“The Sun Stands Still”

This week we are in our 3rd sermon series in the book of Joshua.

The passage that we will be looking at is Joshua 10:12-15…

But before we dive in… it is important that you know that we attempt to answer two questions every time we open up God’s Word:

1.) What is God teaching us through this passage?

2.) How can we apply this teaching to our lives today?

Joshua 10:12-15 says,

“12) At that time Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord gave the Amorites over to the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel,

‘Sun, stand still at Gibeon,

and moon , in the Valley of Aijalon.

13) And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, until the nation took vengeance on their enemies’

Is this not written in the Book of Jashar? The sun stopped in the midst of heaven and did not hurry to set for about a whole day.

14) There has been no day like it before or since, when the LORD heeded the voice of a man, for the LORD fought for Israel.

15) So Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to the camp at Gilgal”.

CONTEXT

If we were to take a step back and look at the verses that come before Joshua Chapter 10 verse 12… we learn a couple of things that provide us with context… In other words we gain more details about the historical event we are reading that allow us to see and understand the event more clearly…

Prior to the sun and moon standing still, in Joshua chapter 10 we see…

1.) In Joshua 10 verse 1-2 verse(s), Adoni-zedek - the King of Jerusalem fearing the Israelites greatly because the Israelites had captured Ai and devoted it to destruction and made treaty/promise with the people of Gibeon

2.) In Joshua 10 verse(s) 3-4, Because of this great fear… Adoni-zedek (the king of Jerusalem) reached out to 4 other kings to try to get them to band together to attack Gibeon since they made an alliance with the Israelites…

3.) (Joshua 10:6) The people of Gibeon reach out to the Israelites and ask them to come and defend them from these 5 kingdoms… …

4.) in (Joshua 10:10) God throws the 5 kingdoms into a panic and granting the Israelites victory in battle and successfully defending the people of Gibeon…

At this point, it would logical to ask the question… why do 5 kingdoms care about whether or not Gibeon aligns with and it at peace with the Israelite people?

Answer: Gibeon was north of Jerusalem and provided key strategic routes to the coastal plain on the west and to the Jordan valley that lay East. In other words, Gibeon was a key piece of real estate that allowed Jersualem to trade with the territories to the north, east, and west. In fact, Gibeon was more than likely a town of warriors who collected tribute from the surrounding towns and cities. And if Gibeon aligned with the Israelites, then the King of Jerusalem would lose a massive asset and it would impact Jerusalem heavily.

All this to say, Gibeon was well aware of the risks associated with aligning with the Israelites. They would have understood that positioning themselves with the Israelites and the God of Israel would place a target on their back. Old friendships would fade, new enemies would arise, and they would no longer be viewed the same… simply by making and or having a peace alliance with the Israelites … the people of the Lord…

POINT #1: The Israelites experienced VICTORY because of the LORD…

My freshman year of High School I was on the Varsity Soccer Team… that year we were very good, in fact we went to state and made it to the final 4 in the big tournament… The energy, excitement, and all the glory and praise that the soccer team received my freshman year was truly something else… I can remember people thinking I was good at soccer because I was on this team that made it to the final four in the state tournament… the first time that Scott High School had been that far… And honestly, I hardly ever played my freshman year… I was on the bench - a bench warmer… but not even a good bench warmer because I was like 110 pounds and couldn't even keep the bench warm during cold games… so really I just took up space on the bench… the only reason why I was able to go to the final four or be apart of the the state tournament run was because I rode the coat tails of those who were actually good and able do something… my success was dependent upon another… my season carried on if they played well… I contributed nothing, yet received the same credit, status, and praise of those who actually put in the hard work.

My point is this… Joshua and the Israelites experienced success in battle because they were riding the coat tails of God… They won battles because God was the one who was fighting with them… there success was dependent upon God’s strength… their fame was fueled by the success and faithfulness of the Father…

Joshua 10:9-11 says,

“9 So Joshua came upon them suddenly, having marched up all night from Gilgal. 10 And the Lord threw them into a panic before Israel, who[a] struck them with a great blow at Gibeon and chased them by the way of the ascent of Beth-horon and struck them as far as Azekah and Makkedah. 11 And as they fled before Israel, while they were going down the ascent of Beth-horon, the Lord threw down large stones from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died. There were more who died because of the hailstones than the sons of Israel killed with the sword”.

In other words, God is the only one who deserves the praise, honor, and glory for the victory that Joshua and Israelites experienced. At this point you may be thinking, wow… I have heard this kinda message before, God is responsible for my victories… he gets the credit got it… if that is you I am happy you’re here…

Cause my question to you would be, if you know that God is the one that provides us with strength and victories and that God is the one who deserves the praise and glory for our victories… then why are you trying to receive the credit and glory for the victories that happen in your life? Why do you praise yourself, your good deeds, or how much you know your the Bible more than the God who has given those things to you? Why do you still try to live your life in your own strength, by your own power, instead of leaning into and fully depending upon God for your source of strength?

Oh how easy it is to read a passage like Joshua 10:12-15 and acknowledge it on our head but not allow it pierce our hearts…

how easily we forget that success in salvation only comes from Jesus our savior… My only boast is in the victory that Jesus Christ accomplished on the cross…

Galatians 6:14 says,

“14 But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which[a] the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world”.…

BOAST = “to show off verbally”

In other words, Paul is saying, far be it from me if I brag, gloat, or make much of anything other than the Cross where our Savior and the Son of the living God - Jesus Christ - was crucified …

QUESTION: The Israelites only boast in the victory over the 5 kingdoms was in God… not there own ability… Your only boast in this life that is worthy of leaving your lips that you have you life that can only be found in Jesus Christ…

Have you forgotten who you serve… have you forgotten the one who grants us victory over death and sin?

