A Closer Look at the Book: JOSHUA(8 of 13)

Keep Your Guard Up!

Joshua 9:1-2

And it came to pass, when all the kings which were on this side Jordan, in the hills, and in the valleys, and in all the coasts of the great sea over against Lebanon, the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, heard thereof;

[2] That they gathered themselves together, to fight with Joshua and with Israel, with one accord.

Joshua 9:3-24

And when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done unto Jericho and to Ai,

[4] They did work wilily, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine bottles, old, and rent, and bound up;

[5] And old shoes and clouted upon their feet, and old garments upon them; and all the bread of their provision was dry and mouldy.

[16] And it came to pass at the end of three days after they had made a league with them, that they heard that they were their neighbours, and that they dwelt among them.

[20] This we will do to them; we will even let them live, lest wrath be upon us, because of the oath which we sware unto them.

[21] And the princes said unto them, Let them live; but let them be hewers of wood and drawers of water unto all the congregation; as the princes had promised them.

INTRO -- A young couple, lost on a rural road spotted an old farmer so they stopped the car and asked him,

"Sir, could you tell us where this road will take us?" Without a moments hesitation the old farmer said,

"Son, this road will take you anywhere in the world you want to go, if you move in the right direction."

Joshua 9 we get a firsthand look at deception, distraction and disillusionment.

Joshua, and the children of Israel, has just enjoyed another great victory at Ai.

In one battle the entire population of the city was destroyed.

God allowed them to capture the city, consume the city and claim the city.

However, right on the heels of their victory comes distraction.

It did not come at a time when they were down, but at a time when they were up.

It was not a time when they were empty, but at a time when they were full.

Thus, Joshua 9-10 provides valuable lessons for the Christian to remind us to keep our guard up.

The first lesson we learn about our enemy is:

1. Don't Be FOOLED by the Enemy!

3 - And when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done unto Jericho and to Ai,

[4] They did work wilily, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine bottles, old, and rent, and bound up;

Alan Redpath offers a wonderful commentary every Christian needs to hear. "Every victory that the Christian wins in his own personal life is an invitation for a full-scale attack by the enemy of his soul. Every time a child of God steps into an experience of blessing, he is on the verge of another assault by the enemy. Our blessings and our battles go side by side." [1]

Up until now, Joshua had faced soldiers with swords, shields and spears; but his new enemy,

the Gibeonites, are armed with deceit. No swords, no shields, no spears, and no city walls, just deceit.

They had heard what Joshua had done to the other nations; thus, they wanted to be an exception to the rule.

Therefore, they tricked Joshua into believing they were his friends by the use of their:

A) FALSE WORKS!

Joshua 9:3-5

And when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done unto Jericho and to Ai,

[4] They did work wilily, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine bottles, old, and rent, and bound up;

[5] And old shoes and clouted upon their feet, and old garments upon them; and all the bread of their provision was dry and mouldy.

The Gibeonites were actually a coalition of 4 cities, Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kirjath-jearim.

They had heard how Joshua had succeeded against every nation he had faced, so they did not want to go to battle against Israel as the other nations did, and we really cannot blame them.

Thus, their plan of attack was to deceive Joshua into thinking they were come to help them, when in reality, they had come

to hinder them. The first way they deceived Joshua was by their False works.

The word "wilily," in verse 4, speaks of "craftiness, or deceit." The Gibeonites assembled a group of men and equipped them to look like an official delegation from a foreign city. Their clothing, food and equipment were all designed to give the impression that they come from a long and difficult journey from a distant city.

Simply put, they deceived Joshua by what they did.

I need not remind you that our enemy, Satan, is a master deceiver through his false works.

Paul says in 2 Cor. 11:13-15 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. [14] And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. [15] Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

Satan is the master deceiver. He is smart enough to know that a committed Christian is not going to be trapped by an open, full-frontal attack. He knows that it's much easier for us to identify the lion when he's roaring than to detect the serpent when he's slithering into our lives.

A) FALSE WORKS!

B) FATAL WORDS!

Notice how the Gibeonites tricked Joshua with, not only words of flattery, but ultimately words that became fatal.

It's a rather lengthy conversation, but let's read it that we might unmask the fatal speech of the enemy.

Read Joshua 9:6-10 Joshua 9:6-10

The Gibeonites uttered 4 lies.

They lied about their country. In verses 6 and 9, they claimed to have traveled from a "very far country," when in reality Gibeon was only 25 miles away from Gilgal.

They lied about their contents. In verses 12-13, They carried old wine bottles and mouldy bread to make it appear that they had come from a far country. In other words, they lied about their contents to cover up the lie about their country. It was a lie to cover up another lie.

