Morning Light – February 23rd, 2015: Have You Conquered Your Jebusites? (Video)

Today: [Joshua Chapter Fifteen]: Have Your Conquered Your Inner Jebusites? In this chapter the conquests specifically of the tribe of Judah are listed. One of the great challenges was to conquer the Jebusites. The name “Jebusite” means “Down Trodden”. This seems to be the last enemy to be conquered in the quest for Christian maturity. Depression, frustration, being down hearted will impede your spiritual progress and make you a liability to the people of God. In this chapter we will find the keys to walking in victory over the tyranny of the emotions in your life.

Today: [Joshua Chapter Fifteen]: Have Your Conquered Your Inner Jebusites? In this chapter the conquests specifically of the tribe of Judah are listed. One of the great challenges was to conquer the Jebusites. The name “Jebusite” means “Down Trodden”. This seems to be the last enemy to be conquered in the quest for Christian maturity. Depression, frustration, being down hearted will impede your spiritual progress and make you a liability to the people of God. In this chapter we will find the keys to walking in victory over the tyranny of the emotions in your life.
[Jos 15:1-63 KJV] 1 [This] then was the lot of the tribe of the children of Judah by their families; [even] to the border of Edom the wilderness of Zin southward [was] the uttermost part of the south coast. 2 And their south border was from the shore of the salt sea, from the bay that looketh southward: 3 And it went out to the south side to Maalehacrabbim, and passed along to Zin, and ascended up on the south side unto Kadeshbarnea, and passed along to Hezron, and went up to Adar, and fetched a compass to Karkaa: 4 [From thence] it passed toward Azmon, and went out unto the river of Egypt; and the goings out of that coast were at the sea: this shall be your south coast. 5 And the east border [was] the salt sea, [even] unto the end of Jordan. And [their] border in the north quarter [was] from the bay of the sea at the uttermost part of Jordan: 6 And the border went up to Bethhogla, and passed along by the north of Betharabah; and the border went up to the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben: 7 And the border went up toward Debir from the valley of Achor, and so northward, looking toward Gilgal, that [is] before the going up to Adummim, which [is] on the south side of the river: and the border passed toward the waters of Enshemesh, and the goings out thereof were at Enrogel: 8 And the border went up by the valley of the son of Hinnom unto the south side of the Jebusite; the same [is] Jerusalem: and the border went up to the top of the mountain that [lieth] before the valley of Hinnom westward, which [is] at the end of the valley of the giants northward: 9 And the border was drawn from the top of the hill unto the fountain of the water of Nephtoah, and went out to the cities of mount Ephron; and the border was drawn to Baalah, which [is] Kirjathjearim: 10 And the border compassed from Baalah westward unto mount Seir, and passed along unto the side of mount Jearim, which [is] Chesalon, on the north side, and went down to Bethshemesh, and passed on to Timnah: 11 And the border went out unto the side of Ekron northward: and the border was drawn to Shicron, and passed along to mount Baalah, and went out unto Jabneel; and the goings out of the border were at the sea. 12 And the west border [was] to the great sea, and the coast [thereof]. This [is] the coast of the children of Judah round about according to their families. 13 And unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh he gave a part among the children of Judah, according to the commandment of the LORD to Joshua, [even] the city of Arba the father of Anak, which [city is] Hebron. 14 And Caleb drove thence the three sons of Anak, Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai, the children of Anak. 15 And he went up thence to the inhabitants of Debir: and the name of Debir before [was] Kirjathsepher. 16 And Caleb said, He that smiteth Kirjathsepher, and taketh it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter to wife. 17 And Othniel the son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, took it: and he gave him Achsah his daughter to wife. 18 And it came to pass, as she came [unto him], that she moved him to ask of her father a field: and she lighted off [her] ass; and Caleb said unto her, What wouldest thou? 19 Who answered, Give me a blessing; for thou hast given me a south land; give me also springs of water. And he gave her the upper springs, and the nether springs.
This chapter is primarily a recounting of the territory portioned to the tribe of Judah and the conquest Hebron and it’s surrounding area by Caleb. In verse 16 he promises his daughter in marriage to the man who took Kirjathsepher. So Caleb – the man who famously demanded “Give Me My Mountain” was also a man who encouraged boldness in others.
The area where this city was located is Debir which later was the same name used to refer to the Holy of Holies in Solomon’s temple. Now why would they name the Holy of Holies after an area that Caleb of the tribe of Judah conquered? Debir means “sanctuary”. It also means “oracle”. These references coming down to us in the story of Caleb are no mistake. There are no coincidences that have no meaning to us today. Remember the words of Paul:
[1Co 10:11 KJV] 11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
So we have to ask ourselves what we can learn about our place in the kingdom and who Jesus is to us by reading these verses? The Holy of Holies here is equivalent with the term “Oracle” and Peter said this about the gift of prophecy:
[1Pe 4:11 KJV] 11 If any man speak, [let him speak] as the oracles of God; if any man minister, [let him do it] as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
When you prophesy as the oracle of God what does this mean? When you speak for God you are speaking out from the Holy of Holies. This is a type of the human spirit where God lives. You don’t speak out of your emotions or out of your intellect. You speak out of your spirit. Many struggle to hear God because they are straining to hear him through their intellect or their emotions. You have to go to where God sits enthroned to hear His voice and that is in your spirit. Your spirit has a mind and it resided deeper than your natural mind or your emotions.
