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Verses 1-3: Although this the first mention of the proper name “Jerusalem” in the Bible (v.1), it was already mentioned once before in Genesis 14:18 as its original name, “Salem”. “Jerusalem”, from the original Hebrew word “yerûshâlaim” (also spelled “yerûshâlayim”), means “teaching of peace” according to Strong’s Concordance and the Brown-Driver-Briggs Bible dictionary. Here in Joshua 10, at the time of Israel’s southern conquest of Canaan, Jerusalem’s king is named in verse 1 as Adoni-zedek. When the news of Jericho’s and Ai’s destruction – as well as Gibeon’s new alliance with Israel – reaches the king, he is understandably fearful and sends messengers to four other nearby cities (Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, Eglon). (v.3) Gibeon is described in verse 2 as “…a great city, one of the royal cities…”, and Adoni-zedek is afraid that their alliance with Israel will spell certain doom for him and the kings of those nearby cities.
Verses 4-9: Jerusalem’s king proposes a conquest of Gibeon (v.4), and the four other kings agree. All five of them – and the Gibeonites – belong to the people known as the Amorites (v.5), and they waste no time in setting up an offensive perimeter around Gibeon. The king of Gibeon immediately dispatches men to Joshua and the elders of Israel to ask to ask for their help. (v.6) Because of the oath made in chapter 9, Joshua and all the army of Israel answer the call of the Gibeonites, marching all night to reach the city. (v.7, 9) God tells Joshua to “Fear them not: for I have delivered them into thine hand…” (v.8) Verses 10-15: God’s method of judgment against the Amorites is to “…cast down great stones from heaven upon them…” (v.11) which causes so much confusion and chaos in the enemy camps that the soldiers are already fleeing from Israel as soon as Joshua and his army arrive at Gibeon. The term “hailstones” in verse 11 indicates a meteorological event instead of just a meteorite shower. Once again, God proves Himself to be the creator and master of all things, manipulating the physical world and its natural elements to bring about His divine will. Verse 11 also confirms that it was the Lord who did most of the killing of the enemy, not Israel. But the battle has only just begun by the time day breaks, and Joshua asks the Lord to make the sun and the moon to stand still above Gibeon and the valley of Ajalon, respectively. (v.12) God honors the request, and the Israelites are victorious in their defeat of the Amorites. (v.13) There is no other record in scripture of a day such as this one, where the earth’s orbit around the sun is temporarily suspended by the supernatural power of God. (v.14) Many supposed “Biblical scholars” – as well as unbelievers – scoff at the notion that the earth was, in fact, halted in its orbit around the sun. They put their faith in science, stating that this violates all the known laws of physics. They claim that if the earth was indeed stopped in its orbital path that it would have disastrous consequences for all life on the planet. The counter argument that they present is that this account in chapter 10 is a poetic style of writing, using mythological imagery to depict a day where time only seemed to stand still for the Israelites and their enemies. The Bible is the divinely inspired, holy word of God. It’s not just another great work of literature. It’s not mythology or poetry, although it does contain passages of poetic songs. And while the New Testament contains passages of parables spoken by Jesus that are meant to be read as allegories, the whole of scripture is not an allegory. The Bible is history. It is literal, historical fact. The Bible is the recorded history of the creation of the universe, the planet earth, and mankind. Every event described therein is literal, historical fact. Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed by fire from heaven, not just a random meteorological event. The ten plagues on Egypt were miraculous signs and wonders caused by Almighty God, not just some random weather phenomena. The Red Sea which God parted for His people was exactly what the label says: a massive, deep body of water which could not be crossed without a ship. It was not a pond, or a river, or some shallow, narrow pool of water that could be easily traversed on foot. And when Joshua cried unto the LORD and asked for the sun and the moon to stand still in the sky so that the Israelites could have the victory that God had promised them, God honored His servant’s request and did just that. He stopped the earth’s orbit around the sun for as long as was needed for Joshua and the army to utterly defeat the Amorites. The God that hung the stars upon nothing in the vastness of outer space, that spoke the sun into being and then set the planets of our solar system in their orbits, hanging them upon nothing, is the same God that can easily stop those planets in their orbit while also preserving all life on the earth. It is the hand of God that holds together the atom, that breathed life into dust to create