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Awesome Hands – part 167

“The Sun stood still”

April 1, 2020

Our study today finds us joining Joshua and Israel in chapter 10 of Joshua. In this chapter, we will find that the Lord does truly hear us when we pray to Him whether He is answering how we’d prefer or in accordance with what the Lord has planned for us.

This should comfort us because the Lord always has the “new man in us” at the forefront of doing what is best for the new man to continually emerge in us. In other words, Jesus will be increasing, and we will decrease, daily, and that means we are more and more like Him as we experience the things the Lord has prepared for us in our lives.

To set the stage for the study today, I am going to read from a section of the previous study starting in Joshua 9:10-13.

Jos 9:10  And all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites, that were beyond Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon, and to Og king of Bashan, which was at Ashtaroth.
Jos 9:11  Wherefore our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spake to us, saying, Take victuals with you for the journey, and go to meet them, and say unto them, We are your servants: therefore now make ye a league with us.
Jos 9:12  This our bread we took hot for our provision out of our houses on the day we came forth to go unto you; but now, behold, it is dry, and it is mouldy:
Jos 9:13  And these bottles of wine, which we filled, were new; and, behold, they be rent: and these our garments and our shoes are become old by reason of the very long journey.

Our physical senses are so easily deceived. What we see is not always what is there. You can’t fault the Israelites for seeing with their eyes, and holding in their hands, the moldy bread, spent bottles, and used up shoes and clothes.

The fault is in the conclusions they drew  from what they were SEEING.

Moldy bread does not happen due to a long journey, though that can be one reason. Moldy bread happens from, wait for it……., mold.

If an angel suddenly appeared to you, or you suddenly “heard the voice of God”, what would be your first instinct? Naturally, our instinct would be to instantly worship.  However, our first spiritual instinct, Lord willing, would to be to listen for the voice of the True Shepherd in the voice of the one who suddenly shows themselves or speaks.

Today, we are continuing to see the consequences of the union that Israel made with Gibeon. As it turns out, Gibeon was a “great city” and they were fairly threatening to their neighbors because their soldiers were highly respected.

As a result, the other kings decided they must band together to take on Gibeon and their new found alliance.

Jos 10:1  Now it came to pass, when Adonizedek king of Jerusalem had heard how Joshua had taken Ai, and had utterly destroyed it; as he had done to Jericho and her king, so he had done to Ai and her king; and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel, and were among them;
Jos 10:2  That they feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, as one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all the men thereof were mighty.
Jos 10:3  Wherefore Adonizedek king of Jerusalem sent unto Hoham king of Hebron, and unto Piram king of Jarmuth, and unto Japhia king of Lachish, and unto Debir king of Eglon, saying,
Jos 10:4  Come up unto me, and help me, that we may smite Gibeon: for it hath made peace with Joshua and with the children of Israel.
Jos 10:5  Therefore the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, the king of Eglon, gathered themselves together, and went up, they and all their hosts, and encamped before Gibeon, and made war against it.

Given that there was an agreement of peace made between Gibeon and Israel, the other kings then feel threatened due to fear. Fear is a very powerful emotion as it turns out. Fear causes many things to happen in our minds and hearts with most of those things being quite irrational.

When talking about the current coronavirus scare we are going through as a collective world today, I often comment that the fear people have of not having a job, food or shelter will lead many into doing whatever it takes to help themselves and their loved ones survive the current situation.

Getting COVID-19 creates a fear in people that they are going to die when most of the people who get it will have mild cold-like symptoms. That isn’t to say that COVID-19 isn’t deadly for some, because it certainly is, but when you see the numbers, graphs and charts, COVID-19 is being survived by most people.

However, the collapse of societal norms will be what most come to fear and react to.

Bringing this back to the study, these 5 kings fear the union between Gibeon, who they already consider mighty, and Israel who have already proven that they are capable of waging and winning wars.

This fear will ultimately lead to the utter destruction of these 5 kingdoms.

Jos 10:6  And the men of Gibeon sent unto Joshua to the camp to Gilgal, saying, Slack not thy hand from thy servants; come up to us quickly, and save us, and help us: for all the kings of the Amorites that dwell in the mountains are gathered together against us.
Jos 10:7  So Joshua ascended from Gilgal, he, and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valour.
Jos 10:8  And the LORD said unto Joshua, Fear them not: for I have delivered them into thine hand; there shall not a man of them stand before thee.
Jos 10:9  Joshua therefore came unto them suddenly, and went up from Gilgal all night.

While reading Joshua 10:9, I noticed just how closely it is worded to how Jesus comes upon those whom He is going to visit “in the night”.

2Pe 3:10  But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

Yet, that isn’t the full “picture” of what the visitation of the Lord means for those who it means something to, i.e. the children of the Lord, the children of the light.

