how Rahab the harlot was treated.
She was open and honest with the spies. She protected and helped them. She was from
the condemned peoples, yet she was spared and eventually absorbed into the
people of God.
The Gibeonites on the other
hand, apparently stayed separate.
Lesson
Tell the truth.
At least the Gibeonites
survived, huh? But they ended up as
slaves.
If they had told the truth, they might
have been directly incorporated into Israel.
It’s when we get to the truth and tell
the truth, that we continue to grow in the Lord.
Don’t be making excuses. Tell the truth.
(Eph 4:14–15 NKJV)
—14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about
with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness
of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all
things into Him who is the head—Christ—
:25 And now,
here we are, in your hands; do with us as it seems good and right to do to us.”
:26 So he did to them, and delivered them out of
the hand of the children of Israel, so that they did not kill them.
:27 And that day Joshua made them woodcutters and water carriers for the
congregation and for the altar of the LORD, in the place which He would choose,
even to this day.
:27 in the place which He would
choose
It is interesting to see that the
Gibeonites would continue to be a piece of the history of Israel.
In the days of Solomon, just prior
to building the Temple, Gibeon was the place where an altar was and where the
Tabernacle had been set up (2Chron. 1:3).
(2 Ch 1:3 NKJV) —3 Then Solomon, and all
the assembly with him, went to the high place that was at Gibeon; for the
tabernacle of meeting with God was there, which Moses the servant of the Lord had made in the wilderness.
In the days of Nehemiah, the
Gibeonites would be a part of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem (Neh. 3:7).
:14 they did not ask counsel of the
LORD
(Ne 3:7 NKJV) —7
And next to them Melatiah the Gibeonite, Jadon the Meronothite, the men of
Gibeon and Mizpah, repaired the residence of the governor of the region beyond
the River.
Lesson
Looks can be deceiving
The Israelites made their decision based on what these people said and upon
what their supplies looked like.
The problem is that sometimes people lie.
Some things aren’t what you think they are.
Paul wrote,
(2 Co 5:7 NKJV) For we walk by faith, not by sight.
Lesson
Trusting God’s Direction
(Jos 9:14 NKJV) —14 Then the men of
Israel took some of their provisions; but they did not ask counsel of the Lord.
They didn’t bother to ask God about this treaty.
God has some important tools to help us make the right decisions. Sometimes you don’t have the luxury or time
to use these things in making decisions, but these ought to be a part of most
of our decisions.
1. God’s Word
Has God already spoken about the decision that I’m facing?
For the Israelites, God had spoken about this, but they weren’t aware that
they were being deceived.
The Bible says,
(Ps 119:105 NKJV)
Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.
Directly: Sometimes God directs us with a clear
passage that speaks directly to our decision.
Suppose I’m in a relationship with a non-Christian, and things start to
get serious:
(2 Co 6:14–15 NKJV) —14 Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For
what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has
light with darkness? 15 And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part
has a believer with an unbeliever?
God clearly says I need to stay away from a close
relationship like marriage with an unbeliever.
Indirectly: Sometimes
God simply uses a passage to influence your decision.
Years ago when we were buying a house in Placentia, I was
getting kind of scared and wanted to back out of the deal. We had our old condo on the market for over a
month with no offers. I was afraid I was
going to get stuck with two mortgages. I
called up the realtor who was a very good close friend of mine and told him I
wanted to back out of the deal. Then I
sat down and had my Quiet Time, which was in Deuteronomy 1,
including these verses:
(Dt
1:21 NKJV)
Look, the LORD your God has set the land before you; go up and possess it, as
the LORD God of your fathers has spoken to you; do not fear or be discouraged.’
(Dt
1:26 NKJV)
“Nevertheless you would not go up, but rebelled against the command of the LORD
your God;
I called my friend up and got back into the deal. Our condo sold within that week and God
worked everything out just fine.
