Pain in the Neck!
Today’s Verse:
The Lord liveth; and blessed be my rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted. ~Psalm 18:46
And it came to pass, when they brought out those kings unto Joshua, that Joshua called for all the men of Israel, and said unto the captains of the men of war which went with him, Come near, put your feet upon the necks of these kings. And they came near, and put their feet upon the necks of them. ~Joshua 10:24
A “pain in the neck” is a term used to describe someone who is very annoying, obnoxious, and troublesome to another person. In our devotion this morning, Joshua exhorts the captains of Israel’s military to put their feet on the necks of five Canaanite kings. You might say that Joshua was telling his men, “I want you to be a pain in the neck of these five kings.”
We see a conglomerated FOE.
The kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon joined forces to attack the men of Gibeon. Gibeon surrendered themselves to be the servants of Joshua and Israel. The five kings were greatly displeased with this act of submission and sought to destroy Gibeon. The world, the flesh, and the devil are the spiritual enemies of the believer. They conglomerate themselves to fight and war against us. These spiritual enemies hate it when a believer surrenders himself to the Lord. So, they come together to fight against Gibeon and Joshua. Never take your spiritual foes lightly. Always remember they work in tandem to wreck our testimony and effectiveness for the Lord.
We see the Christian FEET.
As we read Joshua 10, God gave Joshua and Israel an incredibly overwhelming victory over the five kings. These kings were defeated in the mountainous regions where they resided. In fact, God sent a great hailstorm where more men were slain by hailstones than by the sword. The five kings realized they were in a losing situation to Joshua and fled to nearby caves to hide. Joshua commanded to bring these kings out, and told his captains to put their feet on the necks of these kings. Christian feet are symbolic of two important aspects of Christian living. First, our feet are symbolic of our walk with God. We walk and run with our feet. A walk with God represents our closeness and fellowship with Lord. Enoch walked with God. He had sweet unbroken fellowship with God. We are to run our race with patience. Second, our feet represent our witness for God. Our feet are to be shod with the gospel of peace. How beautiful are the feet of those that preach the gospel of peace. Don’t underestimate the importance of the Christian feet!
We see a conquering FAITH.
Joshua said, “Put your feet upon the necks of these kings,” and the captains did so. Satan, the world, and the flesh are defeated foes. Jesus’ death on the cross and resurrection from the dead soundly defeated them. Stepping on the necks of the enemy symbolized conquest and victory. “The God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly.” A conquering faith is one that daily steps on the enemies’ necks. Let’s step on their neck through a life filled with God’s Word. Let’s step on their necks through a powerful prayer life. Let’s step on their necks by living in a spirit of praise and thanksgiving. Let’s step on their necks by witnessing and winning souls to the Lord. Let’s step on their necks by exercising faith in the vision God gives us through His local church. David said in Ps. 18:40, “Thou hast also given me the necks of mine enemies, that I might destroy them that hate me.”
A conquering and victorious faith is a pain in the neck of our spiritual enemies. Our Joshua is our commander and chief. Come near, and put our feet on the necks of these kings!
Have a conquering God Morning!