Joshua - Chapters 6-9

Now the time runs in ever so quickly and here we are almost at the close of this period of ministry with tomorrow night the closing evening. We're glad to see you all that have come tonight. Welcome you heartily in the Lord's name and trust the blessing of the Lord as has been asked will be the portion of all present.

Now we have come to Joshua chapter 6 in our reading and it's there we begin tonight. Joshua chapter 6 verse 1. Now Jericho was straightly shut up because of the children of Israel. None went out and none came in.

And the Lord said unto Joshua, See I have given into thine hand Jericho and the king thereof and the mighty men of valor. And ye shall compass the city all ye men of war and go round about the city once thus shalt thou do six days. And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of ram's horns.

And the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times and the priests shall blow with trumpets. And it shall come to pass that when they make a long blast with the ram's horn and when you hear the sound of the trumpet all the people shall shout with a great shout. And the wall of the city shall fall down flat and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him.

And Joshua the son of nun called the priests and said unto them take up the ark of the covenant and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of ram's horns before the ark of the Lord. Verse 15. It came to pass on the seventh day that they rose early about the dawning of the day and compassed the city after the same manner seven times.

Only on that day they compassed the city seven times. And it came to pass at the seventh time when the priests blew with the trumpets Joshua said unto the people shout for the Lord hath given you the city. Chapter seven please.

But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed or devoted thing for Achan the son of Carmi the son of Zabdi the son of Zerah of the tribe of Judah took the accursed or devoted thing and the anger of the Lord was kindled against the children of Israel. And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai which is beside Beth even on the east side of Bethel and speak unto them saying go up and view the country and the men went up and viewed Ai. And they returned to Joshua and said unto him let not all the people go up but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai and make not all the people to liver thither for they are but few.

So there went up thither of the people about three thousand men and they fled before before the men of Ai. Verse 10 and the Lord said unto Joshua get thee up wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face Israel hath sinned. Verse 20 and Achan answered Joshua and said indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel and thus and thus have I done.

When I saw among the spoils a goodly babylonish garment and 200 shekels of silver and a wedge of gold of 50 shekels weight then I coveted them and took them and behold they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent and the silver under it. Our chapter 8 and the Lord said unto Joshua fear not neither be thou dismayed take all the people of war with thee and arise go up to Ai. Verse 10 and Joshua rose up early in the morning and numbered the people and went up he and the elders of Israel before the people to Ai.

Verse 18 and the Lord said unto Joshua stretch out the spear or the javelin that is in thine hand toward Ai for I will give it on into thine hand and Joshua stretched out the javelin the spear that he had in his hand toward the city and the ambush arose quickly out of their place and they ran as soon as he had stretched out his hand and he entered into the city and took it and hasted and set the city on fire. Then verse 25 and so it was that all that fell that day both of men and women were 12,000 even all the men of Ai for Joshua drew not his hand back wherewith he stretched out the spear until he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai. Now chapter 9 please we have been pointing out the significance of the little word heard in earlier verses now noted here and it came to pass when all the kings which were on this side Jordan in the hills and in the valleys and in the coasts of the great sea over against Lebanon the Hittite the Amorite the Canaanite the Perizzite the Hivite and the Jebusite heard thereof that they gathered themselves together to fight with Joshua and with Israel with one accord and when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done unto Jericho and to Ai they did work violently and went and made as if they had been ambassadors and took all sex upon their asses and wine bottles old and rent and bound up and old shoes and clouted upon their feet and old garments upon them and all the bread of their provision was dry and moldy.

Verse 14 and the men took of their victuals and asked not counsel at the mouth of the Lord. Now look at verse 22 and Joshua called them and he speak unto them saying wherefore have you beguiled us saying and they repeat what they had done earlier. Now the Lord bless his word and grant us help in the understanding of the sacred page of holy scripture.

Now trust that we're making sufficient progress to warrant the interest of God's people. Chapter one we have looked at that chapter as the chapter of the strength and then chapter two the chapter of the sign chapter three last night the chapter of the sanctification and then chapter four you remember the chapter of the stones. That great message that we found was very practical and precious to our hearts.

