When heaven fights, there is no escape, only terrible confusion and inescapable ice missiles (hail). “There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the LORD… Victory rests with the LORD” (Proverbs 21:30-31). Joshua and Israel had only to mop up and finish the victory God had given them. And they had plenty of daylight to work in as “the sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day.”
The sun and moon were worshiped as gods by many ancient nations. But the Lord showed his power over these lights he had made (see Genesis 1:14-18). And his enemies, who followed the ways of darkness (evil), fell headlong before him.
Of course, this passage is not meant to teach that the sun revolved around the earth; that’s just the way things looked until we learned more about the solar system. Instead, this passage shows that God controls the whole universe—and somehow, at the request of a human being, God gave Israel an extra “full day” of light as they battled his enemies who sided with the powers of darkness.
As we seek to serve God in our world today, we can often face challenges that come from the powers of darkness. But we know that Jesus is the light of the world (John 8:12), and his brightness never fades. He calls us to be light for his sake (Matthew 5:14-16) so that others can see him and be saved from destruction.
Lord, help us to see and to shine with your light, that others may come to know you today. Amen.
About the author — Arie C. Leder
Dr. Arie C. Leder is the Martin J. Wyngaarden Senior Professor of Old Testament Studies at Calvin Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He previously served as pastor at Ebenezer Christian Reformed Church, Trenton, Ontario, and with Christian Reformed World Missions in Latin America. He teaches courses on the Pentateuch and on historical books of the Old Testament.
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