Sun stood still: Joshua 10
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Intro-
Background
In order to appreciate , we need to understand what took place prior to this chapter.
Joshua is now in charge, Moses is Gone and Joshua is going throughout the land on a military conquest. He had just defeated AI and prior to that, Jericho. There was great fear spreading throughout the land based on what they had heard about Israel and the God of Israel.
In chapter 9, We read that some men from Gibeon wanted to make peace with Israel. V.4 begins to describe their trickery. They told Israel that they were from a far off place and that they wanted to make peace.
So the men took some of their provisions, but did not ask counsel from the Lord.
So the men took some of their provisions, but did not ask counsel from the Lord. And Joshua made peace with them and made a covenant with them, to let them live, and the leaders of the congregation swore to them.
They then found out that they had been deceived. That these people were not from afar off, However… they had to keep their oath
We typically think in our society that if an agreement is made on false pretenses, that that agreement should be void. But that is not the case. We read of Jacob deceiving his father Isaac and claiming to be Esau… It could not be undone.
But the people of Israel did not attack them, because the leaders of the congregation had sworn to them by the Lord, the God of Israel. Then all the congregation murmured against the leaders. But all the leaders said to all the congregation, “We have sworn to them by the Lord, the God of Israel, and now we may not touch them.
They had to keep their oath because they swore by God that they would not touch them.
They were in a really tricky spot now. On one hand, they had to stand in judgement of God if they broke their oath. On the other hand, They did not know If God was still with them since they made this oath without seeking His council.
Chapter 10:
The king of Jerusalem Heard about all that Israel had done. That they had destroyed AI and Jericho and now he learns that Gibeon has joined forces with Israel and He panics. He forms an alliance with other kings
King of hebron
Jarmuth
Lachish
and Eglon
They decide to go and attack Gibeon. Gibeon while under attack, calls for Joshua to honor his covenant to them, and to protect them.
Now God breaks His silence. At this point, we don’t know and Joshua doesn’t know if God is still with him due to this ill-advised covenant with Gibeon.
And the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not fear them, for I have given them into your hands. Not a man of them shall stand before you.”
He reassures Joshua that He was still with him.
The past tense of what God says here is significant. The battle has not yet been fought, but God speaks of this in the past tense. “Have given” - it has already been decided.
Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses.
God is faithful to His word.
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.
God was winning the battle. It wasn’t the Israelites being better soldiers, It was God showing his power and might.
Did the Sun actually stand still?
It is a fascinating portion of History and an interesting Battle to read about, But the part that is scrutinized the most is what we are going to look at now.
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.” 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. 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.
Did the sun actually stand still? Or is there another explanation?
Some have suggested a variety of interpretations
The sun stood still (literally the earth stopped spinning) preserving sunlight and prolonging the day
Some say it was a solar eclipse - Problematic because the sun and the moon are described in opposition rather than conjunction
Some say it is simply poetic in the sense that the day seemed longer than others.
Some suggest that Joshua was asking God to frighten the Amorites by exploiting their fear of a bad omen in relation to the position of the sun and the moon.
Its my belief that the earth literally stopped rotating and the day was prolonged.
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.
There have been plenty of days with solar eclipses, and odd positioning, and feelings of a day being longer than usual. There was something different that happened here.
It was recorded in a Hebrew book of History “Book of Jashar” (There are many references in the Bible to other literature)
Josephus wrote about this:
The Works of Josephus: New Updated Edition Chapter 1: How Joshua, the Commander of the Hebrews, Made War with the Canaanites, and Overcame Them, and Destroyed Them, and Divided Their Land by Lot to the Tribes of Israel
But the king of Jerusalem took it to heart that the Gibeonites had gone over to Joshua; so he called upon the kings of the neighboring nations to join together, and make war against them. Now when the Gibeonites saw these kings, which were four, besides the king of Jerusalem, and perceived that they had pitched their camp at a certain fountain not far from their city, and were getting ready for the siege of it, they called upon Joshua to assist them; (59) for such was their case, as to expect to be destroyed by these Canaanites, but to suppose they should be saved by those that came for the destruction of the Canaanites, because of the league of friendship that was between them. (60) Accordingly, Joshua made haste with his whole army to assist them, and marching day and night, in the morning he fell upon the enemies as they were going up to the siege; and when he had discomfited them he followed them, and pursued them down the descent of the hills. The place is called Beth-horon; where he also understood that God assisted him, which he declared by thunder and thunderbolts, as also by the falling of hail larger than usual. (61) Moreover, it happened that the day was lengthened, that the night might not come on too soon, and be an obstruction to the zeal of the Hebrews in pursuing their enemies; insomuch, that Joshua took the kings, who were hidden in a certain cave at Makkedah, and put them to death. Now, that the day was lengthened at this time, and was longer than ordinary, is expressed in the books laid up in the temple.
Bridging the contextual gap
The finality of God’s Judgement
What can we learn from this? Other than God is awesome?
And the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not fear them, for I have given them into your hands. Not a man of them shall stand before you.”
God honored the covenant that Israel made with Gibeon
The past tense of this phrase is significant.
The outcome had been decided, but Israel still had to do their part
Out of everything that God had commanded, Joshua left nothing undone.
Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses.
Joshua’s covenant with Gibeon wasn’t in contradiction to any command of God’s (Although unwise for not seeking prior council)
This is part of a fulfilled promise
It is important to look at what motivated Gibeon to come and seek a treaty.
They said to him, “From a very distant country your servants have come, because of the name of the Lord your God. For we have heard a report of him, and all that he did in Egypt,
Why did they Gibeonites want a treaty? Why did they want alliance? They wanted to come because of what they heard about God.
An often overlooked point in OT history is that God is faithful to those who seek Him. It wasn’t just a select chosen group of people and everyone else had to die. People had the option of following God, or rejecting Him.
We are modern day Gibeonites
But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,
Through Jesus, we are allowed to be joined together with spiritual Israel and be fellow citizens, because of our acceptance of and obedience to the Christ who died for us
We today are much like the Gibeonites in . Sinners, deceitful, and in need of God. If we submit to Him and His authority, Just as the Gibeonites did, He will remain faithful to us.