Joshua 10: Verses 16 - 27 XVI) Managing Our Spiritual Enemies
Week # 17 03 November 2010 Week # 41 of this Teaching Ministry
Joshua 10 (King James Version)
16But these five kings fled, and hid themselves in a cave at Makkedah. 17And it was told Joshua, saying, The five kings are found hid in a cave at Makkedah. 18And Joshua said, Roll great stones upon the mouth of the cave, and set men by it for to keep them: 19And stay ye not, but pursue after your enemies, and smite the hindmost of them; suffer them not to enter into their cities: for the LORD your God hath delivered them into your hand. 20And it came to pass, when Joshua and the children of Israel had made an end of slaying them with a very great slaughter, till they were consumed, that the rest which remained of them entered into fenced cities. 21And all the people returned to the camp to Joshua at Makkedah in peace: none moved his tongue against any of the children of Israel. 22Then said Joshua, Open the mouth of the cave, and bring out those five kings unto me out of the cave. 23And they did so, and brought forth those five kings unto him out of the cave, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon. 24And it came to pass, when they brought out those kings unto Joshua, that Joshua called for all the men of Israel, and said unto the captains of the men of war which went with him, Come near, put your feet upon the necks of these kings. And they came near, and put their feet upon the necks of them.
25And Joshua said unto them, Fear not, nor be dismayed, be strong and of good courage: for thus shall the LORD do to all your enemies against whom ye fight. 26And afterward Joshua smote them, and slew them, and hanged them on five trees: and they were hanging upon the trees until the evening. 27And it came to pass at the time of the going down of the sun, that Joshua commanded, and they took them down off the trees, and cast them into the cave wherein they had been hid, and laid great stones in the cave's mouth, which remain until this very day.
Let’s take a moment and ask the Lord’s Blessing and Wisdom after the reading of His word….
Dear Father, we are here to Worship YOU, giving You Praise and Glory for all that You do in our lives. Before we study Your Word tonight Father, forgive us our trespasses, any unknown or un-confessed sin in our hearts Father. Then calm our Hearts and Minds and teach us Your ways Lord. In all things we say and do, let us always give you the Glory and Praise, in Christ name we Pray, Amen.
In brief review of our study thus far, we see the mark of God’s hand in Three Significant Miracles paving the way for Joshua and Israel to take the land of Canaan. Does anyone want to list those 3 miracle for us???
1) The Jordon River Divided
2) Jericho’s Fall
3) The Staying of the Sun & Moon
All three were inconceivable by man, all three have the very hand of God upon them, and all three undoubtedly Miraculous and Supernatural in nature. While we believe them as fact, to this day they are debated and thought to have been debunked by the leading secular scientists.
We have seen so far in Joshua 10 and the first 15 verses, that the meanest and most feeble, who have just begun to trust the Lord, are as much entitled to be protected as those who have long and faithfully been his servants. It is our duty to defend the afflicted, who, like the Gibeonites, are brought into trouble on our account, or for the sake of the gospel. Joshua would not forsake his new servants. How much less shall our true Joshua fail those who trust in Him! We may be wanting in our trust, but our trust never can want success.
Yet God's promises are not to slacken and do away, but to quicken and encourage our endeavors. Notice the great faith of Joshua, and the power of God answering it by the miraculous staying of the sun, that the day of Israel's victories might be made longer. Joshua acted on this occasion by impulse on his mind from the Spirit of God. Unlike the time he followed his gut at Ai, without consulting God. It was not necessary that Joshua should speak, or the miracle be recorded, according to the modern terms of astronomy.
The sun appeared to the Israelites over Gibeon, and the moon over the valley of Ajalon, and there they appeared to be stopped on their course for one whole day. Is anything too hard for the Lord? This event forms a sufficient answer to ten thousand difficulties, which objectors have in every age started against the truth of God as revealed in his written word. Proclamation was hereby made to the neighboring nations, Behold the works of the Lord, and say, What nation is there so great as Israel, who has God so nigh unto them?
God used the events leading to the siege on the 5 kings at Makkedah to call attention to His Glory by all men, present time (past tense) and today. For men to marvel at His awesome power and yield to that power in fear and trembling. Today’s world – well let’s just say, today’s culture sees it another way. But, as we grow in Spirit, our life should reflect Christ’s to the world, proclaiming His Glory and Righteousness. The battle continues today, and we must take both encouragement and instruction from Joshua.
In verse 16, tonight we pick the story back up where Joshua has given chase to the five kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon. So tell me, what do you do when you have just witnessed the God of the Hebrews actually lengthening the day so his people could thoroughly trounce your people? Answer: Hide in a cave? Maybe that wasn't such a good idea after all, but that's what these five Canaanite kings do. They chose to hide from Joshua and the army of Israel in a cave outside Mekkedah.
I read in Wesley’s Explanatory Notes on Joshua 10 verse 16 that these kings considered the cave to be both safe and secret… BUT, there was no escaping the eye or hand of God. In Makkedah, not in the city, for the city was not yet taken, but in the surrounding territory of Makkedah, Joshua besieged the 5 kings in this cave. While Joshua had guards watching the cave, in Verse 19, we see the details of the order of God passed on by Joshua to “enter the cities”; whereby they will recover their strength, and renew or refresh for war, to do battle again. GOD Hath delivered them unto you – Your work will be easy, God hath already done the work to your hands… Close quotes from Mr. Wesley.
