The Israelites are firmly established in the land.
Their enemies can see the “writing on the wall” but they never gave up. In fact, they intensified their opposition.
This led to the heavy fighting described in this chapter.
The chapter recounts victory after victory.
It is obvious that the secret of their victory lay in the fact that Joshua and the elders were in close touch with God.
Lessons:
1. There is still heavy opposition in the heavenlies. See Ephesians 6.
2. The secret of their success was their unbroken fellowship with God.
Sanctification—“This is the will of God even your sanctification.”
Paul’s prayer for the Thessalonians, 5:23—“And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God that your whole spirit, soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
2 Timothy 2:21—“If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified and fit for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.”
Another reason for their victories was that they lived between battles at “Gilgal.” Gilgal is mentioned five times in this chapter.
To the Israelites Gilgal was a place of:
1. Remembrance—they went down into Jordan, into death.
2. Resurrection—where they came up out of death with their new leader.
3. Renunciation—where they renounced the flesh and its activities and power.
4. Restoration—where they came into real fellowship with the Lord.
5. Realization—where they began to taste of the strong food of the land.
6. Revelation—where they met their Captain with a drawn sword.
We need to return to Gilgal to remind our hearts of these things.
The power of prayer—describe the miracle (chapter 12-14).
Note the accuracy of the Scripture. Compare Joshua 10 with Isaiah 28.
How did this miracle happen?
“The Lord hearkened unto the voice of a man.”
This reveals three things:
1. The graciousness of God.
2. The power of God.
3. The power of prayer.
Elijah prayed—no rain for 8.5 years. He prayed again—a deluge of rain.
See James 5:16-18—“The effectual fervent prayers of a righteous man availeth much.” “Elijah was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain; and it rained not on the earth for a space of three and a half years. And he prayed again, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.”
See Judges 6:36-40—The faith of Gideon.
See Acts 12—the faith of a praying church.
Prayer moves the hand of Him who moves the universe. The power of God is unleashed by prayer.
God’s promises—5:13-15. They never fail.
The hand fought for Israel—verses 14 and 42.
This was the reason why Joshua was successful:
v. 10—And the Lord routed them before Israel.
v. 11—The Lord cast down great stones.
v. 19—The Lord has delivered them into your hand.
v. 25—Joshua’s faith in God.
v. 30—The Lord delivered it also.
v. 32—The Lord delivered Lachish.
We should treat the sins in our life as Joshua treated the five kings.
Romans 8:13—“For if you live in the flesh, you shall die; but if you through the Spirit, do mortify the deeds of the body, you shall live.”
Colossians 3:5-10. Mortify means “to put to death.”
Galatians 6:14—“God forbid that I should glory”, etc.