2. Prayer
It seems if they had just taken an extra day or two to pray about it, they
might have come to another conclusion.
God says,
(Je 33:3 NKJV) ‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and
show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’
James writes,
(Jas 1:5 NKJV) If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all
liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
You might think that there’s no point in asking, that the decision is so
plain and simple – but look at what happened to the Israelites.
Their decision seemed obvious, but it was also wrong.
3. Counsel
The Israelites didn’t seek counsel from God.
Often God will use other people in our lives to give us wise, godly
counsel.
(Pr
11:14 NKJV) Where there is no counsel, the people fall; But in the multitude of
counselors there is safety.
(Pr
15:22 NKJV) Without counsel, plans go awry, But in the multitude of counselors
they are established.
(Pr 24:6 NKJV) For by wise counsel you
will wage your own war, And in a multitude of counselors
there is safety.
Joshua
10
10:1-15 The Sun Stands Still
:1 Now it came to pass when Adoni-Zedek king of
Jerusalem heard how Joshua had taken Ai and had utterly destroyed it— as he had
done to Jericho and its king, so he had done to Ai and its king—and how the
inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were among them,
:2 that they feared greatly, because Gibeon was a
great city, like one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai,
and all its men were mighty.
:1 Adoni-Zedek
– “lord of righteousness”
Don’t confuse this fellow with Melchizedek, an earlier king of
Jerusalem.
Adoni-Zedek is a bad guy.
:2 Gibeon was a great city
They are afraid that if Gibeon has allied with Israel, that they are in big
trouble.
:3 Therefore Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem sent to Hoham
king of Hebron, Piram king of Jarmuth,
Japhia king of Lachish, and Debir
king of Eglon, saying,
:4 “Come up to me and help me, that we may attack
Gibeon, for it has made peace with Joshua and with the children of Israel.”
:3 Jerusalem … Hebron … Jarmuth … Lachish … Eglon
See map.
:4 attack Gibeon
They aren’t
going to attack Israel, but Gibeon.
Perhaps they want to make an example of Gibeon so other cities don’t make
treaties and ally with Israel.
:5 Therefore the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the
king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of
Lachish, and the king of Eglon, gathered together and
went up, they and all their armies, and camped before Gibeon and made war
against it.
:5 the five kings
Joshua has now taken the city of Jericho and Ai. But he took each of these individually.
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.
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.
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, helping out in the parking lot, or going to the Convalescent Hospital. But 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.
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 Pe 4:12 NKJV)
Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try
you, as though some strange thing happened to you;
(2 Ti 3:12 NKJV) Yes, and all who desire
to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.
And as you’re going to see with Joshua, the battles have just begun.
:6 And the men of Gibeon sent to Joshua at the camp at Gilgal,
saying, “Do not forsake your servants; come up to us quickly, save us and help
us, for all the kings of the Amorites who dwell in the mountains have gathered
together against us.”
:6 Gilgal
See map. It seems that the Israelites have made Gilgal to be their base of operations.
:7 So Joshua ascended from Gilgal,
he and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valor.
:8 And the LORD said to Joshua, “Do not fear them,
for I have delivered them into your hand; not a man of them shall stand before
you.”
This is actually going to be a good thing for Israel.
They are going to get to take care of five kings at once, instead of taking
their cities one by one. In fact, they
will end up conquering far more than five cities.
:9 Joshua therefore came upon them suddenly,
having marched all night from Gilgal.
:9 marched all night
The journey
from Gilgal to Gibeon is about 17 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 So the LORD routed them before Israel, killed
them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, chased them along the road that goes to
Beth Horon, and struck them down as far as Azekah and Makkedah.
:11 And it happened, as they fled before Israel and were on the descent of
Beth Horon, that the LORD cast down large hailstones
from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died.
There were more who died from the hailstones than the children of Israel killed
with the sword.
