The Sun and Moon Stand Still

Joshua, the leader of the Israelites, made a promise with the people of Gibeon (Gibeonites) to protect them from harm if they would be his servants. When the King of Jerusalem heard this news, he became very afraid. Gibeon was an important royal city and its men were famous for their might. So, the King of Jerusalem decided to join forces with four other kings in the land. They called themselves the Amorites.

The Amorites took their positions against Gibeon and attacked the city. The Gibeonites sent a message to Joshua asking him to keep his promise. The message was, “Do not abandon your servants. Come up to us quickly and save us! Help us, because all the Amorite kings from the hill country have joined forces against us.” (Joshua 10:6)

The Lord spoke to Joshua saying, “Do not be afraid of them; I have given them into your hand. Not one of them will be able to withstand you.” (Joshua 10:8) So, Joshua responded to the Gibeonites request. He marched all night to Gibeon with his entire army. Even his very best fighting men went.

The Amorites didn’t expect to see Israelites. It was quite a surprise for the Amorites when the Israelites appeared to help the Gibeonites. To cause even more difficulty for the Amorites, the Lord confused them, allowing the Israelites to defeat them in Gibeon. Those who remained fled the city. As they ran, the Lord hurled large hailstones down on them from the sky. More of the Amorites were killed by the hail than by the sword.

The battle still wasn’t over though. Joshua said to the Lord, “O sun, stand still over Gibeon, O moon, over the valley of Aijalon.” God did just what Joshua asked. He made the sun stop in the middle of the sky for a full day. Joshua and the Israelites were able to defeat all five of the kings and win the battle.

God had told Joshua before he went to battle that the enemy wouldn’t be able to withstand him. Joshua believed and trusted God. When he told the sun and moon to stand still, he did so with faith in God. “There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the Lord listened to a man. Surely the Lord was fighting for Israel.” (Joshua 10:14)

While we know the earth travels around the sun, don’t let the language in this story confuse you. God performed a miracle by prolonging the day. This miracle allowed the Israelites to win the battle.

It is inspiring to know we worship a God who can perform Miracles – to show Himself STRONG on behalf of His people! The above scriptural story, came from our archives for “Sabbath Keeping Youth” Specifically the SkyNews-2003-03. If you want to read more stories and Christian living articles suitable for ages 7 thru 177 … then this link is for you! (https://cgicanada.org/sky-newsletter)