Action Plan

Joshua 10:16-21

16 Now the five kings had fled and hidden in the cave at Makkedah. 17 When Joshua was told that the five kings had been found hiding in the cave at Makkedah, 18 he said, “Roll large rocks up to the mouth of the cave, and post some men there to guard it. 19 But don’t stop; pursue your enemies! Attack them from the rear and don’t let them reach their cities, for the Lord your God has given them into your hand.”
20 So Joshua and the Israelites defeated them completely, but a few survivors managed to reach their fortified cities. 21 The whole army then returned safely to Joshua in the camp at Makkedah, and no one uttered a word against the Israelites.

Introduction

God spent six days to create everything rather than just one day. He can do it one but He didn’t. He formed humans in the 6th day and not on any other day. He created light on the 1st day and not on any other day. Six-day creation reveals God’s right timing.

Jesus says in John 7:6, 6“My time is not yet here; for you any time will do.”

God has right and proper timing for everything. There’s time to plant and time to harvest. There’s right timing for our mission or our purpose of existence as a church or as individual believers. We are God’s project. We need to know His plan for us to decide.
In Ephesians 2:10, 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

We need to rely upon the Spirit of Christ in us to lead, guide and help us know what God has prepared for us to do. To insist on human ideas is to resist the will of God. If we keep on resisting God, we fail to hear and do what He has prepared for us.
The Israelites did not win their battle when they ignored their leaders. But when they listen to their God’s chosen leader, they were successful. Obedience to leaders is obedience to God who established them. Pray for our leaders for them to discern the action plan that God prepared them to decide and for members to follow.
Check this! Why did Joshua suspend the punishment for captured enemies?

1. Suspend

16 Now the five kings had fled and hidden in the cave at Makkedah. 17 When Joshua was ‎told that the five kings had been found hiding in the cave at Makkedah, 18 he said, “Roll ‎large rocks up to the mouth of the cave, and post some men there to guard it.

Joshua and the Israelites were fighting the Amorites. The Lord told Joshua that He delivered the Amorites into their hands. The kings of the Amorites fled and hid in a cave. Joshua instructed the army to cover the cave and guard it. Why did Joshua suspend the execution of the kings of the Amorites?
In that situation, the kings of the Amorites were already helpless. They were separated and cannot command their soldiers. Their soldiers may not even know where they were. Joshua and the Israelites have to sustain the destruction of their enemies. They did not expect their enemies to surrender. Surrender may not be honorable in those times.

Chess

In the game of chess, the objective is to capture the king. Once the king of the opponent is captured, the game is over. Both players would employ their perceived strategic move to capture the king of their opponent to win the game. Wise players would capture the king of their opponent at the right timing.
Joshua suspended their execution because to capture the Amorite kings was not their mission. Their mission was to destroy Canaan. The capture of the Amorite kings was just a small part of it. The Lord declared Israel as winners even before the war began.
In our generation, such instruction of the Lord to the ancient Israel is considered as brutal, or cruel. How could destruction of enemy be reconciled with love of enemies?
Jesus teaches in Luke 6:27-28, 27 Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.

The Lord’s instruction to Israel to destroy Canaan and Christ’s instruction to love the enemy are two different situations. The destruction of Canaan was necessary so that the Canaanites won’t teach the Israelites to worship idols. But why include the innocent infants? Children are not innocent in the eyes of the Lord.
David testified in Psalm 51:5, 5 Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.

By faith we believe that the Lord does what is right in His eyes. He decides birth and death. When Christ teaches love of enemies, it was an instruction not to be performed by human effort but to practise faith in Him. God also reserves the right to avenge any harm from enemy. Nevertheless, there are appropriate biblical decisions to be made.
Paul advised in Titus 3:10-11, 10 Warn a divisive person once, and then warn them a second time. After that, have nothing to do with them. 11 You may be sure that such people are warped and sinful; they are self-condemned.

The word “divisive” in Greek is αἱρετικός hairetikos (hahee-ret-ee-kos’) which is literally translated as “factious.” It disposed or inclined to form sects, sectarian, heretical. It chooses to have a distinctive opinion. A factious person specializes in half-truths and misimpressions just “to win others over” to their personal opinion is misguided zeal – while creating harmful divisions.
Paul, a former enemy of the church warned Titus about the danger of a factious or divisive person. Has Titus expressed love if he allowed a divisive person in the ministry? Did Titus sacrifice the church in favor of a divisive heretical factious person? Church leaders in our generation can face a situation similar in the time of Paul and Titus.
Joshua sustained their mission to destroy their enemies and they were silent.

2. Sustain

19 But ‎don’t stop; pursue your enemies! Attack them from the rear and don’t let them reach ‎their cities, for the Lord your God has given them into your hand.”‎ ‎20 So Joshua and the Israelites defeated them completely, but a few survivors managed ‎to reach their fortified cities. 21 The whole army then returned safely to Joshua in the ‎camp at Makkedah, and no one uttered a word against the Israelites.‎

When Joshua instructed Israel to continue and sustain their mission to destroy their enemies, nobody complained, nobody suggested to Joshua what should be done.
They listened and followed Joshua’s instruction. Nobody dared to challenge his instruction. They were successful because they listened to God’s chosen leader.
After few survivors managed to escape to their fortified cities, the Israelites returned to Joshua in their camp safe. Are you puzzled why the phrase, “and no one uttered a word against the Israelites,” was added?
No enemy or friend speak anything against the Israelites. Nobody condemned their action. Has fear of the Israelites overwhelmed their enemies? Did the author anticipate that future generation may slander how Israel followed the Lord’s instruction to destroy?
The Israelites were successful when they followed the Lord’s chosen leader. Disobedience and disrespect of leaders established by God make it difficult to sustain and advance the mission statement of the church. This calls for God-inspired decision.

The Leopard

As I sought God’s enlightenment, and asked Him if there’s wolf in sheep clothing in the church, the idea of a leopard has been impressed in my heart. In a vision, I watched a shepherd [shep-erd] guiding his sheep using his staff. Unmindful of the surrounding, the shepherd did not notice a leopard [lep-erd] sneaked and joined the flock.
As I watched the vision given me, the leopard talked kindly to a sheep and said, “Your shepherd is very harsh. Look at him! He hit those who don’t follow and pulled them by the neck with his staff. Should he not carry them gently back into the fold?”
“Yeah! I know. He pulled my neck and hit me one time,” one sheep answered.
“If you follow me, I will guide you to a better grazing land. I will be gentle and I don’t have a staff to hit anybody. Nevertheless, leopard sound much better than shepherd, you know what I mean?” the leopard offered.

You have heard of wolf in sheep clothing but leopards are as dangerous and treacherous if not worse than wolves. Leopards are nocturnal animals and attack their victims when it’s dark. Nocturnal are active at night. Diurnal are active at daytime.
It says in Jeremiah 5:6, 6Therefore a lion from the forest will attack them, a wolf from the desert will ravage them, a leopard will lie in wait near their towns to tear to pieces any who venture out, for their rebellion is great and their backslidings many.

Rebellion and backsliding paralyse spiritual growth, which may suspend efforts to make disciples. Only God can heal those who are spiritually paralysed in our midst. A spiritually paralysed person cannot sustain and advance our mission purpose as believers.

I desire the prayer of Paul in Ephesians 1:17-20, 17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength 20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms.

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