Debir was also Kirjathsepher. Kirjathsepher means “the city of the book”. God has called you a living epistle. This is all connected with your spirit man. This is territory that must be conquered. Proverbs 16:32 says: [Pro 16:32 KJV] … he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city. You have to take that territory within you in order to hear God clearly and accurately in your life. We have many who take our prophetic classes who wash out because they absolutely refuse to unseat the enemies that keep them from their own human spirit where God sits and speaks. They cannot and will not put their emotions in check, put their opinions aside because they are held captive by them. They would rather serve the cruel taskmasters of the natural mind and emotions than to conquer that territory and hear the pure voice of God. Intellect slays them. Logic slays them. Rationale and unbelief slays them and they never come to that inward oracle, their Debir – their city of the book where God sits and speaks and would commune with them.
Caleb promises his daughter Achsah to the man who conquers this city. Achsah’s name means ankle chain. She is a type of the soul. In scriptural metaphor the soul is always feminine. Hence we are called the bride of Christ which speaks of our souls married to Christ. When you take Kirjath-sephir and enter into the Holy of Holies where the oracle of God is heard clearly you will have your soul in check. Your soul will be the servant and your spirit will rule in obedience to the oracle of God in the Holy of Holies. Where do we get all of this? By looking at the names of the people and the places conquered in Canaan. None of these are listed by happenstance. They all speak directly to us of conquering the inner territory of our own Canaan land potential.
20 This [is] the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Judah according to their families. 21 And the uttermost cities of the tribe of the children of Judah toward the coast of Edom southward were Kabzeel, and Eder, and Jagur, 22 And Kinah, and Dimonah, and Adadah, 23 And Kedesh, and Hazor, and Ithnan, 24 Ziph, and Telem, and Bealoth, 25 And Hazor, Hadattah, and Kerioth, [and] Hezron, which [is] Hazor, 26 Amam, and Shema, and Moladah, 27 And Hazargaddah, and Heshmon, and Bethpalet, 28 And Hazarshual, and Beersheba, and Bizjothjah, 29 Baalah, and Iim, and Azem, 30 And Eltolad, and Chesil, and Hormah, 31 And Ziklag, and Madmannah, and Sansannah, 32 And Lebaoth, and Shilhim, and Ain, and Rimmon: all the cities [are] twenty and nine, with their villages: 33 [And] in the valley, Eshtaol, and Zoreah, and Ashnah, 34 And Zanoah, and Engannim, Tappuah, and Enam, 35 Jarmuth, and Adullam, Socoh, and Azekah, 36 And Sharaim, and Adithaim, and Gederah, and Gederothaim; fourteen cities with their villages: 37 Zenan, and Hadashah, and Migdalgad, 38 And Dilean, and Mizpeh, and Joktheel, 39 Lachish, and Bozkath, and Eglon, 40 And Cabbon, and Lahmam, and Kithlish, 41 And Gederoth, Bethdagon, and Naamah, and Makkedah; sixteen cities with their villages: 42 Libnah, and Ether, and Ashan, 43 And Jiphtah, and Ashnah, and Nezib, 44 And Keilah, and Achzib, and Mareshah; nine cities with their villages: 45 Ekron, with her towns and her villages: 46 From Ekron even unto the sea, all that [lay] near Ashdod, with their villages: 47 Ashdod with her towns and her villages, Gaza with her towns and her villages, unto the river of Egypt, and the great sea, and the border [thereof]: 48 And in the mountains, Shamir, and Jattir, and Socoh, 49 And Dannah, and Kirjathsannah, which [is] Debir, 50 And Anab, and Eshtemoh, and Anim, 51 And Goshen, and Holon, and Giloh; eleven cities with their villages: 52 Arab, and Dumah, and Eshean, 53 And Janum, and Bethtappuah, and Aphekah, 54 And Humtah, and Kirjatharba, which [is] Hebron, and Zior; nine cities with their villages: 55 Maon, Carmel, and Ziph, and Juttah, 56 And Jezreel, and Jokdeam, and Zanoah, 57 Cain, Gibeah, and Timnah; ten cities with their villages: 58 Halhul, Bethzur, and Gedor, 59 And Maarath, and Bethanoth, and Eltekon; six cities with their villages: 60 Kirjathbaal, which [is] Kirjathjearim, and Rabbah; two cities with their villages: 61 In the wilderness, Betharabah, Middin, and Secacah, 62 And Nibshan, and the city of Salt, and Engedi; six cities with their villages. 63 As for the Jebusites the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the children of Judah could not drive them out: but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Judah at Jerusalem unto this day.
Again the Jebusites are the hold outs. Eventually Caleb does drive out the Jebusites. The Jebusites name means “trodden down”. We all walk in victory when our emotions are not interfering. But on those days and in those times that the emotions are down and we are discouraged those are the times we are conquered. Elijah slew the 450 prophets of Baal and was a bold warrior but when he was down and depressed he fled before Jezebel in absolute terror. His Jebusites were unconquered. The Jebusites are a metaphor for your emotions. Have you conquered your Jebusites? There are people in your life who will be allies with you in the good fight of faith but in a moment of weakness their Jebusites rise up and suddenly your partner in faith is a voice of dissent and discouragement because they haven’t conquered their emotions. Ultimately this territory where the Jebusites were is where David built his winter palace. It became the favorite home place for the kings of Israel for generations because it was a place of victory. But for many years it was a place of defeat. God wants you to conquer your Jebusites – your emotions. Till they are in check you will be of little use in the kingdom because the enemy will turn you into a liability at the very point the battle is about to be won.
Remember the words of Solomon written on the very place where the Jebusites ruled – “… he that rules his spirit is better than he that takes a city…” This is the definition of Christian maturity. You must conquer your mind, will and emotions. You cannot wait for God to do it for you. You must bring your mind, you will and emotions into subservience. You must put an ankle chain around your soul-man and bring it under the Lordship of Jesus Christ or your usefulness in the kingdom will be very marginal.