Joshua 10:1-27

¹ Now it came about when Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem heard that Joshua had captured Ai, and had utterly destroyed it (just as he had done to Jericho and it king, so he had done to Ai and its king), and that the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were within their land,

² that he feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, like one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all its men were mighty.

³ Therefore Adoni-zedek of Jerusalem sent word to Hoham king of Hebron and to Piram king of Jarmuth and to Japhia king of Lachish and to Debir king of Eglon, saying,

⁴ “Come up to me and help me, and let us attack Gibeon, for it has made peace with Joshua and with the sons of Israel.”

⁵ So the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon, gathered together and went up, they with all their armies, and camped by Gibeon and fought against it.

⁶ Then the men of Gibeon sent word to Joshua to the camp at Gilgal, saying “Do not abandon your servants; come up to us quickly and save us and help us, for all the kings of the Amorites that live in the hill country have assembled against us.”

⁷ So Joshua went up from Gilgal, he and all the people of war with him and all the valiant warriors.

⁸ And the LORD said to Joshua, “Do not fear them, for I have given them into your hands; not one of them shall stand before you.”

⁹ So Joshua came upon them suddenly by marching all night from Gilgal.

¹⁰ And the LORD confounded them before Israel, and He slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, and pursued them by the way of the ascent of Beth-horon, and struck them as far as Azekah and Makkedah.

¹¹ And it came about as they fled from before Israel, while they were at the descent of Beth-horon, that the LORD threw large stones from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died; there were more who died from the hailstones then those whom the sons of Israel killed with the sword.

¹² Then Joshua spoke to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel,
        “O sun, stand still at Gibeon
        And O moon in the valley of Aijalon.”

¹³    So the sun stood still, and the Moon stopped,
        Until the nation avenged themselves of their enemies.
Is it not written in the Book of Jashar? And the sun stopped in the middle of the sky, and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day.

¹⁴ And there was no day like that before it or after it when the LORD listened to the voice of a man; for the LORD fought for Israel.

¹⁵ Then Joshua and all Israel with him returned to the camp at Gilgal.

¹⁶ Now these five kings had fled and hidden themselves in the cave at Makkedah.

¹⁷ And it was told Joshua, saying, “The five kings have been found hidden in the cave at Makkedah.”

¹⁸ And Joshua said, “Roll large stones against the mouth of the cave, and assign men by it to guard them,

¹⁹ but do not stay there yourselves; pursue your enemies and attack them in the rear. Do not allow them to enter their cities, for the LORD your God has delivered them into your hand.”

²⁰ And it came about when Joshua and the sons of Israel had finished slaying them with a very great slaughter, until they were destroyed, and the survivors who remained of them had entered the fortified cities,

²¹ that all the people returned to the camp to Joshua at Makkedah in peace. No one uttered a word against any of the sons of Israel.

²² Then Joshua said, “Open the mouth of the cave and bring these five kings out to me from the cave.”

²³ And they did so, and brought these five kings out to him from the cave: the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon.

²⁴ And it came about when they brought these kings out to Joshua, that Joshua called for all the men of Israel, and said to he chiefs of the men of war who had gone with him, “Come near, put your feet on the necks of these kings.” So they came near and put their feet on their necks.

²⁵ Joshua then said to them, “Do not fear or be dismayed! Be strong and courageous, for the LORD will do to all your enemies with whom you fight.”

²⁶ So afterward Joshua struck them and put them to death, and he hung them on five trees; and they hung on the trees until evening.

²⁷ And it came about at sunset that Joshua commanded, and they took them down from the trees and threw them into the cave where they had hidden themselves, and put large stones over the mouth of the cave, to this very day.

Theme: Three phases of Israel’s battle in which the LORD proves His faithfulness, so we might learn Christian principles for our lives today.

The Setting. vv 1-5

I. The entrance of Israel into the Battle. vv 6-8

Principles for Christians

1. Obedience to God is our priority
2. Assurance of God’s blessing is our comfort

II. The battle summarized. vv. 9-14

Principles for Christians

1. God answers prayer offered in faith
2. God displays His power on our behalf

III. The battle expanded. vv. 16-27

Principles for Christians

1. The enemies of Christ will not prevail
2. The followers of Christ will prevail

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Joshua 9:1-27 (NASB)

¹⁶ And it came about at the end of three days after they had made a covenant with them, that they heard that they were neighbors and that they were living within their land.

