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“Today, Tomorrow And Yesterday!” •
1.19.14 • Calvary Christian Fellowship, Sunday Morning Service
Intro.
- In the first five chapters of Joshua, we
noted that God forges the character of His people, drawing them forward into Canaan
as a wholly sanctified people who will honor Him.
- God is concerned with your character. He is
more concerned with who you are than where you are going because where you are
going requires a character change for you to enjoy it!
- From chapter six through the end of chapter 12, we watch as the people of God enter
into a God ordained time of conflict with God's enemies in Canaan.
- These were real people in a real place in
history, whose experience instructs us in a typical fashion. Their Jericho was
physical, while our first big battle might be with unbelief.
- There is no direct "one to one"
corrolation between these events and our experience, but in each narrative,
there are principles, spiritual laws even, that govern the understanding of our
war.
- This morning, as we complete this section,
we'll take note of several principles that will define a healthy Christian's
warfare.
Text
• Joshua
11:1-5 : "And it came to pass, when Jabin king of Hazor heard these
things, that he sent to Jobab king of Madon, to the king of Shimron, to the
king of Achshaph, and to the kings who were from the north, in the mountains, in
the plain south of Chinneroth, in the lowland, and in the heights of Dor on the
west, to the
Canaanites in the east and in the west, the Amorite, the Hittite, the
Perizzite, the Jebusite in the mountains, and the Hivite below Hermon in the
land of Mizpah. So
they went out, they and all their armies with them, as many people as the sand
that is on the seashore in multitude, with very many horses and chariots. And when all these kings had met
together, they came and camped together at the waters of Merom to fight against
Israel." : After Israel's rout of the five
southern Kings, Jabin, King of Hazor amassed another coalition of nations to
come against Israel.
- Four Kings are mentioned, but there appear to
be many more than that who signed up for duty. To Jabin, the solution was not
force, but excessive force!
- Josephus reports that Jabin's force consisted
of 300,000 footmen, 10,000 cavalrymen or horsemen and 20,000 charioteers.
- This is the largest and most technologically
advanced force that Joshua has had to contend with to date, though by sheer
number of men, Israel still outnumbered them 2 to 1.
- Joshua has cut off a united Canaan, but a
final standing ground was made at the waters of Merom, an outlet from the north
western corner of the sea of Galilee by these northern cities.
- Notice that with each episode and with each
progression forward, the conflict has become increasingly tense. As you grow,
as your capacity to trust the Lord grows, expect the same.
- You and I can take comfort in the fact that
God had not allowed anything to overwhelm or overtake them and He will not fail
us either.
•
Joshua 11:6-11 : "But the Lord said to Joshua, 'Do not be afraid
because of them, for tomorrow about this time I will deliver all of them slain
before Israel. You shall hamstring their horses and burn their chariots with
fire.' So Joshua
and all the people of war with him came against them suddenly by the waters of
Merom, and they attacked them. And the Lord delivered them into the hand of Israel, who defeated them and
chased them to Greater Sidon, to the Brook Misrephoth, and to the Valley of
Mizpah eastward; they attacked them until they left none of them remaining. So Joshua did to them as the Lord had told him: he hamstrung their
horses and burned their chariots with fire. Joshua turned back at that time and took
Hazor, and struck its king with the sword; for Hazor was formerly the head of
all those kingdoms. And they struck all the
people who were in it with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying them.
There was none left breathing. Then he burned Hazor with fire." : This is the 4th time in the book of Joshua that God tells him
"Do not be afraid." We do not resent the repitition, as we need to
hear it often as well.
-
Remember always that fear is a choice! We can choose not to be afraid, first,
because God is our God as well! What shall we fear in this life that is bigger
than Him? Who is more powerful?
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"But they have horses and chariots!" God tells them that the things
that they are concerned about today will not be a problem tomorrow! How many
things in life are like that!?
-
Our issues are extraordinary in the moment, but are usually distant and fading
memories not too long after they have reared their heads!
-
The very next day God was going to deliver all of their enemies slain before
Israel.
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After they dealt with their enemies, God instructed the Israelites to hamstring
or sever the tendons of the horses which would make them unfit for war but not
service, and to burn the chariots.
-
Israel was never to trust in anything other than the Lord. This
"technology" was not to be used by the Israelites. God was to be
their sole defense.
-
As with the previous campaign, Joshua did not waste any time, but came up and
attacked the northern army. They left none remaining and did what the Lord
commanded.
•
Joshua 11:12-15 : "So all the cities of those kings,
and all their kings, Joshua took and struck with the edge of the sword. He
utterly destroyed them, as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded. But as for the cities that stood on
their mounds, Israel burned none of them, except Hazor only, which Joshua
burned. And all
the spoil of these cities and the livestock, the children of Israel took as
booty for themselves; but they struck every man with the edge of the sword
until they had destroyed them, and they left none breathing. As the Lord had commanded Moses his servant,
so Moses commanded Joshua, and so Joshua did. He left nothing undone of all
that the Lord had commanded Moses." : Some of these cities remained standing. Only Hazor, the lead
city, was burned to the ground.
