Joshua 15:13 says, And unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh he gave a part among the children of Judah, according to the commandment of the LORD to Joshua, even the city of Arba the father of Anak, which city is Hebron.  Caleb was given a part of the land of Judah, according to the commandment of God.  This was not something that Caleb demanded as being due to him, but it was something given by God to him.  Even though Caleb had always put his faith in God, he could not demand specific blessings, and I don't believe that we can today either.  Verse fourteen states, And Caleb drove thence the three sons of Anak, Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai, the children of Anak.  Caleb drove out those in the land.  He had requested the mountain to conquer and by the power of God he did so.  As stated already, he was not just looking for a gift of the land, but a place to conquer.  We need to be just as ready to conquer the enemies of God today and not just to be content to sit back awaiting our heavenly home.  Verse fifteen says,  And he went up thence to the inhabitants of Debir: and the name of Debir before was Kirjathsepher.  Then verse sixteen adds,  And Caleb said, He that smiteth Kirjathsepher, and taketh it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter to wife.  Caleb said he would give his daughter as a wife ti the one who conquered Kirjathsepher.  I believe he did this to ensure that his daughter would have a husband who was not afraid to fight for her.  We should always want what is best for our daughters when they marry.  I believe that by defeating this enemy, the person would also be showing that they put their faith in God, since when the people of Israel went under their own power they failed.  Verse seventeen declares, And Othniel the son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, took it: and he gave him Achsah his daughter to wife.  Caleb's nephew took the city and was given Achsah, Caleb's daughter, as his wife.  Marriage of first cousins was not uncommon in that day, though it may be illegal in some places today.  Verse eighteen adds, And it came to pass, as she came unto him, that she moved him to ask of her father a field: and she lighted off her ass; and Caleb said unto her, What wouldest thou?  Achsah wanted her husband to ask Caleb for a particular field as well.  When she came to Caleb, he asked her what she wanted.  I don't believe that it was greed that led her to do this, but simply a desire to have what would benefit her husband and her.  She did not demand, but asked.  Expecting more is not necessarily wrong of those who are followers of Christ today, but demanding more is.  Verse nineteen declares, Who answered, Give me a blessing; for thou hast given me a south land; give me also springs of water. And he gave her the upper springs, and the nether springs.  Achsah asked Caleb to give her springs of water as well as the land he had given her, and he did so.  Water was needed to make the land productive.  We today are given a heavenly home as Christians, but we need the Living Water of Christ in our lives if we are to be productive.  Verse twenty says, This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Judah according to their families.  The next several verses simply repeat the description of the land of Judah.  Verse twenty-one states,  And the uttermost cities of the tribe of the children of Judah toward the coast of Edom southward were Kabzeel, and Eder, and Jagur,  Verse twenty-two says, And Kinah, and Dimonah, and Adadah,  Verse twenty-three states, And Kedesh, and Hazor, and Ithnan,  Verse twenty-four says, Ziph, and Telem, and Bealoth,  Verse twenty-five says,  And Hazor, Hadattah, and Kerioth, and Hezron, which is Hazor,  Verse twenty-six states, Amam, and Shema, and Moladah,  Verse twenty-seven  says, And Hazargaddah, and Heshmon, and Bethpalet,  Verse twenty-eight says, And Hazarshual, and Beersheba, and Bizjothjah,  Verse twenty-nine states, Baalah, and Iim, and Azem,  Verse thirty adds, And Eltolad, and Chesil, and Hormah,  Verse thirty-one says, And Ziklag, and Madmannah, and Sansannah,  Verse thirty-two states, And Lebaoth, and Shilhim, and Ain, and Rimmon: all the cities are twenty and nine, with their villages:  Verse thirty-three adds, And in the valley, Eshtaol, and Zoreah, and Ashnah,  Verse thirty-four says, And Zanoah, and Engannim, Tappuah, and Enam,  Verse thirty-five adds, Jarmuth, and Adullam, Socoh, and Azekah,  Verse thirty-six,  And Sharaim, and Adithaim, and Gederah, and Gederothaim; fourteen cities with their villages:  Verse thirty-seven, Zenan, and Hadashah, and Migdalgad,  Verse thirty-eight, And Dilean, and Mizpeh, and Joktheel,  Verse thirty-nine, Lachish, and Bozkath, and Eglon,  Verse forty, And Cabbon, and Lahmam, and Kithlish,  Verse forty-one, And Gederoth, Bethdagon, and Naamah, and Makkedah; sixteen cities with their villages:  Verse forty-two, Libnah, and Ether, and Ashan,  Verse forty-three, And Jiphtah, and Ashnah, and Nezib,  Verse forty-four, And Keilah, and Achzib, and Mareshah; nine cities with their villages:  Verse forty-five, Ekron, with her towns and her villages:  Verse forty-six, From Ekron even unto the sea, all that lay near Ashdod, with their villages:  Verse forty-seven says, Ashdod with her towns and her villages, Gaza with her towns and her villages, unto the river of Egypt, and the great sea, and the border thereof:  Verse forty-eight adds, And in the mountains, Shamir, and Jattir, and Socoh,  Verse forty-nine states, And Dannah, and Kirjathsannah, which is Debir,  Verse fifty, And Anab, and Eshtemoh, and Anim,  Verse fifty-one, And Goshen, and Holon, and Giloh; eleven cities with their villages:  Verse fifty-two, Arab, and Dumah, and Eshean,  Verse fifty-three, And Janum, and Bethtappuah, and Aphekah,  Verse fifty-four, And Humtah, and Kirjatharba, which is Hebron, and Zior; nine cities with their villages:  Verse fifty-five,  Maon, Carmel, and Ziph, and Juttah,  Verse fifty-six, And Jezreel, and Jokdeam, and Zanoah,  Verse fifty-seven, Cain, Gibeah, and Timnah; ten cities with their villages:  Verse fifty-eight, Halhul, Bethzur, and Gedor,  Verse fifty-nine, And Maarath, and Bethanoth, and Eltekon; six cities with their villages:  Verse sixty says, Kirjathbaal, which is Kirjathjearim, and Rabbah; two cities with their villages:  Verse sixty-one states, In the wilderness, Betharabah, Middin, and Secacah,  Verse sixty-two adds, And Nibshan, and the city of Salt, and Engedi; six cities with their villages.  Verse sixty-three then declares, As for the Jebusites the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the children of Judah could not drive them out: but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Judah at Jerusalem unto this day.  We are not told why the people of Israel could not drive out the Jebusites, only that they couldn't.  I can say that we may not always be able to totally drive the enemies of God out of the world today, and they will be with us until the return of Christ.

Joshua 15:1 says, This then was the lot of the tribe of the children of Judah by their families; even to the border of Edom the wilderness of Zin southward was the uttermost part of the south coast.  The next few verses simply give the boundaries of the land of the tribe of Judah  Verse two states, And their south border was from the shore of the salt sea, from the bay that looketh southward:  Verse three says, And it went out to the south side to Maalehacrabbim, and passed along to Zin, and ascended up on the south side unto Kadeshbarnea, and passed along to Hezron, and went up to Adar, and fetched a compass to Karkaa:  Verse four states, From thence it passed toward Azmon, and went out unto the river of Egypt; and the goings out of that coast were at the sea: this shall be your south coast.  Verse five says, And the east border was the salt sea, even unto the end of Jordan. And their border in the north quarter was from the bay of the sea at the uttermost part of Jordan:  Verse six states, And the border went up to Bethhogla, and passed along by the north of Betharabah; and the border went up to the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben:  Verse seven says, And the border went up toward Debir from the valley of Achor, and so northward, looking toward Gilgal, that is before the going up to Adummim, which is on the south side of the river: and the border passed toward the waters of Enshemesh, and the goings out thereof were at Enrogel:  Verse eight adds, And the border went up by the valley of the son of Hinnom unto the south side of the Jebusite; the same is Jerusalem: and the border went up to the top of the mountain that lieth before the valley of Hinnom westward, which is at the end of the valley of the giants northward:  Verse nine states, And the border was drawn from the top of the hill unto the fountain of the water of Nephtoah, and went out to the cities of mount Ephron; and the border was drawn to Baalah, which is Kirjathjearim:  Verse ten adds, And the border compassed from Baalah westward unto mount Seir, and passed along unto the side of mount Jearim, which is Chesalon, on the north side, and went down to Bethshemesh, and passed on to Timnah:  Verse eleven continues,  And the border went out unto the side of Ekron northward: and the border was drawn to Shicron, and passed along to mount Baalah, and went out unto Jabneel; and the goings out of the border were at the sea.  Then verse twelve concludes,  And the west border was to the great sea, and the coast thereof. This is the coast of the children of Judah round about according to their families.  This was to be Judah's part of the promised land.  We, as followers of Christ, will not live in a divided promised land, but in a united heaven.  Still, though we may live in different parts of this world, we are all a part of God's family if we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.

