Today’s Reading: Joshua 9–10; Ps 136

Now that the sin of Achan was confessed and taken care of, God renewed His covenant and helped the Israelites find victory in the town of Ai, wiping out everyone and everything. In spite of this renewed covenant, the people of Israel still had a lesson to learn. Without consulting the Lord, they made a decision and entered into a peace treaty with the Gibeonites (9:14). Their foolishness, like that of Achan’s, reaped negative consequences.

But when the people of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai, they resorted to deception to save themselves. They sent ambassadors to Joshua, loading their donkeys with weathered saddlebags and old, patched wineskins. They put on worn-out, patched sandals and ragged clothes. And the bread they took with them was dry and moldy. When they arrived at the camp of Israel at Gilgal, they told Joshua and the men of Israel, “We have come from a distant land to ask you to make a peace treaty with us.” — Joshua 9:3-6

GOD WANTS US TO INQUIRE OF HIM FOR THE SAKE OF RELATIONSHIP.

It is evident even in the Old Testament that God wants a relationship with each of us. He does not want us to live independently, but to inquire of Him – to call on Him. If Joshua had waited to hear from God, or if he had rested on how God had previously instructed him not to make a treaty with any of the Canaanites, perhaps he would not have made this leadership blunder. But the treaty was made before Joshua realized his mistake.

So Joshua did not allow the people of Israel to kill them. But that day he made the Gibeonites the woodcutters and water carriers for the community of Israel and for the altar of the Lord—wherever the Lord would choose to build it. And that is what they do to this day. — Joshua 9:26-27

While having a large group of people do a lot of work for you might not sound all bad, this treaty also came with some responsibility. When the Amorites heard that the people of Gibeon were living in peace with the Israelites, they decided to join together to attack Gibeon.

The men of Gibeon quickly sent messengers to Joshua at his camp in Gilgal. “Don’t abandon your servants now!” they pleaded. “Come at once! Save us! Help us! For all the Amorite kings who live in the hill country have joined forces to attack us.” So Joshua and his entire army, including his best warriors, left Gilgal and set out for Gibeon. “Do not be afraid of them,” the Lord said to Joshua, “for I have given you victory over them. Not a single one of them will be able to stand up to you.” — Joshua 10:6-8

GOD WANTS US TO INQUIRE OF HIM BEFORE WE ENTER INTO BATTLE.

The Lord confirmed to Joshua that He would give them victory. They called on God and He listened to them. Joshua knew that he needed God if he was going to be the leader God’s people needed him to be in order to accomplish the task God had assigned.

On the day the Lord gave the Israelites victory over the Amorites, Joshua prayed to the Lord in front of all the people of Israel. He said, “Let the sun stand still over Gibeon, and the moon over the valley of Aijalon.” So the sun stood still and the moon stayed in place until the nation of Israel had defeated its enemies….There has never been a day like this one before or since, when the Lord answered such a prayer. Surely the Lord fought for Israel that day! — Joshua 10:12-14

NOT ONLY WILL GOD LISTEN TO US, HE WILL RESPOND.

Joshua prayed BIG and God answered his prayer. God let His presence be known in the battle by causing the sun and moon to stand still. This reminds me of another day when God used the movement of the sun in order to make His presence known.

By this time it was about noon, and darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. The light from the sun was gone. And suddenly, the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn down the middle. Then Jesus shouted, “Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!” And with those words he breathed his last.

When the Roman officer overseeing the execution saw what had happened, he worshiped God and said, “Surely this man was innocent.” And when all the crowd that came to see the crucifixion saw what had happened, they went home in deep sorrow. But Jesus’ friends, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance watching. – Luke 23:44-49

God let His reaction to Jesus’ crucifixion be known by putting out or blocking the light of the sun. Those who experienced the action of God that day walked away with the knowledge that the man on the cross was innocent. The moment Jesus died, He became the sacrifice needed in order for us to experience salvation. When he breathed his last breath, Jesus made it possible for us to be made right with God.

For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ. – 2 Corinthians 5:21

Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. – Romans 3:24-25a

My prayer for all of us this morning is that we will see God at work — that we will know He is present in our battles. God does not want us to live in fear, but in faith. The Lord repeated the same words he spoke in Joshua 1:9, just like He reminds us again today:

“Don’t ever be afraid or discouraged,” Joshua told his men. “BE STRONG AND COURAGEOUS, for the Lord is going to do this…” – Joshua 10:25

Give thanks to him who made the heavenly lights—
His faithful love endures forever.
the sun to rule the day,
His faithful love endures forever.
and the moon and stars to rule the night.
His faithful love endures forever. – Psalm 136:7-9