Joshua 10 - The Sun Stood Still for Joshua

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Synopsis

In another exciting event, God delivered five kings to Joshua in the same battle. These kings ganged up to attack Gibeon for making the peace treaty with Israel. The Gibeonites called on Joshua to help. Though being deceived into making the treaty, Joshua honored it and came to their rescue. This was really part of God's divine plan. With this one battle, Israel was able to defeat all five kings at the same time. Once again, the Lord assured Israel of victory - the battle belonged to the Lord.

God cause confusion amongst the enemy camp and in fact, more of them died from the hailstone that rained upon them, than by the swords of the Israelites, demonstrating once again God's hands on the battle.

Joshua called for God to hold the sun so that his army can completely destroy the enemy. God listened and held the sun for almost a full day...the first and last time (till now) that such a miracle had happened. Verse 14 records it aptly, "There has never been a day like this before or since, a day that the Lord listen to a man. Surely the Lord was fighting for Israel." It resulted in a resounding victory and Joshua gave the credit to God.

Major Verses

V6 - 7 - Joshua and the nation honored the treaty with Gibeon even though they were deceived into it. Joshua did so as he revered and honored God, as the treaty was treated as an oath made before God.

What I learnt

We honor God by keeping our words. Integrity and keeping promises are virtues that honor God.

V12 -14 - Holding the sun in its place prolonged the day so that the Israelites had time to complete the battle. We may not understand how the phenomenon took place, but it did. It was a miracle. More important than the miracle itself was the fact that God listened to Joshua's request. While the battle belonged to the Lord, Joshua took responsibility as commander of the army to rout the enemies.

What I learnt

God will honor us when we honor Him. When we are moving in His will and plan, He will listen and answer our prayers, even if it meant breaking natural laws (qualifier - when we walk in His will, our prayers will be aligned to His plan). That is how much He loves us. But like Joshua, we must still act and take responsibility for what we are doing.

V25 - Before killing the five enemy kings, Joshua gather his people and reminded them not to be discouraged nor afraid (they have more battles to fight) as the Lord would deliver the enemies into their hands. It was a reminder of God's promises and presence with the nation and a motivation to continue.

What I learnt - We must always acknowledge what the Lord has done for us. This is not just to show our thanks to Him, but to raise our confidence level to trust Him even more as we move forward. That's why it is good to always count our blessings, naming them one by one.

Summary

Indeed, God is good all the time. He keeps His promises and goes to the extend of listening to Joshua and holding the sun in place. Joshua in turn acknowledged God in all the victories and encouraged his people to keep trusting God. The battle surely belongs to the Lord, always ! We need to remember our blessings and build up our confidence to trust Him more.

Coming Next ...

Joshua 11 records the ultimate battle with the three northern kings who brought with them overwhelming numbers in their army. Israel still routed them as God was with them. Another exciting chapter coming up on 5th Feb.

(Request - Please leave your comments after reading this blog. Bless others with your own sharing too. Click "Comments" right at the end of this page. Thanks.)