Then chapter five we briefly touch that chapter to see it as the chapter of the supply. God meeting the need of his people as recorded there. They kept the Passover reminds us of God's provision in bringing his people out of Egypt and then there is mention made of the manna his provision for the wilderness journey and then the old corn of the land that tremendous provision with which Israel had had absolutely nothing to do was there ready for them in all its fullness to strengthen them to encourage them to possess the land of divine promise and purpose.

And so tonight we come now to chapter six and surely as you read the whole of this chapter you will discover very simply and indeed very quickly the key word which I feel is easy to remember. I think that chapter six can be easily called the chapter of the shout. Seven times the word occurs and twice the word shouted so there is no difficulty I'm sure with that very simple observation the chapter of the shout and surely beloved it is a great chapter and yet we're going to just simply ponder it and see what God has for us in a chapter such as this.

Now the first thing of to notice of course is the apparent security of the city it was there with all its walls and its people and yet it did not constitute an obstacle to God and I do believe that that's what Rahab learned and it's that that she gives expression to when she speaks to the spies in her room. You remember she said we heard what the Lord did at the Red Sea and then she said we heard what he did to the kings of the Amorites on this side of Jordan. Now that's a very interesting observation isn't it there were two obstacles the Red Sea was an obstacle to the progress of God's people and God removed it and the kings of the Amorites constituted an obstacle to the progress of God's people and God removed them.

Do you know anyone that constitutes themselves an obstruction to the people of God are in a very very at a very very strange and in a very solemn position. God is able to remove the obstacle and Rahab I believe found that God could remove her and I'm sure that is why by faith she readily received her spies in peace lest she too become an obstacle to the triumph of the God of Israel. Now here is a city and it would obstruct the progress into the land with its high wall with its people ready to defend but thank God that obstacle is removed.

What a glorious observation right on the threshold of this chapter. You know I would wonder if the modern armies of today how they would have pronounced if they had come to a city in those days of this dimension. How they would have consulted how they would have contrived to bring down those walls.

You could listen into their suggestions you could listen into what they would recommend and it would be altogether different to what God proposed wouldn't it. What God proposed as you know was simply the amazing simplicity of the company number one composed as you can see of priests and Levites and people. The priests bearing the Levites bearing the ark and the priests blowing trumpets of ram's horns and the people following.

Well as the Jerichoites looked out and over I'm sure they despise that motley throng as they encircled their well defended city. I'm sure they spoke one to another in a very disparaging way as they looked at their simple crowd. And you know beloved when you think of the tremendous citadels of evil that abound in your locality and there you are with the gospel and I'm sure the people look at you and they think it's strange and they think it's odd and many of God's people have joined that that army of disparagement and no longer engage in the work of the testimony.

They would think it's fruitless they would think it's useless because there are so many many modern ways of getting at that kind of thing they would say. But you would know that when it came to the city God's proposals just had to be accepted and obeyed and we discover they were most effective. And let us just get that into our hearts tonight.

I think it's a good illustration with a very practical application to you and to me and to all of us as the people of God when we see the almost impregnable nature of the hostility of the ungodly. Almost impossible to break down the barrier the walls of opposition. But beloved remember it requires simplicity and simple dependence upon God upon God's recommendations upon God's way of dealing with the issue and after all if we maintain that I'm perfectly sure we will find the blessing of God in reality.

