More War (Part B)

Those cities, these people shower your God gives you as an inheritance, you shall let nothing that breeds remain alive shall utterly destroy them. Hittite Amorite Canaanite has righted by Jebusite is Yahweh your God has commanded you.

And that is what Joshua is doing verse 13 as for the cities that stood on their mounds Israel burned none of them except Hazel only, which Joshua earned. This is cross reference radio with our pastor and teacher Rick Gaston. Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville. Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the book of Joshua. Please stay with us after today's message here.

More information about cross reference radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching, but for now let's join Pastor Rick in the book of Joshua chapter 7 unwanted but needed is the title of Pastor Rick's message and today he'll be in Joshua chapter 12 neuron's is one of the candidate mountains in Israel for the Mount of Transfiguration, Jesus went up on a high mountain, and that is one of the candidates with location. So you really wasn't much verse, verse six now, but Yahweh said to Joshua. Do not be afraid because of them for tomorrow about this time I will deliver all of them slain before Israel you shall hamstring their horses and burn their chariots with fire all. Evidently Joshua was concerned. He knew these forces and amassed against him and they had chariots of mechanized warfare was now confronting them for the first time he had to deal with chariots.

What what can infantry alone do against them like sending infantry against tanks today is chariots.

It wasn't like you know then her voice 01 Guyana chariot.

They were big cherries. They could have the 023 men on in the mill archers and men with lances. They could be really a problem.

Cut right through infantry.

He also had learned from AI that past victories were no guarantee of another victory. Just because he knew there were other factors involved which emerged out of the whole thing with NAI with a consenting and Joshua not being aware of it being devastated by the whole thing and so he wasn't taking anything for granted and God comes along and says do not be afraid again be no reason to tell her not to be afraid. Leslie was afraid Joshua had sought great military victory is already in Egypt coming out of Egypt are Pharaoh's army are drowned in the sea and there they were.

The Bible says the next morning. There they were on the shore dead the Amalekites. He fought with them and Aaron and the man name her held up the arms of Aron he saw Saha on August giant kings of people on the east side of Jordan Jews conquered them. Jericho AI Bethel and the south. The southern campaign and now he is facing the northern campaign and he is not cocky is not saying I got this one is this not a mock faith were fighting the battles of the Lord. He is absolutely dependent on God, even though he is actually fighting the battles of the Lord is not letting it go to his head and not only had he sought to witness God vanquish the enemy. He saw miracles the parting of jumps off the Sea of Reeds wing of the Red Sea saw that part he saw the Jordan part then the hailstones in the sun and the moon extend the day but he's not saying for God's window. No miracle today. You just name and claimant brother not is not operating presumptuously at all. And now, this is again the largest, most organized advanced Army in Canaan that he has faced these chariots and stuff. He will beat them here, but they'll still be in the land, and other places and they will cause problems for others will get to that latter chapters of Joshua.

But for the first time as if the infantry is facing the chariots, but for those chariots, I would've been a soldier kind of thing the cavalry not Calvary but Cabell re-soldiers on horses. The Canaanite armies lightly did not have them.

That would've been helpful and even if they did they had to still face them and these are well armed troops coming against them as there are well armed things that come against us and we we know it very well. The next verse tells us that God's words to Joshua will will receive it before we get to the next verse he says hamstring their horses. God does. I have a difficulty not with the humanitarian role or animal thing. Let me board was start well you got a sale to hamstring the horses because I do not want you to defeat the Army on the battlefield and anyone who's got gotten away from other places not involve coming gravels horses and use them against you again nor do I want you to take the horses and start having chariots in your army. Deuteronomy 20 when you go out to battle against your enemies, and see horses and chariots and people more numerous than you, do not be afraid of them were Yahweh your God is with you, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt, and later he will give directions. Deuteronomy 17 that the kings of Israel were not to amass horses and they were to remain dependent on God. Of course they didn't do well there, especially Solomon, but the laming of the horses. I don't know enough about horses and I tried to research this and I just can't get an answer that I'm satisfied so I'm thinking if you hamstring the horse you might as well kill it.