Then as we move on, we see that Joshua simply has the cave sealed up until the battle is won; he uses these cowardly kings for an object lesson concerning the Power of God in verses 24-25. Verse 24 specifically show us that Joshua ordered the soldiers to “Put your feet on their necks” This he did not from pride and contempt; but as a punishment of their immoral rebellion against their Sovereign Lord; in pursuance of that curse of servitude due to all this people, and as a token to assure his captains, that God would subdue the proudest of them under their feet. Then they are hanged in public and placed back into the cave to rot. I guess you could say, that's what they get for leaving their troops to fight while they hide.
As a symbol of disgrace, hanging a dead body on a tree was to make a point - POINT MADE! As a matter of fact, that's why the cross (hang on a tree) was necessary for the death of Jesus rather than stoning. The Jews had tried to stone Jesus to death on numerous occasions leading up to the crucifixion, but they failed each time. Jesus had to go to the cross. No other form of death would do. He prophesied that he would go to the cross in John 3:14 (see notes) and again in John 12:33 (see notes). Paul makes this point regarding hanging on a tree in Galatians 3:13 (see notes) when he says, "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree." Just as these five kings were cursed on a tree, so was Jesus at his crucifixion on the cross.
In looking at this again, maybe closer from a different angle we see that Israel camped at Makkedah, where the five kings had hidden in the cave. So the impending doom surely was sensed by the Kings in that cave. Israel arrived there safely, and set up an encampment in the field of battle. Their enemies had been so defeated and scattered that no one attacked Israel or at-tempted to hinder their movement.
At Makkedah the people went to the cave where the kings were hiding and brought them out. Joshua then called the leaders of the Israelite army to place their feet on the necks of these kings. This represented the complete defeat of these kings and their subjugation to Israel. Joshua said that the Israelites should be strong and courageous in the continued battles ahead, because God would give them victory over all their other enemies, just as he had with these five kings.
The five kings were then hung on five trees. Their bodies were left there till sundown, then they were removed and thrown back in the cave. The opening to the cave was then covered again with rocks. The rocks and cave remained there even when this book was written. Clearly this would be another memorial to Israel’s great victory.
Now let me read Matthew Henry’s commentary on this passage in Joshua:
Matthew Henry’s Commentary on Joshua 10:15-27
None moved his tongue against any of the children of Israel. This shows their perfect safety. The kings were called to an account, as rebels against the Israel of God. Refuges of lies will but secure for God's judgment. God punished the abominable wickedness of these kings, the measure of whose iniquity was now full. And by this public act of justice, done upon these ringleaders of the Canaanites in sin, he would possess his people with the greater dread and detestation of the sins of the nations that God cast out from before them. Here is a type and figure of Christ's victories over the powers of darkness, and of believers' victories through him. In our spiritual conflicts we must not be satisfied with obtaining some important victory. We must pursue our scattered enemies, searching out the remains of sin as they rise up in our hearts, and thus pursue the conquest. In so doing, the Lord will afford light until the warfare be accomplished.
Let me sum up tonight’s study with some questions for each of us to answer alone and on our own.
1) Do we consult God before doing battle with the enemy?
2) Do we manage our battle with the enemies of God and His word, or do we wing it on our own – fretting over the outcome?
3) Do we segregate the evil temptations of this world and hold them at bay?
4) Do we put our feet on the neck of those issues that we find ourselves weak in, and turn them over to God?
5) Do we “believe” that the victory is already one, claiming God’s promise while living IN and WITH His precious Spirit?
6) Have we correctly dealt with those things that we have chased into a cove in our life time?
7) Is Christ our First thought each day, or is He an after thought, after we are bruised and tired from the battle?
Harry Ironside summed up tonight’s passage with this perspective. Joshua 10, verses 15 through 27 reminds us of Romans 16:20
“The God of Peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly” This victory was followed by attacks upon city after city and the deformation and utter destruction of their defenders. After each new victory the triumphant Israelites returned to base camp to give thanks to God, who had thus given deliverance, as he had promised.
Thus tonight folks we take encouragement from Joshua 10 of God’s fulfilled promises to overcome evil and temptation in our lives.
Dear Father in Heaven, thank you for the Truth, thank you for fulfilled promises and thank you for the Victory over Satan in our lives. Be with us as we travel home tonight, bring us back safely Sunday Morning. May we forever sing Your Praises and Glorify Your name, in Christ’s name we pray – Amen.
References for this week’s study:
1) New Commentary on the Whole Bible: Old Testament Volume
a. **(as per Quick Verse 2007 – Version 11.0.0)**
2) Halley’s Pocket Bible Handbook
3) Lange’s Commentary on the Holy Scriptures; Volume II
4) David E. Pratte’s Notes on Joshua 10; December 22, 2005
5) Matthew Henry’s Commentary
6) Addresses on the Book of Joshua
By: Harry A. Ironside
1876 – 1951
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