I think that those dear men that those priests that blew the trumpets men with a priestly character men with a priestly calling men with a priestly conviction blowing a trumpet giving it the sound required giving it the note demanded isn't that what we need beloved surely we need that as never before for as the apostle said if the trumpet gives an uncertain sound we don't want any uncertainty we want a clear crisp convincing message in the gospel nevermore was it so much needed and I believe by this process by this practice by this united approach I believe there will be this bringing down of the strongholds of satan I know it looked very very insignificant I know that they would have smiled at their order and simplicity levites bearing the ark whatever that meant to them they wouldn't be able to comprehend but do remember in this company the Lord was in the midst men that were appointed by Jehovah were maintaining as we saw last night the ark of God the ark of the covenant the many titles that we discovered are there in chapter three and in chapter four now what I interestingly see is the astounding swiftness of the collapse the whole thing came down very very quickly didn't it surprisingly so and I believe it was because these people conformed to the mind of God lovely to see this man Joshua in verse 12 for example it says on Joshua rose early in the morning now those that haven't been with us will have missed chapter 3 verse 1 it opens with the same thing and Joshua rose early in the morning that morning when he was going to witness the mighty power of this ark driving back the waters of Jordan what a morning that would be what a day is going what a day is going to be issued in no doubt this man was up early with all the spiritual alacrity of his soul to lead the people of God and to witness the power of God and bringing them through the Jordan now he's up early this morning it says in chapter 6 verse 12 and he's up there early with the same spiritual alacrity because it's going to be a day of victory a day of victory and I trust beloved we know something of spiritual alacrity this sleepiness this stupor that has come upon the people of God must be dealt with some of us are far too fond of laziness read your proverbs and find the awful condition of the slothful man the slothful man what does it do he goes to conferences you know he does and he attends meetings if you will but that's all you think by him sitting in a conference he he was just the very epitome of all that was good he never misses a ministry meeting he's there every night he's there every day well that's where it ends to someone I never read that well here's the parallel the slothful man roasts not what he takes in the hunting he's prepared to go out and hunt he's prepared to go out and and and chase the deer or whatever it is but that's it that's it no further I enjoyed the meeting it was nice to meet all the believers and beloved listen we could go through that form for years that's laziness that's lawfulness and never ponder five words that were spoken at the conference hey that's a problem never sit down in the quietness of God's presence and ask ourselves what did the man mean now what was the point of this message has got nothing to do with me and you know how we would go on with it you see you won't bring it into your heart you won't bring it into your soul you listen you attend the conference maybe go miles and miles but there it ends so you see the value we're going to see more of it now it's not the only shot they see the value of spiritual alacrity and so as he gathers the people together isn't it lovely to see that as they conform and as they carry out the mind of God as he has clearly indicated there comes the assuring shout of the conqueror I'd love to hear that shout I think it's wonderful the people lifted up their voice and shouted shouted and as they shouted on the note of command to shout now they didn't shout before the time they shouted on the point of command and as soon as they shouted what happened the wall fell down flat oh thank God for the astounding swiftness of the of the collapse now I just want to mention three or four things that I feel would be useful for us as we look at the story of Jericho I think that you'll acknowledge there is undoubted submission to God now that's important you see last night we just finished on that point didn't we we looked at chapter 5 at the end paragraph and we saw a man on his face before the angel of the Lord and we saw that man yield his shoe upon command and we saw him and he might have said well I'm the leader but no the angel said captain of the hosts of the Lord am I come and really what this angel was saying to Joshua as you get behind me not me behind you I know that you're the leader but I am Lord of the leader for I'm sure it was our Lord Jesus in theophanic dress and in doing so Joshua is setting the spiritual tone that develops in this lovely chapter the undoubted my brethren the undoubted submission to God isn't that a good feature in any assembly I feel it is and then the undivided oneness before God remember the movement round Jericho beloved as through the wilderness was dictated by the steps of men that felt the weight of what they carried you understand that there was no one running ahead here and saying excuse me but I want to get around this thing quick no no there were men in that company that felt the weight of what they carried and the company speed the company's pace was dictated by men that felt the weight of what they bore for God that's a big problem isn't it easy to run ahead when you have no sense of responsibility beloved I tell you now easy for young people to feel well these old fellows are dragging their feet pardon the word easy for us to feel well now you just be careful you see there was nothing of that here because there was undivided oneness before God they their march their steps their walk