The Warrior King

I love war movies…and I really don’t have a preference for era. I’m just as good watching “Braveheart” as I am the new Chris Pratt movie on Amazon, “The Tomorrow War.” I still cry at certain part of “Saving Private Ryan,” especially when an old and wrinkled James Ryan asks his family in Arlington, “Tell me I’ve lived a good life.” And my patriot-nerve twitches when I watch “The Patriot.” I’ll check out the window to make sure there are no Red Coats sneaking in the back yard…just kidding…kind of. Shanna could do without all of those movies, and that’s cool. She’s missing out! But I believe there is something in the nature of men, something revealed in this passage of Scripture about the character of our Creator, you know, the One whose image we’re made in, that resonates for us guys, and it comes out in those movies. Join me this morning in Joshua 10, a sermon entitled “The Warrior King.”

An Ill-Advised Alliance (vv.1-5)

First, an unanswered question: will God be for Israel because of their faithfulness to the Gibeonite covenant, or will YHWH judge Israel because of the Gibeonite covenant?

The report of Ai and Jericho threatens the Amorites.

A subsequent question: will Israel actually be faithful to their Gibeonite covenant? This would provide an easy out…let the Gibeonites be destroyed by someone else.

What’s in a name?

One place: Salem/Jerusalem

Melchizedek vs. Adoni-zedek, “king of righteousness” vs. “lord of righteousness”

Two paths: the blessing of Abraham vs. a war with Abraham’s descendants

Where will our alliance fall, with the king of righteousness or with the lord of righteousness?

A Fighter to be Feared (vv.6-28)

Israel honors its covenant, proving itself to be a faithful community:

Joshua 10:6–7 CSB

Then the men of Gibeon sent word to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal: “Don’t give up on your servants. Come quickly and save us! Help us, for all the Amorite kings living in the hill country have joined forces against us.” So Joshua and all his troops, including all his best soldiers, came from Gilgal.

Then, YHWH finally speaks, and His words affirm His promise:

Joshua 10:8 CSB

The Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them, for I have handed them over to you. Not one of them will be able to stand against you.”

But even more, YHWH is shown to be an active combatant against the Amorite kings. We’ve reiterated that the taking of the Land is not arbitrary violence. Rather, it is the just wrath of God against a rebellious people. Remember the contrast of “righteousness” between the two kings of “Salem/Jerusalem.” Now, consider:

Genesis 15:16 CSB

In the fourth generation they will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.”

To leave no doubt about YHWH’s involvement in the conflict, the writer notes YHWH threw them into confusion and YHWH threw large hailstones on them. God was so active in the battle that more people died from the hail than the Israelites killed with the sword!

Particular care is given to show the Lord’s unique involvement. As Joshua prays, YHWH listened to a man. How does the reader know this to be the case? Because the LORD fought for Israel. Concerning this prayer:

It was a petition offered in confidence of God’s will. Joshua knew that YHWH had given them the victory and he petitioned God accordingly.

We can expect God to answer us when we call to Him, especially when we ask in the name of Jesus — or — according to Jesus’ will — or — as if Jesus were asking it.

We shouldn’t expect God to always act in a similar manner. There has been no day like it before or since, when the LORD listened to a man.

Ultimately, the text is taking particular care to show God fighting on Israel’s behalf. It is answering the question of whether or not God would be faithful to Israel in light of the Gibeonite covenant.

God gives a full victory.

Joshua 10:20 CSB

So Joshua and the Israelites finished inflicting a terrible slaughter on them until they were destroyed, although a few survivors ran away to the fortified cities.

Their conquest of the Amorites are seen in the fact that no one dared to threaten the Israelites (v.21b) and the kings are destroyed and treated as the king of Ai.

Joshua 10:24–27 CSB

When they had brought the kings to him, Joshua summoned all the men of Israel and said to the military commanders who had accompanied him, “Come here and put your feet on the necks of these kings.” So the commanders came forward and put their feet on their necks. Joshua said to them, “Do not be afraid or discouraged. Be strong and courageous, for the Lord will do this to all the enemies you fight.” After this, Joshua struck them down and executed them. He hung their bodies on five trees and they were there until evening. At sunset Joshua commanded that they be taken down from the trees and thrown into the cave where they had hidden. Then large stones were placed against the mouth of the cave, and the stones are still there today.

