TIME IS ON YOUR SIDE WHEN GOD IS ON YOUR SIDE PT 2

TIME IS ON YOUR SIDE BECAUSE GOD IS ON YOUR SIDE- PART 2

In the last blog we were talking about how the people of Gibeon in Joshua 9 had decided to enter into a covenant with Israel rather than fight against them as the other surrounding people were.  This angered the other kings who came against Gibeon in a unified front in Joshua 10.

Joshua 10:5 Therefore the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon, gathered together and went up, they and all their armies, and camped before Gibeon and made war against it.

Gibeon called for Joshua to come on the scene because they were in covenant relationship.  When you're in covenant, you are no longer an enemy of God and you are promised rights of protection. 

TIME

It seemed like an eternity!

Joshua responded and was on the way to help but to Gibeon it may have felt like an eternity. They were already surrounded and Joshua was an entire night away.

Sometimes we feel surrounded- as if God is a million miles away!  It's at times like that he says, "Do not fear or be discouraged. I will not leave you or forsake you."

THE LORD COMES ON THE SCENE

Time is on your side because God is on your side!

If you are a Christian, you are in covenant with Jesus, Yeshua, Joshua, the savior of the world.  He will come on the scene for you when you call upon him, believe and confess his Word!  Those Gibeonites said, "Save us," because they understood they were in covenant!

Did Joshua sit back and ignore these new friends?  No he didn't.  He ascended- he went to them- he helped them!

Now the bible says Joshua had to come from where he was to fight for Gibeon!

It took Joshua all night to get there!

9 Joshua therefore came upon them suddenly, having marched all night from Gilgal. 

Sometimes it seems in our darkest  hour, that God is a million miles away!

Time is on your side because God is on your side!

Josh 10
7 So Joshua ascended from Gilgal, he and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valor. 8 And the LORD said to Joshua, “Do not fear them, for I have delivered them into your hand; not a man of them shall stand before you.”

So Joshua stepped out honoring the covenant and then, after he ascended, the Lord spoke!

Isn't it amazing when the Lord speaks?  There's nothing like getting a Word from God in response to a battle you are in!  God said, "Don't fear!  I have delivered them into your hand!"

That's amazing!  Before the battle was fought, God said, "I have delivered them!"  God truly does the end from the beginning and calls things that are not as though they are!  The battle was won before it was fought!

Time is on your side because the battle is already won!

In the same way, when we call upon God he says, "I have delivered them into your hand!"

GOD FIGHTS FOR YOU

When God comes on the scene, you can fight but really it gets easy from there.  This says more died from hailstones from heaven than from the sword of man.  God really did take care of things for Israel.

Joshua 10:11 And it happened, as they fled before Israel and were on the descent of Beth Horon, that the LORD cast down large hailstones from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died. There were more who died from the hailstones than the children of Israel killed with the sword. 

Time is on your side because God is on your side!

With the Lord on our side, who can stand against us?  That reminds me of a song:

The enemies fled and descended!  It's interesting the bible puts it that way. 

Joshua ascended but the enemy descended!  Sure the reason is because Gibeon was on a hill but surely there's some prophetic symbolism there.

Ascend means to go up, spring up, meet and to be superior!  Jesus is superior and he springs up to meet us.  He ascends to give us victory and in fact has already ascended and won every victory in advance on our behalf.  Just as God said here, "I have delivered them into your hand," so our enemies have already been defeated!  Look at a few scriptures about the ascension of Jesus:

We are free because he ascended!

Ephesians 4:8
Therefore He says: “ When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men.”

Because he ascended he is able to fill all things. Because he ascended the Holy Spirit was poured out and now abides inside of us filling us with the glory of God, something they did not have in Joshua's day.  My how fortunate we are to have been born into this day and hour.

He ascended, set us free, delivered us from all bondage and now fills us and gives us gifts that are all we will ever need in this life! Hallelujah!

Ephesians 4:10
He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)

Joshua is a type of Jesus.  When you're in covenant with God, no matter what your past, he will jump up from where he's at to meet you where you are and right where the trouble is!  He's a covenant keeping God!  He has already won the victory.  He has ascended, and is seated at the right hand of God as the victor!  He has poured out his Spirit who now lives inside of us.  He has made us more than conquerors!

SPEAK OUT IN FAITH

Look what else happened!  God had said not to be afraid. 

He had spoken to Moses and said not to be afraid.

He had promised to never leave them or forsake them.

He had told Joshua to have great courage and here Joshua had great courage and spoke out in faith!

Joshua 10:12 Then Joshua spoke to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel: 

“Sun, stand still over Gibeon; and Moon, in the Valley of Aijalon.”

13 So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the people had revenge upon their enemies.

Is this not written in the Book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and did not hasten to godown for about a whole day. 14 And there has been no day like that, before it or after it, that the LORD heeded the voice of a man; for the LORD fought for Israel.
15 Then Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to the camp at Gilgal.

TIME IS ON YOUR SIDE

You know, sometimes it seems time is passing by and the battle still hasn't been won but God is a redeemer of time.  Here God even heeded the voice of Joshua and caused time to stand still ensuring the complete victory.  God is a redeemer and it's never too late and the battle's never too intense for God!