1Th 5:1  But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.

Is it possible that we can apply this knowledge to any situation we encounter today including the current unrest we see the world over with COVID-19?

1Th 5:2  For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
1Th 5:3  For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.

Notice that “they” is being contrasted with “ye” or “you”. “They” are being compared with the children of light.

1Th 5:4  But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
1Th 5:5  Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
1Th 5:6  Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
1Th 5:7  For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.

It is always interesting to ponder why certain things are said next to other things that are said in scripture. Notice that those that sleep are being compared with the same group who are also drunken.

Well, we can become drunk on wine. In this case, because we are talking about the day of the Lord and His visitation in the night, we can see the linkage between the day of the Lord and the wrath of the wine of God.

Rev 14:9  And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
Rev 14:10  The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
Rev 14:11  And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.

Luk 22:42  Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.

In the study titled, “Confidence in the Lord”, we talked about the will of God being directly connected to thinking and speaking as Christ does when He knows that He must go on to be crucified. We too must always have the same mindset of  “thy will be done”. This is what allows us to continue the process described in 1 Timothy 5:8-11.

1Th 5:8  But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.
1Th 5:9  For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
1Th 5:10  Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.
1Th 5:11  Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.

We are going to need to have the protection of the Lord in order to get through this war in our heavens that we are in. Faith, hope, and love are mentioned together here for good reason. All of these attributes, our pieces of armor as described, are what protect us from the wiles of the devil and everything else that is going on around us.

The Lord fights for us, so who can be against us? He clothes us with all of the armor that we need. Under that armor, He clothes us with His righteousness, therefore who can stand against the Lord?

The day we are reading about is like no other before or after it. Spiritually, this day of the Lord being visited upon His enemies is the start of the destruction of the old man in those who are visited.

Jos 10:10  And the LORD discomfited them before Israel, and slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, and chased them along the way that goeth up to Bethhoron, and smote them to Azekah, and unto Makkedah.
Jos 10:11  And it came to pass, as they fled from before Israel, and were in the going down to Bethhoron, that the LORD cast down great stones from heaven upon them unto Azekah, and they died: they were more which died with hailstones than they whom the children of Israel slew with the sword.
Jos 10:12  Then spake Joshua to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon.
Jos 10:13  And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day.
Jos 10:14  And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the LORD hearkened unto the voice of a man: for the LORD fought for Israel.
Jos 10:15  And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, unto the camp to Gilgal.

The Lord fighting for Israel has never changed. It fought for physical Israel, and He continues to fight for spiritual Israel … those Jews are Jews inwardly.

Jos 10:16  But these five kings fled, and hid themselves in a cave at Makkedah.
Jos 10:17  And it was told Joshua, saying, The five kings are found hid in a cave at Makkedah.
Jos 10:18  And Joshua said, Roll great stones upon the mouth of the cave, and set men by it for to keep them:
Jos 10:19  And stay ye not, but pursue after your enemies, and smite the hindmost of them; suffer them not to enter into their cities: for the LORD your God hath delivered them into your hand.
Jos 10:20  And it came to pass, when Joshua and the children of Israel had made an end of slaying them with a very great slaughter, till they were consumed, that the rest which remained of them entered into fenced cities.
Jos 10:21  And all the people returned to the camp to Joshua at Makkedah in peace: none moved his tongue against any of the children of Israel.
Jos 10:22  Then said Joshua, Open the mouth of the cave, and bring out those five kings unto me out of the cave.
Jos 10:23  And they did so, and brought forth those five kings unto him out of the cave, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon.
Jos 10:24  And it came to pass, when they brought out those kings unto Joshua, that Joshua called for all the men of Israel, and said unto the captains of the men of war which went with him, Come near, put your feet upon the necks of these kings. And they came near, and put their feet upon the necks of them.
Jos 10:25  And Joshua said unto them, Fear not, nor be dismayed, be strong and of good courage: for thus shall the LORD do to all your enemies against whom ye fight.
Jos 10:26  And afterward Joshua smote them, and slew them, and hanged them on five trees: and they were hanging upon the trees until the evening.
Jos 10:27  And it came to pass at the time of the going down of the sun, that Joshua commanded, and they took them down off the trees, and cast them into the cave wherein they had been hid, and laid great stones in the cave’s mouth, which remain until this very day.
Jos 10:28  And that day Joshua took Makkedah, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and the king thereof he utterly destroyed, them, and all the souls that were therein; he let none remain: and he did to the king of Makkedah as he did unto the king of Jericho.

After reading all of these verses, it is easy to conclude that the nations and kings whom the Lord sends us to, for slaughter, are indeed slaughtered. However, as with all things we are considering in scripture, we should be looking to the inside if the cup, toward the heavenly places, and taking the wrath of the Lord to those places within us.

