??Let's review our Joshua lessons with a song：??Joshua led the people of Israel, Israel, Israel.
??Joshua led the people of Israel, now the story we will tell!
??Two spies were helped by Rahab, she hid them carefully,
??A red cord out her window did save her family.
??(repeat first two lines)
??Now you march around the city, one time for six days straight,
??On the 7th day, march 7 times, give a shout and celebrate!
??(repeat first two lines)
??Now don't make an agreement, with the people in this land,
??But the Gibeonites fooled Joshua, and their trickery would stand.
??(repeat first two lines)
??Yes, the Gibeonites had become an everyday sight in the camp at Gilgal, as they chopped wood and hauled water. Joshua and the people of Israel kept their promise to the Gibeonites, and all seemed to be going well. But Joshua chapter 10 begins ？Now it came to pass, when Adonizedec king of Jerusalem had heard how Joshua had taken Ai？and completely destroyed it, as he had done to Jericho, and how the people of Gibeon had made peace with Israel, they were greatly afraid, because Gibeon was a great city, as one of the royal cities, and because all the men in Gibeon were mighty. So Adonizedec king of Jerusalem gathered 4 other powerful kings and all their armies, and they ALL went to battle against Gibeon.
??What do you think the Gibeonites did when they saw this vast army gathering around their city？Joshua 10：6 says ？And the men of Gibeon sent to Joshua？？" Come and help us, quick!" they cried to Joshua. The Gibeonites knew where to go for help! Never had they heard of a God so powerful to save and help as Israel's God. He is the same powerful God today, and He says in Isaiah 45：22, "Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth：for I am God, and there is none else. The God of Israel is the God Who created all things, including you and me. He has all power and there is no problem too big for Him! Not even the biggest problem you and I have, and that is sin.
??You may think your bad grades in school, or your lack of money, or your lack of friends is your biggest problem. But none of those problems last forever. God says the problem of sin keeps us separated from Him and His wonderful heaven forever. Do you know where to go for help with your sin problem？The same place the Gibeonites went!
??Romans 5：8 says that God proved His love to us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. God's love made Him give up His dearest treasure, His perfect Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to take our punishment for sin. Before you even knew Him, or cared to know Him, Christ had already come to earth to take care of your sin problem! About 2000 years ago, He allowed Roman soldiers to nail His hands and feet to a rough wooden cross, where He died. The blood Jesus shed there, the suffering He endured, the death He died, were all a part of the payment for your sin and mine.
??But how wonderful to know He came alive the 3rd day! Now He is in Heaven, listening for those who cry out with all their hearts, "Help me, Lord Jesus. Save me from my sin!" The Gibeonites were also crying out, Help us, save us! They knew only the God of Joshua could help them.
??Of course, the Lord knew all about this desperate need, long before anyone else knew it. Listen as I read Joshua 10：8 ？And the Lord said to Joshua, don't be afraid of them. I have delivered them into your hand; there shall not a man of them stand before you."
??With God on his side, Joshua and his army were a MAJORITY, even though they were facing a battle against 5 armies!
??Joshua quickly called his army together and they traveled all night to get to Gibeon as quickly as possible. As Joshua's army and the people of Gibeon began the fight against these 5 mighty armies, there was another invisible army there as well. The Bible says the Lord upset the 5 mighty armies of the Amorites. One way He upset them was that He cast down great hailstones from heaven upon them. The soldiers that died from these huge hailstones hitting them, were more than the army of Israel had killed!
??There was no doubt that God was giving Joshua the victory over his enemies. But one thing was troubling Joshua during that battle. As he glanced up at the sky, he realized the sun was about to set, and the moon was about to come up. He needed more time to finish that battle! With a great and godly boldness, Joshua suddenly did something that no one else on earth has ever done! Joshua 10：12-14 tells us, Then Joshua spoke to the Lord ？in the sight of all Israel, "Sun, stand still upon Mt. Gibeon; and you, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon." And the sun stood still, and moon stayed, until the people of Israel had gotten the victory over their enemies. So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and did not
??go down about a whole day. And there was no day like that before it or after it？for the Lord fought for Israel. The Lord had been their Helper, in a miraculous way!
??Verse 15 says, "And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to the camp at Gilgal."
??The battle was over, and they had won! But I'm sure as that army returned home, they were not bragging on how well they themselves had fought! The army of Israel knew they had won because the LORD had fought for Israel! If you know the Lord Jesus as your Saviour from sin, the Lord fights for you too! There's a heavenly army of angels we never see, but they are working for us as believers. If God's army is for us, who can stand against us？Will you remember the Lord is your Helper this week？Ask Him for help with all your problems! Will you obey His commandments and live to please Him, so nothing will hinder the Lord form helping you when you call to Him？And don't forget the THANKS prayer afterwards!
