Joshua 10:1-6: a reflection

1Now when Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem heard how Joshua had taken Ai, and had utterly destroyed it; as he had done to Jericho and her king, so he had done to Ai and her king; and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel, and were among them, 2they were very afraid, because Gibeon was a great city, as one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all its men were mighty. 3Therefore Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem sent to Hoham king of Hebron, Piram king of Jarmuth, Japhia king of Lachish, and Debir king of Eglon, saying, 4“Come up to me and help me. Let’s strike Gibeon; for they have made peace with Joshua and with the children of Israel.” 5Therefore the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon, gathered themselves together and went up, they and all their armies, and encamped against Gibeon, and made war against it. 6The men of Gibeon sent to Joshua at the camp at Gilgal, saying, “Don’t abandon your servants! Come up to us quickly and save us! Help us; for all the kings of the Amorites that dwell in the hill country have gathered together against us.”

When five Amorite kings unite to attack Gibeon, the city that had made peace with Israel, the Gibeonites send an urgent plea to Joshua: Do not abandon your servants. Come up to us quickly and save us. Help us, for all the kings of the hill country have gathered against us. Having entered into covenant with God's people, and now under overwhelming attack, they cry out to the one bound to help them, pleading for rescue.

Notice the shape of their appeal. They do not face the attacking kings alone in their own strength; they call on the one to whom they are bound by covenant, pleading for him to come quickly and save them. Their cry is urgent and undisguised: do not abandon us, come, help, save. And, as the next part of the story shows, Joshua came, marching all night to their aid. The covenant obligation was honored; the cry for help was answered.

That is a picture of how we may cry to God in overwhelming trouble. When forces gather against us that are too much for us, we are not left to face them alone; we can cry out, as the Gibeonites did, to the God who has bound himself to his people, pleading for his help. And our God is faithful to come. Do not face your overwhelming troubles in your own strength alone. Cry out to God as urgently and plainly as the Gibeonites cried to Joshua: do not abandon me, come quickly, save me, help me. The God who is bound to you by covenant hears such cries, and he comes to the aid of his own.

Lord, when overwhelming enemies gathered against them, the Gibeonites cried out to Joshua, do not abandon your servants; come quickly and save us; and he came to their aid. Teach me to cry out to you like that. When forces gather against me that are too much for me, keep me from facing them alone in my own strength. Help me call on you urgently and plainly, as they called on Joshua: do not abandon me, come quickly, save me, help me. Thank you that you have bound yourself to your people, and that you are faithful to come to the aid of your own. Hear my cry, Lord, and come.