Surely the Lord was fighting for Israel

When things are going well with us, it's so easy to think that it's all about us. This happened because we are so smart, so strong, or whatever.

The Israelites - like everyone else - had the tendency to forget God's involvement in their lives. So here in Joshua 10  they had fight against a couple of important Canaanite kings who wanted to attack their allies, the Gibeonites. Yes, the Israelites became stronger and stronger military. But God made sure they knew they ultimately were dependent on His power.

These are a couple of ways how God made sure the Israelites knew they were dependent on Him:

-He spoke directly to the Israelites and reminded them of His presence: "Do not be afraid of them; I have given them into your hand. Not one of them will be able to withstand you" (Joshua 10:8 NIV).

-He threw their enemies into confusion (Joshua 10:10 NIV).

-He hurled large hailstones at their enemies. "More of [their enemies] died from the hail than were killed by the swords of the Israelites" (Joshua 10:11 NIV).

-The sun miraculously stood still so that the Israelites could avenge themselves of their enemies (Joshua 10:12-13)

And then it says: "Surely the Lord was fighting for Israel" (Joshua 10:14 NIV).

Do you depend on your own intelligence or strength, or are you dependent on the Lord? Do you allow the Lord to fight your battles?

Looking for more inspiration, leadership thoughts and sermon videos from the perspective of a European pastor and church planter? Be sure to check out my blog: www.vanwessem.org.

Created about 1 year ago