Men's Group Study Guide
Introduction
It did not take very long for the reports of victory in the south to reach the inhabitants of the north. Immediately we see the northern kings come together as did their southern counterparts in an effort to stop this uprising. From Jericho onto Ai and then to the southern conquest, and now this great force in the north, it just doesn’t seem to be getting any easier for the children of Israel. And so it is for any child of God who wants to be in His will and experience His full blessing. From one trial to another almost, as if it will never end. This is how God works to raise up faith in His children and also glorify Himself through these weak instruments. 2 Corin.3:18 / 1 Corin.1:27
STUDY NOTES: verses 1-23
Vs. 1-5 And it came to pass, when Jabin king Hazor heard these things, that he sent to Jobab king of Madon, to the king of Shimron, to the king of Achshaph...... vs. 5 And when all these kings had met together, they came and camped together at the waters of Merom to fight against Israel. The king of Hazor is just another example for us of the spiritual oppression that will always attempt to muster its forces and try to keep us from expanding the Kingdom of Heaven. King Jabin sent out a message to all the other kings in the area to come and meet him so they could make war against Israel. According to verse four their numbers were as vast as the grains of sand on the seashore. They had war machines and great power on their side. I don’t know about any body else, but personally I would be growing weary and even fearful of these continuous onslaughts. “Will it ever end?—I don’t know if I can take much more!—Did I do something wrong to deserve this?” These are common thoughts that will go through a mans head at some point or another. At this point we have a few choices. Should I turn around and run? Do I wave the white flag? Or, do I stand in the truth of the promise that was given me by almighty God? There seems to be a reoccurring theme throughout this book called Joshua. The good and gracious God will give you salvation, but He will also give you a definite vision and direction for your time spent in this life and the choice is up to you which direction to take and whose story to believe. Matthew 14:31 / 2nd Peter 1:4
Vs. 6-9 But the Lord said to Joshua,” Do not be afraid because of them, for tomorrow about this time I will deliver all of them slain before Israel. You shall hamstring their horses and burn their chariots with fire.... vs.9 So Joshua did to them as the Lord had told him: he hamstrung their horse and burned their chariots with fire. Isn’t God so longsuffering with us? How many times did He have to remind even the great leader Joshua to not be afraid because of them (vs 6). If there is any fear in our lives it should only be the fear of God. Proverbs 1:7 -3:7-8:13-etc; Which is what? To hate sin. And according to Hebrews 3:19 what was the sin that held them back? 2nd Timothy1:7 gives us a good idea of what our approach to life should look like. This verse is not just some positive sounding self-help message from a finite man, this is the truth of God and it is for you. Be obedient to every order that God is giving you. Take to heart every promise that you find in His Holy Word. Don’t you get it, burn and hamstring those suckers! Vs.10-15 Joshua turned back at that time and took Hazor, and struck its king with the sword; for Hazor was formerly the head of all those kingdoms. And they struck all the people who were in it with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying them. There was none left breathing. Then he burned Hazor with fire....vs15 As the Lord had commanded Moses His servant, so Moses commanded Joshua, and so Joshua did. He left nothing undone of all that the Lord had commanded Moses. And so we see the leader of another great kingdom come to ruin at the hands of faithful, obedient people. The inhabitants of this area had numbered in the millions previously and were now extinct. This is Gods judgment on those that stand against Him and His chosen people. Israel reaped the rewards for their obedience to God (vs.14). As a great leader, Joshua followed up and remembered to follow thru with the instructions given to him by his predecessor. Had he not been fully obedient to what he knew, it could have just as easily been he and his brothers and sisters that stood to receive Gods judgment.
Vs 16-23 Thus Joshua took all this land: the mountain country, all the South, all the land of Goshen, the lowland, and the Jordan plain—the mountains of Israel and its lowlands.... vs. 23 So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the Lord had said to Moses; and Joshua gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. Then the land rested from war. So finally the land was theirs and the final foe to overcome was the one that had originally struck fear in their hearts forty years earlier. These previous years of battle in Caanan were preparing them in many different ways to be bold and of good courage. Now this adversary that had once been a great terror to Israel simply fled before them. As the leader of these people, Joshua’s most beautiful characteristic was his obedience to God, and when it’s all said and done, obedience to God is the only thing we can bring to the table. In the last verse of chapter 11 we see that Israel did indeed receive their inheritance and get to also rest from all the constant battling. We could call this one of those mountain top experiences. A time to rest, to meditate, and to look back at all that the Lord had done. There is only one way, trust and obey.
TRUTH APPLIED:
Q. 1 Do you experience spiritual warfare in your life? Do you experience ongoing spiritual warfare in your life?
Q. 2 How do you deal with the fear and doubt that comes your way? Can you think of a way to divert or overcome these feelings before they overtake you?
Q. 3 Is the understanding that you have of these things just a head knowledge or is it heart knowledge?"+gP
CONCLUSION:
In Deuteronomy 9:3 Israel is told how God will go over before them and bring down all that stood before them. The massive armies, the horse and chariot, the giants. These were just a few of the obstacles that they could see with their human eyes. But God had given them a vision and many great and precious promises to hold on to when things literally appeared to big. He said you will drive them out and destroy them quickly. When God gives us a command, we do wisely to believe Him and do what He says. Saul is the first one that comes to mind, but how many men can you think of, if not yourself, that have been to focused on themselves and been limited to themselves and missed out on a great fulfilling life provided by your God Jesus? I pray that any man that calls himself a Christian would take seriously the truth found in the Word of God and follow after it with all his heart, with all his strength and with all his mind. Don’t play mind games with yourself and especially with God. Believe what He is telling you and trust that He is good.