The Day The Earth Stood S ll Screen 1 Joshua 10:1-14 09-27-15 Screen 2
Vs. 1 As soon as Adoni-zedek, king of Jerusalem . . . “Adoni-zedek” -name means “my Screen 3 lord is zedek/righteous.” It is assumed that Canaanite kings assumed this name in imita on of the ancient priest (“of the most high God” Gen. 14:18) and king of Salem (Jerusalem).
(Melchezidek circa 2000 B.C. - 600 years before conquest of the land). “Jerusalem” - city of peace (“perfec on”)
Vs. 1 con’t. . . . heard how Joshua had captured Ai . . . “Ai” - means “the ruin” - perhaps a meager military post at this me in history.
Vs. 1 con’t. . . . and had devoted it to destruc on, (“put under the bar”) 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, “the ban” - this meant total destruc on of
(literally) “devo on” as in Joshua 6:17 “devoted to the Lord for destruc on” This sounds vey harsh. (Remember this is the OT - not the fully revealed word of God. They had no Screen 4
“Sermon on the Mount”. They had no “love your enemies” teaching) We must remember, the Canaanites were evil - ghoulish people. They constantly entered Israel to join them in their religious pros tu on, child sacrifice and other atroci es. The purity of the Israelite religion had to be preserved. (Does a surgeon hesitate to remove an arm, leg, even a vital organ to save the life?) * ULTIMATELY, the salva on of the world depends on this endeavor -
1 another Jesus is on the way!!! [“Fierce devo on to God”] How fiercely devoted to God are you? Am I? {I felt sad for all those people.” M. Freeman}
“Jericho” - strategic loca on - First city a acked (last week)
“Gibeon” - the Gibeonites made peace with Israel in Joshua 9:15
Without the counsel of the Lord (lit. “mouth” of the Lord). [vs. 14] which would ul mately lead to the divided kingdom (1 Kings 12) even though the Gibeonites had tricked them into it! We cannot afford to do anything - make any step - make any decision as a church and as individuals without the “counsel of the Lord!”
Vs. 2 he feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, like one of the royal ci es, Screen 5 and because it was greater than Ai, and all its men were warriors. Gibeon had lots of water (“drawer of water” Joshua 9:21) - very elaborate water system. Well inhabited and well for fied. Probably had no king - none even men oned. “Mighty” - powerful warriors - popula on unknown.
Vs. 3 So Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem sent to Hoham king of Hebron, to Piram king of Screen 6
Jarmuth, to Japhia king of Lachish and to Debir king of Eglon, saying,
“Hebron” - 19 miles S,SE of Jerusalem - another name for Kiriath - arba (”arba” in Hebrew Map 7 means 4) - 4 villages are connected with the city - strategic loca on - travel routes
“Jarmuth” - (or “wild ass”) popula on 3,000
“Lachish” - a royal Canaanite city and one of the chief fortresses of Judah (about 30 mies
2 from Jerusalem). Immense strategic importance! It had a reputa on for strength
“Eglon” - loca on uncertain
Vs. 4 “Come up to me and help me, and let us strike (lit. means “smite”) Gibeon. For it Screen 8 has made peace with Joshua and with the people of Israel.” *He wants to go on the offensive not against Joshua and the sons of Israel but rather on a sister-Canaanite city
(Gibeon) because they made a treaty with the children of God.* (They were viewed as
“selling out”) (*Coali on against the people who made peace with the people of God.*)
Vs. 5 Then the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the Screen 9 Screen 10 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. The
Amorites were descendants from Canaan (Genesis 10:15) - the 4th son of Ham, son of
Noah. “Amorite” means “westerner” or “tall ones” - a prominent people group in Canaan.
They were the most numerous of all the people groups in Canaan. (Almost 100% change
Gibeonites will be annihilated!)
Vs. 6 And the men of Gibeon sent to Joshua at the camp in Gilgal, saying, “Do not relax Screen 11
(lit. “slacken your hands from”) 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.” A runner was sent to Joshua at Gilgal!
So should Joshua and the children of Israel go? Do they owe anything to Gibeonites? NO!
They had been tricked into their treaty in the first place. But > > >
3 Vs. 7 So Joshua went up from Gilgal, he and all the people of war with him, and all the Screen 12 mighty men of valor. JOSHUA JUMPS ON IT!!! WHY? Up to this point, Joshua has a acked one walled/for fied city at a me. At the current rate of ba les - it will take him FOREVER to conquer/take the land. But here - Joshua and his forces have the opportunity to defeat
five very strong, very strategic, very powerful, very wealthy ci es at once!!!
