God Generously Gives
Journey with Joshua • Sermon • Submitted
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Introduction:
The Christmas season is upon us & I have particularly enjoyed all the pomp & circumstance this year. Driving by homes seeing the Christmas trees lit up in the front windows, the myriad of lights strung across the houses, people ringing bells outside of the stores, the Christmas movies like It’s a Wonderful Life or How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Past those visual signs that Christmas is coming is seeing people who have charitable hearts. Seeing people give to various ministries & outreaches like the Toy Shoppe next week is truly a pleasant sight. But no matter how much we give we will never match nor come close to how much God gives. We are going to look at that very topic this morning.
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; 2 That they feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, as one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all the men thereof were mighty. 3 Wherefore Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem sent unto Hoham king of Hebron, and unto Piram king of Jarmuth, and unto Japhia king of Lachish, and unto Debir king of Eglon, saying, 4 Come up unto me, and help me, that we may smite Gibeon: for it hath made peace with Joshua and with the children of Israel. 5 Therefore the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, the king of Eglon, gathered themselves together, and went up, they and all their hosts, and encamped before Gibeon, and made war against it. 6 And the men of Gibeon sent unto Joshua to the camp to Gilgal, saying, Slack not thy hand from thy servants; come up to us quickly, and save us, and help us: for all the kings of the Amorites that dwell in the mountains are gathered together against us. 7 So Joshua ascended from Gilgal, he, and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valour. 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. 9 Joshua therefore came unto them suddenly, and went up from Gilgal all night. 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. 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. 12 Then spake Joshua to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; And thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon. 13 And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, Until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, And hasted not to go down about a whole day. 14 And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the Lord hearkened unto the voice of a man: for the Lord fought for Israel. 15 And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, unto the camp to Gilgal.
Let’s Pray
The Land of Canaan was promised to Israel. The term “Canaan” is frequently used to describe the ancient east Mediterranean coast, a territory which includes Palestine, much of Lebanon, and portions of the Syrian coast. This area was never a united political body, and the Bible refers to the nations of Canaan simply as “Canaanite”. But it was this stretch of land that God had gifted His people.
It is interesting that God’s gifts are so readily available yet we are time so reluctant to accept them. We act just like Israel who was sluggish to go in and possess the promised land. To quote James Smith, “God is ever more ready to give than we are to take.” I also want to cite Smith & Lee this morning as I will be quoting them often this morning. The title of the message is “God Generously Gives”.
God Gives Relief
God Gives Relief
6 And the men of Gibeon sent unto Joshua to the camp to Gilgal, saying, Slack not thy hand from thy servants; come up to us quickly, and save us, and help us: for all the kings of the Amorites that dwell in the mountains are gathered together against us. 7 So Joshua ascended from Gilgal, he, and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valour.
The 1st gift we see God give in this text is the gift of relief. The 5 kings of the Amorites, with all their resources, had gathered in front of Gibeon. If you do not recall who the Gibeonites are they are the ones that deceived Israel into forming an alliance with them so they would be spared of their imminent conquering. During that time these kings gathered together to form an alliance to battle Joshua & the Israelites but Gibeon instead chose to strike a deal.
As soon as the Gibeonites became the allies of Israel they became the enemies of the Amorites. A small side bar to this thought is that when you are truly living for God you will by default become enemies to some. If are faithfully following Jesus & you can say that every relationship you had prior to giving your life to the Lord is intact and as strong as ever then you are the rarity. Why? It is hard for some people to see someone they know have a changed life. It is hard for some people to see God’s transforming power be revealed through the life of their loved one or friend.
18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
But let me hop back on track. The Gibeonites are now concerned because the Amorites are encamped before them with only one task in mind, to destroy them. But Joshua kept his word. Joshua feels bound to help his weaker brethren to maintain their stand against the common foe - the Amorites. They had enemies, and so have we, with which compromise is impossible.
