Victory and Judgement

Introduction

Last week we saw a very unusual day. The sun stayed out for twice as long, God sent hailstones down on Israel’s enemies. Crazy stuff. God fought for Israel and they won decisively.

This week we will follow the Israelites as they travel through the land winning victory after victory fulfilling the promises of God.

The Amorite kings are executed Joshua 10:16-27

Instead of defeating the Israelites the 5 kings were defeated and executed per God’s instructions. They tried to hide in a cave and found there was nowhere they could hid from what God wanted to happen.

Next the Israelites set off on a campaign to defeat the entire land. We won’t read more than just a summary of it.

The Southern Campaign Joshua 10:28-43

Joshua 10:40–43 ESV

40 So Joshua struck the whole land, the hill country and the Negeb and the lowland and the slopes, and all their kings. He left none remaining, but devoted to destruction all that breathed, just as the Lord God of Israel commanded. 41 And Joshua struck them from Kadesh-barnea as far as Gaza, and all the country of Goshen, as far as Gibeon. 42 And Joshua captured all these kings and their land at one time, because the Lord God of Israel fought for Israel. 43 Then Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to the camp at Gilgal.

Note again this is done at the command of God. God has a right to command and give these things.

Next the Israelites turn north in the land.

The Northern Campaign Joshua 11:1-15

We won’t take time to read through all the victories won in the northern part of Israel. We just want to note one passage.

Joshua 11:15 ESV

15 Just 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.

The Israelites fought from north to South winning victory after victory.

Summaries of the victories Joshua 11:16-23; 12:7-24

Next Joshua steps back and summarizes all the victories fought through the land. This takes one and a half chapters. I won’t read the whole passage but I want you to see one thing.

Joshua 11:21–22 ESV

21 And 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 devoted them to destruction with their cities. 22 There was none of the Anakim left in the land of the people of Israel. Only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod did some remain.

Remember who the Anakim were? They were giants! They were a family of men and some women taller and bigger than Mitch!

Remember all those years ago when the spies were so afraid?

Numbers 13:22 ESV

22 They went up into the Negeb and came to Hebron. Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the descendants of Anak, were there. (Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.)

Numbers 13:33 ESV

33 And there we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim), and we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them.”

40 years earlier the people had seen the anakim giants and they trembled in fear. Yet now, years later they are little more than a footnote, a short mention in the record of victories won by Israel.

When you add God to the equation giants become smaller. Problems that dwarf us become solvable. When we follow God’s leading impossible things become possible.

Lessons learned from the conquest of the land:

The Lord is righteous.

In sending Israel through the land God was judging the land for terrible sin. All the men and women throughout the land had the opportunity to turn and repent from their sins like the prostitute Rahab and many refused.

Opening Up Joshua The Righteousness of the Lord

Instead of lamenting the judgement of ancient Canaanites, we would do well to lament the judgement that will come our way if we do not repent.

The people who lived in the land were extraordinarily wicked people and God was using Israel to judge them. They had many opportunities to surrender or recognize God’s work like Rahab did but they just kept coming against and fighting the Israelites.

Joshua 11:20 ESV

20 For it was the Lord’s doing to harden their hearts that they should come against Israel in battle, in order that they should be devoted to destruction and should receive no mercy but be destroyed, just as the Lord commanded Moses.

One of the ways God judges sinners is by allowing their hearts to become hard against the truth and against righteousness. He did that with Pharaoh and He allowed this through land of Israel.

If we constantly reject God’s truth God can judge us by hardening our hearts against the truth. We can see this in friends and family who are far from God. We can see this in our own lives when we refuse to acknowledge the truth about sin in our lives.

We must pray for friends and family who don’t know God. Sometimes it will take a miraculous act to turn their hearts from sin to God. God can soften hardened hearts but we need to be paitent and persistent

We must guard our own hearts from becoming hardened by sin.

Hebrews 3:13 ESV

13 But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

To exhort means to encourage, talk, challenge each other. Exhort your spouse to follow God with you today. Talk about your faith with friends. Find other friends who are committed to living holy lives and spend time encouraging each other.

The Lord is faithful.

Every victory here is a reminder that God keeps His promises. Every battle after battle is just another time God keeps a promises.

What promises has God made that you need to remember today? How do you need to trust Him today?

The Lord is sufficient

The Israelites participated and said “Yes” to the Lord but it was the Lord who fought for Israel. It was the Lord who acted and won battles for the people of Israel.

Notice that the people of Israel also wiped out the Anakim? These were the giants everyone was so afraid of 40 years earlier!

Opening Up Joshua The Sufficiency of the Lord

The giants had not shrunk when the new crop of Israelites came on the scene. The difference was that the new Israelites believed that their God was greater than giants.

Isn’t amazing how often we face problem with fear lacking confidence in the power of God to provide? Yet so often God shows Himself as more than sufficient to provide for our needs

Conclusion

God’s judgement is as sure as gravity, what’s one thing you can do to act on this truth this week?

What challenges are you facing this week? How will God’s sufficiency help you with these challenges?