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Despite having witnessed God repeatedly overcome countless obstacles on their behalf, the Israelites were overwhelmed and discouraged by the size of the force now standing before them. Their fear eroded their confidence in God’s faithfulness. i don’t know about you, but i fear i am often guilty of allowing my fear to do the same thing.
The kings of the northern cities had seen how the God of the Israelites defeated other kings in Canaan. They had witnessed the destruction of Jericho and Ai after those kings had foolishly tried to resist the Israelites alone. They saw the five southern kings unite, only to be defeated. But instead of seeking peace, surrendering to the Israelites, and submitting to their God, the northern kings hardened their hearts. Driven by selfish ambition and pride, they chose to fight the Israelites.(1) As Joshua led the Israelites north, the northern kings decided that their only chance of survival was to unite all the armies of the north.
You have probably heard the saying, “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.” i’m not sure that’s always true, but it certainly was in this case. The northern Canaanite tribes were far from being friends, but their fear of the God of Israel brought them together. All the kings came out to fight, choosing the site of the battle and positioning themselves with the advantage of the high ground.
As they assembled near Merom, they “formed a vast horde. And with all their horses and chariots, they covered the landscape like the sand on the seashore.”(2) It’s estimated that this combined northern Canaanite army consisted of 300,000 foot soldiers, 10,000 on horseback, and 20,000 chariots. Militarily the Canaanites held a great advantage over the Israelites. If this were a movie, this would be the climactic battle scene, with the protagonists appearing hopelessly outmatched.
From a human perspective, the situation looked bleak for the Israelites. Yes, we know that God was with them, but we also have the benefit of hindsight. Even for a man of courage and faith like Joshua, the situation seemed dire. There’s a reason that the LORD said to him, “Do not be afraid of them. By this time tomorrow I will hand all of them over to Israel….”(3) Joshua needed that encouragement!
Let’s pause for a moment. You might be in a situation right now where your circumstances seem bleak, and you feel overwhelmed and discouraged. (That’s exactly how Joshua felt—and he was responsible for the lives of two million people under his leadership.) Don’t beat yourself up if you’re feeling discouraged. It doesn’t make you less of a Christian, or less of a leader.
The key is what we do with that discouragement. We can either allow it to defeat us or bring it to the Lord and hand it over to Him. Allow Him to give you a fresh word of encouragement. The Lord repeatedly told Joshua to have courage and not be discouraged, as recorded in the latter portion of Deuteronomy and the first few chapters of Joshua.(4)
Despite having heard those words from God before, and seeing God deliver the Israelites by His miraculous hand, Joshua still needed to hear them again. And so do we! Let the LORD say to you, “Do not be afraid.” “‘Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You.”(5) His arm has not grown weak!
Keep in mind, the circumstances did not immediately change when God told Joshua not to be afraid, and more than likely, neither will ours. They might not change tomorrow like they did for Joshua and the Israelites. But trust Him at His word… in His time… in His way. And by the way, write His word down and read it over and over again. Recite it, rehearse it, remember it… and hold onto it… until you see it come to fruition!
i think it’s worth noting the progression of the opposition the Israelites encountered in Canaan. First, there was Jericho, where there was no direct attack from the enemy, just those towering walls. Then came Ai, a small city—but although they were aggressive, they were greatly outmatched by the Israelites. Next, the five kings of the south—a larger force, but again, handily defeated by the LORD. And finally, this vast horde. i’m grateful that our LORD often allows us to grow in our trust and faith in Him through similar progressions. By His grace, He usually doesn’t start us out facing “the horde.” But i’m also grateful that if He chooses to do so, He promises to give us grace that is sufficient.
Lastly, the Israelites were faithful to leave nothing undone. Joshua led them to follow the LORD’s instruction completely, sparing no detail. A dear friend of mine used to say, “I must clean my plate before I can expect the LORD to give me anything else. I can’t leave even the crumbs.” He knew that before the LORD gave him his next assignment, he needed to be faithful to complete every detail of his current one.
Too often in our Christian walk, we are content to just get by with the minimum—often leaving the crumbs and sometimes even “large chunks” undone. Yet somehow, we still expect God to bless us to the maximum. There’s no question that we can’t outgive God, any more than we can earn His blessing. That’s why it’s called “grace.” But too often, i fear, we use “grace” as our excuse to be slackers and disobedient to His commands.
Reading through the accounts of the Old Testament kings, we often read that a king did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight, but he didn’t do everything the LORD had instructed him to do.(6) When we do the same, we miss out on the fullness of the blessing God desires to accomplish in and through our lives. In essence, He has established His best (His perfect will), but by our choice and lack of obedience, we settle for less than His best (His permissive will).
At Merom, the Israelites left nothing undone. They experienced victory and the fullness of God’s blessing by His grace.
May God find us faithful to face the obstacles ahead, fully confident in Him and His promise to give us victory. And may He find us faithful to “clean our plates,” leaving nothing undone.
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You can read about the encounter between the Israelites and the five kings of northern Canaan in the eleventh chapter of the Book of Joshua.
This post is taken from chapter 26 of my book, Possessing The Promise. For more information about the book, click here.
(1) Joshua 11:1-15 (NLT)
All these kings came out to fight. Their combined armies formed a vast horde. And with all their horses and chariots, they covered the landscape like the sand on the seashore. The kings joined forces and established their camp around the water near Merom to fight against Israel. Then the LORD said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them. By this time tomorrow I will hand all of them over to Israel…. As the LORD had commanded his servant Moses, so Moses commanded Joshua. And Joshua did as he was told, carefully obeying all the commands that the LORD had given to Moses.
(2) Joshua 11:4 (NLT)
(3) Joshua 11:6 (NLT)
(4) Deuteronomy 31:7; Deuteronomy 31:23; Joshua 1:6; Joshua 1:9; Joshua 1:18; Joshua 8:1 (and that’s to list just a few!)
(5) Jeremiah 32:17 (NKJ)
(6) See 2 Kings 14:3 for just one example.
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