When God Changed the Clocks

Joshua 10:1-14

Today is a unique day, in the fact that it is the day that we set aside to change our clocks back. And this brings me to a passage in the Bible where God did a time change as well.

Its found here in Joshua. Now when you read the book of Joshua, you find that the main premise of this book is the Children of Israel coming into the promise land.

The land that God has set aside for them, through a promise he made to Abraham hundreds of years before this passage.

And there are people who have begun to live in this land. And the Israelites are told by God to drive out the people. To remove them from the land.

Now we might read that and think that God was being quite cruel in driving out these people who had been living there for such a long time.

But these people were claiming something they had no right to claim. They did not worship the God of Heaven, they worshipped other gods.

And so the Lord told Joshua and the people of Israel to drive out those who were dwelling in this land.

Now as they are going into the land they have battles with different cities and kingdoms. They battle against Jericho and against AI, but they also encounter other groups, and one group they encounter is called Gibeon, known as the Gibeonites.

Now the city of Gibeon is this powerful city, well known in the land during this time. And when the Israelites come to this city, they do not conquer it, but instead they make a treaty with them.

Simply put, they make an agreement, that Israel is going to treat them different than the other cities they had conquered.

But this begins to lead to conflict among others who still remain in the land. And that leads us to this passage we read today, a passage when God made the sun stand still.

(Read Scripture)

- Comments about Gibeon and who they were. But they recognized that Joshua and the people of Israel are different. So, instead of fighting against them. They want to come and have peace with them.

The Plan that was devised (vs 1-5)

· Now this brings us to the first thing that we find in the passage and that is the plan that was devised.

· Now Gibeon was an established city in that land, and the other cities and their rulers take notice, that Gibeon isn’t fighting against the Israelites but instead they are making peace with them.

· And so, these kings come together, and they decide that they are going to attack Gibeon. Because in their eyes Gibeon is a traitor.

· They begin to devise a plan, how are we going to attack them, how are we going to destroy them, how are we going to make them pay.

· Here were those rulers that Gibeon once looked at as a friend, now they are plotting to destroy them.

· And so, they are going to go to war with Gibeon.

· And in essence, they were going to go to war with Gibeon because Gibeon choose to align herself with Israel and God, instead of staying with them.

· So, they decide to attack. Now Gibeon is an example to us. She illustrates to us those who were in the world, but realize that there is something greater with God.

· So, she breaks from her worldly ways and alliances, and joins with Israel. And in a way she illustrates us.

· When we recognize who God is and we want to make peace with him by joining him through His Son, Jesus Christ.

· The world now looks at us differently.

· Now what does this show, it shows us that warfare should not be a surprise when you break from this world and walk with God.

· Listen, walking with the Lord is not as peaceful as some would suggest. Oh yes, God brings a peace into our life, but that doesn’t mean that we are at peace with the world.

· Jesus said this in John 15 - If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. 19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

· When I read that, it doesn’t sound like having peace in the world.

· No, realize that when you walk with God, when you align yourself with God’s people, then this world is going to devise plans, formulate tactics, and bring warfare upon your life.

· Understand the enemy doesn’t want to let you go without a fight.

The Plea that was divulged (vs 6-7)

· Now Gibeon is under assault. Five kings have risen up to attack this city. Now Gibeon is tough, but there is no way they can fight this battle alone.

· So, this brings us to the second thing that we find and that is the plea that was divulged. They send out a cry of help. And who is it they call upon. The Israelites.

· Now understand, the Israelites were told by God to come into the land and drive the people out.

· This meant Gibeon as well. But instead of driving them out, they made peace with them.

· So, that means they have tied their hands and cannot destroy Gibeon. But here comes what we might say is “a way out”.

· They can’t destroy Gibeon, but here they can let these five kings do it for them. A loophole in their deal.

· What is Joshua and the Israelites going to do? They don’t abandon them. Instead, they come to the aid of the Gibeonites.

· They stick to their promise. These people have called for help, and God’s chosen people come to help these in need.

· Joshua didn’t say this is your problem, he instead answered with action and came to their aid.

· You know, there are a lot of things that happen in the world, things that are bad, things that are horrible. And in these times, there will be those in the world who might call upon us as God’s people to help them.

· What are we to do? I tell you what we should do, we should come and help them. Help them see, that we are not like the rest of the world.

· That we aren’t looking for loopholes and way outs.

· That we are not there to fight against them, but that we are there to show them love, support, and something different than the rest of the world.

· One of my favorite groups to listen too when I was growing up, was DC Talk. There is a song that starts off with a quote from Brennan Manning.

· It says “The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians: who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, walk out the door, and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable”

· If we don’t show them we are real, if we don’t show them by our words and actions that we are genuine. Then there will be people who will die and go to Hell.

· Joshua demonstrated commitment and honor, they were representatives of the Holy God of Heaven. Who has never failed his people.

· And if Gibeon was to know the one true God, then God’s chosen people was going to need to show that to them.

· And that is what you and I must do as well. That we aren’t superficial in our faith, but that we will come alongside a person who is seeking help and show them Christ.