Last week I said that it is critical that the Christian keeps his or her word. It is vital for the Follower of Jesus to keep their promises. It was especially important in this case. Why? Because God gave the gift of relief to the Gibeonites through Joshua who kept his word and union with them.
Let this also be a reminder to us that no matter what circumstance we are in that God can provide relief. Do we have faith that God will work out the situation at hand? Do we trust in the fact that that He will deliver us when we are in need?
4 Behold, God is mine helper: The Lord is with them that uphold my soul.
God Gives Encouragement
God Gives Encouragement
The 2nd gift we see God give in this text is the gift of encouragement.
7 So Joshua ascended from Gilgal, he, and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valour. 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.
We see Joshua is readying himself for battle. There had to be some shreds of doubt in Joshua’s mind because now he, along with Israel, were about to go against the 5 kings of the Amorites & all their men. Yet in the face of that enormous challenge that lied ahead Joshua gets encouragement directly from God.
Joshua knew his enemy and this morning Christian you should know your enemy. Your enemy is Satan who seeks to distract, dupe, & destroy every single Follower of Jesus Christ. Paul wrote about his concern with Satan and his tactics.
3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
Yet even though we are in a constant spiritual battle we can find encouragement just like Joshua. B. Clayton Bell wrote,
“1. When the devil brings up your past, bring up his future.
2. The man who is fully surrendered to the Lord will never deliberately surrender to the Enemy.
3. When adversity is most ready to strike us, God is most ready to strengthen us.
4. The Lord adds and multiplies; the devil subtracts and divides.
6. Satan trembles when he sees the weakest saint upon his knees.
8. There are two big lies that Satan has been perpetrating ever since the Garden of Eden. The first is that God is mean, vindictive, a spoilsport whose main role in life is to keep us from being fulfilled and happy--when we step out of bounds, he takes delight in making us pay. The second lie is that God really doesn't care what we do--probably doesn't know. And if he does, his business is to forgive us. He'll always forgive no matter what, so it really doesn't make much difference how we live and what we believe.”
Handfuls on Purpose for Christian Workers and Bible Students, Series I–XIII Joshua’s Conquest (Joshua 10:7–14)
Those who have purposed in their heart to do the will of God may confidently expect the help of God.
Handfuls on Purpose for Christian Workers and Bible Students, Series I–XIII Joshua’s Conquest (Joshua 10:7–14)
His promise, “Lo, I am with you,” may be claimed by every one who fights against all evil principles and habits, which hinder souls from the enjoyment of the gift of God’s grace.
God gives the gift of encouragement to those who follow and seek His will in their lives.
God Gives the Tools Needed
God Gives the Tools Needed
9 Joshua therefore came unto them suddenly, and went up from Gilgal all night.
You will notice that Joshua did not wait, he did not contemplate, he did not stall when it was time to press forward. He began immediately. You see if you have been called by God to serve Him then you should not be sitting on the sidelines. You should begin the work and do it to the best of your ability.
23 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;
Handfuls on Purpose for Christian Workers and Bible Students, Series I–XIII Joshua’s Conquest (Joshua 10:7–14)
“Going up all night” meant some personal sacrifice, but great victories in the Name of God are very seldom won without this.
You see that is our part. Our part is to work as best and as hard as we possibly can at what the Lord has called us to do. That means there may be times of when you are called outside of your comfort zone. There may be times where we do not fully understand why God has called us to do something. But we should run after that call as fast as we possibly can. But God doesn’t just leave us hanging. The 3rd gift we see God give in our text this morning is the tools needed to win the battle.
The next few verses talk about how God was behind Israel as they fought. He even threw large stones down from the sky which ended with the demise of many of the Amorites. Then we come to Verse 11 that said, “There were more who died because of the hailstones than the sons of Israel killed with the sword.”
You see almost all of our battles are not won with a sword metaphorically speaking. Or are they won with the power & might that we possess on our own. We have a sword that is all powerful as Followers of Jesus.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
We must recognize that the Word of God is infallible & unbreakable. The Word of God is capable of overcoming any enemy and for establishing the Kingdom of God. If we can agree to those 2 statements then we must give respect where respect is due & that is to God who provided the Word for us.
