Start by reading Joshua chapter 10. It's a bit of a lengthy chapter. We won't go through every jot and tittle. Some of it is summary statement.
But basically, the grand themes here are the battle at Gibeon and then the southern campaign. Remember that they have conquered Jericho and Ai. They've come across the Jordan. They've conquered those particular cities.
Now they're starting to venture into the rest of Canaan. So I'll just pick up reading in chapter 10 at verse 1. Now it came to pass when Adonai Zedek, king of Jerusalem, heard how Joshua had taken Ai and had utterly destroyed it, as he had done to Jericho and its king, so he had done to Ai and its 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, like one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all its men were mighty. Therefore, Adonai Zedek, king of Jerusalem, sent to Hoam, king of Hebron, Piram, king of Jarmath, Japhia, king of Lachish, and Debir, king of Eglon, saying, come up to me and help me that we may attack Gibeon, for it has 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 Jarmath, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon gathered together and went up, they and all their armies, and camped before Gibeon and made war against it. And the men of Gibeon sent to Joshua at the camp at Gilgal saying, do not forsake your servants, come up to us quickly, save us and help us, for all the kings of the Amorites who dwell in the mountains have gathered together against us. So Joshua ascended from Gilgal, he and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valor. And the Lord said to Joshua, do not fear them, for I have delivered them into your hand.
Not a man of them shall stand before you. Joshua therefore came upon them suddenly, having marched all night from Gilgal. So the Lord routed them before Israel, killed them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, chased them along the road that goes to Beth Horon, and struck them down as far as Azekah and Makedah. And it happened as they fled before Israel and were on the descent of Beth Horon that the Lord cast down large hailstones from heaven on them as far as Azekah and they died.
There were more who died from the hailstones than the children of Israel killed with the sword. Then Joshua spoke 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 still over Gibeon and moon in the valley of Eishalon. So the sun stood still and the moon stopped till the people had revenge upon their enemies.
Is this not written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day. And there has been no day like that, before it or after it, that the Lord heeded the voice of a man, for the Lord fought for Israel. Then Joshua returned and all Israel with him to the camp at Gilgal.
But these five kings had fled and hidden themselves in a cave at Makeda. And it was told Joshua, saying, the five kings had been found hidden in the cave at Makeda. So Joshua said, roll large stones against the mouth of the cave and set men by it to guard them. And do not stay there yourselves, but pursue your enemies and attack their rear guard.
Do not allow them to enter their cities, for the Lord your God has delivered them into your hand. Then it happened while Joshua and the children of Israel made an end of slaying them with a very great slaughter till they had finished that those who escaped entered fortified cities. And all the people returned to the camp, to Joshua at Makeda, in peace. No one moved his tongue against any of the children of Israel.
Then Joshua said, Open the mouth of the cave, and bring out those five kings to me from the cave. And they did so, and brought out those five kings to him from the cave, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmath, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon. So it was when they brought out those kings to Joshua that Joshua called for all the men of Israel and said to the captains of the men of war who went with him, come near, put your feet on the necks of these kings. And they drew near and put their feet on their necks.
Then Joshua said to them, do not be afraid, nor be dismayed. Be strong and of good courage, for thus the Lord will do to all your enemies against whom you fight. And afterward, Joshua struck them and killed them and hanged them on five trees. And they were hanging on the trees until evening.
So it was at the time of the going down of the sun that Joshua commanded. And they took them down from the trees, cast them into the cave where they had been hidden, and laid large stones against the cave's mouth, which remain until this very day. On that day Joshua took Makeda and struck it and its king with the edge of the sword. He utterly destroyed them, all the people who were in it.
He let none remain. He also did to the king of Makeda as he had done to the king of Jericho. And Joshua passed from Makeda, and all Israel with him, to Libna. And they fought against Libna.
And the Lord also delivered it and its king into the hand of Israel. He struck it and all the people who were in it with the edge of the sword. He let none remain in it, but did to its king as he had done to the king of Jericho. And Joshua passed from Libna, and all Israel with him, to Lachish.
