In the book of Joshua, we learned how Jehovah God said to the people of Israel, “you went over Jordan, and came unto Jericho: and the men of Jericho fought against you, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; and I delivered them into your hand”, and in chapter twenty-four and verse twelve of Joshua, Jehovah God said, “I sent the hornet before you”, where we read,
And I sent the hornet before you, which drove them out from before you, even the two kings of the Amorites; but not with your sword, nor with your bow.
The verse reads, “And I sent the hornet before you, which drove them out from before you, even the two kings of the Amorites;” Joshua or the writer began with the words, “and I sent the hornet before you” which means “and I, Jehovah God, dispatched and assigned the stinging wasp in front and in the presence of you, the people of Israel”, “which drove them out from before you” or “that them, the pagan nations in the promise land, from in front and in the presence of you, the people of Israel”, “even the two kings” which means “the two royal leaders and rulers” “of the Amorites” or “belonging to the Amorites whose name means ‘a sayer’ and was “one of the peoples of east Canaan and beyond the Jordan, dispossessed by the Israelite incursion from Egypt”. Joshua or the writer shared how Jehovah God said He dispatched stinging wasps in advance of the people of Israel, and that caused the destruction of the foes of Israel including two royal rulers belonging to the “Amorites”.
The verse continues, “but not with your sword, nor with your bow.” Joshua or the writer added the words, “but not with your sword” which means “however, notwithstanding, nonetheless and moreover no and not in any way accompanied by your, the people of Israel’s, sharpened weapon of war”, “nor with your bow” or “no and not in any way accompanied by your, the people of Israel’s archery bow”. Joshua or the writer shared how Jehovah God told the people of Israel that they did not destroy their foes with their weapons of war such as the “sword or bow”.
When we think through the words in this verse, we see how Jehovah God wanted the people of Israel to know He was the reason they were victorious over their enemies, and because He provided stinging wasps in advance of their encounters with their foes, the people of Israel conquered their lands. God provided for and protected the people of Israel, and He will do the same for us when we surrender our lives to 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 put our faith and trust in 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 give us the ability to live according to that truth while He wins our battles with His weapons of war. (See John 3:16; Romans 8:37)
Next time Joshua shares how Jehovah God says, “I have given you a land for which you did not labor”, 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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