Phil continued our series looking at Joshua 10, reminding us that God does not break his promises and that he can use all situations for his glory.
Introduction
• Last week we looked at the Gibeonite deception
• How Israel did not enquirer of the Lord but make a covenant / Treaty with the Gibeonites that the Lord had commanded can they must not do.
• They were presumptuous in not enquiring of the Lord
• How that applies to us in our daily life
Chapter 10: 1-15
• The Gibeonites were afraid of the people of God causing them to deceive them
• Now the king of Jerusalem had heard of the victories and that Gibeon had made the covenant and was afraid
• Gibeon on its own was a great city like one of the royal cities and all it's men were warriors
They had cause to fear
• J10 V 5 the 5 kings of the Amorites joined with the other kings.
• In J 2 v 10 2 Amorites kings had already been defeated east of the Jordan
• J 5v1 - fear was already in their hearts
Word sent to Gilgal where Joshua was camping
Gilgal was an important place for Israel
• Gilgal was the place of memorial (Joshua 4:20 - 12 stone from the river Jordan piled up here
• Gilgal was the place of radical obedience (Joshua 5:2-3 - circumcision took place here
• Gilgal was the place where reproach was removed (Joshua 5:9 - Reproach rolled away
• Gilgal was the place of obedience and the remembrance of salvation (Joshua 5:10- celebrated the Passover
• Gilgal was the place where the manna stopped, and they began to live of what the Promised Land provided (Joshua 5:11-12 The first time they tasted of the land flowing with milk and honey.
They leave Gilgal
It is estimated that the route to Gibeon from Gilgal was 20 mile (32km) with a 3,300 ft climb (1000m) and would have taken 8-10hrs through the night.
Do not fear for I have given them into your hands not a man of shall stand before you
• Fear takes away our ability to fight battles. Even in the face of strong enemies, Joshua was command to not fear and needed reminding.
• For Joshua, fear was unbelief – being unwilling to believe what God promised. So it is with us today
• God does His work, but He seeks to draws us into working with Him. Often God waits to see our initiative, our willingness to be a partner with Him, before He does what only He can do.
• This is not the idea that “God helps those who help themselves.”
• That's a lie the end,y would have us believe. Along with positive thinking rather than faith.
• The idea is “God wants to draw His people into partnership with Him in seeing His work done.”
• God honours Joshua for honouring the covenant with the Gibeonites
○ Even though it was against Gods instructions
○ Grace was given to Joshua even though mistakes had been made
• God honours his promise to give them the land
○ Gods promise is true irrespective of us
○ He is faith to his promise even when we are not
○ The Promise to Moses and not to Joshua still stands
○ Not disqualified from the promise
3 miracles
• God not only keeps his promise but he fights for them himself by
a. God threw them into panic
b. Sending a storm of hail stones that killed more than the sword
Joshua prayed this one prayer, simple, short precise
“On the day the Lord gave the Israelites victory over the Amorites, Joshua prayed to the Lord in front of all the people of Israel. He said, “Let the sun stand still over Gibeon, and the moon over the valley of Aijalon.””
Joshua 10:12 NLT
https://www.bible.com/116/jos.10.12.nlt
“So the sun stood still and the moon stayed in place until the nation of Israel had defeated its enemies. Is this event not recorded in The Book of Jashar? The sun stayed in the middle of the sky, and it did not set as on a normal day. There has never been a day like this one before or since, when the Lord answered such a prayer. Surely the Lord fought for Israel that day! Then Joshua and the Israelite army returned to