Joshua 14:1 says, And these are the countries which the children of Israel inherited in the land of Canaan, which Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel, distributed for inheritance to them.  Joshua wasn't alone in distributing the land to the tribes of Israel.  Eleazar the priest was also involved.  Joshua was the head of the army, but the priest would also represent God.  Verse two states, By lot was their inheritance, as the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses, for the nine tribes, and for the half tribe.  The nine and a half tribes chose their land by lot as God had instructed Moses to do.  The leader may have changed, but God's plan had not, nor will it today as one spiritual leader passes away and another arises.  Verse three adds, For Moses had given the inheritance of two tribes and an half tribe on the other side Jordan: but unto the Levites he gave none inheritance among them.  This was already discussed.in the last few verses.  Verse four continues, For the children of Joseph were two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim: therefore they gave no part unto the Levites in the land, save cities to dwell in, with their suburbs for their cattle and for their substance.  The two sons of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephram were two of the tribes that received land on the other side of the Jordan, and the Levites received no land, making the total number of tribes that received land twelve.  Verse five declares, As the LORD commanded Moses, so the children of Israel did, and they divided the land.  Though the land was distributed by lot, it was still done in accordance with God's will.  I don't believe that we can us this as a justification for gambling today though, because this really wasn't gambling.  It was following God's instructions to Moses.  Verse six states,Then the children of Judah came unto Joshua in Gilgal: and Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite said unto him, Thou knowest the thing that the LORD said unto Moses the man of God concerning me and thee in Kadeshbarnea.  The tribe of Judah came to Joshua and Caleb, the other spy who had said they could take the land, spoke to him.  Caleb reminded Joshua of Moses' promise to them.  Joshua and Caleb were the only two of their generation to enter the promised land.  God will always reward faithfulness.  Verse seven adds, Forty years old was I when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadeshbarnea to espy out the land; and I brought him word again as it was in mine heart.  Caleb said that he was forty when he went to spy on the land for Moses and brought him the good report based on what was in his heart.  I believe we can say that he had faith in God, and we must today no matter what the situation may be.  Verse eight declares, Nevertheless my brethren that went up with me made the heart of the people melt: but I wholly followed the LORD my God.  Caleb said that the majority of his brethren opposed his report, and they won.  In this case, the majority was not right, and we will find ourselves in the minority as followers of Christ today in most cases.  Verse nine states, And Moses sware on that day, saying, Surely the land whereon thy feet have trodden shall be thine inheritance, and thy children’s for ever, because thou hast wholly followed the LORD my God.  Caleb said that Moses had promised him the land that his feet trod on as an inheritance forever, because of his faithfulness to God.  We have an everlasting inheritance today as followers of God, though we will never be able to claim it in this lifetime.  Verse ten continues, And now, behold, the LORD hath kept me alive, as he said, these forty and five years, even since the LORD spake this word unto Moses, while the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness: and now, lo, I am this day fourscore and five years old.  Caleb gave God the credit for keeping him alive for the forty five years since they had first reached the promised land.  We can be certain that God is keeping us alive today if we are doing His will and following His purpose in our life.  Verse eleven declares, As yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me: as my strength was then, even so is my strength now, for war, both to go out, and to come in.  Caleb said that he was still as strong as ever.  We may not be physically as strong as we once were, but we need to be spiritually as strong.  Verse twelve adds, Now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the LORD spake in that day; for thou heardest in that day how the Anakims were there, and that the cities were great and fenced: if so be the LORD will be with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the LORD said.  Caleb did not say since he was old and the LORD  had made a promise to him to give him an easy place to settle.  He said give him the mountain where some strong people lived, and that if God was with him, he would drive them out.  I believe that too often we, as Christians, want the easy and prosperous way, instead of asking for a greater challenge to show that we live by faith in God.  Verse thirteen declares, And Joshua blessed him, and gave unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh Hebron for an inheritance.  Joshua granted Caleb's request and gave him Hebron.  Verse fourteen adds, Hebron therefore became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite unto this day, because that he wholly followed the LORD God of Israel.  Caleb's inheritance came, not because of his age, but because he had totally followed the will of God, just as our everlasting inheritance will come today.  Verse fifteen concludes, And the name of Hebron before was Kirjatharba; which Arba was a great man among the Anakims. And the land had rest from war.  Hebron had a different name at one time, before it was defeated by Arba.  Now, it would belong to the tribe of Judah, because of God and Caleb's faith in Him.  No matter how great our enemy may be, if we put our faith in God we will always be victorious spiritually.

Joshua 13:14 says, Only unto the tribe of Levi he gave none inheritance; the sacrifices of the LORD God of Israel made by fire are their inheritance, as he said unto them.  The tribe of Levi, the priestly tribe, were given no inheritance of land.  Their inheritance was to come from the sacrifices offered to God.  Since we as followers of Christ today are priests of God, maybe we shouldn't look for material blessings either, but should simply be content with what God provides for us daily.  Verse fifteen states,  And Moses gave unto the tribe of the children of Reuben inheritance according to their families.  Moses had already given the tribe of Reuben their inheritance.  The next few verses specify the area of land that Reuben received.  Verse sixteen says, And their coast was from Aroer, that is on the bank of the river Arnon, and the city that is in the midst of the river, and all the plain by Medeba;  Verse seventeen states, Heshbon, and all her cities that are in the plain; Dibon, and Bamothbaal, and Bethbaalmeon,  Verse eighteen adds, And Jahazah, and Kedemoth, and Mephaath,  Verse nineteen continues, And Kirjathaim, and Sibmah, and Zarethshahar in the mount of the valley,  Then verse twenty says, And Bethpeor, and Ashdothpisgah, and Bethjeshimoth,  Verse twenty-one states, And all the cities of the plain, and all the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, which reigned in Heshbon, whom Moses smote with the princes of Midian, Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, which were dukes of Sihon, dwelling in the country.  Verse twenty-two declares, Balaam also the son of Beor, the soothsayer, did the children of Israel slay with the sword among them that were slain by them.  This speaks not of a city, but of a particular person who was slain by the Israelites.  His name was Balaam, son a Beor, the soothsayer.  The people of Israel were not only defeating cities, but also the ungodly practices of the people of that area, just as we must today.  Verse twenty-three says, And the border of the children of Reuben was Jordan, and the border thereof. This was the inheritance of the children of Reuben after their families, the cities and the villages thereof.  This concluded the specifications of the area of Reuben and his family.  Verse twenty-four declares, And Moses gave inheritance unto the tribe of Gad, even unto the children of Gad according to their families.  Now we are told of the area of the tribe of Gad given to them by Moses before he died.  This was still on the other side of the Jordan from the promised land.  Still, it became the promised land to these people.  We are still on the other side of Jordan in this life, but we are still living with the promise of a heavenly home.  All we can do in the mean time is be content with where we are as long as we are following God's will.  Verse twenty-five says, And their coast was Jazer, and all the cities of Gilead, and half the land of the children of Ammon, unto Aroer that is before Rabbah;  Verse twenty-six states, And from Heshbon unto Ramathmizpeh, and Betonim; and from Mahanaim unto the border of Debir;  Verse twenty-seven adds, And in the valley, Betharam, and Bethnimrah, and Succoth, and Zaphon, the rest of the kingdom of Sihon king of Heshbon, Jordan and his border, even unto the edge of the sea of Chinnereth on the other side Jordan eastward. Then verse twenty eight concludes, This is the inheritance of the children of Gad after their families, the cities, and their villages.  This may or may not have been as large an area as the tribe of Reuben had received, but it was what Moses had promised them under God's guidance.  We today should not be concerned with what other people may or may not have been blessed with by God, but should simply be content with what God blesses us with.  Verse twenty-nine declares, And Moses gave inheritance unto the half tribe of Manasseh: and this was the possession of the half tribe of the children of Manasseh by their families.  Half the tribe of Manasseh were the others promised land on this side of the Jordan by Moses.  Verse thirty says,  And their coast was from Mahanaim, all Bashan, all the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, and all the towns of Jair, which are in Bashan, threescore cities:  Verse thirty-one adds, And half Gilead, and Ashtaroth, and Edrei, cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan, were pertaining unto the children of Machir the son of Manasseh, even to the one half of the children of Machir by their families.  This was the land given to half the tribe of Manasseh.  Verse thirty-two declares, These are the countries which Moses did distribute for inheritance in the plains of Moab, on the other side Jordan, by Jericho, eastward.  This was the conclusion of the division of the land on this side of the Jordan.  Verse thirty-three states, But unto the tribe of Levi Moses gave not any inheritance: the LORD God of Israel was their inheritance, as he said unto them.  Once again we are told that the tribe of Levi received no land.  Now that the land was actually being distributed, the Levites might have been feeling left out, but Moses reminded them that this was what was promised to them.  We should never feel left out if someone else seemingly receives a greater blessing than we do.

