The Sun Stands Still

After the fall of Jericho, Joshua led the Israelites in conquering much of the Promised Land. When a coalition of Amorite kings threatened the city of Gibeon, which had made peace with Israel, God fought for His people in a way that had never been seen before or since.

The Gibeonite Deception

When the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai, they acted craftily. They pretended to be ambassadors from a far country, dressing in old clothes and carrying moldy bread and worn-out wineskins.

They came to Joshua at the camp in Gilgal and said, “We have come from a far country; now therefore, make a covenant with us.”

The men of Israel examined their provisions but did not ask counsel of the Lord. So Joshua made peace with them and made a covenant with them to let them live.

But three days later, the Israelites discovered that the Gibeonites were actually their neighbors, living in the nearby cities of Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kirjath Jearim. Though the Gibeonites had deceived them, Joshua honored the oath they had made and spared their lives.

The Five-King Alliance

When Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem heard how Joshua had taken Ai and utterly destroyed it, and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel, he and his people were very much afraid.

“Gibeon is a great city,” he said to his fellow kings, “like one of the royal cities, and it is greater than Ai, and all its men are mighty. Now that they have joined with Israel, we are in great danger.”

So Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem sent to Hoham king of Hebron, Piram king of Jarmuth, Japhia king of Lachish, and Debir king of Eglon, saying, “Come up to me and help me, that we may attack Gibeon, for it has made peace with Joshua and with the children of Israel.”

Therefore the five kings of the Amorites - the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon - gathered together and went up, they and all their armies, and camped before Gibeon and made war against it.

Gibeon’s Call for Help

The men of Gibeon sent to Joshua at the camp at Gilgal, saying, “Do not relax your hand from your servants. Come up to us quickly, save us and help us, for all the kings of the Amorites who dwell in the mountains have gathered together against us.”

The Gibeonites were terrified. They had made peace with Israel to save their lives, but now they found themselves facing the combined armies of five powerful kings. Their only hope was for Joshua to honor the covenant and come to their defense.

The message reached Joshua with urgent words: “The five greatest kings of the land have united against us! Their armies are already besieging our city. You promised to protect us - please come quickly before it’s too late!”

Joshua’s Rapid Response

So Joshua ascended from Gilgal, he and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valor.

Even though the Gibeonites had deceived them, Joshua knew that Israel’s word must be kept. He had made a covenant to protect them, and he would honor that commitment no matter what.

The journey from Gilgal to Gibeon was about twenty miles through hilly terrain. Joshua marched his army all night, covering the distance in darkness to achieve complete surprise.

And the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not fear them, for I have delivered them into your hand; not a man of them shall stand before you.”

God’s promise gave Joshua confidence as he prepared for battle. This would not just be a fight to honor a treaty - it would be the Lord fighting for His people against the enemies of His covenant.

The Surprise Attack

Joshua therefore came upon them suddenly, having marched all night from Gilgal. So the Lord routed them before Israel, killed them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, chased them along the road that goes to Beth Horon, and struck them down as far as Azekah and Makkedah.

The attack at dawn caught the Amorite armies completely off guard. They had been focused on besieging Gibeon and never expected the Israelites to arrive so quickly from their base at Gilgal.

The battle quickly turned into a rout as the five armies fled in panic. The Israelites pursued them down the road toward Beth Horon, striking down their enemies as they ran.

Hailstones from Heaven

And it happened, as they fled before Israel and were on the descent of Beth Horon, that the Lord cast down large hailstones from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died. There were more who died from the hailstones than the children of Israel killed with the sword.

As the fleeing armies ran down the mountain pass, God intervened with supernatural assistance. Enormous hailstones - larger than any normal hail - fell from heaven directly on the Amorite armies.

The hailstones were perfectly targeted, striking only the enemies of Israel while leaving the Israelite soldiers unharmed. It was as if God was personally hurling stones at Israel’s enemies from heaven.

The sound must have been incredible - the crash of giant hailstones hitting armor and shields, the cries of wounded soldiers, and the thunder of the supernatural storm. The Amorites had nowhere to hide from this heavenly assault.

