To Trust or To Turn? | Sunday, May 14, 2023

Now it came to pass when Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem heard how Joshua had taken Ai and utterly destroyed it... and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were among them, that they feared greatly... Therefore the five kings of the Amorites... gathered together and went up, they and all their armies, and camped before Gibeon and made war against it. And the men of Gibeon sent to Joshua at the camp at Gilgal, saying, "Do not forsake your servants; come up to us quickly, save us and help us..." (Joshua 10)

When the enemy gathers because you've made peace with Jesus, will you trust Him or turn back to the crowd?

Marked Out: Why Life Gets Harder

If I had a dollar for every time someone told me, "My life was much less challenging before I was a Christian," I'd have enough to buy my family lunch this afternoon. That may be your experience too, and I want you to know it is not abnormal.

In Ephesians 2, Paul writes that we were once dead in trespasses and sins, walking "according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air"—a reference to the devil—"among whom you also once conducted yourselves in the lust of your flesh." But when you became a follower of Christ, you were marked and set apart. The Holy Spirit came into your heart and began a work of transformation, what we call sanctification—by His power, by His word, and through fellowship with other believers.

As that change takes place, those you once ran with begin to think it's strange. Peter writes in 1 Peter 4 that we have spent enough time doing the will of the world, and now those who continue in those things "think it strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation, speaking evil of you." You no longer have the same desires, goals, or ambitions, so you become the odd one out.

The Zebra and the Red Paint

Jordan Peterson once described researchers studying zebra in Africa. Zebra gather in big herds, and that made it hard for the scientists to track individual animals—they'd look down at their notes, look up, and lose the one they were watching among all the others.

So they had a bright idea. They drove up in a Land Rover, took a sponge of red paint on a stick, and put a big red dot on the haunch of one zebra. Now they could identify it—but then it got killed by lions. They marked another; it got killed too. They discovered something fascinating: zebra are not camouflaged in their environment (having been to Kruger National Park twice, I can tell you they stand out vividly against the brown grass, unlike the lion that blends in perfectly). Zebra are camouflaged in the herd. As soon as one bears an identifying mark, it gets attacked.

Peter, who wrote about those who think it strange that you no longer run with them, wrote just a few verses later: "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Peter 5:8). When you become a Christian, you are marked out. The enemy doesn't go after you while you're in the herd doing his will; but the moment you walk with the Lord, things begin to change. Point one: the normative Christian experience is an experience of imminent attack and warfare. And if you're not experiencing that opposition, perhaps you should ask whether you're blending in too well with your old life.

Gibeon Under Attack

What does this have to do with Joshua? Last week Pastor Garrett walked us through Joshua 9, where the kings on the west side of the Jordan heard what Israel had done to Jericho and Ai, and gathered together to fight Joshua and Israel "as one accord." But one city, Gibeon of the Hivites, saw the handwriting on the wall. They knew about Egypt, about the Amorite kings Sihon and Og east of the Jordan, and they determined to make peace with Joshua.

That was the right inclination. They recognized it wasn't Israel's strategy or strength—it was their God who fought for them. So making peace with Joshua was the right thing. But as Garrett noted, they did the right thing in the wrong way: they came in disguise, with old sacks and torn wineskins, lying that they had come from a far country. And Joshua "did not ask counsel of the Lord" (Joshua 9:14). I think it's safe to say every one of us has done the right thing in the wrong way, and has gotten into trouble because we didn't ask counsel of the Lord ahead of time.

That is a vital prayer: "Lord, what do you want me to do in this situation?" And if you don't get an immediate answer, the answer is wait. Isaiah says those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, mount up with wings as eagles, run and not be weary. David, who got himself into trouble by not waiting, tells us twice: "Wait on the Lord."

The Lord of Righteousness Who Is an Imposter

In Joshua 10, Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem hears that Gibeon made peace with Israel, and he and four other Amorite kings turn their army against Gibeon. Previously they banded together against Joshua; now they attack one of their own cousins—because Gibeon made peace with Joshua.

The name Adoni-Zedek is interesting. Adonai means "Lord," and zedek means "righteousness," so his name means "the Lord of Righteousness," and he is king of Jerusalem, the city of peace. You might think such a man sounds like a good guy. But when the Lord of Righteousness sets himself against God and the people of God, you can be sure he's an imposter—an illustrative type of an antichrist character in Scripture.

Why do you find yourself in spiritual warfare? Because you have made peace with Joshua. The name Joshua in Greek is Jesus. Once you make peace with Jesus, you've put a big red blotch of paint right on your haunch, and the one who prowls like a roaring lion has identified that you are in a league with Joshua.

Do Not Be Surprised

The same Peter who wrote about the roaring lion also wrote, "Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you." Point two: do not be surprised if life as a Christian is challenging.

John echoed this: "Do not marvel, my brethren, if the world hates you" (1 John 3:13). There was a time in our nation when you could assume most people shared a basic worldview informed by Scripture. That is increasingly not the case, and often the most vocal among us oppose anything of God. If you seek to be faithful to God and His word, you will be marked as one opposing the direction our culture wants to go.

John was only echoing Jesus in John 15: "If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you... A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you." Most of the last 1,990 years of church history has been about God's people living among those who oppose them. We have been privileged to live where that isn't the case—but don't expect it to stay that way.

As you hold to what Scripture says—what is a man, what is a woman, when life begins, what is a right or wrong lifestyle—you will be opposed, often vocally, and that anger can quickly turn to physical opposition. Expect it. The gibeonites were under attack because they did the right thing. It's always right to do the right thing.

