Oh No He Did Not

Joshua prayed like there was no tomorrow Joshua made an audacious prayer. It was a prayer for the impossible. The fact that he even thought of it surprises everyone.

 The Gibeonites then sent word to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal: “Do not abandon your servants. Come up to us quickly and save us! Help us, because all the Amorite kings from the hill country have joined forces against us.” 7 So Joshua marched up from Gilgal with his entire army, including all the best fighting men. 8 The Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them; I have given them into your hand. Not one of them will be able to withstand you.” 9 After an all-night march from Gilgal, Joshua took them by surprise.

7 So Joshua marched up from Gilgal with his entire army, including all the best fighting men. 8 The Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them; I have given them into your hand. Not one of them will be able to withstand you.”

9 After an all-night march from Gilgal, Joshua took them by surprise. 10 The Lord threw them into confusion before Israel, so Joshua and the Israelites defeated them completely at Gibeon. Israel pursued them along the road going up to Beth Horon and cut them down all the way to Azekah and Makkedah. 11 As they fled before Israel on the road down from Beth Horon to Azekah, the Lord hurled large hailstones down on them, and more of them died from the hail than were killed by the swords of the Israelites.

12 On the day the Lord gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the Lord in the presence of Israel:

“Sun, stand still over Gibeon,

and you, moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.”

13 So the sun stood still,

10 The Lord threw them into confusion before Israel, so Joshua and the Israelites defeated them completely at Gibeon. Israel pursued them along the road going up to Beth Horon and cut them down all the way to Azekah and Makkedah. 11 As they fled before Israel on the road down from Beth Horon to Azekah, the Lord hurled large hailstones down on them, and more of them died from the hail than were killed by the swords of the Israelites. 12 On the day the Lord gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the Lord in the presence of Israel: “Sun, stand still over Gibeon, and you, moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.”

and the moon stopped,

till the nation avenged itself on its enemies,

as it is written in the Book of Jashar.

13 So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the nation avenged itself on its enemies, as it is written in the Book of Jashar. The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day. 14 There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the Lord listened to a human being. Surely the Lord was fighting for Israel! 15 Then Joshua returned with all Israel to the camp at Gilgal.

The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day. 14 There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the Lord listened to a human being. Surely the Lord was fighting for Israel!

15 Then Joshua returned with all Israel to the camp at Gilgal.

• Today we want to look at his motivation behind that prayer, and his commitment to fulfilling God’s will.

1. commitment to help despite the obstacles

The chapter opens with 5 opposing Amorite armies planning an attack on the Gibeonites.

• They joined forces to attack the Gibeonites, unhappy that they had made a treaty with Israel and wanting to weaken this new threat.

• Let’s look at the map and get a feel of the situation. These nations are situated at the Southern part of Canaan.

• They joined forces to attack the Gibeonites, unhappy that they had made a treaty with Israel and wanting to weaken this new threat.

Joshua responded to the Gibeonites’ call for help.

• It’s like walking from here to Changi Airport and back. And they did it in one night! (10:9)

The Lord spoke to Joshua: “Do not be afraid of them; I have given them into your hand. Not one of them will be able to withstand you.” (10:8)

The Lord spoke to Joshua: “Do not be afraid of them; I have given them into your hand. Not one of them will be able to withstand you.” (10:8)

• He was given the assurance that God is behind him on this.

2. energy from promises

Arriving after an all-night march (10:9), the Israelites unleashed a surprise attack.

• The enemy lines broke and they fled into the valley, down South-West to the valley, to Azekah and Makkedah (10:10).

• Joshua’s men gave chase and then we see God intervening. He rained down large hailstones on the enemies.

• It was so massive that more died from the hailstones than by the swords of the Israelites.

The battle dragged on and Joshua knew he needed more time. It was desperate.

3. Prayer assuring that resources and time are provided by God

• And so in that crucial moment, he made a daring plea: “O sun, stand still over Gibeon, O moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.” (10:12)

• In short, LORD, STOP THE SUN! (That’s using human language of observation, because the sun does not move actually.)

• Joshua was not addressing the sun. He was speaking to God about the sun! 10:12 “Joshua said to the Lord in the presence of Israel…”

If you think this prayer was incredible, God actually answered him! And promptly.

• 10:13 SO THE SUN STOOD STILL, and the moon stopped, till the nation avenged itself on its enemies, as it is written in the Book of Jashar (poetic songs honouring Israel’s leaders). The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day. 14There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the LORD listened to a man. Surely the LORD was fighting for Israel!

• Joshua prayed with faith and God answered him. He did not figure out the HOW. He simply cry out in desperation.

We saw God intervening TWICE in this battle. The first one, the hailstones (v.11) and now the earth slowed down in its spin (v.12). That is, the sun delayed going down about a full day.

• God did the first on His own accord, and second in response to a man’s prayer. Obviously Joshua Prayed consistently

• God fights for Joshua, as He has promised. Joshua’s bold prayer was based on the promise of God had made to him.

