God - Responding to a Great Need with a Great Blow - Joshua 10:1-27

Sermon Series: Great Leader, Exceptional Follower

This week we will focus our attention on Joshua 10.  But in order to set the stage and have the appropriate context we need to quickly cover the content of Joshua 9.  In verses 1 and 2 of Joshua 9 we see that the kings beyond the Jordan, having heard about the destruction of Jericho and Ai, began to establish alliances with one another for the purpose of protecting themselves against Joshua and Israel.  But in verses 3 through 13 we find one group that comes up with a different plan.  These verses tell us that the Gibeonites felt their odds of survival would be greater if they could deceive Joshua and the Israelites into establishing a covenant with them to ensure that the Israelites would not go to war with them.  So the Gibeonites began to gather together all of their worn out and old possessions – everything from worn out old clothes and sandals to old, stale bread, and old, patched wineskins.  Dressing in these old, worn out clothes, and with these old provisions in hand the Gibeonites set out to meet with Joshua and the Israelites.  When Joshua asked the Gibeonites from where they had come and why they had come they answered that they had come from a great distance because they had heard of the mighty things God was doing through Israel and they wanted to establish a covenant of peace with them.  When Joshua asked the Gibeonites how he could know that they were not in fact one of their neighbors living in the promise land the Gibeonites directed Joshua to the worn condition of their supplies.  They told Joshua to look at their old clothing.  They told Joshua to look at their worn sandals.  They told Joshua to look at their stale bread which was fresh out of the oven when they set out on their journey.  And apparently the condition of their supplies was enough to convince Joshua because verses 14 and 15 tell us that Joshua and the Israelites entered into a covenant with the Gibeonites without first consulting with God to see if He would give His approval.  Three days the truth became known to Joshua and the Israelites.  The Israelites discovered that the Gibeonites had deceived them - they were not from a distant place but that they did in fact live among them in the promise land.  As the chapter concludes we discover that the Israelites were not able to attack the Gibeonites because of the covenant which they had established with them, but instead made them servants with the specific tasks of cutting wood and drawing water. 

Chapter 10 of Joshua begins by shifting the focus of the text to a new individual - the king of Jerusalem.  Verses 1 through 5 of Joshua 10 tell us that the king of Jerusalem has heard two things: (1) that Joshua and the Israelites have destroyed the city of Ai and done to its king just as they had done to Jericho and its king, and (2) that the Gibeonites – a strong city full of mighty warriors – had established a covenant with Joshua and the Israelites.  The news of these events provokes great fear in the king of Jerusalem and we discover that he forms an alliance with four other kings and that they attempt to weaken the growing strength of the Israelites by going to war against the Gibeonites.  In verse 6 of chapter 10 the Gibeonites send to Joshua and plead with him to remain faithful to the covenant that they had entered into and to come and help them fight against the king of Jerusalem and the four other kings who had united their forces with his.  Joshua responds in verses 7 and 8, with assurance from God that He has given this army into his hands, by gathering the Israelite men of war and departing their camp in Gilgal to go and fight against the forces attacking Gibeon. 

Joshua 10:9-14 recounts for us the battle which ensued – and here is where I want us to really take some time examining what transpires.  Verse 9 tells us that the Israelites involvement in the battle came as a surprise to the 5 kings and their armies due to the fact that they arrived more quickly then the 5 kings had expected.  The text tells us that Joshua and the Israelites marched through the night in order to join in the battle.  But that is where the emphasis on Joshua and the Israelites ends.  Verse10 introduces a different hero – God.  Verse 10 tells us that “the Lord threw them into a panic before Israel . . .”  Then the remainder of verse 10 introduces four verbs that do not have a plural tense, but a singular tense, emphasizing that it was not the Israelite army which was carrying out these actions but rather one individual – God.  Verse 10 suggest that it was God who “threw them into a panic,” God who “struck them,” God who “chased them,” and God who “struck them.”  The emphasis we see in verse 10 is an emphasis on God fighting for the Israelites and that emphasis continues on into verse 11.  Verse 11 tells us that God physically fought against Israel’s enemies by throwing down large hailstones upon them.  In fact verse 11 tells us that “there were more who died because of the hailstones than the sons of Israel killed with the sword.”  Not only was God present with the Israelites in this battle, but God was literally fighting for them and Himself killing more of their enemies than they were killing. 

