DCLM Daily Manna 9 January 2023
KEY VERSE: “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” (Joshua 10:10).
TEXT: Joshua 10:1-11
1 Now it came to pass, when Adonizedec 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 Adonizedec 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.
Read yesterday’s Daily Manna here
The modern state of Israel was born on May 14, 1948. Before the celebration of their statehood ended, five mechanised Arab armies invaded it. The Jews had only 35,000 fighting men, no air force (except a small training plane out of which the pilot dropped a grenade), and only six tanks. The Egyptian army alone had 40,000 soldiers, 135 tanks, heavy guns and an air force of over 60 planes, including Spitfires and bombers. The Jordanians had the Arab Legion, which were trained by the British. Yet, against all odds, the Jewish fighters won. Many of Israel’s battles were fierce and would have been lost but for divine intervention.
Today’s text is an intriguing narrative of how the four confederate nations and their kings, led by Adonizedek, king of Jerusalem, were defeated. Israel enlisted support from the Lord, the God of battles. Earlier, Adonizedek had led a punitive mission against the city of Gibeon for making peace with Israel. These Amorite kings wanted the destruction of Gibeon to serve as deterrence to other Amorite cities planning to make peace with Israel. They thought they would be stronger together as a force united against a common enemy; but the Lord fought for Israel and crushed them. More people were killed through hailstones than by the sword. One unmistakable fact in this passage is that God was fighting for Israel. His supernatural and wonderful presence with them determined the outcome of the battle.
Battles and troubles are unavoidable experiences in life. God has promised to fight our battles if only we can hand them over to Him and stop worrying. Joshua would have been paralysed by fear considering the sheer number of enemies which confronted him. But he trusted in God and was not disappointed.
When all else fails and our efforts and resources prove too few and feeble, we should hand over our battles to God and watch Him defend us.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: When God fights your battles, you can never be a loser.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Genesis 26–28
Thank you for studying today’s Daily Manna – The Lord Fights Our Battles – by Pastor W.F Kumuyi
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Daily Manna 9 January 2023