And they encamped against it and fought against it. And the Lord delivered Lachish into the hand of Israel, who took it on the second day and struck it and all the people who were in it with the edge of the sword, according to all that he had done to Libna. Then Horem king of Gezer came up to help Lachish, and Joshua struck him and his people until he left him none remaining. From Lachish, Joshua passed to Eglon and all Israel with him, and they encamped against it and fought against it.
They took it on that day and struck it with the edge of the sword. All the people who were in it he utterly destroyed that day according to all that he had done to Lachish. So Joshua went up from Eglon and all Israel with him to Hebron, and they fought against it. And they took it and struck it with the edge of the sword, its kings, all its cities, and all the people who were in it.
He left none remaining, according to all that he had done to Eglon, but utterly destroyed it and all the people who were in it. And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to Debir. And they fought against it, and he took it and its king and all its cities. They struck them with the edge of the sword and utterly destroyed all the people who were in it.
He left none remaining, as he had done to Hebron, so he did to Debir and its king, as he had also done to Libna and its king. So Joshua conquered all the land, the mountain country in the south, and the low land in the wilderness slopes, and all their kings. He left none remaining, but utterly destroyed all that breathed as the Lord God of Israel had commanded. And Joshua conquered them from Kadesh Barnea, as far as Gaza, and all the country of Goshen, even as far as Gibeon.
All these kings and their land Joshua took at one time, because the Lord God of Israel fought for Israel. And Joshua returned and all Israel with him to the camp at Gilgal. Amen.
Introduction and Structure
As we work through this particular chapter, as I said, the primary emphasis is the battle at Gibeon and then the southern campaign. On chapter 11, they'll take up the northern campaign. Remember, they've gone in to dispossess the land of the Canaanites, to engage in battle against the enemies, and to defeat the people of the land. As we look at this particular chapter, there are three primary sections.
The first is the Amorite coalition in verses 1 to 5. Secondly is the Gibeonite request in verse 6. And then the Israelite victory in verses 7 to 43. Obviously, that's the emphasis in the passage on the Israelite victory.
And I think what's going on, sometimes in Hebrew narrative, it's not strictly, it's not written the way that you and I might write. We write, you know, at 6 a.m. I got up. At 7 o'clock, I had my Wheaties.
At 8 o'clock, I showed up at work. We do it very chronologically. That's sort of the mindset that we have. Oftentimes you'll see summary statements and then you'll see expansion.
Look for instance at verse 15 here in chapter 10. Then Joshua returned and all Israel with him to the camp at Gilgal. That's exactly what it says in verse 43. Then Joshua returned and all Israel with him to the camp at Gilgal.
Now, if you and I recognize that those things are repetitious, certainly the author did. Probably what he does in verse 15 is give a summary statement. He expands. He tells us things, not necessarily in an order.
And I think what's going on in this particular chapter is that 7 to 10 basically summarize, or 7 to 10 tell us about the victory in terms of the Southern campaign. And then what we have are a series of what one man calls panels or snapshots of various elements of that battle that has transpired, the way that the Lord God intervened, the execution of these Amorite kings, and the conquest of these various cities. So we have the overall overarching statement that they have gained victory in this particular campaign. And then we're given these snapshots or details to sort of fill in for us just exactly what occurred when Israel engaged in this particular southern campaign.
As I said, we won't deal with every jot and tittle. I hope that we can just get an understanding. I think it's pretty straightforward. The bottom line is that when God is on your side, you win battles.
I think that's the emphasis in the passage that we need to make sure we get. But
The Amorite Coalition
notice first the Amorite coalition. This is the first time in the Bible up to this point that the actual name Jerusalem is given. It's referred to in Genesis, but it's not named. as such. And of course, Jerusalem is going to fare very powerfully in Israel's history.
It's a very strategic location in terms of Israel. It's central. It's there that David consolidates power, both politically and religiously. It's there that he sets up his throne.
It's there that they build the temple. So Jerusalem is certainly a city that's going to fare a lot more in the rest of the Bible from this point on. But in this instance, we have Adonai Zedek, the king of Jerusalem, and he is hearing about what's going on in terms of this Israelite invasion. Remember that word of mouth does tend to spread.
