"The Son Stands Alone"

Dan Newburg

First Baptist Church of Devine

2022 Chronological Bible • Sermon • Submitted 2 years ago • Presented 2 years ago

Joshua 10:1–15

Prayer

Dependence

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Introduction

JB Phillips wrote a classic little book in 1952 titled “Your God Is Too Small”. The idea behind the book is very simple. All of us have created an image of God in our minds and that image is simply not adequate. It’s not big enough.

Some see God as being like our parents. Some of us were even told as we were growing up, God is like your father. And that image works well for those who grew up with a loving, solid relationship with their earthly father.

Others choose to put labels on God to say He is this or that; He can do this...but He can’t do that. In a sense they put God in a box of sorts and have confined him and limited his ability.

His book gives about 15 common images we have of God and then he tells us why none of them are adequate. The simple truth is that we have failed to think big enough when we think of God-the God we have created in our minds is simply too small.

So let me begin this morning by asking you a few questions:

How big is your God? How big is your faith? How big is the biggest prayer you have ever prayed? These three questions are very tightly connected. The size of your God will determine the size of your faith which will determine the size of your prayer life.

These are incredibly important questions for each us to reflect upon as we are on this journey, following the Lord. When we shifted into the book of Numbers we saw God mobilizing his people for a march towards the Promised Land and in the course of reading through Numbers, Deuteronomy, and now the beginning parts of Joshua, God has show himself to be faithful, trustworthy, and true. God has met every need and in fact has done the impossible so that he would demonstrate his great power.

And along the way, God had been preparing a young man named Joshua to bear the responsibility of leading. One thing is for sure, Joshua was remarkable person. As a young man he grew up and he saw firsthand as Israel was delivered from Egypt. As a young man he would have worked as a slave in Egypt. But there was something unique about him and God spoke to Moses through the Holy Spirit. Joshua had already learned the importance of obedience. He then became the right-hand man to Moses so it is not surprising that before Moses died, he appointed Joshua as his successor. He was 1 of 12 men who traveled to spy out Canaan and the Promised land. He and Caleb returned with a good report; the others said, “No the people are too big, the area is too large and we are like grasshoppers.” I haven’t mentioned that of the 12, Joshua and Caleb were the only two who survived. A plague fell on the other 10 and they all died because they brought back a negative report. But Joshua plowed ahead even though all the Israelites were not completely on board. All of their arguing and the fear they had, kept them wandering in the desert for 40 years. But Joshua still kept his faith.

How do you respond to change? To discouragement? To extended timetables? To opposition? As we consider these, I then would ask you to reflect upon when and where you involve God in those matters? For example, is the infinite God revealed to us throughout the entirety of the Bible capable of being present to your need and offering comfort and guidance in your seasons of discouragement? You may answer yes to me right now, but!!! If in practice you never consider depending upon the Lord, then in practice you’re truly saying God isn’t capable.

From our text this morning I want to give us five important principles to remember as we walk on this journey of life, as we are a church on mission, and the communities we live in are in the midst of significant transition.

WE WILL FACE OPPOSITION (vv. 1-5)

You will remember from Joshua 9 that coming on the heels of God’s victory over Jericho and Ai, the Gibeonites had deceived their way into a treaty with Israel, thus saving their lives. The Gibeonites had heard of the great victories of the nation of Israel who was under the command of the fearless Joshua. The Gibeonites had heard about the God who they served and they had also heard about God’s intention to remove every group of people who stood in the way of his will to return the Promised Land to his people. So they deceived their way into making a covenant with Israel.

But when the hill tribes of Canaan heard of the covenant, they looked on the Gibeonites as traitors and quite understandably decided to move against them. The Gibeonites weren’t the only ones who had caught wind of the warriors of Israel and her mighty God. No, the king of Jerusalem, Adoni-Zedek rallied with him five other tribes because the fear of Yahweh and his people had reverberated throughout the lands. This coalition was focused on exacting revenge upon the Gibeonites for their joining with the God of Israel.