Joshua 13:1 says, Now Joshua was old and stricken in years; and the LORD said unto him, Thou art old and stricken in years, and there remaineth yet very much land to be possessed.  Joshua was getting old, but there was still a lot of land that Israel was to possess.  God was not saying that it was time for Joshua to quit, but that he still had a lot to do.  As long as we live, we should be willing to allow God to work through us, no matter how old we may be.  Verse two states, This is the land that yet remaineth: all the borders of the Philistines, and all Geshuri,  God then began to tell Joshua what land yet remained to be conquered.  Joshua did not just decide that the people of Israel would conquer this additional land, but God told them that they would.  We should never allow our own wants and desires to motivate us, but we should always seek God's will for our life.  I don't believe that this means that we are to decide what we want and then pray until God gives it to us.  Verse three adds, From Sihor, which is before Egypt, even unto the borders of Ekron northward, which is counted to the Canaanite: five lords of the Philistines; the Gazathites, and the Ashdothites, the Eshkalonites, the Gittites, and the Ekronites; also the Avites:  Verse four continues, From the south, all the land of the Canaanites, and Mearah that is beside the Sidonians, unto Aphek, to the borders of the Amorites:  Verse  five adds, And the land of the Giblites, and all Lebanon, toward the sunrising, from Baalgad under mount Hermon unto the entering into Hamath. Then verse six concludes, All the inhabitants of the hill country from Lebanon unto Misrephothmaim, and all the Sidonians, them will I drive out from before the children of Israel: only divide thou it by lot unto the Israelites for an inheritance, as I have commanded thee.  There was a lot of land yet to be conquered, but God told Joshua that He would drive out the people before Joshua.  Then, Joshua was to divide the land among the people of Israel according to God's directions.  God was still to be in control.  When we are spiritually victorious today, we will only be so by the power of God, and we should follow His leadership even in the victory.  Verse seven says, Now therefore divide this land for an inheritance unto the nine tribes, and the half tribe of Manasseh,  The other nine and a half tribes were to divide the land for an inheritance.  Two and a half tribes already had their inheritance on the other side of the Jordan.  I believe that we can say that many people have already gone on to their inheritance in heaven today, but the rest of us should continue to work for God's glory and share the blessings that God gives us.  Verse eight adds, With whom the Reubenites and the Gadites have received their inheritance, which Moses gave them, beyond Jordan eastward, even as Moses the servant of the LORD gave them;  God simply stated that the two tribes, plus half of another not mentioned, had already received the land promised to them by Moses on the other side of the Jordan.  Of course, they did fight with the rest of the people of Israel to defeat the enemy on this side of the Jordan.  We cannot take the attitude that we have our blessings from God and that nothing else matters.  We as followers of Christ are all in the fight against the forces of Satan as long as we live.  Verse nine states, From Aroer, that is upon the bank of the river Arnon, and the city that is in the midst of the river, and all the plain of Medeba unto Dibon;  Verse ten adds, And all the cities of Sihon king of the Amorites, which reigned in Heshbon, unto the border of the children of Ammon;  Verse eleven continues, And Gilead, and the border of the Geshurites and Maachathites, and all mount Hermon, and all Bashan unto Salcah;  Verse twelve concludes, All the kingdom of Og in Bashan, which reigned in Ashtaroth and in Edrei, who remained of the remnant of the giants: for these did Moses smite, and cast them out.  God reminded Joshua of the people that Moses had led the people of Israel to defeat and had promised to the two and a half tribe.  God honored the promise made by Moses because Moses had made it in God's name and under God's leadership.  If we make promises today in God's name and by His leadership then He will honor the promise.  We cannot make promise in God's name without knowing for sure that it is His will for what we promise to happen.  The one thing that I know for sure that we can promise is everlasting life for anyone who accepts Christ as his or her Savior and Lord.  Verse thirteen declares, Nevertheless the children of Israel expelled not the Geshurites, nor the Maachathites: but the Geshurites and the Maachathites dwell among the Israelites until this day.  The people of Israel honored the agreement made with those who had deceived them.  Though God did not lead them to make this decision, He did lead them to honor it.  We need to be careful what we promise in God's name, because He may not always honor our promise as He did at this time.

Joshua 12:1 says,  Now these are the kings of the land, which the children of Israel smote, and possessed their land on the other side Jordan toward the rising of the sun, from the river Arnon unto mount Hermon, and all the plain on the east:  This chapter lists all the kings that the people of Israel defeated in the promised land.  The people of Israel were successful because they followed God's guidance, and as long as we follow the guidance of God today as Christians, we will be successful in defeating all of our enemies as well.  Verse two states, Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt in Heshbon, and ruled from Aroer, which is upon the bank of the river Arnon, and from the middle of the river, and from half Gilead, even unto the river Jabbok, which is the border of the children of Ammon;  First listed was the king of the land on the other side of the Jordan, who had been defeated earlier by Moses and the people of Israel.  Verse three adds, And from the plain to the sea of Chinneroth on the east, and unto the sea of the plain, even the salt sea on the east, the way to Bethjeshimoth; and from the south, under Ashdothpisgah:  Verse four continues, And the coast of Og king of Bashan, which was of the remnant of the giants, that dwelt at Ashtaroth and at Edrei,  Then verse four concludes, And reigned in mount Hermon, and in Salcah, and in all Bashan, unto the border of the Geshurites and the Maachathites, and half Gilead, the border of Sihon king of Heshbon.  This was a rather large territory, but it was still on the other side of the Jordan from the rest of the promised land.  Still, it would be considered a part of the promised land.  Physical barriers should not separate God's people today.  We are all children of God if we are followers of Christ, having accepted Him as our Savior and Lord.  Verse six declares, Them did Moses the servant of the LORD and the children of Israel smite: and Moses the servant of the LORD gave it for a possession unto the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh.  After defeating the king of this land, Moses gave it to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh.  These were the tribes that sent their men across the Jordan to help defeat the rest of those in the land with the promise that they could return after the other people had been defeated.  Past victory and even security because of that victory did not exempt them from continuing to fight for the fulfillment of God's promise to all the people of Israel.  If we are followers of Christ, we are already assured of a home in heaven with Him, but that does not mean that we can quit the fight to reach the world with the gospel.  Verse seven says, And these are the kings of the country which Joshua and the children of Israel smote on this side Jordan on the west, from Baalgad in the valley of Lebanon even unto the mount Halak, that goeth up to Seir; which Joshua gave unto the tribes of Israel for a possession according to their divisions;  Now, we are given a list of the people defeated under the leadership of Joshua.  Whether Moses or Joshua was the earthly leader, God was the One Who gave the victory.  It does not really matter who the earthly leader of a church is today, because God is the real leader.  Though it is important that a church, a fellowship of believers, be led by the man that God has for them, the man himself is not the reason that the church will be successful or fail to be.  God is.  Verse eight says, In the mountains, and in the valleys, and in the plains, and in the springs, and in the wilderness, and in the south country; the Hittites, the Amorites, and the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites:  We now start to have just a listing of the people who were defeated.  Verse nine says, The king of Jericho, one; the king of Ai, which is beside Bethel, one;  Verse ten states, The king of Jerusalem, one; the king of Hebron, one;   Verse eleven says, The king of Jarmuth, one; the king of Lachish, one;  Verse twelve states,  The king of Eglon, one; the king of Gezer, one;  Verse thirteen says, The king of Debir, one; the king of Geder, one;  Verse fourteen states, The king of Hormah, one; the king of Arad, one;   Verse fifteen says, The king of Libnah, one; the king of Adullam, one;  Verse sixteen states, The king of Makkedah, one; the king of Bethel, one;  Verse seventeen adds, The king of Tappuah, one; the king of Hepher, one;  Verse eighteen continues, The king of Aphek, one; the king of Lasharon, one;  Verse nineteen adds, The king of Madon, one; the king of Hazor, one;  Verse twenty continues, The king of Shimronmeron, one; the king of Achshaph, one;  Verse twenty-one states, The king of Taanach, one; the king of Megiddo, one;  Verse twenty-two adds, The king of Kedesh, one; the king of Jokneam of Carmel, one;  Verse twenty-three continues, The king of Dor in the coast of Dor, one; the king of the nations of Gilgal, one;  Then verse twenty-four concludes, The king of Tirzah, one: all the kings thirty and one.  There were a lot of kings and kingdoms defeated by the people of Israel, through the power of God.  Some were defeated under the leadership of Moses and some under the leadership of Joshua, but all were defeated by the power of  God.  When we, as followers of Christ, overcome spiritual enemies today, no matter how long the list may be, it will always be by the power of God.

