Joshua – Lesson 33

Chapter 10

In the tenth chapter of Joshua is recorded one of the most remarkable battles of all time. It shows how God works with men when they will trust Him fully.

· Joshua 10:1-43, Now Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem heard that Joshua had taken Ai and totally destroyed it, doing to Ai and its king as he had done to Jericho and its king, and that the people of Gibeon had made a treaty of peace with Israel and were living near them. 2 He and his people were very much alarmed at this, because Gibeon was an important city, like one of the royal cities; it was larger than Ai, and all its men were good fighters. 3 So Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem appealed to Hoham king of Hebron, Piram king of Jarmuth, Japhia king of Lachish and Debir king of Eglon. 4 "Come up and help me attack Gibeon," he said, "because it has made peace with Joshua and the Israelites." 5 Then the five kings of the Amorites-the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish and Eglon-joined forces. They moved up with all their troops and took up positions against Gibeon and attacked it. 6 The Gibeonites then sent word to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal: "Do not abandon your servants. Come up to us quickly and save us! Help us, because all the Amorite kings from the hill country have joined forces against us." 7 So Joshua marched up from Gilgal with his entire army, including all the best fighting men. 8 The LORD said to Joshua, "Do not be afraid of them; I have given them into your hand. Not one of them will be able to withstand you." 9 After an all-night march from Gilgal, Joshua took them by surprise. 10 The LORD threw them into confusion before Israel, who defeated them in a great victory at Gibeon. Israel pursued them along the road going up to Beth Horon and cut them down all the way to Azekah and Makkedah. 11 As they fled before Israel on the road down from Beth Horon to Azekah, the LORD hurled large hailstones down on them from the sky, and more of them died from the hailstones than were killed by the swords of the Israelites. 12 On the day the LORD gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the LORD in the presence of Israel: "O sun, stand still over Gibeon, O moon, over the Valley of Aijalon." 13 So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the nation avenged itself on its enemies, as it is written in the Book of Jashar. The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day. 14 There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the LORD listened to a man. Surely the LORD was fighting for Israel! 15 Then Joshua returned with all Israel to the camp at Gilgal. 16 Now the five kings had fled and hidden in the cave at Makkedah. 17 When Joshua was told that the five kings had been found hiding in the cave at Makkedah, 18 he said, "Roll large rocks up to the mouth of the cave, and post some men there to guard it. 19 But don't stop! Pursue your enemies, attack them from the rear and don't let them reach their cities, for the LORD your God has given them into your hand." 20 So Joshua and the Israelites destroyed them completely-almost to a man-but the few who were left reached their fortified cities. 21 The whole army then returned safely to Joshua in the camp at Makkedah, and no one uttered a word against the Israelites. 22 Joshua said, "Open the mouth of the cave and bring those five kings out to me." 23 So they brought the five kings out of the cave-the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish and Eglon. 24 When they had brought these kings to Joshua, he summoned all the men of Israel and said to the army commanders who had come with him, "Come here and put your feet on the necks of these kings." So they came forward and placed their feet on their necks. 25 Joshua said to them, "Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Be strong and courageous. This is what the LORD will do to all the enemies you are going to fight." 26 Then Joshua struck and killed the kings and hung them on five trees, and they were left hanging on the trees until evening. 27 At sunset Joshua gave the order and they took them down from the trees and threw them into the cave where they had been hiding. At the mouth of the cave they placed large rocks, which are there to this day. 28 That day Joshua took Makkedah. He put the city and its king to the sword and totally destroyed everyone in it. He left no survivors. And he did to the king of Makkedah as he had done to the king of Jericho. 29 Then Joshua and all Israel with him moved on from Makkedah to Libnah and attacked it. 30 The LORD also gave that city and its king into Israel's hand. The city and everyone in it Joshua put to the sword. He left no survivors there. And he did to its king as he had done to the king of Jericho. 31 Then Joshua and all Israel with him moved on from Libnah to Lachish; he took up positions against it and attacked it. 32 The LORD handed Lachish over to Israel, and Joshua took it on the second day. The city and everyone in it he put to the sword, just as he had done to Libnah. 33 Meanwhile, Horam king of Gezer had come up to help Lachish, but Joshua defeated him and his army-until no survivors were left. 34 Then Joshua and all Israel with him moved on from Lachish to Eglon; they took up positions against it and attacked it. 35 They captured it that same day and put it to the sword and totally destroyed everyone in it, just as they had done to Lachish. 36 Then Joshua and all Israel with him went up from Eglon to Hebron and attacked it. 37 They took the city and put it to the sword, together with its king, its villages and everyone in it. They left no survivors. Just as at Eglon, they totally destroyed it and everyone in it. 38 Then Joshua and all Israel with him turned around and attacked Debir. 39 They took the city, its king and its villages, and put them to the sword. Everyone in it they totally destroyed. They left no survivors. They did to Debir and its king as they had done to Libnah and its king and to Hebron. 40 So Joshua subdued the whole region, including the hill country, the Negev, the western foothills and the mountain slopes, together with all their kings. He left no survivors. He totally destroyed all who breathed, just as the LORD, the God of Israel, had commanded. 41 Joshua subdued them from Kadesh Barnea to Gaza and from the whole region of Goshen to Gibeon. 42 All these kings and their lands Joshua conquered in one campaign, because the LORD, the God of Israel, fought for Israel. 43 Then Joshua returned with all Israel to the camp at Gilgal.

The pagan neighbors of the Gibeonites were incensed over the desertion of them (Gibeonites), so five of the Amorite kings got together to attack the Gibeonites. The Gibeonites appealed to Joshua for help and he responded with all of his troops.

