Vital Stats:
Verses: 43(!)
Is It Read At Synagogue?: No. And honestly, I’m a little surprised (I would think that the first half might be famous enough for inclusion at some point).
Famous Quotes/Phrases: In the midst of battle, Joshua calls out to God, demanding that the sun and moon stand still. God grants this wish, causing the celestial bodies to remain in place for the length of an entire day. Significantly, the text tells us that this is the one and only time that God follows a direct demand from a person.
Basic Plot: The first half of the chapter describes how five Amorite kings plot to halt the Israelite conquests. Knowing that Joshua had agreed to protect the Gibeonites, the kings attack Gibeon, likely to coax the Israelites into the battle. God promises Joshua that the Israelites will succeed, and they do, sneaking up behind the five armies, and watching as God pelts the fleeing Amorites with stones from the sky. As mentioned above, the sun stands still to the conclusion of the Amorites’ defeat, complete with the execution of the five kings. The rest of the chapter concisely mentions several more Israelite conquests, each as successful as the next.
What’s Strange: In her book Joshua to Kings: History, Story, Theology, Mary E. Mills points out that the account of the sun standing still is one of several examples that “lead to the conclusion that [the book of] Joshua was not intended to be a scientific account of the invasion of Canaan, but rather a theological narrative which reflects religious traditions about the past and which stresses the central role of the Lord of Israel in the events of national life.”
It’s usually a challenge to understand authorial intent, especially from ancient sources. But Mills’ point is reasonable: it’s hard to imagine that the main takeaway from this story is that God actually made the sun stand still. Yet it begs the question: If God is so central to the Israelites’ success, why would God immediately acquiesce to Joshua’s very public request? What’s to stop God from finishing off the Amorite kings after sundown?
What’s Spectacular: What’s more … is this really the only time that God ever acts directly on a person’s words? The only parallel I can think of is from the book of Numbers, when Korach and his followers attempt to rebel against Moses and Aaron’s leadership. There, Moses speaks of the earth swallowing the rebels, and shortly after saying those words, the ground opens up and does just that. However, the difference there is that Moses appears to merely suggest that this phenomenon might occur, whereas Joshua seems to almost command that the rules of nature bend for Israel’s benefit.
This indicates yet another way that Joshua seems to exceed Moses’ record as the human leader of the Israelites. Now, I’m not saying that Joshua is a greater man than Moses, nor a more talented leader. It just seems that Joshua’s record of success is more pristine than that of his predecessor. But that might be by design; whereas the Israelites are often their own worst enemy when they push back against Moses during the 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, perhaps God realizes that it would have been too much for the Israelites to endure similar setbacks while attempting to conquer Canaan. In other words, God enables the people under Joshua to succeed, now that their parents had worked through the growing pains during Moses’ time.
And rather than try to say that Moses or Joshua is the better leader, it may behoove us to understand that each man is the best leader for his respective generation, equally equipped to handle the distinct challenges that each generation faces.
Shabbat Shalom!