This Sunday we are looking at Joshua 10 and Israel's victory over the kings of the land that are arrayed against them. In our passage, the Canaanite kings attack Gibeon, Israel quickly comes to its aid (because their new treaty), and the fighting ensues. At key points through the passage, we are reminded that the battle belongs to the Lord, which is key—and I think this dynamic is sometimes hard for us to keep in balance. This is what I mean: the battle is the Lord's, meaning that God fights for us, God secures the victory, God wins the battle and deserves the glory. But Israel is still called to do the work. The fact that the battle belongs to the Lord does not mean Israel is to stay napping in their tents while the battle rages, so to speak. We usually speak of this as God using means to accomplish his ends—we have things to do in this world, and God uses us to accomplish His will. I would like us to think about how we do that as a church here at New Covenant. God is faithful to us, but are we being careful to follow in doing what we've been called to do? Are we worshipping faithfully in our homes? Are we faithfully discipling those within our church (and particularly our children, youth, and young adults)? There are many more areas this could apply to, but I find passages like this one in Joshua immensely encouraging—because we do not have to be the best teachers, or the most talented speakers, or the most gifted disciplers in order to obey God's call. What we are called to be is to be faithful. When we put our hand to the work that God has given us, we can be confident that the battle belongs to the Lord.
