Some Trust in Chariots

Joshua chapter 11, verse 1 says, "And it came to pass, when Jabin king of Hazor had heard these things, that he sent to Jobab king of Madan, and to the king of Shimron, and to the king of Akshfa, and to the kings that were in the north of the mountains, and in the plains of the south of Kenarith, and in the valley, and in the borders of Dor on the west, and to the Canaanites on the east and on the west, and to the Amorite and the Hittite, and the Perizzite and the Jebusite, in the mountains, and the Hivite under Hermon, and in the land of Mizpah."

They went out, they and all their hosts with them, much people, very much people, even as the sand that is upon the seashore in multitude, and with horses and with chariots, very many. All these kings met together, and they came and pitched together at the waters of Merim to fight against Israel.

Let's pray. God, as we look into this passage of Scripture tonight and as we open Your Word again, I ask that You'd open our hearts, Lord, that You'd speak clearly to us. As we see here the enemy poised to go against the children of Israel, I ask that You'd help us to see this spiritual correlation to the enemy of our souls who is poised to go against us.

Lord, as You even told Peter that Satan has sought to sift you like wheat, You prayed for him that his faith should not fail. There are times when my faith fails and the faith of my brothers and sisters falters, where we feel down and out, Lord. Yet, when we are faithless, You remain faithful still, for You cannot deny Yourself. God, I ask that You would speak clearly to every heart here, that we would see You high and lifted up tonight. In Jesus' name, amen. You can be seated.

As we've been seeing over the last several weeks in the passages here in Joshua, the children of Israel have come into the land and begun to fight with the people there. We have seen how the Lord has guided them the entire way. The only times that the children of Israel failed in their battles were when they didn't seek the guidance of the Lord, when they didn't seek what the Lord wanted them to do.

We know in our lives as well that we will falter, we will fail and fall when we don't seek the Lord, when He's not the first one that we go to. There are too many people, too often even in my own life, who are going to battle every single day, and we don't inquire, we don't ask for help, and we don't inquire of the Commander of the Army of the Lord.

Jesus Christ. The children of Israel, when they didn't inquire of the Lord, faced dire consequences. We saw what happened at Ai, where they were beaten by a small group of people. Again, when they failed to seek the mouth of the Lord, they became involved in a treaty with the Gibeonites, which they were not supposed to engage in. However, we also saw how the Lord was able to turn those situations around. Oftentimes, the Lord can take our blunders and transform them into blessings.

What a great opportunity it is for us to learn from the Scriptures, to learn from the mistakes of those we see in Scripture and those around us. We do not have to repeat the same mistakes. We should seek the Lord to discover what He desires of us, avoiding the traps we sometimes walk blindly into. Have you ever walked blindly into one of the traps of the enemy and found yourself down and out? Many of us have.

The children of Israel had experienced this, but they began to take the land. Last week, we saw how the children of Israel confronted a large coalition of five kings led by Adonai Zedek. They battled against them and defeated all of them. The five kings hid in a cave, but Joshua went and pulled them out. He had his commanders place their feet upon the kings' necks and declared, "So shall the Lord do to all of your enemies against whom you fight." That promise is for you and me today as well. The Lord will take care of our enemies as we go out to fight, but we must be willing to engage in battle.

Paul the Apostle, in the book of Ephesians, chapter 6, explained how we are to take up the whole armor of God so that we can stand in the wicked day. Truly, we live in a wicked time. You can go outside and see wickedness abounding. The Bible tells us that in the last days, the love of many will grow cold. We see this in our day; the love for people has diminished significantly. Many do not even understand what true love is about.

But God has shown us His love. True love is this: that one would die for his friends, that one would lay down his life for his friends. We have witnessed this and know it to be true. The love of God has been poured out upon our hearts by the Holy Spirit. God desires that you and I be in an intimate relationship with Him. Yet, in the midst of that intimate relationship, battles arise, and hard times come. The enemy comes against us. We have discussed this several times.

We battle against three things: the world, the flesh, and the devil. When the children of Israel entered the land, they faced their first city, Jericho, which was filled with all kinds of worldly things. The Lord commanded them not to touch any of these things, as they were to be banned and given over to Him. Jericho serves as a picture of the world in Scripture.

After Jericho, they moved on to Ai, which seemed like a very small place and did not appear to be a significant challenge. Joshua's advisors and spies suggested sending only two or three thousand people, believing it unnecessary to burden the entire army with such a small task. Often, we view our flesh in a similar light, thinking it is not a big deal. However, just as the children of Israel were taken out, we can also fall prey to our weaknesses. They fled from the people of Ai, that little city, which represents the flesh in Scripture.

As the people of the land began to hear what had happened—how the children of Israel had conquered Jericho and Ai—they grew fearful. They banded together to oppose the children of Israel. Last week, we witnessed the onslaught of the enemy as five kings united against them, but Israel prevailed. God always has a perfect plan, and He knows everything. He sees everything and is all-powerful.