Now remember, Joshua should probably be taken as prophetic narrative, which means it is teaching us about the character of God through salvation history. What do we learn about God, particularly in these verses?

YHWH is a faithful God. Has Israel messed up? Missed the mark? Made hasty decision? Placed themselves in moral conundrums? Yes, but God is gracious, merciful, and faithful to His promises. I bet there are people in the congregation that need to be reminded of this: yeah, you’ve failed. Missed the mark. It was a hasty and foolish decision. You are in a moral conundrum. But God’s grace is sufficient, and He is not through with you yet.

YHWH is a warrior as well. The idea of fierce God, an utterly competent warrior has seemingly been discarded in the church today. A God that hurls hailstones at rebels doesn’t vibe too well with a Jesus that oftentimes is presented as being tender, kind, and soft, probably smelling like hand cream. This picture of God as a warrior NEEDS to be reclaimed. First, failure to see God as a warrior is a failure to see Him for who He is:

Psalm 24:8 CSB

Who is this King of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle.

Revelation 19:11–16 CSB

Then I saw heaven opened, and there was a white horse. Its rider is called Faithful and True, and with justice he judges and makes war. His eyes were like a fiery flame, and many crowns were on his head. He had a name written that no one knows except himself. He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his name is called the Word of God. The armies that were in heaven followed him on white horses, wearing pure white linen. A sharp sword came from his mouth, so that he might strike the nations with it. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will also trample the winepress of the fierce anger of God, the Almighty. And he has a name written on his robe and on his thigh: King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

And a failure to see God for how He is actually revealed in Scripture is to fashion a god of our own liking.

Second, what good is a soft and mild Jesus in a war against Satan and his minions? We must know the warrior of Israel who fights on our behalf if we are to have hope in the face of the most terrible of enemies: sin and Satan himself.

Third, men we are created in the image of God, and this characteristic needs to be recaptured and reignited in the face of a culture that tries to feminine-ize you every single day. Men, you are created to fight for what is right, but far-too-often we’ve bought in to the idea that we’d be better served to sit down and shut up. Even if it’s just for the sake of your family, you must take up the call of a warrior to at least fight against the assaults of a hostile world that follows the marching orders of its father, the one that seeks to kill, steal, and destroy, and we must fight for the hearts of our wives and children.

Yes, the Lord is a warrior, and we were made in His image. And the sooner we come to grips with this, the sooner, men, that we get in the fight, the better our families, churches, and communities will be.

The Southern Country Conquered (vv.29-43)

Through a series of similar refrains, the final verses recount how Joshua is completely victorious in the southern campaign. Ultimately, the city is captured, the inhabitants are put to the sword, and the king is execute.

God is indeed proved faithful as He gives the southern country to Israel. Verse 42 underscores it:

Joshua 10:42 CSB

Joshua captured all these kings and their land in one campaign, because the Lord, the God of Israel, fought for Israel.

However, Israel only discovers YHWH’s faithfulness as they prove themselves to be faithful. Again, a major theme of Israel entering the Land and living as the people of God.

Stepping back, we are reminded of a larger war. But, the church does not fight as Israel fought. We have no “land” to claim as our own, and we doo not fight against flesh and blood.

Ephesians 6:12 CSB

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens.

The Israelites confronted the ruling powers of their day, and we are reminded that there is still a spiritual battle that rages on even now. So we cling to the sovereignty of God…a sovereignty that promises victory in vs.8 and remains faithful as the southern country is conquered. We remember the importance of petitioning God, enamored by the unique way God obeys Joshua’s cry because it is rooted in God’s will, and constantly through petition with thanksgiving, offering our worship and requests to God as well. And finally, as believers we are humbled and offer our most genuine praise to Jesus because He bore the wrath of God on our behalf, pleading with unbelievers to be reconciled with God because unless they repent, the Amorite fate awaits them as well.