When we read about these southern Canaanite kings, we should be seeing these kings within ourselves. How do we recognize a king or a giant “within the land”?

Well, I am not the best person to consult to figure this out for you. The Lord is the best person to consult because He will reveal to us what it is that needs to be adjusted. It is all up to Him whether or not a giant or a king is slain (they represent the same thing), but we are still in the FIGHT. How do I know this to be true?

Jos 10:25  And Joshua said unto them, Fear not, nor be dismayed, be strong and of good courage: for thus shall the LORD do to all your enemies against whom ye fight.

The Lord will do the killing THROUGH you to those enemies He has sent you to fight. This is no different than “work out your OWN salvation with fear and trembling”.

Php 2:12  Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
Php 2:13  For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
Php 2:14  Do all things without murmurings and disputings:

Are we not talking about salvation? Does this not sound like the same thing with only the timeline and characters being different? You versus Joshua and your enemies versus the southern Canaanite kings?

Let me remind you:

Jos 10:9  Joshua therefore came unto them suddenly, and went up from Gilgal all night.

1Th 5:6  Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
1Th 5:7  For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.

Rev 14:10  The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:

Joshua came “unto them suddenly at night” tells us that this event is much more than Joshua killing these kings in war. This is about how the salvation process works in the children of the day, the children of the light.

It is the trial of our faith that is precious to the Lord. The “faith part” He gives out freely to those whom He gives it to, but it is the TRIAL and the OVERCOMING which helps that Faith be ALIVE.

1Pe 1:7  That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold thatperisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
1Pe 1:8  Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:
1Pe 1:9  Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.

Jas 2:20  But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
Jas 2:21  Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
Jas 2:22  Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?
Jas 2:23  And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.
Jas 2:24  Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.
Jas 2:25  Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?
Jas 2:26  For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

Here is this moment in time where the Faith of Israel, in type, was accompanied by works. Now, I do not read the following verses to bore you 😊. I read them to help solidify just how “on your side” the Lord is. However, He is on our side for the benefit of bringing good from evil in our lives.

Jos 10:29  Then Joshua passed from Makkedah, and all Israel with him, unto Libnah, and fought against Libnah:
Jos 10:30  And the LORD delivered it also, and the king thereof, into the hand of Israel; and he smote it with the edge of the sword, and all the souls that were therein; he let none remain in it; but did unto the king thereof as he did unto the king of Jericho.
Jos 10:31  And Joshua passed from Libnah, and all Israel with him, unto Lachish, and encamped against it, and fought against it:
Jos 10:32  And the LORD delivered Lachish into the hand of Israel, which took it on the second day, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and all the souls that were therein, according to all that he had done to Libnah.
Jos 10:33  Then Horam king of Gezer came up to help Lachish; and Joshua smote him and his people, until he had left him none remaining.
Jos 10:34  And from Lachish Joshua passed unto Eglon, and all Israel with him; and they encamped against it, and fought against it:
Jos 10:35  And they took it on that day, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and all the souls that were therein he utterly destroyed that day, according to all that he had done to Lachish.
Jos 10:36  And Joshua went up from Eglon, and all Israel with him, unto Hebron; and they fought against it:
Jos 10:37  And they took it, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and the king thereof, and all the cities thereof, and all the souls that were therein; he left none remaining, according to all that he had done to Eglon; but destroyed it utterly, and all the souls that were therein.
Jos 10:38  And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to Debir; and fought against it:
Jos 10:39  And he took it, and the king thereof, and all the cities thereof; and they smote them with the edge of the sword, and utterly destroyed all the souls that were therein; he left none remaining: as he had done to Hebron, so he did to Debir, and to the king thereof; as he had done also to Libnah, and to her king.
Jos 10:40  So Joshua smote all the country of the hills, and of the south, and of the vale, and of the springs, and all their kings: he left none remaining, but utterly destroyed all that breathed, as the LORD God of Israel commanded.
Jos 10:41  And Joshua smote them from Kadeshbarnea even unto Gaza, and all the country of Goshen, even unto Gibeon.
Jos 10:42  And all these kings and their land did Joshua take at one time, because the LORD God of Israel fought for Israel.
Jos 10:43  And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, unto the camp to Gilgal.

The Lord is not slack concerning His promises toward us. He will fight for us, but it will be THROUGH us. We are a part of the process according to what He has willed for us.

Our battles are MENTAL and SPIRITUAL. Our fights are in the heavens. We must always be diligent in consulting with the Word of God when we need to gain more Faith or strength so that we can continue to fight the good fight.

The Sun of righteousness still fights for us today. This is obviously something that happened physically for Joshua (the sun standing still along with the moon), but it is something that happens even today spiritually in type because we are the children of the Light and the Lord fights for us to overcome the world in us.