Joshua 10:22-28

²²Joshua 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 put the kings to death and exposed their bodies on five poles, and they were left hanging on the poles until evening.
²⁷ At sunset Joshua gave the order and they took them down from the poles and threw them into the cave where they had been hiding. At the mouth of the cave they placed large rocks, which are there to this day.
Southern Cities Conquered
²⁸ That day Joshua took Makkedah. He put the city and its king to the sword and totally destroyed everyone in it. He left no survivors. And he did to the king of Makkedah as he had done to the king of Jericho.

Introduction

When Christ instructed us to go and make disciples, all disciples are given the responsibility to lead people to the Lord. Leaders inspire enthusiasm and attract indifference. The newly installed president of the USA has attracted protest of indifferent individuals. Protest has become acceptable resort to oppose leaders from performing their duties and responsibilities faithfully.
Such concerns in the political world demonstrate very practically the reality of concerns in the spiritual world. Church life is not exempted from opposition. The Lord Jesus has been given all authorities in heaven and on earth but He allows opposition in the implementation of His plans for His people.
Believers are caught in the midst of spiritual battle. Why would God not spare us from the problems of this world? Believers or not, everyone is not spared from problem common to man. Struggles are means to filter genuine believers from pretenders.
It says in Ephesians 5:8-10, ⁸ For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light ⁹ for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth ¹⁰ and find out what pleases the Lord.

Genuine faith in the Lord inspires lifestyle of goodness, righteousness and truth. We live to please the Lord. The command to live as children of light is a great challenge.

1. Command

²²Joshua 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.”

Joshua commanded the soldiers to put their feet on the necks of the kings. He might have sensed some hesitation. The soldiers might have been scared that the kings would retaliate or their people might exact retribution against them. Joshua could have sensed similar feeling when the Lord called him to lead Israel.
Joshua commanded the soldiers not to be afraid and not to be discouraged. Just as the Lord encouraged him to be strong and courageous, Joshua commanded the same statement to be strong and courageous. He let the soldiers experienced what he told them to have a better idea on how the Lord would destroy all their enemies.
Did the soldiers hesitate because they thought that Joshua’s command to put their feet in the neck of the kings did not come from the Lord? When Joshua said, that what they did to their enemies is what the Lord will do to all their enemies, it was not literally mentioned in the Scripture. Was it a personal interpretation of Joshua?
Did the Spirit of the Lord inspire Joshua to declare such pronouncement? How can we determine when a leader’s interpretation comes from the Lord or not?

Jesus says in John 8:47, ⁴⁷ Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”
It says in 1 Corinthians 2:14, ¹⁴ The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.

No amount of training, experience or human intelligence can help us understand God. We need the Holy Spirit to comprehend and put into practice His instruction.

Nicodemus

One of the Pharisees came to Jesus at night. The Lord told him that nobody can see the kingdom of God without being born again. Nicodemus was a great teacher of the law but he failed to understand how to be born again. In which Jesus told him in
John 3:12, ¹² I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?

Many educated people cannot appreciate God’s word because they are not born again. To be born again is to allow the Spirit of Christ to reign in our heart. To be born again reflects practical changes in the life of a born-again believer. If there’s no changes of lifestyle, there’s no born-again, no hearing and no understanding of God’s instruction.

When one accepts and puts into practice the Lord’s commands, that believer has discovered that the Christian lifestyle that God prescribes is beneficial and favorable to the obedient. To continue in the Lord in midst of problem manifests faithful obedience.

2. Continue

²⁶ Then Joshua put the kings to death and exposed their bodies on five poles, and they were left hanging on the poles until evening. ²⁷ At sunset Joshua gave the order and they took them down from the poles and threw them into the cave where they had been hiding. At the mouth of the cave they placed large rocks, which are there to this day.
²⁸ That day Joshua took Makkedah. He put the city and its king to the sword and totally destroyed everyone in it. He left no survivors. And he did to the king of Makkedah as he had done to the king of Jericho.
After Joshua and the Israelites defeated the five kings of the Amorites, they continued in their mission to conquer the land as expected. The Lord has no instruction how they would destroy their enemies. He told Joshua that He delivered their enemies into their hands. Joshua and the Israelites decided how they conquered their enemies.
The five kings of the Amorites were killed and left hanging on the poles before they were thrown into the cave where they had been hiding. The king of Makkedah was also killed by the sword but he was not hanged on a pole. There’s no specific strategy on how they attacked their enemies. They just obeyed what their leader Joshua told them.

No Budget, No Problem

That Sunday when the Church Budget was not approved, what is God’s message to us? Does God want us to evaluate approach to ministry? Family Camp, Youth Camp, VBS, Fishing Derby, Family Picnic, and Short Term Mission have to be shelved this year.
Church activities should be geared toward our mission as a church. We keep on praying that the Lord would raise more leaders who really listen when God speaks.
In Proverbs 29:18, ¹⁸ When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild. But whoever obeys the law is joyful. (NLT)

Truly, lifestyle and actions reveals who has accepted God’s divine guidance. When people blame others for not getting blessed, they have no idea how obedience to the Lord works. Blessedness and obedience to the Lord’s instruction are inseparable twins. But why is it a few do not feel blessed when they come to church?
Partial obedience has partial blessing. Coming to church is partial blessing. Selective obedience has selective blessing. Easy commands have the least blessings. The toughest command of the Lord is reserved for the greatest blessing to be experienced.
Israel has proven that obedience to the Lord is victory. Obedience to God exhibits the presence of obedient Christ’s Spirit in us. Complaints clog or hinder our ear from hearing God’s divine revelation. Obedience to God is the secret of receiving His blessing.

The Lord Jesus teaches a lifestyle of blessedness in Matthew 5:3-12, ³ “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ⁴ Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. ⁵ Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. ⁶ Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. ⁷ Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. ⁸ Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. ⁹ Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. ¹⁰ Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ¹¹ “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. ¹² Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

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