Here is why this is so important… if we do not rest in God’s Victory over death and sin through jesus Christ… we will try to ear it for ourselves……

In other words, if we do not trust that Jesus Christ alone was enough to satisfy the wrath of God we will start doing everything in our own power to try to impress, earn favor with, or earn our good standing before God… …

I want to be clear, if Joshua would have attempted to defeat the 5 kingdom's, defend Gibeon, and stop the sun and moon within his own power… he would have failed…

If you and I try to earn our salvation or good standing before Jesus Christ in our own power or in our own works… we would fail…

Example #2: I can remember a time when my family went walking through a creek bed one summer. And as we were walking we would occasionally cross over from one side of the creek to the other…

My father and brother were leading the charge and I would just simply follow their footsteps and their path…We came to a crossing in the creek where the Gap was about 6 feet long. My brother jumps across and then my father does…

I was the next one up to cross this creek… between the gap was rushing water…… for those of you who do not know this about me… i can not swim… especially back then… I can stay float for a solid 2-3 minutes tops and then I sink… my wife was a life guard for years at the pool and she was unable to teach me how to swim… All this to say, I am scared of water and crossing this creek was like climbing mount Everest for me…

But I can remember my Father at the other end of the creek telling me that he would catch me, that he would pull me across the creek if I could not make the jump… Still terrified I jump and I am about a foot short of the rock and I fell my feet hit the water… and I can feel the rush of the water pulling me down stream… but I wasn't moving… rather my Father caught me… pulled me out of the water… and placed me on the rock…

I tell you this story because my Father was the one who told me to jump and my father was the one who caught me and pulled me through to the other side… if I would have attempted that without my Father being there, I would have been swept away by the rushing water…my success was dependent upon my Father… Your success is dependent upon God and he deserves the credit for your success… Joshua’s success was dependent upon God…

POINT #2: God’s GREATEST act was the CROSS and FORGIVING sinners

What do I mean by this? God’s greatest action was the cross and forgiving sinners?

In Joshua 10:12-15 we see that Joshua speaks to the LORD and asks the Lord to stop the Sun and the moon until the nations took vengeance upon their enemies…

Now we know that God is creator over the heavens and the earth… and we have already discussed in Genesis how if God created it, then he has control, authority, and is responsible for sustaining it. But to read about how God literally stops the sun and moon in their place is truly incredible… I have yet to see the day when the moon and Sun just stopped and rested… and as incredible as this must have been, to see God work and move in such a might way… I think we get to see something greater than that today…

My point is… the greatest miracle or miraculous event that we can witness today is not God stopping the moon or sun… its not turning water into wine… its not allowing the lame to walk… it is not bring someone like Lazarus back to a physical life… rather, it is the forgiveness of sins through faith in Jesus Christ and the new life that is born in the heart of someone who was once labeled a sinner - but is now called a Child of God…

Here is one other piece of scripture that are worth looking at to better understand what I am trying to express:

1.) John 3:3-5 says, “Jesus answered him (Nicodemus), Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. 4) Nicodemus said to him (Jesus), How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter is mother’s womb and be born? 5) Jesus answered, Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God”.

I bring this passage up because to be born again is an act of the Spirit…

That Word Spirit in John 3 means = “the spirit or the animating or bringing to life of a person” …

In other words, when God saves someone through faith in Jesus Christ alone, there sins are forgiven and they are given this spirit… they are brought to life in the inner being…

Here Jesus is telling Nicodemus the only way to enter the kingdom of God is by being born again - is by receiving this Spirit that brings a dead lost sinner into the arms of the life giving Father - and friends when we see someone who is saved by Jesus Christ today we are witnessing something far greater than the Sun and Moon Stopping…

I worked at this place called Club Chief… Club chief was place where hopes and dreams die… I got this Job because my mother in-law, the lovely Pam Duty, saw a flyer that was advertising the fact that they were hiring… the at the time paid like $17 bucks an hour and I was in college about to graduate and I wanted to marry Brooke but I was completely broke … So I applied for this job and I got it… turns out this job was in a factory that was 35 degrees at all time… reason being is that Club Chief produced and processed produce like lettuce and peppers for food chains like Subway… so to ensure that the produce did not decay, it had to be cold… And one day I was working the spinach line where I would box bags of spinach for endless hours… while boxing the spinach I worked alongside of another guy who knew that I was a Christian…

And he asked me the question, “If God is real, then why doesn't he just write his name in the sky or perform miracle for all of us to see”.

Friends, how I wish I would have told him how God performs miracles everyday when he saves a broken lost sinner - people like you and like me…

Are you someone who truly recognizes that the greatest miracle that could ever happen is salvation through Jesus Christ? Do you think about God saving someone and are you left unbothered or unmoved? Or do you feel the weight of the life changing power that is found in faith in Jesus Christ alone?

Question/Test:

Here is a good test… The last time you attended a baptism service and witnessed a sinner proclaiming how Jesus had saved them and witness them being dunked in the water and raised out of it… do you respond with joy, awe, and wonder at what God has done? Or do stand and simply watch others make a big deal out of something you do not care all that much for or about?