July 03 2024

Wednesday July 03

Believing God’s Divine Promise

Joshua 10:6-11

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."

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."

9 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.

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.

The king of Jerusalem enlisted four other kings to join him in attacking the Gibeonites because of the peace they had made with the Joshua and the rulers of Israel. In Joshua 10:1-5, they surrounded the great city of Gibeon and were proceeding to destroy it.

In verse 6, the Gibeonites' sent word to Joshua pleading for help. In spite of their paganism, these Gibeonites are a good example for people to follow today. When they knew they were headed for destruction, they came to Joshua, whose name means, "Jehovah is Savior", and obtained from him a promise of protection. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if every lost sinner realize their plight and turn to Jesus Christ by faith! When the Gibeonites found themselves in danger, they believed Joshua's promise and called on him for help.

The same should be true for believers who find themselves overwhelmed with the burdens and battles of life. This reminds me of the testimony of David in Psalm 34:4-8; “I sought the LORD, and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears. They looked to Him and were radiant, And their faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried out, and the LORD heard him, And saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the LORD encamps all around those who fear Him, And delivers them. Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!” The Gibeonites turned the whole burden over to Joshua and trusted him to keep his word, and he did.

This time in verses 8-15, Joshua waited to hear from the Lord before he engaged the army of Israel in battle. It appears that at least three factors combined to give Joshua success in this attack: believing a divine promise (v. 8), using sound strategy (v. 9), and calling on the Lord in prayer (vv. 10-15).

In verse 8, the Lord gave Joshua a promise of victory over the enemy. Joshua's actions here illustrate two important verses: "Whatsoever is not of faith is sin" (Romans 14:23) and "faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17). Whenever we believe the promises of God and obey the commands of God, we act by faith and can expect God's help. The Jews didn't have to be afraid because God had already promised them victory. God's promises of victory had encouraged Joshua when he became leader of the nation (Josh. 1:5-9), when he anticipated attacking Jericho (6:2), and when he attacked Ai after a humiliating defeat (8:1). God's promises would be fulfilled because "there has not failed one word of all His good promise" (1 Kings 8:56).

But faith apart from works is dead, and Joshua proved his faith by using wise strategy. In verse 9b, Joshua ordered an all-night march and a surprise attack on the enemy army, strategy he had used before when attacking Ai (Joshua 8:3). It was a long trek from Gilgal to Gibeon, and the road was uphill; but Joshua assembled his troops and made the journey as quickly as possible. No doubt the men were weary when they arrived, but the Lord was with them and gave them victory. What kept the soldiers going? They believed God's promise and knew that the victory was assured.

God assisted the weary Jewish soldiers by killing the enemy army with large hailstones. The timely occurrence of the storm was itself a miracle, but an even greater miracle was the fact that the stones hit only the enemy soldiers. God took His special "ammunition" out of His storehouse and used it to good advantage (Job 38:22-23). When God's people are obeying God's will, everything in the universe works for them, even "the stars in their courses" (Judges 5:20). When we disobey God's will, everything works against us. Just remember Jonah for a vivid illustration of this truth.

The Gibeonites believed Joshua’s promise, and Joshua believed the Lord’s promise! And so should we!

God Bless!