Entry: 11/12/02
“22 Joshua said, "Open the mouth of the cave and bring those five kings out to me." 23 So they brought the five kings out of the cave--the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish and Eglon. 24 When they had brought these kings to Joshua, he summoned all the men of Israel and said to the army commanders who had come with him, "Come here and put your feet on the necks of these kings." So they came forward and placed their feet on their necks.
25 Joshua said to them, "Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Be strong and courageous. This is what the LORD will do to all the enemies you are going to fight." 26 Then Joshua struck and killed the kings and hung them on five trees, and they were left hanging on the trees until evening.” Joshua 10: 22-26
Think about some of the most epic battles in human history: The Battle of Thermopylae (480 BC), the Battle of Marathon (490 BC), the Victory of Arminius over the Roman Legions under Varus, (9 AD), the Battle of Tours (732 AD), Joan of Arc's Victory over the English at Orléans (1429 AD), the Defeat of the Spanish Armada (1588 AD), the Battle of Waterloo (1815 AD), the Battles of Shilo and Antietam (1862AD), the Normandy Landings (1944 AD).
In this passage we arrive at one of the most epic battles in Biblical history. Joshua’s army had just defeated the much stronger “five kings of the Amorites”, which included the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish and Eglon (Joshua 10:5).”
Imagine that you are a soldier in Joshua’s army. You have been chosen by Joshua and now one of your feet rests firmly on the neck of the king of Jerusalem. You are bloodied, wounded, exhausted, and completely spent from a full day of battle after an “all-night march (10:9)”. Your heart races as you reflect on day’s events including baseball-sized hail stones that barely missed your comrades but coincidentally killing thousands of your enemies killing more of the enemy than of Joshua’s soldiers (12).
What about the sky! The stillness of the sun, the endless sky, and the moon refusing to rise until the battle had been won (10:13). How, who, what could have caused these truly miraculous events?
Then you remember, “The LORD said to Joshua, ‘Do not be afraid of them; I have given them into your hand. Not one of them will be able to withstand you (Joshua 10:8).’"
As your foot presses on the condemned king you realize, possibly for the first time in your life, this God is real. You can trust him. The kings you feared now are under your feet. You realize that no king, no obstacle, and no problem is so big that you cannot trust God for victory.
When God confronts our fears we must choose between the fear of the unknown and the fear of God. Joshua’s trust in God was greater that his fear of circumstances as he courageously marched his men all night long to the battle field of the five kings (10:8). Our fear of God must be greater than any other fear and you, “continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2: 12).”