As the children of Israel prepared to enter the Promised Land, the Lord guided them to the central portion of the nation. They were to divide the nation into two parts: the southern kingdom and the northern kingdom. After splitting the nation in half, the children of Israel focused on the southern region to eliminate the kings and cities there, as we saw in chapters 9 and 10. Now, their attention turned to the northern part of Israel.

The inhabitants of the Canaanite cities in the north were aware that the children of Israel were coming. They realized they needed to unite to defend themselves against this advancing force. It is interesting that they did not consider this 40 years earlier when they saw the children of Israel on the borders of their land. They also failed to think of it just a few weeks prior when the Israelites battled the people of Jericho and Ai. They assumed that the inhabitants of Jericho would handle the Israelite army, and when Jericho fell, they thought the people of Ai would take care of it. But then Ai fell as well. The Gibeonites, being a large city, decided to take action.

Let's make peace with Joshua. We don't want to fight with this guy; he'll take us out. Then the southern kingdoms fell. Now, when they see that everything else has fallen, the guys in the north say, "Well, we better do something."

We read that a man by the name of Jabin, king of Hazor, heard these things. He saw what was going on and sent messages to Jobab, king of Madan, to the king of Shimron, and to the king of Akshfa, as well as to the kings in the north of the mountains and the plains of the south, south of Kenethereth, in the valley, and the borders of Dor on the west. He reached out to the Canaanites in the east and the west, the Amorite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Jebusite, and all those guys. He sent word and said, "Come on, let's get together. We've got to go against these guys."

In verse 4, we see that all their hosts went out with them—a large group of people, as numerous as the sand upon the seashore. They had horses and chariots, very many. In fact, if you look into the historian Josephus and his works, you find that the army of these people, as they came together, numbered probably over 300,000 men. Not only that, when it says they had horses, they had 10,000 horses and horsemen. They also had 20,000 chariots.

The book of Judges tells us of another Jabin, king of Canaan, king of Hazor, who also had chariots—chariots of iron. Imagine a chariot with blades sticking off the sides, about shin high and three feet long on each side. They would ride these right at an oncoming army at top speed, functioning like people mowers, cutting through the ranks. They were like ancient John Deere tractors, going through and cutting people right off at the legs.

So, if you can imagine this great army coming together—300,000 foot soldiers, 10,000 horsemen, and 20,000 chariots—it's no wonder the children of Israel probably felt a bit of fear in their hearts, as many of us would. I don't know about you, but sometimes when I look at the arsenal of the enemy, the things that the enemy comes against us with, I start to think, "How can I handle this?"

Scripture tells us in John chapter 15 that apart from the Lord, we can do nothing. I know that. I've seen how I do apart from the Lord, and I'm not very good. In fact, I fall over and kind of cry every time the enemy comes against me.

Apart from the Lord, the Bible also tells us that with the Lord, we can do all things. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me," says Philippians chapter 4, verse 13.

The children of Israel saw the oncoming army, and they were probably a little bit fearful of these 20,000 chariots and 10,000 horsemen. The children of Israel didn't have any chariots or horses. In fact, the Lord had commanded them not to multiply horses for themselves. Why would God say such a thing? Because God didn't want their trust to be in horses. David, in Psalm 20, verse 7, said that some trust in chariots and some trust in horses, but we will trust in the name of the Lord our God. God desired that His children, His people, would trust only in Him. He wanted them to place their hope and faith solely in Him, not in some horse or animal. Horses during this time were like Humvees to the people. Having 10,000 horses was like having 10,000 Humvees with big .50 caliber machine guns on top. Chariots were like tanks. People looked at this and felt fearful when they saw that this army had horses and chariots.

However, the children of Israel had seen how God dealt with chariots and horses in Egypt. They witnessed the army chase them into the Red Sea, and Israel was probably fearful then as well. But the Lord collapsed the water on top of them. What good is a chariot when it’s flooded with water? The children of Israel had seen what God could do and would do for those who trusted in Him.

I question myself sometimes: Do I really trust in the Lord? Or do I place my hope or trust in something else? We've sung the song a couple of times here on Saturday nights that my hope is put on nothing else but Jesus Christ, His blood, and His righteousness. But is that really true in my life? Is that true in your life? Are there other things that I trust in, other things that I place my faith in?

Are you trusting in your bank account? If you are, it will falter one day. Are you trusting in your spouse? They will probably fail you if they haven't already. I'm sure they will. Maybe you trust in yourself. There are many people in our world, especially in our nation and society, particularly in Southern California, who trust in what they can do and what they have accomplished. Our world focuses on that and teaches children from a young age to rely on their own achievements.