Rahab had heard what Israel had done. Other kings had heard what Israel had done. and now this king of Jerusalem hears that Joshua had taken Ai, that he had utterly destroyed it, as he had done to Jericho and its king, so he had done to Ai and its king. He's heard of Joshua's conquest. It's interesting that he names Joshua very specifically.
He doesn't say Israel, he says Joshua. Now certainly Joshua represents Israel, But I think this king perceives not only a threat to his property, but to his person. Joshua is the leader of Israel who goes in with Israel and takes land away. But in the midst of taking land away, he kills the governing kings that are present there.
And so he has something at least of a respect or a fear of Joshua at this particular time. So he hears that Joshua has taken Ai, he hears that Joshua has taken Jericho, and he has heard as well that Gibeon has made peace with Israel because of their fear. Notice in verse 2, It highlights or amplifies something about Gibeon. Gibeon was no pushover city.
Verse 2, that they feared greatly because Gibeon was a great city, like one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all its men were mighty. So you're Adonai Zadok. and you're about six miles away from this region where there's a very strong city. And it must come up into your mind that if this very strong city, that's kind of like a royal city, submits to the ruling government of Israel, There's something about these Israelites that I need to pay attention to. In other words, Adonai Zedek is in a place of vulnerability.
He has heard about this incursion. He sees that Israel is moving eastward into the land of Canaan. If they conquer, not if they conquer, but they have conquered, at least by treaty, a central portion in Israel. This is key property in a very strategic place in terms of routes and in terms of travel.
Adonai Zedek is wise enough to know that if he doesn't do something to stop Israel, that he is going to be like Ai, he is going to be like Jericho, or at least his city will be, and he will become like their king. So Adonai Zedek has a couple of options available to him. I just want to read something from a couple of the commentators in terms of the strategy or the strategic nature of this particular effort. one atlas says, the king of Jerusalem called up his allies to punish the Gibeonites for making a covenant with Israel. He saw this as a threat to his control over the main approach route from the coastal plain to the hill country via Bath-Horon.
So because of where Gibeon is located, now that they are under the rule or under the command of David, This man in Jerusalem is fearful. Davis says, why should Adonai Zedek be so upset from looking at his map of the Holy Land? Because he knew that Israel had already knocked off Jericho and Ai to the east. Now the Gibeonite confederation in the center and west had concluded peace with Israel.
Here was a rectangle of four key sites now under Joshua's control. Along with Israel's defeat of Jericho and Ai, this meant that Israel had control of the strategic central plateau. And again, when you look at the map, This man in Jerusalem knows, I'm in trouble. If these four cities that are these Gibeonite cities, or this confederation, are under the rule and reign of Israel, they control the Beth-Horon, we are not going to last very long.
Davis goes on to say, Joshua had cut a swath right across the midsection of Canaan. He had driven a wedge between north and south. And so Adonai Zadok has one of three options. He can fall to Israel like Ai and Jericho.
Obviously, that's not an option that he is seriously going to entertain. Secondly, he can make peace or attempt to make peace with Israel the way the Gibeonites did. I guess that would be an option in his mind. He could possibly think about it.
But he opts for the third, to make this coalition of kings to try and, with number, destroy or invade Gibeon. If we can reclaim Gibeon, we can stop the spread of this Israelite army. That's the point, that's what they're going for, that's what they're after. So that's what he proposes there in verse 4.
He identifies these particular kings, and the kings are identified in verse 3, the ones that he sent to. Notice in verse 4 his strategy. come up to me and help me that we may attack Gibeon, for it has made peace with Joshua and with the children of Israel." We need to stop them, we need to fortify, we need to band together so that we can invade Gibeon, reclaim it, or take it for ourselves, and thus have access to the Beth Horon, to have access to these roots, and to be hopefully able to stop Israel in their tracks. And then, of course, these kings agree. Verse 5 tells us, therefore, the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmath, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon gathered together and went up.
They and all their armies encamped before Gibeon and made war against it. So you see what's going on now. They've all marshaled together. They've brought their troops.
They're standing before Gibeon. And now what does Gibeon do? Gibeon says, help Israel. Actually, it's interesting.