Joshua 11:12 says, And all the cities of those kings, and all the kings of them, did Joshua take, and smote them with the edge of the sword, and he utterly destroyed them, as Moses the servant of the LORD commanded.  God's command had not changed since He gave it to Moses, even if it wasn't carried out until after the death of Moses and those that it was first given to.  God's command will never change, and if we are His people, we are called to carry it out.  If we don't, someone else will be chosen to do so, until the return of Christ.  Our command is to defeat the enemies of God with the gospel of Christ.  Verse thirteen adds, But as for the cities that stood still in their strength, Israel burned none of them, save Hazor only; that did Joshua burn.  None of the other cities around them were burned, except for Hazor.  Verse fourteen continues, And all the spoil of these cities, and the cattle, the children of Israel took for a prey unto themselves; but every man they smote with the edge of the sword, until they had destroyed them, neither left they any to breathe.  Once more, the people of Israel took the spoils of the city, but they killed all the men of the city.  This was in accordance to God's command.  We today are called on to destroy all the evil in our lives, but I am not sure we can always keep any spoils that come from destroying that evil.  Verse fifteen declares, As the LORD commanded Moses his servant, so did Moses command Joshua, and so did Joshua; he left nothing undone of all that the LORD commanded Moses.  God had commanded Moses and Moses commanded Joshua.  God commanded the disciples to go into all the world and share the gospel, and that command has passed down to everyone who believes in Christ as their Savior and Lord since.  We cannot leave any of God's work undone as long as we are able to carry it out, but once we are gone, someone else will carry on God's work.  Verse sixteen says, So Joshua took all that land, the hills, and all the south country, and all the land of Goshen, and the valley, and the plain, and the mountain of Israel, and the valley of the same;  Then verse seventeen adds, Even from the mount Halak, that goeth up to Seir, even unto Baalgad in the valley of Lebanon under mount Hermon: and all their kings he took, and smote them, and slew them.  Joshua and the people of Israel continued to carry out God's command to remove all the people from the land that God had promised them.  Even though God had promised them the land, He still required them to act in faith in following His command to take the land.  God has given everlasting life to every person, but each person must accept it by faith for it to have any meaning to him or her.  God allowed one generation to wander in the wilderness until they died because of their lack of faith, and He will allow people today to reject His salvation if they choose to do so.  Verse eighteen adds, Joshua made war a long time with all those kings.  Taking the promised land did not happen overnight.  Joshua and the people of Israel were at war with the people there for a long time.  The war against evil in the world is a lifelong one for those who are followers of Christ.  We can never feel that since we have overcome some evil in our life that we have overcome all of it.  Verse nineteen states, There was not a city that made peace with the children of Israel, save the Hivites the inhabitants of Gibeon: all other they took in battle.   The people of Gibeon, who tricked the people of Israel into a truce, were the only ones who were spared.  No one today who refuses to accept Christ as Savior and Lord will be spared the coming judgment of God, and there will be none spared who have attempted to trick their way into God's kingdom.  Verse twenty declares, For it was of the LORD to harden their hearts, that they should come against Israel in battle, that he might destroy them utterly, and that they might have no favour, but that he might destroy them, as the LORD commanded Moses.  As I have said before, I don't believe that God made it impossible for those already in the land to come to the people of Israel in peace, but that God knew that they would never put their faith in Him and accept His word to guide their lives.  Verse twenty-one says, And at that time came Joshua, and cut off the Anakims from the mountains, from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab, and from all the mountains of Judah, and from all the mountains of Israel: Joshua destroyed them utterly with their cities.  Then verse twenty-two adds, There was none of the Anakims left in the land of the children of Israel: only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod, there remained.  All those in the promised land were destroyed, but some people remained outside the promised land.  Even if we rid our lives of all things that are not there in accordance with God's will, in this life there will always remain things close to us to tempt us to allow sin back in.  Verse twenty-three concludes, So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the LORD said unto Moses; and Joshua gave it for an inheritance unto Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. And the land rested from war.  After defeating all the enemies in the promised land, as God had instructed Moses to do, Joshua and the people of Israel rested from war.  Unfortunately, we as followers of Christ will never be able to rest from war with the world, because this world is not our promised land, but heaven is.  Still, we can rest easy in God's promise that heaven is already our spiritual home if we accept Christ as our Savior and Lord.  Just as with God's promise to Moses, the victory is assured.

Joshua 11:1 says, And it came to pass, when Jabin king of Hazor had heard those things, that he sent to Jobab king of Madon, and to the king of Shimron, and to the king of Achshaph,  A new alliance was forming against Joshua and Israel as a result of their success so far.  Other people had heard about the power of Israel because of their God, but they still thought that if they united that they could defeat them.  The people of the world today often unite in an attempt to defeat God's people, but this is only true if they feel that we are a threat to them.  Verse two states, And to the kings that were on the north of the mountains, and of the plains south of Chinneroth, and in the valley, and in the borders of Dor on the west,  Then verse three adds, And to the Canaanite on the east and on the west, and to the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Jebusite in the mountains, and to the Hivite under Hermon in the land of Mizpeh.  This was an even bigger alliance than the first one.  We as Christians should not be surprised if the enemy gets larger as we defeat the first one.  Satan is not going to give up easily in his quest to defeat the people of God.  If we are not under attack, it may be that we aren't doing anything to threaten the people of the world.  If we lose the little wars in our life, their may never be a big one.  Verse four declares, And they went out, they and all their hosts with them, much people, even as the sand that is upon the sea shore in multitude, with horses and chariots very many  A multitude like the sands of the sea with all their chariots and horses went out to fight against the people of Israel.  It wasn't really just the people of Israel that they would be fighting though, but it was the God of Israel, the only true and living God, that they were to be fighting against.  When we encounter enemies in the world today, we must make sure that we are following God's guidance and are living by His power if we are going to be successful.  Verse five states, And when all these kings were met together, they came and pitched together at the waters of Merom, to fight against Israel.  These armies were united against Israel.  We may at times look around us and see an enemy that looks too big to defeat, but we must simply continue to put our faith in God. knowing that He has never failed us in the past and never will today or in the future.  Verse six declares, And the LORD said unto Joshua, Be not afraid because of them: for to morrow about this time will I deliver them up all slain before Israel: thou shalt hough their horses, and burn their chariots with fire. God spoke to Joshua and told him to not be afraid, that tomorrow He was going to deliver the enemy to Joshua in defeat.  When confronted with an enemy, whether big or small, we must simply listen to what God tells us to do.  Verse seven adds, So Joshua came, and all the people of war with him, against them by the waters of Merom suddenly; and they fell upon them.  Joshua and the army of Israel fought the enemy by the waters of Merom.  We are told that they came upon them suddenly.  If we are fighting against the enemies of God, there is no reason to delay.  Verse eight proclaims, And the LORD delivered them into the hand of Israel, who smote them, and chased them unto great Zidon, and unto Misrephothmaim, and unto the valley of Mizpeh eastward; and they smote them, until they left them none remaining.  Joshua and the army of Israel did not defeat the enemy, but God did.  The army of Israel chased them for a long way, then they destroyed them all.  It is not enough that we just chase away the enemies of God for awhile, but we must destroy them out of our lives.  The enemy may not be an actual army, but it may be a temptation to stray away from God's will.  I believe that unless we destroy the temptation completely that it will come back, stronger than ever.  Verse eleven concludes, And Joshua did unto them as the LORD bade him: he houghed their horses, and burnt their chariots with fire.  Like Joshua, we must do what God directs us to do in our lives today if we are to successfully follow Him.  Joshua did not act on his on in any of this, but always acted under the leadership of God.

Joshua 10:28 says, And that day Joshua took Makkedah, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and the king thereof he utterly destroyed, them, and all the souls that were therein; he let none remain: and he did to the king of Makkedah as he did unto the king of Jericho.  Joshua continued to defeat those people who were already in the land.  Past success should not stop us from continuing to move ahead with the work that God calls us to.  Verse twenty-nine states, Then Joshua passed from Makkedah, and all Israel with him, unto Libnah, and fought against Libnah:  The people of Israel, led by Joshua, continued to move ahead just as we must.  Verse thirty declares, And the LORD delivered it also, and the king thereof, into the hand of Israel; and he smote it with the edge of the sword, and all the souls that were therein; he let none remain in it; but did unto the king thereof as he did unto the king of Jericho.  The people of Libnah were defeated by the power of God, working through the people of Israel.  The king was dealt with the same way the king of Jericho was.  Verse thirty-one adds, And Joshua passed from Libnah, and all Israel with him, unto Lachish, and encamped against it, and fought against it:  Joshua and the people of Israel were not just resting and celebrating after their victory, but were moving on to the next enemy.  We today as followers of Christ cannot be content in celebrating one victory for God, but we must continue to fight against sin in the world.  It is not going away until Christ returns.  Verse thirty-two states, And the LORD delivered Lachish into the hand of Israel, which took it on the second day, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and all the souls that were therein, according to all that he had done to Libnah.  Once more, the people of Israel were successful because God gave them the victory.  We today can only be successful by following God's guidance and relying on His power.  Verse thirty-three says, Then Horam king of Gezer came up to help Lachish; and Joshua smote him and his people, until he had left him none remaining.  Horam, the king of Gezer, came to help the people of Lachish, and he and those who came with him were slain as well.  We should not be surprised when the lost people of the world unite to attempt to defeat those who stand for God.  Verse thirty-four adds, And from Lachish Joshua passed unto Eglon, and all Israel with him; and they encamped against it, and fought against it:  Joshua and all of the people of Israel were united in defeating the people in the promised land.  We today, as Christians, must be united in defeating the enemies of God if we are to be successful.  Verse thirty-five continues, And they took it on that day, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and all the souls that were therein he utterly destroyed that day, according to all that he had done to Lachish.  The battles were not taking long, and the result was always the same.  This was not because of the power of Israel, but because of the power of God.  Verse thirty-six declares, And Joshua went up from Eglon, and all Israel with him, unto Hebron; and they fought against it:  Verse thirty-seven adds, And they took it, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and the king thereof, and all the cities thereof, and all the souls that were therein; he left none remaining, according to all that he had done to Eglon; but destroyed it utterly, and all the souls that were therein.  Whatever city Joshua and the people of Israel went against fell to them.  Verse thirty-eight states, And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to Debir; and fought against it:  Then verse thirty-nine adds, And he took it, and the king thereof, and all the cities thereof; and they smote them with the edge of the sword, and utterly destroyed all the souls that were therein; he left none remaining: as he had done to Hebron, so he did to Debir, and to the king thereof; as he had done also to Libnah, and to her king.  This cycle of events continued as long as there was an enemy to conquer.  We need to be as diligent when we are confronted by the enemies of God today.  We should never be content to allow evil to go unchallenged.  Verse forty declares, So Joshua smote all the country of the hills, and of the south, and of the vale, and of the springs, and all their kings: he left none remaining, but utterly destroyed all that breathed, as the LORD God of Israel commanded.  Joshua had said over forty years before that Israel could defeat the people of the land under the power of God, and he saw it happen.  When we have faith in God and follow His guidance, we can be just as certain of the outcome.  Yet, we too often wander in the wilderness of doubt.  Verse forty-one adds,  And Joshua smote them from Kadeshbarnea even unto Gaza, and all the country of Goshen, even unto Gibeon.  Then verse forty-two continues, And all these kings and their land did Joshua take at one time, because the LORD God of Israel fought for Israel.  Joshua was completely successful because God had given the enemies over to Him.  We may be the instrument that God uses, but the victory is always His, and we should give Him the credit and praise.  Verse forty-three concludes, And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, unto the camp to Gilgal.  After all the people in the country that they had encountered so far were defeated, Joshua and the people of Israel returned to Gilgal.  When we have defeated all the enemies God has us fighting against, we should return to peace and security with Him.  Of course, this may never happen in this world, but we can be certain that it will one day happen.  The victory is God's and He calls us to share in it.