When we get to verses 12 through 14 we find a brief interruption in the narrative.  Verse 12 begins with the phrase, “at that time.”  That phrase in the Hebrew gives us insight into when exactly the following events were taking place.  They were not taking place after the events in verses 9 through 11, but rather were taking place at the same time as the events in verses 9 through 11.  While the Hebrew at the beginning of verse 12 makes that fact certain I have to be honest in saying that I cannot be certain about what transpired in the remainder of verses 12 and 13.  The text of verses 12 and 13 has been interpreted many ways, so the most honest approach is to say that we can’t have complete certainty about what transpired.  But there are two explanations that seem to carry more weight than the others.  The first explanation of the text in verses 12 and 13 is a very literal explanation.  Verses 12 and 13 say, “At that time Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord gave the Amorites over to the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, ‘Sun, stand still at Gibeon, and moon, in the Valley of Aijalon.’  And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, until the nation took vengeance on their enemies.  Is this not written in the Book of Jashar?  The sun stopped in the midst of heaven and did not hurry to set for about a whole day.”  Some scholars have studied this text and come to the conclusion that Joshua spoke to God in the midst of the battle that was taking place and seeing a need for more time and more daylight asked God to cause the sun to stand still until the Israelites were able to completely conquer the armies of these 5 kings.  Some well known church fathers including Augustine, Jerome, Luther and Calvin have all opted for a more literal explanation of these verses.  So this is an option that we have to give some very serious weight to.  Is God able to cause the sun to stand still in the sky for an extended period of time?  Absolutely!  He is sovereign over all of creation and there is nothing that He cannot do if He so desires. 

There are some other scholars who offer a different explanation for the text of verses 12 through 13.  These scholars opt for a figurative explanation rather than a literal explanation.  They suggest that the sun did not actually stand still in the sky, but that the author of the text was speaking in poetic terms of the awe inspiring hand of God working on behalf of the Israelites.  They suggest that the extent to which God went to fight for the Israelites on that day was so incredible that even the sun and moon ‘stood’ in awe.  In offering this explanation in place of a more literal explanation these scholars aren’t doubting the power or the sovereignty of God, they are just placing more weight on some of the evidence that exists in the text.  The first thing they note is the uncertainty that exists concerning what Joshua actually spoke to God.  Verse 12 says that “at that time Joshua spoke to the Lord . . . and he said in the sight of Israel . . .”  We can’t be certain about who the pronoun ‘he’ in this part of verse 12 is making reference to.  Is the ‘he’ making reference to Joshua?  Was Joshua instructing the sun and moon to stand still?  Or is the ‘he’ making reference to God?  Was God responding to a request of Joshua to help the Israelites in this battle against these 5 kings and their armies by coming to their aid in such an awe inspiring way that even the sun and moon took great notice?  The fact is the text doesn’t answer that question with any certainty.  We can be certain that Joshua spoke to God and in dependence upon Him asked for His aid – we can come to that conclusion from the evidence that exists in verses 12 and 14.  But we can’t have complete certainty on what the content of Joshua’s request consisted of.  The next challenging evidence from the text comes from the second part of verse 12 in which the text tells us where the sun and moon were positioned.  “Sun, stand still at Gibeon, and moon, in the Valley of Aijalon.”  If you examine a map of the promise land during the time of the Israelite conquest you’ll discover that Gibeon lies east of the Valley of Aijalon.  This tells us something about the time of day in which this statement was uttered – it was morning.  We all know that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west.  So if the sun was “standing still” over a location to the east and the moon was “standing still” over a location to the west then we must conclude that it was early in the day when Joshua’s request was made.  These scholars make the argument that Joshua would not have had any need for extra daylight at this time of the day and that this specific request would not have been necessary.  It also makes the second half of verse 13 easier to understand, “The sun stopped in the midst of heaven and did not hurry to set for about a whole day.”  If it was early in the day when this statement was made and the day seemed long because of the intense battle that was being fought, then it may not have seemed that the sun was in a hurry to set, but it still suggests that it ran it’s course of rising and setting over the course a day.  The final piece of evidence that is offered by these scholars is the content of verse 14.  Verse 14 says, “There has been no day like it before or since, when the Lord heeded the voice of a man, for the Lord fought for Israel.”  These scholars are quick to point out that what the author emphasizes here is not the fact that the sun stood still for an extra 24 hours – something that would have certainly been incredibly noteworthy.  Instead the author emphasizes something else – that God heeded Joshua’s cry for help and fought for Israel.  They suggest that this implies that the sun did not actually stand still in the sky and serves to strengthen the argument that the poetry used in verses 12 and 13 is figurative.  There are plenty of other examples in the scripture of figurative language.  For example the psalmist writes about rivers clapping their hands and hills singing for joy (Psalm 98:8) and Isaiah writes about the mountains and hills singing and the trees of the field clapping their hands (Isaiah 55:12).  In the book of Habakkuk we actually find another reference to the sun and moon standing still (Habakkuk 3:11).  But when we read these texts we don’t read them as a literal explanation of what took place, but rather as figurative language helping paint a picture of the awe inspiring work of God and nature’s response to it.  These scholars suggest that this is the way we should read the text of verses 12 and 13 of Joshua 10 and I would say that their evidence is strong enough to at least give it some consideration. 

