On a Day Like No Other
Joshua: Pass Over and Possess • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Now it came to pass, when Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem had heard how Joshua had taken Ai, and had utterly destroyed it; as he had done to Jericho and her king, so he had done to Ai and her king; and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel, and were among them; That they feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, as one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all the men thereof were mighty.
Wherefore Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem sent unto Hoham king of Hebron, and unto Piram king of Jarmuth, and unto Japhia king of Lachish, and unto Debir king of Eglon, saying, Come up unto me, and help me, that we may smite Gibeon: for it hath made peace with Joshua and with the children of Israel.
Therefore the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, the king of Eglon, gathered themselves together, and went up, they and all their hosts, and encamped before Gibeon, and made war against it. And the men of Gibeon sent unto Joshua to the camp to Gilgal, saying, Slack not thy hand from thy servants; come up to us quickly, and save us, and help us: for all the kings of the Amorites that dwell in the mountains are gathered together against us.
So Joshua ascended from Gilgal, he, and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valour. And the Lord said unto Joshua, Fear them not: for I have delivered them into thine hand; there shall not a man of them stand before thee.
Introduction
Introduction
The book of Joshua is a series of mountains and valleys for the believer. Last week, we saw the effect that a lack of prayer has in our daily choices. In our passage this morning, we will see what God can do when we pray.
We need to be looking throughout the book for our theme for 2025. The central focus of the book of Joshua is that God wants us to move forward and take ahold of the blessings of our salvation.
Pass through the host, and command the people, saying, Prepare you victuals; for within three days ye shall pass over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land, which the Lord your God giveth you to possess it.
As we saw in our study of Ephesians, God has blessed us with spiritual blessings. All the saved have access to these blessings. Do we share them with the lost? Do we live them faithfully in our lives? Do we thank God for them daily? The book of Joshua leads us along the path of living the victorious Christian life. All we need to live victoriously, we already have in Christ. We must just cross over the river of fear and take ownership of the land of Promise!
The day began with preparations for the arrival of two prominent figures of a foreign government. Gavrilo Princip was sent to prepare for their arrival by waiting along the side of the road. Suddenly, a car occupied by the two individuals came into view. But Princip was not alone along the street. Throughout the city, many people had turned out to see the arrival of these two well-known people. Princip was jostled and brushed back. Unable to get close to the car, he quickly left his post and dejectedly walked home.
As he traveled along with his thoughts on his failure, somehow things suddenly improved for his prospects. The two people had decided to go a different direction than they had originally planned. The car with the two foreign dignitaries drove right past Princip. Shots rang out from the gun that Princip carried. As the man and his wife died, so too died the peace of Europe and the world.
On June 28, 1914, Princip set in motion the chain of events that began the First World War with his assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife. Some estimates put the number of people who lost their lives in the conflict at almost 22 million. In the city of Sarajevo today, there are two footprints set in concrete with a message above them where the shooting occured. The footprints of Gavrilo Princip remind us of a day unlike any other in the Twentieth Century, the day that began the Modern Age.
This morning, we are looking at a day that was even greater and more singular than June 28, 1914. Some events in history are unique and are studied over and over again. But in chapter 10, we encounter an event that is not studied as much as it should be. God listened to the prayer of Joshua and three miracles occured that made that day unlike any other day in history.
Declaration
Declaration
The victory is won by God when we pray. Three times in this passage God worked a specific miracle for the children of Israel. How sure we ought to be that God has a heart to work in our lives when we pray! What should prompt prayer in our lives?
1. Pray Out of Your Faith
1. Pray Out of Your Faith
Now it came to pass, when Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem had heard how Joshua had taken Ai, and had utterly destroyed it; as he had done to Jericho and her king, so he had done to Ai and her king; and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel, and were among them; That they feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, as one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all the men thereof were mighty. Wherefore Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem sent unto Hoham king of Hebron, and unto Piram king of Jarmuth, and unto Japhia king of Lachish, and unto Debir king of Eglon, saying, Come up unto me, and help me, that we may smite Gibeon: for it hath made peace with Joshua and with the children of Israel. Therefore the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, the king of Eglon, gathered themselves together, and went up, they and all their hosts, and encamped before Gibeon, and made war against it. And the men of Gibeon sent unto Joshua to the camp to Gilgal, saying, Slack not thy hand from thy servants; come up to us quickly, and save us, and help us: for all the kings of the Amorites that dwell in the mountains are gathered together against us. So Joshua ascended from Gilgal, he, and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valour. And the Lord said unto Joshua, Fear them not: for I have delivered them into thine hand; there shall not a man of them stand before thee. Joshua therefore came unto them suddenly, and went up from Gilgal all night.
Chapter 10 carries us on from the previous chapter to the conclusion of the story of Gibeon and Israel. We see in the first eight verses that there are three different groups present in the chapter. These three characters have different perspectives on the power of God.