· Joshua 10:7, So Joshua marched up from Gilgal with his entire army, including all the best fighting men.

Gilgal is mentioned five times in the tenth chapter of Joshua. That’s because it was very important place to the Israelites. Its importance reminds us that in every move we make in our spiritual lives we need to go to our Gilgal! Its our place of communing with God and the place where we find His will for our lives.

Joshua naturally thought about his responsibility to defend the Gibeonites. Then God spoke to him.

· Joshua 10:8, The LORD said to Joshua, "Do not be afraid of them; I have given them into your hand. Not one of them will be able to withstand you."

In the spiritual battles we face we are given the same assurances but we are charged with taking certain precautions. This direction is found in Ephesians 3:10-18. This is a very familiar passage to us in which Paul tells us that there is certain spiritual armor that we must utilize in our spiritual warfare.

Our obedience is essential to depending on God’s promises and that is always true.

· Joshua 10:9-10, After an all-night march from Gilgal, Joshua took them by surprise. 10 The LORD threw them into confusion before Israel, who defeated them in a great victory at Gibeon. Israel pursued them along the road going up to Beth Horon and cut them down all the way to Azekah and Makkedah.

But God did not leave it to the Israelites to do all the fighting against the Amorites.

· Joshua 10:11, As they fled before Israel on the road down from Beth Horon to Azekah, the LORD hurled large hailstones down on them from the sky, and more of them died from the hailstones than were killed by the swords of the Israelites.

The fighting lasted all day but the battle was far from over as darkness approached. The darkness would allow the enemy to escape and regroup. So Joshua began to pray.

· Joshua 10:12-14, On the day the LORD gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the LORD in the presence of Israel: "O sun, stand still over Gibeon, O moon, over the Valley of Aijalon." 13 So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the nation avenged itself on its enemies, as it is written in the Book of Jashar. The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day. 14 There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the LORD listened to a man. Surely the LORD was fighting for Israel!

Joshua spoke first to the Lord. He waited for God. Then with God’s consent, he asked for a lengthening of the day. Can you imagine the faith required to stand before the nation of Israel and ask God to have the sun stand still? All the people heard his prayer. If he was going to be embarrassed it would have been then. But God will not embarrass those who are His obedient followers.

Joshua believed God in the sense that we have been describing throughout this study of the book of Joshua. His faith was so strong that he believed God who has said “ask and it shall be given to you.” 

However God achieved this miracle, the result was that there was light for a period of time extending about the length of another day. How amazing!!! And did you notice verse 14?

Joshua truly knew God. As God performed this amazing miracle you almost have to imagine that it was Joshua who wrote and sang “How Great Thou Art.”

Paul could have had this event in mind when he spoke:

· Romans11:33-36, Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! 34 "Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?" 35 "Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?" 36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.

Faith in cooperation with God is invincible. Nothing is impossible to Him. The person who is obedient to God can say as Paul did, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” The main question is, Do we really believe this?

Following the great victory during which God had caused the sun to stand still and enabling the Israelites to defeat the five kings, Joshua returned to Gilgal. This is a great lesson for us. After a great victory we need to insure our fellowship with God who gave us the victory.

· Joshua 10:16, Now the five kings had fled and hidden in the cave at Makkedah.

Why did God not leave the five kings alone after they hid themselves? Back in the book of Deuteronomy God had instructed Israel to completely destroy the Canaanites. Then He explained His reason.

· Deuteronomy 7:2-6, and when the LORD your God has delivered them over to you and you have defeated them, then you must destroy them totally. Make no treaty with them, and show them no mercy. 3 Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, 4 for they will turn your sons away from following me to serve other gods, and the LORD's anger will burn against you and will quickly destroy you. 5 This is what you are to do to them: Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones, cut down their Asherah poles and burn their idols in the fire. 6 For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession.

There is no guesswork as to why Israel was to totally destroy the Canaanites. They were thoroughly sinful and God had given them plenty of time to change and that had not happened. So this was His judgment on them.

So, to allow the five kings to remain hidden in the cave would have been a violation of God’s instruction. The lesson here is that hidden sins come back to haunt us. Thus,

· Joshua 10:22-24, Joshua said, "Open the mouth of the cave and bring those five kings out to me." 23 So they brought the five kings out of the cave-the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish and Eglon. 24 When they had brought these kings to Joshua, he summoned all the men of Israel and said to the army commanders who had come with him, "Come here and put your feet on the necks of these kings." So they came forward and placed their feet on their necks.

They were publicly humiliated before being killed. Joshua here is a type of Jesus as the executioner of the evil kings.

· Joshua 10:27-28, At sunset Joshua gave the order and they took them down from the trees and threw them into the cave where they had been hiding. At the mouth of the cave they placed large rocks, which are there to this day.28 That day Joshua took Makkedah. He put the city and its king to the sword and totally destroyed everyone in it. He left no survivors. And he did to the king of Makkedah as he had done to the king of Jericho.

So Joshua and the Israelites treated these cities and their sinful inhabitants according to the instructions from God. The people of Israel became a source of fear to all the Canaanites. These pagans began to have respect for God’s people and for their God as evidenced by:

· Joshua 10:21, The whole army then returned safely to Joshua in the camp at Makkedah, and no one uttered a word against the Israelites.

An appropriate question for today might well be, “Why is there no such power being demonstrated by the church today?”

Congregations love to sing “How Great Thou Art”, but His greatness is so minimally sought and used. The church today seems to act like a defeated fighter that just gets beaten and beaten but has not the power to fight back.