Joshua 10:1-43 - The Southern Conquest

Life with God is Fluid

It is good to be with you today. If you have your Bibles, we are going to be in Joshua chapter 10. Have you ever driven a boat? I have not driven many boats, but it was a very strange experience the first time I did. In a car, when you turn the wheel, it is responsive. You aim the tires where you want to go, and you go there. If you want to weave through a line of cones, you can just do it. But then you get in a boat, and the whole thing is a squishy mess. You turn the wheel, but the wind is blowing, so you still drift. It is up and down, here and there. In many ways, you just have to keep your eyes on the horizon and keep adjusting to a fluid, dynamic journey.

You might ask what that has to do with our life with God. I would say this: God is unchanging. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is faithful, enduring, and the most solid foundation you will ever find. He is the Rock. He is our True North. The problem is not Him; the problem is us. Walking out this messy process of life with God is more like driving a boat than driving a car. You are going to have your ups and downs, your winds of life are going to blow, and you just have to keep your eyes on the horizon. It is not a linear road or a straight path without deviation. If that is your expectation, you are going to be sorely disappointed, because life with God is more fluid than it is linear.

The Context of the Southern Conquest

We have been walking through the book of Joshua, and Joshua has been a great case study of this fluid journey. He has shown us spiritual victories and spiritual failures. By God’s grace, God met him in the ashes of his bad decisions over and over again. If you were with us last week, you saw what was essentially a “con job” by the Gibeonites. This group was clever; they knew they couldn’t win against Israel because God was with them, so they decided to trick Joshua into a peace treaty.

They showed up in costumes with stale bread and worn-out clothes, pretending they had traveled from a distant land. Unfortunately, in that moment, our boy Joshua didn’t pray. He didn’t seek counsel. He didn’t pause. He just made the call in his flesh because it seemed right to him in the moment. Most of the time when I have done something foolish, it is because I did exactly that.

Proverbs 14:12 (NASB)

There is a way [which seems] right to a man, But its end is the way of death.

Proverbs 12:15 (NASB)

The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, But a wise man is he who listens to counsel.

In the previous chapter, the text tells us clearly that they did not ask for the counsel of the Lord. Joshua simply made peace with them.

Joshua 9:14 (NASB)

So the men [of Israel] took some of their provisions, and did not ask for the counsel of the LORD.

Joshua learned a hard lesson about overconfidence and arrogance. I loved Mike’s story last week about his soccer team, because God truly is opposed to the proud but gives grace to the humble. My hope is that as we read these biblical characters, we look in the mirror. You may not be Joshua, but you have a lot of Joshua in you, as do I. We read the Scriptures so we can learn the lessons of those who paid the “dumb tax” without having to pay it ourselves.

The Kings Align Against Israel

As we head into chapter 10, we see the destruction of the southern cities. This is a military campaign. Joshua has crossed the Jordan, taken the center of the land, and now he moves south.

It begins with King Adonai-Zedek. His name means “Lord of Righteousness,” and he is the king of a city you have never seen mentioned by this name before in the Bible: Jerusalem. Formerly known in Genesis as Salem, Jerusalem means “possessor of peace.” This King of Righteousness hears that Joshua has utterly destroyed Jericho and Ai. He sees that the Gibeonites have made peace with Israel. He realizes that if the southern kings don’t align their forces, they don’t stand a chance. It is “all for one and one for all” or they will be picked off one by one.

Joshua 10:1-2 (NASB)

Now it came about when Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem heard that Joshua had captured Ai, and had utterly destroyed it (just as he had done to Jericho and its king, so he had done to Ai and its king), and that the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were within their land, that he feared greatly, because Gibeon [was] a great city, like one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all its men [were] mighty.

He rallies the kings of Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon. They decide to attack Gibeon because Gibeon made peace with Joshua. When the attack begins, the men of Gibeon send word to Joshua at his camp in Gilgal. They say, “Do not abandon your servants. Come quickly and save us!”