In verses 1-5, we encounter the first group of characters in this passage, the Canaanites. There has now been some alarming developments in the land for its inhabitants. We see in verse 1 that the king of Jerusalem is concerned for his city because of the destruction of Jericho, the destruction of Ai, and the surrender of Gibeon. The king gathers four other kings together to prepare for a battle with Gibeon. The fear of the power of God has driven them to conflict. There is no faith here as there had been in the life of Rahab.
Some people have no faith in God despite the clear working of God before their face. Perhaps God has healed someone in their family. Perhaps they have seen some financial need met. Yet, the only action they want to take is vindication on the people of God.
The second group of characters that we see in this passage is the people in the cities of the Gibeonites. Now they are the servants of the children of Israel. They have been spared death as God had condemned them. But how will they respond to an enemy at the gates?
When the hardship arrives, they cry out in fear for the assistance of Israel. The oath that the people had sworn required their action on behalf of Gibeon. Joshua and all of the Israelite soldiers marched through the night up to the cities that were under siege. There are always those who are watching to see what a believer will do when there is a challenge to be overcome. Such are the Gibeonites here. They are surrounded in their city with fear waiting on what will happen next.
The final group of characters in this passage is the Israelites. What can they expect when they arrive at dawn at the place of battle? In chapter 9, they had made a mistake in not asking for wisdom from God. How will they fare against this five-nation alliance in battle?
While the first seven verses do not record a prayer to God, it seems likely that there must have been at least one. Verse 8 reads almost like a reply by God to a complaint or concern by Joshua. How does God respond to the soldiers marching up to the battle?
In verse 8, we see the command of God. There is a command here for the Christian in his time of battle as well, “Fear them not.” Why shouldn’t we fear the enemy? “For I have delivered them into thine hand”. God had already chosen the outcome of the battle. In chapter 1, God had promised Joshua,
There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
Where is your faith? Do you pray out of your faith? Joshua marched through the night because he had faith that God would bring about victory. Pray out of your faith to God.
2. Pray As You See God Work
2. Pray As You See God Work
And the Lord discomfited them before Israel, and slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, and chased them along the way that goeth up to Beth-horon, and smote them to Azekah, and unto Makkedah. And it came to pass, as they fled from before Israel, and were in the going down to Beth-horon, that the Lord cast down great stones from heaven upon them unto Azekah, and they died: they were more which died with hailstones than they whom the children of Israel slew with the sword.
As the dawn breaks in the eastern sky, the Israelites arrive on the outskirts of the cities of Gibeon. I picture in my eye the sun rising behind them as they ascend the hill. No doubt they were tired from the march. They had not slept at all before the fight. But they had something that the enemies were unable to contend with. Israel had the Presence of God. Joseph Parker reminds us,
Preaching through the Bible: Joshua-1 Samuel 18 Joshua 10:11
The divine cause has enemies. The miracle is upon our side.
Verse 10 summarized the first miracle that God works in the battle at Gibeon. God worked in the enemy to cause their fear to increase and discourage them. God brings death on the enemy as they flee from the walls of Gibeon. God is fighting for Israel!
Verse 11 gives us the second miracle of the passage. God sends down stones. While it does use the word for hail in the later part of the verse, the first word in this passage is for regular stones. God is bringing down on the enemy something that only He can control. God brings the weather to judgment on Canaan even as He had in the land of Egypt.
At the brightness that was before him his thick clouds passed,
Hail stones and coals of fire.
The Lord also thundered in the heavens,
And the Highest gave his voice;
Hail stones and coals of fire.
Yea, he sent out his arrows, and scattered them;
And he shot out lightnings, and discomfited them.
Where are your eyes? The army arrived on the battlefield but God is the One doing the fighting in verses 10-11. Look at the One who is winning the battle each step along the way. Pray and let God do the work!
3. Pray for the Will of God to Be Done
3. Pray for the Will of God to Be Done
Then spake Joshua to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel,
Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon;
And thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon.
And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed,
Until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies.
Is not this written in the book of Jasher?
So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven,
And hasted not to go down about a whole day.
And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the Lord hearkened unto the voice of a man: for the Lord fought for Israel.
Verse 12 brings us to the climax of the battle. The enemy are fleeing back the way that they came. They are trying to get back into their cities. God has discouraged them and they are fleeing in panic. There are great stones of hail falling on them and killing them left and right.
In the midst of this scene before the Israelites, Joshua prays a prayer unlike any other in history. His prayer is recorded in the now lost Book of Jasher. We see the prayer in verses 12-13.
The prayer of Joshua is that the sun would remain where it was and that the moon would do the same. Whether this meant that a day was lost or that a day was delayed, God listened to this singular prayer of Joshua. Why did God listen to Joshua? He prayed for the will of God to be carried out.
Joshua uses the word “avenged” in verse 13. This is a key word for the concept of Holy War in the Old Testament. God is bringing judgment on the Canaanites for their sin. Ultimately, God is working for and in Israel to accomplish judgment.
And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites: afterward shalt thou be gathered unto thy people.
God listens to the prayer of Joshua and acts in response to what Joshua has prayed! Verse 14 brings us to a name for God. God is known as “Jehovah fights for you”.