Notice in verse 6, and the men of Gibeon,
The Gibeonite Request
this brings us to the second major concern, is the Gibeonite request. And the men of Gibeon sent to Joshua at the camp at Gilgal San. The king of Jericho applies to all kinds of kings, doesn't he? Not so when it comes to Joshua.
Maybe we're supposed to glean from this that one man, and of course, one man with his people, Israel, one man with God is a lot more effective than a bunch of men without God. You can get all the kings of these states. You can get all the kings of these cities. You can band them together.
But when the Gibeonites say to Joshua, come and help us, they are bringing not just Joshua and his strategy and his prowess, They're bringing not just Israel and their ability on the battlefield, they're bringing the high king of heaven in terms of his ability to bear on this particular situation. The king of Jerusalem solicited aid from the five kings of the Amorites along with four other kings Gibeon calls alone on Joshua. Notice their request. Do not forsake your servants.
Remember their particular task in Israel. They are woodcutters and water carriers. This connects us back to chapter 9. Remember that Israel cut a covenant, or they made a treaty with the Gibeonites, and Israel is going to honor that treaty.
They've honored it already. When the people of Israel were angry about this treaty, they probably would have liked to cut the Gibeonites off, but the leaders of Israel said, no, we've made a treaty, we've made a covenant, we cannot let them die. We'll make them woodcutters, we'll make them water carriers. Well, here again, Israel is faithful to this covenant that they've entered into.
The Gibeonites say, do not forsake your servants. Come up to us quickly. Save us and help us for all the kings of the Amorites who dwell in the mountains have gathered together against us. So the backdrop is this treaty in chapter 9.
This is the second time this treaty is honored in terms of their helping and assisting with reference to these people in Gibeon. Of course, there's a strategy here as well. We can't let Gibeon and these other cities fall prey to this coalition of kings because they're going to stop our advance, they're going to stop our strategy, they're going to keep us from carrying on to doing what the Lord God has commanded. We see the Amorite coalition, we see the Gibeonite request,
The Israelite Victory
we look thirdly at the Israelite victory. Verses 7 to 10, as I've mentioned, is a summary statement concerning the warrior of Israel. Notice, Israel responds, verse 7, Joshua ascended from Gilgal, he and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valor. And then verse 8, the Lord said to Joshua, do not fear them, for I have delivered them into your hand.
Not a man of them shall stand before you. This is not the first time that God has called upon Joshua to not fear. Remember in his commission, Joshua chapter 1, the Lord tells him, do not fear. The Lord reiterates this promise that I have delivered them into your hand, not a man of them shall stand before you." I just want to read a quote from Dale Ralph Davis.
His treatment on this section is very good, by the way. He says, the latter part of this assurance had already been given to Joshua in chapter 1, verse 5, before the invasion of Canaan. Now God repeats it. Such is the usual way God has of reassuring his children, not by unveiling to them some new truth previously unknown, but by reaffirming promises already given.
It's very important. I'm reading this because it has application for us. We may not be standing before Gibeon getting ready to battle with a coalition of evil kings. But we find ourselves in situations at times where we need reassurance, where we need a word from the Lord.
The point is, it may not be a new word. Well, it's not going to be a new word outside of Genesis to Revelation. It's going to be a word that has been spoken in the past that God brings to bear on a fresh or a new situation. He says, such is the usual way God has of reassuring his children, not by unveiling to them some new truth previously unknown, but by reaffirming promises already given, which somehow take on special power because of the present pressing need.
That is what God's people usually need. not new truth, but old truth, freshly applied to their current need." In other words, search the scriptures, study the Bible, get the promises of God, learn about how he comforts his people. We're not going to stand in the plains outside of Gibeon and say, Lord, give me a word. It's not the case that we're going to do that in our various challenges in our lives. We're going to seek counsel from the Lord God, Most High, revealed in the scripture.
We need to know the Bible for our comfort, for our hope, for our consolation, and so that we will press forward in the things that God Almighty has called us to. So he repeats to them this blessed truth, this blessed promise. So the Lord instructs, now notice in verses 9 and 10. So something we considered on Sunday morning.
