Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study - The Kings Who Lost to God | Historical Books | Joshua 12

Episode Date: January 27, 2025

Not 1, not 2, not 3... but 31 defeated kings! But will you trust God to defeat the "kings" in your life? In today's episode, Keith shows how the receipt of God's faithfulness in Joshua 12 reminds us that he will be faithful today. Read the Bible with us in 2025! This year, we’re exploring the Historical Books—Joshua, Judges, 1 & 2 Samuel, and 1 & 2 Kings. Download your reading plan now. Your support makes TMBT possible. Ten Minute Bible Talks is a crowd-funded project. Join the TMBTeam to reach more people with the Bible. Give now. Like this content? Make sure to leave us a rating and share it so that others can find it, too. Use #asktmbt to connect with us, ask questions, and suggest topics. We'd love to hear from you! To learn more, visit our website and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @TenMinuteBibleTalks. Don't forget to subscribe to the TMBT Newsletter here. Passages: Joshua 12

Welcome to 10-minute Bible Talks, where we connect the Bible to your life. In the time it takes to get to work. I'm Keith Simon. In 2010, LeBron James shocked the sports world when he announced his decision to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers and join the Miami Heat. The announcement was a massive media spectacle. LeBron didn't just make a statement. He held an hour-long television special called The Decision to Let the World Know. afterward he attended a celebratory event in Miami where he famously predicted their future success.

He said not one, not two, not three, not four, not five, not six, not seven championships. Now, in the end, the heat won two championships with LeBron. It's a very impressive feat by most standards. But LeBron's over-the-top prediction of seven championships, well, it made two feel underwhelming. Why? Well, because he listed victories that hadn't happened yet. He raised expectations that the team couldn't meet. Now, imagine if he'd listed all those championships after winning them.

That would have been a different story. That's exactly what God does in Joshua chapter 12. He doesn't list victories in advance. He gives a record after the fact. God had walked the walk, and now he's talking to talk. This chapter is essentially a receipt of God's faithfulness. Joshua chapter 12 is a list of 31 kings Israel defeated through God's power, and it stands as a testimony to what happens when people trust and obey God.

At first glance, Joshua 12 might seem like one of those skim it chapters or maybe even skip it chapters of the Bible. But when you slow down and pay attention, you'll see that each of those 31 kings represents a battle one, an obstacle overcome, and another step in the fulfillment of God's promises. And when you slow down to reflect, Joshua 12 reminds us of who God is and how he works in our, our lives and points us to our true king, Jesus. So let's dive in. Joshua 12 isn't just a victory list. It's a fulfillment of promises God made long before Israel ever set foot in the land. Go back to Genesis 15, where God told Abraham, to your descendants, I will give this land. At that time, Abraham didn't even have a child. From a human perspective, it sounded impossible. But God doesn't forget his promises. He led Abraham's descendants out of slavery,

in Egypt, through the wilderness for 40 years, and now in Joshua 12, we see them standing in the land God swore to give them. Every king listed, 31 in total, was another step toward God keeping his promises. Think about some of the battles leading up to this chapter. There was the battle of Jericho in Joshua chapter 6. That's when God told Israel to march around, that's when God told Israel to march around the city walls and shout. That was it. No siege, weapons, no battle, plan, just trust and obey, and the walls fell. And remember the battle of I in Joshua chapter 7 and 8? The first attempt ended in failure because of the sin of the people.

But when Israel repented and obeyed God's instructions, they claimed victory. Then there's the battle against the five kings of Gibbon in Joshua chapter 10. Israel was outnumbered and under attack. They saw God fight for them by sending hailstones and making the sun stand still so they could win the battle. Joshua 12 records every victory, not because Israel was particularly strong or strategic, but because God was faithful to His Word. Let me ask you this. What promises of God are you holding on to you right now?

Maybe you're clinging to his promise to never leave you or forsake you. Maybe you're holding onto the promise that he works all things for the good of those who love him, or he satisfies those who seek him with their life. Or maybe you're trusting him to provide for you or restore you or heal something that's broken in your life. Believing God's promises can be hard, especially when the waiting feels long or the battle feels overwhelming. But Joshua 12 reminds us that God doesn't leave promises unfulfilled. And here's what's even more powerful. You don't just have to look to the Bible to see God's faithfulness.

You can look at your own life. Are there any kings that God has defeated in your life? Has he freed you from addiction or self-destructive habits? Has he given you peace in the middle of a season that felt hopeless? Has he carried you through loss or loneliness or disappointment? Maybe you can make your own list of kings. Take a moment to reflect on the battles that God has already brought you through, because when we remember what he has done,

it strengthens our faith for what he will do next. But God's faithfulness isn't just about the past. It propels us forward in obedience. None of the victories in Joshua 12 happened because Israel was especially strong or smart. These weren't battles they won on their own. Every victory came as a result of trusting God and obeying Him, even when God's instructions didn't quite make sense, at least not human sense. Take Jericho, for example. Marching around a city and shouting doesn't sound like a great military strategy, but Israel obeyed and the walls fell.

or think again about the battle of I. Israel's first attempt failed because they went in on their own terms. They ignored God's commands. But when they repented and listened to God and followed his plan, they won. Here's the point. God's power often flows through our obedience. It's not that our obedience earns us his blessings, but it puts us in the place where we can experience his work in our lives.

Think about it this way. In Jeremiah 18, God gives us a picture of our relationship. relationship with him. He says, like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand. God is the potter. We are the clay. But here's the problem. We don't like being clay. We want to call the shots. We want to be the potter. We want to make our own plans and do things our way. But obedience means letting go of control. It's saying, God, I trust that you know better than I do. I trust your design for my life and when we live that way we position ourselves to see his power at work in our life what does obedience look like in your life right now is god asking you to forgive someone who doesn't deserve it

is he calling you to let go of a habit or a relationship or a dream that's pulling you away from him is he inviting you to step out in faith even though you're scared obedience isn't always comfortable but it's always worth it. Because when we surrender to God's will, we experience his strength, his provision, his victory. Finally, Joshua 12 isn't just about Israel's victory.

It points us to a far greater victory. 31 kings fell in Joshua 12, but they're just a glimpse of what Jesus accomplished on the cross. Jesus is the king of kings, the ultimate warrior who has defeated sin, death, and the grave. Through his life and his death and his resurrection,

he declared victory over every enemy that stands against us. Think about the list of victories you can add to God's record because of Jesus. Sin has been conquered and death has been defeated. You are no longer a slave to sin and shame and the grave has no hold on you. The kings in your life, your struggles, your failures, your weaknesses are no match for the king of kings. Jesus fought the ultimate battle on your behalf and he won. And because he won, you belong to the king. to him. Hebrews 12 says, for the joy set before him, Jesus endured the cross, scorning its shame,

and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. What was the joy set before him? It was you. Jesus went to the cross so that you could share in his victory and live with him forever. At first glance, Joshua 12 seems like a chapter in the Bible might just skip. But I think it's a chapter we need to keep coming back to. Why? Well, because Joshua 12 reminds us of God's faithfulness, it reminds us of God's power and God's promises. The victories recorded in this chapter aren't just ancient history. They're a picture of the God who still fights for us today. Because of Jesus, you don't fight alone. The King of Kings has already won the battle. Amen.