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10 As soon as Adoni-zedek, king of Jerusalem, heard how Joshua had captured Ai and had devoted it to destruction, 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, he 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 warriors. So Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem sent to Hoham king of Hebron, to Piram king of Jarmuth, to Japhia king of Lachish, and to Debir king of Eglon, saying, “Come up to me and help me, and let us strike Gibeon. For it has made peace with Joshua and with the people of Israel.” Then 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 their forces and went up with all their armies and encamped against Gibeon and made war against it.
And the men of Gibeon sent to Joshua at the camp in Gilgal, saying, “Do not relax 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.” So Joshua went up from Gilgal, he and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valor. And the LORD said to Joshua, “Do not fear them, for I have given them into your hands. Not a man of them shall stand before you.” So Joshua came upon them suddenly, having marched up all night from Gilgal. And the LORD threw them into a panic before Israel, who struck them with a 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. And as they fled before Israel, while they were going down the ascent of Beth-horon, the LORD threw down large stones from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died. There were more who died because of the hailstones than the sons of Israel killed with the sword.
At that time Joshua spoke to the LORD in the day when the LORD gave the Amorites over to the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel,
“Sun, stand still at Gibeon,
and moon, in the Valley of Aijalon.”
And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped,
until the nation took vengeance on their enemies.
Is this not written in the Book of Jashar? The sun stopped in the midst of heaven and did not hurry to set for about a whole day. There has been no day like it before or since, when the LORD heeded the voice of a man, for the LORD fought for Israel.
So Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to the camp at Gilgal.
These five kings fled and hid themselves in the cave at Makkedah. And it was told to Joshua, “The five kings have been found, hidden in the cave at Makkedah.” And Joshua said, “Roll large stones against the mouth of the cave and set men by it to guard them, but do not stay there yourselves. Pursue your enemies; attack their rear guard. Do not let them enter their cities, for the LORD your God has given them into your hand.” When Joshua and the sons of Israel had finished striking them with a great blow until they were wiped out, and when the remnant that remained of them had entered into the fortified cities, then all the people returned safe to Joshua in the camp at Makkedah. Not a man moved his tongue against any of the people of Israel.
Then Joshua said, “Open the mouth of the cave and bring those five kings out to me from the cave.” And they did so, and brought those five kings out to him from the cave, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon. And when they brought those kings out to Joshua, Joshua summoned all the men of Israel and said to the chiefs of the men of war who had gone with him, “Come near; put your feet on the necks of these kings.” Then they came near and put their feet on their necks. And Joshua said to them, “Do not be afraid or dismayed; be strong and courageous. For thus the LORD will do to all your enemies against whom you fight.” And afterward Joshua struck them and put them to death, and he hanged them on five trees. And they hung on the trees until evening. But at the time of the going down of the sun, Joshua commanded, and they took them down from the trees and threw them into the cave where they had hidden themselves, and they set large stones against the mouth of the cave, which remain to this very day.
As for Makkedah, Joshua captured it on that day and struck it, and its king, with the edge of the sword. He devoted to destruction every person in it; he left none remaining. And he did to the king of Makkedah just as he had done to the king of Jericho.
Then Joshua and all Israel with him passed on from Makkedah to Libnah and fought against Libnah. And the LORD gave it also and its king into the hand of Israel. And he struck it with the edge of the sword, and every person in it; he left none remaining in it. And he did to its king as he had done to the king of Jericho.
Then Joshua and all Israel with him passed on from Libnah to Lachish and laid siege to it and fought against it. And the LORD gave Lachish into the hand of Israel, and he captured it on the second day and struck it with the edge of the sword, and every person in it, as he had done to Libnah.
Then Horam king of Gezer came up to help Lachish. And Joshua struck him and his people, until he left none remaining.
Then Joshua and all Israel with him passed on from Lachish to Eglon. And they laid siege to it and fought against it. And they captured it on that day, and struck it with the edge of the sword. And he devoted every person in it to destruction that day, as he had done to Lachish.
Then Joshua and all Israel with him went up from Eglon to Hebron. And they fought against it and captured it and struck it with the edge of the sword, and its king and its towns, and every person in it. He left none remaining, as he had done to Eglon, and devoted it to destruction and every person in it.
Then Joshua and all Israel with him turned back to Debir and fought against it and he captured it with its king and all its towns. And they struck them with the edge of the sword and devoted to destruction every person in it; he left none remaining. Just as he had done to Hebron and to Libnah and its king, so he did to Debir and to its king.
So Joshua struck the whole land, the hill country and the Negeb and the lowland and the slopes, and all their kings. He left none remaining, but devoted to destruction all that breathed, just as the LORD God of Israel commanded. And Joshua struck them from Kadesh-barnea as far as Gaza, and all the country of Goshen, as far as Gibeon. And Joshua captured all these kings and their land at one time, because the LORD God of Israel fought for Israel. Then Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to the camp at Gilgal.