They lied about their clothes.

In verse 13, Again, in order to cover up the other lies about their country and contents, they lied about their clothes. They wore "old" "garments" and "shoes" to make it appear that they had traveled a long way.

They lied about their consecration to God and their commitment to Joshua. In verse 9, They claimed to be Joshua's "servants" who came "because of the name of the Lord thy God." In other words, they tried to make Joshua believe that they had great reverence for God, when in fact they were idol worshippers.

I've met people who professed to be seekers, but the longer they talked I found out that they were sneakers.

I've met people who tried to convince they were going to Heaven, when their behavior revealed that they were headed for hell.

Satan DECIVES WITH HIS FALSE WORK AND HIS FATAL WORDS

By the way, he's the smoothest talker you'll ever meet.

Genesis 3:1

Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

He'll say things like, "

Don't be so narrow-minded;" or, "

Why are you giving so much of your time to church?"

If those don't work, he'll say something like, "

It's nobody's business what you do in your personal time;" or, "

Go ahead, you deserve to indulge yourself."

John 8:44

Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

Keep your guard up.

He's not interested in you living a life of victory, but of defeat.

He's not interested in our church being a place of unity, but of disunity.

Therefore, don't be fooled by the enemy. Secondly:

1. Don't Be FOOLED by the Enemy!

2. Don't be FRIENDLY to the Enemy!

C. S. Lewis speaks volumes, "The safest road to hell is the gradual road. The gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, and without signposts."

I would add that the safest road to hell is when we are fooled by the enemy, and friendly to the enemy.

Joshua got fooled by the enemy, and then makes the tragic mistake of becoming a little too friendly with the enemy.

As a result, notice:

A) The COUNSEL that was ABANDONED!

The Gibeonites, who was not Israel's friend, deceived Joshua into believing that they had come to help Israel.

"How could Joshua be so easily deceived?"

The answer is found in

Joshua 9:14 And the men took of their victuals, and asked not counsel at the mouth of the Lord.

In other words, the reason they were fooled by the enemy and became friendly to the enemy is because they did not consult with God about the matter.

Joshua took the scientific approach rather than the scriptural approach.

Thus, failing to seek God's counsel was inexcusable on the part of Joshua.

He knew better. However, because he "leaned to his own understanding," and left God out, he was fooled by the enemy and became friendly to the enemy.

Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. [6] In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

How sobering are the words of A. W. Pink, "Without counseling with God, we send out an open invitation to trouble. We must expect to fall into error when we fail to seek God."

F. B. Meyer offers wise advice, "Before entering into any alliance, taking a partner in life, going into business with another, yielding assent to any proposition which involves confederation with others, be sure to ask counsel at the mouth of the Lord." [2]

Be it a personal matter, a financial matter, an emotional matter, an occupational matter, or a spiritual matter, I would advice you to consult the Word of God as the final authority in all matters of life and death. Failure to do so will always result in making a bad decision.

Next, because of the counsel that was abandoned notice:

A) The COUNSEL that was ABANDONED!

B) The CONFUSION that was ADMITTED!

Thankfully, Joshua finally realizes that he has been deceived. In

Joshua 9:16 And it came to pass at the end of three days after they had made a league with them, that they heard that they were their neighbours, and that they dwelt among them.

Joshua unmasked their disguise, as well as their deceit. He confronts them in

Joshua 9:22 And Joshua called for them, and he spake unto them, saying, Wherefore have ye beguiled us, saying, We are very far from you; when ye dwell among us?

Joshua had no one to blame but himself. Once he had abandoned God's counsel, he had to face the music, and admit that he had allowed himself to be deceived. This leads us to consider:

C) The CURSE that was ANNOUNCED!

The deceitfulness of the Gibeonites cost them dearly. Joshua announces their curse in

Joshua 9:23

Now therefore ye are cursed, and there shall none of you be freed from being bondmen, and hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God.

The curse is outlined in

Joshua 9:26-27

And so did he unto them, and delivered them out of the hand of the children of Israel, that they slew them not.

[27] And Joshua made them that day hewers of wood and drawers of water for the congregation, and for the altar of the Lord, even unto this day, in the place which he should choose.

In Deuteronomy 7, Moses had given stern warnings about compromising with the people of the land. However, Israel had been fooled by the enemy, had become friendly with the enemy; and, thus, had to deal with the consequences.

We might wonder why the Israelites didn't do to the Gibeonites what they had done to Jericho, and Ai.

Why didn't they just kill them? The answer is because they couldn't.

To kill them would be to violate God's Word, as well as go back on their word.

Joshua had blundered by making an agreement with Gibeon, but he dare not blunder by profaning the name of God.