-
Joshua left nothing undone of all that the Lord commanded Moses. What an
important concept to commit ourselves to.
-
Is there an open door for you to re-enter a sinful lifestyle? Is there a
foothold in your life where the enemy can re-take territory?
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Often people come to Christ not understanding that there must also be a
simultaneous break from habits and influence that is overtly worldly. Come to
Him fully and never look back!
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That's what Joshua could say by leaving nothing undone in his wake!
•
Joshua 11:16-20 : "Thus Joshua took all this land: the
mountain country, all the South, all the land of Goshen, the lowland, and the
Jordan plain—the mountains of Israel and its lowlands, from Mount Halak and the ascent to
Seir, even as far as Baal Gad in the Valley of Lebanon below Mount Hermon. He
captured all their kings, and struck them down and killed them. Joshua made war a long time with
all those kings. There was not a city that made peace with the children of
Israel, except the Hivites, the inhabitants of Gibeon. All the others they took
in battle. For
it was of the Lord to harden their hearts, that they
should come against Israel in battle, that He might utterly destroy them, and that
they might receive no mercy, but that He might destroy them, as the Lord had commanded Moses." : Joshua sketches out the entirety of the northern campaign, a
windfall of territory covering an estimated 8,000 square miles.
-
These are only a few verses, but it represents a prolonged campaign with little
relief as not one group sought for peace! The entire time of warfare from
Jericho to the North took over 7 years.
-
Spiritual growth never happens overnight and never happens without a sustained
commitment to take more ground!
-
This brings us to a difficult scripture. Canaan did not seek for peace, which
was "of" or prompted by the Lord, who hardened their hearts,
expressing the idea of making something firm.
-
Consider the facts: God gave them over 400 years to repent from their rejection
of Him and their reception of a idolatrous lifestyle. They repeatedly refused.
-
Frankly, It's much more remarkable that He stays His hand and allows His
kindness to lead some to repentance.
-
"What about individuals that were not willing to go along with their
societies way of life?" There may have been individuals who defected,
though I'm sure they would have been mentioned.
-
We'd love to believe that there are some really good people out there that are
just caught up with the wrong people.
-
When God considered the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, He promised to spare the
nation for just ten righteous people! (Genesis
18:32,33)
-
Indeed it seems that there were none who were willing to be Israel's captives
beside Gibeon. If there had been, the Mosaic law provided for how they were to
be treated.
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A final objection might sound like this: "What about man's response to
God? If God hardened their heart, how can we not say that everything is
pre-determined or fated?"
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To comprehend any unclear portion of scripture, it's best to recall the things
that are clear. If there has been a previous mention of a concept, studying
that usually sheds a great deal of light.
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In the book of Exodus, God
confronted the Pharaoh, who strongly resisted God's authority. The Bible tells
us plainly, repeatedly, that Pharaoh hardened his own heart against God.
-
He kept refusing to let go of his Kingdom, refusing to bow himself before the
God of the Universe. In a calculated way, God began to tear down all that he
trusted in.
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Every judgment that God levied upon the nation of Egypt was a direct
desecration of a god that the Egyptians worshipped, whether it was the Nile or
the Sun.
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Still, Pharaoh resisted despite the obvious nature of the wonders, both in
their specific targets and their timing relative to Moses' prayers.
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Five specific times, Pharaoh hardened his heart. Then, in a frightening turn, Exodus 9:12 tells us that God hardened
his heart. God made the decision firm and final.
-
That is what has happened here. The enemies of God have their chance and have
resisted God's mercy and grace over and over again. Now, they were doomed.
-
The end result was utter destruction at the hands of the people of God, who
were used as the instruments of God's wrath on this occasion.
-
Today, Christians are given a different mandate: To share the gospel of Jesus
Christ, that His death might be counted toward the debt that we owe.
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However, there are many who live today who will resist as well. Perhaps you are
one of them. I pray that is not the case! Today if you hear His voice, don't
resist!
•
Joshua 11:21-23 : "And at that time Joshua came and
cut off the Anakim from the mountains: from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab, from
all the mountains of Judah, and from all the mountains of Israel; Joshua
utterly destroyed them with their cities. None of the Anakim were left in the
land of the children of Israel; they remained only in Gaza, in Gath, and in
Ashdod. So
Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the Lord had said to Moses; and
Joshua gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their divisions by
their tribes. Then the land rested from war." : With the major cities in the North and South conquered, Joshua
attends to the pockets of Anakim cities surrounding the land of Israel.
-
The Anakim are mentioned several times in Deuteronomy
as giants whose stature caused fear to run through the heart of men.
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In fact, it had been the sight of the Anakim that had been cited as a principle
reason to not enter the land the first time Israel came to Canaan's borders!
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God called the people to conquer them last. Remember that God is the one who
chooses what is next for you to conquer in His life! The Anakim would wait
until the end.