To trust in yourself is a common message. Be true to yourself. I even heard a guy on Christian radio the other day say, "You've got to be true to yourself." I thought, why is that on Christian radio? Be true to yourself. Trust in yourself. Have self-esteem.

I believe it was Jason Moody, not too long ago, who told me that self-esteem is selfish. It's just a bunch of hot air. You puff yourself up. The Lord tells us to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him. What good is there in me apart from the Lord? Apart from the Lord, I know that Jeremiah 17:9 says my heart is deceitful and wicked above all things. Who can know it? Why would I want to put my trust in something like that?

Why put my trust in bank accounts or in mutual funds? We've all seen what just a little bit of national turmoil can do, and there are many people in our nation who are brokenhearted over what happened. I used to go up to Calvary Coast Mesa every single week to help Joey with Worship Generation. As I drove up the 405, I affectionately called it "dot-com alley." Because as you drive up the 405, it's dot-com this and dot-com that all along the freeway.

Well, now you drive through, and they're all gone because all the dot-coms died. The people who owned those dot-coms, who drove Ferraris and had big houses in Laguna Niguel, now live in places like Escondido or something. They all lost their big dot-coms. They all lost their money. What now? There are many of these guys who just cry and whine now because they lost their dot-com. Now they're all visiting "I need a job dot-com" because they don't have their jobs anymore.

You see, there are a lot of people who put their hope, their trust, and everything that they are in their bank accounts, their jobs, or their spouses, and those things fail. But the Lord will not fail. Are you trusting in chariots? Are you trusting in horses? Or are you trusting in the name of the Lord, your God? I have to ask myself that question all the time because it's so easy for us to place our trust in other seen things than to put our hope and faith in something that is unseen.

But the Lord is pleased by those who will believe in Him. Hebrews chapter 11 tells us of Enoch.

He had this testimony; the Bible tells us in Hebrews 11 that he pleased God. How did he please God? By his faith. For without faith, it is impossible to please Him. He who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is the rewarder of those who diligently seek Him, as Hebrews 11:6 tells us.

You see, apart from trusting the Lord and having faith in the Lord, we are not pleasing to Him. When we put our faith in other things, it breaks His heart because He knows that those things will run dry and become bitter. But with the Lord is sweetness. We sang the song tonight, "Better is one day in Your courts than a thousand elsewhere." Is that really true? When I sing that out, am I truly saying that, or am I just causing myself to be a hypocrite before God? Am I truly one who says, "Lord, I want nothing else but to be in Your presence, to be in Your courts"?

That song doesn't mean it's so much better just to come and sit in these blue chairs at Calvary Chapel than to be elsewhere, because I can think of a million better places that have much more comfortable chairs. But you see, to be with the Lord, in the presence of the Lord, is what matters. David said, "One thing have I desired, and that will I seek after, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in His temple." Is that my one heart's desire?

Paul the Apostle, in the book of Philippians chapter 3, said, "This one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, I press on toward the goal of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." I lay everything else aside so that I may gain Christ and be found in Him. The book of Luke tells us of Mary, who sat at the feet of Jesus. Jesus said that she has chosen the better thing. One thing is needed: to sit at His feet.

What is the one thing in your life and mine? Is it my job? Sometimes that can become the one thing because I can say, "Well, that's a really good thing. I work at a church." A lot of people would think, "Yeah, that is really a good thing." But even serving the Lord can become tainted when I'm just doing it for myself. The Lord desires that I would give all things as unto Him. Can you, in your job as a mechanic or as a CPA, do the same?

As a firefighter, or in whatever job you may have, can you do it heartily as unto the Lord? Is that the one thing that drives you, or is it simply to receive that paycheck at the end of the week and think, "Alright, let's go to the desert"? What are you trusting in? Some trust in chariots, some trust in horses, but we will trust in the name of the Lord, our God.

The Lord desired that the children of Israel would not put their trust in horses, nor would they even be tempted to do so. Therefore, He instructed them not to multiply horses for themselves. In His foreknowledge, the Lord knew that someday the children of Israel would ask for a king. So, He made a provision in the law, stating that when they did have a king, he should not multiply wives or horses for himself.

However, from the very first king, Saul, to King David and then King Solomon, they immediately multiplied wives and horses. In fact, Solomon, the wisest man ever to live, besides Jesus Christ, had the most incredible kingdom. He built up the land of Israel into a magnificent realm. Yet, when you visit Israel, you do not see Solomon's palace or his great riches. Instead, you see his stables.

The land of Megiddo is a testament to this, as Solomon not only possessed immense wisdom and gold—so much gold that it was like nothing—but he also multiplied horses for himself and trusted in them. What is the testimony of his life? It is, "Hey, let's go see Solomon's stables." What a sad thing for the wisest man to have ever lived. May that not be the testimony of my life, that I trusted in something else and invested all that I had into it.