More enemy soldiers died from the divine hailstones than from Israelite swords. God was clearly fighting for His people in ways that no human army could match.

Joshua’s Bold Prayer

Then Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel:

“Sun, stand still over Gibeon; And Moon, in the Valley of Aijalon.”

What boldness! In the heat of battle, with victory within his grasp, Joshua realized that darkness would allow many enemies to escape. So he prayed one of the most audacious prayers in all of Scripture.

Joshua didn’t pray privately - he spoke “in the sight of Israel,” so that all his soldiers could hear. He wanted them to witness this amazing demonstration of God’s power and to know that their God could even command the heavenly bodies.

The prayer was specific and direct. He named the exact locations - the sun should stand still over Gibeon, and the moon over the Valley of Aijalon. He prayed with precision and faith.

The Great Miracle

So the sun stood still, And the moon stopped, Till the people had revenge Upon their enemies.

Is this not written in the Book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day. And there has been no day like that, before it or after it, that the Lord heeded the voice of a man; for the Lord fought for Israel.

The miracle was unprecedented in human history. The sun stopped its course through the sky and remained in one position for approximately a whole day. The moon also stopped in its orbit.

From the human perspective on earth, it appeared that the sun stood still in the middle of the sky and didn’t set for about twenty-four hours. Whether God stopped the rotation of the earth or accomplished this miracle in some other way, the result was an extended day that gave Israel time to complete their victory.

The writer of Joshua emphasizes how unique this event was: “There has been no day like that, before it or after it, that the Lord heeded the voice of a man.” God actually listened to Joshua’s request and altered the normal course of nature in response to human prayer.

Complete Victory

This extended daylight allowed Joshua to completely defeat the coalition of Amorite armies. With nowhere to hide in the darkness, the fleeing enemies were pursued and destroyed throughout the long day.

The five kings themselves fled and hid in a cave at Makkedah, but they were discovered and eventually executed. Their defeat broke the power of the southern coalition and opened the way for Israel to conquer much of the southern part of the Promised Land.

Then Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to the camp at Gilgal.

The God Who Controls Nature

This miracle demonstrated that the God of Israel was not just a tribal deity, but the Creator and Controller of the entire universe. He was the One who had set the sun, moon, and stars in their courses, and He could alter their movement when His purposes required it.

The pagan nations worshiped the sun, moon, and stars as gods. But here the true God commanded these heavenly bodies to serve His purposes and fight for His people. It was a powerful demonstration that the Lord is greater than all the false gods of the nations.

Faith That Moves Mountains

Joshua’s prayer showed remarkable faith. He believed that God would do the impossible in response to bold, specific prayer. He didn’t ask tentatively or doubt that God could do such a thing - he commanded the sun and moon with confidence because he knew he was praying according to God’s will.

This wasn’t presumption but faith. Joshua had already received God’s promise of victory, and he simply asked God to provide the means to complete that victory. When we pray according to God’s revealed will and for His glory, we can pray with similar boldness.

Lessons from the Long Day

The miracle of the sun standing still teaches us several important truths:

God controls all of nature. Nothing is too difficult for the Creator of the universe. He can alter natural laws when His purposes require it.

Bold prayer can accomplish amazing things. When we pray according to God’s will and for His glory, we can ask for great things and expect great answers.

God fights for His people. The Lord didn’t just give Israel victory - He personally participated in the battle through supernatural means.

Timing is important in God’s plans. The extended day was necessary to complete God’s purpose of defeating Israel’s enemies.

God keeps His promises. He had promised to give Israel the land, and He would use any means necessary to fulfill that promise.

The day the sun stood still became legendary in Israel’s history. Parents would tell their children, “Remember the day when God made the sun stand still for Joshua?” It reminded every generation that they served a God who could do absolutely anything.

Warriors in later battles would take courage from this story, knowing that if God could stop the sun and moon, He could certainly help them defeat their enemies. The God who lengthened one day for Joshua’s sake was the same God who would fight for them.

And though no other day has been like that one, the same God who answered Joshua’s impossible prayer is still on the throne, still listening to the prayers of His people, and still able to do far more than we can ask or imagine.