Joshua 10:16 says, But these five kings fled, and hid themselves in a cave at Makkedah.  The five kings fled, leaving their people  behind.  Verse seventeen states,, And it was told Joshua, saying, The five kings are found hid in a cave at Makkedah.  Joshua was told where the five kings were hiding.  Those who oppose God will ultimately wish for a place to hide, but there will be none.  Verse eighteen says, And Joshua said, Roll great stones upon the mouth of the cave, and set men by it for to keep them:  Joshua simply had stones rolled in front of the cave to block the kings in.  We can equate that to our sins blocking us in and away from the will of God.  God does not force us to come to Him, but He allows us to be trapped by our own sinfulness until we accept forgiveness through faith in Jesus Christ.  Verse nineteen adds, And stay ye not, but pursue after your enemies, and smite the hindmost of them; suffer them not to enter into their cities: for the LORD your God hath delivered them into your hand.  Joshua told the people to not worry about the kings but to continue pursue the enemy.  Once we have one sin under control, as the five kings were, we need to continue to pursue the others that we may defeat them also.  Verse twenty declares, And it came to pass, when Joshua and the children of Israel had made an end of slaying them with a very great slaughter, till they were consumed, that the rest which remained of them entered into fenced cities.  Joshua and the people of Israel defeated the rest of the enemy, because as Joshua had told them, God had given them the victory already.  When we are following God's guidance, we already have assurance of total victory spiritually, by His power.  We cannot have total victory by our own power, but must rely on the power and leadership of God.  Verse twenty-one adds, And all the people returned to the camp to Joshua at Makkedah in peace: none moved his tongue against any of the children of Israel.  The people of Israel returned to Joshua at their camp at peace, with no one speaking against them.  We will never reach this state in the world today, but when Christ returns we will, and that will be a wonderful day.  Verse twenty-two  declares, Then said Joshua, Open the mouth of the cave, and bring out those five kings unto me out of the cave.  Joshua told the people that it was time to let the kings out of the cave.  They had thought that they would be safe there, but the cave basically became more of a tomb.  People today may feel that they are safe in their place where they hide from God, but they are really just sealing their own doom.  Verse twenty-three states, And they did so, and brought forth those five kings unto him out of the cave, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon.  Then verse twenty-four adds, And it came to pass, when they brought out those kings unto Joshua, that Joshua called for all the men of Israel, and said unto the captains of the men of war which went with him, Come near, put your feet upon the necks of these kings. And they came near, and put their feet upon the necks of them.  The captains of the men of Israel were told to put their feet on the necks of the kings.  One day, all those who refuse to accept Christ as Savior and Lord will be figuratively trampled under the foot of God.  Their actual fate will be much worse, as they will be separated from God forever.  Verse twenty-five declares, And Joshua said unto them, Fear not, nor be dismayed, be strong and of good courage: for thus shall the LORD do to all your enemies against whom ye fight.  Just as Joshua told the people of Israel, we do not need to be afraid, because God has already given us the victory over sin and death.  Verse twenty-six states,  And afterward Joshua smote them, and slew them, and hanged them on five trees: and they were hanging upon the trees until the evening.  The five kings were slain and hanged on trees for the rest of the day.  This was done to show other people who might come against Israel what the outcome would be.  Sin and death were defeated when Christ hung on the cross, but He came down to live forever, so that we might also if we put our faith in Him.  Unlike the kings, Jesus came down in victory.   Verse twenty-seven concludes, And it came to pass at the time of the going down of the sun, that Joshua commanded, and they took them down off the trees, and cast them into the cave wherein they had been hid, and laid great stones in the cave’s mouth, which remain until this very day.  When the sun went down, the bodies of the five kings were returned to the cave and sealed in.  That is where they remained.  When the enemies of Jesus attempted to seal Him in a tomb, they failed.  He did not remain there, and if we put our faith in Him, we will not remain in a tomb of spiritual death, but we will live forever with Christ.  The choice wll always be ours.

Joshua 10:9 says, Joshua therefore came unto them suddenly, and went up from Gilgal all night.
Joshua went by night tis time.  We should be ready to go when God leads us, whether it is by day or by night.  Verse ten declares,  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 did not defeat those who came against him, but God did.  We today as followers of Christ must rely on the strength of God to defeat our enemies.  Joshua and the people of Israel were involved in the battle, but God gave them the victory.  Verse eleven states, 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.  This part of the victory Joshua and the children of Israel had nothing to do with.  God killed more with great hailstones from heaven than were killed by the swords of the people of Israel.  We mat never know how many people were killed in this world by acts of God against evil.  I don't believe that we should think that every time something bad happens in a place that we think is evil that we should attribute it to God punishing those who live there though.  I believe that when God acts there will no be question that He is the One doing it.  Verse twelve declares, 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.  Joshua spoke to God and asked that the sun stand sill in Gibeon, and the moon stand still in the valley of Ajalon.  This was indeed to be a longest day, and Joshua asked this in the presence of the people of Israel.  This could not happen with the universe coming into existence by some cosmic accident, but could only occur by the power of the Creator and Sustainer of the universe.  God is in control of all that He created, except for mankind, whom He gave free will.  It is not that God cannot force us to do His will, but that He chooses to allow us the choice of whether to follow Him or not.  Verse thirteen adds, 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.  I am not sure what the book of Jasher is, but the fact that this happened was recorded elsewhere.  The sun stayed up until the enemies of Israel were defeated, because Joshua had asked God to cause it to.  Joshua had faith in the power of God and gave God the credit for that victory over the enemies of Israel.  We need to rely on God's power when we engage the enemy today, and we must also give Him the  credit when we are victorious.  Verse fourteen continues, 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.  This says that this was a one time thing, where God listened to what Joshua asked, and that the LORD fought for Israel.  I don't believe that this means that God will never hear our requests again, but that when we pray, that we must pray for God's will to be done.  This would seem to be more that Joshua wanted God to endorse his plan, which God did.  Verse fifteen concludes, And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, unto the camp to Gilgal.  Joshua and the people of Israel returned to camp at Gilgal.  God was giving them victory over their enemies, just as He had said He would.  It had taken the people of Israel another forty years to claim what God had already promised them.  God has already promised us victory if we accept Christ as our Savior and Lord, and there is no reason to delay accepting this gift.  When we do, we can rest at ease, no matter what is going on in the world around us.

Joshua 10:1 says, 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;  The king of Jerusalem heard what had been going on.  He seemed to have given the credit to Joshua and the people of Israel more than to God.  Do people today hear about what we as followers of Christ are doing, and if so, are they worried about us?  It is sad if the rest of the world simply ignores those who are Christians, God's representatives in the world today.  Verse two states, 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.  The defeat of Ai worried them, but the fact that Gibeon had joined with Israel worried them even more.  Gibeon was a powerful, royal city, and it had joined with the Israelites.  No matter how powerful those are who oppose God today, they will one day fall or become a part of His people.  Of course, unlike Gibeon, they must come through an honest relationship with Christ.  We as followers of Christ have no reason fear those who stand against God.  Verse three declares, 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,  Adonizedek, king of Jerusalem, sent word to four other kings.  Don't be surprised when the world unites against God.  Verse four adds, 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.  He proposed that they join together to defeat Gibeon, since Gibeon had made a pact with Israel.  Verse five continues, 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.  These five cities united in war against Gibeon.  They weren't even attacking the Israelites, God's people, but were attacking those who chose to be at peace with them.  We today should not be surprised if people who are wanting to get close to God's people are attacked.  They could easily become a part of God's kingdom, so those who oppose God would rather stop them before they do.  Verse six declares, 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.  The men of Gibeon were quick to send word to Joshua that they were about to be under attack by the Amorites.  The people of Gibeon may have tricked Joshua into making a pact with them, but they wanted him to honor it faithfully.  Verse seven states, So Joshua ascended from Gilgal, he, and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valour.  Joshua and the mighty men of valor in Israel responded.  Would we be listed as mighty men of valor under the leadership of God today if those around us called on us for help?  Verse eight adds, 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.  God was with Joshua and assured him of the victory.  God told Joshua to not be afraid.  God has assured us the victory over sin and death today, through our faith in Christ, so we need not be afraid of the powers of the world.

