Joshua 10

10 Now it came to pass, when Adonizedec 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 Adonizedec 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 Bethhoron, 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 Bethhoron, 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.
¹⁶ But these five kings fled, and hid themselves in a cave at Makkedah.
¹⁷ And it was told Joshua, saying, The five kings are found hid in a cave at Makkedah.
¹⁸ And Joshua said, Roll great stones upon the mouth of the cave, and set men by it for to keep them:
¹⁹ And stay ye not, but pursue after your enemies, and smite the hindmost of them; suffer them not to enter into their cities: for the Lord your God hath delivered them into your hand.
²⁰ And it came to pass, when Joshua and the children of Israel had made an end of slaying them with a very great slaughter, till they were consumed, that the rest which remained of them entered into fenced cities.
²¹ And all the people returned to the camp to Joshua at Makkedah in peace: none moved his tongue against any of the children of Israel.
²² Then said Joshua, Open the mouth of the cave, and bring out those five kings unto me out of the cave.
²³ And they did so, and brought forth those five kings unto him out of 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 to pass, when they brought out those kings unto Joshua, that Joshua called for all the men of Israel, and said unto the captains of the men of war which went with him, Come near, put your feet upon the necks of these kings. And they came near, and put their feet upon the necks of them.
²⁵ And Joshua said unto them, Fear not, nor be dismayed, be strong and of good courage: for thus shall the Lord do to all your enemies against whom ye fight.
²⁶ And afterward Joshua smote them, and slew them, and hanged them on five trees: and they were hanging upon the trees until the evening.
²⁷ And it came to pass at the time of the going down of the sun, that Joshua commanded, and they took them down off the trees, and cast them into the cave wherein they had been hid, and laid great stones in the cave's mouth, which remain until this very day.
²⁸ And that day Joshua took Makkedah, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and the king thereof he utterly destroyed, them, and all the souls that were therein; he let none remain: and he did to the king of Makkedah as he did unto the king of Jericho.
²⁹ Then Joshua passed from Makkedah, and all Israel with him, unto Libnah, and fought against Libnah:
³⁰ And the Lord delivered it also, and the king thereof, into the hand of Israel; and he smote it with the edge of the sword, and all the souls that were therein; he let none remain in it; but did unto the king thereof as he did unto the king of Jericho.
³¹ And Joshua passed from Libnah, and all Israel with him, unto Lachish, and encamped against it, and fought against it:
³² And the Lord delivered Lachish into the hand of Israel, which took it on the second day, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and all the souls that were therein, according to all that he had done to Libnah.
³³ Then Horam king of Gezer came up to help Lachish; and Joshua smote him and his people, until he had left him none remaining.
³⁴ And from Lachish Joshua passed unto Eglon, and all Israel with him; and they encamped against it, and fought against it:
³⁵ And they took it on that day, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and all the souls that were therein he utterly destroyed that day, according to all that he had done to Lachish.
³⁶ And Joshua went up from Eglon, and all Israel with him, unto Hebron; and they fought against it:
³⁷ And they took it, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and the king thereof, and all the cities thereof, and all the souls that were therein; he left none remaining, according to all that he had done to Eglon; but destroyed it utterly, and all the souls that were therein.
³⁸ And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to Debir; and fought against it:
³⁹ And he took it, and the king thereof, and all the cities thereof; and they smote them with the edge of the sword, and utterly destroyed all the souls that were therein; he left none remaining: as he had done to Hebron, so he did to Debir, and to the king thereof; as he had done also to Libnah, and to her king.
⁴⁰ So Joshua smote all the country of the hills, and of the south, and of the vale, and of the springs, and all their kings: he left none remaining, but utterly destroyed all that breathed, as the Lord God of Israel commanded.
⁴¹ And Joshua smote them from Kadeshbarnea even unto Gaza, and all the country of Goshen, even unto Gibeon.
⁴² And all these kings and their land did Joshua take at one time, because the Lord God of Israel fought for Israel.
⁴³ And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, unto the camp to Gilgal.

The kids really got a kick out of this chapter the other morning!!! The Israelites were just mopping up with God on their side!!! What a great example to the kids that when God is in it there are NO WORRIES!!! I loved verse 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 Isreal." LOVE THAT!! Our all knowing all powerful God hearkened to a man and used His almighty strength for His people! Isn't our God an AMAZINGLY WONDERFUL God!!!! What a fun chapter to read for devotions. What an awesome way to start the day! I'm mean really!!

