The Longest Day Ever
#12 in Series: "Learning from the Past, Preparing for the Future: A Study in the Book of Joshua"
Joshua 10:1-28
In the previous chapter, we read of the deception practiced by the Gideonites, that Israel had accepted… That led to Israel entering into a covenant with the Gideonites… This chapter continues with the consequences of that decision…
One of my heroes of the faith used to say; "God has given us the freedom to make choices. What He has not given us, is the freedom to choose the consequences of those choices" (Adrian Rogers, paraphrased).
Israel made a choice to enter a covenantal relationship with the Gibeonites… Consequences of that choice, now follow them into this chapter.
The reason we are emphasizing this issue is because it is wise to learn from the errors of others… You don't have to repeat every sin, to learn the consequences of those sins… We should certainly learn from our own errors, repent, and make changes in the future – but it is wise to … pay attention, and learn from others. We can learn a lot of what-to-do, and a lot of what-not-to-do, if we simply pay attention…
This chapter opens with a consequence that perhaps the Gibeonites didn't anticipate… Let's read about the –
1. The Determination to Destroy
Joshua 10:1-5
1 Now it came about when Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem heard that Joshua had captured Ai, and had utterly destroyed it (just as he had done to Jericho and its king, so he had done to Ai and its king), and that the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were within their land, 2 that he 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. 3 Therefore Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem sent word to Hoham king of Hebron and to Piram king of Jarmuth and to Japhia king of Lachish and to Debir king of Eglon, saying, 4 "Come up to me and help me, and let us attack Gibeon, for it has made peace with Joshua and with the sons of Israel." 5 So the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon, gathered together and went up, they with all their armies, and camped by Gibeon and fought against it.
In your notes you'll see a map that I found that shows the layout of this scene –
By the way, This is the first use of the term "Jerusalem" in the Bible… It is interesting to see something about Jerusalem, long before it belonged to Israel… The king of Jerusalem was named; Adoni-zedek – which means – "lord of righteousness"...
This king did not know the true Lord of righteousness! In fact, he is bent on fighting against the true Lord of righteousness…
David Guzik – "The Bible tells us of a coming false messiah (Revelation 13:3), who will rule over Jerusalem (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4), who will lead a confederation of kings (Revelation 17:12-13), fighting against Yeshua (Revelation 17:14), resisting His occupation of the land (Revelation 19:19), and hiding in caves (Revelation 6:15-17). All in all, Adoni-Zedek is a fascinating picture of the coming Antichrist."
This made me pause and think about how many people have a name that has some deep spiritual meaning, and they know nothing of that reality… If you have such a name, seek to live up to it! For example, the name Michael means – "like unto the Lord" – that's my prayer…
There is no evidence that Adoni-zedek was at all concerned about true righteousness! In fact, he led a coalition against the true Lord of righteousness!
He learned that the Gibeonite had made an alliance with Israel, and he saw them as traitors!... Gibeon was a major city in Canaan, and it was now aligned with Israel! The king of Jerusalem could not allow this to stand… Adoni-zedek reached out to neighboring kings and got them to come together to war against the Gibeonites for their alliance with Israel!
I like Wiersbe's commentary here –
Warren Wiersbe – "As this confederation of armies and kings assembled, God in heaven must have laughed (Ps. 2:1–4), because unknown to them He was using these events to accomplish His own purposes. Instead of having to defeat these five city-states one by one, He would help Joshua conquer them all at one time! Just as God used the defeat at Ai to form a battle plan for victory over Ai (Josh. 8), so also He used Joshua's mistake with the Gibeonites to protect Gibeon and accelerate the conquest of Canaan."
I am grateful that the Lord is bigger than our errors!... He, by means of His power and grace, is able to work –
Romans 8:28
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
There is no error, no sin, no mistake … that is too big, too great, too awful – that God can not supersede and turn for His glory and our good!
What comes next in our text, is –
2. The Petition for Deliverance
This intercession comes from the Gibeonites to Joshua…
Joshua 10:6-7
6 Then the men of Gibeon sent word to Joshua to the camp at Gilgal, saying, "Do not abandon your servants; come up to us quickly and save us and help us, for all the kings of the Amorites that live in the hill country have assembled against us." 7 So Joshua went up from Gilgal, he and all the people of war with him and all the valiant warriors.
