According to the battle report, the news of the treaty created fear in the heart of the King, so much so that he formed an alliance with four other nations to defeat the rising nation of Israel (Joshua 10:1-2).
This was the reaction of Adonizedek, King of Jerusalem, when he heard that Gibeon, one of the great royal cities, made a peace treaty with Israel. According to Joshua 10, the newly formed coalition of five nations attacked Gibeon. In keeping with the terms of the peace treaty made in chapter 9, Joshua and the nation of Israel came to their defense. The battle report of Joshua 10 is divinely crafted to highlight the terrifying work of the Lord God, who is the Divine Warrior.
In verse 8, the Lord gave Joshua a word of assurance about the battle and its outcome. In verses 10 and 11, the biblical text engages a series of verbs to intensify the battle action. We read that the Lord confounded the enemy, slew them with a great slaughter, pursued them, and struck them. And, as if that were not enough, the text goes on to indicate that the Lord threw large hailstones from heaven on them. The battle report documents that the Lord’s hailstones killed more of the enemy than the swords of the Israelites. Finally, the Lord listened to the voice of Joshua to allow a very unusual day in which the sun stood still and the moon stopped as the Divine Warrior fought for Israel.
What do you think we should do with this battle report? How could we legitimately apply it to the realities of our lives today?
Let me suggest that instead of us making an application that is prefaced with the phrase, this is what the Lord will do for me, let’s stop and worship the Lord by saying, Behold the Divine Warrior.
Behold His ability to comfort, to command, and to defeat the enemy.
Behold His sovereignty over all of creation.
Behold His loyalty to the nation of Israel.
May God help us to worship the King of Kings in Spirit and in Truth.