¹⁷ Then the sons of Israel set out and came to their cities on the thrid day. Now their cities were Gibeon and Chephirah and Beeroth and Kiriath-jearim.

¹⁸ And the sons of Israel did not strike them because the leaders of the congregation had sworn to them by the LORD the God of Israel. And the whole congregation grumbled against the leaders.

¹⁹ But all the leaders said to the whole congregation, “We have sworn to them by the LORD, the God of Israel, and now we cannot touch them.

²⁰ “This we will do to them, even let them live, lest wrath be upon us for the oath which we swore to them.”

²¹ And the leaders said to them, “Let them live.” So they became hewers of wood and drawers of water for the whole congregation just as the leaders had spoken to them.

²² Then Joshua called for them and spoke to them saying, “Why have you deceived us, saying, ‘We are very far from you,’ when you are living within our land?

²³ “Now therefore, you are cursed, and you shall never cease being slaves, both hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God.”

²⁴ So they answered Joshua and said, “Because it was certainly told your servants that the LORD your God had commanded his servant Moses to give you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land before you; therefore we feared greatly for our lives because of you, and have done this thing.

²⁵ “And now behold, we are in your hands; do as it seems good and right in your sight to do to us.”

²⁶ Thus he did to them, and delivered them from the hand of the sons of Israel, and they did not kill them.

²⁷ But Joshua made them that day hewers of wood and drawers of water for the congregation and for the altar of the LORD, to this day, in the place which He would choose.

Theme: Five reasons why believers should always seek the Lord’s counsel and avoid unpleasant consequences.

The first three reasons were covered in last week’s sermon.

IV. God’s people are directly impacted by their leaders’ decisions. vv. 16-21

A. The discovery of the Israelites. vv. 16-17
B. The complaint of the congregation. v. 18
C. The concession of the leaders. vv. 19-21

V. Fulfilling God’s commands often depends upon seeking His counsel.
vv. 22-27

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Joshua 9:1-27 (NASB)

¹ Now it came about when all the kings who were beyond the Jordan, in the hill-country and in the lowland and on all the coast of the Great Sea toward Lebanon, the Hittite and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, heard of it,

² that they gathered themselves together with one accord to fight with Joshua and with Israel.

³ When the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and to Ai,

⁴ they also acted craftily and set out as envoys and took worn-out sacks on their donkeys, and wineskins, worn-out and torn and mended,

⁵ and worn-out and patched sandals on their feet, and worn-out clothes on themselves, and all the bread of their provision was dry and had become crumbled.

⁶ And they went to Joshua to the camp at Gilgal, and said to him and to the men of Israel, “We have come from a far country; now therefore, make a covenant with us,”

⁷ And the men of Israel said to the Hivites, “Perhaps you are living within our land; how then shall we make a covenant with you?”

⁸ But they said to Joshua, “We are your servants.” Then Joshua said to them, “Who are you, and where do you come from?”

⁹ And they said to him, “Your servants have come from a very far country because of the fame of the LORD your God; for we have heard the report of Him and all the He did in Egypt,

¹⁰ and all the He did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon and to Og king of Bashan who was at Ashtaroth.

¹¹ “So our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spoke to us, saying, ‘Take provisions in your hand for the journey, and go to meet them and say to them, “We are you servants; now then, make a covenant with us.”‘

¹² “This our bread was warm when we took it for our provisions out of our houses on the way that we left to come to you; but now behold, it is dry and has become crumbled.

¹³ “And these wineskins which we filled were new, and behold, they are torn; and these our clothes and our sandals are worn out because of the very long journey.”

¹⁴ So the men of Israel took some of their provisions, and did not ask for the counsel of the LORD.

¹⁵ And Joshua made peace with them and made a covenant with them, to let them live; and the leaders of the congregation swore an oath to them.

