DCLM Daily Manna 2023: DCLM Daily Manna 23 July 2024: Dealing With Conflicts
Text: Joshua 10:1-14 (KJV)
1 Now it came to pass, when Adonizedek king of Jerusalem had heard how Joshua had taken Ai, and had utterly destroyed it; as he had done to Jericho and her king, so he had done to Ai and her king; and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel, and were among them;
2 That they feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, as one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all the men thereof were mighty.
3 Wherefore Adonizedek king of Jerusalem sent unto Hoham king of Hebron, and unto Piram king of Jarmuth, and unto Japhia king of Lachish, and unto Debir king of Eglon, saying,
4 Come up unto me, and help me, that we may smite Gibeon: for it hath made peace with Joshua and with the children of Israel.
5 Therefore the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, the king of Eglon, gathered themselves together, and went up, they and all their hosts, and encamped before Gibeon, and made war against it.
6 And the men of Gibeon sent unto Joshua to the camp to Gilgal, saying, Slack not thy hand from thy servants; come up to us quickly, and save us, and help us: for all the kings of the Amorites that dwell in the mountains are gathered together against us.
7 So Joshua ascended from Gilgal, he, and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valour.
8 And the LORD said unto Joshua, Fear them not: for I have delivered them into thine hand; there shall not a man of them stand before thee.
9 Joshua therefore came unto them suddenly, and went up from Gilgal all night.
10 And the LORD discomfited them before Israel, and slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, and chased them along the way that goeth up to Bethhoron, and smote them to Azekah, and unto Makkedah.
11 And it came to pass, as they fled from before Israel, and were in the going down to Bethhoron, that the LORD cast down great stones from heaven upon them unto Azekah, and they died: they were more which died with hailstones than they whom the children of Israel slew with the sword.
12 Then spake Joshua 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 thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon.
13 And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day.
14 And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the LORD hearkened unto the voice of a man: for the LORD fought for Israel.
KEY VERSE: Joshua 10:4
“Come up unto me, and help me, that we may smite Gibeon: for it hath made peace with Joshua and with the children of Israel.”
Wars in any part of the world, especially in developing countries, usually incur heavy human, economic and social costs. Peacekeeping has proven to be one of the most effective tools available to the United Nations (UN) to assist countries in navigating the difficult path from conflict to peace.
The Gibeonites made peace with Israel and established alliance with them in the text. Therefore, their battles became Israel’s battles through this alliance, even though the Gibeonites obtained this accord by deception. The five Kings of the Amorites teamed up to fight against Gibeon as a deterrent to other Amorite nations who may be thinking in the same direction. The Gibeonites appealed to Joshua to come to their aid. Joshua led an army into the battle and crushed the confederates in a long-drawn war. When it was turning late in the day and the war had not ended, Joshua commanded the sun and the moon to stand still until the victory was fully secured. God granted his decree by miraculously suspending time.
We need to keep in mind that wars and conflicts are caused by unresolved issues among dominant and aggressive neighbours. These conflicts develop as little interpersonal, relational, domestic or business issues snowball into largescale conflicts. There is wisdom in the saying that the costliest peace is cheaper than the cheapest war. That is why conflicts and disagreements should be resolved before they grow and metamorphose into big issues.
We must strive to keep peace and avoid conflicts at all costs. Conflicting issues and interests are bound to arise within the church and the family because we are humans but we must always find ways to resolve these as recommended in the Scriptures.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
Unresolved conflicts destroy fellowships and relationships.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Exodus 23-25
Thank you for studying today’s Daily Manna – Dealing With Conflicts – by Pastor W.F Kumuyi
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Daily Manna 23 July 2024
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