08/21/2026
Living With the Enemy
As the book of Joshua opens, God tells Joshua to conquer the land of Canaan with courage and faith and to walk in all the will and ways of the Lord. If he would do so, God promised that the land would be given to them (1:3). Joshua responds in faith and across the first half of the book, Jericho falls, the waters of the Jordan are held back and the people cross on dry land, Ai falls, the Gibeonites submit to Israel, the sun stands still in the sky, the five kings of the Amorites are defeated, the southern region is conquered, and the northern region is conquered.
In Joshua 13, after many years, God is still willing to fight for the people, but the people become complacent—content with how things are and less and less willing to disrupt their lives with conflict. In verse thirteen we read that there were some pagans that Israel did not drive out. Instead, they chose to inhabit the land with them. We see the same thing in Joshua 15:63. Jerusalem was, at that time, still a stronghold of the Jebusites. It would be another 400 years before King David would remove them.
The book of Joshua comes to a close (chapter 23) near the end of Joshua’s life. God is still willing to do what He promised, but His people had grown slack and complacent, losing faith and even beginning to serve other gods (24:23). Ultimately, this causes their downfall (read the book of Judges).
Living with the enemies of the Lord has always raised questions for God’s people. These questions often follow a similar pattern:
“Is the Lord not strong enough to fix this? Why are we still dealing with such evil?”
“Are these people actually right in what they do, and we are wrong?”
“Why do those who do evil still enjoy all kinds of good things?”
“Maybe we should have a look at what they are doing. It could be that some of it is okay.”
“Maybe they are okay in God’s mind and He is ok with them. After all, they are thriving”
“Hey, they really don’t seem too bad. Why are we calling them evil?”
“I don’t see why we can’t do some of these things. God doesn’t seem to mind.”
“Do not be deceived: Bad company ruins good morals.” - 1 Cor 15:33
“Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump.” - 1 Cor 5:6-7
Just like God’s people in Joshua’s time, we also must live among the enemies of God, the risk and temptation is that we conform to the world rather than transform into the image of Jesus. The mission for us is not to destroy them but to convert them and at least to remain distinct from them. That is the battle we face each day in our jobs, families, and communities.
The book of Joshua teaches us that doing God’s will requires obedience, discipline, and doing all that God requires of us. If we will, the fullness of His earthly blessings—and all His eternal promises—will be ours.
Jordan Graham