To Trust or To Turn?

So here's the lay of the land: Israel has crossed the Jordan, Jericho and Ai have fallen, Gibeon has made peace, and now the Amorite kings have laid siege against Gibeon. The gibeonites face a choice—and I want to suggest it's a choice you face regularly, one that will only increase as time goes by.

Do you, Gibeon, trust your newly established covenant with this Joshua you barely know and this people Israel you have no real connection to? Or do you retreat to your old relationships, blend back in with the people you've lived among for generations, and say, "We were only tricking them—we're really one of you"? They could have shown their stripes and slipped back into the herd. Point three: beware of the temptation to break covenant or just go with the flow.

This is what Peter faced. Jesus had just told him, "If the world hates you, know that it hated Me first." Then Jesus was arrested and taken to Caiaphas's house, and Peter followed at a distance. Three times he was asked, "Aren't you with the Galilean?" and three times he swore, "I do not know the man." He was in the exact situation as the gibeonites—the situation you might face at work.

Because God is gracious, Peter got to retake the test. Soon after, he and John were preaching in the name of Jesus, were beaten, and were forbidden to speak. This time they said, "We will obey God rather than man." Both lived the rest of their lives expecting persecution. Peter was ultimately crucified like his Lord; John, the only disciple tradition says wasn't martyred, was banished to Patmos. Read 1,990 years of church history and you'll find countless saints—names unknown to us but known in heaven—told, "Just recant your faith in Christ and we'll let you go." Some watched their wives and children killed before their eyes.

You may not face that extreme, but you may face something similar—when the subject comes up among neighbors, friends, or coworkers and people want to know your view on LGBTQ issues, abortion, or what a man and a woman are. The temptation is to keep your mouth shut and blend in: "If I just stay with my black-and-white stripes, no one will see me." It's to smile with embarrassed agreement, to duck and cover from cancel culture.

The Challenge to Remain Faithful

What did the gibeonites do? "And the men of Gibeon sent to Joshua... saying, 'Do not forsake your servants; come up to us quickly, save us and help us.'" Point four: the challenge for the Christian is to remain in the faith and faithful.

So Joshua ascended from Gilgal with all his men of valor, and the Lord said, "Do not fear them, for I have delivered them into your hand." Joshua marched all night and came upon them suddenly. The Lord routed them, cast down large hailstones from heaven—more died from the hailstones than by the sword—and then Joshua spoke in the sight of all Israel, "Sun, stand still over Gibeon; and Moon, in the Valley of Aijalon." The sun stood still and the moon stopped until the people had revenge upon their enemies. "There has been no day like that, before it or after it, that the Lord heeded the voice of a man; for the Lord fought for Israel."

The Long Day and the God Who Acts

At this point the skeptic gets stuck on "the long day of Joshua." Commentaries offer all kinds of explanations, often trying to explain it away. But consider: if you already believe that Israel came out of Egypt by miraculous power, crossed the Red Sea on dry ground, ate manna for forty years, crossed the Jordan on dry ground, and saw the walls of Jericho fall—then this is not hard to believe. As it's been said, if you can get past the first words of the Bible, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth," the rest of the story isn't all that hard to buy.

And the amazing thing is, we still see miraculous events today. Seventy-five years ago today, in fulfillment of a prophecy written 2,800 years ago by Isaiah, the nation of Israel became a nation once again—after more than 1,900 years in exile, reviving a dead language, becoming the breadbasket of the world. Fly to Germany, buy bananas, mangoes, papayas at Aldi, and you'll see "Made in Israel." The new Silicon Valley is in Tel Aviv. That is miraculous.

So is it hard to believe Joshua said, "Sun, stand still," and they had a long day? Yes. Is it harder than "In the beginning God created"? No. I don't know exactly what God did or how He did it. I simply know the Bible says He did it—and the very existence of the nation of Israel today testifies that He did. Point five: God moves with great power on behalf of those who are not ashamed to trust greatly in Him.

Trust Greatly in Him

That was the story for the gibeonites. They did the right thing in the wrong way, but when the pressure came, they did the right thing in the right way—they cried, "Joshua, come help us, come save us"—and God protected them mightily.

That will be true for you. When you face challenging difficulties, when the temptation is to turn and run, to blend in and hide, that is the moment to trust the One who has great power to overcome whatever you face.

Paul wrote in Romans, "If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved... For the Scripture says, 'Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame'... For whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." If you are a believer this morning, those words are still true for you. And if you have not yet put your faith in Christ, He is calling out to you to trust in Him. I can't think of a better day to say, "I want to follow You and trust in You."

Closing Prayer

Father God, I thank You for powerful stories like this in Joshua that remind us of these important things—that it is not abnormal to experience attack and warfare spiritually, that we should not marvel when we face challenges. Lord, when we are tempted to throw in the towel and hide out in the crowd, You fight with great power for those who trust in You and follow You by faith. Enable us to do just that—to trust You, to be bold in our faith and faithful. Give Your church boldness, Lord; that is certainly what is needed in 2023. We are living in a culture increasingly walking in darkness, and You have called us to be a bright shining light and salt for the earth. Help us not to hide the light under a bush, but to let it shine. We praise You, Jesus. If anyone here this morning would like to trust in Christ, to confess Him as Lord, to receive His grace and forgiveness, move in their heart. Remind us all that You are powerful, that You are good, that You fulfill Your word—as we saw 75 years ago today, and as we see in our lives regularly. Move mightily in and through Your church. We pray this in Jesus' name, amen.