March 9, 2006                                         God is Our Defender

Jos 10:1 Now it came to pass, when Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem had heard how Joshua had taken Ai, and had utterly destroyed it; as he had done to Jericho and her king, so he had done to Ai and her king; and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel, and were among them;

Adoni-zedek

lord of justice, justice of the Lord

Jerusalem

vision of peace

Gibeon

hill; cup; thing lifted up; (hill city).

This king did not live up to his name. When you look closely at these scriptures, and start digging, you come up with some surprising insight. You have to remember that for everything righteous and good of the Lord, the devil has a counterfeit. This king hears about how God's people had been victorious and had begun to conquer enemy territory. Part of the inhabitants, those in Gibeon were converted to Israel-they had a fear of God that drew them to God's people, even with deceit, to make peace with God's people. This king sends to his buddies, and when I began to dig into their names and cities, it was revealing.

Hoham :(whom Jehovah impels). woe to them.

of Hebron: society; friendship; A community; alliance.

Piram: a wild ass of them; untameable.

of Jarmuth: fearing, or seeing, or throwing down, death

Japhia: enlightening; appearing; enlarging

of Lachish: who walks, or exists, of himself

Debir: an orator; a word

of Eglon: heifer; chariot; round; The bullock; place of heifers.

These men were kings. They ruled these areas.

When I considered the first king, of Jerusalem, it occurred to me what Paul said in 2Co_11:13-14.

2Co 11:13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.

2Co 11:14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.

This king surely wasn't righteous. If he had been the Lord would never have delivered him up to Joshua. These kings represent the powers of darkness that will fight against God's children. I have heard it preached about how unwise Joshua was in making an alliance with Gibeon without examining their testimony more closely and asking of the Lord. I believe that is very true. As Christians we cannot make any alliance with the world, or sin. It will be a snare to us. Detrimental to our growth and life in Christ, making us vulnerable to the attack of Satan. Not dealt with, it will lead to death. For when sin is conceived, it brings forth death. The devil knows this. James warned us about it.

Jam 1:15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

Verse 2 in Joshua 10 says after hearing how Gibeon, who was supposed to be on their side, converted to Israel, albeit through deceit and trickery, born out of a fear of God, and a desire for self-preservation, this king of Jerusalem was angry. He feared. He saw his territory had been invaded, and conquered. He knew they would come after him, too. He wanted to lash out at Gibeon and take them down. When people are saved, and come out of darkness into the Lord's marvelous light, the enemy will not give up trying to lure them back, trip them up or knock them down.

These kings were afraid because Gibeon was a mighty city and they and their people just caved, they joined the people of Israel. Adoni-zedek wanted vengeance on them. So all five of these kings gather together to come against these people who had been made servants to God's people. Joshua had obligated Israel to protect these people's lives. As I read these scriptures, it occurred to me that this was one example of how the Lord could bring good out of the mistake of his people. Rom_8:27 says all things work together for good for them that love God and who are the called according to his purpose. Consider what their names mean. It will add insight to their motives and character, I believe. And remember, Jesus said the thief cometh not but to steal, kill and destroy. (Joh_10:10)

King Adoni-zedek ruled Jerusalem. Possession of Peace, that is what Jerusalem means.
When you get saved, the first thing the enemy will try to steal from you is the peace God brings to your heart when he forgives your sin and cleanses you. The joy you have in knowing you are finally right with God, he wants to steal. The enemy will also try to steal your faith in God. He will constantly shoot arrows of doubt at your mind, trying to wear you down, whether through fear, temptation, or the insidious unbelief.

The second king, Hoham, of Hebron. "Whom Jehovah impels". Hebron means "friendship, alliance." I believe the Lord stirred up these people to come against Gibeon, so he could show his children how He would defeat them because God definitely planned to take these 5 kings down at the same time. There is no power of the enemy that is not under the feet of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is above all principality and power, praise the Lord. (Col_2:10)

The third king, Piram, whose name literally means " wild, untameable," of Jarmuth, whose name means "fearing death, throwing down". How curious. What do you know that is wild and untameable and always wants its own way, and fears being crucified and resists the word of God? Your flesh? Your self-will? Your carnal mind? These things can't be tamed, they must be mortified through the Spirit. (Rom_8:13) They are hostile to God, they will not willingly submit. The flesh wants pleasure, not sacrifice. (Rom_8:7) It wants to rule, not be ruled.

 

The fourth king, Japhia. His name means enlarging, enlightening. He ruled Lachish, which means "who exists of himself." Consider your personal ambition, ideas, and philosophies that you have held your whole life until you met the Lord. You existed, you thought, to please yourself, better yourself, get as much for yourself as you could. In reality, all things were made by HIM, for HIM, and for HIS pleasure were they made. (Rev_4:11)

The last king, Debir. His name means orator, or oracle, word. He ruled Eglon, the place of heifers. The enemy looks down on people with hatred and envy. He knows they are made in the image of God Almighty. He knows the love in the heart of God for his creation. The enemy has succeeded in convincing a large part of the population of this world that they evolved from animals, or they worship animals. To the enemy, people are nothing more than cattle to be slaughtered. He hates everything God loves. He's reminded of the goodness of God when he sees children, and he hates it. No wonder the children have become such a focus of his wrath. Never in all my 39 years have I seen or heard of such atrocities being committed against children, by strangers, and parents alike, as you see and hear now in the news. It's a mad devil, folks, going for broke because he knows the time is short. And the shorter the time gets, and he still hasn't succeeded in destroying the Bride of Christ, the madder he gets. He still thinks he can win somehow. (Dan_7:25)

These five kings of the Amorites were drawn by God himself to their own destruction. Amorite means "mountaineer; talker, slayer." They meant to be an obstacle, a mountain in the way to block God's people from entering into what he had promised them. They knew God was powerful, and his people were conquering enemy territory.