Again, Wiersbe made an observation about this, that we need to take to heart –
Warren Wiersbe – "When you make agreements with the enemy, expect to end up paying a price and having to defend them in order to protect yourself. This is why God's people must remain separated from the world (2 Cor. 6:14–18)."
2 Corinthians 6:14-18
14 Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? 15 Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? 16 Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said,
"I will dwell in them and walk among them;
And I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
17 "Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate," says the Lord.
"And do not touch what is unclean;
And I will welcome you.
18 "And I will be a father to you,
And you shall be sons and daughters to Me,"
Says the Lord Almighty.
When the Gebeonites were being attacked by this coalition that has turned against them, they knew they were in trouble – and turned to Joshua for help!
They were totally dependent on Joshua and Israel … now keeping their word to the Gebeonites – which they did!
What comes next in the text is something that believers through the years have … scratched their heads over…
Let's consider –
3. The Intervention by God
The first thing we see, is the Lord initiating –
● A word from God
Joshua 10:8
The Lord said to Joshua, "Do not fear them, for I have given them into your hands; not one of them shall stand before you."
Notice God's word to Joshua begins with a repeated word – "do not fear"... The last time the Lord spoke these words to Joshua was just before going up against Ai (Joshua 8:1)... That was a needed word then – it is a needed word now!... How often do you and I need this word?
God also gives Joshua a word of promise – "I have given them into your hands; not one of them shall stand before you."
And notice something that is vital! Joshua doesn't merely "receive" a word from the Lord – but he must act upon that word!
Joshua 10:9
So Joshua came upon them suddenly by marching all night from Gilgal.
● An act by God
Joshua 10:10-11
10 And the Lord confounded them before Israel, and He slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, and pursued them by the way of the ascent of Beth-horon and struck them as far as Azekah and Makkedah. 11 As they fled from before Israel, while they were at the descent of Beth-horon, the Lord threw large stones from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died; there were more who died from the hailstones than those whom the sons of Israel killed with the sword.
The record tells us of God's direct involvement in this war!... He is sovereignly at work, even when we are not give details, but here, we are given some of those details…
Bob Utley – "Here is God using natural means with supernatural timing and intensity (exactly like the plagues of Egypt). In reality more of the enemy died from the hailstones (cf. Isa. 30:30) than from the Israelites' sword."
● An appeal to God
Joshua 10:12-13a
12 Then Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel,
"O sun, stand still at Gibeon,
And O moon in the valley of Aijalon."
13 So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped,
Until the nation avenged themselves of their enemies.
● An affirmation by God
Joshua 10:13b-15
Is it not written in the book of Jashar? And the sun stopped in the middle of the sky and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day. 14 There was no day like that before it or after it, when the Lord listened to the voice of a man; for the Lord fought for Israel.
15 Then Joshua and all Israel with him returned to the camp to Gilgal.
There may be a better way of stating this, but we are talking about God's … providential way of affirming what is recorded here in Joshua 10. Note, that an extra biblical work is referred to as a source that one could go to, to read about this event… That source was known as "the book of Jashar"...
Just what is that book?... The book of Jashar was also "known as the 'Book of the Upright One' in the Greek Septuagint and the 'Book of the Just Ones' in the Latin Vulgate, the Book of Jasher was probably a collection or compilation of ancient Hebrew songs and poems praising the heroes of Israel and their exploits in battle. The Book of Jasher is mentioned in Joshua 10:12-13… and in 2 Samuel 1:18-27, as containing the Song or Lament of the Bow, that mournful funeral song which David composed at the time of the death of Saul and Jonathan."
Don't let your lack of knowledge about the book of Jashar throw you… It is NOT a "lost book of the Bible"! There is no such thing!... Rather, this book was a book known by the original readers, as a source that could be consulted for another recording of the historical details mentioned in this chapter… In fact, there are several books, and works, outside of the Bible, that are "referenced" within the Bible!