I’m not literally talking about horses and chariots; you know what it is in your own life. You know what those things are. We will see shortly what the Lord desires us to do with those things.

In verse 5, it says that all these kings were gathered together and pitched at the waters of Miriam to fight against Israel. The Lord said unto Joshua, "Be not afraid." If Joshua wasn't afraid, I don't think the Lord would have said this to him. But obviously, there was fear in Joshua's heart.

And so the Lord came to him and said, "Be not afraid." You see, the Lord desires to encourage those who are discouraged. He loves to come alongside the person who has a broken heart. A broken spirit and a contrite heart—these are the things that the Lord desires. Those are the sacrifices of God. A broken spirit, a contrite heart. The Lord loves to be in the presence of those who are broken.

It is a hard thing for you and me to be in the presence of those who are broken, but I’ll tell you, it’s such a blessing. It is an incredible blessing. I am always amazed at how the Lord blesses me when I have the opportunity to sit with someone who has just lost a loved one or lost everything they have. To be able to minister to them, to weep with those who weep—that's what the Lord called us to do. We are to have joy with those who have joy, and we all love that. That’s why you see so many people love to go to weddings, but not many people like to go to funerals. It’s hard to weep with those who weep, but there’s a blessing in being with those who are brokenhearted. The Lord loves to be in the midst of those who are brokenhearted—a broken people.

If you are humble, then the Lord can draw near to you. But if you are proud and puffed up, the Lord resists the proud, as the book of James tells us. He draws near to the humble. Here is Joshua, and he is broken and fearful. The Lord comes to him and encourages him because God loves to bind up the brokenhearted. He says, "Be not afraid because of them. For tomorrow, at this very time, I will deliver them up slain before Israel. You shall hamstring their horses and burn their chariots with fire."

What does God desire that you and I would do with those things that we trust in, that we put above Him—those horses, those chariots? It says here that you should hamstring them. Most of your Bibles probably say to hamstring the horses. The Lord says, "I’m going to deliver this army into your hands tomorrow at this very time. I’m going to be slain before you."

You see, when our enemies come against us, God fights for us. He says, "I’m going to deliver them up slain before you. You’re going to come down there, and all of a sudden, they’re just going to be right there in front of you—done." But when you get there, I want you to take their horses and hamstring them. What they were to do was take a sword and cut through the tendons in the back legs of the horses, making them lame so they could never go to battle again.

Now, in my mind—and I’m not a military leader, obviously—I’m thinking, well, if all these horses are standing there, the best thing to do is to take them and use them against our enemies. The Lord says, "No, I want you to go and slice through the tendons, make them lame so they can’t be used ever again." Why? Because He doesn’t want you to trust in those things. And I want you to take their chariots.

I want you to burn them with fire—chariots of fire, right there, burning. The Lord says to hamstring the horses, make them lame, and burn the chariots with fire. What are the things that I'm trusting in in my life today? If it's not the Lord, the Lord says to go, make it lame, get rid of it, and burn it with fire. Have nothing to do with it.

The Lord says not to take these horses to yourselves or these chariots, because I want you to trust in Me. Don't be like the heathen who trusts in their horses and their chariots; trust in Me, because I'm going to deliver them before you. I'm the one who's going to take them out. You don't need to have chariots to fight against chariots. You need Me, the Lord says. So I'll do away with them. I'll get rid of them.

It's amazing to me how the Lord is able to do that in our lives. The things that I so often am afraid of, the things that I'm so often worried about, the Lord says, "Come on, let's go." As we walk through the trial, we get to the other side and wonder, "What happened?" The Lord says, "Oh, you're a little faint. Come on, let's walk. Let's go."

See, those things that you and I are afraid of, those battles that we come into where we just don't know how we're going to handle it, the Lord is able to take those things out. You don't need chariots. You don't need your bank account. You don't need that great big job. Now, the Lord may have given you a great big bank account. He may have given you a really nice job. Why? So that you can use that to bless other people for the Lord.

That's why the Lord has given you and me those blessings: so that we can be a blessing to others, so that we can reach out with the hands of Jesus to those who may be less fortunate. We see that throughout Scripture. The Lord calls upon those nations that are rich to reach out to those who are not. That's what we're called to do—to love people in deed, not just in word, but to live our lives for them, to the glory of the Lord.

Not so that they can name buildings and roads after you because, well, so-and-so spent all this money for this building, so let's put a big plaque on it: "John Doe Square." He put all the money up. If that's your heart, if that's your desire, then you have your reward, the Lord says. But do your deeds in the secret place before the Father who sees in secret, and He will indeed reward you openly, as the Bible says in Matthew chapter 5.

So many times, we, like the Pharisees, like to send someone out with a trumpet in front of us, saying, "Look what he's going to do."