Theme: Five reasons why believers should always seek the Lord’s counsel and avoid unpleasant consequences.

I. Men are skilled at Deceiving one another – vv. 3-6, 9-13

A. Deceptive Actions – vv. 3-5
B. Deceptive Words – vv. 6, 9-13
C. Determined Request – v. 6b, 11d

II. The suspicion of the leaders should never be ignored – vv. 7-8

III. Decisions are often irreversible – vv. 14-15

The last two reasons will be covered next week.

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Joshua 8:30-35 (NASB)

³⁰ Then Joshua built an altar to the LORD, the God of Israel in Mount Ebal,

³¹ just as Moses, the servant of the LORD had commanded the sons of Israel, as it is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, an altar of uncut stones, on which no man had wielded an iron tool; and they offered burnt offerings on it to the LORD, and sacrificed peace offerings.

³² And he wrote there on the stones a copy of the Law of Moses, which he had written, in the presence of the sons of Israel.

³³ And all Israel with their elders and officers and their judges were standing on both side of the ark before the Levitical priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD, the stranger as well as the native. Half of them stood in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, just as Moses the servant of the LORD had given command at first to bless the people of Israel.

³⁴ Then afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessing and the curse, according to all that is written in the Book of the Law.

³⁵ There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded which Jushua did not read before all the assembly of Israel with the women and the little ones and the strangers who were living among them.

Theme: Two Elements of Israel’s worship in the land which parallel our priorities in corporate worship so we might properly enter into it.

I. The worship in offerings – vv. 30-31

a. Joshua builds the altar to the LORD

1. To the LORD, the God of Israel – v. 30a
2. Location is “in” or “on” Mount Ebal – v. 30b
3. According to the command of Moses – v. 31a
4. Of uncut stones – v. 31b

b. Israel makes the offerings to the LORD

1. Burnt offerings – v. 31c
2. Peace offerings – v. 31c

II. Worship in receiving God’s Word: Three critical parts – vv. 32-35

a. Copying the Law – v. 32
b. Centrality of the ark – V. 33
C. Covenant renewal – priority of reading the Law – vv. 34-35

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Joshua 8:1-9 (NASB)

¹ Now the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not fear or be dismayed. Take all the people of war with you and arise, go up to Ai; see, I have given into your hand the king of Ai, his people, his city, and his land.

² You shall do to Ai and its king just as you did to Jericho and its king; you shall take only its spoil and its cattle as plunder for yourselves. Set an ambush for the city behind it.”

³ So Joshua rose with all the people of war to go up to Ai; and Joshua chose 30,000 men, valiant warriors, and sent them out at night.

⁴ He commanded them, saying, “See, you are going to ambush the city from behind it. Do not go very far from the city, but all of you be ready.

⁵ Then I and all the people who are with me will approach the city. And when they come out to meet us as at the first, we will flee before them.

⁶ They will come out after us until we have drawn them away from the city, for they will say, ‘They are fleeing before us as at the first.’ So we will flee before them.

⁷ And you shall rise from your ambush and take possession of the city, for the Lord your God will deliver it into your hand.

⁸ Then it will be when you have seized the city, that you shall set the city on fire. You shall do it according to the word of the Lord. See, I have commanded you.”

⁹ So Joshua sent them away, and they went to the place of ambush and remained between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of Ai; but Joshua spent that night among the people.

Introduction:

Review:

Theme: Four blessings of obedience to the LORD so you might recognize the joy of His help.

I. Encouragement from the LORD v. 1

1. The LORD’s prohibition
2. The LORD’s provision
3. The LORD’s promise

II. Direction from the LORD v. 2

1. Regarding the city and its king
2. Regarding the spoils of war
3. Regarding the battle plan

III. Confidence in the LORD vv. 7b-8

1. Communicating the LORD’s promise v. 7b
2. Communicating the LORD’s commandment v. 8

IV. Victory from the LORD v. 18

1. The LORD commands Joshua to signal for the attack v. 18a
2. The LORD restates His promise to deliver over Ai v. 18b

Conclusion:

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Introduction:

Joshua 7:1-15 (NASB)

¹ But the sons of Israel acted unfaithfully in regard to the things under the ban, for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, from the tribe of Judah, took some of the things under the ban, therefore the anger of the Lord burned against the sons of Israel.

² Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth-aven, east of Bethel, and said to them, “Go up and spy out the land.” So the men went up and spied out Ai.

³ They returned to Joshua and said to him, “Do not let all the people go up; only about two or three thousand men need go up to Ai; do not make all the people toil up there, for they are few.”

⁴ So about three thousand men from the people went up there, but they fled from the men of Ai.

⁵ The men of Ai struck down about thirty-six of their men, and pursued them from the gate as far as Shebarim and struck them down on the descent, so the hearts of the people melted and became as water.

⁶ Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of the Lord until the evening, both he and the elders of Israel; and they put dust on their heads.

⁷ Joshua said, “Alas, O Lord God, why did You ever bring this people over the Jordan, only to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? If only we had been willing to dwell beyond the Jordan!

⁸ O Lord, what can I say since Israel has turned their back before their enemies?

⁹ For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear of it, and they will surround us and cut off our name from the earth. And what will You do for Your great name?”

¹⁰ So the Lord said to Joshua, “Rise up! Why is it that you have fallen on your face?

¹¹ Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them. And they have even taken some of the things under the ban and have both stolen and deceived. Moreover, they have also put them among their own things.

¹² Therefore the sons of Israel cannot stand before their enemies; they turn their backs before their enemies, for they have become accursed. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy the things under the ban from your midst.

¹³ Rise up! Consecrate the people and say, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, for thus the Lord, the God of Israel, has said, “There are things under the ban in your midst, O Israel. You cannot stand before your enemies until you have removed the things under the ban from your midst.”

¹⁴ In the morning then you shall come near by your tribes. And it shall be that the tribe which the Lord takes by lot shall come near by families, and the family which the Lord takes shall come near by households, and the household which the Lord takes shall come near man by man.

¹⁵ It shall be that the one who is taken with the things under the ban shall be burned with fire, he and all that belongs to him, because he has transgressed the covenant of the Lord, and because he has committed a disgraceful thing in Israel.’”

Review:

Theme: Six consequences of un-confessed sin in the community of believers so you will be deterred from deliberate disobedience to the Lord.

Setting: The Prohibition for Victory Violated v. 1

1. Unexpected trouble for everyone vv. 2-5
2. Distress and dismay to the leaders vv. 6-9
3. Rebuke and Correction by the LORD vv. 10-13
4. Exposure of the guilty by the LORD vv. 14-18
5. Confession to the leaders vv. 19-23
6. Judgment by the leaders vv. 24-26

Conclusion:

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Genesis 22:1-19 (NASB)

¹ Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”

² He said, “Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.”

³ So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him and Isaac his son; and he split wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.

⁴ On the third day Abraham raised his eyes and saw the place from a distance.

⁵ Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey, and I and the lad will go over there; and we will worship and return to you.”

⁶ Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son, and he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together.

⁷ Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” And he said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”

⁸ Abraham said, “God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” So the two of them walked on together.

⁹ Then they came to the place of which God had told him; and Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood, and bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood.

¹⁰ Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.

¹¹ But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”

¹² He said, “Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.”

¹³ Then Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns; and Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up for a burnt offering in the place of his son.

¹⁴ Abraham called the name of that place The Lord Will Provide, as it is said to this day, “In the mount of the Lord it will be provided.”

¹⁵ Then the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven,

¹⁶ and said, “By Myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son,

¹⁷ indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies.

¹⁸ In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”

¹⁹ So Abraham returned to his young men, and they arose and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham lived at Beersheba.

Theme: God blesses those who obediently surrender everything to Him !

1.  God tests Abraham’s faith – v. 1
2.  Abraham’s faith and obedience to God – v. 3
3. God provides a substitute – v. 11
4. God’s promise of blessing is reaffirmed – vv. 15-19

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Joshua 6:1-17 (NASB) The Conquest of Jericho

^{1 Now Jericho was tightly shut because of the sons of Israel; no one went out and no one came in.}

² The Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and the valiant warriors.

