Claiming Your Canaan Series # 9
Joshua 10:6-14
VALUABLE LESSONS FOR THE DAY OF BATTLE
Intro: Chapter 10 opens with 5 of the kings of Canaan
joining forces to attack Gibeon because they had made
a peace treaty with the people of Israel. These 5 kings
didn't know it, but they were playing right into the hand
of Joshua. Now, instead of having to pick them off one
at a time, they came together and he was able to defeat
them all together. If you remember our last study in this
book, the Israelites had been tricked into making a
peace treaty with the people of Gibeon. Now, it is time
for Israel to make good on their promise to protect the
Gibeonites. For Israel it is just another battle in the
conquest of the Promised Land, but for us, it is a vivid
picture of the Christian life.
You see, battles are a reality in the life of the child of
God, but we never have to face them alone, Heb. 13:5;
Matt. 28:20. In the day of battle, we have the promise
of help from One Who is "an ever present help in a
time of need", Psa. 46:1. My duty this morning, as we
consider chapters 10 and 11 of Joshua, is to remind
you that our lives will be filled with battles. However,
these battles are not really physical battles, neither are
they battles with other people. Our battles are spiritual
battles, "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood,
but against principalities, against powers, against
the rulers of the darkness of this world, against
spiritual wickedness in high places." Eph 6:12.
Therefore, our weapons must be spiritual as well. "(For
the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but
mighty through God to the pulling down of strong
holds;) " 2 Cor 10:4.
With that in mind, let's join Joshua and the armies of
Israel as they fight the good fight of faith. As we
observe them in their day of battle, there are some very
special lessons that we can learn that will help us when
we face the day of battle. Allow me to share these
thoughts with you as we preach for a while on Lessons
For The Day Of Battle.
I. V. 6-15 A LESSON ABOUT THE SAVIOR
(Ill. In these verses, Israel is about to honor the peace
treaty they have made with the Gibeonites. They are
going to keep their word and help these people fight
those kings that have risen up against them. As they
prepare for battle, the Lord comes to with the promise
of help and of victory. God is about to fight for His
people!)
(Ill. This section represents the supernatural aspect of
our battles. There are times when the Lord just comes
to your aid and fights the battle for you. There are
times when He moves in power and miracles are
worked in your life. Such a time is pictured here. There
are three precious truths that are revealed here about
our Savior in the day of battle.)
A. V. 8 He Gave His Peace - Notice the words in
verse 8, "Fear them not!" God's challenge to
His people was for them not to fear the enemy.
God was just reminding Joshua that He was still
in control of the situation!
(Ill. May I remind you this morning that He is still
in control? He is still on the throne and He is still
the Prince of Peace. For those who will walk by
faith and not by sight, the Lord still gives peace
that passeth understanding, Phil. 4:7. He still
His own brand of peace that keeps and comforts
the hearts of His children, John 14:27. The
secret to walking in peace is to walk in faith!)
(Ill. Please remember that the Lord didn't save
you for you to be agitated and worried. He
doesn't mean for you to tremble in fear when the
enemies of the Lord approach. When the day of
battle comes in your life, the Lord will give you
peace, if you will lean on Him, Pro. 3:5-6. As
God's children, we need to remember that
everything that happens in our lives had to pass
first over God's desk and it received His stamp of
approval, Rom. 8:28.)
B. V. 8 He Gave His Promise - The Lord didn't stop
with just a word of encouragement, He also gave
them the promise of absolute victory!
(Ill. I would like to say that I still believe the Lord
never saved you for you to be defeated! When
He saved you, He did so with the promise that
you could walk in His victory - 1 Cor. 15:57;
Rom. 8:37. That doesn't mean that every
situation in life will work out the way you want it
to, but it does mean that God will enable you to
live above your circumstances and share in His
victory over the world, the flesh and the devil!)
C. V. 9-14 He Gave His Power - In these verses,
we see the a mighty demonstration of the power
of the Lord in the life of Israel! God moved in a
great manifestation of supernatural power and
gave His children the victory. He moved in 2
ways.
1. V. 11 In The Hail - "Hast thou entered into
the treasures of the snow? or hast thou
seen the treasures of the hail, Which I have
reserved against the time of trouble,
against the day of battle and war?" Job
38:22-23
2. V. 12-14 In The Heavens - Here we see the
Lord perform the greatest miracle ever
recorded in regard to the physical world. God
stopped the sun in the heavens and extended
the daylight hours for Joshua and his army to
finish the battle.
(Ill. This passage has brought much ridicule
upon the Bible. Some believe that this proves
the Bible is uninspired, because science has
long since proven that the earth rotates
around the sun and that the sun doesn't
move. However, I would like to just make a
few statements about this miracle that, for me
at least, settle the issue.