Pharisee Jim. I keep using Pharisee Jim. Jim, I'm not talking about you. I don't know why I say Pharisee Jim all the time; it just pops into my head. But there are those times when we want to do things so that people will see us. You think, "Gosh, I'm going to grab that broom just so when Pastor Pat comes out of his office, he sees me holding it." The Lord says to do your deeds in secret before your Father who sees in secret. He will reward you openly.

The Lord told the children of Israel to do away with those things. He instructed them to do away with the horses and the chariots and not to trust in those. Joshua came with all the people of war against them by the waters of Miram. Suddenly, they fell upon them, and the Lord delivered them into the hand of Israel, who smote them and chased them to greater Sidon, to Mizrapheth Maim, and unto the valley of Mizpah eastward. They smote them until they left none remaining.

As we looked at last week, we pointed out the things that Joshua did to these armies. Notice again that they smote them and let none remain. Joshua did unto them as the Lord bade him. He hamstrung their horses and burnt their chariots. Here is a man of God who follows the word of the Lord. He does what God has told him to do. That is what classifies a man of God or even a woman of God: someone who follows the word of God and does what God tells them to do.

Joshua acted immediately; he didn't think twice. He didn't say, "Well, gosh, we could really use these chariots. Why do this?" No, they burnt them with fire. That must have been a huge bonfire if you think about it—20,000 chariots on fire. But I believe that was a sweet-smelling aroma to the Lord.

There would come another day when Samuel, the prophet and seer in the land of Israel, would go to Saul, the king at that point in time. He would say, "You're to go to Amalek and utterly destroy it," as stated in the book of 1 Samuel 14. Saul went there and was to utterly destroy everything that breathed. He wasn't to leave anything remaining because Amalek in Scripture is a picture of the flesh. However, when Saul saw the good things of the land of Amalek, he decided that he and the children of Israel would keep those good things back. They destroyed everything that was bad, but they held on to all the good stuff.

So we see the opposite of Joshua there. A man who is not led of the Lord is one who doesn't listen to the Lord.

And goes the other direction and says, "Well, this could really be used in the service of the Lord." That's exactly what Saul said. He said, "I know that God has said that we're to utterly destroy and annihilate all the things in this place of Amalek. Let's take the good sheep and the good oxen so that we can sacrifice to the Lord God." God does not delight in a sacrifice like that. He does not delight in the sacrifices that we say, "Well, I know I should probably give this money back that I found there, but no, I'll use it for the service of the Lord." The Lord says, "No, give it back. I don't want that."

I heard several years ago, I don't remember who I heard it from, but there was a pastor up north who had a big church. A guy came to the Lord who was a drug dealer. He had a whole bunch of money that he had made selling drugs. After giving his life to the Lord, he came to the pastor and said, "Hey, I've got all this money, and I know I probably shouldn't have it because it's all drug money, but I was thinking I'll just give it to the church." The Lord doesn't delight in sacrifices like that. I don't know what they did with it. You see, that's not what the Lord's looking for. The Lord's looking for brokenness and contrition, where we'll bow down before Him.

But the children of Israel did just what the Lord had said. They hamstrung the horses, making every single one of those 10,000 horses suffer, even the horses that pulled the chariots. They took their swords and cut into the tendons of these horses. Have you ever heard a horse scream? How horrible it must have been to hear that sound. But this is what they did because they were doing what God had told them to do. Sometimes, getting rid of those chariots and horses is very difficult. It's hard for us to do, but that's what the Lord is calling us to. He doesn't want us to trust in anything else but Him.

Is my hope built in nothing else but Jesus' blood and righteousness? Or is it in something else? If it is, it needs to go, or else we won't be able to be victorious in battle. So Joshua did just what the Lord had told him to do. In verse 10, it says, "And Joshua at that time turned back and took Hazor." All these kings came against Joshua, and they went out to battle against him in an area called Meribah. Joshua got rid of them, and immediately he turned around and went back to the cities where these kings came from, the first one being Hazor. It says, "And he took Hazor and smote the king thereof with the sword." For Hazor, before that time...

Hazor was the head of those kingdoms and served as the capital of the northern nations. It was the biggest one, covering an area of 200 acres. While we may think that 200 acres is not that large—many people have bigger land than that—it's important to note that this was a walled city. To give you an idea, Jericho, that significant stronghold in the middle portion of the nation, was only 8 acres in size. Therefore, Hazor was indeed a large city. The name Hazor actually means "castle," indicating that there was a substantial castle of some sort there.

Jabin, the king of Hazor, was a powerful figure. He commanded all the chariots and horses. When Joshua returned to this place, he took Hazor and defeated the king. They eliminated Jabin, the king of Hazor, with the sword. Then, they struck down all the souls within the city with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying them. There was not a single person left to breathe, and they burned Hazor with fire.