Consider Joshua’s Motivation:

4. Pray boldly to see that God’s Will is done

Dare to make God-sized prayers, based on the promises of God.

Joshua did not say a prayer for himself. It was not for protection or an easy way out.

• It was made in the heat of battle, for the sun to stay so that he can complete the destruction of his enemies.

• In fact, if the sun stays, it would mean a longer battle. According to the text, they fought on for another full day!

The motivation is clear - Joshua is driven by a desire to see total victory.

• Nothing short of complete destruction of his enemies. Anything less will mean that the end would not be as glorious.

• Joshua fought to finish the task. He fought to fulfil God’s promise. He fought to uphold the glory of God, believing that this is the promise of God.

This is the basis of his prayer, and the basis of our prayers too.

• It is what shapes our prayer. We pray because we want to see God’s will accomplished and His Name glorified.

• Let His purposes motivate us to pray. Let’s His will directs the content of what we ask for.

• Jesus says this is how you should pray: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” ()

When Elijah challenged the 450 prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel (), this was what he prayed.

• “36 At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: "O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. 37 Answer me, O LORD, answer me, so these people will know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again." 38 Then the fire of the LORD fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.

God don’t exist for us; we exists for Him. God is not here to grant us our wishes; we are here to fulfil His will.

• Something is amiss if we are preoccupied by prayers for health, wealth and success, prayers only for the physical, material and emotional wellbeing.

• My big question is: WHAT FOR? Why do you want to be rich? Why do we want to feel good? Why you want to be successful on earth? What is motivating you?

• “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”

Joshua prayed for the unthinkable and he got it, because that is the will of God.

• He did not ask for an easy outcome; he asked for help to finish the work of God.

• That is our motivation today. God will “keep the lights on” so that we can finish His task.

Consider Joshua’s Commitment: WORK HARD to see that God’s Work is done

It is amazing to see the extent of hard work involved in this battle.

• An overnight march from Gilgal to Gibeon, under the cover of darkness. A distance of 40km almost 25 miles and ascent of 4,000ft (1.2km) uphill. No opportunity to rest.

• God aided them with the hailstones. The chase dragged on and Joshua asked for the sun to stay.

• God aided them with the hailstones. The chase dragged on and Joshua asked for the sun to stay.

• They eventually fought on for another full day! You can imagine how tired they must be.

Prayer does not excuse us from hard work. Knowing that God helps us does not mean we “rest on our laurels” and expect God to do everything.

• Such a dichotomy does not exist with Joshua. He knows God is present with them and yet they have to fight with all that they’ve got.

• He knows God has given him the promise and yet he needs to work hard to win the battle.

This passage paints for us a great picture of the interplay between the human and divine factors in achieving victory. It is not either-or. It is BOTH.

• Both played important roles in the battle. The soldiers had to fight and God gave the victory.

• Success will not come simply because we pray. It comes because we obey His Word and do what He says.

Victory will not come as a gift (drop down from the sky). It comes because men and women fight hard for the cause of Christ. What are you doing to claim the promises of God?

Don’t be discouraged because the going is tough. Don’t doubt God because you are facing difficulties.

• God’s promises have not changed. He is with us, fighting the battles WITH us.

• Joshua did not expect God to DO the fighting FOR him. Neither should we.

• “Fight the good fight of the faith,” Paul tells Timothy ()

God will intervene, but we have to fight. One thing is sure, victory is assured. God said so. That is His promise.

Consider some CONTEMPORARY STORIES. I’ve mentioned several times during this series the impact of Steven Furtick through his book, Sun Stand Still – What Happens When You Dare to Ask God for the Impossible. Steven and his wife, and their four-month old child moved to Charlotte, North Carolina with seven other families to start a new church. These eight families had been meeting and praying for a year to discern God’s will for them. They believed God was leading them to Charlotte – an already heavily churched area. So they all packed up and went. Here are Steven’s words: “We set a goal of reaching over one thousand people in our first year of ministry. Since the average church size in America is fewer than one hundred and twenty, and the first rule of goal setting is attainability, I guess we were overshooting it a bit. But we wanted to see God accomplish something so exponentially amazing that it would leave no doubt who deserved the credit. In fact, several times during those months of casting vision, I told our little group, ‘I want to know what it means to live life and do ministry at the speed of God. I want to see God do so much so fast that the world will have to take notice.’…The story of our church is still being told…But…after just four years of ministry, our church has grown to more than six thousand regular attendees. Since our opening day more than five thousand people have publicly professed faith in Christ. I’ll never forget the time we baptized over a thousand adults in a two-week period. (One Easter) over seven hundred people committed their lives to Christ…If we have the audacity to ask, God has the ability to perform…The same power that stopped the sun and raised Christ from the grave lives in every believer. God still demonstrates his power and supplies his provision in direct proportion to the faith of his children.”