I can still walk. Is he strong enough to plow still does he have any function does it take longer to kill the horse than to hamstring the horse. Maybe some of you can stop horsing around and tell me these things.

I don't know so I know that the. The Hebrew word means to root up to dig down to believe that using the sense of hamstringing the horse cutting those rear tendons so that they cannot be uses warhorses. I don't know if they are still then suitable for labor or not. So that's that's where it is and if you sell I just looked it up on the Internet and found it that I'm going to hate you anyway prove it is his and burn their chariots with fire destroy their ability to wage war.

Jesus said if your right hands offend you cut it off right. I pluck it out, you take extreme measures to counteract these things because they're that fierce is not saying maim yourself up at all and and even if you were you cut your right hand off the left hand. What even a cut that one off with. Remember, they are sleepy. Remember they are sleeping. Her seven so Joshua and all the people of war with him came against them suddenly by the waters of marathon and attack them in some areas again. It comes upon them suddenly at the sky about who want to be against him. Eddie just is motivated by God's assurance got I'm good look.

I told you back with Moses. I was going to be with you. Now you're here, Moses is not.

You're the leader I'm going to be with you and and Joshua says IRI goes off with an and he striking right away. Suddenly, the horses them that were ready for this milling around, you know, putting little tassels on the chariot rearview mirrors and stuff like that and and here he comes with his army. We read about him doing the same kind of stuff suddenly coming on you and an enemy at the Jordan grows up early comes to the Jordan. In chapter 3 and chapter 6 early. He gets up to cross the Jordan Jericho on the seventh day when it was time to take those walls down. The Bible tells us Joshua got up early and we covered this one submitted merits covering again when Aiken had sinned and it was time to deal with that Joshua got up early early tells us each time that AI when he defeated AI after dealing with Aiken give eon to deal with Gibby on the get up early and then here at marathon Chapter 11. He had the habit of facing a difficult and unpleasant task with this resolute steel that we want is just okay is grab the bull by the horns and right until his neck breaks and if he pins me. I'm going to resist. Make preparation for more resistance. That's the kind of man Joshua was.

We are better off when we know these things, even if were not that strong. We can be stronger than what we would've otherwise been verse eight Yahweh delivered them into the hand of Israel who defeated them and chased them to the greatest side onto the brook of Ms. riff off and to the Valley of Mizpah East where they attacked them until they left none of them remaining. Well Ms. roof off means hot Springs and is interesting to know there are hot springs in the land. I want to live in that neighborhood is having cold water all the time sis doesn't do it anyway is advancing. Remember there's a lot of blood going on here. They're not killing people with paperclips that using things that would become hard to… Sword warfare very ugly verse nine so Joshua did to them as Yahweh had told him he hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots fire in the reoccurring theme with Joshua is obedience.

Joshua was a says, again in verse nine did to them as Yahweh had told him I want to be that guy all the time. Sometimes I can get it.

Sometimes it's easy sometimes it's surprising, sometimes it's become part of me, but then there are other times I want to be that guy all the time and I want God to know that I want to be that guy and I know he does and I reassured by that verse 10, Joshua turned back at that time into Hazel and struck its king with the sword for his art was formally the head of all those kingdoms. Verse 11 and they struck all the people who work in and it with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying them. There were none left breathing.

Then he burned Hazel with fire, and so the violence that is necessary to this large. The dominant forces of sin and that is what he does. He breaks the back of sin. Israel the promised land is a land bridge that connects Asia to Africa and a lot of traffic cuts through their and a lot of influence and the people that lived in this promised land. They they were grotesque when it came to sin got itemize many of their sins in Leviticus and Deuteronomy and reminded the Jews and putting them out as a judgment for their behavior and I'll do the same to you. If you don't watch yourself. And we, which he did do and God has said that still to the earth today. You know you don't fix this you going to bake be dealt with and will come to some of that little bit in verse where in verses 10 and 11 where he says it says there was none left breathing, men, women and children yeah I mean is just terrible civilian suffering war. They always have the many ways he suffer worse than the troops. Nagasaki and Hiroshima aminos of civilians with how many lives. It is saved because those committed to Shintoism were not going to surrender and one reason why they were so incredibly barbaric to POWs is because they have such they they viewed them as less than human, and once a human being views another human being as less than human. You going to have big problems is going treat you like you're an animal. This is not something that's in isolated spots of histories throughout history. This lesson this is the lesson of the book of Esther.

