Joshua 10:1-15 The law of faith supersedes the physical laws of nature

Joshua 10:1-15 

1 Now it came about when Adoni- zedek king of Jerusalem heard that Joshua had captured Ai, and had utterly destroyed it (just as he had done to Jericho and its king, so he had done to Ai and its king), and that the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were within their land, 2 that he feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, like one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all its men were mighty. 3 Therefore Adoni- zedek king of Jerusalem sent word to Hoham king of Hebron and to Piram king of Jarmuth and to Japhia king of Lachish and to Debir king of Eglon, saying, 4 “Come up to me and help me, and let us attack Gibeon, for it has made peace with Joshua and with the sons of Israel.” 5 So the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon, gathered together and went up, they with all their armies, and camped by Gibeon and fought against it.

6 Then the men of Gibeon sent word to Joshua to the camp at Gilgal, saying, “Do not abandon your servants; come up to us quickly and save us and help us, for all the kings of the Amorites that live in the hill country have assembled against us.” 7 So Joshua went up from Gilgal, he and all the people of war with him and all the valiant warriors. 8 The Lord said to Joshua, “Do not fear them, for I have given them into your hands; not one of them shall stand before you.” 9 So Joshua came upon them suddenly by marching all night from Gilgal. 10 And the Lord confounded them before Israel, and He slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, and pursued them by the way of the ascent of Beth-horon and struck them as far as Azekah and Makkedah. 11 As they fled from before Israel, while they were at the descent of Beth-horon, the Lord threw large stones from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died; there were more who died from the hailstones than those whom the sons of Israel killed with the sword.

12 Then Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel,

“O sun, stand still at Gibeon,
And O moon in the valley of Aijalon.”
13 So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped,
Until the nation avenged themselves of their enemies.
Is it not written in the book of Jashar? And the sun stopped in the middle of the sky and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day.
14 There was no day like that before it or after it, when the Lord listened to the voice of a man; for the Lord fought for Israel.
15 Then Joshua and all Israel with him returned to the camp to Gilgal.

Background

Joshua’s relentless pursuit of God’s perfect will gave him an upper hand over the celestial elements and the physical laws of nature. Joshua did not stop at rendering aid to Gibeon, he went on to destroy the Amorites as commanded by God. Today’s devotion teaches us to fix our eyes on God’s will and expect the impossible as a norm of life. If believers are to support one another in doing God’s will, we will experience perpetual blessing and prosperity.

Observation

Come up to me and help me, and let us attack Gibeon, for it has made peace with Joshua and with the sons of Israel.

Gibeon’s peace treaty with Israel had set off yet another wave of panic among the Canaanites especially when Gibeon (which was a much bigger city than Ai) capitulated herself to Israel. It was intriguing to know that Israel, though a band of wandering desert people was able to inspire much fear into the hearts of those who lived in their fortified cities. Gibeon’s treaty with Israel had precipitated a cooperation of a number of Palestine’s kings for the purpose of punishing Gibeon for cutting off her association with them. The Palestine kings who controlled the mountain territories were called the Amorites and they gathered together and went up, they with all their armies, and camped by Gibeon and fought against it.

Do not abandon your servants; come up to us quickly and save us and help us.

The besieged Gibeonites managed to get an urgent appeal for help to Joshua at Gilgal. This was a test of Israel’s willingness to stand by the treaty she had made with Gibeon. Although the treaty did not explicitly obligate Israel into protecting the servile city of Gibeon, it nevertheless provided ground for request of assistance. Joshua, having became more experienced, acted upon God’s word, “Do not fear them, for I have given them into your hands; not one of them shall stand before you.” Joshua marched all night from Gilgal to Gibeon (a distance of 35 kilometers) with all the people of war with him and all the valiant warriors.

O sun, stand still at Gibeon, and O moon in the valley of Aijalon.