Keeping Your Word to Shady People

Don’t lose the fact that these Gibeonites are the people who just conned Joshua in the previous chapter. I can imagine the conversation Joshua was having with himself: “Oh, now you want my help? Remember five minutes ago when you ripped me off? You’re getting what you deserve!” But Joshua had made a commitment. He had given his word. Even though they were shady, even though they were “con men,” Joshua was a man of God, and he would keep his word. Suddenly, enemies are friends, and strangers are family.

Joshua and his valiant warriors march all night long from Gilgal to surprise the enemy. And I love this, because you see that God is with him.

Joshua 10:7-8 (NASB)

So Joshua went up from Gilgal, he and all the people of war with him and all the valiant warriors. The LORD said to Joshua, ‘Do not fear them, for I have given them into your hands; not one of them shall stand before you.’

Joshua comes upon them suddenly. The Lord confounds the enemy, and a great slaughter takes place. But remember, the battle is the Lord’s. Joshua is there, but the real MVP is God.

The Day the Sun Stood Still

As the enemy forces fled, God did something we haven’t seen since the Exodus. He brought a plague of hailstones—essentially dropping boulders from glory on the retreating army.

Joshua 10:11 (NASB)

As they fled from before Israel, [while] they were at the descent of Beth-horon, the LORD threw large stones from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died; [there were] more who died from the hailstones than those whom the sons of Israel killed with the sword.

Then Joshua prays one of the most unique prayers in history. He basically asks God to pull out the remote and push the “pause” button on the day. He didn’t want the sun to set before the victory was complete.

Joshua 10:12-13 (NASB)

Then Joshua spoke to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, ‘O sun, stand still at Gibeon, And O moon in the valley of Aijalon.’ So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, Until the nation avenged themselves of their enemies. Is it not written in the book of Jashar? And the sun stopped in the middle of the sky and did not hasten to go [down] for about a whole day.

God answered. The sun stayed in the middle of the sky for about a whole day. You might ask, “How can that really happen?” We just need to remember who the Lord is. This is the same Lord who spoke the world into existence and made dirt breathe in His image. He is able to do anything He wants. He simply pushed pause.

Joshua 10:14 (NASB)

There was no day like that before it or after it, when the LORD listened to the voice of a man; for the LORD fought for Israel.

Completing the Campaign

The five kings try to flee and hide in a cave. Joshua tells his soldiers to roll a stone in front of the cave and keep moving—don’t waste time on the kings until the retreating armies are dealt with. Eventually, they bring the kings out. Joshua has his commanders put their feet on the necks of these kings. It sounds brutal, but it was a statement of victory and a lesson for his men.

Remember, in chapter one, God told Joshua three times to be “strong and courageous.” Now, Joshua repeats those same words to his men.

Joshua 10:25 (NASB)

Joshua then said to them, ‘Do not fear or be dismayed! Be strong and courageous, for thus the LORD will do to all your enemies with whom you fight.’

Joshua then moves through the southern region, taking Libnah, Lachish, Eglon, and Hebron. Hebron is significant because it is the burial place of the patriarchs—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. By the end of the chapter, Joshua has taken the entire southern hill country, the Negev, and the lowlands.

Joshua 10:42 (NASB)

Joshua captured all these kings and their lands at one time, because the LORD, the God of Israel, fought for Israel.

Strategically, this is brilliant. He bifurcated the land, fortified the center, and wiped out the south. But I don’t think the primary takeaway is military strategy. There are four points of emphasis I want us to see.

Takeaway 1: Living Faithfully After Failure

Joshua provides an example of living faithfully after failure. Just one chapter earlier, he blew it. He didn’t pray; he acted in the flesh. Yet, he didn’t stay in the ashes of that mistake. He treated the setback as temporary. We are not defined by our past. It shapes us, but it doesn’t have to define our future.

The Christian life is much more about one step forward and two steps back than it is about a perfect upward line. It is about the ongoing work of the Gospel. The Gospel doesn’t just save us; it sanctifies us.

