Tag: Joshua 9-12
The power of prayer!
Scripture reading for March 5th: Joshua 9-12
Sometimes the days aren’t long enough to get done everything that we would like to. Joshua had just such a day when he responded to the call to help the Gibeonites. Joshua prayed to the Lord and asked God to cause the sun to stand still while the nation of Israel attacked it’s enemies. God listened and performed a great miracle!
The Gibeonites had earlier deceived the Israelites in order to save their own lives. Joshua made a covenant with them and then found out that they had lied to him. (Joshua 9:22-23) As a result, this Canaanite tribe became servants to Joshua and Israel. A lack of prayer and discernment caused this problem. A short time later, five Amorite kings had formed an alliance and were attacking Gibeon. God spoke to Joshua and told him to go and attack and He would give him the victory. (Joshua 10:7-8) Joshua and his troops marched all night long. God helped the Israelites out with a heavy downpour of hailstones, killing more of the enemy than did the Israelites! The fight was going well, but daylight would soon be gone. Joshua prayed for the sun to stand still and God listened causing it to stand still in the sky for nearly a day! (Joshua 10:12-14)
For the sun to stand still in the sky, the earth had to quit rotating! Only God could make this happen! The hail storm that killed the enemy but did not affect the Israelites was also a miracle! (Joshua 10:11) God always works with His people and loves to give them victory over their enemy, Satan!
At the end of this story, Joshua brought the five kings out of the cave and had his men put their feet on the kings’ necks. (Joshua 10:24-25) He instructed them to be strong and courageous! They got a visual picture of victory and where God wants our enemy Satan! (Romans 16:20)
Do you have a difficult request that only God can help with? With God, nothing is impossible! (Luke 1:37) If we ask Him in faith, He is able to deliver the most difficult request. Ask Him and honor Him with the opportunity to defeat your enemy and get glory!
The sun stood still!
Scripture reading for March 5th: Joshua 9-12
Sometimes the days aren’t long enough to get done everything that we would like to. Joshua had just such a day when he responded to the call to help the Gibeonites. Joshua prayed to the Lord and asked God to cause the sun to stand still while the nation of Israel attacked it’s enemies. God listened and a great miracle helped bring victory!
The Gibeonites had earlier deceived the Israelites in order to save their own lives. Joshua made a covenant with them and then found out that they had lied to him. (Joshua 9:22-23) As a result, this Canaanite tribe became servants to Joshua and Israel. A lack of prayer and discernment caused this problem. A short time later, five Amorite kings had formed an alliance and were attacking Gibeon. God spoke to Joshua and told him to go and attack and He would give him the victory. (Joshua 10:7-8) Joshua and his troops marched all night long and the fight was on. God helped the Israelites out with a heavy downpour of hailstones, killing more of the enemy than did the Israelites! The fight was going well, but daylight would soon be gone. Joshua prayed to the Lord. God listened to this man and the sun literally stood still in the sky for nearly a day! (Joshua 10:12-14)
This miracle is very interesting because of what must have happened to bring it about. For the sun to stand still in the sky, the earth had to quit rotating! This would be very difficult because the earth is rotating at 24,000 miles per hour! (Joshua 10:11)
At the end of this story, Joshua brought the five kings out of the cave and had his men put their feet on the kings’ necks. (Joshua 10:24-25) They got a visual picture of victory and we see what God wants us to do to our enemy Satan! (Romans 16:20)
What do we learn from this ancient record of Joshua’s exploits? With God, nothing is impossible! (Luke 1:37) If we ask Him in faith for what we need, He is able to deliver even the most difficult and humanly impossible requests. All we have to do is ask in faith, believing! Do you have a request that sounds too difficult for the Lord? Ask Him today!
