In the book of Joshua, we learned about Israel fighting the five kings of the Amorites who fled from the army of Israel and hid in a cave, and “Then said Joshua, Open the mouth of the cave, and bring out those five kings unto me out of the cave. And they did so, and brought forth those five kings unto him out of the cave, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon. And it came to pass, when they brought out those kings unto Joshua, that Joshua called for all the men of Israel, and said unto the captains of the men of war which went with him, Come near, put your feet upon the necks of these kings. And they came near, and put their feet upon the necks of them”, and in chapter ten and verse twenty-five of the book of Joshua, we learn how Joshua said, “Fear not, nor be dismayed, be strong and of good courage” where we read,
And Joshua said unto them, Fear not, nor be dismayed, be strong and of good courage:
for thus shall the LORD do to all your enemies against whom you fight.
The verse reads, “And Joshua said unto them, Fear not, nor be dismayed, be strong and of good courage:” Joshua or the writer began with the words, “and Joshua” whose name means “Jehovah is salvation” “said unto them” or “uttered, declared and proclaimed to them, the leaders of the people of Israel”, “fear not” which means “do not be afraid”, “nor be dismayed” or “neither and in no way exist as shattered, broken, abolished and confounded”, “be strong” which means “exists as hardened, prevailing, courageous, firm and resolute” “and of good courage” or “and possessing strong, bold, stout, solid, hard and firm steadfastness of mind”. Joshua instructed his leaders not to be afraid nor confounded, but rather be courageous and of a steadfast mind.
The verse goes on to say, “for thus shall the LORD do to all your enemies against whom you fight.” Joshua or the writer continued with the words, “for thus shall the LORD” which means “because, since and on account that the following will Jehovah who is the existing One and the proper name for the One True God” “do to all your enemies” or “fashion, accomplish, work, make and produce toward each, every, the whole and everyone of your, the leaders of Israel’s, hating foes and adversaries” “whom you fight” which means “that you, the leaders of the army of Israel, fight, battle and war against”. Joshua said Jehovah God would perform the same acts upon every one of the hating foes and adversaries of Israel.
When we meditate upon the words in this verse, we see how “Joshua” instructed the leaders of the Israeli army not to be afraid nor confounded, and they were to be courageous and steadfast minded because Jehovah God was going to perform the same defeat upon their hating foes as He did these “kings”. God was ruling over the people of Israel, and when people fought against them, they fought against Him. God wants this type of personal relationship with everyone through His Son Jesus who died on the cross for the sins of all mankind and was raised from the dead after three days. When we yield to Him as our “Savior and Lord”, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and put His Holy Spirit within us to guide us into all truth and help us to understand that He is able to conquer every enemy and foe we encounter according to His perfect plan and will.
Next time we learn, “afterward Joshua smote them, and slew them”, 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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