Joshua 10:14 There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the LORD listened to a human being. Surely the LORD was fighting for Israel!
Have you ever had someone say to you, “I will be there for you,” but when the time came, they weren’t? Just at the hour of your need, they fail to show up. They are AWOL.
Being alone in a time of crisis is often the worst part of the crisis. The soldier who has lost their battle buddy has no one to protect their back. They are extremely vulnerable to attack. Their life is in the balance. Relief comes when they can join their unit again.
Sitting in a chemo chair can be difficult, I am told. Long hours with poison dripping into you. And all too often you are doing it by yourself. Like kidney dialysis, it is a solitary endeavor.
Being the lone voice in a fight is tough. Standing on the street corner holding the sign might not seem heroic, but put that street corner in a politically hostile city, and you have the recipe for opposition and confrontation. Just look at the news these days. One side is being attacked and there seems to be no defenders, since there is overwhelming power on that side.
Our text tells us about overwhelming power coming against Israel. There was no way they should have been able to defeat these enemies. Five armies against one. Settled and trained fighters against some new invader, not battle hardened warriors.
But there was one thing that made the difference. The LORD was on the side of the underdogs. We don’t know the explanation of how light was extended overnight, but that extra daylight meant the forces were able to continue the pursuit until victory. They had to keep fighting.
But just as the pillar of cloud and fire had been a symbol of the LORD’s presence in life, so the extended light was a symbol of the LORD’s presence in battle. And their conclusion after seeing the extended light was the the LORD was with them!
The very thing the LORD had promised before they entered the Land, the LORD brought about. He was with them, and as a result they defeated their enemies. The land was cleansed. And their trust was bolstered.
But that didn’t prevent them from failing in the future, which they did. But in that moment, they trusted the LORD. Tye believed in him.
The Arnold Journey 