Joshua 10:6-11

⁶ The Gibeonites then sent word to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal: “Do not abandon your servants. Come up to us quickly and save us! Help us, because all the Amorite kings from the hill country have joined forces against us.”
⁷ So Joshua marched up from Gilgal with his entire army, including all the best fighting men. ⁸ 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.”
⁹ After an all-night march from Gilgal, Joshua took them by surprise. ¹⁰ The Lord threw them into confusion before Israel, so Joshua and the Israelites defeated them completely at Gibeon. Israel pursued them along the road going up to Beth Horon and cut them down all the way to Azekah and Makkedah. ¹¹ As they fled before Israel on the road down from Beth Horon to Azekah, the Lord hurled large hailstones down on them, and more of them died from the hail than were killed by the swords of the Israelites.

No Talk

Someone said: “More talk-more mistake. Less talk-less mistake. No talk-no mistake!” Is it very easy for you to accept your mistake? If you have made a very terrible decision, is it easy for you to admit it and just move on? It takes a lot of character for a person to move on after failure. Admitting sin is God’s grace at work in the repentant.

When the Joshua and the leaders of the Israelites decided to have a treaty with the Gibeonites, the leaders did not admit that they made a wrong decision. The people grumbled after they learned that they were deceived and it may have caused hesitaton to conquer the land. There was no plan which city would attack next.
The Lord sent spontaneous prompter for them to proceed from where they were.

⁶ The Gibeonites then sent word to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal: “Do not abandon ‎your servants. Come up to us quickly and save us! Help us, because all the Amorite ‎kings from the hill country have joined forces against us.”‎ ⁷ So Joshua marched up from Gilgal with his entire army, including all the best fighting men.

When they agreed to a treaty with the Gibeonites, it could be considered as carelessness but the leaders of the Israelites had integrity. They honored their covenant with the Gibeonites. Keeping the Gibeonites alive was the purpose of the treaty. So, when the Amorites attacked the Gibeonites, the Israelites went to help the Gibeonites.
The Lord told Joshua that no one will be able to withstand them, why?
He also told Joshua not to be afraid. The confidence of Joshua, was it affected?

1. Confidence

⁸ 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.”‎
‎ ⁹ After an all-night march from Gilgal, Joshua took them by surprise.

The Lord told Joshua that He has given the Amorites into his hand, why? Did the Lord sense Joshua’s hesitation to attack the Amorites? Was Joshua’s confidence to lead affected when the people grumbled? Did Joshua entertain the idea that the Gibeonites might be deceiving them again at that time? The Gibeonites deceived them earlier, right?
When they made treaty with the Gibeonites the people complained about it. It might have shaken the confidence of Joshua and the leaders. And when they were marching to help the Gibeonites, some disappointed Israelites might have continued to grumble along the way. The Lord had to encourage Joshua and restore his confidence.

When things are shaky and rough, and leaders are blamed, confidence is affected. The church is never exempted from storms of complications. What could be the cause of struggles in the church? Do disillusioned individuals conspired to destroy the church?

Absalom’s Conspiracy

In 2 Samuel 15:3-6, ³Then Absalom would say to him, “Look, your claims are valid and proper, but there is no representative of the king to hear you.” ⁴And Absalom would add, “If only I were appointed judge in the land! Then everyone who has a complaint or case could come to me and I would see that they receive justice.”
⁵Also, whenever anyone approached him to bow down before him, Absalom would reach out his hand, take hold of him and kiss him. ⁶Absalom behaved in this way toward all the Israelites who came to the king asking for justice, and so he stole the hearts of the people of Israel.

Absalom has secretly destroyed the people’s confidence in the kingship of David. He exemplified how sweet-talking deceivers can easily fool discontented individuals. Not everyone was satisfied with David’s kingship. Unsatisfied people are easily dissuaded.
Did David hear about Absalom’s conspiracy? Why did he not do anything about it? When they were escaping from Absalom, David said in 2 Samuel 15:25-26,
²⁵ If I find favor in the Lord’s eyes, he will bring me back and let me see it and his dwelling place again. ²⁶ But if he says, ‘I am not pleased with you,’ then I am ready; let him do to me whatever seems good to him.”

David did not try to defend his throne. He just left his future in God’s hands. He believed that if God anointed him as king, He would restore his kingship if it’s His will.
Nevertheless, David prayed in ‎2 Samuel 15:31, ³¹ Now David had been told, “Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom.” So David prayed, “Lord, turn Ahithophel’s counsel into foolishness.”

The Lord commanded us to love our enemies including disillusioned individuals. Pray that those who are involved in conspiracy be enlightened and obey the Lord. Pray that the Lord would turn conspiracy into foolishness and confusion. ‎

2. Confusion

¹⁰ The Lord ‎threw them into confusion before Israel, so Joshua and the Israelites defeated them ‎completely at Gibeon. Israel pursued them along the road going up to Beth Horon and ‎cut them down all the way to Azekah and Makkedah. ¹¹ As they fled before Israel on the ‎road down from Beth Horon to Azekah, the Lord hurled large hailstones down on them, ‎and more of them died from the hail than were killed by the swords of the Israelites.‎

God’s ways are perfect. He created the earth systematically and schematically. Things and events that the Lord allows to exist and happen are correlated to other things and events. While God is the God of order, He also ordains confusion.
The Lord assured Joshua of victory against their enemies. He confused the Amorites and the Israelites took advantages of it and defeated them. When the Amorites tried to escape, the Lord dropped hailstones and killed more than the Israelites victims.
The Lord favored Joshua and the Israelites. The Lord helped them against their enemies. The Lord did more damage than the best fighting men of Israel.
Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:10-13, ¹⁰ Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory. ¹¹ Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him; ¹² if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us; ¹³ if we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself.

The Lord is faithful even when we are not. King David experienced much of God’s faithfulness to him. King David did not try to defend his throne against Absalom. He did not devise any plan to defeat his son but the Lord restored Absalom’s downfall.

Absalom’s Death

It is narrated in 2 Samuel 18:9, ⁹ Now Absalom happened to meet David’s men. He was riding his mule, and as the mule went under the thick branches of a large oak, Absalom’s hair got caught in the tree. He was left hanging in midair, while the mule he was riding kept on going.

Absalom was killed eventually. When his hair got caught in the tree, it could be seen random turn of events or was it divine intervention for Absalom’s hair to be caught?
The Lord may have allowed Absalom to rebel against his father but the Lord confused those who conspired with Absalom of grabbing the kingdom from David. Should it inspire us to trust God’s perfect ways?

Some of you might have been affected by conspiracy of disillusioned individuals. Keep praying! The Lord allows disillusioned individuals in our midst to test our faith in Him. The Lord’s ways are perfect. He has proven His faithfulness in the past. He will continue to be faithful to His church.

It says in Romans 8:28, ²⁸ And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Everything has purpose. The purpose of the conspiracy is to discourage the faithful and instigate retaliation. God allows such turn of event as spontaneous prompter for us to pray for the conspirators. They need our prayers, too.

It says in Hebrew 10:30-31, ³⁰ For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge his people.” ³¹ It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

><((‘> … ><(((‘> tmec\2020 <‘)))>< … <‘))><