TROUBLE IN THE VALLEY

Pastor Jerry Rockwell

 

TROUBLE IN THE VALLEY

 

Joshua 10:1-14

Introduction: One year, while preaching at a conference in Weslaco, Texas, I was asked to go to a mission in Mexico, just across the border, to preach to the small group there. The name of the small city means “beautiful valley” (Cienega de Flores). Much to my amazement it was neither a valley nor was it beautiful. All you could see were scrubby Palm Trees, cactus, and lots of brush that desperately needed rain. 

Sometimes, that is the way our lives are. It has a nice-sounding name, but the reality is it does not fit the nomenclature. The words do not accurately describe reality. We often veil our real life with nice-sounding words that do not tell the whole story about what is going on. This is the situation in our study of Joshua. 

Our text in Joshua 10:1-14 is closely connected to what we have seen in chapters 8 and 9, and even to what transpired in the chapters preceding. They all interlink. We see the result of a peace treaty that was made between the nation of Israel and the Gibeonites. As we will see, this causes a great stir and lots of consternation among the natives of the land who see the people of Israel as a major threat to their well-being. In fact, they are a major threat to their way of life. It is fascinating how this passage parallels what happens in the world of trying to help people see the reality of making peace with the Lord Jesus Christ. Most reject the Gospel call because it is a major threat to the lifestyle they enjoy and do not want to be harmed. 

The Gibeonites have made peace with Joshua and the people of God, and the natives become restless. Let’s see some things that may help us in this passage. The reason I have titled this sermon “Trouble in the Valley” is because of Joshua 10:6: the Gibeonites send Joshua a message informing him that the Kings of the Amorites who live in the mountains are making war against Gibeon. Evidently, the city of Gibeon was in the valley, and thus the trouble developed there. 

  1. The Crisis in Gibeon, The Fear Factor and Threat of War, Joshua 10:1-5. This section of the book of Joshua is fascinating because it provides insight into the city of Gibeon and the Gibeonites. Look at  Joshua 10:2, 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. This is very interesting because the people of Gibeon were evidently great warriors, and the city was a “royal city.” The concern it raised among the Amorites was real. They knew the Gibeonites and knew they were great fighters and evidently saw the league with Joshua and Israel as a major threat militarily as well as economically. They were unwilling to make a league with Joshua and Israel so the alternative was to punish the people of Gibeon. This is exactly the way Satan does the believer. He cannot defeat you for your decision to trust Christ as Saviour, but he wants to make life as miserable as possible. The idea here is that the Amorites want to punish the Gibeonites for making peace with the people of God. We again want to emphasize the fact of our enemy, Satan. Ephesians 6:12 (KJV) For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. We have an enemy that does not fear God but does fear the effect of people whose lives God has changed. This is a threat to his ability to influence others in the life of rebellion to the things of God. They see the people of Gibeon exerting major influence over the land and even over their own people to make peace with Joshua and the people of Israel. Satan sees you as a threat to the influence he has on the people in their rebellion. He sees how one person can be a testimony of the power of God in a life and he does not want that to happen. So, what does he do? The same as the people of the land. They attack the people who have changed their lifestyles, rather than the people who brought about the change. What we see here is a clear presentation of the way “religion” functions. These five kings have interesting names. The leader of the pack, Adonai-zedek, has an interesting name. It means, “lord of righteousness.” Note with me: Hoham means “Jah (God) protects;” Piram means “wild” or “fierce;” Japhia means “high” or “elevated;” Debir means “speaker” or “to speak.” These are all tenets of religious people. They see their self-righteousness, their fierceness, their elevated status, and their ability to speak for themselves. This is all factors of the “religious” type people who think they have it all figured out and don’t need the converting power of God to make their life what would be considered peaceful. 