By the same token, when we have responded to the Holy Spirit’s calling to follow Jesus Christ, we are a threat to those who oppose His kingdom. And just like Israel, every one of us who wants to be a faithful servant of Jesus Christ will face strong opposition.

I have seen this over and over and over again when I see that Jesus has saved someone. That saved person ran with a group that loves to party. The group itself is tight-knit, they’ve lived life together, they’ve made memories together. No one in the group is necessarily an evil person by today’s standards…but not a one was living for Christ, that is...until one is born again. And in experiencing the newness of their life in Christ, the Holy Spirit gives that new Christian a hunger for God’s Word that replaces their longing for drink…The Spirit does a work in that new Christian’s calendar, too. You see, the Spirit reminds them to get in bed at a decent hour on Saturday night because Sunday school and church are happening Sunday morning. And when that new Christian isn’t to be found around the fire at the wee hours of Sunday morning or when the last call is announced, that tight-knit group tightens up…because they are convinced they have been betrayed.

We Christians must remember that we will face opposition every step of the way when we follow Jesus, even during our first steps. And we should be reminded that the Lord Jesus taught, Matthew 5:11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.”

COMMITMENTS ARE ONLY GOOD IF THEY ARE BACKED UP (v. 6)

We will face opposition, but in saving us, among the things that God does is gives to us a new family. That’s our church family. When we receive individuals and families into membership here, I ask you, the congregation that if the Spirit of God is leading you to receive anyone into membership, that we make that known by saying, “we love you.” I hope we know that in that moment, far more is occuring than just a superficial platitude.

Again, in Joshua 9, the Gibeonites made a covenant with Joshua and Israel, so that when the hill tribes amassed against them, they knew that they were not alone. Joshua 10:6 “And the men of Gibeon sent to Joshua at the camp in Gilgal, saying, “Do not relax your hand from your servants. Come up to us quickly and save us and help us, for all the kings of the Amorites who dwell in the hill country are gathered against us.””

The Gibeonites cry out in their need and Joshua does not consider for a moment the means of deception that the Gibeonites used to start their relationship. Joshua could have looked upon that scene, remembered what the Gibeonites had done, and said what would have been the equivalent to ‘new phone, who dis?’ But Joshua was a man of principle and he honored his commitment, taking all the mighty men of valor with him to go make war. And in this, we see in the shadows a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ. Can you see it?

God so loves the world that he has set out a mission to redeem all creation and going into battle was God himself in the Second Person of the Trinity. The fullness of the godhead rested upon the God-man Jesus Christ, who in the course of his earthly ministry came to be

Isaiah 53:3-4 “despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.” And compelled by godly love, Isaiah 53:5 “he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.”

When we say “we love you” here, it’s love on the order of God’s love. Though we are far from perfect and we hurt each other at times, this is the family that God has given to us in his saving of us, and that expression of love in joining the church is a commitment that we are going to walk alongside one another. That we are going to uphold one another. That we are going to spur one another on in Christlikeness. That we are going to be a unified people, surrendering our preferences as we bear witness to the one who surrendered all so that lost sinners can be made right.

GOD IS WITH US (v. 8)

When we each stand for Christ and his kingdom, uniting as his church, let me tell you that there is nothing that can come against us, not even the gates of Hell. No, no matter how big that enemy might be that is amassed against the body of Christ, we need not ever operate from any position but faith. Faith. Do you hear me? Faith. For we are so inclined to respond to everything out of a spirit of fear.

That big bad army comes and what did the Lord tell Joshua? Joshua 10:8 “And the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not fear them, for I have given them into your hands. Not a man of them shall stand before you.””

The latter part of this reassurance had already been given to Joshua 1:5 before the invasion of Canaan began. “5 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you.”

But God often works in this way, not by unveiling some new truth previously unknown, but by reaffirming promises already given, which somehow take on a special significance because of a present pressing need.

Armed with the command and promise of the Lord, Joshua lead his men into battle. They marched the 25 miles from Gilgal to Gibeon under the cover of darkness. They covered the same distance in eight to ten hours that had previously taken three days at a more leisurely pace.

