Joshua 12:1

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.