- The Book of the Wars of the Lord (Numbers 21:14)
- The Book of Samuel the Seer, the Book of Nathan the Prophet, and the Book of Gad the Seer (1 Chronicles 29:29)
- The Acts of Rehoboam and the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah (1 Kings 14:29)
- Solomon composed more than a thousand songs (1 Kings 4:32), yet only two are preserved in the book of Psalms (72 and 127)
- Paul included a quotation from secular works (Titus 1:12, Acts 17:28) – which doesn't make them "inspired" works outside of the Bible either!
The point is that The Holy Spirit, at times, had the biblical writers to refer to other materials from many different sources. We must understand that history as recorded in the Bible did not occur in isolation. This doesn't mean that these quoted writers were inspired. It simply means they happened to say something that was useful in making a point.
So, the Lord, providentially, had details about Joshua 10 recorded in other work that is cited here as well…
Wiersbe makes a great point here that we need to consider:
"Since verses 13b-15 are poetical in form, a quotation from the unknown book of Jasher (see 2 Sam. 1:8), some students interpret the words symbolically. They say that God so helped Israel that the army was able to accomplish two days' work in one day. But Joshua's words sound very much like a prayer that the Lord would intervene, and the description of what occurred doesn't read like the report of an efficiency expert.
Why try to explain away a miracle? What do we prove? Certainly not that we're smarter than God! Either we believe in a God who can do anything, or we must accept a Christian faith that's non-miraculous; and that does away with the inspiration of the Bible, the Virgin Birth, and the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ. Certainly there's room for honest questions about the nature of the miraculous; but for the humble Christian believer, there's never room for questioning the reality of the miraculous."
C. S. Lewis – "The mind which asks for a non-miraculous Christianity is a mind in process of relapsing from Christianity into mere 'religion.'"
The balance of our text today records what we can call –
4. The Adjudication of Justice
Joshua 10:16-21
16 Now these five kings had fled and hidden themselves in the cave at Makkedah. 17 It was told Joshua, saying, "The five kings have been found hidden in the cave at Makkedah." 18 Joshua said, "Roll large stones against the mouth of the cave, and assign men by it to guard them, 19 but do not stay there yourselves; pursue your enemies and attack them in the rear. Do not allow them to enter their cities, for the Lord your God has delivered them into your hand." 20 It came about when Joshua and the sons of Israel had finished slaying them with a very great slaughter, until they were destroyed, and the survivors who remained of them had entered the fortified cities, 21 that all the people returned to the camp to Joshua at Makkedah in peace. No one uttered a word against any of the sons of Israel.
Let's pause there for a moment… The campaign to claim central Canaan involved this conquering of five powerful kings in one … long day! They are "incarsurated" in a cave in Makkedah until their armies are defeated… Maddedah became the "temporary Jewish camp" (Wiersbe), before Joshua returns to Gilgal, that we read in verse :15… That was a summary statement about the conclusion of this battle – this is the detail of that battle!
It was a long day, but the battles were swift! God had so given Israel the victories over these armies, that "No one uttered a word against any of the sons of Israel."
Joshua 10:22-28
22 Then Joshua said, "Open the mouth of the cave and bring these five kings out to me from the cave." 23 They did so, and brought these five kings out to him from the cave: the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon. 24 When they brought these kings out to Joshua, Joshua called for all the men of Israel, and said to the chiefs of the men of war who had gone with him, "Come near, put your feet on the necks of these kings." So they came near and put their feet on their necks. 25 Joshua then said to them, "Do not fear or be dismayed! Be strong and courageous, for thus the Lord will do to all your enemies with whom you fight." 26 So afterward Joshua struck them and put them to death, and he hanged them on five trees; and they hung on the trees until evening. 27 It came about at sunset that Joshua gave a command, and they took them down from the trees and threw them into the cave where they had hidden themselves, and put large stones over the mouth of the cave, to this very day.
28 Now Joshua captured Makkedah on that day, and struck it and its king with the edge of the sword; he utterly destroyed it and every person who was in it. He left no survivor. Thus he did to the king of Makkedah just as he had done to the king of Jericho.
Look at verse :25 again –
Joshua 10:25
Joshua then said to them, "Do not fear or be dismayed! Be strong and courageous, for thus the Lord will do to all your enemies with whom you fight."
