Joshua

Enemy Strategy

Scripture: Joshua 9

So far we have learned that life is a constant struggle with evil. A battle won does not mean a victorious war. On the other hand, a battle lost does not mean that all is hopeless. As long as sin is present, the conflict with the enemy goes on unceasingly. To compromise with Satan will court disaster.

We have also learned that the cause of defeat is always discovered by prayer, but it takes more than prayer to recover ground that is lost. We will never subdue the enemy in one sudden moment of victory. It is a gradual process that will last a lifetime. 

The problem is that we don't always learn our lessons very well. We need constant reminding. Often Satan who is a master strategist out maneuvers us. This lesson reminds us of this very well.

First, there is The Delegation of Deception. 1-13. It was pretentious. These men pretended to come from a far country outside Joshua's domain. 1-3 the ruse was based on appearances not reality. The Gibeonites came with old sandals, grubby clothes with torn, patched wineskins and moldy bread. 3-6. The men of Gibeon were very clever. They didn't mention Jericho or Ai. To do that would have blown their cover. 9-13

This shows us how easily Satan and his demons can deceive us. Things that seem so obvious are not when we finding ourselves in circumstances like Joshua did. All of us can be tempted. We must not be ignorant of his devices.

When Joshua entered the land, it called forth a cooperative effort of the enemy to make war with Israel. Every victory we win brings a new attack of the enemy. Our blessings and battles go side by side. You cannot have one without the other. If you are being pressed on every front then, you are in the battle and you should rejoice. If you are finding temptation almost too much to bear and the struggle too great to carry on, then rejoice. If you are miserable because of Satan's devices, then rejoice because Satan is hard at work on you. Resist the Devil and he will flee from you.

If you say to yourself that you don't understand what I am talking about then, get right with God. Ask him to show you what is going wrong in your life. Paul tells us that we don't wrestle with flesh and blood but against spiritual wickedness in high places. Ephesians 6:12. The deception of the Gibeonites shows how easily Satan can hoodwink us.

Why was Joshua tricked by the Gibeonites? Why are we so often deceived by Satan? 

Second the Neglect of Prayer. 14. The Israelis sampled their provisions but did not ask wisdom from the Lord. They just didn't pray! At Ai they were defeated because they didn't pray. Here, they were deceived because they didn't pray. The enemy is engaged in a full-scale attack on the people of God. We should be mounting a mighty offensive of prayer against Satan. All too often we are too busy with infighting in the church and trying to put out brush fires, that we don't even think about prayer. Because we don't pray we find ourselves in circumstances that only God can resolve. The best they could do was to bring something good out of evil. 

Third, A Delayed Discovery. 15,16. After three days the deception was detected. God's people grumbled against Joshua and the elders. This is usually what happens when we don't pray. However, once the mistake was discovered, it wasn't covered up. Positive action was taken.

Fourth, A Finalized Treaty. Joshua made servants of the Gibeonites for the nation and for the house of God. They became woodcutters and water carriers. On that day Joshua delivered the Gibeonites out of the hands of the Israelis and let them live. Later they were known as "Nethinim." They were still active in the days of David and Nehemiah. God can make something good come out of evil but that is not usually God's best.

What lesson can we learn from this wonderful story? Pray before making important decisions! This is where Joshua made a serious mistake. He depended on his own judgment instead of getting counsel from the Lord. This is a difficult principle to get across. Even we adults have a problem grasping the importance of obedience in matters of faith and practice. God must teach Israel a lesson and he will teach us as well. Which is more important? My will, intuition or the Word of God.

When we pray and go to the Word of God He will make His will known to us. Let us be praying people in everything.

Philippians 4:6,7