Joshua 9:16 says,  And it came to pass at the end of three days after they had made a league with them, that they heard that they were their neighbours, and that they dwelt among them.  After three days, the people of Israel heard that they had made a pact with their neighbors, which God had told them not to do.  It is a shame if we find out to late that we have gone against God's directions simply because we did not consult Him first.  Some things may seem harmless or even good, as I am sure the people of Israel felt about their agreement, but we need to make sure that we seek God's guidance in all that we do.  Verse seventeen states, And the children of Israel journeyed, and came unto their cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon, and Chephirah, and Beeroth, and Kirjathjearim.  The people that Joshua and the people of Israel made the pact with actually lived in four cities about three days journey from where they had been.  Verse thirteen declares, And the children of Israel smote them not, because the princes of the congregation had sworn unto them by the LORD God of Israel. And all the congregation murmured against the princes.  The princes, or leaders, of Israel did not kill the people of these cities because of the oath they had taken before God.  We cannot make a promise in God's name and then go against it.  The rest of the people of Israel murmured against the princes.  Verse nineteen adds, But all the princes said unto all the congregation, We have sworn unto them by the LORD God of Israel: now therefore we may not touch them.  Like the people of Israel, we cannot renege on a promise made in the name of God.  Even though the people of Israel made the pact without consulting God, His name was still at stake, which is why we must be careful about making promises in God's name.  These promises will always be serious, because they always reflect on God.  Verse twenty continues, This we will do to them; we will even let them live, lest wrath be upon us, because of the oath which we sware unto them.  The leaders of Israel said that they would let the people in these cities live because of the oath made in God's name, unless they themselves should feel God's wrath.  Verse twenty-one says, And the princes said unto them, Let them live; but let them be hewers of wood and drawers of water unto all the congregation; as the princes had promised them.  The people of these cities were to be allowed to live, but they would be required to live up to their end of the agreement.  Verse twenty-two declares, 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?  Joshua called the leaders of these cities before him and asked why they had beguiled the people of Israel.  Though this was a good question, Joshua could have been asking why he had allowed himself to be beguiled by these people.  If we consult God before we take action in any situation, then the world will not be able to beguile us.  Verse twenty-three adds, 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.  Basically, Joshua said though they were to be spared that they were not to be freed from being bondmen, or servants.  Verse twenty-four states, 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.  The people of these cities said that they did what they did because they had heard that God had given the land to the people of Israel and that all the inhabitants were to be destroyed and they were afraid.  They did not come to God by faith, but attempted to find deliverance by their own plan.  People today may attempt to find salvation by some other method than faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord, but it will not work.  Verse twenty-five adds, And now, behold, we are in thine hand: as it seemeth good and right unto thee to do unto us, do.  They said they put themselves at the mercy of Joshua.  Ultimately, those today who attempt to find their own salvation will be at the mercy of God, and if they have rejected Christ, His mercy will have passed.  Verse twenty-six declares, And so did he unto them, and delivered them out of the hand of the children of Israel, that they slew them not.  Joshua kept the agreement that had been made with them, even though it had been made under false pretenses, because it had been made in the name of God.  Verse twenty-seven concludes, 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.  Though they were spared, the people of these cities had a limited role.  They were basically servants to the people of Israel and the house of God.

Joshua 9:1 says. And it came to pass, when all the kings which were on this side Jordan, in the hills, and in the valleys, and in all the coasts of the great sea over against Lebanon, the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, heard thereof;  All the kings of the area heard of the victory of Israel.  Verse two states, That they gathered themselves together, to fight with Joshua and with Israel, with one accord.  All these kings united to fight against Joshua and Israel.  All those who do not believe in Christ today are really united in their fight against Him.  They may not all be joined together, but they are all united in their purpose, and that is to deny the authority of God, if not His very existence.  Verse three declares,.And when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done unto Jericho and to Ai,  Then verse four adds, They did work wilily, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine bottles, old, and rent, and bound up;  There was one group of people, the Gibeonites, who weren't ready to go to war with Israel, but like the other groups, they did not accept God.  They were wily, and made it appear that they were from far away and were coming to Joshua and the people of Israel in peace.  These are the people that we really need to be aware of today.  There are people today who profess to accept Christ as their Savior and Lord, but they really are only doing so for their own benefit and not for God's glory.  Verse five continues, And old shoes and clouted upon their feet, and old garments upon them; and all the bread of their provision was dry and mouldy.  Not only did they put on old clothes and shoes, but they brought old moldy bread with them.  They were determined to sell themselves as having come from a long way off.  Verse six proclaims, And they went to Joshua unto the camp at Gilgal, and said unto him, and to the men of Israel, We be come from a far country: now therefore make ye a league with us.  The people of Gibeon went to Joshua and the people of Israel and told them that they were from a far country.  We need to realize that not everyone who comes to Christians today professing to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord have really put their faith in Him.  This does not mean that we are to question their faith, but that we are simply to be aware that this does happen.  Verse seven asked, And the men of Israel said unto the Hivites, Peradventure ye dwell among us; and how shall we make a league with you?  Here, they are referred to as Hivites, and are asked how the people of Israel can make a league with them since they lived among the Israelites.  We cannot make a pact with the people of the enemies of God and still live in accordance with God's word.  There can be no compromise.  Verse eight answers, And they said unto Joshua, We are thy servants. And Joshua said unto them, Who are ye? and from whence come ye?  They professed to be Joshua's servants and then he asked them where they came from.  Joshua was at least trying to get to the truth, but we don't see him asking for God's guidance in the situation.  This should always be our first step when confronted with a question, and if it is, we not be so easily deceived.  Verse nine says,.And they said unto him, From a very far country thy servants are come because of the name of the LORD thy God: for we have heard the fame of him, and all that he did in Egypt,  They said they came from a very far country because they had heard of the fame of God because of what He had done in Egypt.  There will always be people who claim to know the power of God but are still unwilling to accept Him as their God.  Verse ten adds, And all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites, that were beyond Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon, and to Og king of Bashan, which was at Ashtaroth.  They continued to speak about hearing of the victory that God had given Israel over other kings.  I really believe that people today have a hard time denying the power of God.  Even when they see it, they want to deny it pretend to come to Him for their own advantage.  Verse eleven continues, Wherefore our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spake to us, saying, Take victuals with you for the journey, and go to meet them, and say unto them, We are your servants: therefore now make ye a league with us.  The people of Gibeon continued to profess the lie that they were telling, just as some people today profess Christianity simply to use it for their advantage.  Verse twelve states, This our bread we took hot for our provision out of our houses on the day we came forth to go unto you; but now, behold, it is dry, and it is mouldy:  They offered physical proof of the truth of their long journey, but it was a lie.  Verse thirteen adds, And these bottles of wine, which we filled, were new; and, behold, they be rent: and these our garments and our shoes are become old by reason of the very long journey.  They said even their wine skins which were new were torn, as was their clothing.  We should not be surprised when people today attempt to deceive the world about their relationship to God if it is to their advantage to do so.  Verse fourteen declares, And the men took of their victuals, and asked not counsel at the mouth of the LORD.  This was the main problem.  Joshua and the people of Israel did not seek the counsel of God.  We should never make decisions without consulting God first if we are followers of Christ.  Verse fifteen adds, And Joshua made peace with them, and made a league with them, to let them live: and the princes of the congregation sware unto them.  Joshua made a league with the people of Gibeon, which was in opposition to God's command.  Even the most powerful Christian can be deceived when he or she forgets to ask God for guidance in any situation, especially those that can have lasting consequences.  Joshua was the leader of the nation of Israel, but when relying on his own judgment, he was deceived.