Joshua's words were strong, and should be taken to heart!... They certainly echo what the Lord first told Joshua back in chapter 1!
Joshua 1:6-9
6 Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go. 8 This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."
These words have guided Joshua along the way, and he speaks this message to his people!
Keep in mind just why God would call for this justice against the Cannanites in the first place! The entire culture of the Canaanites had become extremely morally corrupt, especially when it came to their attitude and practice around sex… You can read in Leviticus 18 about their horrible practice of child sacrifice! Read Deuteronomy 12 which details God's warning to His people to not adopt these pagan's practices, or even be influenced by them!... The Canaanites had to go.
We need to also keep in mind that Joshua is a "type" of Jesus Christ in the OT… Jesus is the Victor over all of His enemies, and He will one day return and destroy them forever… Listen, no matter how this world rages against God, His Word, His ways – there is coming a day when Jesus will bring justice against them!
Listen to just the first six verses of Psalm 2 –
Psalm 2:1-6
1 Why are the nations in an uproar
And the peoples devising a vain thing?
2 The kings of the earth take their stand
And the rulers take counsel together
Against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying,
3 "Let us tear their fetters apart
And cast away their cords from us!"
4 He who sits in the heavens laughs,
The Lord scoffs at them.
5 Then He will speak to them in His anger
And terrify them in His fury, saying,
6 "But as for Me, I have installed My King
Upon Zion, My holy mountain."
Our Lord's enemies are only the footstool at His feet!
Psalm 110:1
The Lord says to my Lord:
"Sit at My right hand
Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet."
Remember the Word of our Lord, given through the Apostle Paul –
1 Corinthians 15:25
For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet.
And listen, dear Christian, because you are in Christ – through Him, we can claim victory and put our feet on the neck of the enemy of our soul!
Romans 16:20
The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.
The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.
Questions to Consider in Community Group
- What do we know about any of the five kings who came against the Gibeonites?
- How did the Gibeonites' request for help test the integrity of Israel's earlier covenant with them?
- Why did God call for the total destruction of these Cannanites? How do we reconcile the violence of this chapter with the truth that God is a loving God?
- In verse 8, God tells Joshua, "Do not fear." Why would Joshua need to hear this after already seeing God's power at Jericho and Ai?
- What was the book of Jashar? (What should we understand about extra-biblical resources that are cited in the Bible?)
- God sent hailstones that killed more enemies than the Israelite swords did (:11), yet the Israelites still had to fight. How do we balance trusting God's sovereignty with our own responsibility to take action?
- What should we understand about the act of "putting their feet on the neck of the five kings", that Joshua had his commanders to do?
- What personal applications can we glean from the study of this passage?
- What are your thoughts about any of the quotes shared in the message?
- David Guzik – "The Bible tells us of a coming false messiah (Revelation 13:3), who will rule over Jerusalem (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4), who will lead a confederation of kings (Revelation 17:12-13), fighting against Yeshua (Revelation 17:14), resisting His occupation of the land (Revelation 19:19), and hiding in caves (Revelation 6:15-17). All in all, Adoni-Zedek is a fascinating picture of the coming Antichrist."
- Warren Wiersbe – "As this confederation of armies and kings assembled, God in heaven must have laughed (Ps. 2:1–4), because unknown to them He was using these events to accomplish His own purposes. Instead of having to defeat these five city-states one by one, He would help Joshua conquer them all at one time! Just as God used the defeat at Ai to form a battle plan for victory over Ai (Josh. 8), so also He used Joshua's mistake with the Gibeonites to protect Gibeon and accelerate the conquest of Canaan."
- Warren Wiersbe – "When you make agreements with the enemy, expect to end up paying a price and having to defend them in order to protect yourself. This is why God's people must remain separated from the world (2 Cor. 6:14–18)."
- Bob Utley – "Here is God using natural means with supernatural timing and intensity (exactly like the plagues of Egypt). In reality more of the enemy died from the hailstones (cf. Isa. 30:30) than from the Israelites' sword."
- C. S. Lewis – "The mind which asks for a non-miraculous Christianity is a mind in process of relapsing from Christianity into mere 'religion.'"