:10 Beth Horon
… Azekah … Makkedah
See map
:11 the LORD cast down large hailstones
God starts hurling huge hailstones at the enemy. They have to be fairly
large if they're going to be killing people.
Note:
While there were apparently a large number of enemies 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.
For example, how do you handle it
when someone starts slandering you to others?
David knew how to handle it. When he was fleeing for his life from his
rebellious son Absalom, he got some bad news:
(2 Sa 15:31 NKJV) —31 Then someone told
David, saying, “Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom.” And David
said, “O LORD, I pray, 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 Then Joshua spoke to the LORD in the day when
the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said
in the sight of Israel: “Sun, stand still over Gibeon; And Moon, in the Valley
of Aijalon.”
:12 Valley of Aijalon
See map
:12 Sun, stand still
Jesus said,
(Mt 17:20 NKJV) …for
assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to
this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be
impossible for you.
Joshua prayed and God slowed down the rotation of the earth!
Why does Joshua make this request?
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?
:13 So the sun stood still, And the moon stopped,
Till the people had revenge Upon their enemies. Is this not written in the Book
of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of
heaven, and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day.
: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 mentioned in:
(2
Sa 1:17–18 NKJV) —17 Then David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and
over Jonathan his son, 18 and he told them to teach the children of Judah the
Song of the Bow; indeed it is written in the Book of Jasher:
We don’t have any copies of the book.
:13 the sun stood still
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.
How did this occur?
Probably with a gradual slowing down, then speeding up of the earth's
rotation.
:14 And there
has been no day like that, before it or after it, that the LORD heeded the
voice of a man; for the LORD fought for Israel.
:14 the LORD heeded the
voice of a man
This is what prayer is all about.
Lesson
Nothing's impossible for God
What kind of situations are you facing?
We have a great God
(Is
40:12 NKJV) Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, Measured
heaven with a span And calculated the dust of the earth in a measure? Weighed
the mountains in scales And the hills in a balance?
Is there anything too difficult for the Lord?
(Je 32:17 NKJV) ‘Ah,
Lord GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and
the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard
for You.-
God is omnipotent.
There is nothing He can't do.
:15 Then Joshua returned, and all Israel with him,
to the camp at Gilgal.
10:16-27 Kings
Executed
:16 But these five kings had fled and hidden
themselves in a cave at Makkedah.
:16
in a cave at Makkedah
See map. Makkedah is up in the mountains
Since the
previous evening (including the march from Gilgal),
the army has travelled over 50 miles, going up and down hills along the way.
:17 And it was told Joshua, saying, “The five
kings have been found hidden in the cave at Makkedah.”
:18 So Joshua said, “Roll large stones against the
mouth of the cave, and set men by it to guard them.
:18
roll large stones
Joshua commanded that huge stones be moved to cover up the mouth of the
cave so the kings can't get out.
:19 And do not stay there yourselves, but pursue
your enemies, and attack their rear guard. Do not allow them to enter their
cities, for the LORD your God has delivered them into your hand.”
:20 Then it happened, while Joshua and the children of Israel made an end
of slaying them with a very great slaughter, till they had finished, that those
who escaped entered fortified cities.
:21 And all the people returned to the camp, to
Joshua at Makkedah, in peace. No one moved his tongue
against any of the children of Israel.
:21 No one moved his tongue
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 Canaanites. Don’t forget how wicked these people were.
But the Bible says:
(Ps 19:9b NKJV)
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.
In vs. 22-26…
Joshua has the army bring the kings out from their prison-cave and they are
put to death.
The bodies of the kings are hung on five trees until…
:22 Then Joshua said, “Open the
mouth of the cave, and bring out those five kings to me from the cave.”
:23 And they did so, and brought
out those five kings to him from the cave: the king of Jerusalem, the king of
Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon.
:24 So it was, when they brought
out those kings to Joshua, that Joshua called for all the men of Israel, and
said to the captains of the men of war who went with him, “Come near, put your
feet on the necks of these kings.” And they drew near and put their feet on
their necks.
