Joshua 10:12–15

Then Joshua spoke to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel:

“Sun, stand still over Gibeon;
And Moon, in the Valley of Aijalon.”
So the sun stood still,
And the moon stopped,
Till the people had revenge
Upon their enemies.

Is this not written in the Book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day. And there has been no day like that, before it or after it, that the LORD heeded the voice of a man; for the LORD fought for Israel.

Then Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to the camp at Gilgal.

While the hailstorm can be seen as merely a very rare freak weather event, the sun standing still in the sky is a bona fide miracle. Curiously, many commentators have struggled to explain how this could have occurred naturally. Others explain it as poetic imagery. Still others say we should not take the passage literally.

One of those explanations could well be correct, but there’s no reason to jump through all those hoops. It was a miracle. Miracles are, by definition, events where the laws of nature and physics don’t hold.

What’s the big deal? God created the whole universe just by speaking.

This is a piece of cake.

The book of Joshua is a great vehicle for teaching us to see things from God’s point of view.

“Impossible” miracles somehow seem harder to accept than more mundane ones. People want to explain this passage in natural terms the same way they want to explain how crossing the Jordan on dry land could have happened naturally.

This runs into big problems with the resurrection of Christ. That miracle is the foundation of our faith.

if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. — Romans 10:9

I know I reference this verse a lot, but it’s absolutely key. He was dead. His resurrection proves He’s the Lord.

People who explain away the resurrection as Jesus reviving in the cool of the tomb aren’t saved.

These Monday—Friday DEEPs are written by Mike Slay. The Weekend DEEPs are written by Matt Richardson. To subscribe to all the DEEPs click here:

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The weekly study guides, which include the Monday–Friday devotionals plus related questions for discussion or meditation, are available for download here:

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ESV stands for the English Standard Version. © Copyright 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved. NIV stands for The Holy Bible, New International Version®. © Copyright 1973 by International Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved. KJV stands for the King James Version.