Adam, and that allows by His grace and mercy the lungs of every living being to draw breath. To recognize this is to truly understand our utterly helpless state as mortal, fragile beings in the presence of Almighty God, the creator and sustainer of all things. And once we understand and accept that, it’s easy to believe that the sun and the moon stood still in the sky on this day when the LORD gave glorious victory to His people! Verse 13 references the book of Jasher as further proof of this miraculous act of God. That book is also mentioned in 2 Samuel 1:18. Jude 14 references the prophecies of Enoch which, along with the book of Jasher, was obviously not included by God in the final text of His holy word that you and I are reading today. Jasher and Enoch are part of what is commonly known today as the Apocrypha, a collection of ancient writings from the first century that were eventually included in the Catholic bible. But the Apocrypha is not true scripture, and that’s one reason that Catholicism is a false religion, for much of the Apocrypha directly contradicts divinely inspired scripture. Only the 66 books of the KJV 1611 AV Bible are God’s perfectly preserved holy word in modern English. Therefore, even though those non-canonical texts are occasionally mentioned within scripture, they shouldn’t be treated as divinely inspired, and one should be very careful when reading and studying them. They do provide some interesting and fascinating historical context for the writing that was included in the final version of the Bible as we know it today, but that is all. The Apocrypha should not be taken as God’s divinely inspired and preserved word. There’s something else worth noting here: God honored the newly formed alliance between Israel and the Gibeonites even though Joshua and the elders had sinned by not consulting with God first. And because of that pact the Gibeonites were spared from God’s judgment against all the peoples of Canaan, which means that Israel compounded that sin by disobeying God’s original command to Moses to wipe out all of the Canaanites. Yet God still promised Joshua victory against the Amorites and, as I noted in the commentary of chapter 9, God even punished Israel because King Saul killed some Gibeonites during his reign, an act that directly violated that vow of Joshua and the elders. (2 Samuel 21:1-2) This, then, begs the interesting question of why God did not punish Israel by causing the Amorites to defeat them. In essence, God seems to approve of Israel’s sin by giving them the victory over the Amorites as well as punishing Israel later on for Saul’s killing of the Gibeonites. The best answer to this is that God always allows us the consequences of our actions, even if those choices made of our own free will directly conflict with His will and direction for our lives. God also chooses at His discretion whether or not He will bless us or chasten us, even when we directly disobey His commands. Because the Israelites did not wipe out the Gibeonites from the start, there was disastrous consequences for the nation many generations later. Israel and Judah’s apostasy and eventual enslavement by the Babylonians was a direct result of their ancestors’ disobedience here during the conquest and settlement of the promised land. In the meantime, however, God chose to be merciful to Joshua and the Israelites by giving them the victory over the Amorites. That doesn’t necessarily mean that He approved of their treaty with the Gibeonites, but it does demonstrate His faithfulness to His chosen people even when they were unfaithful and disobedient to Him. This is proven time and again throughout scripture, especially here in the Old Testament. God might reward the Israelites with victories in the short term, but He never withheld the consequences of their disobedience in the long run. Our sinful choices will always bear some form of fruit, but sometimes that fruit doesn’t appear until many years – or even decades – later in our lives. It also helps to keep in mind that God is omniscient, meaning that He already knows what choices we’re going to make in our lives, and He’s already worked those outcomes into His divine will and plan for our lives. Yes, every impulsive and stupid choice we make – which then forces us to live with those adverse consequences – has already been factored in to God’s plan for each of our lives, just as it was here for Joshua and the Israelites. God is never taken by surprise or caught unawares by our choices and actions. There’s no such thing as a last minute change of plan on His part. So the fact that He gave Israel the victory over the Amorites was always part of His plan from the beginning. Verses 16-27: The five Amorite kings are discovered to be hiding in a cave, and Joshua orders the entrance to be sealed, thus imprisoning the kings. (v.18) There’s no need to post guards, for God has given the Israelites the victory over all the kings’ armies. (v.19) When the battle is finally over, and all the enemy forces have been defeated, Joshua orders the kings to be brought before him and the elders of