You think this is merciless you think this is cool. Let me show you what will happen if you don't do it this way there will be generation atop a generation coming for you and the cycle of revenge is, you'll never be able to break and with all the efforts that the Jews put into this. They still had some of that and so the Lord knew what he was talking about when he was saying. I need you to wage thorough war. This is beyond negotiation. They are not retrievable.

I can't get them back as human beings and they are influencing other human beings at a demonic rate and it's got to be arrested and this is what the children of Israel were doing and as a bonus, they got to keep the land so misguided mercy. We have to watch out.

God is always right. Anytime you have a suspicion that you're right and he's not, you know you're wrong in the suspicion should evaporate numbers 31 verses 14 through 17 might help you a little bit with this, but the very mercy of God had just only serve to harden them in their sins. God gave them time to repent he gave them godly people.

I mean, for example, Jethro was a godly man who was not a Jew. Joe was not a Jew. These men knew Yahweh. They walked with him. What was their problem. The energy we've been pointing out is been going along.

Rahab got it. The harlot got it as I figure this one out.

I went the wrong people. I know how these people that I live with and then not good.

And I've heard about these Jews, I rather be with them, so she did the math as we would say judgment. It was unavoidable. According to their own works.

It was no longer mercy and will bring some of that out in a minute. Verse 12 so all the cities of those kings and all the kings and all their kings, the cities and their king. Joshua took and struck with the edge of the sword he utterly destroyed them, as Moses the servant of Yahweh commanded get verse 15 is say, as Yahweh commanded because there's that they're one and the same Moses this that great servant of God. I don't know if we passed by to quickly help how great a man Moses was is really a remarkable character is was so caught up in so much in all the plagues and in his beard.

He had you had to have one and just we just get sidetracked some doubly remiss the character of the man what he had to endure here in verse 12 Joshua did to those kings as Jesus will do to the principalities of hell. This is a verse Deuteronomy 20 verse 16 and 17 but of those cities. These people would shower your God gives you as an inheritance, you shall let nothing that breeds remain alive, but you shall utterly destroy them. Hittite the Amorite the Canaanite has a right if I Jebusite is Yahweh your God has commanded you. And that is what Joshua is doing verse 13 as for the cities that stood on their mounds Israel burned none of them except Hazel are only which Joshua burned.

Apparently he saved these cities because they were on the the high ground and that meant they were natural for the fortifications of good cities. Andy opted to save them for his own people and will keep that this will make these hours now. Hey Zara, however, was the capital city that influenced all the others in Joshua burned that one down, probably as a an example to surrounding territories. This, again, a strategic area trade routes and he knew what he was doing. If you go to Israel today.

You can still see ancient cities up on high hills not mountains, not high heels, but high hills and their museum site. If you want to trek up there but verse 14 and all the spoil of these cities, and the livestock. The children of Israel took his booty for themselves, but they struck every man with the edge of the sword until they had destroyed them and they left none breathing breathing breathing. If you're from Brooklyn or Queens would breathing for every rest of the net resignation a.k.a. Ken if he just waited. He would've got the spoils the treasures verse 15 and Yahweh commanded Moses the servant so as Yahweh commanded Moses his servant, so Moses commanded Joshua and so Joshua did. He left nothing undone of all that Yahweh had commanded Moses to bet Solomon didn't keep data. Too bad. Solomon did not say I am now on the throne of my father, David.

I'm not going to compete with his name. I'm going to support it to develop it to benefit from it.

Further, on behalf of everyone but Solomon. Of course he could, and I'm always careful and judging. Solomon is because if I had that much money and power.

