Prayer: Lord, guide my words and be in our understanding. In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Do you ever have those days when you feel like the whole world is against you?
Do you know that God is for you?
When we feel under attack, and nothing is going right then we need to cry out to God who, through Jesus’ death and resurrection, has conquered all things.
The Lord continually tells Joshua, ‘Do not be afraid for I am with you’. And the apostle Paul tells us in Romans 8, that… Christ Jesus who died – more than that, who was raised to life – is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us…we are more than conquerors through him who loved us…and nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Jesus Christ our Lord.
That is good news – yes!
Today we heard how Israel responded to the cry for help from the Gibeonites and how yet again the Lord fought and won the battle against their enemies.
If you haven’t read the previous chapter 9, a little summary is necessary.
After the successful capture of Ai and Jericho, the surrounding cities were getting worried that they might be next. The kings of the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites came together to wage war against Joshua and Israel.
However, the Gibeonites, who had also heard about the power of the Lord and the success of the Israelites, decided that it was wiser to join Israel, rather than fight them…
Unlike Rahab who declared who faith in Israel’s God and sought protection from them, the Gibeonites obviously didn’t think that was an option for them, so they used deception to come under Israel’s protection.
We read in chapter 9 how they pretended to have come from a far away country and were seeking a treaty with Israel. They tried to be clever with their deception, wearing old clothes, worn sandals, and carrying dry and moldy food!
Joshua obviously wasn’t initially quite convinced and asked who they were and where they had come from, but after testing the Gibeonites provisions they decided to believe that they had come from far away and without inquiring of the Lord made a rash decision to make a treaty of peace with them which was ratified with an oath by the leaders of the assembly.
Three days later the Israelites discovered the truth that the people they had just made a treaty with were neighbours and not from a country afar. The Israelites were angry, but they could not break their oath, even if it was given under false circumstances.
The Gibeonites might not have been honest like Rahab, but like her, they did acknowledge the greatness of Israel’s God and feared the Lord. When Joshua asks why they deceived him they answer…
“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. 25 We are now in your hands. Do to us whatever seems good and right to you.”
Joshua made them servants of Israel, but he did not kill them.
The Gibeonites are saved as they acknowledge the Lord.
This made all the other kings very angry with the Gibeonites for making peace with Israel.
But instead of surrendering they think that by joining forces they will be able to attack Gibeon. They didn’t factor in that God and the Israelites would now come to the Gibeonites rescue.
The Gibeonites hear news of the pending attack and send word to Joshua ‘Come up to us quickly and save us!’
Joshua could have thought this might have been a way to get back at the Gibeonites for their deception, by letting the other kings attack them. But he is faithful to his oath and treaty of peace. Just like Jesus came to rescue us, even when we didn’t deserve it.
They don’t just send a little army to show moderate support, no, we read that they march all night with the entire army and best fighting men.
Marching all night, they would have been tired, but this gives them an advantage of surprise. But again, it wasn’t the Israelites cleverness and strength that won this battle. It was the Lord!
Joshua is finally learning his lesson about needing to inquire of the Lord in all his plans and so we read that…
12 On the day the Lord gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the Lord in the presence of Israel:
“Sun, stand still over Gibeon,
and you, moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.”
13 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. 14 There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the Lord listened to a human being. Surely the Lord was fighting for Israel!
Much has been written about whether the Lord actually stopped the sun and the moon as it would cause great problems to the earth and how it spins on its axis!
I am not going to spend time debating whether that happened or not…of course the Lord who created heaven and earth can no doubt do whatever he likes with his creation without it being a problem! But also, Joshua’s poem may have been figurative language. Whatever the case, the Lord did use his power over creation to win this battle.
We read that the Lord hurled large hailstones down on the Amorites, and more of them died from the hail than were killed by the swords of the Israelites.
Who fought and won the battle of the Amorites? The Lord!
The Gibeonites called out to Joshua (who’s name like Jesus, means to deliver, to save) and the Lord came to their rescue.
If God is for us, says Paul in Romans 8, who can be against us?
Just like the Amorites could not stand against the Lord, neither can our enemies stand against us.
Jesus came to our rescue once and for all when he died on the cross and rose again and is at the right hand of God interceding for us.
Who do call upon when in trouble?
We need to call upon Jesus. For we will have troubles in this life and I’m sure we’ve all experienced our fair share of them.
Maybe you feel attacks from this world even today. Illness, relationship breakdowns, fear for the future, money worries, temptations, persecution or perhaps you’re just feeling worn down and broken. It is easy to listen to the news and feel afraid of war, of economic collapse, of the effects of climate change, of corruption, of diseases, of dictators and the list goes on…
As Christians, we are not promised a trouble-free life, but we are promised that God will never leave us or forsake us. He will come to us when we cry out to him. When we acknowledge that Jesus is our saviour, he comes to live in us and fills us with the Holy Spirit. Our lives are filled with Christ. And nothing can separate us from his love.
As Paul says 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? …
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[b] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
As God fought the battles for the Israelites, so he fights our battles, if we let him. Remember, Joshua and the Israelites and the battle of Ai? When they went in their own strength they were defeated.
So often we think we need to fight our own battles, be strong and independent. But God says that when we are weak then he is strong. We are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
Who loves us? God. He showed us his love by not sparing his own Son whom he sent to rescue us because we could not fight the battles in this world alone. We can not defeat sin and death…but Jesus has already defeated them.
Jesus suffered for us, and he knows our suffering and he journeys with us.
When you are feeling like the world is against you, remember that God is for us, and the world cannot stand against us. Call out to Jesus who not only lives in us but is interceding for us at God’s right hand. Remember that whatever life throws at us; disappointments, pain, suffering, loss, fear and even death itself; cannot separate us from the love of God in Jesus. We are dearly loved, completely forgiven, and forever set free through the grace of Jesus Christ.
Don’t try and battle on in your own strength, like the Gibeonites, acknowledge the greatness of God and call on him to come to your rescue.
Be strong and courageous
The Lord of the Ages
Holds all His little ones safe by His side
Be strong and courageous
The Lord of the Ages
Holds all His little ones safe
Let’s pray: Thank you that you love us, and you are for us Jesus. May we show others that we are not afraid because we trust and depend on you; you are our strength, our shield, and our redeemer. May we be witnesses of your mercy, grace, and love. In the wonderful name of Jesus we pray, Amen.