Rolling Great Stones Upon the Cave - Joshua 10:18

In the book of Joshua, we learned about Israel fighting the five kings of the Amorites and their armies, and “it was told Joshua, saying, The five kings are found hid in a cave at Makkedah”, and in chapter ten and verse eighteen of the book of Joshua, we learn how, “Joshua said, Roll great stones upon the mouth of the cave” where we read, 

And Joshua said, Roll great stones upon the mouth of the cave, 

and set men by it for to keep them:

The verse reads, “And Joshua said, Roll great stones upon the mouth of the cave, …” Joshua or the writer began with the words, “and Joshua said” which means “and Joshua whose name means Jehovah is salvation uttered, declared and proclaimed”, “Roll great stones” or “thrust in a rolling manner massive rocks” “upon the mouth of the cave” or “on the opening belonging to the hole or den”. Joshua instructed his men to “roll” massive rocks on the “opening” to the “cave” where the five kings of the Amorites were hiding.

 

The verse continues, “… and set men by it for to keep them:” Joshua or the writer added the words, “and set men by it” which means “and put, position and establish male human beings beside it, the cave” “for to keep them” or “for the purpose of guarding, watching over and keeping surveillance upon them, the five kings”. Joshua instructed his men to establish guards outside of the cave to surveil and watch over the kings. 

When we meditate upon the words in this verse, we discover how “Joshua” was not going to allow the “five kings of the Amorites” escape the cave in which they were hiding. He instructed his men to “roll” huge rocks over the opening of the “cave” and afterward to establish guards to watch over it. We can only imagine the thoughts of these “five kings” while this happened, but escaping the power of Almighty God was a mute venture at this point. God was aware of all these things, and He gave Joshua and those with Him the wisdom to correctly manage them. God knows us as well, and because we have sin in our lives that leads to death, He sent His Son Jesus into the world to die on the cross for the sins of all mankind and to be raised from the dead after three days. (See Romans 3:23; 6:23; John 3:16-18) When we put our faith and trust in Him as our “Savior and Lord”, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and provide us with His Holy Spirit who will guide us into all truth and help us to be aware of His wise ways to manage our lives in keeping with His purpose and will. (See John 16:13; Psalm 23)

Next time we learn how Joshua says to the armies of Israel, “stay you not, but pursue after your enemies, and smite the hindmost of 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".