Whatever we conclude actually takes place in verses 12 and 13, it does not change the overall emphasis of the text and the emphasis that is made in verse 14, “There has been no day like it before or since, when the Lord heeded the voice of a man, for the Lord fought for Israel.”  Though we may not know for certain what Joshua spoke to God, and though we may not know for certain whether or not the sun and moon actually stood still, there is sufficient evidence in our text that God heard Joshua’s plea for help and that He responded in a mighty way by physically fighting on behalf of Israel and putting to death more of the enemy soldiers than the Israelite soldiers did themselves. 

As we move on to the content of Joshua 10:15 it’s probably best for us to understand this verse as an example of scribal duplication.  The content of 10:15 is exactly the same as the content in 10:43.  In both cases they are preceded by the same phrase, “the Lord fought for Israel.”  Here we have a very likely example of a scribal error where the scribe mistakenly (and momentarily) lost his place on the manuscript from which he was copying.  The most likely scenario is that he copied the phrase “the Lord fought for Israel” from verse 14, but when he looked back at the manuscript he was copying he saw the same phrase at verse 42 and then copied what he saw next – which was the content of verse 43.  The text of Joshua 10:16-27 indicates that neither the battle nor the day was yet over and that Joshua probably did not in fact return many miles to the camp at Gilgal.  Joshua would not have returned there until the battle was over and these kings and their cities were conquered – all things that don’t completely transpire until verses 42 and 43.

Joshua 10:16 and following resumes the battle narrative of verses 9 through 11 that is briefly interrupted in verses 12 through 14.  In those verses we learn that the 5 kings are discovered hiding in a cave.  The Israelite soldiers send word to Joshua about this discovery to see what he would have them do.  Joshua instructs them to seal the cave entrance with large stones and to continue the pursuit of the enemy soldiers.  Joshua doesn’t want the Israelite soldiers to become distracted or pulled away from the task of completely destroying the enemy forces.  The Israelite soldiers followed in obedience and it wasn’t until after they had destroyed all of their enemies that Joshua and the Israelite soldiers returned to cave.  Joshua instructed the soldiers to remove the stones and to bring out the 5 kings from the cave.  Having brought the 5 kings out, Joshua had them laid on the ground and instructed some of the chiefs to come forward and to place their feet on the necks of these kings as a sign that Israel’s enemies had been given over to them and placed under their feet.  Then Joshua had the 5 kings killed.

