Joshua Nine - Wise Deception

"But when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai, they worked craftily, and went and pretended to be ambassadors. And they took old sacks on their donkeys, old wineskins torn and mended, old and patched sandals on their feet, and old garments on themselves; and all the bread of their provision was dry and moldy. And they went to Joshua, to the camp at Gilgal, and said to him and to the men of Israel, 'We have come from a far country; now therefore, make a covenant with us,'" Joshua 9:3-6, NKJV. #WiseDeception

When situations and circumstances come to a boiling point in the scriptures, even the most notable servants of God used deception in a very wise way; almost always, whether it be lying, breaking the law or using a false guise, it was done so to save lives.

1 Samuel 21:10-15, Acts 9:23-25 and Hebrews 11:30-31.

Joshua Eight - Destroying Fire

"Then you shall rise from the ambush and seize the city, for the Lord your God will deliver it into your hand. And it will be, when you have taken the city, that you shall set the city on fire. According to the commandment of the Lord you shall do. See, I have commanded you," Joshua 8:7-8, NKJV. #DestroyingFire

The final act of conquering a city, nation or people often mentioned in the scriptures is to destroy it with fire; it is usually done to the actual infrastructure of fortifications, such as their buildings and walls, to symbols of foreign entities and gods in the form of idols, and Jesus speaks of unquenchable spiritual flames which will devour all the Satanic forces in the lake of fire.

Amos 1:3-15, Luke 3:16-17 and Revelation 18:7-8.

Joshua Seven - Accursed Things

"Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them. For they have even taken some of the accursed things, and have both stolen and deceived; and they have also put it among their own stuff," Joshua 7:11, NKJV. #AccursedThings

Accursed things in scripture are anathemas, vilified, doomed, the disgusting objects, beliefs and even people that God commands us to put outside and stay away from; Jesus Christ became accursed for us through His death and resurrection, to fulfill the law, and by the grace of God cover our sins in order to deliver us from this evil world, making those who don't believe what He has done...accursed.

Deuteronomy 21:22-23, 1 Corinthians 12:3 and Galatians 1:6-10.

Joshua Six - Victory Preparation

"You shall march around the city, all you men of war; you shall go all around the city once. This you shall do six days. And seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark. But the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. It shall come to pass, when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, that all the people shall shout with a great shout; then the wall of the city will fall down flat. And the people shall go up every man straight before him," Joshua 6:3-5, NKJV.

Before the Lord accomplishes a victory over a challenging situation, He often gives a series of instructions in preparation for the miracle He is about to perform; while at the time His orders may seem odd and are usually unbelievable, they always represent a spiritual truth which involves faith in Him.

Exodus 12:1-11, 1 Kings 18:30-36 and Luke 9:10-16.

Joshua Five - Removing Clothes

"Then the Commander of the Lord’s army said to Joshua, 'Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy.' And Joshua did so," Joshua 5:15, NKJV. #RemovingClothes

Whenever a person finds himself in a holy place or in the presence of God in the scriptures, they are either commanded to take off a piece of clothing or they willingly undress; sometimes it's just the removal of sandals, but in other instances, people totally stripped naked in deference while worshiping the Lord.

Exodus 3:4-5, 1 Samuel 19:23-24 and Luke 19:33-36.

Joshua Four - Twelve Stones

"And it came to pass, when all the people had completely crossed over the Jordan, that the Lord spoke to Joshua, saying: 'Take for yourselves twelve men from the people, one man from every tribe, and command them, saying, "Take for yourselves twelve stones from here, out of the midst of the Jordan, from the place where the priests’ feet stood firm. You shall carry them over with you and leave them in the lodging place where you lodge tonight,"'" Joshua 4:1-3, NKJV. #TwelveStones

To reiterate the significance of the twelve tribes of Israel, God throughout the scriptures commanded His servants to set up memorials to remember the establishment of His covenant with them, often with stone markers; this can be found in the adornment of the ephod and breastplate, among various altars that were set up at special locations in times past and in the foundation of the New Jerusalem, the glorious city which will one day come out of heaven.

Exodus 39:8-14, 1 Kings 18:31-32 and Revelation 21:19-20.

Joshua Three - Water Wonders

"So it was, when the people set out from their camp to cross over the Jordan, with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people, and as those who bore the ark came to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests who bore the ark dipped in the edge of the water (for the Jordan overflows all its banks during the whole time of harvest), that the waters which came down from upstream stood still, and rose in a heap very far away at Adam, the city that is beside Zaretan. So the waters that went down into the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, failed, and were cut off; and the people crossed over opposite Jericho," Joshua 3:14-16, NKJV. #WaterWonders

In the scriptures, God performed many peculiar wonders involving water in the sight of men; from the parting of the Red Sea, to Jesus walking on the tops of waves, all them ultimately dealt with believers using their faith.

Exodus 14:20-22, 2 Kings 6:1-7 and Matthew 14:22-33.