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Wednesday, February 21, 2018

Joshua Chapter 10 - The Battle Belongs to the Lord

Forgive me for beginning chapter 10 late.  This is a chapter packed with victory and honored covenants.  It took me a little bit to get through it and there are several things that come out of Chapter 10 for me, but the first thing I want to look at in this chapter is a concept that we talk about a lot, but do we truly believe it or allow it as a foundational principle in our lives?

The Battle Belongs to the Lord.
He will fight for us as He has promised. 

So, let's set the stage of chapter 10 and then dive right in.  The chapter opens saying the kings in the area greatly feared the fall of Jericho, Ai, and Gibeon.  According to verse 2, Gibeon was a larger city than Ai and had might warriors.  The King of Jerusalem called out to the kings of surrounding areas and asked for their help so they could go down to Gibeon because they aligned themselves with Joshua and the children of Israel.  With an attack imminent, Gibeon called on Joshua and reminded him of their covenant and Joshua and the children of Israel made the trek to Gibeon.  Verse 8 says:


Joshua 10:8  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."

God told Joshua not to be afraid of them that He had delivered the kings into Joshua's hands.  Don't fear is a constant message from God to Joshua.  Don't we get afraid frequently?  Don't we fear when the mountain seems to high to climb or our enemies outnumber us?  I think we can learn this lesson among many from Joshua:  Do not fear!  

God also told Joshua that He had delivered the enemies into Joshua's hands and that none of them would stand before Joshua.  


Joshua 10:9-10  Joshua therefore came upon them suddenly, having marched all night from Gilgal.  (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.

Not only did God tell Joshua not to be afraid of the enemy, but God "routed" them before Israel.  Do you know what that means?  God disturbed, destroyed, broke, consumed, vexed, and troubled the enemy.  God slaughtered them, verse 10 says.  Then the enemy started to flee from the face of Israel.  They tried to get away from the slaughter.  What did God do?


Joshua 10:11  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.

There were more killed by hailstones from Heaven than by the swords of the children of Israel.  God did what He said He had already done.  He delivered the enemies into their hands.  God delivered victories to Joshua, just as He said He would.  He delivered those victories as Joshua sought to honor a covenant he had made with the people that wanted to be made the Israelites' servants.  We have to remember the things and people we make covenants to are important.  What we commit ourselves to we are bound to.  Joshua knew that and as a result God honored the fact that Joshua was willing to fight on behalf of those he had made Israel's servants.  I am probably talking in circles here, but I want to make one thing clear.  

Joshua 10:14  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.

The Lord fights for us and it His battle.  David knew this and said so to Goliath and the Philistines on the battlefield.  


1 Samuel 17:47  Then all this assembly shall know that the LORD does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the LORD's, and He will give you into our hands."

Joshua and the children of Israel did not try and fight outside of what God had planned for the battle.  They did not run ahead thinking they were going to win on their own.  They went trusting the Lord to do what He promised He would do.  Unlike Joshua, our fight is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, powers, rulers of darkness and spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12).  Sometimes it would be much easier for us if we could physically see our enemy, but then we would not rely on God for deliverance and safety.  We would not give Him glory and thanks for a battle won because we could have done it all.  So, do not be afraid!  God has already delivered the enemy into our hands.  We are victorious because Jesus was victorious.  He disarmed the principalities and powers (Colossians 2:15).

So, why do we give the things Jesus disarmed power over us once again through fear? 

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