Joshua could have taken this city and declared it a great stronghold, making it the capital for their nation. However, he followed the Lord's command to utterly destroy all the inhabitants of the land. They burned the city with fire to ensure that the Israelites would not trust in their strongholds, chariots, or horses, but instead would trust in the name of the Lord. They smote everything with the edge of the sword.

In verse 12, it states that Joshua took all the cities of those kings and struck them down with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying them as Moses, the servant of the Lord, had commanded. This raises the question: How sharp is the edge of your sword? You may wonder what this means. Interestingly, the word "edge" is also translated as "mouth" throughout Scripture.

You might ask, "What do edge and mouth have in common?" We know from Scripture, particularly in Hebrews, that the Word of God is living and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword. How sharp are you with the Word of God? Can it come out of your mouth? Is it in your heart? This is how they destroyed their enemies in the land.

was with the Word of God. They utterly destroyed them with the edge of the sword, with the mouth of the sword, the Word. How sharp are you? How well do you know the Word? Not so much that you can give all the addresses to the Scripture, but is it in your heart? Do you know it? Is it having its transforming effect on your life and mine? You see, people see it. They know. They can tell when the Lord is changing you. They can also tell someone who just knows it. There's a lot of people who have knowledge of the Word, and knowledge puffs up.

This last week, I had a rare opportunity to talk with someone who is a believer in a different denomination, so to speak. He had a lot of knowledge and was very puffed up over it. He came towards me and started talking with me. Immediately, he asked me, "Have you ever looked into the Reformed faith?" I thought, "Oh, yeah. I have." He then started throwing Scriptures at me. He had knowledge, but the Word of God had not done its work in his heart. We talked for about 20 minutes, and I thought to myself as we were talking, "This is pointless." This man was very puffed up over the Word of God that he knows in his head, or what he thinks he knows, but it hasn't done the work in his heart. He wasn't very sharp with the Word, even though he thought he was. It kind of broke my heart.

We can be very puffed up with knowledge and have the Word in our heads, but is it in our hearts? Because that's where the Lord is able to use it. Out of the heart of man proceed all these words. The Lord desires that we would hide His Word in our hearts, that we might not sin against Him, as Psalm 119 says.

The children of Israel utterly destroyed all these cities with the edge of the sword. Everything that breathed, they took out, and then they burned the rest of Hazor anyway with fire. Joshua took and smote them all with the edge of the sword, as Moses, the servant of the Lord, had commanded him. You see, God's law commanded that these cities would be destroyed, and God Himself demanded that they be taken out. Why? Because they were a cancer. If it wasn't taken care of, it would spread to the rest of the nation of Israel. God said, "I command and demand that these things be taken out. They're not to remain." And you know, God's Word commands today.

You and I know that certain things in our lives need to be removed. If they are not, they will kill us, sideline us, ruin us, wreck our lives, and steal our joy. You see, Jesus on the cross, in His death, burial, and resurrection, won the full battle. He did away with death and Satan. Yet, there are still small battles yet to be won—little things that we need to cut out of our lives and allow the Lord to do so. The edge of the sword is the only way. The Word of God is the only way to get rid of those things. That is what God desires of us because He commands and demands that you and I give our lives over to Him, allowing His Word to do its work.

In my own strength, I cannot make myself truly good. However, God's Word can cut deep. It is sharper than any two-edged sword and is able to pierce deep within the heart, dividing between soul and spirit. It discerns the thoughts and intents of the heart. God says He needs to deal with our hearts, and the only way that can happen is through His Word. I can manage my outside appearance and actions, making people think that I am truly righteous. But at the heart level, is my life being changed? Only His Word can accomplish that.

Moses, the servant of the Lord, commanded it, and Joshua obeyed. As for the cities that stood, in verse 13, Israel burned none of them except Hazor, which Joshua burned. All the other cities besides Hazor were left standing because the Lord had given those cities to them. He told them earlier in the book of Deuteronomy that they would come into a place with cities they did not build and crops they did not plant. God promised to give all of this to them.

The other cities that stood in their strength were designated for them by God. However, Hazor, that big stronghold, needed to be taken out so they would not trust in their strongholds. The other cities Joshua did not burn were allowed to remain, but everything wicked was removed from them. All the people with their sinful practices were utterly destroyed by the edge of the sword. The spoil of these cities and the cattle were taken by the children of Israel as prey for themselves. They smote every man with the edge of the sword until they had destroyed them, leaving none to breathe.

As the Lord commanded Moses, so did his servant. Moses commanded Joshua, and Joshua did it. He did what God had commanded, leaving nothing undone of all that the Lord had commanded Moses. I praise the Lord that Jesus left nothing undone. Our Joshua did all that the law required. Jesus is the fulfillment of the law. In Him, all the law and the prophets hang upon Him. I praise the Lord that on that cross He said, "It is finished." He left nothing in the law undone, just like Joshua on that day.