I told my mom to read it this chapter like their are boys in the room!:-)

Hebrews 9:11-14a

Hebrews 9:11-14a

¹¹But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;

¹²Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.

¹³For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:

¹⁴How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God . . .

Most of all I am thankful for what verse 14 says . . . "the blood of Christ . . . that offered himself without spot to God". He did it for me and for my family and for the world. I can't imagine life without the hope that His shed blood gives us. Amazing Love from an Amazing God. I am so grateful.

Jeremiah 17:5-8

⁵Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.

⁶For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited.

⁷Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.

⁸For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.

Lord, Teach Me To Pray for kids-by Kay Arthur and Janna Arndt

For weeks now the kids and I have been working through the above devotional. It has been SOOOOO good and we are days away from being finished in this study. For fun it likens you as being a special forces soldier and each day is a mission or training. A few days ago we studied the above verses in Jeremiah 17:5-8 (this training was about receiving the supplies we need from our Commander in Chief -God our Father-)and this study proved to be a great reminder and lesson of the difference in a life between those that live a life of faith dependent on God and those that rely on human strength. It touched my heart and convicted me. When we got done Gabriel said "That was good!" The lesson challenged us at the end by asking . . .

"Are you anxious in hard times (times of heat)? Or are you resting because you know that the heat can't destroy you because you are rooted by a stream and God will meet your needs? . . . How dependent are you on God? Have you sent your requisition (inquiry) to the Commander in Chief asking for the supplies for your mission? Communicate with Him and ask Him so supply your needs from his riches . . . (Lord Teach Me To Pray for kids-by Kay Arthur and Janna Arndt)

One last Bible Verse

II Corinthians 1:20:

"For all the promises of God IN HIM are yea, and IN HIM Amen, unto the glory of God by us." [emphasis mine obviously:-)]

. . . spread it before the Lord

In devotions the other day I read II Kings 19:14.

"And Hezekiah received the letter of the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up into the house of the Lord, and

spread it before the Lord."

I LOVE this phrase "spread it before the Lord"! As my Bible study note said that the Lord of course didn't need to read the letter because He knew all about it! It is such a human thing to do to lay it all out and say "Here is my problem . . . I need help." I feel like I did this to an extent this week with a certain problem and it is was good. I need to converse with my Father and spread it out in front of Him. He wants me to seek Him in prayer. Of course, yes, He knows my situations but the petitioning is healthy for me and besides He has told me to do it!

My Bible has a note that says "The Lord certainly did not need to read the blasphemous letter of the Assyrian king in order to know what it contained. Nevertheless, it pleases Him when we "remind" Him of His promises and of our dependence on Him."

I may be goofy but I just love that phrase! ". . . spread it before the Lord" it really gives me a humorous and secure feeling at the same time. Kinda like "Ok God, you gotta see or listen to this . . . let me tell you about this . . ." that's where I see the humor and yet He knows and He listens and He helps there comes the security.

I am reading The Light and the Glory (by Peter Marshall and David Manuel). This book whether one agrees with the premise of the book or not is challenging personally as it looks at the lives of people who made an impact on the beginnings of America. I was so challenged yesterday when I read about the Pilgrims. I'm a spiritual wimp! I was challenged by their tenacious faith and their attentiveness to keep a short account with God. They were masters at laying things before their Father God. Here is an excerpt from the book talking about their time on the Mayflower.

"It added up to seven weeks of the hell of an ill-lighted, rolling, pitching, stinking inferno, the kind that brings up sins that had lain buried for years--anger, self-pity, bitterness, vindictiveness, jealousy, despair. All these surfaced sins had to be faced, confessed, and given up to the Lord for His cleansing. No matter how ill they felt, or how grim the daily situation, they continued to seek God together, praying through despair and into peace and thanksgiving."

Conversation with My Daddy

My Dad called yesterday because he was doing a study on a word in Scriptures and as he was studying he thought of me and that what he was reading might be of help to me. He gave me a call and talked through it with me. I love my Dad (my Mom too!). They are both encouragers in different ways. Anyway, I want down all this because it was so good. Anybody who reads this will know one of my greatest flaws but that is ok. I am human and we all have them. I have struggled with this GIANT since I was a child and that GIANT is fear. I love the perspective the following quote puts on servitude and fear.

