Economics of the Promised Land

Part 4:Defeating Enemy Kings

The people of Israel defeated several well organized enemy nations without a king of their own.

These stories hold lessons for defeating the forces in our lives that seek to rob and defeat us.

While these stories are historically true, we can also use them as allegorical lessons for defeating enemies that try to destroy and hinder us.

Before we can enter our Promised Land, we have to take authority over our enemies. Most of those enemies are our fears, lies in our heads, and self-destructive habits. God does not want us to bargain or compromise with our enemies.  He wants us to totally destroy them.

Exodus 23:22-24 (NIV)

If you listen carefully to what he (my angel) says and do all that I say, I will be an enemy to your enemies and will oppose those who oppose you.

My angel will go ahead of you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites and Jebusites, and I will wipe them out.

Do not bow down before their gods or worship them or follow their practices. You must demolish them and break their sacred stones to pieces.

Joshua 10:3-4 (NIV)

So Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem appealed to Hoham king of Hebron, Piram king of Jarmuth, Japhia king of Lachish and Debir king of Eglon.

"Come up and help me attack Gibeon," he said, "because it has made peace with Joshua and the Israelites."

Joshua 10:5 (NIV)

Then the five kings of the Amorites--the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish and Eglon--joined forces. They moved up with all their troops and took up positions against Gibeon and attacked it.

Joshua 10:7-10 (NIV)

So Joshua marched up from Gilgal with his entire army, including all the best fighting men.

The LORD said to Joshua, "Do not be afraid of them; I have given them into your hand. Not one of them will be able to withstand you."

After an all-night march from Gilgal, Joshua took them by surprise.

The LORD threw them into confusion before Israel, who defeated them in a great victory at Gibeon. Israel pursued them along the road going up to Beth Horon and cut them down all the way to Azekah and Makkedah.

Joshua 10:11-14 (NIV)

As they fled before Israel on the road down from Beth Horon to Azekah, the LORD hurled large hailstones down on them from the sky, and more of them died from the hailstones than were killed by the swords of the Israelites.

On the day the LORD gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the LORD in the presence of Israel: "O sun, stand still over Gibeon, O moon, over the Valley of Aijalon."

So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the nation avenged itself on its enemies, as it is written in the Book of Jashar. The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day.

There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the LORD listened to a man. Surely the LORD was fighting for Israel!

When Jabin king of Hazor heard of this, he sent word to Jobab king of Madon, to the kings of Shimron and Acshaph, and to the northern kings who were in the mountains, in the Arabah south of Kinnereth, in the western foothills and in Naphoth Dor on the west; to the Canaanites in the east and west; to the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites and Jebusites in the hill country; and to the Hivites below Hermon in the region of Mizpah.

They came out with all their troops and a large number of horses and chariots--a huge army, as numerous as the sand on the seashore.

All these kings joined forces and made camp together at the Waters of Merom, to fight against Israel.

Joshua 11:6-8 (NIV)

The LORD said to Joshua, "Do not be afraid of them, because by this time tomorrow I will hand all of them over to Israel, slain. You are to hamstring their horses and burn their chariots."

So Joshua and his whole army came against them suddenly at the Waters of Merom and attacked them, and the LORD gave them into the hand of Israel. They defeated them and pursued them all the way to Greater Sidon, to Misrephoth Maim, and to the Valley of Mizpah on the east, until no survivors were left.

Joshua 11:21-23 (NIV)

At that time Joshua went and destroyed the Anakites from the hill country: from Hebron, Debir and Anab, from all the hill country of Judah, and from all the hill country of Israel. Joshua totally destroyed them and their towns.

No Anakites were left in Israelite territory; only in Gaza, Gath and Ashdod did any survive.

So Joshua took the entire land, just as the LORD had directed Moses, and he gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal divisions. Then the land had rest from war.