Joshua 10:22–27

Then Joshua said, “Open the mouth of the cave, and bring out those five kings to me from the cave.” And they did so, and brought out those five kings to him from the cave: the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon.

So it was, when they brought out those kings to Joshua, that Joshua called for all the men of Israel, and said to the captains of the men of war who went with him, “Come near, put your feet on the necks of these kings.” And they drew near and put their feet on their necks. Then Joshua said to them, “Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed; be strong and of good courage, for thus the LORD will do to all your enemies against whom you fight.” And afterward Joshua struck them and killed them, and hanged them on five trees; and they were hanging on the trees until evening. So it was at the time of the going down of the sun that Joshua commanded, and they took them down from the trees, cast them into the cave where they had been hidden, and laid large stones against the cave’s mouth, which remain until this very day.

This bit with putting their feet on the necks of the five kings isn’t to hold them down; it’s a ceremony. There are only five kings but lots of Israelite troops. Everyone gets a turn.

But what’s up with Joshua telling them to not be afraid? There’s nothing here to be afraid of.

This isn’t about the present. The ceremony is to steel them for the battles to come. That’s where they need to not be afraid, nor be dismayed; be strong and of good courage.

They need to see themselves as mighty conquerors, blessed by the LORD.

So Joshua has them “walk on kings.”

We’re mighty conquerors blessed by the LORD, too.

But our conquering isn’t military, it’s evangelistic. So, walking on people is the opposite of what we should do to give us courage for the battles ahead. Our goal isn’t to defeat others; it’s to share victory with them.

So, our encouraging ceremony couldn’t be more different. It begins with the words, “On the night He was betrayed.”

But this ceremony doesn’t commemorate our Lord’s victory over death; it commemorates the death itself. The symbol of our religion, the one we hang on walls and wear as jewelry, is a symbol of the horrible way He died.

This serves to focus our encouragement on Him. We are helpless. He did it all. We played absolutely no role in the great victory. Like the hailstorm, it was all God.

Thus, in communion we celebrate what Christ did for us.

 That gives us a different kind of courage—one born not of self-confidence but of Him-confidence.

These Monday—Friday DEEPs are written by Mike Slay. The Weekend DEEPs are written by Matt Richardson. To subscribe to all the DEEPs click here:

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The weekly study guides, which include the Monday–Friday devotionals plus related questions for discussion or meditation, are available for download here:

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ESV stands for the English Standard Version. © Copyright 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved. NIV stands for The Holy Bible, New International Version®. © Copyright 1973 by International Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved. KJV stands for the King James Version.