Joshua 10:1-15
Now Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem heard that Joshua had taken Ai and totally destroyed it, doing to Ai and its king as he had done to Jericho and its king, and that the people of Gibeon had made a treaty of peace with Israel and were living near them. He and his people were very much alarmed at this, because Gibeon was an important city, like one of the royal cities; it was larger than Ai, and all its men were good fighters. So Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem appealed to Hoham king of Hebron, Piram king of Jarmuth, Japhia king of Lachish and Debir king of Eglon. "Come up and help me attack Gibeon," he said, "because it has made peace with Joshua and the Israelites."
Then the five kings of the Amorites—the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish and Eglon—joined forces. They moved up with all their troops and took up positions against Gibeon and attacked it.
The Gibeonites then sent word to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal: "Do not abandon your servants. Come up to us quickly and save us! Help us, because all the Amorite kings from the hill country have joined forces against us."
So Joshua marched up from Gilgal with his entire army, including all the best fighting men. The LORD said to Joshua, "Do not be afraid of them; I have given them into your hand. Not one of them will be able to withstand you."
After an all-night march from Gilgal, Joshua took them by surprise. The LORD threw them into confusion before Israel, who defeated them in a great victory at Gibeon. Israel pursued them along the road going up to Beth Horon and cut them down all the way to Azekah and Makkedah. As they fled before Israel on the road down from Beth Horon to Azekah, the LORD hurled large hailstones down on them from the sky, and more of them died from the hailstones than were killed by the swords of the Israelites.
On the day the LORD gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the LORD in the presence of Israel:
"O sun, stand still over Gibeon,
O moon, over the Valley of Aijalon."
So the sun stood still,
and the moon stopped,
till the nation avenged itself on its enemies,
as it is written in the Book of Jashar.
The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day. There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the LORD listened to a man. Surely the LORD was fighting for Israel!
Then Joshua returned with all Israel to the camp at Gilgal.
The passage clearly shows God's work in the victory that the Israelites had over the Amorites. Clear signs such as hailstones and the stopping of the sun were really evidence of God's work and intervention in the battle for the Israelites. It often amazes me that despite being able to witness all these signs, the Israelites had the slightest tendency to go off tangent whenever possible. It makes no wonder that Jesus refused to display any miracle more than needed when demanded by the Pharisees. The most heart-hardened people will not barge even with the clearest sign of miracle.
Where does it bring us then? As believers, I think we need to be certain that God still intervenes and does supernatural work in our lives. The one clearest miracle? The transformed life that we have in Jesus, that is the one clearest and most special miracle that we can witness. Yet, we need to think, do people recognise these as miracles? Or do they dismiss it as just part of human development? The bible says clearly that we are new creation in Christ Jesus. It was a few thousand years project for God to bring the new covenant of grace and redemption to His people. Certainly a miracle that God took seriously. Are we ready to recognise these miracles in the people's lives? It sometimes confuses me when I hear Christians saying that they dun believe in miracles. I wonder if they ever look at themselves and reflect upon God's work in their lives.
Yet we know that miracles dun guarantee conversion. But we also know that God's people, when preaching His gospel, will see signs and miracles and the supernatural. It says here:
He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well."
But do we expect the miraculous and the supernatural happening in our lives? When we prophesize, do we do it with faith and when we receive the prophecy, do we receive it with faith and know that it is from God? Of course please know how to discern the ones which are really from God.
God's power is limitless, and it should be evident in our lives. Is it in our lives?
Then the five kings of the Amorites—the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish and Eglon—joined forces. They moved up with all their troops and took up positions against Gibeon and attacked it.
The Gibeonites then sent word to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal: "Do not abandon your servants. Come up to us quickly and save us! Help us, because all the Amorite kings from the hill country have joined forces against us."
So Joshua marched up from Gilgal with his entire army, including all the best fighting men. The LORD said to Joshua, "Do not be afraid of them; I have given them into your hand. Not one of them will be able to withstand you."
After an all-night march from Gilgal, Joshua took them by surprise. The LORD threw them into confusion before Israel, who defeated them in a great victory at Gibeon. Israel pursued them along the road going up to Beth Horon and cut them down all the way to Azekah and Makkedah. As they fled before Israel on the road down from Beth Horon to Azekah, the LORD hurled large hailstones down on them from the sky, and more of them died from the hailstones than were killed by the swords of the Israelites.
On the day the LORD gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the LORD in the presence of Israel:
"O sun, stand still over Gibeon,
O moon, over the Valley of Aijalon."
So the sun stood still,
and the moon stopped,
till the nation avenged itself on its enemies,
as it is written in the Book of Jashar.
The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day. There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the LORD listened to a man. Surely the LORD was fighting for Israel!
Then Joshua returned with all Israel to the camp at Gilgal.
The passage clearly shows God's work in the victory that the Israelites had over the Amorites. Clear signs such as hailstones and the stopping of the sun were really evidence of God's work and intervention in the battle for the Israelites. It often amazes me that despite being able to witness all these signs, the Israelites had the slightest tendency to go off tangent whenever possible. It makes no wonder that Jesus refused to display any miracle more than needed when demanded by the Pharisees. The most heart-hardened people will not barge even with the clearest sign of miracle.
Where does it bring us then? As believers, I think we need to be certain that God still intervenes and does supernatural work in our lives. The one clearest miracle? The transformed life that we have in Jesus, that is the one clearest and most special miracle that we can witness. Yet, we need to think, do people recognise these as miracles? Or do they dismiss it as just part of human development? The bible says clearly that we are new creation in Christ Jesus. It was a few thousand years project for God to bring the new covenant of grace and redemption to His people. Certainly a miracle that God took seriously. Are we ready to recognise these miracles in the people's lives? It sometimes confuses me when I hear Christians saying that they dun believe in miracles. I wonder if they ever look at themselves and reflect upon God's work in their lives.
Yet we know that miracles dun guarantee conversion. But we also know that God's people, when preaching His gospel, will see signs and miracles and the supernatural. It says here:
He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well."
But do we expect the miraculous and the supernatural happening in our lives? When we prophesize, do we do it with faith and when we receive the prophecy, do we receive it with faith and know that it is from God? Of course please know how to discern the ones which are really from God.
God's power is limitless, and it should be evident in our lives. Is it in our lives?
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