Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Last week we discussed the Gibeonites and Israel’s covenant to protect them.

Of course there was deception involved, but Joshua acted with integrity and honored his promise to the Gibeonites.

I. Joshua Fulfills His Covenant With Gibeon -

I. Joshua Fulfills His Covenant With Gibeon -

Joshua 10:3-4

You just knew it had to happen.

The Gibeonites had betrayed the other kingdoms of Canaan so it was just a matter of time before the five-king coalition came to exact their revenge.

And of course the Gibeonites called for Israel to honor their word...

Joshua 10:

And with God on your side, how could you possibly lose...

II.

God Fights Our Battles For Us -

And that’s exactly what God did for Israel...

Joshua 10:10-

God showed up so big here that He hurled oversized hailstones at the enemy.

But that’s not even the biggest part of the events that happened during this battle.

We’ll get to that in just a moment.

But first there’s a life principle that I want you to see here...

PRINCIPLE When our purposes are aligned with God’s purposes, He loves to show up in a big way.

Israel’s purposes here were completely in alignment with God’s purposes.

Again they were just a small part of what God was doing.

God has been bold here in showing up for Israel by hurling hailstones at the enemy.

But God’s boldness pales in comparison to Joshua’s bold request...

III.

God Answers Bold Prayers -

Here in verse 12 & 13, after God and the army of Israel has the army of the five-king coalition (the Amorites) on the run, Joshua prays perhaps the boldest prayer in the Bible… maybe even the boldest prayer in history...

דָּמַם damam

Joshua 10:12

to wait in place

The text here actually says that the sun stopped moving through the sky...

עָמַד amad

stopped or stayed

The text here actually says that the sun stopped moving through the sky.

…and the moon took its place (or stood still).

There has been a lot of research, speculation, and even false news about this event in history.

But I’m not going to get bogged down in a scientific analysis that questions God’s miracle.

In spite of different interpretations and takes on this, the easiest understanding of this passage is that the Earth stopped rotating for a period of time.

As miraculous (or impossible) as that sounds, that is what the Bible says.

Our lesson today is not in the miracle.

The Bible says that the miracle happened, that’s enough for me.

I’ll let the scholars battle it out how it happened.

In fact, miracles can withstand the analysis of science.

In the end, scientists are dumbfounded and astounded all the time when a miracle takes place.

That they cannot explain away a miracle is not my problem.

It’s enough for me to say that God put the Earth, the Sun, and the Moon in motion, He can stop that motion and restart it whenever He wants to.

Now Joshua could have just asked God to repeat the huge hailstone storm that He had just sent to route the army of the five-king coalition.

But Joshua goes bigger… WAY bigger...

Joshua actually asks the God of time and space to stop time itself so that the Israelites could continue pursuing their enemy and win the battle.

And God actually granted his request.

I believe that the much bigger lesson here is not in the study of the miracle itself.

The real lesson here is on Joshua’s audacity to make such a request of God.

Apparently Joshua had faith enough to believe that God could and would do what was asked.

Our lesson today is not in the miracle.

The Bible says that the miracle happened, that’s enough for me.

I’ll let the scholars battle it out how it happened.

It’s enough for me to say that God put the Earth, the Sun, and the Moon in motion, He can stop that motion and restart it whenever He wants to.

The real lesson here is on Joshua’s audacity to make such a request of God.

Apparently Joshua had faith enough to believe that God could and would do what was asked.

PRINCIPLE Bold prayers require a bold faith in God.

Jesus Believed in a Bold Faith - Mark 11:23

Jesus clearly taught boldness.

In fact Christianity is all about boldness...

Peter and John Prayed Boldly - Acts 4:29-31

When Peter and John were arrested and questioned by the temple guards for preaching the resurrection of Jesus Christ, they preached the gospel message to the saduccees, the High Priest and the religious elite there as they were being questioned.

After being questioned and warned not to continue preaching the gospel message, Peter and John returned to the other disciples.

After they reported the events, this prayer was prayed:

Their prayer was not “Lord, protect us from their threats.”

But, “Lord, hear these threats, and make us more bold in preaching the gospel!”

And God responsed:

Why are so many Christians timid in their faith and timid before God?

We can see example after example of bold faith in the Bible, but we are just analytical enough to doubt that God will truly show up for us in the here and now that we live in today.

Part of the problem is that we’ve mixed up our faith with magic pixie dust.

We can’t just sprinkle a little God over something to make things go our way.

THAT’s what we think prayer is! Magic pixie dust!

Bold Prayer Is NOT

Bold Prayer is NOT...

1. Making Declarations/Claims before God

I have friends that buy into the Name it/Claim it brand of Prosperity Gospel teaching.

They have been taught that they have the right to force God to perform at their command, as long as they have enough faith.

This is faulty thinking.

There is not a shred of biblical evidence that this is how God works.

God is not a vending machine.

God works according to His purposes and when He answers our prayers it is because it pleases Him to do so and because our prayers are closely aligned with His purposes.

2. Telling God what to do

We have no right to tell God to do anything.

We have every right to ask Him, even beg Him.

But we do this with an attitude that is completely submitted to His will.

God is not a waiter in a restaurant.

3. Refusing to take NO for an answer

I have a bad habit of pestering God about things.

This is probably because I am not very patient in waiting for God to bring His will around to matching up with mine.

Repeating the same prayer (that is outside of God’s will) many times will not:

change God’s purpose

make our request line up with His purpose

make God’s plan move any more quickly

God does not change on our whims.

4. Wishful thinking

Some people’s prayer life is something like this...

“God I wish you would do this...”