The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.
Too often we ask for things that are not in accordance with the will of God. Sometimes, we don’t yet know the will of God. We ask and the answer is either wait or no. Here, the people knew the will of God. Joshua asks that he have the necessary time to take ahold of what God has promised them to do in verse 8. When we pray, God wants us to be following His will. In Jesus’ ministry, we read
And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. And he said unto them, When ye pray, say,
Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.
Where is your mind? Are you thinking about what you desire and where you want to go? Are you looking for what is convenient for you? Joshua desired a longer day to take ahold of the promise of God. The will of God ought to be the mind of man as we battle the fight of faith in the land of Promise.
4. Pray for God’s Glory
4. Pray for God’s Glory
So Joshua smote all the country of the hills, and of the south, and of the vale, and of the springs, and all their kings: he left none remaining, but utterly destroyed all that breathed, as the Lord God of Israel commanded. And Joshua smote them from Kadesh-barnea even unto Gaza, and all the country of Goshen, even unto Gibeon. And all these kings and their land did Joshua take at one time, because the Lord God of Israel fought for Israel. And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, unto the camp to Gilgal.
In verses 15-43, we see the continuation of the work of God through the Israelites. God gives victory over the kings in the cave at Makkedah. God gives victory over the fleeing survivors of the battle as they return to their cities. In verses 28-39, we see each of the cities fall to total destruction by the hand of Joshua and the Israelites.
What is the significance of these battles? How do they help the narrative of the book? By the clear involvement of God on behalf of the Israelites, the entire southern portion of the land of Canaan is pacified in a relatively short time. The defeat of the Canaanites at the hand of God in front of Gibeon leads to the complete loss of the entire region to the Israelites.
Joshua’s prayer in verse 12 was according to the will of God. In the rest of the chapter we see that it was also for God’s glory.
Joshua could have prayed for his longevity to maintain the pursuit. Gideon seeks for strength to pursue the enemy in Judges 8.
Joshua could have prayed for strength to fight singlehandedly against the enemy to bring attention to himself. Jonathan fought in such a way in 1 Samuel 14.
But, Joshua prayed for something that would only bring glory to God. He prayed for the heavenly bodies to stop so that the promise of God would be fulfilled. Joshua sought the glory of God.
In verse 40, we see the summary of the southern campaign. Joshua carried out the commands of God to Moses to destroy the Canaanites in the land. The words “utterly destroyed” in verse 40 are the same that were used regarding Jericho. The land, cities, and people were dedicated to complete destruction according to the command of God. Moses had said,
And he shall deliver their kings into thine hand, and thou shalt destroy their name from under heaven: there shall no man be able to stand before thee, until thou have destroyed them.
How could this complete victory have been accomplished? What was the distinguishing factor of the campaign and its outcome? The reason was that "the Lord God of Israel fought for Israel" as it says in verse 42. Moses had promised,
For the Lord your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.
Where is your heart? The heart is where the actions generate from. Our being is found in our heart. Is your heart to bring glory to yourself or God. Who is getting glory in your prayer life?
Conclusion
Conclusion
The victory is won by God when we pray. Three times in this passage God worked a specific miracle for the children of Israel. How sure we ought to be that God has a heart to work in our lives when we pray. What should prompt prayer in our lives?
God took the sin that the people had committed in making peace with the Gibeonites into something good. Just as with the brothers of Joseph, God worked it for good. Now they are able to defeat 5 kings together and destroy the entire southern portion of the land. While God is not pleased with our lack of prayer, He is pleased when we obey His commands. We cannot go back but we can live for Him today.
Joshua prayed because of four truths in his life. He had faith in God. He was seeing God work for him. He knew and sought the will of God. Joshua sought the glory of God as the end of his life.
Brother, are you praying today? What is your motive in calling out to God? How can you have faith that God may work for you? We see the answers to these questions today.
Where is your faith? If your faith is in yourself, you will be disappointed. If your faith is another, you faith will be disappointed. If your faith is in Him, you will never be disappointed.
And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
Where are your eyes? God wants us watching and praying. He commands us to be aware of what is going on. What is truly happening in the world is that God is working out His plan of redemption. Look up at the face of the One who loves you and died for you. He rose again for new life for the world. If you have never looked up from your sin to the Saviour, you can do it today. Believe in Him for salvation.
And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Where is your mind? The will of God is not our will. God has greater things in mind than we can imagine. God doesn’t ask us to plan out our lives or prioritize our life goals. God asks us to be faithful in following Him.
Where is your heart? The heart is the center of your emotions, your being. This is where you decide what actions you will take and how you will express yourself on a daily basis. Many seek their own desires and honor. Not so with Joshua and the children of Israel for it was God who fought for Israel.
Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.
There will be days in your life that you will always remember years later: your salvation, your graduation, your wedding. On this day of battle in the land of Canaan, Joshua prayed a prayer unlike any other in history. The Bible records for us a truth about prayer in verse 14, God works when we pray.
And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the Lord hearkened unto the voice of a man: for the Lord fought for Israel.
