Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem heard that Joshua had captured Ai...and that the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were within their land, 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. Therefore this king sent word to (4 other) kings to attack Gibeon...and they camped by Gibeon and fought against it.
The men of Gibeon sent word to Joshua...saying, “Do not abandon your servants...and 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.” So Joshua came upon them suddenly...and slew them...and pursued them...and as they fled...the Lord threw large stones from heaven on them...and they died.
Then Joshua spoke to the Lord...
“O sun, stand still at Gibeon,
And O moon in the valley of Aijalon.”
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. 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 (excerpts).
Message: The Sun Stands Still
Time: Joshua "Yahweh saves" led Israel, under God's command, to victorious conquest of the Promised Land. The book spans about 25 years, beginning about 1406 BC. The conquest of Canaan, numerous military campaigns and regathering of the nation are major components.
What the Lord is Saying: I continue to walk through these passages in Joshua - and the story of the Lord delivering the house of Israel into the land of Canaan, a land He had promised them. Moses had not been successful in taking them here, so Joshua completes that conquest of the Promised Land. In these passages, I notice the Lord speaking and providing the means to conquer situations that look daunting. I think these are miracles (parting waters of Jordan, falling the walls of Jericho) and following these is the people celebrating or commemorating these works of God.
In this reading today, Adoni-zedek hears that Joshua had captured Ai and so Adoni-zedek, king of Jerusalem, calls his allies together, four neighboring Amorite rulers, to resist Joshua and instead attack Gibeon. Verse 12 speaks of "delivered up the Amorites" and so the Amorites are a people group of Canaan. Some say Canaanites are interchangeable with Amorites, or the Amorites are a people group of Canaan.
Israel controls about half the land of Canaan. With these kings arriving as a group and now attacking Gibeon, the men of Gibeon send word to Joshua asking for help, stating, "Do not abandon your servants, come quickly." Joshua responds and the Lord promises, "I have given them into your hands." And they were conquered by Joshua and his men with the Lord throwing large stones from heaven on them. With God by their side, they are overcomers.
And then a miracle occurs whereby the sun stands still for an entire day and does not go down. What occurs here is hard to define. But we know God intervened.
Summary: Allies King of Jerusalem and Amorite Kings go to Gibeon to attack, but Joshua comes to slay them with stones from heaven and the sun appearing to stand still.
Promise: God does not leave us alone and continues to fight for us today.
Prayer: O God, your mercy and your protection for your people, your called one's, is a wonder. Thank you for showing through Your word Your protection of Your people. Thank you for these stories that can encourage me today. That you are with me and continue to fight for your people. Help us to remember this and not be focused on our setbacks.
Note: If you are interested in other studies/devotions, check out my index of Bible Study's.
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