Therefore, rather than kill them they cursed them and the Gibeonites became the slaves of Israel.

The curse of the Gibeonites reminds us that sin always brings a curse.

Sin never blesses, it always curses.

Sin may look very appealing, but it will end up being very appalling.

Sin always promises blessings, but it only always produces burdens.

Galatians 6:7-8

[7] Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

[8] For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

Don't be deceived. Keep your guard up. Don't be fooled by the enemy, don't be friendly to the enemy, and finally:

1. Don't Be FOOLED by the Enemy!

2. Don't be FRIENDLY to the Enemy!

3. Don't Be FEARFUL of the Enemy!

This lesson from the life of Joshua teaches us that if you make a mistake, then make your mistake work for you.

Failure doesn't have to be final, or fatal. In Joshua 10, God overruled Joshua's mistake, and used it to give him an amazing victory.

A) Joshua's SUCCESSFUL WARS!

Although Joshua was fooled by the enemy and friendly to the enemy he didn't have to fearful of the enemy

Joshua 9 Joshua had turned from God, but in

Joshua 10, Joshua turns to God, talks with God and trusts in God.

As a result, from verses 1-39 Joshua totally routs the enemy. In verse Joshua 10:40

So Joshua smote all the country of the hills, and of the south, and of the vale, and of the springs, and all their kings: he left none remaining, but utterly destroyed all that breathed, as the Lord God of Israel commanded.

B) Joshua's SECRET WEAPON!

Joshua is perhaps the greatest soldier, and military general of all-time.

However, Joshua could not, and did not defeat these kings, or their armies on his own.

In fact, we saw in Joshua 9 what Joshua could do on his own. Rather than consult with God, he leaned on his own understanding, and thus finds himself between a "rock and a hard place."

In Joshua 10:1-5, 5 kings form a confederation of armies to fight against Joshua.

However, what they didn't see was that God was aligning them in such a way that Joshua could defeat them ALL AT ONE TIME!

Joshua had a secret weapon revealed in

Joshua 10:42

And all these kings and their land did Joshua take at one time, because the Lord God of Israel fought for Israel.

He is revealed as the God who is Working in Creation.

In verses 12-14 we find one of the most interesting events in the entire Bible.

Joshua 10:12-14

Then spake Joshua to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon.

[13] And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day.

[14] And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the Lord hearkened unto the voice of a man: for the Lord fought for Israel.

Did you see that? God, the Creator, worked in and through His own creation. He made the sun and the moon to stop dead in their tracks. He lengthened the day and shortened the night so that Israel could accomplish 2 days work in 1 day.

The most common questions are, "Did God do this? Is it a literal, or a symbolic act? Is it possible for the sun to stand still, and the moon to stay?"

I'm not going to try to explain, nor prove to you what God did, or how God did it.

He is revealed as the God who is Working in Creation.

He is the God who is Worthy of Celebration.

Joshua 10:40-43

[41] And Joshua smote them from Kadesh-barnea even unto Gaza, and all the country of Goshen, even unto Gibeon.

[42] And all these kings and their land did Joshua take at one time, because the Lord God of Israel fought for Israel.

[43] And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, unto the camp to Gilgal.

Gilgal was not just the base of operation for Israel, but it was a most significant place.

It was a place of remembrance, a place of renunciation, a place of restoration, a place of realization and a place of revelation.

It was the place where the person of God, the promises of God, the presence of God and the power of God had been revealed to His people.

God had taken Joshua's mistake and turned it into a miracle.

He had worked in creation, thus He was worthy of celebration.

Without God, failure was imminent;

With God, failure was impossible.

Donald Grey Barnhouse, the famed pastor of Tenth Street Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, was a graduate of Princeton University. About 12 years after graduation, Barnhouse was invited back to preach in chapel. His Hebrew professor, Robert Wilson was among those who came to hear Barnhouse preach.

When the service was over, Wilson came up to Barnhouse and said, "If you come back again, I will not come to hear you preach. I only come once. I am glad to see that you are a ˜big-godder.' When my boys come back to preach I come to see if they are a â˜big-godder' or a˜little-godder,' and then I know what their ministries will be."

Barnhouse asked his former Hebrew professor to explain. Wilson said, "Some men have a little god. He can't do any miracles. He can't take care of the inspiration of the Scriptures. He can't take care of His own creation. They have a little god, so I call them little-godders.'"

Wilson continued, "Then there are those who have a great God. He speaks, and it is done. He commands, and it stands fast. He knows how to show Himself strong on behalf of those who fear Him. He is a God of the minute, as well as the miraculous." He concluded, "I came to hear you preach and I am convinced that you are a ˜big-godder' who has a great God, and He will bless your ministry."