Chapter 10 is deja vu of chapter 8. Chapter 10 shows the second account of a genius aspect in the military affair by Joshua. It also shows an effective partnership between the LORD and Joshua in defeating the five kings of central Canaan.
Summary
Five kings in the center region of the Canaan decided to join their force to attack the Gibeonites, who just made a covenant with Israel. The Gibeonites sent word to Joshua, asking for help, and Joshua came to their rescue. Against the cohort of five kings, Joshua made a quick, sudden attack, and with the LORD’s raining of hailstones, he fought the five kings and defeated them in a single, lengthened day. After the victory over the united army of five kings, Joshua and Israel subsequently conquered one city at a time to occupy the entire southern area of the Canaan.
Military Genius II
When Joshua received a help request from the Gibeonites to rescue them from the united force of the five kings, he instinctively knew that this was a great opportunity. Joshua knew that the five kings would be busy preparing to attack the Gibeonites. They concentrated their effort solely to destroy the Gibeonites. Considering some distance between their location and Gilgal, where Joshua and Israel were stationed, approximately 35 to 40 miles, the kings probably did not anticipate a sudden attack by the Israelites as a high possibility.
Against this backdrop, Joshua quickly formed a force composed of best-mobile men of war to make an expeditious move to march over a distance of 35 miles all night (Joshua 10:9) to make a sudden attack on the armies of five kings. This attack must have confounded them because they were solely concentrating on the Gibeonites and they did not expect the Israelites to appear that soon given some distance between them and Gilgal.
Once and for All II
This surprise attack by Joshua was just the beginning of the victorious process. The LORD sealed the deal with the shower of hailstones on the enemies (Josh 10:11). As he did in the Ai battle (Joshua 8), he was determined to “crush the enemy” once and for all. Joshua asked the LORD to lengthen the day, and the sun stood still to lengthen the day for Israel to utterly destroy the enemies (Josh 10:12-15).
A complete destruction of enemies in a single, day-long battle was very important for Israel, especially in a foreign land surrounded by other potential enemies. Joshua maximized his military genius, with critical help from the LORD God, he was able to quickly destroy the cohort of five kings.
Conquest of Southern Canaan
After achieving a quick victory over the five kings, Joshua and Israel went on to conquer the rest of the southern area of Canaan – one city at a time. We see a continual, consistency of Joshua and Israel to destroy one city at a time.
Lessons
We see a risk taken by Joshua. Joshua made a bold decision to launch a sudden attack against the cohort of five kings. He spotted the opportunity and quickly made a move to attack the enemy at the most vulnerable time.
What about you?
Are there certain God-given tasks that you need to be courageous and take risk to tackle?
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