The Day The Sun Stood Still Series

The Lord fought for His people. Joshua’s name means “He saves” and with the help of the Lord he saved the Gibeonites on this day. It was total destruction for the five kings and their armies. God did this, but He works through His faithful people.

Not only did Joshua keep his word to the Gibeonites who tricked him into an agreement, but this was a critical battle for the Israelites. This battle is against five kings of five kingdoms in the heart of the Promised Land. A complete victory here is huge for Joshua and the Israelites.

Our application is faith in the spiritual warfare. We must let the Lord fight our battles. Joshua 10:14, “surely the Lord was fighting.” By faith you can trust the Lord to fight your battles. Joshua had been through some tremendous highs and very deep lows, but he had the faith to ask God for the impossible.

We are challenged to have faith. But we also see Joshua was leading his army to action. Intense action with an all-night march into a battle with five armies.

There is a saying, “pray as if everything depends on God, work as if everything depends on you.” I don’t see how Joshua could have done either pray or action with more intensity. To believe God for the sun to stand still is famous faith a few millennia later. To march all night and fight five armies is just about as outstanding on the action side too.

We are called to live by faith. Can you imagine asking God for a “Sun stand still” miracle like this in your life? “God Is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.” (Ephesians 3:20).

The prayer of Joshua is a move mountains kind of prayer; Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him. “Therefore, I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you. (Mark 11:23-24)

Jesus died for us to redeem us and give us victorious lives. When Jesus died on the cross there was a solar disturbance that day too. It was daytime and for three hours darkness came over the land. Joshua’s battles were all in preparation for that day Jesus died on the cross. God called out a people to a land that a messiah would come for all who believe.

We find in 2 Peter Chapter 3 that the Lord has been slowing the days so to speak that the maximum number of people would believe in the Lord and not perish. At the same time, we are to be longing for the days to be shortened, or for the speed of the day of Jesus coming again.

Joshua was a man of faith. He asked God for the sun to stand still. The most important act of faith you can have is to put your faith in Jesus Christ who came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10). Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen. (2 Peter 3:18)