Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
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Joshua
Book: Joshua
Chapter: 10
Overview:
Five
Kings War against
Gibeon.
(1-6) Joshua succours
Gibeon,
The
Sun and
Moon stand still.
(7-14) The
Kings are taken, their
armies defeated, and they are
Put to
Death.
(15-27) Seven other
Kings defeated and slain.
(28-43)
1-6 When sinners leave the service of
Satan and the friendship
of the world, that they make peace with
God and join
Israel,
they must not marvel if the world hate them, if their former
friends become foes.
By such methods
Satan discourages many who
are convinced of their danger, and almost persuaded to be
Christians, but fear the
Cross. These things should quicken us
to apply to
God for protection, help, and deliverance.
7-14 The meanest and most feeble, who have just begun to trust
the
Lord, are as much entitled to be protected as those who have
long and faithfully been his servants. It is our duty to defend
the afflicted, who, like the Gibeonites, are brought into
trouble
On our account, or for the sake of the
Gospel.
Joshua
would not forsake his new vassals. How much less shall our true
Joshua fail those who trust in Him! We may be wanting in our
trust, but our trust never can want success. Yet
God's promises
are not to slacken and do away, but to quicken and encourage our
endeavours. Notice the great
Faith of
Joshua, and the power of
God answering it
By the miraculous staying of the
Sun, that the
Day of
Israel's victories might be made longer.
Joshua acted
On
this occasion
By impulse
On his mind from the
Spirit of
God. It
was not necessary that
Joshua should speak, or the
Miracle be
recorded, according to the modern terms of
Astronomy. The
Sun
appeared to the Israelites over
Gibeon, and the
Moon over the
Valley of
Ajalon, and there they appeared to be stopped
On their
course for one whole
Day. Is any thing too hard for the
Lord?
forms a sufficient answer to ten thousand difficulties, which
objectors have in every
Age started against the
Truth of
God as
revealed in his written
Word. Proclamation was hereby made to
the neighbouring nations, Behold the
Works of the
Lord, and say,
What nation is there
So great as
Israel, who has
God So nigh
unto them?
15-27 None moved his tongue against any of the children of
Israel. This shows their perfect safety. The
Kings were called
to an account, as rebels against the
Israel of
God. Refuges of
lies will but secure for
God's
Judgment.
God punished the
abominable wickedness of these
Kings, the
Measure of whose
iniquity was now full. And
By this public act of
Justice, done
upon these ringleaders of the
Canaanites in
Sin, he would
possess his people with the greater dread and detestation of the
sins of the nations that
God cast out from before them. Here is
a
Type and figure of
Christ's victories over the powers of
Darkness, and of believers' victories through him. In our
spiritual conflicts we must not be satisfied with obtaining some
important victory. We must pursue our scattered enemies,
searching out the remains of
Sin as they rise up in our hearts,
and thus pursue the conquest. In
So doing, the
Lord will afford
Light until the warfare be accomplished.
28-43 Joshua made speed in taking these cities. See what a
great
Deal of work may be done in a little time, if we will be
diligent, and improve our opportunities.
God here showed his
Hatred of the idolatries and other abominations of which the
Canaanites had been guilty, and shows us how great the
provocation was,
By the greatness of the
Destruction brought
upon them. Here also was typified the
Destruction of all the
enemies of the
Lord Jesus, who, having slighted the riches of
his
Grace, must for ever feel the weight of his wrath. The
Lord
fought for
Israel. They could not have gotten the victory, if
God had not undertaken the battle. We conquer when
God fights
for us; if he be for us, who can be against us?