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They dwelt in the mountain areas, which Joshua engaged, destroying their cities
as well. The final remnants of these giants dwelt in the land held by the
Philistines, where Goliath will be raised!
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At this time, the majority of Canaan had been vanquished and the land rested
from war. There were no more major offensives on the docket. The land is
generally conquered.
• Joshua
12:1-6 : "These are the kings of
the land whom the children of Israel defeated, and whose land they possessed on
the other side of the Jordan toward the rising of the sun, from the River Arnon
to Mount Hermon, and all the eastern Jordan plain: One
king was Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt in Heshbon and ruled half of
Gilead, from Aroer, which is on the bank of the River Arnon, from the middle of
that river, even as far as the River Jabbok, which is the border of the
Ammonites, and the eastern Jordan plain from the
Sea of Chinneroth as far as the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea), the road to
Beth Jeshimoth, and southward below the slopes of Pisgah. The
other king was Og king of Bashan and his territory, who was of the remnant of
the giants, who dwelt at Ashtaroth and at Edrei, and
reigned over Mount Hermon, over Salcah, over all Bashan, as far as the border
of the Geshurites and the Maachathites, and over half of Gilead to the border
of Sihon king of Heshbon. These Moses the servant of the Lord and the children of Israel had
conquered; and Moses the servant of the Lord had given it as a possession to the Reubenites, the Gadites,
and half the tribe of Manasseh." : Chapter 12 gives us a retrospective of all the
years of war and the general conquering of the land of Canaan. In all of Moses'
life, he only had to supervise two major wars.
- Both Kings had been aggressive against the
Israelites and both were vanguished. We studied these more thoroughly in Numbers 21, which I'd encourage you to
revisit.
- Suffice it to say, these two battles built
the confidence of the Israelites before they crossed over the Jordan River and
became symbols of God's ability to overcome overwhelming odds.
- God defeated these cities and these great
Kings, who were well known. Afterward, God awarded this land to the Reubenites,
Gadites and Manassites.
- One could get the idea that Moses was not as
great a military commander as Joshua. That is by no means the case! Josephus
tells us that Moses was a celebrated Egyptian commander.
- Moses' mission was much more Pastoral, moving
the people from this place to that, governing over their mishaps and teaching
them the place of the law in their lives.
- His two military conquests simply opened the
door for Joshua to "take it from there."
•
Joshua 12:7-24 : "And these are the kings of the
country which Joshua and the children of Israel conquered on this side of the
Jordan, on the west, from Baal Gad in the Valley of Lebanon as far as Mount
Halak and the ascent to Seir, which Joshua gave to the tribes of Israel as a
possession according to their divisions, in the mountain country, in the
lowlands, in the Jordan plain, in the slopes, in the wilderness, and in the
South—the Hittites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites,
and the Jebusites: the king of Jericho, one; the king of Ai, which is beside
Bethel, one; the
king of Jerusalem, one; the king of Hebron, one; the king of Jarmuth, one; the king
of Lachish, one; the king of Eglon, one; the king of Gezer, one; the king of Debir, one; the king of
Geder, one; the
king of Hormah, one; the king of Arad, one; the king of Libnah, one; the king
of Adullam, one; the king of Makkedah, one; the king of Bethel, one; the king of Tappuah, one; the king
of Hepher, one; the king of Aphek, one; the king of Lasharon, one; the king of Madon, one; the king of
Hazor, one; the
king of Shimron Meron, one; the king of Achshaph, one; the king of Taanach, one; the king
of Megiddo, one; the king of Kedesh, one; the king of Jokneam in Carmel, one; the king of Dor in the heights of
Dor, one; the king of the people of Gilgal, one; the king of Tirzah, one—all the
kings, thirty-one." : Thirty one Kings defeated
equals thirty one victories that the Israelites enjoyed. These names mean
nothing to us, but to the children of Israel, these were hostile enemies.
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One by one, as the names were read, there was an acknowledgement of what God
had done in each battle. Yes, we're ignorant of the details, but they weren't.
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They would remember the sights and the sounds, the fears and the doubts, the
smiles on the faces of the victorious ones and the riches that came to the
victors.
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They could look back and thank God that they stood established in a land that
was for all intents and purposes, completely under their control.
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It took 7 years of prolonged conflict to bring this to pass. We read it in
about 90 seconds.
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It's one King at a time, sometimes a few at once, but then something wonderful
happens. You look back and there are 31 that lay behind you!
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"31 Kings? Was it really that many?" As they looked back, all the
fear and doubt were washed away in the awesome acknowledgement of the Lord's
power to bring them here.
Conclusion
- God will allow your pressure to increase, but will always meet you with
His Presence. As you are faithful to cut off every sinful stronghold, He will
meet you with His peace.
- When you have walked steadily and obediently,
you will be blown away by His power that sustained you and led you through
every victory.
- If this section teaches us anything, it is
this: In the Lord, today there will be a battle, tommorow there will be victory
and yesterday will yield a testimony!
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