I Will Fight for You
The Conquering King, Part Seven — Joshua 10:8, 13–14
Preached Sunday, September 6, 2026 by Pastor Jeremy Arnold
Joshua 10 • Genesis 11:7 • Deuteronomy 32:8–9 • Ephesians 6:12 • Colossians 2:15 • 2 Kings 6:17 • 1 Samuel 17:47 • Exodus 14:13–14 • Matthew 28:18 • Luke 22:42 • Luke 9:23 • 1 John 5:14 • Romans 8:31–39
Five kings march on Gibeon, and Gibeon sends for help. Israel marches all night to get there. And then the sky joins the battle — hailstones out of heaven, and the sun and the moon held in place until it is finished. Joshua 10 is not the story of a strong army. It is the day the LORD fought for Israel.
“And the LORD said to Joshua, ‘Do not fear them, for I have given them into your hands. Not a man of them shall stand before you.’”
“And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, until the nation took vengeance on their enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jashar? The sun stopped in the midst of heaven and did not hurry to set for about a whole day. There has been no day like it before or since, when the LORD heeded the voice of a man, for the LORD fought for Israel.”
In Joshua 10:1–5, five Amorite kings form a coalition and attack Gibeon, because Gibeon has made peace with Israel. They understand that Gibeon’s alliance with Israel puts them in danger, and they are trying to eliminate Gibeon before Israel can establish itself further in the land.
In verses 6–8, Gibeon calls to Joshua for help when they see these armies coming against them.
“And the men of Gibeon sent to Joshua at the camp in Gilgal, saying, ‘Do not relax your hand from your servants. Come up to us quickly and save us and help us, for all the kings of the Amorites who dwell in the hill country are gathered against us.’”
And before a single sword is drawn, God tells Joshua how the day ends — the reading text above: “Do not fear them, for I have given them into your hands.”
In Genesis 11, God comes down at the tower of Babel and confounds the languages.
“Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another’s speech.”
And Deuteronomy 32 tells us what became of those nations when they were divided.
“When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when he divided mankind, he fixed the borders of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God. But the LORD’s portion is his people, Jacob his allotted heritage.”
The ESV follows the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Septuagint here. The Masoretic Hebrew behind the King James reads “the sons of Israel” instead — that is the reading not printed above.
So as Israel enters the land, God is fulfilling His covenant promises to Abraham, while Yahweh judges the nations that have stood in rebellion against Him. In the larger biblical story, this is part of Yahweh’s work of reclaiming His creation and establishing His rule.
Going back to Joshua 10, in verses 9–15 we see God fighting for Israel: causing the enemy forces to go into a panic as Israel struck them with a great blow at Gibeon, and chased them — all the while God the LORD threw down large stones from heaven on the enemy.
“So Joshua came upon them suddenly, having marched up all night from Gilgal. And the LORD threw them into a panic before Israel… And as they fled before Israel, while they were going down the ascent of Beth-horon, the LORD threw down large stones from heaven on them… There were more who died because of the hailstones than the sons of Israel killed with the sword.”
Joshua 10 gives us a picture that helps us understand a reality Paul later makes explicit: the conflict of God’s people exists within a larger spiritual conflict.
“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”
As Joshua and Israel fight on the ground, God is fighting from above.
In verse 12, Joshua speaks to the LORD, asking Him to hold the sun still to give them more time to defeat the enemies of the LORD.
“At that time Joshua spoke to the LORD in the day when the LORD gave the Amorites over to the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, ‘Sun, stand still at Gibeon, and moon, in the Valley of Aijalon.’”
And we see in verse 13 that the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, until the nation took vengeance on their enemies.
Meanwhile the five kings hid themselves in a cave at Makkedah.
“Then Joshua said, ‘Open the mouth of the cave and bring those five kings out to me from the cave.’”
In verse 24 Joshua gives the order for the men of war to put their feet on the necks of the kings.
“Come near; put your feet on the necks of these kings… Do not be afraid or dismayed; be strong and courageous. For thus the LORD will do to all your enemies against whom you fight.”
Then Joshua struck them, putting them to death.
Hebrew Yehoshua — “Yahweh saves” or “Yahweh delivers.” In the Greek Old Testament the book carries the name Iesous, which is the same name the New Testament gives to Jesus.
Joshua is pointing us to the One whose name he bears.
Feet on the neck can serve as a reminder that Christ is the Conquering King — especially when we recall what the cross did to the rulers and authorities.
“He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.”
- He will fight for you when you are afraid. “Do not fear them, for I have given them into your hands” (Joshua 10:8).
- He will fight for you when you are surrounded. The chariots of fire around Elisha — 2 Kings 6:17.
- He will fight for you when the enemy is stronger. David and Goliath — 1 Samuel 17:47.
- He will fight for you when things seem impossible. The parting of the Red Sea — Exodus 14:13–14.
“So the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”
“And that all this assembly may know that the LORD saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give you into our hand.”
“And Moses said to the people, ‘Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today… The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.’”
The specific promises in Joshua 10 are covenant promises made to Joshua and Israel about that battle. God may not fight your battle in the way you expect — but His presence, His sovereignty, and His purposes are not defeated by the battle.
Remember, Joshua didn’t wake up and say, “I think we should go to war with five kings and nations today,” nor was Israel going about looking for trouble. Sometimes trouble comes looking for you.
And we have to remember: it is not about Israel becoming a superpower, or even about the battles we face. It is that Yahweh is the Most High.
Just as we referenced Ephesians 6 earlier in the message, about the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, we need to remember that all authority in both heaven and earth has been given to King Jesus.
“And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.’”
May we be reminded: Christ has no equal.
Sometimes we pray, “God, get me out of this.” Jesus Himself prayed:
“Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.”
Yet the Father’s will was not to remove Jesus from the cross, but to bring Him through it, and to accomplish redemption through it.
We want the battle to end. God wants to demonstrate His power in the midst of the battle.
We don’t want opposition. But when opposition comes, God can use it to demonstrate that opposition does not have the final authority.
When God told Joshua not to fear, that He had delivered the enemy into his hand, that did not eliminate Joshua’s and Israel’s participation. They still had to march, and they still had to fight.
We can’t sit on the couch and say, “God promises to fight for me, so I don’t have to do anything.” Jesus still had to endure the cross and suffer death to get to the resurrection.
“And he said to all, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.’”
Likewise, we are called to take up our cross and follow Him.
Many equate this passage with the miracle of the sun standing still. I would like to turn our focus to why that actually happened. Verse 14 says it plainly: “for the LORD fought for Israel.” Joshua simply asked for help to complete God’s plan. Joshua asked; God responded.
When our desires are surrendered to God’s will, we can confidently bring those desires before Him, trusting Him to answer according to His wisdom and purpose.
“And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.”
May we be encouraged as we see God fighting for Joshua and His covenant people Israel — and know that He will fight for you.— Pastor Jeremy Arnold
“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?… No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Where has trouble come looking for me — and have I asked the LORD to fight it, or only asked Him to end it?
What am I begging God to remove that He may instead intend to carry me through?
Joshua was promised the victory and still marched all night. What is the marching God is asking of me this week?
If that sentence is true, what changes about how I walk into Monday?
“There has been no day like it before or since, when the LORD heeded the voice of a man, for the LORD fought for Israel.”
Joshua 10:14 (ESV)
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