Joshua Called, Sun & Moon Stand Still

When King Adoni—Zedek of Jerusalem (before it was conquered by Israel) heard of the Israelites victories, he gathered other kings to attack Gibeon (an ally to Israel). When Joshua heard of this, he responded immediately. The Gibeonites were in sore straits. Their defenses were in adequate against so powerful a coalition. They appealed to Joshua, in the hope that he, despite their fraud, would come to their aid. The way in which they looked to their allies for help in time of trouble may be thought of as illustrating how we may call upon God for assistance when we are hard pressed by spiritual foes.

We may feel unworthy of divine aid because of our sins, but we may also know for certain that no sincere prayer for help will be unanswered. It is clear that Joshua did not undertake the expedition without seeking counsel of God. He seems at last to have learned this lesson. Joshua was a man of dispatch. The task at hand required immediate action. Many a cause is defeated by lack of action, or action that comes too late. Joshua marched all night, and in the morning was ready for action before the enemy had time to prepare for battle.

When Joshua realized he needed more daylight to finish his job, he called on God for the sun to stand still. The verb here translated "stand still" is generally rendered "be silent." However, it can also mean "be motionless," depending upon what it is applied to. Being addressed to the sun and moon, which ordinarily have no sound, it would naturally have the meaning of the latter. The inspired writer used the popular language of the day in describing matters of science. Actually it is not the sun that moves in the heavens but the earth turning on its axis that marks off the day. But even in our modern age of scientific enlightenment we speak of the sun rising or setting.

Some, whose limited concept of God leaves Him powerless to interfere with natural law, feel that a halt in the rotation of the earth would have disastrous effects upon the earth itself and possibly upon the entire solar system, if not the universe. Whether the phenomenon was produced in this fashion or by the refraction of light or in some other way, the fact remains that a miracle of some kind occurred. If we believe in an omnipotent God, who, as Creator and Sustainer, controls the works of His creation, there is no problem.