A. This is the language of observation. (Ill.
We all speak of the sunrise and the
sunset. We do not use technical, scientific
language to describe the things we
observe all around us.) Very literally, the
sun hung at the zenith of the sky for about
a whole day!
B. Ancient history supports this claim. (Ill.
The Chinese, the Babylonians, The Incas,
the Aztecs, the Egyptians, the Assyrians,
and other ancient cultures all record the
existence of a long day, which occurred
about this time.)
C. The calendar supports it. Using an
ancient Chaldean calendar system, which
was built around lunar and solar eclipses,
it is possible to count forward to this day
and find that this day fell on Tuesday July
22. However, if we count backward, using
our system of reckoning days, we will find
that this event happened on July 22, a
Wednesday. Is there a problem? No, just
the fact that an entire day is missing either
way you go. Verse 13 tells us where that
missing day went!
D. Some will surely counter, "But preacher,
this violates all the laws of nature!" I want
to remind you that there are no laws of
nature! There are only the laws of God
which govern nature! We need to
remember Who made this world. If He
can create it, then surely He can control it!)
E. The bottom line is this, God intervened
supernaturally on the behalf of Israel. God
gave them all the daylight they needed to
get the job done!)
(Ill. What does this mean for us? Well, there
are times when the Lord will supernaturally
intervene in your life and He will fight your
battles for you. I have seen people healed of
disease. I have seen drunks saved and
sobered immediately by the power of God. I
have seen drug addicts immediately released
from the power of drugs and made clean. I
have seen lives changed in miraculous ways
by the supernatural intervention of God. I
have seen the Lord move in response to the
need of His child and move any mountain that
needed to be moved to get them what they
needed. That is our God!
Please understand, He doesn't always move
like that. I have seen drunks delivered, but I
have seen others who still struggled with that
sin even after they were saved. I have seen
saints healed, but I have seen others die with
their disease. I am telling this morning that
there are times when the Lord will move in
supernatural power to meet the need of His
child!)
I. A Lesson About The Savior
II. V. 16-27 A LESSON ABOUT THE SAINTS
(Ill. If the first section pictures the supernatural aspect
of our battles, then this section portrays the personal
aspect of the battles we must fight in life. You see,
God gave them a great victory through His mighty
power, but there was still more of the battle to be
fought. In these verses, we see Israel, not the Lord,
engaged in the battle! There is a lesson here for the
saints of God!)
A. V. 16-18 We Must Control Our Enemy - Notice
that these five kings tried to hide themselves in a
cave. When they were discovered, Joshua
ordered the cave to be sealed up, thus preventing
the kings from escaping. This is a picture of
control.
(Ill. When you got saved God changed you!
However, your old, sinful nature is still alive and
well! That's right, that part of you that loves sin
and the world is still active. If you don't believe,
just stick around a few more days and you will
see! Just like these kings, our enemy, the flesh,
hides itself within us and runs out into the open
from time to time to cause us trouble. It may be
a problem with the tongue that will come out from
time to time. It may be anger, hatred, prejudice,
lust, depravity, etc. Whatever that thing may be
in your life, it must be controlled, or it will
eventually come to control you.)
(Ill. It is important to note that part of the Fruit of
the Spirit is "temperance", Gal. 5:23. This word
literally means "self-control". It refers to that
person who is the master of himself. As a child of
God, you have no right to do as you please! In
fact, if you are saved and allowing sin to reign in
your life, you are doing so with stolen property!
You are the Lord's and you have no business
using His body, His mind, His anything for sin and
wickedness, 1 Cor. 6:19-20. One proof of
walking in the Spirit is self-control! How are you
doing in this area?)
B. V. 22-25 We Must Confront Our Enemy - Notice
that after the battle had been won, Joshua came
back to that cave and brought these kings out
and humiliated them by having his princes place
their feet upon their necks. He confronted them
openly and publicly pronounced the victory over
them.
(Ill. Spiritually speaking, we need to do the same
thing. Every person in this room knows what
kings hide in your life. You know about your
secret sins and those problems you have with the
flesh. The only way for you to get absolute,
permanent victory over these things is for you to
confront them. I mean, you need to drag them
out of their hiding place and lay them out before
the Lord, place your foot on their necks in the
name of Jesus and proclaim the victory over them
this morning! You will never prosper as a child of
God until your sins are handled God's way, Pro.
28:13, "He that covereth his sins shall not
prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh
them shall have mercy.")
C. V. 26-27 We Must Conquer Our Enemy - In
these verses, we see Joshua take a step that
ensures the victory of these 5 kings. He puts
them to death!
(Ill. I just want to remind you that your flesh is
good for nothing! Your old sinful nature and your
fleshly lusts are good for nothing other than the
fires of judgment and hell. The only way for you
to walk in victory before the Lord is to put you
flesh to death! It must die daily, or it will keep you
from walking in power and victory, Col. 3:5.)
