A LESSON ABOUT THE SAVIOR
(VV. 6-14) 

Introduction:     Chapter 10 opens with 5 of the kings of Canaan joining forces to attack Gibeon (expound). Israel is about to honor the peace treaty they have made with the Gibeonites. They are going to keep their word and help these people fight those kings that have risen up against them. As they prepare for battle, the Lord comes to Joshua with the promise of help and of victory. God is about to fight for His people! This message deals with the supernatural aspect of our battles. There are times when the Lord just comes to your aid and fights the battle for you. There are times when He moves in power and miracles are worked in your life. Such a time is pictured here. There are three precious truths that are revealed here about our Savior in the day of battle.

I.          HE GIVES HIS PEACE (V.8a)

            A.         God's Challenge
Do not to fear the enemy.

B.         God’s Control
God was just reminding Joshua that He was still in control of the situation! ( Ill. May I

remind you this morning that He is still in control? He is still on the throne and He is still the Prince of Peace. For those who will walk by faith and not by sight, the Lord still gives peace that passeth understanding, Phil. 4:7. The secret to walking in peace is to walk in faith! Remember that the Lord didn't save you for you to be agitated and worried. He doesn't mean for you to tremble in fear when the enemies of the Lord approach. When the day of battle comes in your life, the Lord will give you peace, if you will lean on Him, Pro. 3:5-6. As God's children, we need to remember that everything that happens in our lives had to pass first over God's desk and it received His stamp of approval, Rom. 8:28).

II.         HE GIVES HIS PROMISE (V. 8b)

            A.        Victory Could Be Counted On

I believe the Lord never saved you for you to be defeated! When He saved you, He did so with the promise that you could walk in His victory - 1 Cor. 15:57; Rom. 8:37. That doesn't mean that every situation in life will work out the way you want it to, but it does mean that God will enable you to live above your circumstances and share in His victory over the world, the flesh and the devil!

            B.         Victory Would Be Complete

The Lord didn't stop with just a word of encouragement; He also gave them the promise of absolute victory!

III.       HE GIVES HIS POWER (VV. 9-14)

In these verses, we see a mighty demonstration of the power of the Lord in the life of Israel ! God moved in a great manifestation of supernatural power and gave His children the victory. He moved in 2 ways.

A.        In The Hail (v. 11)

"Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow? or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail, Which I have reserved against the time of trouble, against the day of battle and war?" Job 38:22-23

B.                 In The Heavens (vv. 12-14)

Here we see the Lord perform the greatest miracle ever recorded in regard to the physical world. ( Ill. This passage has brought much ridicule upon the Bible. Some believe that this proves the Bible is uninspired, because science has long since proven that the earth rotates around the sun and that the sun doesn't move. Here are a few statements about this miracle that, for me at least, settle the issue.

·        This is the language of observation. ( Ill. We all speak of the sunrise and the sunset. We do not use technical, scientific language to describe the things we observe all around us.) Very literally, the sun hung at the zenith of the sky for about a whole day!

·        Ancient history supports this claim. ( Ill. The Chinese, the Babylonians, The Incas, the Aztecs, the Egyptians, the Assyrians, and other ancient cultures all record the existence of a long day, which occurred about this time.)

·        The calendar supports it. Using an ancient Chaldean calendar system, which was built around lunar and solar eclipses, it is possible to count forward to this day and find that this day fell on Tuesday July 22. However, if we count backward, using our system of reckoning days, we will find that this event happened on July 22, a Wednesday. Is there a problem? No, just the fact that an entire day is missing either way you go. Verse 13 tells us where that missing day went!

·        Some will surely counter, "But preacher, this violates all the laws of nature!" I want to remind you that there are no laws of nature! There are only the laws of God which govern nature! We need to remember Who made this world. If He can create it, then surely He can control it!

·        The bottom line is this; God intervened supernaturally on the behalf of Israel . God gave them all the daylight they needed to get the job done!

Conclusion:       What does this mean for us? Well, there are times when the Lord will supernaturally intervene in your life and He will fight your battles for you. I have seen lives changed in miraculous ways by the supernatural intervention of God. I have seen the Lord move in response to the need of His child and move any mountain that needed to be moved to get them what they needed. That is our God! Please understand, He doesn't always move like that. I have seen drunks delivered, but I have seen others who still struggled with that sin even after they were saved. I have seen saints healed, but I have seen others die with their disease. I am telling this morning that there are times when the Lord will move in supernatural power to meet the need of His child!