Written by Paul J Bucknell on July, 17, 2019

Joshua 10:1-11 Bible Study Questions: The Day the Sun Stood Firm in the Sky

Behind the great miracle stands a powerful decision to be faithful to one’s word. Stand back and watch God’s spectacular intervention: “Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).

Joshua 10:1-11 The Text

A. Joshua Followed the Lord in Obedience

¹ Now it came about when Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem heard that Joshua had captured Ai, and had utterly destroyed it (just as he had done to Jericho and its king, so he had done to Ai and its king), and that the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were within their land, ² that he feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, like one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all its men were mighty. ³ Therefore Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem sent word to Hoham king of Hebron and to Piram king of Jarmuth and to Japhia king of Lachish and to Debir king of Eglon, saying, ⁴ “Come up to me and help me, and let us attack Gibeon, for it has made peace with Joshua and with the sons of Israel.” 5 So the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon, gathered together and went up, they with all their armies, and camped by Gibeon and fought against it.

⁶ Then the men of Gibeon sent word to Joshua to the camp at Gilgal, saying, “Do not abandon your servants; come up to us quickly and save us and help us, for all the kings of the Amorites that live in the hill country have assembled against us.” ⁷ So Joshua went up from Gilgal, he and all the people of war with him and all the valiant warriors. ⁸ The Lord said to Joshua, “Do not fear them, for I have given them into your hands; not one of them shall stand before you.” ⁹ So Joshua came upon them suddenly by marching all night from Gilgal. ¹⁰ And the Lord confounded them before Israel, and He slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, and pursued them by the way of the ascent of Beth-horon and struck them as far as Azekah and Makkedah. ¹¹ As they fled from before Israel, while they were at the descent of Beth-horon, the Lord threw large stones from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died; there were more who died from the hailstones than those whom the sons of Israel killed with the sword. (Joshua 10:1-11, NASB)

Joshua 10:1-11 Study Questions

1. What does Joshua 10:1 say Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem heard?
2. How did Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem respond to that news (6:2)? Why so?
3. Can you think of some news that caused your heart to fear in the past? Please share.
4. What did Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem do about his fears (3-4)? From this verse, why might unbelievers sometimes become hostile to believers who are growing in numbers or influence? Do you know of any such hostility?
5. So how did the other kings respond (5)?
6. How did the men of Gibeon respond to hearing of the kings’ decision (6)?
7. How did Joshua respond to the Gibeonites’ request (7)?
8. We need to pause here and think a bit. Was this an easy request by the Gibeonites? How long was it since Israel had made an oath to the Gibeonites? If necessary go back to Joshua 9 and review through what means they secured the treaty with Israel.
9. Do you think it would have been okay for Joshua just to consider this as God’s judgment upon Gibeon and not respond to their cry for help?
10. *How can we apply the importance of keeping our word? In your marriage or family? In your business dealings?
11. When did God speak to Joshua about this battle (8)? Was it before or after he left to fight? Is there any significance in this?
12. What did God say to Joshua about this battle (8)? Do you think the Lord knew how Joshua and the troops felt?
13. How did Joshua respond once he heard the Lord’s encouraging promise (9)? What does that tell you about Joshua?
14. What two things did the Lord do in battle (10-11)?
15. Give a news announcement providing the update on the battle at the end of verse 11.
16. * List two ethical issues that you have had to deal with? State again what was the moral question before Joshua in this account.
17. *Are you quick or slow in making up your mind as to what you should do? If it is slow, why is it slow? Is it confusion or a deep-down a reluctance to do as your conscience argues?
18. *Was there any risk for Joshua to make the decision that God put on his heart? How do you handle ethical situations when risk is involved? How did the Lord show how much He favored Joshua’s decision? What happened in your case? Think through your situation with these facts in mind.