Remember that Jesus praises the Father for predestination. Just read something interesting in Machen. He said, that when it comes to the whole idea of God's sovereignty, he says that the Bible refers to predestination or election, we might cause that, the positive outworking of God's decree, more than it does reprobation. There are texts that teach reprobation.
Make no mistake about it. But there are more texts that highlight the truth of election in terms of its positive benefit, God electing sinners unto salvation. Machen says that's because the truly surprising thing is election unto salvation. Reprobation isn't surprising.
The fact that God would send sinners to hell really doesn't cause anybody to say, wait a minute, that's amazing. The fact that God sets his affections upon and foreordains some unto everlasting life, now that's something we have to repeat often because it's going to be hard for us to get it through our heads. That was an interesting observation. Anyways, Sunday morning, I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and the prudent.
You did reveal them unto babes, for it was well-pleasing in your sight." Divine sovereignty, predestination, election, reprobation. But I sought to encourage you to realize that that does not diminish responsibility. Chapter 11, verses 20 to 24, Jesus is reproving and pronouncing woes upon Chorazin, Bethsaida, and upon Capernaum because they saw his mighty deeds and they did not repent. Now look at here, verse 8, Do not fear them, for I have delivered them into your hand.
Not a man of them shall stand before you. This does not diminish strategy. It does not diminish hard work. It does not diminish ingenuity.
It does not diminish being faithful soldiers. Verse 9, Joshua therefore came upon them suddenly, having marched all night from Gilgal. There's a strategy there. Strike first and strike hard.
We are not going to let this coalition of kings make one step toward Gibeon. We're going to march all night long, which is difficult in this setting. I mean, for us to march all night long in our day and age, we have lights. I mean, I have a powerful flashlight on my phone. probably a lot stronger and a lot more powerful light than anything they would have ever seen in the dark.
And so for them to do this, they had to be wise, they had to engage in ingenuity. Some suggest there must have been a full moon that night in order to engage in this sort of a march with this number of troops to get to this place so that they could launch a sudden attack upon their enemies. You see, God says, I will deliver them. God says, not a man of them will stand.
That doesn't mean we lay down on the couch and just wait for the Gibeonites to be released, to let these coalition of kings die. No, we go out and we fight and we battle on the basis of what God has promised. Divine sovereignty does not diminish. Divine sovereignty does not do away with.
Divine sovereignty does not destroy human responsibility. Now notice, there is a strategic attack, verse 9, but note who the active agent is in verse 10. So the Lord routed them. I don't know why the New King James translates it this way.
The ESV says it, and the Lord threw them into a panic before Israel. The NIV has, and the Lord threw them into confusion before Israel. There was this happening. When God sends hailstones, when the sun and the moon stop, what do you think the enemies of the Lord do?
Well, we see that all the time. Of course not. When you see the sun and the moon stop, and you see hailstones coming out of heaven that kill more than Israel's sword, this will throw the enemy into a panic, into a confusion. This will put them into a very difficult situation.
God is obviously the subject of this first verb. I think the New King James is right in that God is the subject of all the verbs subsequent in verse 10. Not only did the Lord throw them into a panic or into a confusion, the Lord killed them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, the Lord chased them along the road that goes to Beth Horon, and the Lord struck them down as far as Azekah, Now, the NIV definitely misses or diminishes that. The ESV has a marginal reading that could convey that thought.
Davis, again, says this with reference to the Hebrew verbs. He says, the traditional Hebrew text assumes that God is the subject of all four verbs. Go back to verse 10. So the Lord caused a panic, the Lord threw them into confusion, killed them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, chased them along the road that goes to Beth Horon, and struck them down as far as Azekah and Makedah.
He says, the traditional Hebrew text assumes that God is the subject of all four verbs. I think this is what the writer intended. Granted, it may sound strange to us to hear of God pursuing, for example, the enemy, but that is precisely the point. The writer wants us to see that it is God who is the fighter.
It is God who is the warrior. It is God who is the victor, who crushes the enemy. That's the point. When Israel is down on the ground doing these particulars, it's God the Lord working through them to bring decisive defeat upon the enemy and victory to the people of God.
