In the book of Joshua, we learned how, “Joshua ascended from Gilgal, he, and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valor. And the LORD said unto Joshua, Fear them not: for I have delivered them into your hand; there shall not a man of them stand before you. Joshua therefore came unto them suddenly, and went up from Gilgal all night”, and in chapter ten and verse ten of the book of Joshua, we learn how “the LORD discomforted them” where we read,
And the LORD discomfited them before Israel, and slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, and chased them along the way that goes up to Bethhoron, and smote them to Azekah, and unto Makkedah.
The verse reads, “And the LORD discomfited them before Israel, and slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, …” Joshua or the writer began with the words, “and the LORD” which means “and Jehovah who is the existing One and the proper name for the One True God” “discomforted them” or “broke, consumed, crushed and destroyed them, the five kings of the Amorites and their armies” “before Israel” which means “in front and in the presence of Israel whose name means God prevails and is the name of the descendants and the nation of the descendants of Jacob”, “and slew them” or “and hit, beat and killed them, the five kings of the Amorites and their armies” “with a great slaughter” which means “by the use of a large, massive and intensive blow, wounding and scourging” “at Gibeon” or “at the location of Gibeon whose name means hill city and was a Levitical city of Benjamin, modern 'el-Jib', which lies five miles or eight km from Jerusalem”. Joshua or the writer shared how Jehovah God destroyed the five kings of the Amorites and their armies in the presence of “Israel”, and He beat and killed them with a massive and intense scourging in the location of “Gibeon”.
The verse continues, “… and chased them along the way that goes up to Bethhoron, and smote them to Azekah, and unto Makkedah.” Joshua or the writer added the words, “and chased them” which means “pursued, put to flight and ran after them, the five kings of the Amorites and their armies” “along the way” or “upon the road, journey, pathway and direction” “that goes up to Bethhoron” which means “that ascends to Bethhoron or Beth-Choron whose name means house of hollowness and was the name of two adjoining places in Palestine”, “and smote them” or “and hit, beat, slayed and killed them, the five kings of the Amorites and their armies” “to Azekah” whose name means “dug over and was a town in the lowlands of Judah”, “and unto Makkedah” or “and to Makkedah whose name means place of shepherds and was the location of a cave in Judah where Joshua captured and executed five Canaanite kings during the conquest; located near Bethhoron and Libnah”. Joshua or the writer shared how Jehovah God acting through the armies of Israel pursued the five kings of the Amorites and their armies from “Gibeon” to “Bethhoron, Azekah and Makkedah”.
When we think through the words in this verse, we discover how Jehovah God not only defeated the five kings of the Amorites and their armies in “Gibeon”, but also acting through the armies of Israel He chased them throughout the territory and land. There was no escape for these pagan royal rulers, and when God was their adversary, they were to be defeated. God knows we need a “Savior and Lord” because we have sin in our lives that leads to eternal death and separation from Him. For this reason He sent His Son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins and to be raised Him from the dead after three days. When we yield our lives to Him, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and provide us with His Holy Spirit who will guide us into all truth and empower us to live in victory over our enemies even as He was victorious over these pagan kings.
Next time we learn how the five Kings of the Amorites and their armies “fled from before Israel”, 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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