When the other kings in Canaan heard how Israel had destroyed Ai, they brought all their armies together to fight against Joshua and his people.
But one of the cities, named Gibeon, refused to join the others. The people of Gibeon didn’t want to fight, for they knew that the Lord was helping the Israelis and would destroy anyone fighting them. Instead, they sent men to Joshua wearing very old clothes and worn-out shoes and carrying dry and moldy bread, pretending that they had come from another country far away.
They came to Joshua and told him. “We have come from a distant land, for we have heard of your God and of all the great things He has done for you. Our people have sent us to ask you to make a treaty with us and be friends.”
Joshua and the men of Israel didn’t ask the Lord what to do, as they should have done; they agreed at once to be friends with the people of Gibeon.
Three days later they learned the truth. These men had not come from a distant country at all, but lived close by, in Canaan, and were among the wicked nations the armies of Israel had been told to destroy.
Then Joshua called for the men of Gibeon and demanded to know why they had lied to him. They said it was because they feared for their lives, for they had lied to him. They said it was because they feared for their lives, for they had heard that God was going to destroy the people living in Canaan and was going to give their land to the Israelis. Joshua couldn’t kill them because only three days before he had promised not to. But he said they must be slaves, and work for the priests and the Levites, cutting wood and carrying the water needed at the Tabernacle;.
When the king of Jerusalem heard that the people of Gibeon had surrendered to the Israelis, he was very angry. He and four other kings put their armies together and went to Gibeon to fight against it in revenge.
Then the men of Gibeon sent a messenger to Joshua, “Quick! Come and help us,” they said, “for the kings from the mountains have come to punish us.”
Joshua and his army fought against the five kings attacking Gibeon, and the Lord made them become afraid of the Israelis and run away. But as they ran, the Lord caused a great hailstones to fall upon them out of Heaven, so that more of them were killed by hailstones than by the Israelis.
As the Israelis army was chasing them, the sun began to set; for it was evening. Joshua was afraid that God’s enemies would escape in the darkness, so he commanded the sun not to stay where it was and not to move farther across the sky.
And the sun stood still and did not go down for many hours after its usual time! That day was longer than any other day has ever been. There was no day like it either before or afterward, for the Lord, at Joshua’s request, made the sun and moon stand still in the sky so that the Israelis could keep on chasing and destroying their enemies.
Questions:
How did the men of Gibeon fool Joshua?
Why did the Israeli army protect Gibeon when the other kings attacked it?
What did Joshua tell the sun and moon to do?
Did they obey him?
Joshua Chapter 8 &9 & 10
"Only Life Changes" 