In the book of Joshua, we learned how, “it came to pass, when Adonizedek king of Jerusalem had heard how Joshua had taken Ai, and had utterly destroyed it; as he had done to Jericho and her king, so he had done to Ai and her king; and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel, and were among them, that they feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, as one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all the men thereof were mighty”, and in chapter ten and verse three of the book of Joshua, we learn how, “Adonizedek king of Jerusalem sent” word to other kings, where we read,
Wherefore Adonizedek king of Jerusalem sent unto Hoham king of Hebron, and unto Piram king of Jarmuth, and unto Japhia king of Lachish, and unto Debir king of Eglon, saying,
The verse reads, “Wherefore Adonizedek king of Jerusalem sent unto Hoham king of Hebron, and unto Piram king of Jarmuth, …” Joshua or the writer began with the words, “wherefore Adonizedek” which means “therefore, then and on this account Adonizedek whose name means my lord is righteous and was a Canaanite king slain by Joshua” “king of Jerusalem” or “royal ruler and leader belonging to Jerusalem whose name means teaching of peace and is the chief city of Palestine and capital of the united kingdom and the nation of Judah after the split” “sent unto Hoham” which means “appealed to Hoham whose name means whom Jehovah impels” “king of Hebron” or “the royal ruler and leader of Hebron whose name means association and was a city in south Judah approximately twenty miles south of Jerusalem and approximately twenty miles (30 km) north of Beersheba and near where Abraham built an altar”, “and unto Piram” which means “and to Piram whose name means like a wild ass and was the Amorite king of Jarmuth at the time of the conquest” “king of Jarmuth” or “royal ruler and leader belonging to Jarmuth whose name means heights and was a Canaanitish city in the lowlands of Judah with a king and located between Hebron and Lachish”. Joshua or the writer shared how “Adonizedek” appealed to surrounding royal rulers among whom were “Hoham, Piram” and the following.
The verse goes on to say, “… and unto Japhia king of Lachish, and unto Debir king of Eglon, saying,” Joshua or the writer continued with the words, “and unto Japhia” which means “and to Japhia whose name means shining and was a town on the border of Zebulun and Issachar perhaps modern Yafa” “king of Lachish” or “royal ruler and leader of Lachish whose name means invincible and was a city lying south of Jerusalem on the borders of Simeon and which belonged to the Amorites until conquered by Joshua and allotted to Judah”, “and unto Debir” which means “and to Debir whose name means sanctuary and was the king of Eglon” “king of Eglon” or “royal ruler and leader belonging to Eglon whose name means calf-like and was a royal city in Canaan that opposed the conquest; located in the low lands of Judah”. Joshua or the writer shared how “Adonizedek” also appealed to “Japhia and Debir” who were royal rulers in Canaan.
When we meditate upon the words in this verse, we discover how “Adonizedek” made an appeal to four other royal rulers in the land of Canaan. His idea must have been that a greater number of opponents to Israel would defeat them, however, we shall see how He underestimated the power of Jehovah God who was with Israel. God loves the people of Israel, and He loves us as well. When God sent His Son Jesus into the world to die on the cross for the sins of all mankind and raised Him from the dead after three days, He made the way through faith and trust in Him to be forgiven of our sins, granted everlasting life and equipped with His Holy Spirit who will guide us into all truth and protect and provide for us regardless of how many rise up in opposition to us. (See John 16:13; 1 John 4:4)
Next time we learn how, Adonizedek told the four kings, “Come up unto me, and help me”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".
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