What I Noticed Today (Joshua 9-10)
Joshua 9
Just two chapters ago in Joshua 7, Israel suffered defeat because they did not consult God before going into battle. Now the Gibeonites deceived them by coming to them in worn-out clothes trying to make peace, claiming they live far away.
Note: Gibeon is only six miles northwest of Jerusalem and about six miles southwest of Ai.
Note: The men from Gibeon were Hivites, descendants of Cain through Ham.
Note: It is interesting that the claim of the Gibeonites about God (Joshua 9:9-10) is similar to the claim made by Rahab (Joshua 2:9-11).
In verses 14-15, rather than consulting God, Joshua and the leaders of Israel made a pact with the Gibeonites.
In verses 16-27, after three days, the Israelites realized they had been deceived. They honored their agreement with the Gibeonites but consigned them to be workers for the congregation.
Joshua 10
With word of Israel’s victory over Ai and the submission of the Gibeonites, the word was getting around to surrounding kings.
In verses 1-15, Adoni-Zedek, king of Jerusalem was greatly concerned and sent word to Hoham king of Hebron, Piram king of Jarmuth, Japhia king of Lachish, and Debir king of Eglon asking them to join forces with him against the Israelites:
- These five kings banded together to attack the Gibeonites. The Gibeonites called out to Joshua for help.
- The Lord assured Joshua that He would give them victory.
- So Joshua and the entire Israelite army marched overnight to Gilgal and took the five kings by surprise.
- The Lord threw the five kings into great confusion. As they fled, the Lord threw large hailstones upon them.
- As the battle wore on by mid-day, Joshua knew he would need more time to secure the victory. He prayed to the Lord for the sun to stand still, and the Lord answered his prayer. It remained daylight until Joshua vanquished the enemy.
Note: The Book of Jashar referenced in Joshua 10:13 is a book of Hebrew songs written as poetry to honor their leaders.
In verses 16-27, Joshua heard that the five kings had hidden inside a cave, so he ordered rocks to be placed in front of the cave and guards stationed to prevent the kings from escaping.
- The soldiers then pursued the rest of the armies of the five kings leaving only a few survivors who made it back to their walled cities.
- Joshua then executed the five kings and hung their bodies on trees until evening. Then he had their bodies thrown into the cave where they had been hiding.
In verses 28-43, once the five kings and their cities had been destroyed, Joshua led the nation of Israel on a conquest of all of southern Canaan.
- They went from conquering Makkedah to Libnah, to Lachish, to Gezer, to Eglon, to Hebron, and finally to Debir.
- After this continuous campaign, the Israelites returned to Gilgal and camped there.
Note: For some reason, Joshua did not attack two cities of the five kings: Jerusalem and Jarmuth.
Some thoughts for further consideration:
- It seems that when we haven’t learned a lesson, God gives us another opportunity to learn. The Israelites suffered defeat at Ai because they didn’t consult God, then made a poor alliance with Gibeon because they didn’t consult God. As soon as they started consulting God and follow His direction, they secured one victory after another. When God is for us, who can be against us?
- I haven’t prayed to God to stop the sun, but I have felt totally overwhelmed by what I needed to do and cried out to God, “help me.” The sun didn’t stop, but God certainly seemed to multiply my time and the work that needed to get done, got done!
What did you notice in your study today? Feel free to visit the website and leave a question or a comment.
Prayer Request? It is our honor to pray for you. You may write to us with your prayer requests at prayer@biblestudydaily.org.
Tomorrow: Joshua 11-13
