Spend time in prayer and silence with God asking him to meet you and speak to you.
Bible Reading
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.
– Joshua 10:12-15
Devotion
What an amazing passage of scripture! Joshua prayed for God to intervene and allow the complete destruction of their enemy by preventing the sun to go down so Israel could complete their campaign. Scholars offer two different explanations to interpret this passage:
1. God supernaturally slowed or stopped the rotation of the earth (for approximately a full day) to allow Israel to complete their conquest.
2. The section is poetic in nature and uses imagery to explain how God was fighting alongside of Israel because they sought his counsel and favor.
These two explanations are not mutually exclusive:
To deny that God does miraculous works is contrary to his nature (example: the virgin birth, the resurrection of Jesus, and ascension of Christ). Indeed, if the earth did stop or slow it’s rotation, it would be nothing short of the work of God! This would then show the extreme lengths that God goes to in order to fulfill his promises!
Additionally, there is a poetic nature to the verse, as noted by the reference to the Book of Jashar. While we do not have access to this book now, it very well may have been a poetic book which praised the mighty works of God. The author may have been using poetic imagery to show how God fought alongside of the Israelites to bring about a great victory. In either case, God did something amazing during that day that would not be forgotten or repeated!
The Big Question
Do you believe that God would move the entire earth to fulfill his promises and that he fights for his servants? Why or why not?
Conclude in prayer and silence, reflecting on what you’ve learned.