Matthew Henry Commentary Joshua 10:7-14

"So Joshua went up from Gilgal, he, and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valor. And Jehovah said unto Joshua, Fear them not: for I have delivered them into thy hands; there shall not a man of them stand before thee. Joshua therefore came upon them suddenly; [for] he went up from Gilgal all the night. And Jehovah discomfited them before Israel, and he slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, and chased them by the way of the ascent of Beth-horon, and smote them to Azekah, and unto Makkedah. And it came to pass, as they fled from before Israel, while they were at the descent of Beth-horon, that Jehovah cast down great stones from heaven upon them unto Azekah, and they died: they were more who died with the hailstones than they whom the children of Israel slew with the sword. Then spake Joshua to Jehovah in the day when Jehovah delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel; and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; And thou, Moon, in the valley of Aijalon. And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, Until the nation had avenged themselves of their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jashar? And the sun stayed in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day. And there was no day like that before it or after it, that Jehovah hearkened unto the voice of a man: for Jehovah fought for Israel." — Joshua 10:7-14 (ASV)

The humblest and weakest, who have just begun to trust the Lord, are as much entitled to be protected as those who have long and faithfully been his servants. It is our duty to defend the afflicted, who, like the Gibeonites, are brought into trouble on our account, or for the sake of the gospel. Joshua would not forsake his new vassals.

How much less will our true Joshua fail those who trust in Him! We may be lacking in our trust, but our trust can never lack success. Yet God's promises are not intended to make our efforts slacken or cease, but to energize and encourage them. Notice the great faith of Joshua, and the power of God answering it by the miraculous staying of the sun, so that the day of Israel's victories might be made longer.

Joshua acted on this occasion by an impulse on his mind from the Spirit of God. It was not necessary that Joshua should speak, or the miracle be recorded, according to the modern terms of astronomy. The sun appeared to the Israelites over Gibeon, and the moon over the valley of Ajalon, and there they appeared to be stopped on their course for one whole day. The question, Is anything too hard for the Lord?, forms a sufficient answer to ten thousand difficulties that objectors in every age have raised against the truth of God as revealed in his written word.

By this, a proclamation was made to the neighboring nations: Behold the works of the Lord, and say, What nation is there so great as Israel, who has God so near to them?