You And God Are Majority

Part 13: You and God are Majority.

Passage: Joshua 11

Outline of Chapter 11:

A. King Jabin of Hazor joins forces with several other kings in Northern Canaan to fight the Israelites. Vv. 1-5

- Hazor had been a tremendously large, powerful, influential city for at least 1000 years before Joshua and the Israelite army had arrived in the Promised Land.

- The combined military forces of all these northern Canaanite kings set out to meet Israel not just with a sea of soldiers, but with advanced weaponry that Israel did not possess: horses and chariots.

- According to Josephus, the combined armies of the Canaanite tribes totaled 300,000 armed footmen, 10,000 horsemen, and 20,000 chariots.

B. The Lord reassures Joshua that he need not worry, for the next day all his enemies will be dead. V. 6

C. Joshua completely defeats all these kings. Vv. 7-8

D. Joshua hamstrung their horses and burned up their chariots.

i. Then he burned down Hazor. Captured and massacred all the royal towns with their kings.

ii. Joshua took the whole region. Then he parceled it out as an inheritance to Israel according to their tribes.

iii. And Israel had rest from war.

LIKE JOSHUA WE CAN HAVE THE VICTORY. HOW?

 1. Through Dependence on God. Vv. 1-7

A. The Israelites were big underdogs:

i. In verses 1-5, Joshua and his army are out numbered.

Joshua 11:4a All these kings came out to fight. Their combined armies formed a vast horde.

ii. Their enemy had use a superior quality of weaponry.

- Not only were they numerous, but they were well armed with “very many horses and chariots.”

Joshua 11:4ff And with all their horses and chariots, they covered the landscape like the sand on the seashore.

B. The encouragement.

It is possible that when the Israelites saw the multitudes, they were all (or many of them) terrified; and therefore the Lord appeared and spoke to Joshua for his encouragement.

Joshua 11:6 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “DO NOT BE AFRAID of them. By this time tomorrow I will hand all of them over to Israel as dead men.“

C. Total dependence.

Joshua 11:6ff “Then you must cripple their horses and burn their chariots.”

i. God ordered to cripple the horses and chariots burned because

He knew that the Israelites would put their confidence in horses or chariots instead of Him.

ii. Hamstringing horses demonstrates Israel’s trust in God.

So the first reason for hamstringing horses is to keep Israel dependent on God.

Psalm 33:17 says, “The war horse is a false hope for salvation, and by its great might it cannot rescue.”

D. Challenge: What changes will you make so you will be totally dependent on God in all things?

2. Through precise obedience to God.

A. God deserves our obedience.

i. According to Holman's Illustrated Bible Dictionary, a succinct definition of biblical obedience is "to hear God's Word and act accordingly."

ii. Biblical obedience to God means to hear, trust, submit and surrender to God and his Word.

B. Our obedience must be precise.

i. Read: Joshua 1:8

Joshua 1:7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, TURNING EITHER TO THE RIGHT OR TO THE LEFT. Then you will be successful in everything you do.

ii. Ben Gersom explains it,"turning to the right hand is, when any adds to its words; and turning to the left hand, when he diminishes from them;'or "from him"

C. Joshua completely obeyed all the the commands given by Moses

Joshua 11:6ff “Then you must cripple their horses and burn their chariots.”

Joshua 11:9 Then Joshua crippled the horses and burned all the chariots, as the lord had instructed.

Joshua 11:12 Joshua slaughtered all the other kings and their people, completely destroying them, just as Moses, the servant of the Lord, had commanded.

i. We should not selectively obey certain things.

ii. “Our obedience to God’s commandments as a natural outgrowth of our endless love and gratitude for the goodness of God.” - Dieter F. Uchtdorf

iii. If we obey God it bring the proof of our true love to Him!

John 14:15 “If you love me, obey my commandments.”

1 John 5:3 Loving God means keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome.

3. Through Facing the giants in our lives. Vv. 21-22

A. Forty years earlier the giants caused the Israelites to feel like “grasshoppers” but now Joshua kills the giants.

B. What are the giants in your life?

- Depression

- Financial crisis

- Family problem

- Sexual abuse

- Sickness

- Betrayal

- Unemployment

- Insecurity

- Vices

- Pornography

- Unfaithfulness

C. How to face your giants in life?

a. Do not focus on the size of the enemy, FOCUS ON GOD!