Joshua 10:1-42
10:1-5 Adoni-zedek, king of Jersusalem, begins to fear Israel's strength. It has become clear to outside nations that the Israelites' God is more powerful than anything they have witnessed before. Gibeon was a strong city, yet it feared Israel. That worried other, lesser, nations. Ai and Jericho were well fortified cities, they they fell to Israel.
Adoni-zedek asks other nations (the five kings of the Amorites) to join with him in attacking Gibeon for joining with their enemy. They agree to make war against Gibeon.
10:6 The leaders of Gibeon tell Joshua about the impending attack. Their enemies are fierce, more powerful, and even the Gibeonites realize they will need help from the Almighty in order to survive.
10:7-8 Joshua assembles the Israelite army. This time we can understand that He consulted God because God promises to support and defend the Israelites in this war. The Israelites made a covenant with the Gibeonites and are therefore legally obligated to defend them. Yet because the Gibeonites were willing to live according to God's word, God accepted the covenant between the children of Israel and the Gibeonites.
10:9 As is Joshua's faithful nature, he wastes no time. He and the army march overnight to surprise-confront the kings of the Amorites.
10:10 "The Lord routed them before Israel..." God literally created the conditions under which Israel would take the victory. God will champion you in the same way. Your enemies will be delivered into your hand. We receive God's support when we make a covenant with Him to live righteously. For when we are righteous, our enemy is God's enemy: evil.
10:11 God always compensates for Israel's deficiencies. They faced a powerful nation. They were outnumbered. Out-trained. Under-prepared. Therefore God offers assistance through nation. A powerful storm engulfs the battle scene and wipes out most of the enemy army.
Remember that these occurrences happened as starkly displayed evidence to us that God will always intervene on our behalf in powerful and unexpected ways (1 Corinthians 10:11).
10:12 Joshua is exhilarated by God's intervention. The adrenaline rush of faith is an incomparable energy. Through scripture, we watch how deeper in love Joshua falls with God. His story reminds us to do the same. Everyday love Him deeper. Appreciate Him harder.
Bursting with faith and affirmation of God's love Joshua speaks:
Sun, stand still over Gibeon;The rush of love for God makes us realize that we are powerful and infinite through Him. This moment of firm, passionate faith causes Joshua to make commands to nature... and nature is made obedient by God.
And Moon, in the Valley of Aijalon.
Perhaps this is a moment of realization for Joshua... or maybe it is a reiterated celebration of what he already has realized: through God, all things are possible, Matthew 19:26.
10:13 Continued:
So the sun stood still,
And the moon stopped,
Till the people had revenge
Upon their enemies.
The sky, the universe echos the truth that God's children come to wholeheartedly know: all is orchestrated by Him. The skies, the winds, the waters all answer to Him. A righteous, obedient child of God inspires Him to command the skies, the winds, and the waters on their behalf. It is Father's pleasure to give us the Kingdom, Luke 12:32. Father is so in love with His children; He delights to see our smile. If we ask for a star, He will happily place a thousand of them into our hands.
Through Joshua we learn that fervent faith and love for God renders us to be more powerful than we every imagined. Much more powerful than kings of the earth. God makes us powerful in wisdom and nature. He enables us to be powerful enough to receive any dream our soul prays for.
Let's examine the next verse directly:
10:14 "And there has been no day like that, before it or after it, that the Lord heeded the voice of a man; for the Lord fought for Israel."
Joshua's personal prayer to God exemplified to the world that God was willing to intervene on the behalf of even just one faithful child. Once we have learned that lesson, we realize that instead of asking God to stop the sun or moon, we can ask for things which truly change the earth for the better.
Joshua's request for power over the sun and the moon serves as evidence that we can ask for things requiring equivalent power from God as reconstructing nature. The absolute divine-force which would be required to halt the motion of the entire universe is offered to us here. We do not need the sun to be stopped, nor the moon, but we do have needs as grand as that. God is able and willing to fill them.
Through a personal relationship with God, we reign in that fierce power and it completely organizes and transforms our lives. Delighting in blessing and surprising us all of our days.
10:15 Joshua returns to home base... although, really, he never left home base. For Joshua's home base, through faith, has been made the House of God. As long as we travel with Him, through land and thought, we are Home.
Physically, Joshua returns to camp unscathed. Bursting with gratitude, awe and reverence for God. Joshua's life is an example to us that God journeys with us against impossible odds and then delivers us not only the victory but also to our Home.
10:16-17 The five kings armies were destroyed so they flee and hide. Notice that Joshua commands his army. He runs into battle alongside the soldiers. Joshua is able to do that out of humility and honor. His love for God enables him to live and work just as those under his authority live and work.
Contrarily, the five kings sent others in the place to do the dirty work. Instead of honorable defending their case (because it is an in-honorable one) the run and hide in a cave.
10:18-21 Joshua commands that stones be rolled over the cave, trapping the kings. While the kings are trapped, the army destroys the remaining enemies. Once under control, the army returns to Joshua at camp... in peace. The men are at peace because their cause is honorable and their God is constant.
10:22-27 Joshua and his men return to the cave where the five kings have been imprisoned. Joshua uses the moment as a lesson for the children of Israel-soldiers. It is a marvel to them that their once-perceived "powerful" enemies are delivered right into their hands as God promised. The supposedly fierce kings of supposedly powerful nations are cowering in a cave!
10:28 Joshua and the army (of and led by God) take control of Makkedah.
10:29-30 Joshua and the army (of and led by God) take control of Libnah.
10:31-33 Joshua and the army (of and led by God) take control of Lachish and Gezer.
10:34-35 Joshua and the army (of and led by God) take control of Eglon.
10:36-37 Joshua and the army (of and led by God) take control of Hebron.
10:38-39 Joshua and the army (of and led by God) take control of Debir.
10:40-43 God completely organizes the promise He made to Abraham. He promised to make Abraham's posterity great. We see through the Israelites that faith conquers evil, powerfully and comprehensively one battle at at time until God wins the final war, in the final generation.