(Ill. Note Paul's attitude toward life, "I am
crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet
not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life
which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith
of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave
himself for me." Gal 2:20.)
I. A Lesson About The Savior
II. A Lesson About The Saints
III. 28-11:23 A LESSON ABOUT STEADFASTNESS
(As we move into the latter part of chapter 10 and all of
chapter 11, we see Israel completing the central
campaign and we see them fighting both the southern
and the northern campaigns as well. We have looked
the supernatural aspects of our battles as well as the
personal aspect of our battles. In these verses, we will
see the temporal aspect of our battles. By that I mean
that they must be fought, but they will not last forever.
Just as Israel obtained a state of rest, we too will rest
from the battles of life. But, until then, allow me to
encourage you to steadfastness in the fight! Three
quick truths here.)
A. V. 28, 35 We Must Fight Daily - Please note that
the battles Israel fought seemed to come day by
day. Theirs was a life of battles!
(Ill. The same is true for the child of God. Our
battles will confront us daily. Therefore, we must
arise each day with the willingness to fight our
battles faithfully for the glory of God!)
(Ill. Let me say this to those who may be waiting
on easier times to begin serving the Lord. You
may never have an easier time! You and I are
not promised one more day upon this earth. The
only day I have to fight my battles is today.
Tomorrow may never come for me! Therefore, let
me say to you that if you have something to do
for the Lord, do it today! If you have something to
give to the Lord, give it today! If there is someone
you need to tell about Jesus, tell them today!
Tomorrow may never dawn on you! James
4:17!)
(Ill. There are some in this room who have never
been saved. Friend, if you were to die, you would
die and go to Hell. But, that doesn't have to
happen to you! God has made a way for you to
be saved. All you need to do is come to Jesus,
confess yourself a sinner and receive Him into
your life. However, I would challenge you not to
wait until tomorrow to do that. You are not
promised another day, Pro. 27:1. According to 2
Cor. 6:2, "today is the day of salvation." Isaiah
tells you to "Call upon the Lord while He is
near", Isa. 55:6. My friend, God lengthened the
day for Joshua, but He will not lengthen your
days. When the time comes for you to leave this
world, you will either leave it saved or lost. Which
will it be for you?)
B. 11:18 We Must Fight With Determination - This
verse tells us that Joshua fought his battles for a
long time. This tells me that this man had
determination!
(Ill. That is a quality that needs to be developed
by all the children of the Lord! Too many are
quitting in our day! Too many are throwing in the
towel and giving up the fight. We need some
people who will vow before the Lord this morning
that come what may, they will stand for Him and
will be in His service all the way until the end.
That is the command we have from Paul,
"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye
stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in
the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know
that your labour is not in vain in the Lord." 1
Cor 15:58)
(Ill. Dear friends, don't quit! Some of you are so
close to dropping out on God that it isn't even
funny. I beg you to come to Him this morning and
let Him fan the dying embers back into a raging
flame for His glory! Your life does not have to
become shipwrecked, ("Holding faith, and a
good conscience; which some having put
away concerning faith have made shipwreck:"
1 Tim 1:19)
C. 40;11:12,15,23 We Must Fight With Devotion -
If you will look at what Joshua was doing it is
apparent that he was just doing what the Lord
had told him to do.
(Ill. That is a wonderful way for a person to live
life. My friend, we have no one to please this
morning but the Lord! Our duty is to love Him, to
walk in His Word and serve Him faithfully all the
days we live. Our duty is to be devoted to the
Lord! Notice these verses that bear this out.
Micah 6:8, "He hath shewed thee, O man, what
is good; and what doth the LORD require of
thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and
to walk humbly with thy God?"
Eccl 12:13, "Let us hear the conclusion of the
whole matter: Fear God, and keep his
commandments: for this is the whole duty of
man."
It all boils down to who's will has the priority in
your life: your's or God's. Which is it for you?
How does one do this? "Casting down
imaginations, and every high thing that
exalteth itself against the knowledge of God,
and bringing into captivity every thought to
the obedience of Christ;" 2 Cor 10:5
Conc: Folk, eventually, the battles of life will be over,
the long day will be finished and we who are saved will
go home to Heaven to rest in that glorious place. In the
meantime, however, there are enemies and there are
battles that must be fought. Now, we can either fight
them with our own weapons and lose, or we can fight
them the way the Lord has shown us and win. Which
would you rather have: defeat or victory?
I don't know what you are fighting today, but I
know Who can help you with that battle. Bring that
thing to Jesus and let Him get you safely through the
fight.
If you are lost this morning, I would like to invite
you to come to Jesus for salvation. Just make your way
down here and we will be glad to show you how you can
win the ultimate battle and become a child of God
today.