was dictated by men that felt the weight of that ark I tell you when you get that in God's assembly it's a good thing it's a good thing and then I'm sure there was undefiled devotion to God I think that's seen in the ram's horns the ram the note of devotion the ram of consecration here's a ram or two that have given up the strongest part of their being caught by the horns says Genesis 22 2 the strongest part of that animal held what held it it's devotion and beloved remember there's plenty of ram ministry in Hebrews lo I come to do thy will oh my God that devotion that ram of consecration and beloved I trust that's the devotion that marks this assembly and I'm sure it is and I trust it will be maintained and then undisturbed obedience to God is it lovely that they did exactly what God commanded and having done that there was blessing abundant now there are chapters and there are incidents and there are things in the word of God and a passage like this is one of those that I'm referring to that I would love we could put the full stop the period if I were writing the bible I would have had lots of periods long before they're ever reached in the book itself but then you see we didn't write it and God is the author and God's faithfulness is manifest now wouldn't have been lovely if we just went home now and said that was it what a great day it was what mighty victory was accomplished and certainly there was a victory accomplished the threshold to the inheritance has been secured and the triumph of God in his people has been manifest and there they are possessing that very key to the inheritance my wondrous victory glorious triumph but chapter 7 commences with one of these solemn buts but the children of Israel committed a trespass in the devoted thing for Achan what did he do he took the accursed of the devoted thing and the anger of the Lord was kindled against the children of Israel now let us look at this chapter as it's put before us the first verse gives us the committal of the sin here we're told here we're told that Achan took the devoted thing Achan is the one that did exactly what God had said to Joshua must not be done and in the throes of victory in that moment of tremendous success the one did not evil because at that very point Achan took the accursed thing the committal of the sin now verse 2 right down to verse number 15 will give us the consequence of the sin the consequences of the sin and you know how serious they were often we have heard the story of AI it's a very very sad story it wasn't just the magnificent mighty well-walled city that Jericho was and as they sent out their search party they said well it's just requiring a few and they felt there would be absolutely no difficulty but then what do we need we read of defeat defeat before the very enemies of God and there it is from verse 2 to verse number 5 the men of AI smoked the children of Israel what happens well you see the distress of the leader verse 6 to 9 and Joshua fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the Lord and there he is in verse 6 until the evening he and the elders of Israel and they put dust upon their heads my brethren I think that's tremendous here are men that sense the awfulness of defeat here are men that sense something has gone wrong amongst the people of God and then the right place look where they are they're right in before the ark of the Lord and they're on their faces before the Lord he and the elders and they're conscious that something has gone wrong as it is very clearly in the passage but verse 10 and the Lord said unto Joshua get thee up wherefore liest thou upon thy face Israel hath sinned those are solemn words aren't they beloved very very solemn thing to have sin amongst the company of God's people I don't think there is anything more distressing I don't think there is anything more disturbing than to have sin amongst the people of God and sin of such a consequence that is making itself manifest in the blessing of God being with hell and the government of God being strictly and stringently applied to the people of God now I wouldn't for one moment think that what Achan done or what Achan did was indicative of the heart of Israel I've said already that in chapter 6 there was undefiled devotion to God I believe that and I believe that in the midst of an assembly that is wholly devoted to God there could be there is the tragic possibility that someone somewhere in there has sinned before the Lord that's possible but of course as we know what Joshua is being told is Israel has sinned now I don't mean that the Lord has said well now all of you have taken this no no but it's what is the very thing that we want to learn tonight that even should one individual sin it affects the testimony of all and that's surely the ministry in this chapter you see we do not live on to ourselves as the apostle and you cannot sit in the meeting and be a part of the assembly and say I can do what I will no one will restrict me in what I do that is very carnal language as you well know beloved because what you do and what I do has its own way of affecting the company of God's people there may be men much holier than thou and much holier than me that is not in question these men were holy men these men were devoted to God but they're affected the whole nation is affected by their sin and we have learned that many times since the old corporate testimony of Israel began you remember in numbers 12 the the camp did not move one inch until Miriam was healed of her leprosy one woman under the judgment of God the whole company had to stand still until that governmental judgment was lifted my brethren I hope we learn these things God has not changed in his principle the terms may have changed the conditions may have changed but the principles are abounding out of abounding and abiding and they tell you they place us under tremendous responsibility now having spoken there of