Last Saturday I had a new experience. It was the first time I preached a sermon. I was a little nervous and anxious, but most of all I was excited. While preparing I really felt the Holy Spirit talking to me and giving me words. I learned while I was preparing the sermon and it made me excited!
When I preached, it was quite the experience and I learned a lot about preaching in general and with a translator. I learned about timing, voice and projection, posture, many things and I am so thankful for the experience. I pray that God will give me another opportunity while on the race.
I decided to post my sermon on my blog to share. Please enjoy!
(Joshua 10:1-14)
I am really excited to share one of my favorite stories in the Bible with you all. I would like to give you a brief background of the passage. At this time in the Bible the Lord had delivered the cities of Jericho and Ai into the Israelites hands and the news spread throughout the whole region. All the towns in the Promise Land were afraid and began to discuss what to do about the invaders but the town of Gibeon was wise. They knew the the God of the Israelites was the Lord Almighty who can do anything. If the Gibeonites tried to fight the Israelites, they would surely die so they decided to make a treaty with the Israelites.
Now, usually this is a good idea, but the Lord had commanded the Israelites in Exodus 23:31-33 to not make treaties or alliances with anyone in the Promise Land or allow others to live in it for their enemies would turn their hearts away from God. So the Gibeonites resorted to deception. The dressed and had provisions that made it seem as if they were from a far away country and told the Israelites so themselves when they met up with Joshua and the Elders.
I do not know what was going through Joshua’s mind. Maybe he felt invincible or he a really trusting guy and also trusts his eyes. What ever he was thinking, he decided to trust the Gibeonites and not inquire of the Lord whether it was a good thing to do.
It was only a few days later they learned the truth and were cross. Because of this treaty they had disobeyed God and they lost part of their Promise Land to the Gibeonites. They basically gave away God’s blessing and gift to them! Joshua cursed the Gibeonite, swearing that they were to be always wood cutters and water carriers; basically, household servants.
This is the start of the story. News of the alliance between Joshua and the Gibeonites spread throughout the land shocking many cities. But the Adoni-Zedek, King of Jerusalem, was not only shocked, but afraid. The Gibeonites were a important large city who had many strong fighters but they had switched to God’s side. His Canaanite city is centered between Gilgal where the Israelites camped and Gibeon, the Israelites’ ally. The two also effectively control the land between them, separating the Canaanite land to the North and the South. There is no way this could end well for him.
Adoni-Zedek quickly contacted four other kings in the southern Canaanite region. After he explained the situation to them, the five formed an alliance and attacked Gideon. Not only had the Gideonites betrayed them, they also had a better chance against them than against the Lord Almighty. If they could eliminate the Gideonites, they could make alliances with the Northern Kingdoms as well.
The Gideonites sent a cry of help to Joshua, asking the Israelites to help save them and to not forget them in their time of need. Here is where Joshua and the Israelites made a critical decision. They could have ignored the plea and almost had every right. The Gideonites tricked them into a treaty under false terms and deprived them of their promised land. If they allowed the Gideonites to be destroyed, they could regain the land that they lost.
Can you erase one sin with another?
If you cannot be faithful to your friends and honor the promises you make, you cannot be faithful to God. James 5:12 states, “…let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.” If the Israelites did not follow through, they would loose not only their honor, but dishonor God as they made the treaty in front of the Lord. They would loose their reputation. Even if you make a mistake, stand firm by your word and God will honor it. That’s what God did with Joshua and the Israelites.
Joshua immediately gathered his whole army, not one man was left behind, and his best fighters to fight against the five Canaanite kings. This decision is amazing! Joshua not only honored his promise to the people who deceived him, but he brought out everything and the best of it to save them! Isn’t that what we should do as well? God honors a faithful giver, one who doesn’t cheat their friend when in need.
If a friend of yours was shivering in the cold and asked for a sweater, would you bring them a thin, ripped, and filled with holes sweater? No! You would bring the warmest thing you have and then some! Maybe some boots, thick pants, a jacket, gloves, and a hat! Maybe you would give them your favorite as well because you know it works the best.
If your friend made you a promise, would you want them to give you the worst that they have? The least?
When you make a promise to God, would you give Him the worst and least?
