Promised Land Living

Joshua 9:1-6, 14-15; Deuteronomy 7:1-2; Matthew 11:12 (KJV); Joshua 10:2-5, 7-14, 28-43

Gibeonite Deception, Sun Stands Still, Southern cities

CIT: Joshua leads the Israelites to the Promised Land

CIS: Do all the Lord’s Commands You

SO: The hearer will take possession of God’s Promise for their life.

Follow along at d1.church/notes.

Intro:  Promised Land Living.

The First Lesson of the Promised Land was that there are going to be Christians who may fight beside you, but will not possess what you will have.

Second Lesson of Promised Land living: The enemy already knows they are defeated. 

Third Lesson of Promised Land living: You cannot stay the same and enter into God’s promises.

Fourth Lesson of the Promised Land Living: God wants to be in a covenant relationship with you. 

Fifth Lesson of Promised Land Living: God will not supply your needs in the same way as before. 

Sixth Lesson of Promised Land Living: Fear is a byproduct of doing things your own way in the Promised Land.

Seventh Lesson of Promised Land Living: If God’s promises are not working in the Promised Land, find the problem (probably not God).

1. Gibeonite Deception (Joshua 9:1-6; 14-15)

Now when all the kings west of the Jordan heard about these things—the kings in the hill country, in the western foothills, and along the entire coast of the Mediterranean Sea as far as Lebanon (the kings of the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites)— they came together to wage war against Joshua and Israel. However, when the people of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai, they resorted to a ruse: They went as a delegation whose donkeys were loaded with worn-out sacks and old wineskins, cracked and mended. They put worn and patched sandals on their feet and wore old clothes. All the bread of their food supply was dry and moldy. Then they went to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal and said to him and the Israelites, “We have come from a distant country; make a treaty with us.”

EXP(1): Up until this point, the enemy, knowing he is defeated, has stunned the Canaanites in the Land. Joshua and the Israelites are taking the fight to them as God has directed. God has given them a special place of peace where they have reaffirmed covenants, gained some understanding, and set a place of praise and worship to honor God. Basic Christianity. However, in Chapter 9, the enemy (even though he knows he will lose) has decided to fight back anyway. Six groups of Kings decided to band together against the common enemy. One group of people took a different tactic.

ILL: In Men’s Bible Study on Friday, we are discussing The Revelation of Jesus Christ, and in it, the apostle John tells us what will transpire until the end of time. Every time you read this book, the enemy is defeated and thrown into the lake of fire with all those on his side. However, the middle chapters of The Revelation show how the enemy makes a stand and controls the whole world and its systems and governments. Why does the enemy fight when it knows it has lost? Nowhere in the Bible does this prideful enemy go out without a fight. As long as time exists before their defeat, they will seek to build their own kingdom, self-preserve, and attempt to ruin any plan God has for you. 

ILL: The Canaanites, representing the enemy of God, are coming at you in two different ways.

1. Band together and directly fight you
2. Use deceit to stay around instead of being defeated.

EXP(2): Now, let’s focus on the Gibeonites. They see the destruction of Jericho and Ai and know that soon it will be them too. So their council gets together and hatches a plan to take bread, clothes, old wine skins, and make them look as if they began a long journey, and this is evidence of how long they have been traveling. Like a movie set, they stage a scene miming a long journey. Armed with a story, We heard of your victories and fear for our lives (truth). We are from outside the land you want to conquer (Lie). To preserve our lives, we desire to make a treaty and become your servants (truth). 

C.S. Lewis’ Screwtape Letters is a book about how the enemy uses everything to find his way into our lives. He attacks our pride, even our victories, to find his way into our lives.

They encounter Joshua and the Israelites and execute their plan. 

Joshua 9:14-15 The Israelites sampled their provisions but did not inquire of the Lord. Then Joshua made a treaty of peace with them to let them live, and the leaders of the assembly ratified it by oath.

Their story is convincing, and Joshua himself makes a treaty with them. Three days later, the Israelites come across the towns of the Gibeonites and realize they have been played. The leaders confront Joshua and the Gibeonites, and they own up to it. God spoke directly about this attack in the words he gave Moses.

Deuteronomy 7:1-2 When the Lord your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess and drives out before you many nations—the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites, seven nations larger and stronger than you— and when the Lord your God has delivered them over to you and you have defeated them, then you must destroy them totally. Make no treaty with them, and show them no mercy.

By not holding to the words of God, the Israelites have now entered into a place where they will never drive out all the people of the land. Because the oath made is binding, the Gibeonites are servants (woodcutters and water carriers), but they cannot be driven out. 

APP: The enemy is pulling out all the stops to deceive and self-preserve in your life. Joshua and the Israelites had learned to be sure to inquire of the Lord for battle, but in matters of personal affairs, they did not. God desires to be consulted on all decisions. If we keep parts of our life out from his control, it will have consequences that will plague us as long as we are in the land. 

Eight Lessons of Promised Land Living: The enemy will not give you the Land without a fight.

Matthew 11:12 KJV And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.

T.S.: This journey to take back what the enemy stole will require you to be on offense in battle and in personal situations.