:24 put your feet on the necks
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 Then Joshua said to them, “Do
not be afraid, nor be dismayed; be strong and of good courage, for thus the
LORD will do to all your enemies against whom you fight.”
:26 And afterward Joshua struck
them and killed them, and hanged them on five trees; and they were hanging on
the trees until evening.
:26 hanged them
The idea is that they were killed
and their bodies displayed by hanging them on the trees.
They were only hanged until
evening, then taken down, according to the Mosaic Law Deut. 21:23)
:27 So it was at the time of the going down of the
sun that Joshua commanded, and they took them down from the trees, cast them
into the cave where they had been hidden, and laid large stones against the
cave’s mouth, which remain until this very day.
:27 the time of the going down of the
sun
The “Long Day” of Joshua is finally over.
10:28-43 Southern
Conquest
In the next section, we see Joshua conquering one city after another.
(see
map) Joshua takes the cities of
Makkedah (:28) / Libnah
(:29) / Lachish (:31) / Gezer (:33)
Eglon (:34) / Hebron (:36) / Debir
(:38)
:28 On that day Joshua took
Makkedah, and struck it and its king with the edge of the sword. He utterly
destroyed them—all the people who were in it. He let none remain. He also did
to the king of Makkedah as he had done to the king of Jericho.
:29 Then Joshua passed from
Makkedah, and all Israel with him, to Libnah; and they fought against Libnah.
:30 And the LORD also delivered it
and its king into the hand of Israel; he struck it and all the people who were
in it with the edge of the sword. He let none remain in it, but did to its king
as he had done to the king of Jericho.
:31 Then Joshua passed from Libnah,
and all Israel with him, to Lachish; and they encamped against it and fought
against it.
:32 And the LORD delivered Lachish
into the hand of Israel, who took it on the second day, and struck it and all
the people who were in it with the edge of the sword, according to all that he
had done to Libnah.
:33 Then Horam king of Gezer came
up to help Lachish; and Joshua struck him and his people, until he left him
none remaining.
:34 From Lachish Joshua passed to
Eglon, and all Israel with him; and they encamped against it and fought against
it.
:35 They took it on that day and
struck it with the edge of the sword; all the people who were in it he utterly
destroyed that day, according to all that he had done to Lachish.
:36 So Joshua went up from Eglon,
and all Israel with him, to Hebron; and they fought against it.
:37 And they took it and struck it
with the edge of the sword—its king, all its cities, and all the people who
were in it; he left none remaining, according to all that he had done to Eglon,
but utterly destroyed it and all the people who were in it.
:38 Then Joshua returned, and all
Israel with him, to Debir; and they fought against it.
:39 And he took it and its king and
all its cities; they struck them with the edge of the sword and utterly
destroyed all the people who were in it. He left none remaining; as he had done
to Hebron, so he did to Debir and its king, as he had done also to Libnah and
its king.
:40 So Joshua conquered all the land: the mountain country and the South
and the lowland and the wilderness slopes, and all their kings; he left none
remaining, but utterly destroyed all that breathed, as the LORD God of Israel
had commanded.
:41 And Joshua conquered them from Kadesh Barnea as far as Gaza, and
all the country of Goshen, even as far as Gibeon.
Joshua has conquered the southern portion of the Promised Land.
:42 All these kings and their land Joshua took at
one time, because the LORD God of Israel fought for Israel.
:43 Then Joshua returned, and all Israel with him,
to the camp at Gilgal.
:42 Joshua took at one time
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 this 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.
(1 Pe
1:6–7 NKJV) —6
In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you
have been grieved by various trials, 7 that the genuineness of your faith,
being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire,
may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ,
I think we often get so caught up in our problems, and get so busy trying
to solve them, that we forget that God may be at work refining us and growing
us up.
God hasn’t abandoned you.
He’s there more than ever.