Everything that God had commanded Moses, Moses commanded Joshua, and Joshua did. Every commandment that God had ever spoken, Jesus, our Joshua, fulfilled. He left nothing undone. Joshua took all the land, as stated in verse 16, and so did our Joshua, Jesus. He took all the land on that day when He was crucified and raised from the dead. All the land, the hills, the south country, the land of Goshen, the valley of the plain, the mountain of Israel, and the valley of the same. Even from the mountain of Halak that goes up to Seir, even unto Balgad in the valley of Lebanon, under the mountain of Israel, under Mount Hermon.

He took all the kings, smote them, and slew them. Joshua made war for a long time with all of those kings. In fact, we find out that it was seven years. A seven-year battle, and seven in Scripture is always the number of completion. Joshua completely got rid of those strongholds. He utterly destroyed them all with the edge of the sword, and Jesus has completely wrought the victory through His death, burial, and resurrection. He did it.

Joshua made war with them for a long time, and there was not a city that made peace with the children of Israel, save the Hivites, the inhabitants of Gibeon. All others they took in battle. The only city that made peace with the children of Israel was the Gibeonites, as we saw three weeks ago. It was the only one that made peace with Israel. In this, there is a sad picture. It's a sad picture as well.

Because there are a lot of people in the world who will refuse to make peace with Joshua, with Jesus, there will be a few. There's always a remnant of God's people who have made peace with Jesus. I pray that every single one of you in this room is among those who have made peace with the Lord. We are always to go out into battle, bringing the name of the Lord Jesus Christ before us so that others might make peace with Him as well. That's my desire—to see other people come to the Lord.

The knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ is that they could have peace with God through the work that He did on the cross. In verse 20, it was of the Lord to harden their hearts so that they should come against Israel in battle, and that He might destroy them utterly. They might have no favor, but that He might destroy them as the Lord commanded Moses. It says here that God hardened the hearts of the people in the land of Canaan.

Some people take offense to this verse and ask how it could be that God would harden people's hearts. It's very interesting. In the book of Exodus, in the first ten chapters, when Moses went down to Egypt and spoke to Pharaoh, it says that Pharaoh hardened his heart. Pharaoh made his heart stiff and said, "I'm not going to do what God wants me to do." He hardened his heart so that he would not let the children of Israel go.

Every single time he did this, it says that God came and hardened his heart. If you look at it in the original language, in Hebrew, you find that when Pharaoh hardened his heart, he was making himself stern and steadfast, saying, "I'm not going to do what God wants me to do." God then came in and said, "Alright, then you're never going back from this point. I'm going to harden and stiffen your heart right there."

It's the very same word here that the Lord uses. He says, "Okay, if that's the way you want to do things, if you want to shake your fist at Me and say, 'I'm not going to follow You,' know for sure that these people had over 400 years to turn to the Lord, and they didn't." They kept hardening their hearts, saying, "No, we want to continue in our sacrifice, sexual perversion, and we want to continue to offer our sacrifices to Baal and Ashereth and all these other false gods. We don't want to turn to the Lord." They refused to be under Your authority, Lord.

So the Lord said, "Okay, we'll just make it stiff. You're never going to go back from this point." The Lord hardened their hearts; He allowed them to harden their hearts and then said, "You'll never go back from this point." It was of the Lord to harden their hearts, and they said, "We're not going to turn to Him." Consequently, the children of Israel utterly destroyed them as the Lord had commanded them.

At that time, Joshua came and cut off the Anakims in verse 21 from the mountains of Hebron, from Debir, from Anab, and from the mountains of Judah and Israel. Joshua destroyed them utterly along with their cities.

Now, back in Numbers chapter 13, when Moses sent the spies into the land, they came back after 40 days with a report saying, "Yes, the land is beautiful. It's flowing with milk and honey. But there are giants in the land. We were before them as little grasshoppers, and they'll kill us. They'll stomp us out." They were the Anakims, the long necks. That's exactly what their name means—long necks. They were giants.

So, Joshua, as it says in verse 21, cut off the Anakims from the mountains of Hebron, Debir, Anab, the mountains of Judah, and the mountains of Israel. He utterly destroyed them. These giants caused the children of Israel to be so afraid, but Joshua went in there with great strength and power. He declared, "You're out of here."

It's interesting because these cities—Hebron, in Scripture, means fellowship; Debir means sanctuary, which is the actual rendering of the word; and Anab translates to fruitful or fruitfulness. Judah, the hills of Judah, signifies praise, while Israel means governed by God.

You see, the life that is built upon fellowship in the sanctuary of the Lord is a fruitful life that praises God. It is a life yielded to God, where you are among His chosen people. That life is guarded by great spiritual giants—spiritual hosts of wickedness, as Ephesians chapter 6, verse 12 tells us. We wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities, powers, and rulers of the darkness of this age.