1 Thessalonians 5:23 (NASB)

Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul’s prayer assumes we aren’t entirely sanctified yet. There will be moments where your flesh jumps up and leads your life, just like it did for Joshua. We have to learn to walk faithfully after those moments. If you are looking for a biblical character who never failed, your Bible will be very small and contain only red letters. Jesus is the only one who was faithful from beginning to end.

Takeaway 2: God’s Grace to Reconciled Enemies

Consider the Gibeonites. They were under the “ban” (harem). They were supposed to be destroyed. They were enemies of God who used deception to get a treaty. Yet, the moment that covenant was made, they went from enemies to family. When they were attacked, God didn’t just let them suffer; He performed miracles to save them.

This is God’s character toward His reconciled enemies. And that is exactly who we are. Apart from Christ, what is our status?

Ephesians 2:3 (NASB)

Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.

Romans 5:8 (NASB)

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

We often have an exaggerated view of our own goodness. We think, “I’m not that bad.” But the Scripture says our best deeds are like filthy rags. We don’t approach God on our goodness; we approach Him on His. Did the Gibeonites deserve grace? Not at all. They deserved wrath. But God, being rich in mercy, made them alive.

We didn’t clean ourselves up to get God to love us. We brought the “hot mess” of our lives to Him, and He said, “Yes.” We are now “in Christ.” That is the most secure position you can be in. You are fully forgiven, fully accepted, and fully loved.

Colossians 3:3 (NASB)

For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

Takeaway 3: The Incredible Power of God

I am blown away by the power on display here. I would love to have seen the hailstones. The text says God was like a sniper with those rocks, taking out the enemy without hitting His own people. Then He pauses the rotation of the earth because a man asked Him to.

We have no concept of this power.

Genesis 1:16 (NASB)

God made the two great lights, the greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night; [He made] the stars also.

He made the sun, the moon, and then almost as an afterthought, “He also made the stars.” That is the power of our God. And is He still doing that today? Yes, and even more. The Incarnation was God clothing Himself in humanity in a manger. But the Indwelling is even more amazing. God chooses to live in us. We are the temple of the Holy Spirit. He is here, in the midst of our “messy mangers.” That is more powerful than hailstones.

Takeaway 4: A God Who Listens

Finally, this powerful God is accessible.

Joshua prayed, and God listened. How much more will He listen to us? We are adopted children. We cry out “Abba, Father.”

John 1:12 (NASB)

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, [even] to those who believe in His name,

Matthew 7:7 (NASB)

’Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

If you are a golfer, you know that short putts never go in if you don’t hit them. Likewise, if you don’t pray it, God isn’t going to answer it. How many things in our hearts do we fail to articulate to God? We should have the courage to ask.

John 16:24 (NASB)

’Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full.

Now, God doesn’t answer every selfish prayer. But when we pray according to His will and submit to Him, beautiful things happen. When we pray, we should pray with confidence because of Christ. We should pray boldly for His glory and specifically so we can see Him move.

1 Timothy 2:1-2 (NASB)

First of all, then, I urge that entreaties [and] prayers, petitions [and] thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.

As you pray, you will find that God is often less interested in changing your circumstances and more interested in changing your heart.

Closing Challenge

I am so grateful for Joshua 10. It is a story of military conquest, but it is so much more. If you heard something today that resonates, do something with it. Don’t be a forgetful hearer who walks away and forgets what he looks like in the mirror. Don’t build your house on the sand. Take the Word, apply it, and build your house on the Rock so that when the winds and rains of life come, you will endure.

Let’s pray. God, thank you for Joshua—a fallen leader who shows us that your grace is sufficient. As we walk out this messy process of life, remind us that it begins and ends with the Gospel. You have some heavy lifting to do because we are a mess, but we open ourselves to you. Search us, know our hearts, and lead us in the everlasting way. In Jesus’ name, Amen.