The Power of Words
Scripture reading for March 5th: Joshua 9-12
God’s words are powerful. He has given authority to those who are in covenant with Him. This authority involves asking in prayer for needs and speaking in faith to mountains or hindrances. He has told us that we may ask for anything in accordance with His will in prayer and if we know that He hears us, we will have what we ask for. (1st John 5:14-15) He has told us that if we have faith in Him and we can speak to mountains and they will obey. (Mark 11:22-24) Today’s reading has an amazing example of the power of faith-filled words!
Joshua had neglected to inquire of the Lord and made a covenant with one of the tribes that God told him to destroy, the Gibeonites. They had used an elaborate ruse to escape death by lying about where they lived. Joshua made an agreement with them and then found out that they lived close. (Joshua 9:14-15) He made them servants of the Israelites and told them they were under a curse for lying but honored his word to spare their lives. (Joshua 9:20-21) Joshua understood that our words are powerful and carefully accounted for by God. When we make a promise or oath, He expects us to keep it even if it hurts. (Ecclesiastes 5:4-6)
The Gibeonites came under attack by other Canaanite neighbors and called to Joshua and the Israelites for help. (Joshua 10:6-7) Because of the covenant, Joshua and his men immediately set out for an all-night march to Gibeon. The Lord spoke to him, encouraging him to be fearless because he would be victorious. A word from God helps us every time because we can count on it!
The next morning Joshua took the enemy by surprise and the Lord threw them into confusion before Israel. Great hailstones fell from the sky and pounded them to death. (Joshua 10:11) The Amorites ran and were being defeated but Joshua could see that for a complete victory, his army would need more time. He spoke to the sun about noon in a prophetic poem. (Joshua 10:12-13) God listened to his words and caused the sun to stand still for about a full day as the Israelites pounded the Amorites. Joshua found the five kings and had his commanders put their feet on their necks as a picture of total conquest. Praise the Lord!
The Sun Stood Still!
Scripture reading for March 5th: Joshua 9-12
Sometimes the days aren’t long enough to get done everything that we would like to. Joshua had just such a day when he responded to the call to help the Gibeonites. Joshua prayed to the Lord and asked God to cause the sun to stand still while the nation of Israel attacked it’s enemies. God listened and a great miracle helped bring victory!
The Gibeonites had earlier deceived the Israelites in order to save their own lives. Joshua made a covenant with them and then found out that they had lied to him. (Joshua 9:22-23) As a result, this Canaanite tribe became servants to Joshua and Israel. A lack of prayer and discernment caused this problem. A short time later, five Amorite kings had formed an alliance and were attacking Gibeon. God spoke to Joshua and told him to go and attack and He would give him the victory. (Joshua 10:7-8) Joshua and his troops marched all night long and the fight was on. God helped the Israelites out with a heavy downpour of hailstones, killing more of the enemy than did the Israelites! The fight was going well, but daylight would soon be gone. Joshua prayed to the Lord. God listened to this man and the sun literally stood still in the sky for nearly a day! (Joshua 10:12-14)
This miracle is very interesting because of what must have happened to bring it about. For the sun to stand still in the sky, the earth had to quit rotating! This would be very difficult because the earth is rotating at 24,000 miles per hour! The moon would stand still too! It is orbiting the earth! Only God could make this happen! The hail storm that killed the enemy but did not affect the Israelites is also a miracle! (Joshua 10:11)
At the end of this story, Joshua brings the five kings out of the cave and has his men put their feet on the kings’ necks. (Joshua 10:24-25) He again instructs them to be strong and courageous! They get a visual picture of victory and what God wants us to do to our enemy Satan! (Romans 16:20) God alone gets the glory for these victories!
What do we learn from this ancient record of Joshua’s exploits? With God, nothing is impossible! (Luke 1:37) If we ask Him in faith for what we need, He is able to deliver even the most difficult and impossible requests. Joshua was responding to God’s directions in his battle. He chose the all-night march as a surprise factor. The journey would have been over 20 miles at night with a 3000 foot gain in altitude! He felt he needed more time to subdue this enemy and simply asked! Do you have a request that sounds too difficult for the Lord today? Ask Him!