With God’s assistance, Joshua came upon them suddenly… And the Lord confounded them before Israel, and He slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon. Israel was at the upper hand, the defeat of the Amorites at Gibeon was followed by a pursuit in a westerly direction towards the slopes where the Lord threw large stones from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died. Once again, the military success of Israel must be seen in the larger context of God’s miraculous interventions. However, time was not on Israel’s side, dusk beckoned and threatened a convincing victory against the Amorites. Joshua had the audacity to speak to God and shifted the cosmic elements that were thought immovable. What was considered out of bounds was Joshua’s playground; he addressed the celestial elements in the sight of Israel,

“O sun, stand still at Gibeon and O moon in the valley of Aijalon.”

So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped giving Israel one additional day to destroy their enemies. This feat was exceptional, unprecedented and not to be repeated: There was no day like that before it or after it. It seemed almost impermissible that God would violate the laws of nature at the bidding of a man: when the Lord listened to the voice of a man.

Truth

There is safety and salvation when believers are united as a community. Gibeon was saved because she united herself with God and His people. If Gibeon succumbed to the pressure of the coalition of the Canaanites, she would have likewise perished. Even though Gibeon was much bigger a city than Ai and all its men were mighty, she ranked her allegiance in God and His people above her association with the Canaanites. Despite being traditional allies within the Canaanite community for centuries, Gibeon was willing to break her ties and incur the wrath of the whole Canaanite alliance. But because of her faith, God saw Israel and Gibeon as one and fought for Gibeon the way He fought for Israel. As believers express their allegiance and loyalty towards one another, there is perpetual safety under all circumstances. Many churchgoers have no relational alliances with other believers; they went to church alone and return home alone. Hence, when they faced calamities, they cried out to God wondering why they were always alone. A person’s blessing and prosperity is found in her oneness with God’s people. Therefore, a believer must invest his time in the Christian community outside the demands of work and family. In doing so, he will not only be blessed and be a blessing to others. The psalmist wrote concerning a blessed community,

How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony!
For harmony is as precious as the anointing oil that was poured over Aaron’s head, that ran down his beard and onto the border of his robe.
Harmony is as refreshing as the dew from Mount Hermon that falls on the mountains of Zion. And there the LORD has pronounced his blessing, even life everlasting. Psalms 133.

The law of faith supersedes the physical laws of nature. Joshua’s expectation of God transcends the laws of nature. No one would remotely expect the laws of physics to be interrupted at any time. Scientists could not explain the phenomenon when the earth stopped its rotation let alone the absence of a series of catastrophic event that would threaten all life forms. When a man is relentless in pursuing the will of God, God will show him great and impossible things. When a man stops at nothing to accomplish God’s instructions for him, the physical laws of nature will be interrupted at his bidding. Joshua, a man of great faith, came to Gibeon’s aid in honor of his treaty and fought against the five kings of the Amorites. Joshua’s resolve went beyond the duty to protect Gibeon from annihilation; his vision was to fulfill the perfect will of God – to completely annihilate the Canaanites as God had instructed Moses. Joshua’s resolve to do God’s will resulted in excellence and many extraordinary accomplishments in Joshua’s tenure as leader of Israel. Having said, many churchgoers were contented to operate within the constraints of every day life. They did not experience great miracles because they were not wholehearted in carrying out God’s instructions in their life. They were more concerned for the instructions of men than for God. They gave excuses as to why they could not keep the Sabbath worship or to offer tithes and offerings on a regular basis. They were either too busy or too blessed to seek God or to read His word. As the church community grows deeper in relating with one another and in doing God’s will, she will experience healing, miracles and the working of angels in unprecedented ways.

Application

1. Are you and your family members actively and deeply involved in the lives one another and of others in the community? Start by intentionally encouraging one another by the truth and promises of the Word. By putting the Word of truth as the center of community life, we ensure perpetual blessing and prosperity for all.
2. Are you accustomed to seeking God’s will on a daily basis? Or do you seek Him to fulfill your will and help you to achieve your goals? Begin the day by reading the Word and asking Him to reveal to you two tasks that you need to do. In doing so, you humble yourself and open your heart to His bidding for the rest of the day.

Dear Lord, create in me a relentless heart in pursuance of your perfect will. I will not be contented to live within the constraints of normalcy. Give me the gift of faith to overcome the hindrances to accomplish your will. Use me as a uniting factor to draw people together in my church to care and to provide for one another. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.