Joshua’s long night march to Gibeon took the enemy completely by surprise. Joshua 10:9-11 “9 So Joshua came upon them suddenly, having marched up all night from Gilgal. 10 And the Lord threw them into a panic before Israel, who struck them with a great blow at Gibeon and chased them by the way of the ascent of Beth-horon and struck them as far as Azekah and Makkedah. 11 And as they fled before Israel, while they were going down the ascent of Beth-horon, the Lord threw down large stones from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died. There were more who died because of the hailstones than the sons of Israel killed with the sword.”

Notice with me that it is the Lord doing the fighting. We are told the Lord routed them (v10), the Lord chased them, and the Lord struck them down. Think of the excitement of realizing that God is fighting for you, for us! We have all been decimated by the enemy, beat up by circumstances and wearied with our obligations. How wonderful it would be if God came to our rescue, took up our cause and defeated our enemies.

Here’s the thing...God fights for us too. If he were not constantly taking our side in the conflicts of life, we would have been overwhelmed long ago. Sin would have already defeated us and destroyed the last vestige of character. God still fights for his people and part of the wonder of Heaven will be to learn just how much God has protected us and fought for us.

Perhaps already alarmed by the reports of Joshua’s victories, when confronted in such a sudden fashion, the Canaanite soldiers broke and ran, hotly pursued by the Israelites. The terrain over which the soldiers are fleeing falls over seven hundred feet in just two miles. The Canaanites are fleeing down the steep decline with the Israelites in hot pursuit when God intervenes. God sent a hailstorm that struck the already panicked soldiers on the slopes below Beth-horon. There are two miracles recorded in this passage and the miracle of the hailstones is the first. Here the Lord is assisting the army of Joshua that is weary from an all night uphill march. The casualties of the Canaanites from the hailstones were incredible. Joshua 10:11 continues with the report, “There were more who died from the hailstones than the children of Israel killed with the sword.”

NOTHING IS TOO GREAT FOR GOD (vv.12-14)

Picture the sight that must have awaited Joshua as he crested the ridge and looked down on the armies. Before him as far as his eyes could see were the masses of panicked soldiers of the enemy being pursued by his own soldiers. And over the battlefield were clouds that were raining down hail upon the enemy. Joshua must have realized two things; first, he had an unprecedented opportunity to destroy this coalition and secondly, that was not enough daylight left to achieve a total victory. So Joshua prayed an unusual prayer,

Joshua 10:12–14 ESV

12 At that time Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord gave the Amorites over to the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, “Sun, stand still at Gibeon, and moon, in the Valley of Aijalon.” 13 And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, until the nation took vengeance on their enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jashar? The sun stopped in the midst of heaven and did not hurry to set for about a whole day. 14 There has been no day like it before or since, when the Lord heeded the voice of a man, for the Lord fought for Israel.

In verse twelve Joshua commanded the sun and moon to “stand still.” The Hebrew word (daman) means to “be dumb, silent or still.” There is a lot of discussion about this second miracle, “the day the sun stood still.” Just what does that mean? You can read lots of different opinions of what God did. Some maintain that it is just poetical language, but I don’t believe that these words are merely poetic imagery. Nor do I know how God did it. All I know is that one day in history God intervened on behalf of his people and their leader Joshua. I don’t believe that the earth stopped its revolution around the sun nor its own rotation, or that the moon actually stopped what it does. But I do know that some how God prolonged the daylight to give Israel enough daylight to finish the battle. I do know that God intervened and fought for Israel and He gave them the victory that day.

Perhaps the simplest answer is the answer of faith. God says through the prophet Jeremiah 32:27 “27 “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?”

“About twelve years after he graduated from Princeton, Donald Grey Barnhouse was invited to preach in chapel, and when he arrived, he noticed that his old Hebrew professor had taken a place near the front to hear him. When the service was over, his old Hebrew professor came up to Barnhouse and said, ‘If you come back again. I will not come to hear you preach. I only come once. I am glad that you are a big-godder. When my boys come back, I come to see if they are big-godders or little-godders, and then I know what their ministry will be.’

