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More Joshua commentaries
Joshua 7:16-26
The destruction of the stolen goods
Joshua 8:1-29
Israel Destroys the Town of Ai
Joshua 8:30-35
Joshua leads the people to Shechem
Joshua 9:1-15
Tricked into believing the enemy
Joshua 9:16-27
Making your mistakes work for you
Joshua 10:1-15
The Lord wants to fight our battles
Joshua 10:16-28
Divide and conquer was Joshua’s strategy
Joshua 10:29-43
The Lord gives the victory
Joshua 11:1-15
Joshua Captures Towns in the North
Joshua 11:16-23
A summary of Joshua’s battles
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The Lord wants to fight our battles
Joshua 10:1–15
» View this passage in NIV (Bible Gateway)
When as a child I laughed and wept, time crept.When as a youth I dreamed and talked, time walked.When I became a full grown man, time ran.And later as I older grew, time flew.Soon I shall find while traveling on, time is gone. … More
Fear gripped the heart of Adonizedek, the king of Jerusalem, when he heard of Joshua’s destruction of Ai and that the Gibeonites had entered into an alliance with Israel (vv. 1-2). He knew that if the advances of Israel’s armies continued without challenge, Jerusalem would soon be surrounded and captured. Therefore Adonizedek rallied the support of four other Amorite kings, who brought up their armies to Gibeon to make war against it (vv. 3-4). They wanted to punish the Gibeonites for joining the Israelites and at the same time destroy Israel’s newly acquired support.
Faced with certain slaughter, the Gibeonites sent a runner to tell Joshua in Gilgal (v. 6). Responding immediately to Gibeon’s call for help, Joshua and his army went up to Gilgal to meet the foes (v. 7). Joshua sensed he had the break that he needed (v. 8). All of the Amorite armies were camped in these open fields outside Gibeon. An Israelite victory would break the backs of the enemy forces.
It was early morning and still dark when Joshua and his troops searched Gibeon. He came upon the enemy suddenly and panic broke out among the Amorites. Many were slain and the others fled (vv. 9-10). However, they were not able to escape as God caused large hailstones to fall on them (v. 11). With deadly precision more Amorites were killed by hailstones than by Israel’s sword. Joshua knew that they only had 12 hours of daylight and they needed more time to see total annihilation of his foes. He requested the sun and moon to stand still and his request was answered (vv. 12-13). The Lord fought for Israel and they all returned to the camp at Gilgal (vv. 14-15).
Application
When I get into a battle of life do I seek the Lord’s help or try to conquer the foe myself?
Joshua 10:1-15 (English Standard Version)
As soon as Adoni-zedek, king of Jerusalem, heard how Joshua had captured Ai and had devoted it to destruction, doing to Ai and its king as he had done to Jericho and its king, and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were among them, 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 warriors. So Adoni- zedek king of Jerusalem sent to Hoham king of Hebron, to Piram king of Jarmuth, to Japhia king of Lachish, and to Debir king of Eglon, saying, "Come up to me and help me, and let us strike Gibeon. For it has made peace with Joshua and with the people of Israel." Then 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 their forces and went up with all their armies and encamped against Gibeon and made war against it. And the men of Gibeon sent to Joshua at the camp in Gilgal, saying, "Do not relax your hand from your servants. Come up to us quickly and save us and help us, for all the kings of the Amorites who dwell in the hill country are gathered against us." So Joshua went up 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 given them into your hands. Not a man of them shall stand before you." So Joshua came upon them suddenly, having marched up all night from Gilgal. And the LORD threw them into a panic before Israel, who struck them with a great blow at Gibeon and chased them by the way of the ascent of Beth-horon and struck them as far as Azekah and Makkedah. 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. 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. So Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to the camp at Gilgal.
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