What I have done any better secretly in the yeah let's try so be it. On the don't want to go at Solomon like I do Saul or Sampson and Simpson really did have an excuse use a smart kid sex market is a smart guy and really blew it through it all away because he was so full of himself. Does anyone else picture Sampson strutting. Sometimes the cocky guy looking any stress when he sits right verse 16 verse Joshua took all this land, the mountain country and all the south, all the land of Goshen. The low land the Jordan playing the mountains of Israel and his low land from Mount headlock to the ascent at Sierra even as far as buyout.gad in the Valley of Lebanon below Mount Herman captured all their kings and struck them down and kill them. Well if he didn't hunt them down, they would've hunted him down. They came out the front and down the bring the battle on it was kill or be killed.

At this point, here, of course, we have the conquest of Joshua North and South now being summarized and it is you know it's probably took about five years to do this, we have a timestamp in Joshua 14 were Caleb says I'm 85 now when we know we remember 40 years ago.

It took 40 years and will is is 85 now so we have about 56 years, maybe even bars for seven years to get all of this done.

So that's why verse 18 says Joshua made war a long time with all those kings and and that's what we have to be prepared for the long haul. It is not a Sprint. There are sprints within it, but it is a long run and when you're young you don't know that your you know some of you are still young enough to remember when you were young and he just didn't think is you think now I like a lot more the way I think now, but I like a lot better. The way I look to then why so what is such is life. So you have to do with what you have or the mother do with time where my going to do when I stand before the Lord. What am I going to say I got a few speeches ready to try this with Chuck okay about this work, but I think we should from time to time ponder that. Always, there is something for the believer to do, if nothing else. Prayer the prayer of Jabez.

Just consider the man's life is shortcomings he had with how articulate his prayer prayer was verse 18 Joshua made war a long time with all those kings. Verse 19. There was not a city that made peace with the children of Israel except the headlights, the inhabitants of Gibeon on all others they took in battle. Well the mentions that to say that they were compliant.

They were obedient to what God said and it also would've blended opportunity for the historian to say, will they were cities that did ask for peace, but they did not and this God will always be justified in his judgments.

For centuries the Canaanites got away with their sin and avoided annihilation.

God was giving them time. But the time is now run out and the time has arrived for judgment, blisters, and again, Leviticus 18, for example, and they did what they did, they behave the way they behave because of the gods, they believed in you want to change how someone behaves.

You have to start working on how that person believes what they believe they can believe in God's behavior still be not anywhere near where it should be but without that change society cannot gain altitude and that's what were seeing in in these lands, everyone is sinned in some way. Of course, with here in the land of Canaan. Their sin was was just grotesque. It had become so bad that as with the antediluvian's were known for their violence to sodomites were known for their impurity. Now the Canaanites for their impurity and violence they they were being dealt with.

It was a base society hostile to God's ways the great tribulation will make all of this look very small. The great tribulation will be global and it will bear many of the same marks.

Jesus said in Matthew 24 for then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time. New nor ever shall be, how much is in those words. This not been anything like wait a minute, we saw another wave of the war in Europe.

The two of them in the Pacific area know what you mean all the terrible atrocities to the ages and you're telling me that this this coming of war on earth the time. On earth, unmatched in its horror. Jesus saying just that. And then in Matthew 25 he goes on to say that there is going to come when he will judge the wicked nations that people judgment against the Canaanites is just one instance of his judgment on the wicked. As I mentioned, there were those before the flood that were lost in the flood. The antediluvian's that perished. There were those of Sodom and Gomorrah.

They are great instances of his mercy that everybody likes the Passover, they have not. You and I have not many other Genesis chapter 15. When God is saying to Abraham I'm going to give you all this land you will own it in your lifetime.

One paper but it's yours. Thanks for tuning in to cross reference radio for this study in the book of Joshua cross reference is the teaching ministry pastor Rick Gaston of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville in Virginia. If you're interested in more information about this ministry, please visit our website cross reference radio.com find additional teachings from Pastor Rick available there also encourage you to subscribe to our podcast by doing so you will be notified of each new edition of cross reference radio. Just search for cross reference radio in iTunes Google play music or your favorite podcast. You could also follow the links and cross reference radio.com. Glad we were able to spend time with you today due to next time to continue learning from the book of Joshua right here on cross reference radio