It is a tragedy that some people do not want to participate in the truth and find relief from the bondage of life, which causes them more problems than they can handle. Did you ever wonder why the Amorites attacked the people of Gibeon instead of Israel? Why would God allow this attack in the first place? After all, the people of Gibeon had made peace with Joshua. Why did God not just cause the people of the five kings to make peace with Joshua as did the Gibeonites? Because it would be a reminder to them of where they came from. It reminds them they are of the same kind of people as the Gibeonites and were rebellious of the things of God, just as the Gibeonites had been. Remember Ephesians 2:11-12 (KJV) 11 Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; 12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world. Most lost people do not want to acknowledge they are lost and need deliverance from themselves and their lifestyle. That only brings about “unbelief.” We need to remember that the Bible says something about this in 1 John 3:13 (KJV) Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you. 

  1. The Call for Help, Joshua 10:6-7. The Gibeonites do the only logical thing they know to do in spite of their ability to fight battles. They call on Joshua and the people of God, whom they have made peace with, to come to the rescue. Have you ever faced the enemy and find you are outnumbered? Have you trusted in the Lord, and suddenly the world has seemingly caved in on you? This is the way the enemy works. The Gibeonites find an opportunity to test the peace they have recently made with the people of God. They are in desperate straits. The enemy surrounded their city and made war against it (Joshua 10:5). We find ourselves in this type of dilemma. Often, we have found ourselves surrounded by the enemy, and there is no way of escape. An addiction can make a person feel this way. This is why we need the fellowship of the believers who have done the same as you have done, trusted in Christ as personal Saviour, and they can help you. We need to learn to bear one another’s burden. Romans 15:1 (KJV) We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. 

The people of Gibeon (who are described as “mighty,” vs. 2) are suddenly weak and in need of assistance in their battle. They find themselves surrounded and the battle is raging. Have you ever been there? It makes no difference how hard we plan or how cautiously we conduct ourselves; we can still “run into trouble.” He seems to be on every corner of life. Why not do as the Psalmist (and the people of Gibeon) in Psalms 77:2 (KJV) In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord: my sore ran in the night, and ceased not: my soul refused to be comforted. Look at Psalms 20:1 (KJV) The Lord hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend thee. Psalms 50:15 (KJV) And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me. [Emphasis added.] As the people of Gibeon had learned they had made peace with Joshua and they evidently been told they could trust in the same God that Israel had done and He would come to your aid in the time of trouble. 

Notice with me what transpires in Joshua 10:7 (KJV) So Joshua ascended from Gilgal, he, and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valour. Joshua mustered the troops and this time he brought ALL the people of war and the “mighty men of valour.” This is different than what we saw at Ai. The lessons of warfare have evidently been learned and Joshua is doing as the Lord had instructed. We are not told that Joshua “sought the counsel of the Lord” but we know that according to Joshua 10:8 he had been in conversation with the Lord. One of the things God wants us to do is call on Him in the day of trouble (Psalm 50:15). What do you do in the time of trouble? Most of us have a pity party and sit and fret about the condition we are in and get down in the dumps or even worse we get depressed. What do you think would have happened is the Gibeonites had done this? We need to learn to trust in the Lord and allow Him to come to our aid.  

