Joshua 11:10-15

¹⁰ At that time Joshua turned back and captured Hazor and put its king to the sword. (Hazor had been the head of all these kingdoms.) ¹¹ Everyone in it they put to the sword. They totally destroyed them, not sparing anyone that breathed, and he burned Hazor itself. ¹² Joshua took all these royal cities and their kings and put them to the sword. He totally destroyed them, as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded. ¹³ Yet Israel did not burn any of the cities built on their mounds—except Hazor, which Joshua burned. ¹⁴ The Israelites carried off for themselves all the plunder and livestock of these cities, but all the people they put to the sword until they completely destroyed them, not sparing anyone that breathed. ¹⁵ As the Lord commanded his servant Moses, so Moses commanded Joshua, and Joshua did it; he left nothing undone of all that the Lord commanded Moses.

Evangelical Drama

The drama surrounding the newly elected president of the US has attracted some evangelical Christian leaders to openly and silently support the president, and not a few evangelical Christian leaders have openly resisted him. Does not the Bible teach that to resist authorities is to resist God and will be judged (Rom 13:2)? Why can’t they unite?

Jesus prayed in John 17:20-23, ²⁰I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, ²¹ that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. ²² I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— ²³ I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

Jesus prayed that the glory from God the Father may bring complete unity among believers. He wanted the world to know the glory of God when believers are unified. How could we be unified? How can the world know the glory of God through us?

Previously, we learned that the king of Hazor gathered all the kings and their forces of Northern Canaan to fight Joshua. Joshua and his army caught them by surprise and destroyed them all because the Lord delivered them into their hands. They captured the all the cities and totally destroyed them.

1. Capture

¹⁰ At that time Joshua turned back and captured Hazor and put its king to the sword. (Hazor had been the head of all these kingdoms.) ¹¹ Everyone in it they put to the sword. They totally destroyed them, not sparing anyone that breathed, and he burned Hazor itself. ¹² Joshua took all these royal cities and their kings and put them to the sword. He totally destroyed them, as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded.

As the head of all the northern Canaanite kingdoms, Hazor could have been more substantially prosperous. Joshua had no interest in their wealth. He burned Hazor and totally destroyed its residents. Nothing was left useful. Everything turned into garbage. He left nothing undone. That’s a principle of consistent obedience to the Lord.
Consistency is not one time event. It’s a lifestyle and lifetime practice.

Physical Fitness. Anyone can be a member of fitness centre but it does not guarantee physical fitness. There has to be consistency. One may build muscles in a very short period of time but the harder part is to maintain it. Physical exercise is lifetime practice.
Likewise, believers may easily join a church as members. One may participate in the ministry with enthusiasm but to have consistent involvement is not guaranteed. Consistency is faithfulness. Faithfulness is a result of faith, the fruit of the Holy Spirit. To grow in faith in Christ is to grow in consistency. Faithfulness reveals spiritual growth.

In Colossians 2:2-4, ² My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, ³ in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. ⁴ I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments.

To be deceived shows that a believer has not grown spiritually mature. When we are filled with wisdom and knowledge from Christ, we desire to practice our faith consistently. Subsequently, when our faith in Christ grows strong and firm, we would not be easily deceived by fine-sounding arguments. We should aim to have a complete understanding of the mystery of God as we live our life as Christians.

2. Complete

¹³ Yet Israel did not burn any of the cities built on their mounds—except Hazor, which Joshua burned. ¹⁴ The Israelites carried off for themselves all the plunder and livestock of these cities, but all the people they put to the sword until they completely destroyed them, not sparing anyone that breathed. ¹⁵ As the Lord commanded his servant Moses, so Moses commanded Joshua, and Joshua did it; he left nothing undone of all that the Lord commanded Moses.

Left nothing undone is the kind of obedience that the Lord requires of us. Christ exemplified such obedience on the cross. Jesus said in John 19:30, ³⁰“It is finished.”
Christ did not command us to kill. But how can we apply the principle of total destruction or annihilation in Christian life? In baptism, a believer testifies to his death to sin and death to self or the total destruction of the old sinful nature as results when we believe in Christ as Saviour and He gives us new life.
In Romans 6:3-4, ³ Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? ⁴ We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

The principle of total annihilation is fulfilled when believers are baptized and buried with Christ into His death. By faith, we should not respond to enticement of sin anymore. As new creation in Christ, we should be more attracted to do righteousness.
It continued in Romans 6:5-11, ⁵ For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. ⁶ For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— ⁷ because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.
⁸ Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. ⁹ For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. ¹⁰ The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.
¹¹ In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

If we are dead to sin, how is it that we are still tempted to commit sin? Sin may not be instantly acted upon. No Christian would intentionally say, “Today, I will commit sin.” It is when we are off-guard and not conscious of our Christianity that sin attacks vulnerability. Temptations are opportunities for sin to sneak in silently.
In James 1:13-15, ¹³ When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; ¹⁴ but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. ¹⁵ Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

We are all tempted to commit sin. Sin takes advantage when we try to relax a little bit in our Christian life. We cannot rely upon human efforts because the inclination of our heart is not righteousness.
It says in Genesis 6:5, ⁵The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.

We need the Holy Spirit to remind us. Apart from Christ, we cannot be Christian, we cannot live our Christian lifestyle, we cannot think of Christian idea, we cannot speak in Christian manner. In everything we say, do or think we need the Spirit of Christ to live a Christian lifestyle that He requires. We keep God’s commands by faith in Christ.
Jesus says in John 14:15-17, ¹⁵If you love me, keep my commands. ¹⁶ And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— ¹⁷ the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.

We cannot obey God’s instruction apart from Christ. We should always pray for Christ’s help. Remember Philippians 4:6, ⁶Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

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