Joshua 8:24 And it came to pass, when Israel had made an end of slaying all the inhabitants of Ai in the field, in the wilderness wherein they chased them, and when they were all fallen on the edge of the sword, until they were consumed, that all the Israelites returned unto Ai, and smote it with the edge of the sword.  The Israelites killed the people of Ai who had chased them, then returned to the city and killed those who were left.  Once more, we may think this extreme, but these were people who opposed God.  Though we are not called on to destroy those who oppose God today, we are called on to destroy their influence in our life.  Verse twenty-five states, And so it was, that all that fell that day, both of men and women, were twelve thousand, even all the men of Ai.  Twelve thousand men and women died that day.  Since this says that this included all the men of Ai, they were not a large enough force to have defeated the army of Israel the first time, but the army of Israel had gone under their own power instead of relying on God.  As followers of Christ, we can be defeated by even small temptations if we are not living according to God's plan and by His power in our life.  Verse twenty-six adds, For Joshua drew not his hand back, wherewith he stretched out the spear, until he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai.  None of the people of Ai were spared.  Verse twenty-seven continues, Only the cattle and the spoil of that city Israel took for a prey unto themselves, according unto the word of the LORD which he commanded Joshua.  Unlike Jericho, this time the people took the spoils of war for themselves, as God had commanded them to.  Vere twenty-eight declares,  And Joshua burnt Ai, and made it an heap for ever, even a desolation unto this day.  Joshua burned the city of Ai, and it remained a desolation.  God has already destroyed the power of sin and spiritual death for those who accept Christ as Savior and Lord today.  The only way sin can have power over us today is if we allow it to if we are Christians.  Verse twenty-nine adds, And the king of Ai he hanged on a tree until eventide: and as soon as the sun was down, Joshua commanded that they should take his carcase down from the tree, and cast it at the entering of the gate of the city, and raise thereon a great heap of stones, that remaineth unto this day.  The king of Ai was hanged for a day, then buried under a heap of stones at the gate of the city.  I believe this was done to show other people what would happen if they opposed God and the people of Israel, His people.  We do not have such visual demonstrations available today, so we must rely on simply living by the gospel of Christ to convince others to come to Christ by faith.  Verse thirty proclaims, Then Joshua built an altar unto the LORD God of Israel in mount Ebal,  Joshua built an altar to God on mount Ebal.  Joshua was giving the honor and glory to God for their victory, just as we should do in everything that we do today if we are His people.  Verse thirty-one adds, As Moses the servant of the LORD commanded the children of Israel, as it is written in the book of the law of Moses, an altar of whole stones, over which no man hath lift up any iron: and they offered thereon burnt offerings unto the LORD, and sacrificed peace offerings.  The altar was built according to the instructions that Moses had received from God and given to the people of Israel, and they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings to God there.  We today need to give our offerings to God in accordance with His word.  It is not so much what we give as it is our reason and attitude for giving.  Verse thirty-two states, And he wrote there upon the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he wrote in the presence of the children of Israel.  Joshua wrote on the stones of the altar a copy of the law of Moses, which was God's law.  We as followers of Christ should have God's law written in our hearts, which should be an altar to God.  Verse thirty-three adds, And all Israel, and their elders, and officers, and their judges, stood on this side the ark and on that side before the priests the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, as well the stranger, as he that was born among them; half of them over against mount Gerizim, and half of them over against mount Ebal; as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded before, that they should bless the people of Israel.  All the people, both the Israelites and the strangers around them who chose to, stood before the altar to worship God.  I believe that we can say that anyone who comes to God by faith will be welcome at His altar.  Jesus did not die just for a select group of people, but for all who come to Him by faith.  Verse thirty-four continues,  And afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessings and cursings, according to all that is written in the book of the law.  Joshua read the whole law of God to them.  We cannot just accept the part of God's law that we like to follow, but must follow all of His law.  Verse thirty-five concludes, There was not a word of all that Moses commanded, which Joshua read not before all the congregation of Israel, with the women, and the little ones, and the strangers that were conversant among them.  Just as Joshua read all the word of Moses, the law that God had given Him, to the people then, we must share all of God's word with the people today.  The gospel is to be shared with everyone, even the stranger and little children.

Joshua 8:10 says,  And Joshua rose up early in the morning, and numbered the people, and went up, he and the elders of Israel, before the people to Ai.  Joshua rose up early, counted the people of Israel and went with the elders up before the people of Ai.  This doesn't really sound like the way to prepare for war, and I am not sure why Joshua counted the people, other than that must have been something God led him to do.  Verse eleven states, And all the people, even the people of war that were with him, went up, and drew nigh, and came before the city, and pitched on the north side of Ai: now there was a valley between them and Ai.  Not only the people of war, or army we would say, went near Ai, but all the people went together and camped on the north side of Ai.  We may not all feel like we are people of war in the battle with evil, but we are all a part of God's army, whether we are actively engaged in what feels like a battle or not.  Even if we are not in a great battle, we need to support those who are to the best of our ability.  Verse twelve says, And he took about five thousand men, and set them to lie in ambush between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of the city.  Joshua set five thousand men up on the west side of Ai to ambush those who came after the people of Israel.  This was not just Joshua's plan, but God's plan.  Though I don't know that we are to ambush those who oppose God today, I do know that He has a plan that will lead to their defeat.  We simply have to follow His leadership.  Verse thirteen declares,  And when they had set the people, even all the host that was on the north of the city, and their liers in wait on the west of the city, Joshua went that night into the midst of the valley.  That night, when everything was in place, Joshua went into the valley between Ai and the people of Israel.  It seems that Joshua went alone into the valley.  He was the leader of the people, but he wasn't hiding safely behind them.  Sometimes, we may need to place ourselves in a place of danger in order to do the will of God.  Verse fourteen proclaims, And it came to pass, when the king of Ai saw it, that they hasted and rose up early, and the men of the city went out against Israel to battle, he and all his people, at a time appointed, before the plain; but he wist not that there were liers in ambush against him behind the city.  When the king of Ai saw the Israelites, he went with all his people to battle them, but the did not recognize the ambush that had been set up.  Satan will send all his army against us today, especially if he thinks that we are close to defeat, but he will always be ambushed by the cross of Calvary.  The victory is already ours, as long as we remain faithful to God.  Verse fifteen states, And Joshua and all Israel made as if they were beaten before them, and fled by the way of the wilderness.  The people of Israel and Joshua all acted like they were defeated and fled by way of the wilderness.  Verse sixteen adds, And all the people that were in Ai were called together to pursue after them: and they pursued after Joshua, and were drawn away from the city.   All the people of Ai left the city to pursue the people of Israel.  They seemingly had an easy victory in sight once again.  The people of the world may at times see us, as followers of Christ, as people who are easily defeated, but if we are following God's plan, they will always be in for a surprise.  We cannot be defeated spiritually as long as we follow God's leadership.  Verse seventeen continues, And there was not a man left in Ai or Bethel, that went not out after Israel: and they left the city open, and pursued after Israel.  The people of Ai were so confident of victory that they left the city totally unguarded.  After all, they had defeated the people of Israel once before with no real problem.  There was a difference this time though.  The people of Israel were following God's direction and relying on His power.  We may have been defeated before by the world when we have failed to live by God's guidance and under His power, but if we return to Him, we do not have to continue to suffer defeat.  Verse eighteen declares, And the LORD said unto Joshua, Stretch out the spear that is in thy hand toward Ai; for I will give it into thine hand. And Joshua stretched out the spear that he had in his hand toward the city.  God told Joshua to stretch out his spear toward Ai and that God would give him the victory.  The victory was not to be because of Joshua stretching out the spear, but because he was following the command of God.  We are not going to be spiritually victorious today because of our own power, but because we are following God's guidance.  Verse nineteen adds, And the ambush arose quickly out of their place, and they ran as soon as he had stretched out his hand: and they entered into the city, and took it, and hasted and set the city on fire.  Those who had waited in ambush went into the city and set it on fire.  This was the place of security for the people of Ai, and now it was burning, and the people of God were on both sides of them.  Verse twenty continues, And when the men of Ai looked behind them, they saw, and, behold, the smoke of the city ascended up to heaven, and they had no power to flee this way or that way: and the people that fled to the wilderness turned back upon the pursuers.  Like the people of Ai that day, when the people of the world who reject God look back for some place of safety they are going to find none.  There is no place of refuge outside the safety that we receive by following Christ as our Savior and Lord.  Verse twenty-one declares, And when Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush had taken the city, and that the smoke of the city ascended, then they turned again, and slew the men of Ai.  When the people of Israel saw that the city of Ai was on fire, they turned and killed the enemy.  These were the same people who had fled earlier when they went to take Ai by their own power.  We do not gain any super human strength when we begin to follow God, but we do gain a spiritual strength that cannot be defeated as long as we are faithful to God.  Verse twenty-two adds, And the other issued out of the city against them; so they were in the midst of Israel, some on this side, and some on that side: and they smote them, so that they let none of them remain or escape.  All the people of Ai were killed, except the king.  God's victory over sin and death will always be a complete victory.  Verse twenty-three concludes, And the king of Ai they took alive, and brought him to Joshua.  The king had just lost everything, and just like him, one day those who do not accept Christ as their Savior and Lord will stend before God having lost everything.

