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Who're You Gonna Call?


                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.” (Joshua 10:1-8)


            This passage has one of those phrases that are easy to overlook. Speaking of Gibeon, it says, "and all its men were good fighters." The people who stooped to subterfuge to make an alliance with Israel weren't wimps. They also weren't idiots. They knew they couldn't defeat Israel, so they did what they thought they had to do to survive. They found out some repercussions in yesterday's passage: servitude. They find out more in today's: attack by their former allies. The kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish and Eglon were joining forces to attack. Gibeon wisely called to Israel for help. 
          This is one of those cases in which God was clearly arranging things. Sometimes, we can't see His hand. Rather than having to travel from city-state to city-state, God was bringing five of them together. God gave Joshua reassurance: the kings and their armies would not withstand Joshua and his army. One battle instead of five.
           We all have Gibeons in our lives. They may not be our servants, but they are God's and they find themselves up against an enemy, or five. They call on us to help. Sometimes that help is something physical like running an errand or listening. Other times, the help is spiritual, like prayer. How often do we say, "I'll pray for you," or "praying"? Do we? Are we? Why don't we pray right then and there? I have found that I tend to forget if I don't act right then. I'm trying to build the habit of praying as I encounter the need, rather than saving it for some official prayer time.  I'd like to get to the point where I regularly pray "aloud" (even using social media) for those who need it. Imagine Facebook filled with prayers and not just promises about which we forget. 
         Last year, I began a practice that I'm continuing this year. I'm not waiting for someone to tell me they need prayer. As I walk in the morning, I try to lift up each unit in my park, and everyone I can think of from my church in Erie, and friends, relatives, elected officials, and anyone else who comes to mind. I use the fruit of the Spirit as my blessing for each one, plus whatever of their needs that I know. I'm asking for God to win great victories here this winter, and in Erie, around the nation and across the world. I even pray for terrorists, that they would be converted, captured or killed before they do harm (in that order of preference.)
        I am also your Gibeon. I ask for prayers for wisdom, direction and attitude. There are other needs... God knows what they are, but they are challenges I don't feel capable of handling by myself. Some are pretty big to me, but God provides "Israels" in our lives to come to our rescue when we're overwhelmed. I'm inviting you to be part of my Israel, and I'll continue to be part of  yours.

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