This physical battle in Joshua 10 paints for us a great picture of the spiritual battle that we face each and every day.  Like the Israelites, we have an enemy whose great desire is to see us and others defeated and destroyed.  1 Peter 5:8 says, “Be sober-minded; be watchful.  Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”  But just as God tells Joshua in 10:8 not to fear the enemy for God had given them into his hands, we too can have hope because this is in fact the promise that God has made to us AND which He accomplished through the work of His Son, Jesus, on the cross.  Listen to what Paul says in his letter to the Colossian church, “He disarmed the [demonic] rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in Him [Jesus].”  This is great news for those who have trusted in Jesus as Lord and Savior.  It tells us that God rendered our spiritual enemies powerless and has already won the victory over them through Jesus’ work on the cross.  Because that is true we have no need to fear them and can have victory over them.  And if that is the case there are some important implications for us.  Paul says in his letter to the Ephesian church, “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.”  Our enemy has been disarmed and rendered powerless against us so there is no reason for us to once again submit to a yoke of slavery to sin.  Paul also tells us in his letter to the Romans that since our enemy no longer has any power over us we ought not to let sin reign in our lives (Romans 6:5-7, 12-14).  The trouble is that every believer in Christ still wrestles with sin.  We’ve been assured that our enemies don’t have power over us, but the reality of what we experience is that each day we still find ourselves giving into sin and temptation and saying things, thinking thoughts, and acting out in ways that dishonor and displease God.  So what gives?

Let me ask you to consider one particular aspect of your walk with God.  Let me ask you to consider the content of your prayer life this week.  A few months back we spent one week talking about prayer.  And during that week I shared with you all a quote from John Piper in which he said that are often guilty of taking prayer, which God intended to be a war-time walkie-talkie, and turning it into a domestic intercom.  In the context of our passage today we see Joshua in the midst of a literal battle calling on God in great dependence and seeking God’s help to overcome Israel’s enemies.  And when Joshua did God demonstrated His faithfulness by fighting for the Israelites and giving them victory over their enemies.  Does Joshua’s request sound remotely similar to anything that you pray on a regular basis?  Are you in great dependence, daily calling on God for help in battling your enemies?  Have you first and foremost trusted in Jesus’ death on the cross on your behalf to set you free from your captivity to the enemy?  If not that is where you must begin.  If you have, are you daily asking God to help you fight the temptation to sin that you will face each day?  Are you asking God to empower you with courage to take the good news of Jesus to those who are lost and dying in sin.  If part of each day isn’t spent in prayers like these, perhaps what you really believe is that “I got this” mentality.  The mentality that says I don’t have a need for God’s help.  I’m not that worried about the temptation to sin.  I’m not that worried about whether or not I will be faithful when given the opportunity to share the good news of Jesus with someone – “I got this!”  Unfortunately we later discover that when we are faced with temptation we too often give in.  And when we are faced with opportunities to share the gospel we cower and back down.  It’s not because God isn’t faithful – it’s because we aren’t engaging in the fight and we are dependent upon Him.  Joshua 10:25 says, “Do not be afraid or dismayed; be strong and courageous.  For thus the Lord will do to all your enemies against whom you fight.”  God doesn’t simply promise to wipe out temptation in your life.  Nor does He promise to remove the bonds of sin that hold your lost friends and family captive so that all your loved ones will come to faith in Him, without you engaging in the battle.  But if you will engage and you will in dependence call on Him for help, then He will fight for you. 

Small Group Questions for Discussion

1. As we examined Israel's battle against the coalition of 5 kings, what does verse 14 emphasize as the most important truth in this chapter?

2. Do we have any enemies today who wage war against us or seek to harm us?  If so, who are they (1 Peter 5:8)?

3. What hope, if any, does Joshua 10 and other New Testament passages like Colossians 2:15 offer to us?  What does victory over our enemies look like?

4. Are we actively fighting our enemies (10:25) or passively receiving beatdowns?

5. What should be our first step / plan of action before engaging our enemies?  Are we daily doing this?  If not, what does that communicate?