??If you are not a child of God, will you go right now to "How to be a Child of God？"
??让我们以诗歌的形式来回顾约书亚课程：??以色列民到迦南, 面对仇敌去争战；
??约书亚派两探子, 进入敌城来查看；
??仇敌追赶喇合助, 全家因此得保全；
??圣民攻打耶利哥, 遵从主命绕城桓；
??七日齐声发呐喊, 城墙四裂仇敌散；
??不与别族有相干, 基遍用计巧过关。
??是的, 基遍人用计与以色列人立了和约。现在, 他们就住在吉甲以色列人的营中, 以色列人每天看见他们劈柴挑水。约书亚和以色列人也按照他们所应许的对待基遍人。
??但是, 在约书亚记10章一开始, 记载到："耶路撒冷王亚多尼洗德听见约书亚夺了艾城, 并毁灭了那里的一切, 以及他怎样对待耶利哥和耶利哥的王, 也照样子对待艾城和艾城的王, 又听见基遍的居民与以色列人立了和约, 住在他们中间, 就非常惧怕。因为基遍是一座大城, 象都城一般, 比艾城还要大, 并且城内的人都是勇士。所以耶路撒冷王亚多尼洗德打发人去找了其他四个王, 准备攻打基遍, 因为他们与约书亚和以色列人立了和约。
??当基遍人看到这么多军队聚集在城的周围, 他们是什么反应呢？约书亚记10章6节讲到？基遍人就打发人往吉甲的营中去见约书亚, 说："求你速速上来拯救我们, 帮助我们。" 这些基遍人实在是知道到哪里去寻求帮助！他们从来没有听说过哪一位神像以色列的神一样有能力, 而且他今天也一样有能力, 他在以赛亚书45章22节说："地极的人都当仰望我, 就必得救。因为我是神, 再没有别神！"以色列人的神就是那位创造了宇宙万有, 创造了你和我的神。他大有能力, 在神没有不可能的事。甚至是我们最大的问题, 就是罪的问题。
??你也许会认为你的最大问题是成绩不好, 或者没有钱, 很穷, 或者没有朋友。但是这些问题都是暂时的, 都要过去。但神说罪的问题却能使我们与神和天堂永远的分离。
??对于罪的问题, 我们能到哪里去寻求帮助呢？就是基遍人所去的地方。罗马书5章8节说："惟有基督在我们还作罪人的时候为我们死神的爱就在此向我们显明了。"
??神对我们的爱使他舍去了他最宝贝的, 就是他完美的儿子, 我们的主耶稣。他亲自来承担对罪的惩罚。在你还不认识他的时候, 甚至根本不屑于来认识他的时候基督已经来到地上, 解决了罪的问题。在2000年前, 他把自己交在罗马士兵的手里, 他们把主耶稣的手和脚钉在十字架上。主耶稣流出的血, 他所受的痛苦, 他的死, 都是为你和我的罪所付上的代价。但是, 奇妙的是耶稣在第三天复活了。现在他就在天上, 他倾听那些向他从心底里发出的呼喊："帮助我, 主耶稣。救我脱离我的罪。？基遍人也在呼喊, 帮助我们, 拯救我们。他们知道, 只有约书亚的神能够帮助他们。
??当然, 神早就知道这些急切的需要。 听我念约书亚记10章8节："耶和华对约书亚说："不要怕他们, 因为我已将他们交在你手里, 他们无一人能在你面前站立得住。"
??有神与他同在, 约书亚虽然是在与5个王交战, 他是完全占了上风。约书亚快速集结他的军队, 走了一整夜赶到基遍。当约书亚的军队和基遍人在和5个王打仗的时候, 还有另外一支看不见的军队。圣经说神使5个王的军队在以色列人面前溃乱。神从天上降大冰雹在他们身上, 打死他们。被冰雹打死的, 比以色列人用刀杀死的还多。
??神把胜利交在约书亚手中。 但是, 有一件事却使约书亚发愁。因为他发现太阳快落
??山, 而月亮就要升起来了。 而他还需要时间来把仗打完。 带着神圣的勇气, 约书亚在以色列众人面前祷告说："日头啊, 你要停在基遍；月亮啊, 你要止在亚雅仑谷。"
??于是日头停留, 月亮止住, 直等以色列人打完仗。日头在天当中停住, 没有下落, 大概有一整天那么久。在这天以前, 这一天以后, 神从来没有象这一天一样听人的祷告, 是因为神为以色列人争战。神实在是他们的帮助, 他行了何等大的神迹。
??约书亚记10章15节说："约书亚和以色列众人回到吉甲的营中。"仗已经打完了, 以色列人取得了胜利。我相信当他们回去的时候, 没有人夸口自己多么棒。因为他们知道他们之所以赢, 是神帮助了他们。 如果你相信主耶稣把你从罪中拯救出来, 神也要为你争战。在天上有神的天使, 是我们看不见的天上的军队, 他们要来帮助我们这些相信的人。如果神的军队为我们争战, 谁能抵挡我们呢？在这个星期, 你要来记住神是我们的帮助。对于你所有的问题, 你都可以求他来帮助。让我们来顺服他的命令, 活出讨神喜悦的生活, 这样当你呼求神的帮助的时候, 就没有任何东西可以阻拦神来帮助你。另外别忘了, 还要献上感谢的祷告。
??如果你还没有成为神的孩子, 请你去听"怎样成为神的孩子。" |