Human Response 349: Take the Kings and their Land

Joshua 10:42 And all these kings and their land did Joshua take at one time, because the Lord God of Israel fought for Israel.

Joshua took the land that God gave. So which is it? Did Israel take, or did God give? The Bible says both. The Word is clear: God gave the land by grace, but men still had to take what God gave, and they did so by faith. God executed the battle and He fought for Israel. Chapter 10 gives the details of the Conquest in the southern campaign.

The kingdom of God is given to us freely by grace for Christ’s sake. He did it all; He finished the work. There is nothing left for us to do but receive (believe) what God gives. But that is not as easy as it first appears. Strong resistance comes from pride and unbelief, from the natural man and human reason. These enemies must be overcome, and so the Holy Spirit comes through the gospel to grant the faith to receive the gift and take over the kingdom of God.

There will be violence in the takeover, for Sin and Evil will not easily loose their hold on us. The violent takeover happened in the Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Spirit applies the blessings of that takeover through the preaching of the Gospel. We then by faith in grace and believing prayer confront the problems of the day. We repent, believe the Gospel, pray the Lord’s Prayer, and pray specifically for the needs we feel. The Lord God fights for us.