Israel. (v.22-23) Naming each of the kings and the city that he commanded was a tradition in the ANE, a solemn pronouncement of death for those vanquished in war. (v.23) Joshua summons the captains of Israel’s army and orders them to pin each king to the ground by placing their feet upon their necks. (v.24) This, too, was a tradition in the ANE, for the warlords who had gained great victory in battle against their foes. Joshua then declares victory in the name of the Lord, reminding all the people that they have no need to fear their enemies. God will do to Israel’s enemies what Joshua is about to do to the five Amorite kings. (v.25) While the text doesn’t give details, we can logically presume that Joshua either decapitated the kings or simply drove his sword through their backs. Afterwards, the bodies are hung on trees for all to see, a warning to all the other Canaanite nations of what is coming for them. Per Mosaic law, the bodies are taken down at sunset and cast into the same cave where the kings had hid themselves earlier. (v.27) (Deuteronomy 21:22-23) At the time of the writing of this book the stones are still present at the mouth of that cave. Verses 28-43: The remainder of the chapter describes the conquering of the southern cities of Makkedah, Libnah, Lachish, Gezer, Eglon, Hebron, and Debir. Every last citizen is killed and each of their kings executed in the same manner as the five Amorite kings and the king of Jericho. (v.28, 30, 32-33, 35, 37, 39) Verse 40 confirms that that Joshua “…left none remaining, but utterly destroyed all that breathed, as the Lord God of Israel commanded.” From Kadesh-barnea to Gaza to Goshen and Gibeon, the Israelites are victorious “…because the Lord God of Israel fought for Israel.” (v.42) With the southern campaign completed, Joshua and the army return to the camp at Gilgal. (v.43)
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Verse 1-2: News of Israel’s victories at Jericho and Ai spread quickly throughout the nearby nations, and their kings, no doubt fearful of suffering the same fate, form an alliance to fight against Israel. These are the same kings mentioned at the beginning of chapter 5. (Joshua 5:1) One of the peoples mentioned in verse 1 are the Hivites.
Verses 2-15: Gibeon is one of the cities of the Hivites (v.7), and its leaders come up with an additional plan to avoid destruction at the hands of Israel. They send ambassadors to Joshua, disguised in old, tattered clothing and with moldy food to make it appear as if they came on a long journey from a far country. (v.4-5) Even their shoes are worn and full of holes. Israel is camped at Gigal (v.6), and the Gibeonites meet with Joshua and the elders. Notice, however, that they don’t give a proper name of their country – or even a specific name of their people. This, of course, raises the suspicions of the elders, and they question the strangers further. (v.7) “…Peradventure ye dwell among us; and how shall we make a league with you?” can be read as “What if you’re from one of these nearby cities? We can’t make an alliance with you because you’re our enemies.” The Gibeonites, however, neatly sidestep the question by saying simply, “We are thy servants.” (v.8) But Joshua is still not convinced, and he presses them further, again demanding to know the identity of their country and their people. The Hivites again neatly avoid a direct answer by repeating that they are “…from a very far country…” (v.9) and then bring up the old news of Israel’s deliverance from Egypt and her victories against the Amorites and the kings Sihon and Og. (v.10) They also emphasize once more that “We are your servants…” (v.11) and then point out their moldy bread (v.12), wineskins that have holes in them and their shoes with worn out soles. (v.13) At this point is when Joshua should have told the strangers to stand by while he consulted with God. But Joshua and the elders fail to do this, instead taking the men at their word and trusting in the physical evidence presented to them. (v.14) Joshua then makes an alliance with the strangers, and it’s confirmed by the elders of Israel. (v.15) Verses 16-27: Of course it doesn’t take long for the Hivites’ deception to become known to Joshua and all of Israel. (v.16) Although the text doesn’t say so specifically, the implication in verse 16 is that Joshua and the elders received word from the neighboring cities of the Hivites that the men they had just made an alliance with were, in fact, the inhabitants of Gibeon. (v.17) The fallout from this deception and from Joshua’s grave error of not consulting the LORD is disastrous for all of Israel. Because they are now allies, Israel is prevented from destroying the Hivites and conquering all the cities listed in verse 17. Furthermore, this causes dissension among the people and rebellion against the elders. (v.18) The elders, however, remind the people that they swore an oath in the name of the LORD to not destroy the Hivites. (v.19) To violate that oath will bring the wrath of God upon Israel. (v.20) It is puzzling, though, why the lie on the part of the Gibeonites wouldn’t