This morning I was reading Joshua 11 and 12.
Joshua was an amazing general, a mighty warrior and leader of warriors. He was greatly used by God. I don't think it is any accident that his name, Joshua, is so closely related to "Yeshua", from which we get in the Greek language the name "Jesus". In fact, many Bible scholars view Joshua as a "type" of Jesus Christ, someone whose characteristics closely resemble the Lord.
What God the Father was able to accomplish through the obedience of this man goes beyond the adjective "amazing".
We find in chapter 11 that the last battles to be fought for the Promised Land involved defeating a second coalition of kings, who met with a similar fate to the coalition of 5 Western Amorite kings of chapter 9. This second group, of chapter 11, is comprised of several small kingdoms, led by the king of Hazor. Most of these kingdoms were in the northern part of the Promised Land, but some were also from the far regions of the four points of the compass. The scriptures say that there were so many of them they were like the grains of the sand on the seashore (11:4). This was the Israelites' largest foe, to date.
Yet....
God had prepared His warriors in smaller battles, occasions where they had proved obedient and He had proved faithful. He had trained them for these last, huge battles. They were as ready as it was possible for men to be, and God once again fought for them.
The last foes mentioned in the conquest of the Promised Land were a sub-group of the enemy alliances mentioned here. They are called in 11:21-22, the Anakim, a giant people from the northern hill country. This was a people that many Bible theologians believe to have been carriers of Nephilim blood, the same Nephilim mentioned in Genesis 6:4 - - - those supernaturally strong people created as tools of Satan in his attempt to corrupt the Messianic bloodline. We also find these people mentioned in Numbers 13:33 - - -
"And there we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim), and we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them."
These were the giants spotted by the 12 spies originally sent by Moses to "scope out" the Promised Land. Think about how far the Israelites had come from those days when they cowered in fear of their adversaries in the desert. What a mighty work God had done in their lives over the course of 60 or so years! Their last foe in the Promised Land: the giant race that demoralized them several decades earlier.
21 At that time Joshua proceeded to exterminate the Anakim from the hill country—Hebron, Debir, Anab—all the hill country of Judah and of Israel. Joshua completely destroyed them with their cities. 22 No Anakim were left in the land of the Israelites, except for some remaining in Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod.
(HCSB)
The giants were completely exterminated from the Promised Land, although some fled to adjacent areas of Gaza, Gath and Ashdod - - - areas which laid outside the borders of "God's country". And so ended a series of victories which took place over several years (11:18). These conquests were not made in a short period of time; they were a series of conquest after conquest after conquest. Then, finally though, the Israelites' time of war was over. The Land and the People began to have rest from their fierce battles. Joshua 12 is more or less a summary chapter. My goodness! A total of 33 kings conquered over that period of years - - 2 to the east of the Jordan River, and 31 to the west, all the way to the sea.
Is our God still able? Is He still powerful to do wonderful and marvelous works through us, such as these mighty exploits we read about in the Old Testament? Is He still the miracle-working God we see in the Person of our Savior, Jesus Christ, in the New Testament? Of course He is! We face battles every, single day. And, some of them involve "giants".
I know that I "harp" on this theme, but it is just so crucial to the resplendent, Christian walk! If you, Believer, do not see yourself as a warrior for God, then you are being defeated. If you fail to recognize the spiritual battles that you encounter, then you are doomed to lose them and to cede ground to the other side. Part of the problem we face is that we don't usually SEE the results of our victories and/or defeats right away...in some cases, never!
Our pastor was preaching a couple of Sundays ago about David and Goliath. One of his points was : "a huge door will swing on a small hinge". Have you ever heard of Mordecai Ham? I hadn't either. He was an evangelist of moderate fame in the very early 20th century. I assure you you've heard of one of the young men converted under his preaching in 1934 at a revival meeting in Charlotte, NC. That man's name is Billy Graham, the greatest evangelist of the 20th century.
What battles are you fighting right now? Oh, please, don't give up! Don't be discouraged! Your battle is uniquely yours, and it is NOT insignificant! Every warrior and each battle matters. Our God is still able. His grace is still abundant and listen ... the longer we walk with Him, the more we need it. Without His grace, which picks us up when we fall, spiritual victory, the resplendent walk, is out of reach. We are not fighting out of our own strength, but in His!
"For it is God who works in you, to will and to act in order to fulfill His good purpose."
Philippians 2:13
Our obedience and yielding, which are born out of our reciprocal love for Him, are the keys to spiritual victory. "We love Him, because He first loved us", (1 John 4:19) and continues to pour out His amazing grace on us, day after day after day. Was yesterday a less-than-victorious day? Get up today and put the armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18) back on, Brother or Sister! God's desire is to continue to shape you into the very image of His Son, Jesus, for His glory. Let Him.
Well, Lord, writing this post has made me tired! That's just honest, Lord. I hear about all that battling in Joshua 11 and 12 and just go, "WHEW!" You may not be calling every one of us to be a "Joshua" or a "Caleb". But, none of us is insignificant or unimportant in the great, cosmic battle that surrounds us. Oh, give us supernatural, spiritual and physical strength, to put on the armor of God and then "bend the knee" in submission to You and Your will for our lives. Cover us with your infinite grace, mercy and love, Lord! Enable us to feel it in our hearts, as well as knowing it with our minds. We dedicate and entrust this day and its outcomes to You, Father. In Jesus' name, amen.
Source:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mordecai_Ham
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