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 Joshua told his men to bring the kings to him, and “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 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”, and in chapter ten and verse twenty-six of the book of Joshua, we learn how, “afterward Joshua smote them, and slew them” where we read,
And afterward Joshua smote them, and slew them, and hanged them on five trees:
and they were hanging upon the trees until the evening.
The verse reads, “And afterward Joshua smote them, and slew them, and hanged them on five trees:” Joshua or the writer began with the words, “and afterward” which means “and following Joshua’s instructions and encouragement to the army of Israel” “Joshua smote them” or “Joshua whose name means Jehovah is salvation hit, beat and killed them, the five kings of the Amorites”, “and slew them” which means “and executed and put them, the five kings of the Amorites, to death”, “and hanged them” or “and suspended them, the five kings of the Amorites” “on five trees” which means “upon five timbers, stocks, pieces of wood and gallows”. Joshua or the writer shared how “Joshua” beat, killed and executed the “five kings of the Amorites”, and he suspended those “five kings” on wooden gallows.
The verse continues, “and they were hanging upon the trees until the evening.” Joshua or the writer added the words, “and they were hanging” which means “and they, the five kings, existed as suspended” “upon the trees” or “on the timbers, stocks, pieces of wood and gallows” “until the evening” which means “till the time of the sunset, dusk or eventide”. Joshua or the writer shared how the “five kings of the Amorites” were suspended upon the “trees” or gallows until the sunset or dusk.
When we think through the words in this verse, we see how “Joshua” not only executed and killed the “five kings of the Amorites”, but He made a public display of them as he had them “hung” upon trees or gallows. Joshua followed a law of Moses, “and if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be to be put to death, and you hang him on a tree: His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but you shall in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God;) that your land be not defiled, which the LORD your God gives you for an inheritance” (See Deuteronomy 21:22-23), and these “five kings” had not only violated the commands of God, but also opposed His people Israel. God does not want it to be this way for anyone, and because He loves everyone, He sent His Son Jesus into the world to be crucified on the cross for the sins of all mankind. When He raised Him from the dead after three days, He made the way through faith and trust in Him as our “Savior and Lord” to be forgiven of our sins, granted everlasting life and equipped with His Holy Spirit who will guide us into all truth and give us the ability to follow His directives regardless of how private or public they may be.
Next time we learn how, “Joshua commanded, and they took them down off the trees”, 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".
I have always been convinced that Joshua wrote Joshua. It has the ring of a man of war and certainly he gained an extraordinary education at the hands of Moses. Even Moses Egyptian Mother, Bithia, I suspect, shared much knowledge. Maybe a scribe helped him, but I see no evidence that he is not the author.
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