We studied yesterday about how the Gibeonites, in their terror, deceived the Israelites into swearing a treaty with them by the name of Jehovah. This was an unbreakable covenant, which God allowed to happen through the Israelites' error in judgment. When the five Amorite kings neighboring Gibeon learned of their treachery, they moved to punish the Gibeonites by annihilating them. "How dare they align themselves with those Israelites?!" The Amorites viewed the Gibeonites as traitors.
In accordance with the newly-inked treaty, Joshua and the Israelites traveled a day's journey to Gibeon, to fight for them. What happened in the course of that battle was astounding!
Today's text is Joshua 10:8-14 (HCSB).
8 The Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them, for I have handed them over to you. Not one of them will be able to stand against you.”
9 So Joshua caught them by surprise, after marching all night from Gilgal. 10 The Lord threw them into confusion before Israel. He defeated them in a great slaughter at Gibeon, chased them through the ascent of Beth-horon, and struck them down as far as Azekah and Makkedah. 11 As they fled before Israel, the Lord threw large hailstones on them from the sky along the descent of Beth-horon all the way to Azekah, and they died. More of them died from the hail than the Israelites killed with the sword.
12 On the day the Lord gave the Amorites over to the Israelites, Joshua spoke to the Lord in the presence of Israel:
“Sun, stand still over Gibeon,
and moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.”
13
And the sun stood still
and the moon stopped
until the nation took vengeance on its enemies.
Isn’t this written in the Book of Jashar?
So the sun stopped
in the middle of the sky
and delayed its setting
almost a full day.
14 There has been no day like it before or since, when the Lord listened to the voice of a man, because the Lord fought for Israel.
Joshua 10 reads almost like science fiction, doesn't it?
Here you have an army that, though not shabby, is totally inadequate against its opponents (5 Amorite-Canaanite kingdoms). We have to remember that the Amorites were largely (pun intended) Nephilim - - physically gigantic, and supernaturally strong! This is why in verse 1 the Lord God told Joshua not to be afraid of them. The Israelites overcome the larger, stronger army because of God's supernatural intervention. In His fighting for Israel He (vs. 10) throws the opposing army into tremendous confusion, (vs. 11) rains down giant hailstones upon them and then, for the first/only time in human history, (vs. 12-14) causes time to stand still for almost a full day. Wouldn't you have liked to have seen that battle? Wow.
God. Stopped. Time. For nearly a full day! This allowed the Israelites to "finish off" their adversaries. Keep in mind that those Israelites had already marched for 10-12 hours, from Gilgal. THEN, it appears they attacked at dawn and fought for that full day. And THEN, God stopped time so that the fighting/chasing, etc. continued for nearly another full day. That must have been some exhausted Israelites after all that. Whew! Supernatural strength God must have given them!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1Bu7vgt-No Lord! I am AMAZED by You!
We are so bound in our thinking, regarding time. But, God is not. Time is merely an artificial construct He has imposed on this world of ours, to organize and regulate our lives. In eternity, however, it is not relevant. To Him, one of our days is no different than 1000 years! (2 Peter 3:8) God is in complete control of Time, as He so amply demonstrated in Joshua 10.
When we face a serious obstacle, we need to remember that the overall battle is already won. God has, through the finished work of Jesus Christ, already triumphed over Satan. Satan's end is described in Revelation 20. It.Is.Written. Done Deal. What is in question is whether or not we will grab hold of the victory Jesus, our Savior, has already won for us - - - or not. Victory is ours. Time has nothing to do with it. Is our faith strong enough to grab hold of that victory?
Is it strong enough when "the odds" seem insurmountable? Is it strong enough when victory looks impossible? He stand ready to place spiritual victory into your hands. Will you open your heart and hands to Him?
He has told us that He will "move mountains" on our behalf (Matthew 17:20) - - spiritual and physical "mountains", if we but ask Him to do so in accordance with His will. Do we believe Him? Or, do we brush it off as "biblical sci-fi"? I am so convicted by this, because I tend to do the latter. And, in so doing, what I'm saying is that "my God is not big enough". Yes, that is what you and I are saying through our unbelief. We might as well face it, confess it and repent of it.
Dear Father, please forgive me for my unbelief, which reflects a major underestimation of who You are! You ARE "the God of the Impossible". Nothing is too hard for You! How wide, how deep, how great was Your love for the Israelites! How wide, how deep, how great is Your love for me! Please strengthen my faith regarding those spiritual "giants" that I face today, and help me to boldly step out in faith, to chase them out of my "land", to pray hailstones down upon them. Give me the victory that You have already promised in Your Word. In Jesus' name, amen.
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