Page:An Exposition of the Old and New Testament (1828) vol 2.djvu/59

Rh Observe, [1.] An instance of Joshua's unwearied activity in the service of God and Israel, that though he had marched all night and fought all day, and, one might expect, would be inclined to repose himself and get a little sleep, and give his army some time to rest, that, like the hireling, he would earnestly have desired the shadow, and bid the night welcome, when he had done such a good day's work, yet, instead of that, he wishes for nothing so much as the prolonging of the day. Note, Those that wait on the Lord, and work for him, shall renew their strength, shall run and not be weary, shall walk and not faint, Isa. 40. 31. [2.] An instance of his great faith in the almighty power of God, as above the power of nature, and able to control and alter the usual course of it. No doubt, Joshua had an extraordinary impulse or impression upon his spirit, which he knew to be of divine original, prompting him to desire that this miracle might be wrought upon this occasion, else it had been presumption in him to desire or expect it, the prayer had not been granted by the divine power, if it had not been dictated by the divine grace; God wrought this faith in him, and then said, "According to thy faith, and thy prayer of faith, be it unto thee." It cannot be imagined however that such a thing as this should have entered into his mind, if God had not put it there; a man would have had a thousand projects in his head for the completing of the victory, before he would have thought of desiring the sun to stand still; but even in the Old Testament saints, the Spirit made intercession according to the will of God; what God will give, he inclines the hearts of his praying people to ask; and for what he will do, he will be inquired of, Ezek. 36. 37.

Now, First, It looked great for Joshua to say, Sun, stand thou still. His ancestor Joseph had indeed dreamed that the sun and moon did obeisance to him; but who would have thought that, after it had been fulfilled in the figure it should again be fulfilled in the letter to one of his posterity. The prayer is thus expressed with authority, because it was not an ordinary prayer, such as is directed and supported only by God's common providence or promise, but the prayer of a prophet at this time divinely inspired for this purpose; and yet it intimates to us the prevalency of prayer in general, so far as it is regulated by the word of God, and may remind us of that honour put upon prayer, Isa. 45. 11, Concerning the work of my hands, command ye me. He bids the sun stand still upon Gibeon, the place of action and the seat of the war, intimating that what he designed in this request, was, the advantage of Israel against their enemies; it is probable that the sun was now declining, and that he did not call for the lengthening out of the day, until he observed it hastening toward its period. He does likewise, in the name of the King of kings, arrest the moon, perhaps because it was requisite for the preserving of the harmony and good order of the spheres, that the course of the rest of the heavenly bodies should be stayed likewise, otherwise, while the sun shone, he needed not the moon; and here he mentions the valley of Ajalon, which was near to Gibeon, because there he was at that time.

Secondly, It was bold indeed to say so before Israel, and argues a very strong assurance of faith. If the event had not answered the demand, nothing could have been a greater slur upon him; the Israelites would have concluded he was certainly going mad, or he had never talked so extravagantly. But he knew very well God would own and answer a petition which he himself directed to be drawn up and presented, and therefore was not afraid to say before all Israel, calling them to observe this work of wonder. Sun, stand thou still, for he was confident in him whom he had trusted. He believed the almighty power of God; else he could not have expected that the sun, going on in its strength, driving in a full career, and rejoicing as a strong man to run a race, should be stopped in an instant. He believed the sovereignty of God in the kingdom of nature; else he could not have expected that the established law and course of nature should be changed and interrupted, the ordinances of heaven, and the constant usage according to these ordinances, broken in upon. And he believed God's particular favour to Israel above all people under the sun; else he could not have expected, that, to favour them upon an emergency with a double day, he should (which must follow of course) amuse and terrify so great a part of the terrestrial globe with a double night at the same time; it is true, he causeth the sun to shine upon the just and the unjust, but this once the unjust shall wait for it beyond the usual time, while, in favour to righteous Israel, it stands still.

(2.) The wonderful answer to this prayer. No sooner said than done, v. 13, The sun stood still, and the moon stayed. Notwithstanding the vast distance between the earth and the sun, at the word of Joshua, the sun stopped immediately; for the same God that rules in heaven above, rules at the same time on this earth, and, when he pleases, even the heavens shall hear the earth, as here. Concerning this great miracle, it is here said, [1.] That it continued a whole day, that is, the sun continued as long again above the horizon, as otherwise it would have done. It is commonly supposed to have been about the middle of summer that this happened, when, in that country, it was about fourteen hours between sun and sun, so that this day was about twenty-eight hours long; yet if we suppose it to have been at that time of the year when the days are at the shortest, it will be the more probable that Joshua should desire and pray for the prolonging of the day. [2.] That hereby the people had full time to avenge themselves of their enemies, and to give them a total defeat. We often read in history of battles which the night put an end to, the shadows of which favoured the retreat of the conquered; to prevent this advantage to the enemy in their flight, the day was doubled, that the hand of Israel might find out all their enemies; but the eye and hand of God can find them out without the help of the sun's light, for to him the night shineth as the day, Ps. 139. 12. Note, Sometimes God completes a great salvation in a little time, and makes but one day's work of it Perhaps this miracle is alluded to, Zech. 14. 6, 7. where the day of God's fighting against the nations is said to be one day, and that at evening-time it shall be light, as here. And, [3.] That there was never any day like it, before or since, in which God put such an honour upon faith and prayer, and Israel's cause; never did he so wonderfully comply with the request of a man, or so wonderfully fight for his people. [4.] This is said to be written in the book of Jasher, a collection of state-poems, in which the poem made upon this occasion was preserved among the rest; probably, the same with that book of the wars of the Lord, Numb. 21. 14. which afterward was continued and carried on by one Jasher. Those words, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon, and thou moon, in the valley of Ajalon, sounding metrical, are supposed to be taken from the narrative of this event, as it was found in the book of Jasher. Not that the divine testimony of the book of Joshua needed any confirmation from the book of Jasher, a human composition: but to those who had that book in their hands, it would be of use to compare this history with it; which warrants the appeals the learned make to profane