have nullified that oath. The text doesn’t say, and the elders are correct in their interpretation of the Mosaic law regarding oaths. (Numbers 30:2) This is why God, through Moses, warned the Israelites not to be rash with their vows. God takes oaths seriously, and to go back on one’s word is sin in the eyes of the LORD. (Deuteronomy 23:21-23) In their initial meeting with the Gibeonites, Joshua and the elders had granted the strangers’ request to be servants to Israel. The elders now remind the people of this agreement. (v.21) The Hivites will still be conquered, but they will serve as slaves to the Israelites rather than being utterly destroyed as God had originally commanded be done to all the Canaanites. Joshua then summons the Gibeonites who had deceived them and demands an explanation. (v.22) Because of their deception there is now a curse upon them and all their people. (v.23) They and all their descendants will be slaves of Israel with no hope of buying their freedom or being released from their perpetual servitude. The men respond with an explanation for their trickery: they had heard of God’s judgment against all the nations of the promised land, and they were, naturally, afraid of Israel. (v.24) Therefore, in order to avoid the judgment that had fallen upon Jericho and Ai, the Hivites had concocted this plan, and it succeeded. The men acknowledge that they are at the mercy of Joshua and the elders, and they willingly submit to being Israel’s slaves in perpetuity. (v.25) There are two major lessons to be learned here. 1) We should never fail to ask God for guidance daily, especially for decisions that could affect the direction of our lives. Even choices that to us seem simple and obvious (i.e. buying a new car or accepting a new job offer that comes with a pay increase) can have hidden consequences for our daily lives that only God can see. Those decisions may not seem to us to have negative consequences, but too often it’s only in hindsight, when we have to live with the unexpected fallout of those choices, that we realize we should have consulted the Lord first before deciding what direction to take. That new car might end up having so many mechanical issues that it would have been better for the monthly budget if you had stuck with the older but reliable vehicle. Or that new job with the higher pay might come with a boss that requires you to work on Sundays. 2) The consequences of our rash choices can often adversely affect us for a very long time, perhaps even the remainder of our lives. The decision by Joshua and the elders to form an alliance with the Hivites had long term consequences for Israel. (2 Samuel 21:1-2, 6) This is the main reason we should always seek the LORD’s guidance for every decision that could potentially affect the course of our lives. What may seem obvious or inconsequential to us can often come with unintended side effects that we don’t experience until it’s too late to reverse course. What’s especially disheartening in this account of the deception of Joshua and the elders is that they had just experienced the disastrous consequences of sin when Achan disobeyed God’s commandment. Joshua should have known better than to take the word of the strangers before seeking God’s guidance. The fact that the answers from the men of Gibeon were deliberately vague, as well as their testimony of God’s power in delivering the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, should have been enough to warn Joshua and the elders that something was not quite right with these “ambassadors”. How often have we today allowed ourselves to be deceived because of the flattery of non-believers? How often have we decided to go with our gut rather than ask God for guidance? There was a good reason God had commanded Moses and the Israelites to annihilate all the peoples of Canaan. Even though the Hivites were slaves of Israel they still exerted some adverse influence in the lives of the Israelites that had unfortunate consequences in later generations, as we well know from the book of Judges, Samuel and Kings. Joshua and the elders allowed themselves to be deceived because they looked only on the outward appearance. They trusted the physical evidence presented to them instead of trusting God. (1 Samuel 16:7) Only God can see what lies in the heart of man, and that’s why we need to rely on Him to guide us in every step of our walk with Him. Our five senses can easily fool us, and our heart is desperately wicked. (Jeremiah 17:9) Only God can keep us on the right path and away from the snares that only He can see because He knows the future, and He loves us who are His children. When He says “No” to a prayer request or changes the course of our lives in a direction that we don’t understand, we must remember that He is omniscient, and His directions are only for our good because He loves us. He wants only what’s best for us. That’s what it means to walk by faith and not by the fallacy of our own weak, sinful sight. (Romans 1:17, 2 Corinthians 5:7, Galatians 3:11, Hebrews 10:38) |
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