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.
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