*A GREAT OPPORTUNITY HAS ARISEN - and when great opportuni es arise, great leaders Screen 13 seize the MOMENT!!! A GREAT OPPORTUNITY HAS RISEN FOR RBC - COME TONIGHT AT
6:00 PM, IN THIS VERY ROOM - SANCTUARY! Great leaders don’t have the most talent; or gi edness; intellect; or abili es - they have the most determina on and have the ability to spot and seize *great opportuni es*.
(We have great leaders here at RBC who can spot great opportuni es as they arise! AMEN!)
Vs. 8 And the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not fear them, for I have given them into your Screen 14 hands. Not a man of them shall stand (soldier or watch) before you.” Lord says - “Do not fear!” Why? Joshua must have go en afraid when he considered who he was going up against (COALITION - five highly organized; very strong; vey strategic; very wealthy and powerful ci es at once) By the way - the children of Israel had NEVER - NEVER - NEVER - been up against a united group of anybody BEFORE this day. The pay off outweighed the
RISK!
(I can hear the people saying “we’ve never done this before . . .”)
But the word of God must take precedence above our comfort, ease and pleasure.
4 ➜OBSERVANCE REQUIRES RISK ⬅ “Courage is not the absence of fear, it is the absence of
SELF! “ Erwin McManus
*Really gets interes ng.*
Vs. 9 So Joshua came upon them suddenly, having marched up all night from Gilgal. - Screen 15 a surprise a ack. Joshua and his soldiers marched 25 miles from Gilgal to Gibeon in the dark. It was an assent of 4,000 . up steep and difficult terrain. There was no opportunity for rest! (Roman soldiers had about 35 lbs. of equipment!) The army was fa gued and faced a powerful foe. *God must intervene or all would be lost!*
Vs. 10 And the Lord threw them into a panic before Israel, who struck them with a Screen 16 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. Perhaps this surprise a ack was s ll in the dark. Many were killed in this ini al a ack and pursued them six miles to Beth- born (there were two ci es called this, Upper Beth - horon (closer) (6 miles) and lower Beth-horon Map 17
(furtherest) (8 miles). Azekah is 24 miles (approximately) from Gibeon. Mahkedah is 14 miles South of Azekah = 38 miles total from Gibeon. The soldiers had marched all night 25 miles and then fought (to the death) many Ammorites and chased them/routed them another 38 miles = 63 miles! (from troops that haven't slept). To say that their red is an understatement! If God doesn’t show up soon. DISASTER!
(let’s back up a little) Vs. 11 And as they fled before Israel, while they were going down the ascent of Beth- Screen 18 Screen 19 horon, the Lord threw down large stones from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they
5 died. There were more who died because of the hailstones than the sons of Israel killed with the sword. Largest stone on record in the world - 300 lbs. Verona, Italy in 1762. May 1,
1888 during a hailstorm in Moradad, India - 250 people were killed. The largest American hailstone ever recorded was 17 inches in circumference, with a weight of 1 1/2 pounds *
1st MIRACLE - * This hail storm occurred in mid-summer. There are only five to eight days of hail per year in this area, mostly in mid-winter. Making this truly a miracle. (I can just see the Israelites running and figh ng completely exhausted and God pel ng the enemy with hailstones! {No ce “stones” - stoning was punishment - mode of execu on for the sins that the Canaanites par cipated in! Literally, they were stoned to death by God!}
Hail was an affront to the Amorites because their pagan deity BAAL was the great Canaanite storm god who was supposed to control the rain, the hail, the snow . . . Baal was powerless before YHWH in Canaan just as the gods of Egypt were powerless before him 40 years earlier. * (the stones only hit the Amorites/Canaanites - supernatural placement) *
Vs. 12 At that me Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord gave the Screen 20
Amorites over to the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel,
“Sun, stand s ll at Gibeon,
and moon, in the Valley of Aijalon.”
or “stand s ll” lit. “Sun on Gibeon be s ll, And moon in the valley of Aijalon!” lit. “and the sun was s ll, And the moon stood!”
