A Great Miracle

Joshua 10:1-14

After the Gibeonites made a league with Israel the 5 kings of the Amorites gathered together and went to destroy the Gibeonites. The children of Gibeon sent for Israel and ask them to help them. Joshua and the children of Israel went to help the Gibeonites and God did two miracles during the battle.

The first miracle was that he sent great hailstones and killed many of the Amorites. But also Joshua gave the command for the sun and the moon to stand still and God allowed this to happen. This gave Israel more time to destroy the Amorites. The 5 kings of the Amorites were also killed and hanged on trees until the going down of the sun.

Why is the Sun and Moon standing still such a great miracle?

When God allowed the sun and the moon to stand still it would seem that what must have happened was that the earth stopped rotating for a period of time. This is a great miracle because it goes against much of what science teaches today.

For instance science tells us that the earth rotates at the equator almost 1000 mph. Therefore if it suddenly stopped spinning then everything would fly forward in the direction that it is spinning. This did not happen in Joshua. Also some scientists believe that the magnetic fields of the earth and gravity of the earth are also connected with the earth’s spin around its axis. Gravity does not seem to be affected by this in the book of Joshua. Exactly how God accomplished this miracle I am not totally sure but it happened none the less.

For other examples of God having power over the creation look at some of the question that God asked Job in Job chapter 38. Or look at the miracles that Jesus did.

What can we learn from this?

Many people struggle trying to relate God and science. For instance the law of gravity is it real, of course it is drop something and it will fall to the floor. So did God create gravity? He must have but remember that just because there are scientific principles here on earth that God set up, he is not limited by them. God can operate outside of those principles. That is why these are miracles. Do not try to force God and science to always match. If anything we call science is true the God created it and allows it to be. But remember he is no bound by it.

A Great Miracle : Handout

Joshua 10:1-14

1)  What is going on in this passage?

2)  What is the great miracle in this passage?

3)  Why is this a great miracle?

4)  What can we learn from this miracle?