(ESV)
In Joshua 10, King Adoni-zedek of Jerusalem, alarmed by Israel’s victories and Gibeon’s alliance with them, formed a coalition of five Amorite kings to attack Gibeon. Gibeon appealed to Joshua for help, and Joshua led his forces in a surprise attack after an all-night march. The LORD assured Joshua of victory, threw the enemy into confusion, and intervened with hailstones that killed more than the Israelites did. Joshua prayed for the sun and moon to stand still, extending the day for Israel’s victory.
The five kings were captured, and executed. Their bodies were placed in the cave where they hid. Joshua then led Israel in a campaign that conquered multiple cities, including Makkedah, Libnah, Lachish, Eglon, Hebron, and Debir, leaving no survivors as commanded by the LORD. This campaign secured the southern region of Canaan, demonstrating God’s support for Israel.
On the day that the LORD gave the men of Israel victory over the Amorites, Joshua spoke to the LORD. In the presence of the Israelites he said, “Sun, stand still over Gibeon; Moon, stop over Aijalon Valley.” [13] The sun stood still and the moon did not move until the nation had conquered its enemies. This is written in The Book of Jashar. The sun stood still in the middle of the sky and did not go down for a whole day. [14] Never before, and never since, has there been a day like it, when the LORD obeyed a human being. The LORD fought on Israel’s side! [15] After this, Joshua and his army went back to the camp at Gilgal.
Joshua 10:12-15 GNB
Considering this entire occurrence, not only did the Lord induce fear in the Amorites and unleash hailstones upon them, but simultaneously, Joshua fervently appealed to the Lord for divine intervention – for the sun to halt its movement. How was this extraordinary event accomplished?
It’s unexplainable by human standards, but many theories try to provide evidence. Author Immanuel Velikovsky noted that there are records from ancient Americans speaking of an extraordinarily long night at the same approximate time of this event with Joshua. Some scholars have found Egyptian documents describing an eclipse that took place around the same time as this event.
Of course, as believers we understand that this was a miracle from God, however, I believe the “how” is much less important than the “why.” Why did God answer this prayer of Joshua’s and why did Joshua pray it?
Logically speaking, as Joshua’s army had the Amorites on the run. He knew they would regroup and attack the next day if the Israelites didn’t completely destroy these forces before sundown. So, Joshua’s prayer fell within the already-revealed will of God. God had said they would be victorious. So Joshua, knowing this, prays boldly.
Are our prayers characterized by boldness? Not boldness in terms of demanding everything we desire, but boldness in terms of aligning our prayers with the thoughts and ways of God that have already been revealed. Joshua exemplified this boldness as he advanced in faith, standing alongside God on the battlefield.
Even though Joshua and his people had a lapse in judgment making a treaty with Gibeon, at this point, Joshua and God want the same thing. Notice, Joshua doesn’t ask God to fight for Him but for God to give Joshua the opportunity to fight with Him. Their wills are aligned, and this is a beautiful thing because I believe when our will is aligned with God’s and we are participating in that plan, He will lead us and guide us to victory.
In order to know His will we have to know Him. We have to open His Word and understand what He loves and what He hates and once our hearts have been changed, our prayers will follow. Look at what Jesus said…
“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
Matthew 6:33 ESV
So, where do you need to make adjustments to your prayer life based on this reality? Have you been seeking God or seeking an outcome?
Probably the strongest point to consider in this story is the fact that God still answered Joshua’s prayer and worked a miracle despite their foolish decision to make a treaty without seeking Him! Joshua got himself into this mess, and it would be God who would get him out – but let’s consider Joshua’s action steps.
In Joshua 9, he does not consult God and foolishly enters into an unfavorable agreement with his adversaries. It proves to be a grave mistake. Instead of retaliating against Gibeon for their deceit, Joshua could have chosen from several alternative courses of action. One possibility was launching an attack on Gibeon, thus avenging their treachery. Another option involved informing them that they would not be receiving assistance, as they had deceived the Israelites and deserved the consequences.
Many of us tend to compound one sin with another, falling into this kind of thinking. The journey from Gilgal to Gibeon was an arduous 25-mile trek, including a challenging 4,000-foot elevation ascent. Furthermore, they had to undertake this journey at night.
Many of us would have said, “I’m not doing it. It’s too hard.” It would have been easy to justify the position that it was not their battle to fight. How many of us have missed the miracle because we compounded one sin on top of another?
At this critical junction, Israel chose to keep their word, trust God, and put in the effort into moving forward with an impossible promise, and it’s clear the Lord blessed this decision. Their success (and ours as well) is not determined by the degree of strength or strategy, but rather, by the degree of seeking and obeying God’s ways.