2. Sun stands still (Joshua 10:2-5).

He and his people were very much alarmed at this, because Gibeon was an important city, like one of the royal cities; it was larger than Ai, and all its men were good fighters. So Adoni-Zedek, king of Jerusalem, appealed to Hoham, king of Hebron, Piram, king of Jarmuth, Japhia, king of Lachish, and Debir, king of Eglon. “Come up and help me attack Gibeon,” he said, “because it has made peace with Joshua and the Israelites.” Then the five kings of the Amorites—the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon—joined forces. They moved up with all their troops and took up positions against Gibeon and attacked it.

EXP(1): The head of all the Amorites, King Adoni-Zedek, heard of the Gibeonite treaty with the Israelites and decided that Gibeon was a city that would make the Israelites even stronger. He gathered the 5 kings of the Ammonites and went to attack the Gibeonites. Because the Israelites had a treaty with them, they had to protect them. 

Ninth Lesson of Promised Land Living: God will require you to be righteous. (Do the right thing)

Joshua 10: 7-14: So Joshua marched up from Gilgal with his entire army, including all the best fighting men. The Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them; I have given them into your hand. Not one of them will be able to withstand you.”After an all-night march from Gilgal, Joshua took them by surprise. The Lord threw them into confusion before Israel, so Joshua and the Israelites defeated them completely at Gibeon. Israel pursued them along the road going up to Beth Horon and cut them down all the way to Azekah and Makkedah. As they fled before Israel on the road down from Beth Horon to Azekah, the Lord hurled large hailstones down on them, and more of them died from the hail than were killed by the swords of the Israelites. On the day the Lord gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the Lord in the presence of Israel: “Sun, stand still over Gibeon, and you, moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.” So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the nation avenged itself on its enemies, as it is written in the Book of Jashar. The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day. 

EXP(2): Even though this was a mess they got into, God honored their battle. They marched all night and launched into a surprise attack. The five armies ran, and we find out later in their chapter that their kings gathered in a cave. Joshua’s men rolled a stone in front of the cave and continued to wipe out all of their men in battle. 

The battle included: The Lord hurled large hailstones at the Amorites, and God killed more with hail than the Israelites with swords. The battle was going on so long that they would run out of daylight. So Joshua prayed for the Lord to make the sun stand still. And he did. The Canaanites worshiped the Sun and Moon Gods, and when this occurred, God was telling them their Gods were powerless.

ILL: There are two instances in the Bible where time is altered or appears to be altered. One is here in Joshua 10, and the other occurs in the book of Isaiah, where God gives Hezekiah a sign, where the shadow on the sundial goes the wrong direction. For approximately 40 minutes.

There are theories about them—a lot of theories. None can be substantiated. 

• A Solar/Lunar event, such as an eclipse or a Comet
• Tectonic plates colliding and separating, volcanic activity.

Here is an instance where we have to have faith in the word of God. This is not the first impossible thing we have seen God do.

Tenth Lesson of Promised Land Living: God will fight for you. (Expect Miracles)

APP: The Kings of the Amorites are defeated in an epic battle. One that could have only been done miraculously in one day. 

Joshua 10:14 There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the Lord listened to a human being. Surely the Lord was fighting for Israel!

T.S. God continues to fight for Israel and for you.

3. Southern Cities conquered (Joshua 10:28-43).

EXP: At the end of Chapter 10, Joshua and the Israelites continue to go to town and defeat the Southern Cities. 

The Jordan River runs from the Dead Sea in the south to the Sea of Galilee in the north. You see the Dead Sea here; these cities are in the southern portion of the land. All the cities are destroyed, and no one survives. This is a large portion of the original map. 

ILL: The city of Jerusalem shown on this map is the location of modern-day Jerusalem. Jerusalem means a place or foundation of peace. In the days of Joshua, it was usually referred to as Jebus. It is where the Jebusites live. The city of Jerusalem is heavily fortified and has walls all around it. It was not captured in Joshua’s time. He killed the King who resided there. This city was not taken until King David became King. King Saul operated out of Gibeah, which is in the tribe of Benjamin, of which Saul was a member. David took Jerusalem for two reasons: it was not attached to any tribe and was the most fortified city in the land. It was settled between Judah and Benjamin, and had been no man's land. David wanted to be King of all the people. 

David becomes King and tells his mighty men that whoever takes this impenetrable city is to become the leader of the Army. Joab is believed to have devised a plan to crawl up the water tunnels around the city that handle the runoff, get in, and ultimately conquer the city. David captures Jerusalem/Jebus, and it becomes the city of David.

T.S.: When we return to the final Map of Joshua’s conquest, we will note that Jebus was not conquered.

We will have to go and take what God has for us in the promised land. He will fight the battles for us; ultimately, all the history of life before and after is in his hands. 

I want to pray for three groups today:

1. Some of us have had a few victories in this Christian life and feel confident, and may not have seen the enemy’s deception.
2. I pray that today, you will consult the Lord before making any new oaths or vows.
3. Some of you think all is lost in some situations. You are fighting an army too big. 
4. I pray today that you will ask God to do the impossible and allow him to win the battle for you.
5. Some of us need to understand that God has a larger plan for our lives than we can imagine.
6. I pray for salvation.