When God makes a promise to you, would you want Him to give the worst and the least? Would He give you the worst and the least?
No! God would not do that nor would we want that to be given to us, so why do we do it to others and to God?
God honored Joshua’s faithful commitment to the Gibeonites. He gave them peace and assurance of victory. Isn’t this amazing? God is so wonderful that he can take our disobedience, our failures and turn them into good. He assures the Israelites of victory against five kings at once! That is a lot of land! God used the treaty to deliver the five Kings into the Israelites hand! Praise God! He never leaves us behind or leaves us down. He always picks us up and moves us forward. He uses our past, filled with mistakes, for his Glory! Thank you God!
His promise to Joshua at this time, vs. 8, “Do not be afraid of them; I have given them into your hand. Not one of them will be able to withstand you,” is a promise to us as well. He will not leave us alone when we face our battles. he promises us peace and victory if we will stand with him!
All night the Israelites marched from their camp at Gilgal to Gibeon in the west. That is 20 miles uphill! Moving an army silently in the night is a near impossible feat and they did 20 miles! They arrived at sunrise, coming from the east with the sun at their backs. The Israelites immediately attack the Canaanites who were thrown into confusion which also means terror and panic. The sun was in the enemy’s eyes, blinding them and they were being attacked by the Gibeonites on once side and a fresh army with the Lord among them on the other. yes, fresh. Even after they marched 20 miles, I believe the Lord gave them strength and alertness, helping them to be eager to win the battle.
In this confusion, most of the Canaanites flee and the Israelites slaughtered them. They turn to pursue their enemies and I can just imagine it. They’re running along, the backs of their enemies just up ahead. There’s a shortness of breath from marching all night and fighting a very long day. Up ahead, they can see their enemies pull farther and father away. Frustrated they personally cry out to God to help them and then they see it. Out of nowhere a huge, black cloud sweeps in above their enemies and thunder claps! The Israelites stop running and watch as the Lord physically fights with them! Huge hailstones rain out of the sky, so thick and numerous, it’s like a curtain fell down and they can’t see whats going on inside, they only hear the screams of dying men. Slowly, the hail stopped the the cloud dissipates. There, on the ground lies their enemy. God himself killed all of the ones who ran away; He destroyed more in that storm than the Israelites did in Battle! I can just imagine their awe and praise in that moment! I bet they were screaming and jumping for joy, several rushing back to regale the story to commander Joshua.
In Job God asks, “Have you entered the storehouses of the snow or seen the storehouses of the hail, which I reserve for times of trouble, for days of battle and war?” God has a whole arsenal ready to use at his disposal! He wants to fight with us when we re in trouble! He is ready and geared up for battle! Will we cry out for him to help? He will surely win the battle, he will destroy more enemies than we ever could!
And that’s not the only thing he will do for us when we are in need. Before the battle and in front of all the Israelites Joshua asked God to stop the sun and moon until they had defeated their enemies. Guess what? He did! Two days turned into one! I bet the Canaanites were afraid while fight, the natural order of things were stopped and there was not any cover of darkness to help them, adding to their terror and panic. This was the greatest miracle since the beginning of creation at that time! No other time had God changed the very laws of nature because of the prayer of one man. And it displayed his glory and power all over the world. There are reports of a long night in North, Central, and South America. There is another story of a long sunset in Fiji and a story of a long day in China. Egypt also recorded a time of a long day which cause waters to swell up and destroy everything! Through this act, God displayed his glory and majesty all over the world!
In Psalm 91:15 God says, “He will call on me and I will answer him. I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.” Also, in John 14:13-14 Jesus told his disciples, “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” Both God and Jesus literally mean this! They will do anything to save us, to help us, even change the laws of physics and nature! These are promises for us! He wants us to pray those big, loud, audacious, and impossible prayers! He wants us to pray for healings and miracles. He is willing and wants to answer our prayers. He wants to be allowed outside of the box and to display His glory! All we have to do is believe that He will; believe He will feed hundreds from a small pot of stew, believe He will heal someone blind from birth. Believe in God! Believe in the one who has power over all of creation and who is outside those laws! Believe that the Alpha and the Omega, creator and ruler of all, is fighting with you!
I leave you with this promise, the promise God gave to Joshua and that He gives to us, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9).
Amen!!!
