1. And the Lord said unto Joshua, Fear them not: for I have delivered them into thine hand; there shall not a man of them stand before thee. January 10, 2010

2. Joshua 10 1 Now it came to pass, when Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem had heard how Joshua had taken Ai, and had utterly destroyed it; as he had done to Jericho and her king, so he had done to Ai and her king; and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel, and were among them; 2 That they feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, as one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all the men thereof were mighty.

3. He had heard two things: Israel's victories The Treaty with Gibeon Gibeon was a great city; They had a powerful army. If they had joined with Israel, the two would become a foe that none in the area could defeat.

4. 3 Wherefore Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem sent unto Hoham king of Hebron, and unto Piram king of Jarmuth, and unto Japhia king of Lachish, and unto Debir king of Eglon, saying, 4 Come up unto me, and help me, that we may smite Gibeon: for it hath made peace with Joshua and with the children of Israel. He sent messengers to the kings of cities round about, seeking an alliance against Gibeon.

5. 5 Therefore the five kings of the Amorites , the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, the king of Eglon, gathered them-selves together, and went up, they and all their hosts, and encamped before Gibeon, and made war against it.

6. 6 And the men of Gibeon sent unto Joshua to the camp to Gilgal, saying, Slack not thy hand from thy servants; come up to us quickly, and save us, and help us: for all the kings of the Amorites that dwell in the mountains are gathered together against us. Some people don't want many friendships, because friendship brings obligations . "Help us."

7. Church Family Obligations Not supposed to be

8. 7 So Joshua ascended from Gilgal, he, and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valor. Joshua responded to their cry for help. There's no record that he complained. He didn't say, "I knew these people were going to be a lot of trouble."

9. 8 And the Lord said unto Joshua, Fear them not: for I have delivered them into thine hand; there shall not a man of them stand before thee. He must have prayed this time. God gave him the answer!

10. 9 Joshua therefore came unto them suddenly, and went up from Gilgal all night. As soon as God spoke to him, Joshua led his army on an all night forced march .

11. 10 And the Lord discomfited (put into commotion) them before Israel, and slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, and chased them along the way that goeth up to Beth-horon, and smote them to Azekah, and unto Makkedah. 11 And it came to pass, as they fled from before Israel, and were in the going down to Beth-horon, that the Lord cast down great stones from heaven upon them unto Azekah, and they died: they were more which died with hailstones than they whom the children of Israel slew with the sword.

12. Panic seized the enemy and after a short stand in which many were killed they broke and fled in wild confusion toward the west. Their escape route was through a narrow pass and down the Valley of Aijalon with the Israelites in hot pursuit. The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures by Dallas Seminary Faculty.

13. The Lord killed more with hailstones than Israel killed in battle. God can and will do more in our behalf with a Word , than we can do in a lifetime of struggle . Psalms 105 1 O give thanks unto the Lord; call upon His Name: make known His Deeds among the people. 2 Sing unto Him, sing psalms unto Him: talk ye of all His Wondrous Works. 3 Glory ye in His Holy Name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord. 4 Seek the Lord , and His Strength: seek His Face evermore.

14. 12 Then spake Joshua 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 thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon , in the valley of Ajalon. First Joshua talked to the Lord, Then to sun and the moon. Do you think they obeyed?

15. 13 And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day. 14 And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the Lord hearkened unto the voice of a man: for the Lord fought for Israel .

16. The treaty with Gibeon was not a good thing. It was a failure on the part of Joshua and the Israelites. It was a result of their failure to seek Counsel at the mouth of the Lord. Romans 8 28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.

17. When I was a teenager in the youth group we had a tragedy when one of youth, a 15 year old girl named Stephanie was killed in a car wreck while in a car with another one of our youth after church on a Sunday afternoon. It was devastating. Stephanie was very popular at her school and loved the Lord. God worked through that terrible time and nearly seventy teenagers from her school and church accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior! I believe that Jesus and Stephanie were turning cartwheels in Heaven. Jeff Lamb

18. Do you see how God's Grace was extended to both Gibeon and Israel. The Gibeonites used deceit to obtain a treaty with Joshua and the Israelites. The Israelite leaders made that treaty in direct disobedience to God's Command. In spite of their failures, God gave them victory.