Abide

Read: Joshua 10:16-27

The five kings that formed an alliance to attack Gibeon had been completely routed because God fought on behalf of the Gibeonites and Israelites. The Israelites pursued the peoples of the five united cities, but in the meantime the kings of the cities tucked tail and went and hid in a cave. Joshua found out about it and trapped them in the cave. After the Israelites had finished pursuing the armies of the Amorites, they returned and Joshua made an example of the kings. He put their necks under their feet as a display of might, then slayed the kings. Joshua told the people what God had told him before: Do not have fear, do not be dismayed, and be strong and courageous (Joshua 10:8, Joshua 8:1, Joshua 1:9).

Once again, Joshua is telling the people what God told him to do, and once again the people of God are following the instructions that God’s leader had given them. The example made by the king served as a reminder to them. The kings were not merely foot soldiers – they were the rulers of their respective towns. The symbolism of placing the kings’ necks under their feet shows that no one can stand in the way of an unstoppable force. In this case, the unstoppable force was the people of God believing in God and obeying his commandments.

When Jesus came to earth, he was humble but at the same time provided ample displays of power to show that he was indeed the Son of God. And when he rose from the grave, he showed that not even death and sin could stop him. God exalted Jesus to so that every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that he is Lord. Interestingly, Jesus’ exaltation was because he of his absolute, unwavering obedience to the will and way of the Father even to the point of death on a cross (Philippians 2:5-13). Paul encourages believers that they too have the same radical obedience to God’s commands. God can’t be stopped, so people can choose to either get run over by the unstoppable force or run with the unstoppable force. Any person with any sense in their head will choose the latter!

Lord, I want to be part of your unstoppable force!