If you feel time is passing you by, take courage and speak to the time and say, "Stand still!"  Remind God that he is a redeemer of time and be assured that he is a redeemer of time.

God will go to whatever length is necessary to help you.  He will not forsake you.  He will spring up and come to you at your point of need.  He already has defeated the devil who is your true enemy. 

For you, my friend, God will even make time stand still! Amen!

Covenant- Strangers But Accepted

COVENANT- STRANGERS BUT ACCEPTED

In Joshua 9, the Gibeonites came to Joshua's camp as enemies of God. They were not God's people yet they were requesting covenant.  They recognized and had heard that THIS GOD, the God of the Israelites was a victorious God, a God that drove out enemies and a God that protected his people. Rather than fight this God, they wanted to join this God!

Joshua 9: 3- But when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai, 4 they worked craftily, and went and pretended to be ambassadors. And they took old sacks on their donkeys, old wineskins torn and mended, 5 old and patched sandals on their feet, and old garments on themselves; and all the bread of their provision was dry and moldy. 6 And they went to Joshua, to the camp at Gilgal, and said to him and to the men of Israel, “We have come from a far country; now therefore, make a covenant with us.” 

God will never turn anyone away that comes to him truly desiring to enter into covenant with him!

They came in as liars and deceivers to the Israelite camps.  The Israelites were blinded to who they were.  They came in wearing old shoes and carrying old wineskins and wearing old clothes.

Just as the Gibeonites came with the old, but were given new, and were accepted into the Israelite camp, in that same way we have been grafted into the covenant promises of the nation of Israel.

                       

Ephesians 2:11Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; 12That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: 13But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

Although coming to him as sinners, apart and separate from the covenants of God, we are accepted into covenant as we are!  We are made new!

It was later uncovered who they were just as we are continually sanctified and who we are is exposed.  God still protects us even as we are.  We are still in covenant even as we are.  It is in covenant relationship begins as we are grafted into the tree of Israel and given the same covenant rights!  It is then he begins to change us as we walk in a new relationship!

Joshua said, "Let them live!"   In that same way, Jesus says to us, "Let them live as we are given new life with new and better promises than the life that was the source of our old wineskins and our old clothing. 

• They were destined for death but this covenant gave them life!
• They came in with old wineskins from their past but were given a new life within covenant!
• They chose to be reconciled to the God of Israel than live a life of defeat!  Wow!

2 Corinthians 5:17-17  17Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

 18And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;

 19To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

They were cast into the mercies of God, throwing themselves upon his mercy rather than remaining enemies. 

Josh 9:25 And now, behold, we are in thine hand: as it seemeth good and right unto thee to do unto us, do. 26- And so did he unto them, and delivered them out of the hand of the children of Israel, that they slew them not.

Although they came in as deceivers and liars, they were accepted as servants in the house of God!

Josh 9:22 And Joshua called for them, and he spake unto them, saying, Wherefore have ye beguiled us, saying, We [are] very far from you; when ye dwell among us?  23-  Now therefore ye [are] cursed, and there shall none of you be freed from being bondmen, and hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God.  24- And they answered Joshua, and said, Because it was certainly told thy servants, how that the LORD thy God commanded his servant Moses to give you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you, therefore we were sore afraid of our lives because of you, and have done this thing. 25- And now, behold, we are in thine hand: as it seemeth good and right unto thee to do unto us, do. 26- And so did he unto them, and delivered them out of the hand of the children of Israel, that they slew them not. 27- And Joshua made them that day hewers of wood and drawers of water for the congregation, and for the altar of the LORD, even unto this day, in the place which he should choose.

Even though they were servants it's better to be a servant of God than an enemy of God!

Psalm 84:10
For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.

• Even in light of all of this we can see that these people were given covenant.
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  • Even in light of all of this we can see that these people were given covenant.
  • Even today the nation of Israel is dealing with people that remained in the promised land during those years.
  • Many have their roots in these very people that were given covenant.
  • Israel is not to treat them unkind but is to be good to them and protect them- and that's what we see in Israel even today.
  • God will still honor his word so long as they don't come against Israel- in fact any nation coming into covenant to protect Israel will be afforded the same protection as they are.
  • In the same way, God now protects us as the apple of his eye!  We have eternal life and he has assigned angels to watch over us! We have absolutely nothing to fear!
  
  
  BLINDED TO THE TRUTH
  
  
  Historically Israel was blinded to the fact that God reached out to the gentiles and gentiles were grafted into the tree of Israel.
  
  
  • The gentiles that have accepted Christ have been afforded a new covenant, better than the old we came to him with.
  • We have the same protection as Israel.  We have the same God!
  • It didn't matter how they came- it mattered what they be-came! 
  
  
  WE HAVE BECOME FRIENDS
  
  
  We still must remember this is an old testament story that just gives a shadow of what was to come.  They became servants but we have become friends.  Thank God that he accepted us as we were even though we were unworthy and made us friends!  Amen!
  
  
  John 15:15
  Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.
  
  
  
  
  • Today I'm thankful that God accepted me with all of the deception of my past.
  • I'm thankful to be his servant and even more thankful to be made friend.
  • I'm thankful for his continual work of sanctification that exposes who I am but changes me to be more like him.
  • I'm thankful for his eternal protection and destiny in my life.