You will notice in reading Joshua 10:8 something that we have seen already. God spoke of future victories as if they were past tense. God's ordained will and promises were that sure. The battles that Joshua was about to face can be seen in an entirely different light had God had not already "won" them before the battle had ever begun. This is often the case for us in Christ when we see our lives in light of what God has already declared as our victory and blessing in Christ. Consider Ephesians 1:3 as an example. There we are told that we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places in Christ. These blessings are already ours. They are referred to in the past tense. If we, like Joshua, approach these blessings the way Joshua did his battles, we cannot help but believe many of us will be experiencing personal blessings that have until now been lying dormant, waiting to simply be appropriated. The battle was already won for Joshua, but that didn't mean he could stay in camp. No, he still had to take that victory as his own. Until we step out in obedient faith, our past tense blessings will never become a present-day reality. When you look at God's promises that way, I assure you, you will begin to experience the fulfillment of those promises. But if you are not willing to fight the "good fight of faith," you can only blame yourself for the defeat and self-imposed limits you entrap yourself in. Seek God. Discover His promises, and go out to "battle" for them. There are victories waiting to be taken. 1 Now it came to pass when Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem heard how Joshua had taken Ai and had utterly destroyed it—as he had done to Jericho and its king, so he had done to Ai and its king—and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were among them, 2 that they 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 mighty. 3 Therefore Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem sent to Hoham king of Hebron, Piram king of Jarmuth, Japhia king of Lachish, and Debir king of Eglon, saying, 4 "Come up to me and help me, that we may attack Gibeon, for it has made peace with Joshua and with the children of Israel." 5 Therefore 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 together and went up, they and all their armies, and camped before Gibeon and made war against it. 6 And the men of Gibeon sent to Joshua at the camp at Gilgal, saying, "Do not forsake your servants; come up to us quickly, save us and help us, for all the kings of the Amorites who dwell in the mountains have gathered together against us."
The Sun Stands Still v. 1 Adoni-Zedek – This means "Lord of Righteousness." Melchizedek was referred to in Genesis 14 as a priest and king from the same location. Melchizedek means "King of Righteousness." It seems this became a general term for the ruler of this city, regardless of the level of ruler's true righteousness. Jerusalem – The word "Jerusalem" means "fountain of peace." In Melchizedek's time, the city was simply called Salem, or peace. Melchizedek was referred to in the book of Hebrews as a godly picture of Christ. What we learn here is that a nation or group may have, in subsequent times, maintained the titles of what represented God but in practice completely opposed what their true history and titles represented, as seen in Adoni-Zedek's opposition to God's people. Feared Greatly – The King of Jerusalem realized that it was an extremely dangerous sign to the Canaanites for Gibeon to surrender to Israel, because Gibeon was known as a powerful city-state with renowned warriors. v. 3 Therefore – Adoni-zedek determined that the only action left was to pull together a coalition of Canaanite cities and punish the Gibeonites in such a way as to hopefully strike fear of Canaanite retaliation if any other cities surrendered to Israel. | King Of Hebron – This city had been an important center of local power for generations (Gen. 23:2; 35:27). King Of Jarmuth – This city is mentioned in 15:35 and Nehemiah 11:29. King Of Lachish – This was a city in the Shephelah, which later became a part of the lowland territory of Judah. Eglon – Present-day Ajlan, it was located near Lachish. v. 4 Come Up – All of these cities were located in the lowlands or the hills of what would later be called Judea. v. 6 Quickly – Joshua responded to this cry for help by immediately calling together his forces and setting out on a forced march that put the army on the battle lines within a day. It was 15 miles in a direct line but would have been about a 25-mile march based on the normal route taken. Dwell In the Mountains – This referred to the leader of the coalition, the king from Jerusalem. |
v. 8 Do Not Fear Them – This battle represented the most challenging conflict by far for the children of Israel. God therefore dealt with the fear that sought to take over Joshua's heart and mind. v. 9 Upon Them Suddenly – The Amorite confederacy would not have expected such a quick response of help from the Israelites. v. 10 Chased Them – The pursuit was extensive, going all the way to Makkredah in the lowlands. v. 11 Descent Of Beth Horon – Beth Horon here was a different Beth Horon than that referred to in v. 10 as there was a lower and upper Beth Horon. The first in v. 10 had a rocky path that was so rugged that steps had been cut into the rocks to assist in going down to the lower Beth Horon mentioned in v. 11. | v. 11 Hailstones – Great hailstones fell, assisting Israel in their defeat of this five-city army. It was historically recorded that hailstones had this possible lethal , once in May of 1888 in Moradah, India, when 250 lives were lost. Sun Stand Still – Joshua prayed to God in the process of this battle for the light he needed to complete his defeat of the Amorite coalition. Whatever happened was an obvious miracle. Commentators have sought to come up with solutions to the natural impossibility of this account. However, it remains clear that there is no natural explanation this account. It had to have been supernatural. God either overruled the catastrophic results of the earth ceasing to rotate around the sun, or He simply caused an appearance locally at Gibeon that provided the light needed throughout the night. We don't know. What we do know is that what happened appeared to be just as it is recorded. v. 13 Book Of Jasher – This may be the same as what is referred to in Numbers 21:14 as the book called "Wars of the Lord." The book of Jasher is also referred to in 2 Samuel 1:18-27. |
The Amorite Kings Executed v. 18 Roll Large Stones – The five kings who had hid themselves were discovered in this cave (v. 16-17). Joshua did not want to suspend the pursuit of these fleeing armies, so he trapped these kings in this cave until the pursuit was over. Fortified Cities – The only ones to escape the Israelites were those who were fast enough to return to their walled cities. | v. 24 Feet On Their Necks – It was a common practice to symbolize authority and victory over a defeated foe. v. 26 Hanged Them – After they were slain, they were hanged as a further sign of authority over an enemy, a common practice in all known cultures of this region. |
Conquest Of The Southland v. 28 Joshua Took – Verses 28-39 are a brief account of Joshua's victories in the southern lowlands and mountains. The cities conquered included Makkedah, Libnah, Lachish, Eglon, Hebron, and Debir. v. 33 King Of Gezer – This king came down from northern Canaan which Joshua had not yet begun to overthrow. | v. 40 Conquered All the Land – This referred to the land of Negev, Shephelah, and all the hill country south of Jerusalem between the Dead Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. v. 41 Kadesh Barnea As Far As Gaza – At this point, the conquest had not included Gaza, but just up to Gaza. Goshen – This is to say that Joshua's conquest had not included Goshen in Egypt, but just went down to Goshen in Egypt. |
