Day 16: Joshua 11:1-15
Joshua attacks the northern kings.
The northern kings had heard about Israel’s successes and came against Joshua and his army with everything they had including horses and chariots. They seemed to have a great advantage over Joshua and he was out numbered.
Face the challenge (verses 1-5)
Like Joshua we can often face challenges that may seem difficult to overcome, with every step in our Christian walk challenges may increase. You might feel that you are outnumbered and don’t know where to turn. However, if we honour God we can be victorious regardless of the odds.
Do not be afraid (verse 6)
Joshua must have felt fear, he was outnumbered and the task seemed impossible, but the Lord encouraged him and said
Do not be afraid of them, because this time tomorrow I will hand all of them over to Israel.
Joshua needed a fresh confirmation of God’s promise in his life and the Lord was faithful to bring it. If you are afraid or are facing challenges that frighten you remember that God has a reason and a plan for everything He does. Put your trust in Him and turn to Him for a fresh confirmation of God’s promise in your life.
Follow God’s instructions (verses 7-9)
Joshua attacked the northern armies and fought them with boldness, strategy and obedience to God. He carefully obeyed all the instructions God had given him. Joshua did as the Lord directed and hamstrung their horses and burnt their chariots. God did not want the Israelite army to upgrade their military capacity as they might then become confident in their own strength. Psalm 20 verse 7 states ‘some trust in chariots and some in horses but we trust in the name of the Lord our God’.
We can’t always control everything in our lives However we do control what we do and what choices we make. God has provided us with an instruction manual the Bible that we can either choose to ignore or follow. Whatever challenges we face God wants us to fight the battle on a different level with complete trust and obedience to Him.
Complete the work – time to step up (verses 10-15)
Joshua stepped up and faced the impossible challenge and fear head on, full of confidence and faith following God’s instructions, finishing the task at hand completely defeating the northern kings until none of them remained. Vere 15 states ‘as the Lord commended his servant Moses, so Moses commended Joshua and Joshua did it, he left nothing undone of all that the Lord commanded Moses’.
As we move into a new season let’s be like Joshua, let’s step up and face our challenges head on, with boldness, fearlessness, strategy and obedience to God and complete the work.
Caroline Larmour
Connect Group Leader