6 Vs. 13 * And the sun stood s ll, and the moon stopped, un l the na on took vengeance Screen 21 on their enemies. . . * What exactly was Joshua asking for? A HUGE MIRACLE - under the divine influence of the Holy Spirit.)
Vs. 13 con’t. . . . Is this not wri en in the Book of Jashar? . . . The book of Jashar was a Screen 22 collec on of poli cal wri ngs of important events in Israel’s history which was gathered in the me of David or Solomon. It is men oned in Numbers 21:14 as “the book of wars of the Lord” and is also referred to in 2 Samuel 1:18. (23 hrs. 56 min. 4 sec.= one rota on)
➡ The earth rotates on its axis at a speed of just over 1,000 miles per hour.
➡ The earth is moving around the sun at almost 67,000 miles per hour. (Solar System
would be destroyed if God had not done something supernatural here.)
Vs. 13 con’t. . . .The sun stopped in the midst of heaven and did not hurry to set for about a whole day. THAT DAY - THE EARTH STOOD STILL!!! Wow! (What an incredible miracle!) 1st miracle was the supernaturally placed hailstones; 2nd miracle is that Screen 23 the Israelite soldiers had the supernatural strength to march all night (with no rest) 25 miles, then fight and route the enemy for another 38 miles (63 miles altogether) and con nue to fight for some approximately 29 hours STRAIGHT! 3rd miracle the earth stood s ll for 24 hours (at noon “in the middle of the sky”) and it did not kill every living creature on the planet. (earth rota on . ..)
7 Joshua knew if God did not give them a total and complete victory over those armies that day, that they would leave and re-group and possible overtake the Israelites!!! He and his army had them on the run and needed more daylight to accomplish their task. “GOD WILL -
STOP THE EARTH AND PROVIDE MIRACLE AFTER MIRACLE FOR HIS CHILDREN TO TAKE THE
LAND!” GOD WILL STOP THE EARTH (COMPLETELY) TO ACCOMPLISH HIS WILL IN THE LIVES
OF HIS OBEDIENT CHILDREN! (If all of nature must be put “on hold” to accomplish God’s will in our lives - SO BE IT!!! * (The sun was a principal deity for Canaanite religion, too.)*
Vs. 14 There has been no day like it before or since, when the Lord heeded the voice Screen 24 of a man, for the Lord fought for Israel. It was a totally and completely unique miracle that had never been done before and has never been done since. {The only 48 hour day in the history of planet earth.}
Vs. 42 says “And Joshua captured all these kings and their land at one me, because the Screen 25
Lord God of Israel fought for Israel. * The taking of the land was sped up markedly.*
Why the land? Why did God’s convenient with Israel consist of two key areas (and two key areas alone)?
1. the land
2. circumcision (babies)
MAP Map 26 the land? - God planted his people right in the heart of the strongest pagan kingdoms on earth - (that’s where he s ll wants us by the way)
8 babies? - Jesus is coming are you ready? God was going to send the baby Jesus, born in a stable - in Bethlehem - ten miles from Gibeon (1400 years later a er the conquest)
[GOD’S STRATEGY] [BIG PICTURE]
Why the land? Why was such a big deal made over this par cular piece of real estate?
Well, we can know that later on it would be the very cross roads of the earth - connec ng the East to the West. (In Jesus’ day it was part of the Roman Empire) - had extensive caravan routes and caused Chris anity to spread like wildfire.
BUT, (what we don’t think about a lot NOW) is that, that par cular piece of real estate connected - it formed the geographical bridge between the ancient center of pagan civiliza on.
Evangelism, evangelism, evangelism! So Israel could be a shinning light to those people around them and pave the way for Messiah to come (Second Jesus). old covenant = land + babies (circumcision)
The first Jesus was preparing the way for the LAST Jesus:
1. protector of the faith
2. be bap zed in the River Jordan
3. prophet (priestly king)
4. both were obedient - Moses (the law), in the NT is replaced by Jesus (the fulfillment of the law)
All of God’s promises were fulfilled in the second Jesus - all of them. The LAST Jesus.
9 God sends (plants) his people right into the heart of the strongest pagan kingdoms on earth
- that’s where he wants His people today - right in the middle of lost people, living holy, different lives to win them.
Joshua/Jesus arrived in Israel 1400 years before Jesus arrived and completed (changed) everything! Recap 27
Guest 28
PRAYER AND INVITATION Bye 29
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