  1. The Commitment of God When He fights a battle, Joshua 10:8-11. We often fail to recognize that the Lord will always come to our aid and help. I remember, as a boy, going to the movie theater on Saturday morning to see the weekly cowboy show with either Gene Autry or Roy Rogers, and watching as the bad guys sought to harm the innocent people of the West. They would be depicted as in great danger and needing to be rescued from these evil fellows. Then, suddenly, the screen would take us to the hero riding his strong horse and going at breakneck speed to rescue the people in harm’s way. The whole theater would cheer as we saw the hero coming. Then, when he would defeat the bad guys, we would cheer again. We may not get the type of help we think we should, but we can be assured that God will intervene in our affairs and help us. In this story, God works in a dramatic way (which He usually does). We find Him doing some things that are extra ordinary. 
  1. He sends the army to help, Joshua 10:8-9. It is fun to see how the scripture depicts the action. We are told that Joshua and the army “came unto them suddenly and went up from Gilgal all night” (Joshua 10:9). We see this from two perspectives. The Gibeonites saw them come “suddenly,” yet from the perspective of the soldiers, it was an all-night march. 
  2. He sends the artillery to help, Joshua 10:11-12. Have you ever thought God could send a heavenly artillery to help you? God did with Joshua and the people of Gibeon. It is just like God to see a new believer and then do something dramatic to demonstrate His involvement in their life. He does so with Gibeon and even the people of Israel. God sends hailstones that can kill a man. I’m not sure how large these were, but they had to be rather large. I have personally seen hailstones as large as softballs. They are able to kill rabbits, skunks and other varmints. I’ve heard of hail large enough to kill a man, so these hailstones had to be really large. 
  1. The Calamity of Fighting Against God and His people, Joshua10:12-14. This brief statement indicates the hand of God in battle. We are told in two places that God fought on behalf of Israel and Gibeon. Look at Joshua 10:10 (KJV) And the Lord discomfited them before Israel, and slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, and chased them along the way that goeth up to Bethhoron, and smote them to Azekah, and unto Makkedah. Joshua 10:14 (KJV) 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. When God is on your side, you have the resources of heaven. Look again at Joshua 10:14 (KJV) 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. Three things stand out:
  1. There was no day like that before it or after it. This was an amazing day. The sun actually stood still. Scientists run amok when they see this and say, “That is impossible.” Even believers try to explain away by “natural phenomenon” how this happened. It is unexplainable scientifically and understood only spiritually. God did it, and that should be enough for us. Can you not believe that the God of creation, who put this whole thing together in the first place, could not come up with a plan to make the sun stand still and not cause a natural disaster? I read in my study how some tried to explain how the earth stood still, and the center of the earth continued to move, or else there would be volcanoes erupting everywhere. In fact, one explanation says this actually happened. I’m not sure where they get their information, and they weren’t willing to divulge it. We just have to acknowledge that God did it, I believe it, and that settles it.
  2. That Lord harkened to the voice of a man. Have you ever considered the ramifications of this? Look at Joshua 10:12 (KJV) 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. [Emphasis added.] We fail to recognize that God still does this. Have you ever prayed that God would intervene in your circumstances to do something that would help you? There is the story of George Muller who was crossing the Atlantic to fulfill an important preaching engagement. His ship was delayed off of Newfoundland because of a dense fog. He went to the captain and said, “I have never been late for an appointment: let us go to prayer.” The fog lifted almost immediately, and the ship arrived in port on time. Have you ever prayed that God would lift the fog of life so you could continue on? God is still in the miracle-making business if we will trust Him. The outcome of this event is dramatic. We find Joshua fighting against each of the five cities. They are soundly defeated, as we will see. 

Listen, folks, we have a Joshua to fight for us. Jesus, our captain, is greater than all opposition. He will fight for us if we trust Him.   

  1. The Lord fought for Israel. Have you ever heard the statement that God plus one equals a majority? If God is on our side, we have nothing to fear. We often forget that God is supreme and can call the forces of the universe to fight on behalf of His people. We often marvel at the fact that the sun and moon stood still in this battle. Have you ever considered Judges 5:19-20 (KJV) 19 The kings came and fought, then fought the kings of Canaan in Taanach by the waters of Megiddo; they took no gain of money. 20 They fought from heaven; the stars in their courses fought against Sisera. God can call the forces of the universe to our aid at any point if it is necessary. The point is that God will fight for you. Look what God told Joshua in Joshua 23:3 (KJV) And ye have seen all that the Lord your God hath done unto all these nations because of you; for the Lord your God is he that hath fought for you. [Emphasis added.] We can be assured that God will “fight for us” as he did for Joshua. This story prefigures a great battle when God will avenge his chosen. Revelation 16:14 (KJV) For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. [Emphasis added.]

Conclusion: Are you in a valley? Do you realize that God is interested in your affairs?  We get focused on the calamity of turmoil, and we forget that God is on our side. Do you realize this?