Today, I am reading and commenting on Joshua 10-11.

Because of the way in which this passage falls, I never noticed before that the account of Joshua’s war against the kingdoms of Canaan (aside from Jericho and Ai) begins before the alliance with Gibeon in yesterday’s passage.  The other rulers in the land had come together to wage war against the Israelites.  When they learned that Gibeon had made a treaty with the Israelites, the rulers of the southern cities attacked Gibeon.  The Gibeonites sent word to Joshua asking that he relieve the siege against them, since they had submitted themselves to the Israelites.  The Israelites marched overnight to attack those attacking the Gibeonites.  After their victory, Joshua told the men of Israel the same thing which God had told him when he first led the Israelites across the Joran River: “Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged. Be strong and courageous.”   This happened after a battle where the sun stood still in the sky in order to give the Israelites more time to completely defeat their enemies.  It is important when God defeats the obstacles we face in doing His will that we take note and remember those events.  We need to remember the ways in which God has overcome obstacles for us so that we will not be afraid or discouraged when the next obstacle arises.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.