There are giants—wicked, wicked spiritual giants—that try to keep you away from God, away from the fruitful life that exists in the sanctuary of the Lord, where you can have fellowship with Him, praising Him and being governed by God. Only God, only Jesus, our Joshua, can get rid of them.

I desire to have that life in fellowship with the Lord, in His sanctuary, praising Him, being fruitful, and being governed by Him. However, there is an enemy that wants to keep me away from that abundant life. Only Joshua, only Jesus, can take them out. And that's exactly what He does.

What Joshua did here in verse 21 was significant. He came up and destroyed them utterly, along with their cities. There was none of the Anakims left in the land of the children of Israel, except in Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod. It's unfortunate that they remained in Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod because, just a few hundred years from this point, there would arise an Anakim, a giant named Goliath of Gath. He fought against the children of Israel. Unless we utterly destroy those wicked giants in our lives, they will come back to haunt us. Goliath had five brothers and caused much trouble in Israel. The Lord desires that we utterly destroy them, and that's exactly what Joshua did.

Joshua took the whole land according to all that the Lord said unto Moses. He gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. The land rested from war. Joshua took it all—everything. When Jesus died on the cross, was buried in that tomb, and rose from the dead, He took the whole land of salvation for you and me. He conquered and won our salvation. He conquered death and has given it as an inheritance to humanity. It is our inheritance, a spiritual inheritance that God has extended to all people. However, we have to lay hold of it; we have to take it.

The text states that the land rested from war. In just a couple of chapters, we will hear God tell Joshua that there still remains much of the land to be taken. How could the land be fully taken here in Joshua chapter 11 and rest from war if there still remains much to be taken? You see, God has won salvation for you and me, but we have to take it. We need to lay hold of that abundant life. In John chapter 10, Jesus told His disciples that the thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy. But He has come that we might have life and have it more abundantly. He won that abundant life for every single person in the entire world, yet not every single person takes it.

Jesus said that we might have life and have it more abundantly. He won it on the cross; it is rightfully ours to take. But we need to lay hold of that for which He laid hold of us. Paul the Apostle, as I already mentioned, emphasized this truth.

In Philippians chapter 3, he was going against the Lord. He was Saul of Tarsus, and he was on his way to Damascus to persecute Christians. You have heard it before. In Acts chapter 9, he saw this great light, and the Lord appeared to him. The Lord said, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" He replied, "Lord, who are you?" The Lord said, "I am Jesus whom you persecute."

Saul of Tarsus was the man of Israel during that time. He was being raised under Gamaliel. He was a Jew, a Hebrew of the Hebrews. According to the law, he was blameless. He was a Pharisee. He had everything that you and I could want when it came to spirituality on the outside, that is. He was zealous for the cause and persecuted Christians, but the Lord said, "You're persecuting me."

So Paul took all that he was in Philippians 3 and said, "I've laid it all aside. I counted it as trash. It's rubbish. It's dung. It's nothing. I lay it aside so that I may gain Christ." This one thing I do: forgetting those things which are behind, I press on. I press forward that I may lay hold of or apprehend that for which I am apprehended of Christ, he says in Philippians 3, verse 12. That I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has laid hold of me.

You see, Christ Jesus desires that every single one of us would have that abundant and eternal life, but we need to lay hold of it. "Lord, I desire that." And the Lord says, "Then lay down all that you are, yourself, take up your cross, and follow me." That's what Paul did. He laid down everything and followed the Lord.

Joshua took all the land according to what the Lord had told Moses, and Joshua gave it as an inheritance to Israel. Jesus has won our salvation and given it to us as an inheritance, but he says, "Take it. Grab hold of it, and let's go."

We were going to go into chapter 12 tonight, but I guess Pat was right. Let's pray.

Lord, I thank you for your word. It is so good to be able to hear directly from you. This is your word written down to us. You spoke it to holy men of God who wrote it so that we could hear it. God, thank you.

And Lord, I pray that we would take to heart the things that we've seen in this passage. If we're trusting in any other thing tonight, any other vain and fleeting thing, that we would be able to lay it down. And Lord, that the edge of the sword could cut it away.

May there be no horses or chariots in our lives that we rest in, no hazards that we think we are strong in. But, Lord, may we realize tonight that our strength is in You and in nothing else. God, help me to realize that every day when I wake up. Help my hope to be built on nothing else but Your strength, blood, and Your righteousness, Lord.

Everything else is sinking sand, and I will fall down. You said, Jesus, that the wise man builds his house upon the rock so that when the storms and battles come, it will be able to stand. But the fool is the one who builds his house upon the sand, trusting in all those vain things, Lord. The storms and trials will come, and it will fall, and great will be its fall.

God, help me to trust in You and nothing else. I pray this in Your name. Amen.