Peace

"Joshua waged war a long time with all these kings. There was not a city which made peace with the sons of Israel except the Hivites living in Gibeon; they took them all in battle... So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the Lord had spoken to Moses, and Joshua gave it for an inheritance to Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. Thus the land had rest from war." -Joshua 11.18-19, 23

Joshua fought a long time with the kings that lived in the land God had promised Abraham's descendants. Only the Gibeonites made peace with Israel, through deception, but every other city was conquered in the long and hard fought campaign. Israel crossed the Jordan after forty years of wandering the wilderness, seven years and thirty-one kings later they finally have possession of the land, and the land had rest from war.

Battle was the only way to take the land. It was an exceedingly good place, but it was inhabited, and those who lived there were not willing to give it up. If Israel was going to take possession of it, they would have to fight for it. The few chapters where Joshua's victories are recorded make it seem like only a few weeks, months at most. But looking at time frames from Joshua 14 and Deuteronomy 2 show that this was a seven year endeavor. This was a long, hard fought, at times discouraging, conquest, but finally it came to an end. The battles will eventually end, and we will have peace and be able to enjoy what we have won.

I think of The Lord of the Rings. I don't have a lot of time to play video games, but one that I love is called Aragorn's Quest, it's a kids game, but it tells the story of The Lord of the Rings from the point of view of Samwise Gamgee reading the red book written by Frodo to his children. You play through the highlights of the story as Aragorn, but inbetween you are playing as Frodo Gamgee, Sam's son. You run through the Shire learning the skills required in the rest of the game. It shows a time of peace and celebration after a hard fought victory.

Wars don't last forever. In the midst of struggle it might seem eternal, but it isn't. God commanded Joshua to be strong and courageous because he had a long and difficult task ahead of him, but it was a task that would one day be completed. War would end, and Israel would have rest from war and peace.

Men, if you are engaged in a battle, stand strong. Endure it knowing that it will not last forever. The war will end, and if we are faithful and obedient to God, we will stand victoriously at the end. There will come a time when the enemies are defeated, and we will know peace. War does not last forever, so be strong and courageous, fighting to the end, and you will have peace.

Let us be men who are resolved to stand firm to the end. Let us achieve victory and in that find rest from war and peace.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

Giants

"Then Joshua came at that time and cut off the Anakim from the hill country, from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab and from all the hill country of Judah and from all the hill country of Israel. Joshua utterly destroyed them with their cities. There were no Anakim left in the land of the sons of Israel; only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod some remained." -Joshua 11.21-22

I remember the first time I read Numbers 14 where it talks about the descendants of Anak. They are described as large and strong, and when I first thought of this my mind went to Goliath. I wondered if the giant David killed was related in some way. Here in Joshua 11 we find the answer. Joshua leads a campaign to take the hill country from the Anakim and he destroys them. The text says that there are none left in Israel, only in Gaza in Gath. Jump ahead to 1 Samuel 17.4 "Then a champion came out from the armies of the Philistines named Goliath, from Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span." Goliath was a descendant of the Anakim who would rise to torment Israel in the future.

The question then rises could Goliath have been prevented. What if Joshua had marched on Gaza, destroyed Gath, and wiped out the Anakim? Israel may have avoided Philistine oppression, but then there wouldn't have been a need for the champion David. Does God leave giants for others to fight, or does He raise up champions to fight those we leave alive? I think the answer is yes.

There are "Goliaths" that we are to take on, and some that we aren't. Our individual gifts, passions, and experiences, equip us to take on certain giants, but not others. There are giants we are never meant to take on, but God will raise up a champion to slay those giants. Joshua's giants lived in the hill country from Judah to Israel, and those giants he utterly destroyed. David's giant came from Gath, and he killed him with his own sword.

Men, what is your giant? What makes you righteously angry? What causes oppression that you must fight against? Are you fighting your giant or someone elses?

Let us be men who courageously fight and slay the giants.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

Cover Your Back

"Then Joshua turned back at that time, and captured Hazor and struck its king with the sword; for Hazor formerly was the head of all these kingdoms. They struck every person who was in it with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying them; there was no one left who breathed. And he burned Hazor with fire." -Joshua 11.10-11

In the midst of a battle Israel is pursuing and destroying a defeated enemy. As they do they pass by Hazor, another city. Once they have finished the battle, Joshua turns back and takes Hazor. He cannot leave an enemy city within the land they have already taken, otherwise they are fighting enemies on two fronts. And if there is a traitor within they can be subtly destroyed. Joshua does not make that mistake, he finishes the current battle, and then turns around to cover his back.

Think what an enemy behind you can do. A few years ago there was a movie called The Eagle that told the story of a lost Roman legion and how the commanders son goes in search of their symbol of honor. On his journey he encounters one of his father's soldiers who is now living among the people of Britain. He tells them how the legion fell. They were marching through a forest and the enemy began to pick soldiers off from the back, one by one. They were looking for open ground to use their battle tactics, but after a while they stopped marching and turned to fight them. They stood back to back and engaged in battle.

Men, we must cover our backs. We cannot leave anything behind us that can rise up and attack us. We cannot leave an opportunity for an enemy to subtly strike. If we leave an enemy alive behind the lines, everything falls apart.

Let us be men who cover our backs. Let us deal with things as they come up, never pushing them to the side and forgetting about them in the desire to advance. Let us turn back when we must so that we are not taken out down the road.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor