If it's in the city here, Joshua.
Joshua is now the leader of the Israelites Moses has passed the
torch on to him and now they are in pursuit to take the land of
Canaan after all. That's what God promised them.
When he said I'm going to, you're going to be my people.
I'm going to give you this land, so they departed Egypt from that
slavery. But they're in the wilderness
there for a while. But eventually now they come to
the land of Canaan here and so when they, when they crossed the
Jordan River, as they as they came across Cross the Jordan
River, the first city hear that they took was Jericho and we all
know the story of them marching around Jericho and all that.
And finally, on that, on that seventh day, the walls came
tumbling down and they fell in word.
And the people of Israel were able to take Jericho.
And, and so from there, they saw the power of God on display.
And, I mean, they had see the power of God on display before
that, they had even crossed the Jordan River.
And by the crossing of the Red Sea, The Parting of the Red Sea.
But this gave them, this gave them great Victory, they felt
God's presence and they saw that he was faithful to his promise
to give this this land. And so what they did now is that
after they conquered Jericho, the next one on the map for them
was to attack Ai and so they go over there and they began to
attack AI but there's a huge problem.
They lose. And the reason why they lose is
because of one man, Aiken, who had taken the spoils from their
battle here in Jericho and because of his sin, the entire
nation lost the battle here at aii.
Now, this sin was found out and he was punished because of that.
And then after he was, he was punished by being stoned to
death. And now, after that had been
that have been done the Lord. Now tells Joshua, I want you to
go and fight against AI again this time.
I'm going to give you Victory. And that is that's exactly what
happened. All the inhabitants of a, i
perished, just as the Lord had promised them.
That happens in Joshua chapter 8.
Washed away. Now, from this bit from the
victories of them, taking Jericho and take it away, I will
word was beginning to, to get around to them to the various
cities about the Israelites, coming into this land and they
had heard about what had happened there in Jericho.
They had heard about what had happened there in Ai and now
they begin to be afraid. In fact, they were worried to
the point that some of them got together and formed in a
Alliance to fight against the Israelites.
And this happens in chapter 9 of the Book of Joshua.
Now, you've got these people here and give you, which is not
too far from AI. It's only five miles from Ai.
And they, of course, just as the other cities heard about the
Israelites coming and perhaps the give you a, give you a
nights are thinking. Well we're the next one in line
to be conquered by these people. And they're afraid to.
And but they, what they did, they kind of took a separate
action. They didn't join the other
cities in forming, an alliance with Ed to attack Israel, but
they thought of a plan to deceive the Israelites into
forming an alliance between gibeon and Israel.
And so this is what they did. If you're taking notes Joshua 9
verse 3, they chose some men to pretend to be ambassadors and
they brought along some Choice items in order to kind of back
the story of what they're going to tell the Israelites and look
here in chapter 9 verse number 4.
In verse number 5, And they took old sacs on their donkeys old
wide skids. Notice the word old.
That's, that's very important for what we see here, old sacs
on their donkeys. All wife's games toward and
mended old and Patch sandals on their feet and old garments on
themselves. And all the bread, the provision
was dry and moldy. They purposely gathered these
items and they purposely dress like this for a reason.
And so they dressed like this, they make their way now over
there to gilgal. So give you the gilgal mind you,
this is only about a 15 mile Journey, which is pretty close
that. And the Israelites are kept out
here in gilgal. And so they make their way over
and they said that they've come from this far country and they
In Joshua chapter 9 and verse 6. They've come from this far
country. They said, they want to make a
treaty or a covenant with the Israelites.
And so, because of this, this is where Joshua begins to question
them by asking or who are you guys at and we're have you guys
come from. And so they answer it again.
They're from a very far country. The reason why they had come all
this way is because they had heard about the victories that
they had. In fact, they they talked about
how on the other side of the Jordan River that they had a,
that they had defeated, the two kings of the amorites on the
other side of the Jordan. They had also heard about the
Exodus from Egypt, they had heard about The Parting of the
Red Sea, how they crossed on dry land?
They'd heard about the great things that God had done for
them. And provided this victory for
the Israelites. And so they've, they told them
that we have come to you now under the advice of the elders,
so that we can make a treaty and we'll all we want to do is just
become your servants. That's all So they try to
convince the Israelites of this. They what they end up now doing
is showing them what they brought.
Now, they're given visual kind of evidence of how they've come
from this far country. Look now versus 1990 are
actually verses 12 and 13 to get in Joshua 9.
This is the bread of ours. We took hot, where our provision
from our house is on the day. We departed.
Come to you. But now, look, it's dry or
molding. Is that right?
Right? No, it wasn't hot.
It was a freshly baked. It purposely got old moldy
bread. Evers 13 and these wineskins.
Which we filled were new. Another lie again.
We know they were old and see, they are torn.
And these are garments in our sandals, have become old because
of the very long journey. Another lie, So after the
gibeonites, told the story. And so the Israelites, the
items, guess what? They believed them.
They believe this lie. but in their decision, To believe them.
They made a huge mistake. If you're taking notes note,
what is said in chapter 9 and verse 14?
It says that they did not ask counsel of the Lord.
About this. They did not seek the Lord's
guidance or approval for creating a treaty with the
people who God had promised that he would wipe out due to him
giving the land of Canaan to the Israelites huge mistake.
Huge mistake. And so from this these people
were invited to live among the Israelites said and of course
the Covenant was made with these people and so the gibeonites
plans. Well, they worked now during the
course of the next three days. The Israelites, of course, God
had said that that I'm giving you this land.
So the next course of action, we're going to go get some more
cities. So over the next three days what
they do. They concentrate on this area
right here of a fight, these people and take Cities, but it
happens, pretty quick, as they're doing this, they quickly
learned something. If they quickly learn that those
people there from gibeon who had just approached him, maybe a day
or two before they were lying about where had they had come
from. In fact, they said that they
were neighbors who dwelt in a city close by and because they
had already established a covenant with them, guess what?
They they made an oath of they made a covenant.
So therefore, they can't conquer anyone in here.
And so what they do, they end up going back to Gil-galad.
Tell Joshua the leaders. Guess what?
We can't fight these people because you made a treaty with
them. They told us a lie.
And so Joshua approached the gibeonites about this and ask
the why did you guys lie to us in making a treaty with you?
And their answer was because they had feared that the
Israelites would have made their City when they die and that they
would die. And, you know, that's a
legitimate concern to be afraid that, you know, the Israelites
are taking land and taken cities So, they were all they were
trying to do with just try their might to stay alive.
But because Joshua the leaders may had made an oath with their
enemies. He told them, you know, we will
not kill you but this we will do.
We're going to make you guys servants to us.
You're going to be our woodcutters and you're going to
be our water carriers. So all this happened between
Israel giving and the king of Jerusalem.
Now down here. Well he had heard about the tree
that went on between give you and also of the Israelites.
And that really concerned him because now I mean after all the
Israelites they were already powerful now, they've got the
gibeonites along with them, now they're even more powerful.
And so what he does is that he sends messages down here to
these other keys and these other cities here.
And he says, I want you guys to join forces with us and let's go
up and let's attack these people.
And so they banded together and what they ended up doing.
They all went up to give Ian and they surrounded that City and
there. They camped out in order to
attack those people. Now the gibeonites when they saw
what was happening here, they sent word over to Joshua who
again was over there in gilgal and he told them that they were
under attack and that what they did, they said come help us.
And that's exactly what happened.
Joshua gathered, his army, the Lord spoke to Joshua and told
them that you I'm going to give you victory in battle against
these Kings of the South. Now, it took all night, but they
finally were able to make it over there to to gibeon and they
reach the City by Daybreak. And it was just as the Lord had
said, I mean, the Israel is really the, the Israelites
really took it to him. They slew, the other armies
attacking gibeon and what it ended up doing as they were
attacking these people will. Now the enemy, they were fleeing
South West to that to around the part of Jar move.
And so the Israelites they chased him and they slew the
Army's there. And as more were fleeing from
the Israelites, the Lord did something incredible as the
enemy was fleeing. In fact, the Lord.
The Lord had caused a giant hail storm upon the enemies.
And the hell was so large that it killed more men in those
armies than the Israelites had actually killed with their
swords. And what's even more remarkable
to me, is that none of the Israelites were harmed in this
hail storm. Done.
The power of God on display. That's remarkable.
But that's not the only time the power of God was displayed on
this day. They'll at was running out,
Joshua knew that there were still more enemies to defeat.
And so he wanted to carry this momentum of their battle against
their enemy and Joshua asked the Lord to do something that no man
has ever done before. It's so again, he asks the Lord
this this momentous task, Sun stand, still over, give you in a
mood of the valley of idle. Ugh.
So the sun Stood Still, the mood stop to the people had Revenge
upon their enemies is this, not read the book of jasher, so the
sun Stood Still the Vista of heaven and did not hasten to go
down for about a whole day. And there has been no they like
that before or after it that the Lord heeded, the voice of a man
from the Lord fought. For Israel and sure enough.
God. So concerned for his people and
he granted Joshua's request the Sun and the Moon Stood Still
again for about a whole day. You know what the result of all
that was the enemy was defeated. God provided Victory.
Just as he had told Joshua that he would provide victory.
Again, he's faithful to what he promises.
And from this awesome event in which there was no other day
like it on Earth, I believe we can learn a few things from it
especially about God. And that is number one.
God cares for his people. He does.
What's amazing to me is how God still cares for people, no
matter what mistakes they make. And we know that Israel messed
up. In fact, they messed up a lot of
times but in this particular occasion, they messed up big
time by making a peace treaty with the Enemy.
And when Josh will begin to prepare for battle, the Lord
didn't approach Joshua and say, well, you know, because you guys
made your enemy, your friend and created this treaty and oath and
Covenant with him. I'm sorry, but you guys are on
your own. I'm not going to be behind you.
I'm not going to give you Victory here. the Lord didn't
say that and the Lord did an act that way because of the mistake
that they had made, Even when they made the mistake, the Lord
was still concerned about his people and he, one of them beat
to be Victorious and he was going to help them out and, you
know, we're like this with our children.
I mean we see our children make mistakes, possibly even when we
when we advise them, well, you ought not to do that.
And sometimes our children make unwise decisions.
So we see them fall and we see them make mistakes.
But even though our children might not, listen to wisdom or
might not listen to advice and they, we see them make decisions
other than what we advise is that mean that we just stop
loving them, because, well, they didn't listen to me.
Absolutely not. In fact we have so much love and
conserved and concern and care for them that we want to be
there to help them up. The help them out at to pick
them back up when they need help.
That's how much we love our children.
And when you consider God, we serve a God who loves us so
much. He God wants to help us out in
any way, possible. A, no sir.
He's not going to provide a miracle of sending hailstones
upon our enemies, or make this sense.
The sun stand still for us, but in whatever ways that are
according to to his time, and whatever, a ways that are
according to his own will though.
He expresses his concern and his love toward us.
In fact, Peter said this, and I love this with Peterson, first
Peter, five or seven. He says, casting all your care
upon him. The Lord wants us to do that.
Why? Or he cares for you.
That's why he cares for you, and he cares for me.
David wrote this when he was burdened.
And thinking about his enemies, Psalm 55 verse 22 cast, your
burden on the Lord. And He Shall sustain, he shall
never permit. The righteous to be moved.
I love the thought that whatever that any of us might be facing
no matter how big or how small it might be.
God is concerned about it. And he is concerned about you
facing that difficulty in life. And he's so concerned about it
that he wants you to cast it upon him.
He wants you to surrender it to him.
So let me ask you this. How do we do that?
Then how do we cast all of our Cara?
Podium. he wants us to but how Well, there's a phrase in verse
number, 14 of our text here in Joshua 10.
That provides a key on how we do that.
And this, you know, the first few times when I, when I was
reading this and studying this, it really didn't jump out until
a few times later that really caught my attention.
And it's this phrase here that the Lord heeded, the voice of a
man. He heeded the voice of a man.
Do you know why the mood of the sun, Stood Still that day?
Because he listened to the voice of one, man.
It was Joshua's request. And that really struck me
because I want you to think about this for a second.
You know, it was maybe a couple of years ago that that they
upgraded the lens and the Hubble telescope because they did that
we're able to see far deeper into outer space.
And it's amazing. How many more stars we could
see. And considering that it really
puts into perspective. How vast this universes?
And in the vastness of this universe, you've got planet
Earth. And how big Earth is and all the
people that are on it back then you had the nation of Israel.
And there's there's there's different speculations of how
large the nation of Israel was. Some people say he met might be
a couple million people. But even among thee among those
Maids of people. You had 1 million.
God was listening. It got heated the voice of that
one man. That's amazing to me.
And what do you think about that today?
Don't think that you are so small that God doesn't care
about. You don't think that you are so
insignificant that God doesn't know what's going on in your
life. And so he healed, he heeded, the
voice of one man back then and he will heed to our voice even
today. Yes, we might be be only one
voice. But he's still listening.
Why? Because he cares.
That's why he cares it. God's infinite, wisdom and
power. He has the ability and concerned
to be listening to you and I and he did and he's able to to
heater on Voice through prayer. He is blesses greatly with this
privilege and what he wants us to do.
He wants us to use it and he's right there waiting to listen
when we do use it. And indeed our Lord cares about
us and cares about what's happening in our lives and wants
to help. But how can we, how can he, how
can he help? If he never, If you never hears
this, if we never reach out to him.
How can he help if we don't give them a voice to?
He too. I like what it says here.
First John 5 verses 14 and 15. It says, now this the
confidence, I like that word. This is the confidence that we
can have in him that if we ask anything, really anything.
Well, there's a caveat to that because the writer says, well,
it has to be according to his will.
When we ask So what about that? If we ask anything according to
his will, what will happen? He hears us.
And if we know that he hears us whatever we ask again, according
to us, will we know that we have the petitions that we have asked
of him. And so we have confidence that
God is listening but we have to take the advantage of Prayer.
We have to. Maybe sometimes we don't seek
God for help and prayer because we might not think that it's
significant enough or maybe it's just just a small thing.
Maybe we try to reason with in our own minds that perhaps God
got really can't help me out in this situation.
Listen. If God was so concerned about a
Monumental request from one man to make the sun stand still and
he performed that Miracle, don't you think that he can handle a
little things that you and I have to deal with in our lives?
I mean he absolutely can help us and he will help us and he has
helped us in the past. And so this is since this is
true all the more reason to follow the excitation to what is
written in 1st, Thessalonians, 5 or 17 to pray without ceasing.
Use every opportunity that you have.
To give a voice to God. Let him know what you need.
Also praised him for who he is. Thank him for what he's done for
you in the past because God is good, he is And brings us to our
next observation about God. He's in control, he's in control
Yo, which Skeptics look at this account here in Joshua 10.
They take a look at this and say that everyone knows that it's
the Earth, not the sun, which moves.
And so once described your can't possibly be accurate of the sun
standing still, but when you look at this passage at face
value, what happened and what is being described here, is that
the Earth for several hours stopped rotating on its axis and
stopped rotating around the Sun? And, of course, the moon was
affected by all this and quite possibly, the entire solar
system. Might have stopped its Moments
for those several hours. And some might object to that
and say that without well if that happened, the result would
be total chaos throughout the Earth and maybe throughout the
entire universe. Well, not so.
Because God if he so desired would have the power to put
everything on hold and see to it that no consequences would
result from that. Some others might object to it
and say that for the Sun and the Moon to stand still.
Well that simply contrary to the laws of nature.
But what are the laws of nature? Well, they are simply the
processes which God has set in motion, and because God is
Sovereign, and because he can alter, and because he could
suspend, and he can reverse or even Council those processes and
ET time that he wants, he could do that.
In fact, that's what a miracle is.
It is when some usual pattern of nature is changed or when it's
interrupted due to God intervene in that particular aspect, It's
not, R is reasonable to think that God will allow himself to
be the prisoner of what he has created.
And when we think it like that, we limit God's power, we do.
And any man that has enough sense to make a clock to make a
clock. Certainly has enough sense to
stop it doesn't he? And surely a God who could speak
a universe into? Existence can do anything that
he pleases with that universe and its various components.
He has the power of what he has created and not just create
something and stab back and say, well, that's all I could do with
that. I can't do anything else with
it. We can't limit God's power in
that way. God is all wise it.
God is all-powerful. And if in our own logic in our
own reasoning, if we rule out miracles in the Bible, we have
to rule out the Virgin birth of Christ.
We have to rule out, the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
and a whole host of other biblical events either God could
do anything or he is not truly God.
And so this passage a reminds us that God God is in control and
God is in control of this universe.
Now there is of course, much that we don't understand such as
you know why natural catastrophes happen, why
terrible diseases occur in the Bible?
God Reveals His purpose for for some things that happen.
Maybe some earthquakes that happen.
Maybe some diseases that happen and we have a little bit of an
Insight of on why those things happen and how God Intervenes
throughout the scriptures, but in the vast majority of cases.
We might never understand why things happen in this life, but
here's the advice of one poet regarding life's mysteries.
He says, all God's testing is have a purpose someday, you will
see the light. All he asks, is that you trust
him. Walk by faith, not by sight.
See, the Bible reminds us again and again, that it is that this
is not an impersonal world that God God didn't create this
universe wind up, like, a clock of his simply remove himself
from it. And the reassuring truth is that
God is actively involved. He's actively involved in the
Affairs of this world, in the individual lives of people.
And in spite of what little we may understand, we can be
comforted by the fact that God is in charge.
We can now this is shown Time and Time throughout the
scriptures to where he's been in control of Kingdoms and Nations.
We've seen how he's wrote risen up rulers and then brought him
down. We've seen how he's done that
with Nations as well. We've seen how he was in control
of his summing of his son, coming to this world and making
a way for us to be saved. And he's still in control today.
Whomever he rises up and power. No matter if we might Grumble
about it. No matter if we might be angry
about who who might be the the leader.
No matter what laws might be passed in this nation, no matter
who might be in the White House, God is still in control of, of
all these things. He's in control of granting
salvation to those who accept the gospel of Christ, he still
in control and will always be in control.
Why? Because he's the creator of all
things. That's why.
Let us never limit his ability or think that he can never help.
Again, we go to him in prayer many occasions.
Why? Because we understand that he
can help because he's in control.
He has that power and we praise him because he has that power.
We praise him for that. You know Joshua, excuse me, this
poem, I want to leave with you this morning or this afternoon
says Joshua and his army had put the enemy to flight.
But they are afraid they couldn't finish for they were
running out of the light. They Joshua prayed.
Oh Lord. Please give me more Daylight on
this hill and God performed a miracle made the sun stand,
still. There are God doesn't make the
sun stand still just every day. In fact, he only did that once,
but that's enough. I say to show that he's in
charge of all that he has the power to do whatever his will on
any day or hour. So when your heart is hurting
and there seems to be no way to find relief or even just to make
it through the day with faith in Christ.
Call the Lord don't hesitate to plead and he who made the sun
stand still? I will also be your tea.
Aren't you? Glad you serve a God Like That?
Aren't you glad you're able to come and worship a God Like
That? Aren't you glad that you serve a
God? Who cares about you?
All glory to him. He is good and he is great and
he deserves Our Praise. We thank you for listening to
our podcast, put on by the Church of Christ at 22:15 plans.
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