Truly is a very powerful statement there. And Davis has another quote that's just awesome. He says, a lot of these things are missed on us because we have this idea We have this conception of a super nice deity, a God and a Jesus who would never do anything like this. A God and a Jesus who would never row to throw into a panic, who would never kill, who would never chase.
Our God and our Jesus, they're only there to bless us. Our God and our Jesus are only there to do us good things. He says that we have this idea of Jesus, he comes, he's reeking of hand cream, he's prissy, he's soft. He says, we need to go learn the catechism of Psalm 24.
We need to look at this rider on the white horse, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords in Revelation 19. This is our God. And when it comes to the defeat of His enemies, He takes the decisive lead. And it is He that brings destruction to bear upon them.
And I think Davis is spot on with that. So that's the summary statement. God is the agent. Notice verses 11 to 15, some details.
Verse 11, and it happened as they fled before Israel and were on the descent of Beth Horon that the Lord cast down large hailstones from heaven on them as far as Azekah and they died. There were more who died from the hailstones than the children of Israel. killed with the sword. That just highlights and reiterates verse 10, the victory decisively is God's. Certainly Israel uses the sword effectively and they bring death and destruction and they break things on their enemies but it is God who leads this, it is God who is driving this, it is God who is bringing victory to his people.
And then verse 12, then Joshua spoke 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 still over Gibeon, and moon in the valley of Aijalon. So the sun stood still and the moon stopped till the people had revenge upon their enemies." Now, it's interesting. What does Joshua ask for? He asks for more light, presumably.
He wants the sun and the moon to stand still so that there'll be more light for Israel to effectively engage the enemy. Some take it, though, that Joshua's asking for more darkness. Kind of an interesting interpretation. But if you follow the plot and you follow what's happening in verse 9, they come at night.
Could be the case they launch this attack while it's still dark. And instead of this standing still, the verb could also have the idea of don't shine. So that what Joshua wants is not additional daylight, he wants additional darkness because that strategically is what they're using to destroy the enemies. Now, it's a good interpretation until verse 13. when it talks about, is it not written in the book of Jasher?
So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day. So that really does tend to make one think that it wasn't extra darkness, it was extra light that they were seeking. Yes. yeah okay yeah so but it is a Davis actually takes the extra darkness he says I know verse 13 is very hard and he tries to explain some of the places where the verb is used elsewhere but he says I know people will think that's just a stretch but but that is what he did prefers but it's an interesting view on the text but suffice it to say what happens is that Joshua prays and God answers yes Again, the idea, though, is that the sun stands still. The verb could be don't shine.
So that even though the sun is up in the sky and the moon is out, don't give off light. But more than likely, what's in view is this extra daylight that's in view. And basically, this is what we find. Maybe you've seen that email where astronomers can account for an extra day and they trace it to this.
I don't think that's what we're supposed to get from that. I don't know how you could even figure out that there's a missing day. Of course, I'm not a physicist, so I can hardly figure out how 2 plus 2 equals 4, so I'm probably not the best guy to ask. But I've seen that email come around probably five or ten times in the last several years.
Astronomists have figured there's a missing day, and then they use that to try to prove that, you know, the Joshua narrative is true. The Joshua narrative is true, no matter what astronomers find concerning a missing day. You know, that's an unfortunate attempt to try and verify the Word of God. The day we need NASA to verify Joshua 10 is the day we need to, you know, turn in our faith card.
At any rate, notice what goes on to say. Joshua makes the statement, sun stands still over Gibeon, moon in the valley of Eijalon, so the sun stood still and the moon stopped till the people had revenge upon their enemies. Is this not written in the book of Jasher? Jasher is referred to in 2 Samuel 1, It may be just a collection of narratives about the heroes in the battles of Israel.
I don't know. I don't know that I read any guide today that really knew what it was either. But the sun stood still in the midst of heaven and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day. And notice in verse 14, and there has been no day like that before it or after it, that the Lord heeded the voice of a man, for the Lord fought for Israel.