Israel had an additional weapon called “hailstones from Heaven”. Those who war against the revealed purposes of God have more to reckon with than they could ever imagine. This destructive shower of hailstones were the arrows of the Almighty, shot from the unerring bow of judgment.
30 And the Lord shall cause his glorious voice to be heard, And shall shew the lighting down of his arm, With the indignation of his anger, And with the flame of a devouring fire, With scattering, and tempest, and hailstones.
That is what the Amorites came up against during this battle. As a Christian we must never forget that forces of Heaven are on our side. On the side of those who believe God’s Word & who does God’s Will.
Another tool that God gives was valiant faith.
12 Then spake Joshua to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; And thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon. 13 And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, Until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, And hasted not to go down about a whole day.
Handfuls on Purpose for Christian Workers and Bible Students, Series I–XIII Joshua’s Conquest (Joshua 10:7–14)
When Joshua said to the Lord in the sight of Israel, “Sun, stand thou still upon Gideon,” it was not only an unprecedented, but, we would have thought, an unimaginable, venture of faith. At that moment he seemed to feel the presence of the Almighty so near and real that “all things were possible to him that believeth.” There and then he asked a “great thing, and got it.” It was not demanded for his own sake, but for the fulfilment of that commission given him by God.
Now you might be looking at me and saying Danny do you really believe that the sun stopped, which means that earth had to stop rotating. Absolutely! Do I mean that as a Follower of Jesus Christ can you ask something as monumental as this and God will honor. I will tell you whole heatedly if you are doing something the Lord has called you to do and you are fully within the will of God there is not a single thing that is impossible.
37 For with God nothing shall be impossible.
Handfuls on Purpose for Christian Workers and Bible Students, Series I–XIII Joshua’s Conquest (Joshua 10:7–14)
All POWER in Heaven and on earth is still at the disposal of those consecrated to His service (Matt. 28:18–19). If need be, it was as easy for God to stop the whole Solar system and start it again without the slightest dislocation of any part, as it is for a railway driver to stop his engine. It is of the nature of faith to expect miracles, and when it is definitely exercised it is not disappointed. The Lord still “hearkens unto the voice of a man,” and does memorable things for him (v. 14).
Conclusion:
As I shared at the start of our time together, Christmas is a season of giving. But there is no greater giver than God. Christmas is all about God coming to this earth to give Himself up as a sacrifice. God is always more ready to give than we are ever to take. Most deny the deity of Jesus, yet He was the greatest gift to mankind. This morning we saw God consistently give in Joshua Chapter 10. What made Joshua successful? He followed God and was in line to receive God’s Blessings. How about you? Are you within the will of God this morning? Have you answered His call on your life? Have you been claiming the gifts that He gives you?
If you need relief, God will gift it to you.
If you need encouragement, God will gift it to you.
If you need the tools needed to win the battle you’re in, God will gift it to you.
All you have to do is ask. You can do that on this altar, right now.
Smith, J., & Lee, R. (1971). Handfuls on Purpose for Christian Workers and Bible Students, Series I–XIII (five-volume edition, Vol. 10, p. 243). Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
Smith, J., & Lee, R. (1971). Handfuls on Purpose for Christian Workers and Bible Students, Series I–XIII (five-volume edition, Vol. 10, p. 243). Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
Smith, J., & Lee, R. (1971). Handfuls on Purpose for Christian Workers and Bible Students, Series I–XIII (five-volume edition, Vol. 10, p. 243). Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Jos 10:11). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
Smith, J., & Lee, R. (1971). Handfuls on Purpose for Christian Workers and Bible Students, Series I–XIII (five-volume edition, Vol. 10, p. 244). Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
Smith, J., & Lee, R. (1971). Handfuls on Purpose for Christian Workers and Bible Students, Series I–XIII (five-volume edition, Vol. 10, p. 244). Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.