the defeat and the distress what about the demand now there's one thing there is one thing that God is making clear the first thing is this you must investigate the cause that's the solemn thing you must investigate the cause and you read verses 11 and 12 and that's what God is saying Joshua there's sin in the camp the devoted thing has been taken as a leader you are obliged to investigate the cause now since of God you know how important that is I would hope that you know a very important verse that would guide you if you hear something says God about a city or about a people then says God thou shalt inquire and he said thou shalt make search and ask diligently you know those words don't you Deuteronomy 13 14 and then and behold if it be truth or be true truth and the thing certain notice how God makes these requirements then then and only then can you proceed with the judgment and so it's important for us to see the need to investigate the cause then secondly initiate the cure now last night we had the joy of looking at chapter three which we called the chapter of the sanctification didn't we and what did we read we read of these words in that great chapter sanctify yourselves for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you and remember how we looked at that the need for preparation before you came to the meeting here tonight lest you bring your defilement into this very place didn't I make clear that the assembly is a concentration of sanctified living sanctified in Christ Jesus as Paul in first Corinthians 1 we hear the term church of God plenty we hear other things but I never hear that stress sanctified in Christ Jesus a concentration of sanctified life well may they sanctify themselves because the Lord's going to do wonders tomorrow and what wonders were performed at the at the Jordan but look at how they're going to initiate the cure the very same method look at those verses verse 13 up sanctify the people and say sanctify yourselves against tomorrow now brethren I think that's humiliating isn't it I want to tell you brethren you just have to be as holy and you just have to be as sanctified when evil is to be judged as when you're in the very triumphs or in the very throes of victory remember that just remember that and never were there be a more degrit demand upon you as an individual to lead and to get into the presence of God and make sure there's heart examination sanctify yourselves against tomorrow not going to be a victory not going to be a mighty majestic manifestation of the power of God at the waters of Jordan it's going to be a solemn act of judgment but the same conditions prevail go to number go to Exodus 19 10 14 and is it 22 and what do you find the same command go to first Samuel 16 listen to Samuel as he comes to the house where something majestic is going to be wrought for God sanctify yourselves before we sit down to eat what does Paul say let a man examine himself and so let him eat my brethren I hope we're in the good of these things I'm sure you are but it's just my privilege and my solemn responsibility to recall them to your mind how is the cure going to be initiated Israel is going to have to be sanctified set apart wholly for God by a practical personal application of those things that were available to them then and you know what's available to us now but I think the most solemn thing is this not only must you brother investigate the cause not only must you initiate the cure but listen you must isolate the corruption you must isolate the corruption and it shall be that he that is taken with the devoted thing shall be burnt with fire I think that's one of those solemn verses in the book oh the solemnity of that isolation now that's all as a consequence from verse 16 we have the confession of the sin the confession of the sin you understand the title of the chapter now don't you if chapter 6 the chapter of the shout chapter 7 is simply the chapter of the sin there's no question on that that's as simple as can be I'm sure you've got that long sin the committal of the sin the consequences of the sin the confession of the sin now think of the isolation of the corruption you know I tremble when I think of this I think of those words beloved I hope you memorize them when I was a boy at school I memorized it memorized them many many times since oh lord thou has searched me and known me I know us my down sitting and mine uprising there's not a word in my tongue but lo lord thou know us it all together thou hast beset me behind and before such knowledge is too wonderful for me whither shall I flee from thy presence if I ascend into heaven thou art there if I make my bed and hail thou art there if I take the wings of the morning and fly to the uttermost parts of the earth even there shall thy right hand lead me and so on search me oh god and know my heart that was here when you think of israel gathered that day you think of the eye of god gone through those tribes and a tribe selected joshua doesn't know but god is leading and then not only as a tribe taken but a family has taken it's narrowing down and then a man was taken a household rather taken and then a man take what a discovery I don't think there's anything as solemn beloved to be in the presence of god and to be searched living your life in the consciousness of the of divine omniscience living your life in the consciousness of divine omnipresence and living your life in the consciousness of divine omnipotence god's not limited I preach with fervor when I was stoned to the fig tree I saw me I saw I don't know where were you where you were today but all I know is this that wherever I was or wherever you were the eye of god was always upon us you know but here's the solemnity of it a discovery and then a disclosure now I want you to notice what is hidden or what was said tell me now what made it not from me says joshua to this man what'd he say he says in verse 21 and