Davis makes this comment. That day was unique, not for some unusual daylight or darkness, but because God listened to a man's prayer. That's the take-home message. Joshua prays, we need more light.
And the Lord God listened, the Lord God stopped the movement of these celestial beings, and the Lord heeded the voice of a man. And what is underscored there is, for the Lord fought for Israel. So that's some details of God's aid. Now notice in 16 to 27, the execution of the Amorite kings.
So some heavy stuff here. We read through this, and it's pretty garden variety to us, because we're going through Joshua. But imagine if somebody was just visiting tonight, and you're hearing about Joshua says to these leaders, these military chiefs, put your feet on their necks. Subdue your enemies.
And then he kills them, they hang them on a tree, and then they take them down by nightfall. That's heavy, right? If you're not a Reformed Christian or you're not an Old Testament reading Christian, some of these things might give you a little bit of difficulty. I think, as we read it, hopefully we say, praise God for his might and his power and his victory and his glory in giving his people the land that he promised.
Notice, the kings hide in a cave, verse 16. These five kings had fled and hidden themselves in a cave at Makeda. Good leaders there, huh? Terrible, man.
You go with your troops. Best leaders are there with their troops, man. You don't go run and hide in a cave. It was told Joshua was saying the five kings had been found hidden in the cave at Makeda.
Woodstrath says, thus, what had been sought as a refuge becomes a place of incarceration. and ultimate doom. They think they're hiding in this cave. Well, they get imprisoned there first, and then they're going to be executed, and then their dead bodies are going to be cast back into that particular cave. So this cave really wasn't a benefit for these kings.
They were in a bad place, and they didn't realize it. Verses 20 to 21, well, Joshua gives the command, roll large stones against the mouth of the cave, and set men by it to guard them. You ever jump into the feet of your enemies and wonder what those kings in the cave were thinking at that particular time? Oh no, they know we're here.
They're rolling a stone. We can't get out. This does not look good. Can you imagine?
I mean, like those men in the Red Sea when their chariot wheels fell off. I'm sure that panic sets in. I don't think it just panic affects 21st century North Americans. I'm sure when people are in grave danger and they realize it, there's a bit of panic involved.
They hear the stoves being rolled against the mouth of the cave. They hear Joshua outside say, set men by it to guard them. Do not stay there yourselves, but pursue your enemies and attack their rear guard. Do not allow them to enter their cities, for the Lord your God has delivered them into your hands.
So you see they're still engaged in the warfare, they're still pursuing their enemies. Verse 20, Then it happened, while Joshua and the children of Israel made an end of slaying them with a very great slaughter, till they had finished, that those who escaped entered fortified cities. And all the people returned to the camp, to Joshua at Machedah, in peace. No one moved his tongue against any of the children of Israel.
And it's at this point that Joshua then tells them to get the kings out and to kill them. I do want to read another quote. Again, it's from Davis. I'm supposing you're probably not all going to read Davis's commentary on Joshua right now, but what he brings out here I think is very valuable.
It's very important on this incident. So let's just read first, verse 24. So it was when they brought out those kings to Joshua that Joshua called for all the men of Israel and said to the captains of the men of war who went with him, come near, put your feet on the necks of these kings. And they drew near and put their feet on their necks.
Then Joshua said to them, do not be afraid, nor be dismayed. Be strong and of good courage. Notice that. The way God encourages Joshua, it's the same language that Joshua uses. to encourage the troops, to encourage the military leaders.
What God the Lord commands Joshua, Joshua is faithful to tell others as well. And then note what the emphasis is. For thus the Lord will do to all your enemies against whom you fight. Now here's what Davis says.
Now this act was not simple barbarism nor a mere macho move. It was, if one might speak loosely, a sacrament. Now, when he says that, he doesn't mean a sacrament. I mean, he means like baptism or the Lord's Supper or circumcision or Passover.
He's not saying that this act of putting the foot on the neck is an actual ordained sacrament. He's saying it's functioning sacramentally, and here's why. He says Joshua's words in verse 25 explain the action. Don't be afraid and don't lose your nerve.
