Joshua 10:28-43 How to fight and succeed without burning out?

Joshua 10:28-43 

That same day Joshua captured and destroyed the town of Makkedah. He killed everyone in it, including the king, leaving no survivors. He destroyed them all, and he killed the king of Makkedah as he had killed the king of Jericho. 29 Then Joshua and the Israelites went to Libnah and attacked it. 30 There, too, the LORD gave them the town and its king. He killed everyone in it, leaving no survivors. Then Joshua killed the king of Libnah as he had killed the king of Jericho. 31 From Libnah, Joshua and the Israelites went to Lachish and attacked it. 32 Here again, the LORD gave them Lachish. Joshua took it on the second day and killed everyone in it, just as he had done at Libnah. 33 During the attack on Lachish, King Horam of Gezer arrived with his army to help defend the town. But Joshua’s men killed him and his army, leaving no survivors.

34 Then Joshua and the Israelite army went on to Eglon and attacked it. 35 They captured it that day and killed everyone in it. He completely destroyed everyone, just as he had done at Lachish. 36 From Eglon, Joshua and the Israelite army went up to Hebron and attacked it. 37 They captured the town and killed everyone in it, including its king, leaving no survivors. They did the same thing to all of its surrounding villages. And just as he had done at Eglon, he completely destroyed the entire population. 38 Then Joshua and the Israelites turned back and attacked Debir. 39 He captured the town, its king, and all of its surrounding villages. He completely destroyed everyone in it, leaving no survivors. He did to Debir and its king just what he had done to Hebron and to Libnah and its king.

40 So Joshua conquered the whole region– the kings and people of the hill country, the Negev, the western foothills, and the mountain slopes. He completely destroyed everyone in the land, leaving no survivors, just as the LORD, the God of Israel, had commanded. 41 Joshua slaughtered them from Kadesh- barnea to Gaza and from the region around the town of Goshen up to Gibeon. 42 Joshua conquered all these kings and their land in a single campaign, for the LORD, the God of Israel, was fighting for his people. 43 Then Joshua and the Israelite army returned to their camp at Gilgal.

Background

This chapter summarizes the conquest of central and southern regions of Canaan over a two-year period. What stands out is the consistent manner in which God fought for Israel causing them to take out no less than 11 cities in a single campaign. Today’s devotion teaches us to fight one battle at a time while maintaining focus on the goals. In doing so, we keep ourselves from burning out and secure God’s favor in all our endeavors.

Observation

That same day Joshua captured and destroyed the town of Makkedah.

After defeating the five kings, Joshua proceeded to capture and destroy the town of Makkedah. Thereafter, he continued a series of battles taking the key cities: Libnah, Lachish, and Eglon (see figure below). The almost formulaic description of the enemy’s slaughter: There, too, the LORD gave them the town and its king… Here again, the LORD gave them Lachish depicts the constant company of the Lord in all of Joshua’s battles. Joshua and his men relentlessly pressed on into the heart of the southern region defeating the walled cities of Hebron and Debir.

So Joshua conquered the whole region.

The extent of Joshua’s military conquest from 1404 to 1402 BC is summarized in verses 40-42. The region of Negev, from Kadesh Barnea to Gaza is referred to as the central and southern regions of Canaan. A fitting description of Joshua’s phenomenal exploits can be given by this concluding statement: Joshua conquered all these kings and their land in a single campaign, for the LORD, the God of Israel, was fighting for his people. Having reached the intended southern limits of Israel’s territory, Joshua returned to Gilgal preparing to launch yet another attack towards the north.

Truth

In order to succeed, we must be focused and refuse all distractions until we reach the goal.

This principle can be illustrated by one cycling on an upward trail. He anticipates how long he has to keep going until he reaches the top. Then, he must shield himself from all mental distractions and keep on pedaling. Every cyclist understands the importance of maintaining momentum. If he slows down, he breaks momentum and stalls. And it will take a lot more effort to restart and regain momentum.

Joshua and his men kept the momentum of victory by capturing the whole of central and southern regions in one single campaign. By staying focused, Joshua kept the morale of the troops high throughout the two-year period beginning with the defeat of the five Amorite kings to the destruction of Debir in the south (Joshua 10). Thereafter, they returned to Gilgal and rested one year before launching another campaign towards the north of Canaan.

Highly effective believers maintain their momentum by staying focused on the tasks of the day while leaving the unsolvable problems to God. They keep their minds and bodies primed by a disciplined lifestyle through regular exercises, reading the Word and self-reflection. They keep themselves accountable to a group of like-minded people. In doing so, they keep their spiritual momentum in check. A highly effective person is not one who is hurried, burdened or distracted; there is around him an aura of righteousness, peace and joy of the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17). Whenever he takes on a task that presents unprecedented difficulty, he re-channels all his energy by sacrificing other things of less importance. He is continually restructuring and uncluttering his inner world while disentangling himself from things of little value.

Believers who stick to God’s instructions one day at a time will never burn out.

God’s instructions and battle plans were presented to Joshua one battle at a time. Within a two-year period, Israel conquered no less than 11 cities. Joshua on hindsight learned that by trusting God and obeying His commands, one would never find himself burning out. Regardless of the size or complexity of the tasks, we will always find the strength to carry on. What drains our strength and resolve is not the size of the task but the sin of unbelief. Unbelief as opposed to faith focuses on unsolved problems causing doubts to arise leading to fear and paralysis. But faith on the other hand, focuses on understanding the instructions of God and obey them. Faith dispels fear and releases the infinite power of the Spirit.

Most people have a tendency to assess their goals and the scale of the task by measuring them against the resources at hand. As a result, they become disheartened because their present resources cannot measure up. However, Jesus taught believers to live one day at a time while trusting God for the future. The grace of God is released day-size as opposed to month-size or year-size. Because our resource is only sufficient for the day, we should focus on living well today while trusting God for tomorrow.

Application

1. Are you reacting to the needs and demands of your circumstances? What seems critical usually have little bearing to your future success. However, God with His infinite wisdom is able to help you navigate through the endless web of tasks and responsibilities. He shows you how you can build the right foundation towards bearing fruit that endures. Start by asking God for the tasks that are important for the day and fulfill them. Do not trust in man’s instincts which are usually short-sighted. But trust in God who sees all things.
2. Do you feel tired and burned out? Start by realigning your priorities with God’s and obey Him in the mundane things of life. Our work life and family life should be built around God and His Word. Jesus started His ministry by seeking God’s voice in the wilderness through fasting. Start by disciplining yourself in reading the Word and in hearing His voice.

Dear Lord, I trust that you are actively guiding me even though I cannot be sure of my direction. Give me strength to fight one battle at a time. Give me faith to obey your instructions even though they may not make sense. Protect me from temptations that I cannot bear and lead me to my ultimate victory. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.