Joshua 8:1 says, And the LORD said unto Joshua, Fear not, neither be thou dismayed: take all the people of war with thee, and arise, go up to Ai: see, I have given into thy hand the king of Ai, and his people, and his city, and his land:  God told Joshua to not fear or be dismayed.  The people of Ai had just defeated the army of Israel, but God told Joshua to not let this cause him to be afraid or dismayed.  God had already assured Joshua of the victory.  The army of Israel were fighting by their own power the first time, and now they were fighting under God's leadership.  If we suffer defeat in the world today, we need to listen to God's voice to make sure that we are doing what He is directing us to do, and if we are, then we need not be afraid.  Verse two states, And thou shalt do to Ai and her king as thou didst unto Jericho and her king: only the spoil thereof, and the cattle thereof, shall ye take for a prey unto yourselves: lay thee an ambush for the city behind it.  God said that the army of Israel would defeat Ai just as they had Jericho, but this time the spoils would go to the people of Israel.  God was already giving them victory over their enemies, and now He was going to give them material blessings.  If we want to be blessed by God, we must do things according to His timetable.  The first spoils went too God, then He gave the next to the people of Israel.  They were  to lay an ambush behind the city.  Verse three declares, So Joshua arose, and all the people of war, to go up against Ai: and Joshua chose out thirty thousand mighty men of valour, and sent them away by night.  Joshua chose thirty thousand men of valor and sent them away by night.  They were not really referred to as an army, but as people of war, which we would call an army.  These men were noted for their valor, but I am sure many were the ones who had recently been routed by the people of Ai.  Even if we have recently failed God, we must still be people of valor as we do God's work.  We cannot allow past failures to keep us from future success.  Verse four adds, And he commanded them, saying, Behold, ye shall lie in wait against the city, even behind the city: go not very far from the city, but be ye all ready:  These men Joshua selected were to lay in wait behind the city, but close to it.  Joshua was carrying out God's plan, just as we must today if we re to be successful.  Verse five continues, And I, and all the people that are with me, will approach unto the city: and it shall come to pass, when they come out against us, as at the first, that we will flee before them,  Joshua said that the rest of the people and he himself would come to the city from the front and flee when the people of Ai came out to face them.  They were basically to be the bait, and they were to flee as they had before.  Joshua was actually placing himself in a more dangerous position, and we today should be willing to accept the dangerous position if we know that we are doing what God wants us to do.  Verse six states, (For they will come out after us) till we have drawn them from the city; for they will say, They flee before us, as at the first: therefore we will flee before them.  Joshua said that the people of Ai would come out of the city to chase the people of Israel, believing that they were fleeing again.  If we have failed in our stand for God, then the people of the world may be emboldened.  Verse seven adds, Then ye shall rise up from the ambush, and seize upon the city: for the LORD your God will deliver it into your hand.  Joshua told them that when the people of Ai had left the city that those behind them were to seize the city, because God had given it to them.  Joshua did not say that it was his plan, but that it was God's plan and that God was giving them the victory.  The only way that we are going to be victorious today is if we are following God's plan, and when we are victorious, we should always give God the credit for the victory.  Verse eight continues, And it shall be, when ye have taken the city, that ye shall set the city on fire: according to the commandment of the LORD shall ye do. See, I have commanded you.  Though the people of Israel were to share in the spoils, the were to burn the city itself.  Verse nine concludes, Joshua therefore sent them forth: and they went to lie in ambush, and abode between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of Ai: but Joshua lodged that night among the people.  The ambush was set, and Joshua remained among the people who stayed behind.  Sometimes, even if we are in a position of leadership, God may direct us to stay behind where we might think that we are out of the battle.  Just like Joshua though, we are to follow what we believe to be God's leadership for us.

Joshua 7:16 says, So Joshua rose up early in the morning, and brought Israel by their tribes; and the tribe of Judah was taken:  Again Joshua rose up early and brought the twelve tribes of Israel before him, and the tribe of Judah was separated out as the looked for the accursed thing that had led to their defeat.  Verse seventeen states, And he brought the family of Judah; and he took the family of the Zarhites: and he brought the family of the Zarhites man by man; and Zabdi was taken:  Then Joshua began to separate the families of the tribe of Judah.  Though all of Israel was affected, it was the one who had brought the accursed thing into the nation that had to be identified.  One person bringing an accursed thing into the church today can affect many Christians.  Verse eighteen adds, And he brought his household man by man; and Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken.  Finally, Achan was identified as the one responsible.  Though Joshua was identified as the one responsible for the search, I believe that it was only by the power of God that he was able to identify Achan.  We cannot accuse other Christians of acting in a sinful way unless we are sure that we are following God's leadership when we do.  We cannot do so simply because we do not like or agree with what they are doing.  Verse nineteen declares, And Joshua said unto Achan, My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the LORD God of Israel, and make confession unto him; and tell me now what thou hast done; hide it not from me.  Joshua didn't just condemn Achan, but referred to him as his son and gave him an opportunity to confess and repent before God.  We should never just look for an opportunity to have a reason for other Christians, or even the lost of the world, to be punished, but should always reach out tot them with the love of God so that the may repent.  Verse twenty states, And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done:  Achan confessed that he had sinned, as we all have.  Verse twenty-one adds, When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it. Achan said when he saw some silver and gold, he took it and buried it in his tent.  It really was doing him no good where it was, and it broke his covenant with God.  Anything that we gain outside the will of God, no matter how appealing it may be, will be just as useful as this silver and gold were to Achan in everlasting terms.  If we are guilty of trying to steal from God, we know that we cannot hide our sin from Him.  Verse twenty-two proclaims. So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran unto the tent; and, behold, it was hid in his tent, and the silver under it.  Joshua sent messengers to see if the silver and gold were where Achan said they were.  We should likewise always make sure that we know that our facts are straight if we are dealing with others.  Verse twenty-three adds, And they took them out of the midst of the tent, and brought them unto Joshua, and unto all the children of Israel, and laid them out before the LORD.  They brought the silver and gold to Joshua, but it says they laid them before the LORD.  Ultimately, that is where the sins of each individual must be laid.  Even when someone comes before the church or the preacher to profess their sins, it is to God that that person is really confessing.  Verse twenty-four declares, And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had: and they brought them unto the valley of Achor.  Everything that Achan owned and his family were brought to the valley of Achor.  Then verse twenty five adds, And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? the LORD shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones.  Joshua asked Achan why he had done this and troubled Israel.  We today have to ask why we have sinned and troubled God if we are to find forgiveness.  We might think that it was extreme to kill Achan's whole family and all his animals, but what he had done had brought shame to Israel and God.  Though Achan and his family were stoned, I believe that they all had an opportunity to make things right with God.  We may suffer earthly consequences fr our sins, but if we confess and make things right with God then that doesn't matter.  Verse twenty-six concludes, And they raised over him a great heap of stones unto this day. So the LORD turned from the fierceness of his anger. Wherefore the name of that place was called, The valley of Achor, unto this day.  After the sin was dealt with, God turned from His anger.  Unless we accept Christ as our Savior and Lord, one day we will face the judgment of God, and our punishment will be much greater than that of Achan.  We will be separated from God to endure everlasting punishment.

Joshua 7:10 says, And the LORD said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face?  God told Joshua to get up, and then asked him why he was lying on his face.  Joshua seemed to have at least temporarily forgotten the power of God.  When the troops returned in defeat, Joshua questioned God.  As followers of Christ today, if things go wrong in life and we are feeling defeated, we don't need to question God, but to ask what we have done wrong instead.  The Israelites at this time had just assumed that God was going to bless everything they did and went ahead in their own power, without making sure that everyone was being obedient to God.  Verse eleven declares, Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff.  God told Joshua the reason that the men had been defeated.  It wasn't because of the power of the enemy, but because of the sin of Israel.  Even though we are only told of one person stealing an accursed thing, it affected all of God's people.  We might think this to be unfair, but all the people were delivered from bondage to the promised land together and they all made a covenant with God together.  We today are not saved as a collective group, but individually, but the sin of one Christian can still impact more than just the individual sinner.  The sin of one can weaken the effectiveness of a whole group of believers as we reach out to the lost world with the gospel of Christ.  Verse twelve adds, Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you.  God said that He was not responsible for their defeat, but their disobedience to their covenant with Him was.  God also said that this wasn't going to change as long as this sin remained in their midst.  We cannot hide our sin from God, nor can we expect  Him to continue to bless us if we are allowing sinful actions into our life again.  Verse thirteen continues, Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow: for thus saith the LORD God of Israel, There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee, O Israel: thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the accursed thing from among you.  God told Joshua to get up and sanctify the people and to tell them that there was an accursed thing amongst them.  God also told Joshua to tell them that until this accursed thing was removed that they could not stand before their enemies.  If we are going to stand before our enemies today by the power of God, we cannot allow sin, no matter how insignificant it might seem, to enter into our life.  Verse fourteen declares, In the morning therefore ye shall be brought according to your tribes: and it shall be, that the tribe which the LORD taketh shall come according to the families thereof; and the family which the LORD shall take shall come by households; and the household which the LORD shall take shall come man by man.  God told Joshua that the next day that the people were to come before God, and God would single out the tribe, then the family, and finally the man who was guilty.  Ultimately, we stand before God individually to be judged for our sins, and we alone will be accountable for them. We will either have forgiveness through our relationship with Christ as our Savior and Lord, or we will suffer the punishment ourselves.  There is no in-between.   Verse fifteen concludes, And it shall be, that he that is taken with the accursed thing shall be burnt with fire, he and all that he hath: because he hath transgressed the covenant of the LORD, and because he hath wrought folly in Israel.  There was  a severe penalty for the one who had taken the accursed thing, because this had affected the whole nation.  We may think that a small failure to follow God's will is no big thing, but we need to realize that sin brings serious consequences.  The person who had the accursed thing and all that he owned was to be burned.  No one else was going to profit from the sin of this one person by claiming what he left behind.  When the judgment of God comes, all that anyone has gained outside of the will of God will be burned up, so as His people, we need not attempt to lay up earthly treasures.  We must always put the will of God first.