Finish What You Have Started
- Rev. Jerry Lepasana
- Mar 19, 2006
- Series: Moving into a Great Future
FINISH WHAT YOU HAVE STARTED
Joshua 10:1-15
- Now Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem heard that Joshua had taken Ai and totally destroyed it, doing to Ai and its king as he had done to Jericho and its king, and that the people of Gibeon had made a treaty of peace with Israel and were living near them.
- He and his people were very much alarmed at this, because Gibeon was an important city, like one of the royal cities; it was larger than Ai, and all its men were good fighters.
- 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."
- 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.
- The Gibeonites then sent word to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal: "Do not abandon your servants. Come up to us quickly and save us! Help us, because all the Amorite kings from the hill country have joined forces against us."
- 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.
- 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!
- Then Joshua returned with all Israel to the camp at Gilgal.
One characteristic that stands out among many men and women who have been successful in life is the ability to be good finishers. Take for example the athletes who have the privileged to appear on the boxes of Wheaties. They have been given the honor of being on breakfast tables around the world not because they are good starters, but because they are good finishers. It is tragic when people start out well, but they do not finish well.
Time and time again, we need to be reminded that it is not only important to start right, it is much more important to end well what you have started. My hope and desire is for us to finish well.
This is the main challenge in our text this morning. Chapter 10 in the book of Joshua is one of the familiar passages among God's people because of the special miracle God has performed in behalf of Israel as an answer to Joshua's prayer. Knowing how important it was for them to finish the battle they were fighting that day, Joshua sought the Lord to let the sun stand still and make the day longer. And God honored Joshua and Israel by responding positively.
In the same manner, I believe God will never hesitate to help and bless us if we have the desire to be good finishers. The only question we need to ask is - what do we need to do in order to see that God will be on our side assisting us to finish well? Here are some truths we can learn from our text:
I KEEP THE COMMITMENT: (vv. 1-7)
First and foremost, we need to highlight the value of deep commitment. This is exemplified clearly by Joshua and the army of Israel.
In the previous chapter, we have studied how the Gibeonites deceived Joshua and the elders of Israel in order for them to receive a peace treaty that would spare them from being completely destroyed.
This surrender had caused great alarm to King Adoni-Zedek, the king of Jerusalem because it had severely weakened their coalition. Therefore, looking at the Gibeonites as traitors, the king of Jerusalem together with four southern cities went against them.
Faced with the armies of the coalition and certain destruction, the Gibeonites sent a messenger to Joshua asking for help based on their treaty with Israel. Now, if you were on the shoes of Joshua, would you go and help? In a way, this was a perfect opportunity for Joshua to get rid of the Gibeonites. But, Joshua being a man of deep commitment honored the treaty they have made with them.
Speaking of commitment, aside from seeing Joshua's commitment, we can also emphasize God's commitment to Joshua and Israel. In here, God is willing to stand behind a covenant even if it was forged out of deception. We can definitely trust in Him!
How about you? Can God and others count on you to keep your commitments? The Bible reminds us:
For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. You have done a foolish thing, and from now on you will be at war."
God guarantees help to those who are fully committed to Him!
II KEEP THE COURAGE (v. 8)
Another significant truth in the passage is God's re-assurance to Joshua about their victory. Unlike what had happened in the previous chapter (9: 14), the fact that God is now giving a promise might suggest that Joshua had inquired of the Lord before proceeding further.
With all these kings joining together, there was probably a certain amount of concern in Joshua's heart. In this situation, God reiterated what He had promised Joshua before he took the responsibility of leading the Israel:
No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.
You know sometimes we don't have confidence to face some of the challenges before us, or we are a little nervous and we need to find the assurance we need from Him. We should always bear in mind that we can have sufficient strength from Him. Being conscious of the spiritual battles that believers fight, the apostle Paul exhorts us with these words:
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
It would be a great mistake to try to fight our battles on our own strength. The great commentator Matthew Henry gave this explanation:
We have no sufficient strength of our own.. Our natural courage is a perfect cowardice, and our natural strength as perfect weakness; but all our sufficiency is of God. In His strength we set forth and go on.
If we need some extra boost of confidence in order to keep going, seek the Lord and trust His promises. David expresses his great confidence on God who alone is the source of his hope. The key phrase is "in God alone."
- Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him.
- He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
- My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
- Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him,for God is our refuge.
III KEEP THE CONNECTION (vv. 9-15)
Motivated by God's promise, Joshua led a surprise attack against the southern coalition. Reading verses 10-11, initially the Lord did two things to give the Israelites tremendous advantages:
- The Lord threw the enemies into confusion (v.10)
- The Lord sent hailstones from heaven (v11)
Clearly, we can find an example of human and divine cooperation. God sends Joshua and the Israelites to fight, but ultimately God gives the victory.
Then, in verse 12, we move to one of the great miracles in the book, where the sun stood still. While their enemies were in a retreat, Joshua had realized that he had the opportunity to completely destroy them. However, he had a problem, there's not enough time to finish the job. So Joshua made an incredible prayer of faith.
The miracle of a longer daylight had been questioned by many skeptics saying the slowing down of the earth's rotation around the sun can cause cataclysmic effects on the earth. Well, the truth of the matter is God can do whatever He wants to do even overriding the laws of nature. I think what is more important for us to understand is the comment in verse 14.
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!
Although the miracle for a longer daylight has never been repeated, it's good to recognize that God can still hear and respond to the prayer of His people. But, keep in mind that answered prayers come easier to those who are intimately connected with God.
- Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God
- and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him.
Do you want to experience God in a greater way? Get intimately connected with God, and just like Joshua, the Lord will hear and respond to your prayers.
In February 24, Jason McElwain became an instant superstar after making 20 points in his high school basketball championship game. Having been cut from the high school varsity team, he took the role of being the team's manager, handing out water bottles, towels, or sometimes helping in running drills. While others would have probably bailed out already, Jason faithfully worked with the team until his senior year. His amazing dedication to the team won him the admiration of his schoolmates and teammates. Thus, his coach decided to give him a chance to play on their last game. In less than five minutes in the game, Jason went in the game and to the thrill of everyone in the gym drilled 20 points to finish his basketball career in a high note.
How about you? Are you conscious of finishing well what you have started? Remember, it is not so much on how you start out, but how you would finish. Finish well!