The Battles we fight
When we are born again, we are called to stand with Christ….and when we do, we will need to learn to fight, to hold the ground won for us by Christ.
For our Adversary the devil, and the world…will seek to withstand every victory we have.
To illustrate, I will speak about the battles of Joshua and Israel, when they first came into the Promised land.
Joshua 6:2 “And the Lord said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valor.”
Jericho was the first battle….and it should have been a pattern for all others. Not in its form…but in its means.
Here, Joshua met the Captain of the host of the Lord, who was in charge of all….and fell on his face and worshiped. Joshua 5:13-14
Here, it was learned that the means God uses, is often not thought much of by men….it was ram’s horns…not the silver trumpets that were used. Joshua 6:8
It was silence from the people…with them and the Ark simply walking about the city,…until the seventh day, when after seven times, they were to shout…and go up before them, and fight. Joshua 6:10,15-16 All of these means were ridiculous to men…but they were God’s Way.
Here it was learned that the first of everything was to be given to God….Joshua 6:19
The second battle was Ai….and here a lesson in sin, unconfessed,…hindering the victory is shown. Men of Israel died, which should not have….
But after the sin was taken care of…(and we should confess our sins…everyday…that our work is not hindered. 1 John 1:9),…
……exact instructions were given for the next battle…and victory:
Joshua 8:2 “And thou shalt do to Ai and her king as thou didst unto Jericho and her king: only the spoil thereof, and the cattle thereof, shall ye take for a prey unto yourselves: lay thee an ambush for the city behind it.”
Here, the means is an ambush. They were to hide behind the city,….and when the troops in front pretended to be beaten….they were to come around, into the city and burn it! Then the men which pretend to be beaten will turn around! Which caused Ai to be trapped from both ends.
Ai was a small city….and when we have frustrations…or just small problems….or slights….we tend to think we can deal with them ourselves.
We can not….
….Song of Solomon 2:15 “Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes.”
Ephesians 4:30-31 “And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:”
But we can have victory, where there is defeat….when we confess and put away our sins….even seemingly little sins.
(Notice….that here is where the Israelites are given the spoil for themselves….and it is this way for the rest of the battles! When God is first….He sees to us, to the last.)
The next battle was with five kings!
And they had to do it after a forced march all night (Joshua 10:7-9)….because they had “leaned on their own understanding” (Prov. 3:5-6)…and made a league with some of the people of the land…the Gibeonites.
But then the Gibeonites were attacked…by these five kings….and called for help from Israel!
Granted, the Gibeonites had tricked them….for Israel and Joshua had not asked direction from the Lord….but believed what the Gibeonites said….because it “looked good”.
(We, too, are warned of the wiles of the devil…and we should be watchful.
How many times we get into things we have no business in….when we do not seek direction from the Lord.
And as Israel, here, we must do the right thing afterwards….and bow to the “reaping” of that which we have done….till the Lord leads us out….and gives us victory)
To honor their league….they had to come up all night to get there…so Israel could help them against these five kings and their armies.
Joshua 10:8 “And the Lord said unto Joshua, Fear them not: for I have delivered them into thine hand; there shall not a man of them stand before thee.”
Here, the Lord killed more men with hailstones (Joshua 10:11)…than with the sword of the children of Israel.
(And sometimes the Lord just takes over and deals with situations….giving us deliverance, when we are being obedient. Things are taken care of….amazingly!)
Here, Joshua needed more time….more light….and asked for it.
When he cried….he was given a whole day. (Joshua 10:13).
(And we, too, in a time of battle, often need more understanding and grace…and we can certainly ask for it. Hebrews 4:16)
Here, Joshua had every battle captain, of the men of war put their feet on the necks of the kings of the enemies….before they were hanged….and said: “Fear not,…be strong…for thus shall the Lord do to all your enemies…against whom ye fight.” (Joshua 10:24-25)
And has not the Lord promised us victory….by faith….now (1 John 5:4-5)…
…and the victory of the Lamb of God over the whole world, one day. Let us put our trust in Him.
But this was not all….after such a victory….Joshua kept the army with him and kept moving from city state to city state…fighting and taking the cities that the Lord led them to come to. Joshua 10:29,31,33,34,3638,40-42. “And all these kings and their land did Joshua take at one time,….because….the Lord God of Israel fought for Israel.”
How gracious our God….using even our failures…to teach us and lead us to “…all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28)
The last battles began with more kings banding together and coming to fight Israel.
(Altogether there were thirty-three kings that they fought and destroyed. Two on the east of Jordan, and thirty-one on the west of Jordan)
This set of battles….begins with many kings and their armies coming together at the waters of Merom.
But again, the Lord tells Joshua (11:6,10:8, 8:1, 6:1) as He had several times before….to “fear not, I have delivered them to Israel”.
They come upon them suddenly and….the Lord delivered them into the hand of Israel.
You will notice, that God is praised here all the way along. The Lord delivered them into the hands of Israel.
(There are many battles we fight in our Christian walk….for we are to possess the promises that the Lord has given us. There are battles we have with our old nature…old habits, old plans, old attitudes. Yet we are given the victory…against the giants (Joshua 11:21-22)…of our lusts and reasons…by God’s grace and direction.
2 Corinthians 10:3-5 “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;”)
How many times we are outnumbered….in our belief in God…many mock and scorn Him and us.
Many come together to “give us a hard time”…because we believe HIs Word.
But….”fear not”. God’s voice to us gives us peace and victory in that peace….even against many.
Joshua 11:18-19 “Joshua made war a long time with all those kings.
There was not a city that made peace with the children of Israel, save the Hivites the inhabitants of Gibeon: all other they took in battle.”
Our warfare as Christians is to conquer ourselves, through the sanctification of the Spirit,…and gain all that the Lord has for us.
We are to get our direction from the Lord….and, whether in confession of sin,….or seeing by faith and not by sight….or asking the Lord for more and more light, till the job is done….we are to persevere….to continue…till we are called home to be with the Lord.
But there is one more thing I wish to add….Joshua, was a light, himself. His testimony in leading Israel into battle….his getting before the Ark in confession….his getting up and doing what is next and next….his asking for more and more light….his diligence in getting all the promised possession. His adherence to the Word of God.
If you read the message to Israel in Joshua 23-24, he testifies of God’s mercy and goodness. He shows God’s faithfulness to His Word to Israel. He warns them of forsaking the Lord.
He, was a light to keep Israel focused on the purpose of God for them…the goal to which they were to reach out for.
(And aren’t we to do the same…
….”…forgetting those things wheich are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14)
Joshua 24:29, 31 “And it came to pass after these things, that Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died,…
And Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that overlived Joshua, and which had known all the works of the Lord, that He had done for Israel.”
“…which had known all the works of the Lord…”
This is the real value of our testimony….we know. And no one can take away our knowledge of our God. We may wobble….or doubt….or hesitate. But we can know God….our God….and that is the shining of our light in a dark place….a placing of our lamps high, for all to see. (Matthew 5:15-16)
Preaching, Teaching, and Notes 