Be strong and bold for this is what God will do to all your enemies with whom you are fighting. He then says the leader's feet upon the necks of these prostrate kings was an acted parable, an assuring sign of how God would certainly place all their enemies beneath them. The symbolic action is intended as a visible encouragement to the people of God. So the sacrament does, isn't it?
It's a visible representation, it's a symbolic activity that encourages the people of God. He says, of course, some skeptic may question how a mere symbolic action could ever reassure faith, since there is no compelling logic in it. He says, how God's bow in the clouds could make Noah feel the security of God's promise, or how scads of stars should elicit Abraham's faith in a countless seed. These remain mysteries.
He says, sacraments are not for skeptics, but are for believers as props for our weak faith. They are not intended to convince us by cold logic, but to nurture us by warm encouragement, to make us feel that God's word is reliable and his help is sure. Who can explain how eating bread and drinking wine assures us that the crucified and risen Jesus will now and always sustain us? So dirty Israelite feet planted on royal Canaanite necks provide fresh encouragement that this is what God will do to all your enemies." I think that's a beautiful, beautiful observation there and a parallel or analogy to what we do when it comes to these sacraments that we engage in.
They are props for our weak faith. They are an encouragement given by God to his people for our well-being. So they're not engaged in machismo. They're not engaged in some barbaric right.
They are engaged in recalling and rehearsing the promise of God Almighty to subdue their enemies under their feet. So verses 26, and following afterward, Joshua struck them and killed them and hanged them on five trees, and they were hanging on the trees until evening. So it was at the time of the going down of the sun that Joshua commanded, and they took them down from the trees, cast them into the cave where they had been hidden, and laid large stones against the cave's mouth, which remained until this very day.
The Southern Campaign Summarized
And then 28 to 39 rehearsed the southern campaign. They deal with the city of Makeda. They deal with the city of Libna. They deal with the city of Lachish.
Jump to the Lachish incident, the 31 to 33. A little bit of a deviation here, not a deviation in terms of the story. It's just a difference in terms of the way it is panned out. Here in Lachish, we see in verse 33, then Horem, king of Getzer, came up to help Lachish.
Bad decision. This is a mistake. You just leave these people alone. So verse 33, then Horam king of Getzer came up to help Lachish and Joshua struck him and his people until he left him none remaining.
And then from there, they went to Eglon, then Hebron, then De Beere, and then verses 40 to 43 summarize the whole Southern campaign. And there is a different, there's a couple of words that are used here that I'm trusting Davis. We need to compare with judges. When we look at this narrative, it seems like it's a done deal.
When we get to judges, it seems like there's still areas that need to be reclaimed. Well, yeah, they probably do need to be reclaimed. They went in, they decimated, but they didn't necessarily settle there at that particular point, so they would have needed to be reclaimed once again. So verse 40 says, Joshua conquered all the land, the mountain country, and the south, and the low land, and the wilderness slopes, and all their kings.
He left none remaining, but utterly destroyed all that breathed. as the Lord God of Israel had commanded. And Joshua conquered them from Kadesh Barnea, as far as Gaza, and all the country of Goshen, even as far as Gibeon. All these kings and their land, Joshua took at one time." Not just once, though. This was a one-time assault on these southern cities.
Doesn't mean they would never have to go back and dispossess some of the remnant that had still remained in that area.
God Fights for Israel
The key to all of this is found in verse 42, because the Lord God of Israel fought for Israel. That is the main emphasis in the passage, that when the Lord God is with his people, they engage in victory. So that's the southern campaign. God willing, next Wednesday, we'll look at the northern campaign.
And then the following Wednesday, I will not be here. I'm not sure if Pastor Kim will be, so I'll let you know one way or the other. Why don't I pray, and then if there's any questions or comments, we can shut this thing off and do that. Our Father, we thank you for your word and we thank you for your promise and your faithfulness and the way that you execute your plan.
We ask God in heaven that we would believe your promises, that we would believe the scripture, that you would encourage our hearts, that you would prop up our weak faith when we come to the supper, when we witness baptism, when we reflect upon our own baptism. Grant us help, Lord God, increase our faith and strengthen us with might in the inner man. And we pray these things through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.