In a discussion on Philippians 2: 7 which states that Christ took on the "form of a servant" (servant/doulos) it was noted that "when Christ takes on the form of a slave (Dell Johnson prefers they said 'servant' because a servant has a choice and is voluntary whereas a slave is choiceless...choiceless Christianity is Constantinian not New Testament where preaching is the method of persuasion, assuming the power to choose), he enters into full solidarity with mankind in its subjection to sin, law and death." "It is the form of the servant that exactly describes Jesus Christ's incarnation in the deepest abasement."

The discussion continues "Thus the Lord's form as a servant unmasks the nature of the unredeemed man as a 'doouleia." The sin of man's flesh is "man's obsession with the illusion that he can make or maintain his own life and freedom with reference only to himself and in his own power. That which the Greeks regarded as the highest form of freedom becomes in the N.T. the source of man's abject bondage. Man, bent in upon himself, obstinately waves God's help aside and busies himself in running his own life in his own strength, trusting in his own resources, and falls into the grip of fear (Romans 8:15, Hebrews 2:15). He trusts in the tangible and is subject to the 'bondage' of mortality (Romans 8:21).

I like the next discussion that says so appropreiately "Hence, the redeemed are called upon to 'serve one another in love." Yes, because Jesus said by this shall all men know that you are my disciples, that you love one another. Love, meaning serving, requires the release of our "obsession" with ourselves so we can focus on others.

These thoughts by R. Tuente in an article on "doulos" (Page 592ff) are from volume 3 of The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, Colin Brown, Editor, Zondervan publishers. 1971.

Psalm 73:28 and Isaiah 61:10

Psalm 73:28

But it is good for me to draw near to God:

I have put my trust in the Lord God,

that I may declare all thy works.

Isaiah 61:10

I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful

in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments

of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as

a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth

herself with her jewels.

Psalm 71:14

Psalm 71:14

But I will hope continually, and will yet praise thee more and more.

Wisdom from Proverbs

We are still reading the Proverbs of the day at breakfast. Here are some verses that I have read lately that I appreciated and I can really learn from.

Proverbs 16:21 ". . . the sweetness of the lips increaseth learning."

Here's what the book The Remarkable Wisdom of Solomon by Henry Morris had to say about that . . .

"Verse 21 speaks of 'the sweetness of his lips' as conducive to learning, a concept containing excellent advice for those who are, or who desire to be, teachers. 'Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones' (verse 24)."

As a parent sometimes it is so easy to get frustrated (at least for me) when instructing and teaching. This verse is one I need to remember and be sharpened on.

Proverbs 14:26 "In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge."

I need to remember that I can live confidently when I know that I am doing what the Lord has required and asked of me. There is confidence that comes in fulfilling God's expectations and not bogged down in what every person off the street expects of our lives. I think I could preach a sermon on this! The world is ruthless but in Christ we have refuge.

Isaiah 61:10

Isaiah 61:10

I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.

A new favorite verse of mine.

What more can I or should I want in life than the gift I received from Christ of his garment of salvation and robe of righteousness.

How do I know there is a God?

How much time do you have to listen to the times God has done something specific just for me at just the right time. Not coincidence . . . it's a God thing. He loves me and is concerned with the workings of my life.

Today was interesting . . . When I saw I hadn't torn off the calendar verse for today I did . . . Wow, God's Word was just for me at this moment in time. The verse was Proverbs 3:30-31 "Strive not with a man without cause, if he have done thee no harm. Envy thou not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways." It told me how to handle something that had really been urking me. That is what Scriptures are for wisdom, direction, correction, discernment, encouragement, etc.

I like:

"Turn your eyes upon Jesus look full in his wonderful face and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace."--Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

Psalm 61:7&8 "In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. Trust in him at all times: ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us."

"Holy Words long preserved for our walk in this world they resound with God own heart oh let the ancient words impart.

Words of life, words of hope, give us strength help us grow in this world with err we roam ancient words will guide us home.

Ancient words ever true changing me and changing you."--Ancient Words

"Your (Christ's) love is breath to my soul."--I Can Hear Your Voice

Story from the day: Gabriel was having a rough time with his attitude after we picked him up from school. When we got home I went inside with Annalina and Ross and had told Gabriel to bring in his backpack with him. We had been inside quite awhile when I realized I hadn't seen Gabriel in the house. I went out to the van and there he was sitting quietly. I asked him what he was doing "Just sitting by myself, changing my attitude." I gave him a kiss and said he could come in when he was ready. "I am ready" he said. A different kid walked in the house. The attitude was gone. Maturity/Character.