behold they are hid that's the word I want behold they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent and the silver under it so joshua sent messengers and they ran onto the tent and behold it was hidden and why do I stress that where were we last night where were we last night we're in chapter five that's simple I think I stood about what we speak on last night we spoke about the passover so the passover was in chapter five right the passover would then the next day initiate the feast of unleavened bread all right and so these people were living in the week of unleavened bread now you know your bible don't you you go to look 12 the lord jesus says beware of the leaven of the pharisees and you don't have to get down a dictionary nor a commentary not even what the bible teaches to find out what the lord meant because the next verse the lord tells you what the leaven of the pharisees is and then he says there's nothing hidden that shall not be revealed this man was living a false life no leaven and he's hiding he's hiding hiding sin dug it deep in his tent he says I hid it so he wasn't living the good of the very week in which he was living see that wasn't how can you feel the searching nature of that I can it's tremendous beloved paul says I want you to live on living lives because your own living is a lot and is positionally but he says I want you to keep the feast it's not the remembrance I want you to live on unleavened life now what he said ah nothing hidden and that's what this man has done and then there's a discipline what a severe discipline burned with all belongingness oh beloved how sad it is how solemn to think of this awful situation in relation to the tragedy at ai the source verse one sin the sorrow verse 2 to 15 those men on their face before god and then the solution the judgment the consequential judgment the chapter of the sin now we move quickly please to chapter eight please and let us come to this chapter because it's the chapter of ai again and as you can see joshua certainly requires something from god now and god gives it to him we discovered at the opening of the book he needed to be strengthened god said be strong three times moses before that in deuteronomy 31 said to him three times be strong and then at the end of chapter one the very people of god say be strong so here's a man had seven strengthening words three from moses three from god and one from the people and now he's in another strength and he needs the comfort of god and god says fear not neither be thou dismayed wonderful how god can draw aside to the uh to his servants and here we have what i'm going to call the assurance of faith the assurance of faith fear not one of the many many fear nots that are very precious to us throughout the word of god now the approach of faith the approach of faith now point the just read carefully and measure these lovely words look at verse 10 and joshua rose up early you're getting them chapter 3 1 chapter 6 and now chapter 8 and joshua rose up early actually i haven't mentioned them all this is the fifth time you have that expression so far in the book so have a look for them rose up early because he's approaching this conflict in faith and then i want you to notice the attack of faith the attack of faith and how does he approach it he approaches it because he's conscious of the assuring hand of god what is the attitude of faith the attitude of faith is this that he awaits the direction of god as he did for jericho or obviously he should have done that at the first and god while he acknowledges i say that reverently the strategy over seven for joshua must have been a very very accomplished strategist strategist uh in warfare he must have been he must have been but while god acknowledges that god has something else for him and you know what he must have been thinking what did god say i can see the kind that i can see the the the humble devoted attitude of joshua as he awaits the voice of god and the lord said unto joshua stretch out that the javelin that is in thy hand toward the city now watch it brother joshua does something else he prepares an abushman he tells the people what to do when we attack you run on the other side and the men of ai will think you're running from them and as that happens their bushmen will arise and will enter into the city and then when they look back they'll see their city on fire and we'll accomplish the victory well that's true there is always activity there is always arrangement there is always those things to be attended to beloved of a very demanding nature when service when effort when work for god is to be done we wouldn't ignore that and god doesn't ignore it there was that battle down there that had to be worked out with all the stratagem that a man of this caliber could perform and he did it but god says i want something else i want you to stand he said joshua and i want you to stretch out your hand stretch out the javelin that is in thy hand toward ai and i will give it unto thee and here's joshua beloved i don't think the people have saw him maybe they did i don't know but there he takes this javelin that is in his hand and he lifts it up and he stretched forth his hand and you see him and it says in that lovely verse for joshua drew not his hand back wherewith he stretched out the javelin until he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of the air my that was some day wasn't it i don't know how long he stood maybe eight hours but there he stood with the javelin stretched out and he never drew his hand back what a burdening what a witty job you just try and hold a javelin for that many hours with your arms stretched out and see how hard feet and all the time those men are down in ai and they're accomplishing the down to earth victory well we saw that a long time ago didn't we monday night seems a long time away that's where we started wasn't it isn't that the very first