When Joshua received the word, the Lord reassured his heart quickly. Don't be afraid. I have delivered them in to your hand. He's saying, Joshua, I brought them to you so you could watch me take them down. They won't stand before you. When you deliver something, you bring it to a place, right? Think about it. That's what God did.

Jos 10:10 And the LORD discomfited them before Israel, and slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, and chased them along the way that goeth up to Beth-horon, and smote them to Azekah, and unto Makkedah.

The word discomfited means "routed, defeated, overthrown." The Lord chased them up to Beth-horon and when I dug in here a little bit, I got even more excited. Beth-horon means house of caverns, house of wrath. Azekah means "dug up, strength of walls, to un-till the ground". I thought about that and meditated on it, confused a little. But the precious Holy Spirit just takes the pieces of the puzzle and fits them so neatly together and I just watch in awe as understanding comes, granted by the Lord, Most High.

The enemy works against the child of God in various ways. These 5 kings are some of the most frequent he uses. He plants lies in the minds of God's people to try to make them fear or doubt. He shoots his darts deep in your mind, and the Lord has given you a shield of faith to hold up-but you have to know how to use it. You have to know the word of God, and believe it. Just as soldiers need training to fight, and use their weapons effectively, so do children of God need training and exercise to learn to use their weapons. This has been one of my weakest areas. When I make a mistake and do something, and the Holy Spirit convicts me, I'm sorry, I don't want sin of any kind. I want my Lord to be pleased with me, not hurt or grieved or ashamed of me. But here comes that old lying devil, "oh, look what you did, yeah, that's really showing people Jesus. You will never mount to anything. You'll never overcome that tendency to get mad quickly over little things. You know what that word says, but you did it anyway. You'll never be able to win souls for God because you aren't good enough. You will not make it." And too often, I have agreed with him, (INSTEAD OF WITH GOD) and let depression weigh me down, instead of straightening my spine, and looking him right in the eye (so to speak) and say "I confessed and was forgiven, and I am his and he is able to keep me from falling! I'm under the blood and you never will be so get behind me! Go on, leave me alone!" (1Jo_1:7-9; Jud_1:24).

But God chases the enemy out of the holes, he digs up the ones who are hiding, and chases them, to Makkedah. A place of worshipping, burning, place of shepherds. That's what Makkedah means. Now this next verse made me want to shout.

Jos 10:11 And it came to pass, as they fled from before Israel, and were in the going down to Beth-horon, that the LORD cast down great stones from heaven upon them unto Azekah, and they died: they were more which died with hailstones than they whom the children of Israel slew with the sword.

Oh, as I read that, his Word began to flow through my mind.

Luk 20:17 And he beheld them, and said, What is this then that is written, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner?

Luk 20:18 Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.

And as I read that scripture, which is repeated in Mat_21:44; the Lord spoke to my heart and said "Is not my word like a hammer that breaks in pieces?"

Jer 23:29 Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?

God rained hailstones down on Israel's enemies. He rooted them out, dug them up, exposed them, and rained down hailstones on them. We can take one promise from the Word of God, or we can take several, and rain them down on the lies of the enemy. On our fears, doubts, problems. He said nothing, no man would stand before Joshua. He’s no respecter of persons. As he was with Joshua, so is he still with his people today. He has not changed. We can rain them down on the devil, bruising his head with the Word of God. Those hailstones destroyed more of the enemy than did Israel with their weapons.

The enemy will often try to blind your mind to the truth, and sometimes he uses things of this world with their glitz and pleasing appearance to allure you. All the while, he will be talking trash to your mind-if you let him. The Word of God promises something far better to the saint of God than this world could ever offer. My reward is the Lord Jesus Christ. What greater thing is there or could there ever be than to belong wholly to the love of your life? Especially one so powerful and who has everything?

2Co 4:3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:

2Co 4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

 

The devil doesn't want you to see the truth. He doesn't want God's people to realize who they are in Christ or the power that is theirs through his name. He doesn't want you to realize that the Lord defeated him so completely at Calvary he made an open show of him, triumphing over him completely. Glory to God, he's worthy of all praise. He IS the Victory, saints! I have been praying the scripture in Jer. 33:3, where the Lord told Jeremiah who was in prison at the time, to call upon him and he would answer him and show him great and mighty things which he knew not. I have never sat and read the Word of God and had it come to life so much before my astonished eyes. I don’t know what I expected God to show me, when I was praying that prayer, but he surely has delighted my heart, for his word is my treasure. I don’t know what to do with what he has taught me, but I can’t keep it to myself. I am completely dependent on him to teach me how to apply this and use these wonderful truths in my own life. Head knowledge is one thing. But without understanding it isn’t much good. I am so grateful to the Lord. He will teach me and guide me and show me. He is my sufficiency. He’s everything I need. Glorify your name in me Lord. Be glorified, My Holy One.

Col 2:15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.