Joshua 10-12,  Psalm 76,  Mark 2:1-12,  1 Corinthians 4  

Joshua 10-12:

Now the conquest begins to speed up, lessons having been learned and positions taken. Adoni-Zedek, king of Jerusalem, sees which way the wind is blowing and decides to fight against it—he gathers an army to attack Gibeon, recent allies with Israel (10:1-5). The Gibeonites come and ask for Joshua’s help (10:6), and Joshua goes with the strong confidence that he need not fear for God is with them (10:7-8). Hailstones kill many of the enemies (10:11). I have heard reliable stories from a wizened war vet of massive hailstones, so the story does not strike me as impossible.  

More stretching to modern mindsets is that we are also told the sun stood still (10:12-13). Physicists will tell us that the sun standing still is not only impossible, it would have had serious cosmological impact on the globe, and so we are asked to believe that Joshua is being poetic. I think not: if I can believe in a virgin birth because God is the God of miracles, the sun standing still is not any harder to believe. Besides, the text makes it clear that this was not normal: “Is this not written in the book of Jashar?” (10:13), i.e., if you doubt this, remember it was written by eyewitnesses!  

Conquest continues, south (10:29-43) and north (11:1-23), and we are reminded of the victories that Moses had won east of the Jordan (12:1-6), as well as those under Joshua west of the Jordan (12:7-23). If God be for us, who can be against us (Romans 8:31)?  

Take courage today and follow God with all your heart.