mention of joshua in exodus 17 where was he he was down in the valley he was accomplishing the strategy and there was moses on the hill with the rod of god of hell what he learned in that day he's now brought to practice that while all that activity and all that approach is necessary there is something else needed there is the maintenance of your contact with the very presence of god a complete devotion to the work of god demands the skull of it that whatever else is done that you never never fail to know that strength comes from the very presence of god and from the god of the presence and that's where joshua is what is this this is the chapter of the stretched out arm you know what i like to hear when i come back from toil in malaysia you'd never know how i feel we have never any idea i suppose of what it's like sometimes we don't have time to pray for ourselves sometimes the the demand is so tremendous and you come home and you go to a meeting and some dear sister comes along brother bentley glad to see you i said that's very kind you know i'm going to tell you i haven't ceased to pray from for you from the day you left that does me more good than i can tell you friend for that's joshua 8 while there we are down in the dust of the field there's a woman with a stretched out arm she doesn't lay down until the victory is accomplished you like that can't we all be like that there's not something we should reach for mind you this javelin can be a dangerous thing and when another man had a javelin like this you know what he did with it and if you're not careful you'd never know what you might do with the same energy that you could spend at the throne of grace saul would have pinned david to the wall with a javelin not much spirituality about that one thrust is gone this man knows what it is to stand there and obey god and stand there until until until beloved what victory was achieved i said we'll go on to quarter past nine tonight by the kind respect of some chapter nine and then we'll finish can't you see the program now or can't you see the the presentation chapter six victory chapter seven sin chapter eight victory i know there are nice hymns in our in in these books but i don't think this one's so good in this theology one victory will help you some other to win it didn't do it in this chapter a victory in chapter six but defeat in chapter seven a victory in chapter eight but deceit in chapter nine the chapter of the snare these men came along and i tell you you would have needed the wisdom of solomon to discern the thing but you know beloved these are the things we're trying to learn as we pick our way through you men that lead god's assembly you know that you can't you can't learn it all in one day and i learned that too a long time and we never know what's around the corner and we never know the subtlety of the flesh and the subtle of the devil and these people came you'd have thought by looking at them that they were all that they profess to be and they were not oh what vigilance what discernment is required the big tragedy you see why i stressed you see why i stressed the point the other night i wanted you to get it in your soul beloved because joshua didn't have it all the time he wouldn't move until he was sure god had taken the ground before him and when he did move without that he feel why didn't he ask god why'd he get down before god and ask are these men real what is the answer lord wouldn't the lord have told him sure he would isn't that the point isn't that the very point that we've read and we just have to look at it verse 14 and the men took of their victuals and asked not counsel at the mouth of the lord you mean you can rush in without asking god to take the ground before you watch it man didn't i tell you that plainly wasn't anticipating what i knew was in the book i haven't time to give the outline but look at verse the end of verse 18 and all the congregation murmured against the princes disunity first time there's that in the camp first time there's that in the whole story in this book you see the princes have not asked of god and joshua hasn't asked of god and they have made a commitment now the people are rising again he said we shouldn't have done this but the princes have agreed and joshua has agreed and the people are remonstrating and the people the congregation murmured against the princes why they knew it wasn't right and you know the story i don't i don't need to tell you beloved as i close now past the time what does paul say i have espoused you as a chaste virgin decrees he says i'm troubled why lest the serpent beguile thee as he beguiled he an assembly can be deceived the devil hasn't changed character here's the parallel and mind you although although god ordered it accordingly i i think you'll agree saul had difficulty with these people and when you come to second samuel 21 there's a famine in israel david has to inquire the lord why why this famine he's in difficulty with these people because of what saul did and mind you brethren god only knows i tell you beloved god only knows the consequences of being beguiled as far as the testimony is concerned it can go on for a long time thank you for listening the lord bless his work our blessed god we thank thee for this time when we have read thy word and listened to thy voice we trust and gathered from it those things that thou must have us learn we pray that thou will just be very near to us put thy hand around us we think of the dangers we think of the difficulties we look to thee that as we pursue our path we may know what it is just to constantly oh blessed god constantly look to thee for guidance for protection for preservation even from our own hearts that could be very subtle for thou knows the flesh better than we can tell so blessed god use thy word tonight and bless it to thy gathered people whom we're glad to see and ask thy honor and blessing in the savior's name amen