The Promise that was declared (vs 8)

· Now Israel heard the plea and they responded, and that leads us to the third thing we find in this passage.

· The promise that was declared.

· Now remember, Israel is coming into the land and they have only been fighting one king at a time. But now here is five kings who have united.

· This is going to be something that they have never faced before. And you can kinda pick up between the verses, that there is some worry among the Children of Israel, and possibly Joshua.

· This is a major enemy that are going to be facing. The question is; can we win?

· But right here in the middle of this passage, the Lord speaks to Joshua.

· You know this is just a simple reminder that the Lord speaks to us exactly when we need it.

· And here he is speaking to them and he just tells that they have nothing to fear. Those five kings are not going to win.

· God was going to give Joshua the victory.

· You know, we face some fierce enemies. Some of us have to go into courtrooms, operating rooms, some of us have to face a group of people who are opposing us.

· And we can get scared. We can have that fear come upon us, where our hearts are racing, our blood pressure is rising. It is a scary moment.

· But in that moment, God tells us to fear them not. God says he will deliver them into thine hand.

· Listen the words that we find in this book are not superficial cliché words to inspire us. These are words of promise and assurity.

· Words we can rely upon and remind us that we don’t have to fear the enemy.

· This enemy can do anything it wants to us in this world, but we have a better home awaiting. A promise land that has been prepared for you and I.

· We do not need to fear the world, for the Lord has overcome the world.

· John 16:33 “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

· What does this mean for you and I? It means the battle has already been won!

The Protection that was delivered (vs 9-11)

· Now Israel is going to go and fight a battle for Gibeon. And that leads us to the next thing we find in this passage, and that is the protection that was delivered.

· Joshua and the Israelites have been told by God to not fear this enemy. And they begin to make their journey back to Gibeon.

· And they travel all night in the process. And when the Israelites begin to make their way from Gilgal to Gibeon something miraculous takes place , God begins to reign down hail stones on the enemy.

· God with pinpoint accuracy, begins to fight the battle for Israel and kills the enemy that stands before them.

· God is the one who is destroying the enemy, he is the one who is fighting for Israel and for Gibeon here.

· The enemy could not oppose the assault of God. And then God allows the Israelites to come in and finish them off.

· Gibeon cried for help, Israel heard and responded by coming to their aid throughout the night.

· You know, there are many people who have seen the hand of God move on their life and their situation, because there were prayer warriors who burned the midnight oil on their knees talking to God.

· And because these people were willing to sacrifice themselves, to give up their sleep and comfort. To get down and seek God’s face, these people found God coming to their aid.

· Now around many of us, are those who need to see the hand of God move, but the only way that is going to happen, is that we as God’s people respond to the call.

· You see, we aren’t God’s people just on Sunday mornings, we are God’s people everyday.

· And that means that when the call comes, we are willing to come to their aid. That we are willing to pray throughout the night.

· That the heavens shake and the enemy cannot stand against the power of God reigning down the hail stones upon them.

· Because there were some faithful people who were will to get up in the middle of the night and pray.

· Listen, if we would just trust the Lord, and give it to him. He will take care of the enemy for us.

· We just need to demonstrate our faithfulness to him.

The Power that was displayed (vs 12-14)

· Now this brings us the final point. And that is the power that is displayed.

· When the battle against these kings are taking place, the day is starting to get away from them.

· Joshua and the Israelites need more time. And so Joshua prays to the Lord and he asks him to stay the sun and moon.

· They needed more time to finish what the Lord had called them to do.

· And so, the impossible occurs. The sun and moon do not set, instead they remain in the sky for another 10-12 hours.

· Now what do we find here, we find the first daylight savings time. Well, not really. But what we do find is that God is willing to stop the heavens and the earth for His people.

· We say that is impossible. But what does the Bible say in Luke 1:37? “For with God nothing shall be impossible.”

· Now, I will be honest, I would have loved to have seen that day. A day like no other is what the scripture says.

· I may not have seen a day like that, but I can say, the same God who stopped the sun and the moon is the same God who do anything to save us.

Wrap It Up

· All around us are people who are crying for help. Some of it is physical needs, some spiritual needs, others emotional.

· It is as the forces of Satan have gathered around them like these five kings here, and all they know to do is call for God’s people.

· How are we going to respond? Are we going to sit there and watch them be destroy? Or are we going to come to their aid, by seeking the face of God.

· God was willing to do what seemed impossible to bring victory. And God has done the same thing for us by sending his son to die on the cross.

· When the Son of God stood still on the cross, the greatest victory in history took place. The battle for you and I.

· Now how are we going to respond to God? You see even with the sun and moon remaining in the sky longer than normal.

· There was going to still come a sunset. Time is running out for so many of us. And what we must do is today, respond to the Lord.

· Trusting him. Because listen, you can’t help anyone else unless you first have Jesus in your own life.

· There are people who are calling for help, and you and I must answer. We must go in faith to them and show them who the Lord is.

· Will you be faithful to answer the call? Will you seek the face of God in praying for them? Will you help them fight the battle?

· Don’t be scared of the enemy and remain where you are. Walk by faith knowing God has already won the battle.