Barnhouse asked Wilson to explain. He said, ‘Well, some men have a little god, and they are always in trouble with him. He can’t do any miracles. He can’t take care of the inspiration of the Scriptures and their preservation and transmission to us. They have a little god, and I call them little-godders. Then there are those who have a great God. He speaks, and it is done. He commands, and it stands fast. He knows how to show himself strong on behalf of those who fear him. You have a great God and he will bless your ministry.’ ”

How big is God? He’s big and capable enough to remain committed to the Christian, even when the world seems to be collapsing around us. Oh, inflation is skyrocketing, the news man is filled of talk of WWIII and pandemic, all seems to be spiraling down and we look for God. We aren’t alone in that.

Jeremiah reflecting on the destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar wrote in Lamentations 3:21-23 “21 But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: 22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; 23 they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

Drawn from this passage we have the inspiring words of the hymn, “Great is Thy faithfulness!, Great is Thy faithfulness! Morning by morning new mercies I see; All I have needed Thy Hand hath provided – Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me.”

THERE IS POWER IN PRAYER (v. 14b)

Verse fourteen tells us the significance of this event, Joshua 10:14 “14 There has been no day like it before or since, when the Lord heeded the voice of a man, for the Lord fought for Israel.”

The day was unique not for some unusual amount of daylight but because God listened to a man’s prayer. Does it strike you as amazing that he God of the Universe listens to the voice of a man or woman who comes to him?

While Joshua’s long day was a miraculous event which has not been repeated, God still hears and responds to the voice of man. He still responds to the cry of need and intervenes on the behalf of his children. It has been said that, “God listens to the voice of a man who himself has listened to the voice of God.”

I suppose the question yet remains, how big is God to you? Is he big enough to shoulder the troubles in your home? Is he big enough to hear your petition for clarity about your future? To seek his guidance for parenting? Is your picture of God big enough that you believe him capable to unite this community over matters that don’t involve the golf course? Can God shoulder our prayers to bring peace to Ukraine?

Certainly there has been no day like the day that by the hand of the Lord, the day was extended, and the sun which this planet revolves around stood still in the sky. I don’t know how God did it, but he did. The skeptic will speak to astrological events - it was some sort of eclipse, maybe. Explaining away the miraculous is the quickest route to making for a small God, if you leave room for God at all.

Conclusion

Yet if we were to open our eyes to what God is doing today, we would discover even greater miracles of God given in response to simple prayers of faith. What are these miracles? What are these prayers? Prayers on the order of “Father, forgive me, for I have sinned and fallen so far short of your glory. I repent of my ways and place my trust solely in Jesus Christ, committing the remainder of my days to the Lord of all.”

Friends, do you realize the significance of such a prayer? Do you understand the miraculous nature of it? That holy God would forgive sin? That God would save anyone is a miracle! Yet, it’s on that cross where Jesus died that the wrath of God against sin was satisfied, for every sin on him was laid so that all who cry out to him for salvation can live.

“On what basis can a man’s death forgive my sin?”, asks someone. Well, friend, Jesus is not dead. He’s alive! The Son of God stood alone outside the tomb that glorious resurrection Sunday, the firstborn from the dead! You want to talk about a day that has had nothing like it before or since? How about the day that Jesus rose in victory? That glorious day when the curse of sin and death lost its grip!

“Sin and death have lost their grip? I’m sorry, I don’t feel a loosening, I feel the weight of sin and death. Don’t you know what I’ve done?” Answer: I don’t. I have no clue what you have done. But God does. And Jesus counted it all joy to bear your sin upon him and so that in the grace of God, the olive branch of peace with God can be extended to you.

“How is that?” By simple faith in the only One who stands capable and victorious. By trusting that the same God who held the sun in the sky, sent his Son to die so that you may live. So that Romans 10:9 “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”

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