Joshua 10:7-11: a reflection

7So Joshua went up from Gilgal, he and the whole army with him, including all the mighty men of valor. 8The LORD said to Joshua, “Don’t fear them, for I have delivered them into your hands. Not a man of them will stand before you.” 9Joshua therefore came to them suddenly. He marched from Gilgal all night. 10The LORD confused them before Israel. He killed them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, and chased them by the way of the ascent of Beth Horon, and struck them to Azekah and to Makkedah. 11As they fled from before Israel, while they were at the descent of Beth Horon, the LORD hurled down great stones from the sky on them to Azekah, and they died. There were more who died from the hailstones than those whom the children of Israel killed with the sword.

As Joshua goes up to defend the Gibeonites against an alliance of kings, God assures him of victory and himself fights for Israel, so that the victory is plainly God's doing, not merely Israel's. Do not fear them, the LORD says to Joshua, for I have delivered them into your hands; not a man of them will stand before you. And in the battle, God threw down great stones from the sky upon the enemy, so that more died from these than from Israel's swords. The account makes clear that the victory was God's, that he fought for his people; it was not Israel's strength alone but God's own action that won the day. This shows that the victory belongs to God, who fights for his people. God fought for Israel; the victory was his. The victory was God's doing, not Israel's strength alone. God himself fought for his people. The battle and the victory belonged to God.

Notice how the account makes God the true victor. First, God assures Joshua before the battle: do not fear, for I have given them into your hands. The outcome is settled by God's word before Israel lifts a sword. And then, in the battle itself, God acts directly, so that more of the enemy die from what God does than from Israel's weapons. The account is at pains to show that the victory was God's, not merely Israel's; God fought for his people. This reflects a truth that runs through Scripture: that our victories, our deliverances, are finally God's doing, not merely the product of our own strength or effort. We are not to think that we win our battles by our own power; God fights for his people, and the victory is his. This humbles us and encourages us: humbles us, because the victory is not our own achievement; encourages us, because we do not fight alone or in our own strength, but God fights for us. When we face what is beyond us, we can trust that God fights for his people and the victory is his. God fights for his people; our victories are his doing. We do not win by our own strength; God gives the victory. God fights for us; the victory belongs to him. Trust that God fights for his people in our battles.

That is worth resting in, for the victory belongs to God, who fights for his people, not to our own strength, as God fought for Israel and won the day. We can think our victories and deliverances are the product of our own strength and effort; but the account shows that God assured Joshua of victory before the battle and fought for Israel directly, so that the victory was plainly his. God fights for his people. When you face what is beyond you, remember that the victory belongs to God, who fights for his people, not to your strength alone. Rest in the truth that the victory belongs to God, who fights for his people, as when Joshua went up to defend the Gibeonites, God assured him not to fear because he had given the enemy into his hands, and then fought for Israel directly, throwing down great stones from the sky so that more died from these than from Israel's swords; for our victories and deliverances are finally God's doing, not merely the product of our own strength or effort, and we are not to think that we win our battles by our own power, but God fights for his people and the victory is his, which both humbles us, since the victory is not our own achievement, and encourages us, since we do not fight alone or in our own strength, so that when we face what is beyond us we can trust that God fights for his people and the victory belongs to him.

Lord, as Joshua goes up to defend the Gibeonites against an alliance of kings, you assure him of victory and yourself fight for Israel, so that the victory is plainly yours, not merely Israel's. Do not fear them, you say to Joshua, for I have delivered them into your hands; not a man of them will stand before you. And in the battle, you threw down great stones from the sky upon the enemy, so that more died from these than from Israel's swords. The account makes clear that the victory was yours, that you fought for your people; it was not Israel's strength alone but your own action that won the day. Show me how the account makes you the true victor. First, you assure Joshua before the battle: do not fear, for I have given them into your hands. The outcome is settled by your word before Israel lifts a sword. And then, in the battle itself, you act directly. The account is at pains to show that the victory was yours, not merely Israel's; you fought for your people. This reflects a truth that runs through Scripture: that our victories, our deliverances, are finally your doing, not merely the product of our own strength or effort. I am not to think that I win my battles by my own power; you fight for your people, and the victory is yours. This humbles me and encourages me: humbles me, because the victory is not my own achievement; encourages me, because I do not fight alone or in my own strength, but you fight for me. Take that to my heart, for the victory belongs to you, who fight for your people. When I face what is beyond me, help me remember that the victory belongs to you, Lord, who fight for your people, not to my strength alone, so that I trust you to fight for me and give the victory.