³ You shall march around the city, all the men of war circling the city once. You shall do so for six days.

⁴ Also seven priests shall carry seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark; then on the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets.

⁵ It shall be that when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city will fall down flat, and the people will go up every man straight ahead.”

⁶ So Joshua the son of Nun called the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests carry seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the Lord.”

⁷ Then he said to the people, “Go forward, and march around the city, and let the armed men go on before the ark of the Lord.”

⁸ And it was so, that when Joshua had spoken to the people, the seven priests carrying the seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the Lord went forward and blew the trumpets; and the ark of the covenant of the Lord followed them.

⁹ The armed men went before the priests who blew the trumpets, and the rear guard came after the ark, while they continued to blow the trumpets.

¹⁰ But Joshua commanded the people, saying, “You shall not shout nor let your voice be heard nor let a word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I tell you, ‘Shout!’ Then you shall shout!”

¹¹ So he had the ark of the Lord taken around the city, circling it once; then they came into the camp and spent the night in the camp.

¹² Now Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the Lord.

¹³ The seven priests carrying the seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the Lord went on continually, and blew the trumpets; and the armed men went before them and the rear guard came after the ark of the Lord, while they continued to blow the trumpets.

¹⁴ Thus the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp; they did so for six days.

¹⁵ Then on the seventh day they rose early at the dawning of the day and marched around the city in the same manner seven times; only on that day they marched around the city seven times.

¹⁶ At the seventh time, when the priests blew the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, “Shout! For the Lord has given you the city.

Theme: Six lessons to learn from the victory over Jericho so you will acknowledge the LORD’s greatness in it.

Setting: v.1

1. The LORD’s promise of victory – v. 2
2. The LORD’s prescription for victory – vv. 3-5
3. The LORD’s presence in victory – vv. 6-14
4. The LORD’s prohibition for victory – vv. 15-21
5. The LORD’s preservation in victory – vv. 22-25
6. The LORD’s prediction after victory – vv. 26

Conclusion v. 27

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Introduction:

Joshua 5:10-15 (NASB)

¹⁰ While the sons of Israel camped at Gilgal they observed the Passover on the evening of the fourteenth day of the month on the desert plains of Jericho.

¹¹ On the day after the Passover, on that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land, unleavened cakes and parched grain.

¹² The manna ceased on the day after they had eaten some of the produce of the land, so that the sons of Israel no longer had manna, but they ate some of the yield of the land of Canaan during that year.

¹³ Now it came about when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing opposite him with his sword drawn in his hand, and Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us or for our adversaries?”

¹⁴ He said, “No; rather I indeed come now as captain of the host of the Lord.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and bowed down, and said to him, “What has my lord to say to his servant?”

¹⁵ The captain of the Lord’s host said to Joshua, “Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.

Review:

Theme: Three proper responses to the LORD’s faithfulness so you will please Him in all you do.

1. Observe the LORD’s command v. 10
2. Enjoy the LORD’s provision vv. 11-12
3. Receive the LORD’s instruction vv. 13-15

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Introduction:

Review:

Theme: Three applications to Christians drawn from the Jewish rite of circumcision, so you will better understand who you are in Christ.

Background: Response of the kings v. 1

Circumcising the Next Generation

The Priority of Circumcision vv. 2-3

The People of Circumcision vv. 4-7

Revisiting Abraham Genesis 17:11-14

1. Circumcision was a matter for the descendants of Abraham 17:9-11

2. Circumcision was a matter of obedience to God’s explicit command 17:12

3. Circumcision was a matter of identity with God’s covenant people 17:13

4. Circumcision was a matter of survival for every individual 17:14

A tale of two Israelite generations

1. The generation that came out of Egypt vv. 4-5a, 6

2. The generation that came out of the wilderness vv. 5b, 7

Recovery from circumcision v. 8

Removal of reproach  v.9

Three applications to Christians:

1. The priority of obedience to Christ – Matthew 28:19-20

2. The privilege of identity with Christ – Galatians 2:20

3. The placement in the body of Christ – 1 Corinthians 12:13

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