Who is God? Jehovah Elyon Pt 3

The Sun Stands Still

 Psalm 113:3 From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised. (NIV)

               Jehovah Elyon…Lord, Most High had promised The Israelites the land of Canaan. God had just given them the victory over Jericho and the walls came tumbling down. Joshua was now their leader since Moses was dead. He had been given the leadership mantle to carry and the Lord blessed him as He had done Moses. Joshua 1:1-5 After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: ”Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them – to the Israelites. I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates – all the Hittite country – to the Great Sea on the west. No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. (NIV)

               The enemy, however, always stirred up other nations to present a challenge to the Israelites. Whenever God blesses you, never make the mistake of thinking that the enemy isn’t lurking around to present some challenges. He always does, but it presents the opportunity for Jehovah Elyon to show Himself strong and mighty. The Gibeonites, a nation nearby, deceived the Israelites into making a peace treaty with them, for they were in fear of their lives due to all the stories that they had heard concerning the victories that Jehovah Elyon had given to them. The Israelites had not consulted God about this, so they were bound to the treaty that they had made.

               When wind of this treaty got to the five Amorite kings, they made an alliance to attack the Gibeonites. The Gibeonites were afraid and sent word to the Israelites that they were in need of protection against their enemies. The Lord, Most High, reassured Joshua to not be afraid for He would give him the victory over their enemies. Sometimes, we may make a decision without consulting God first, yet even with that mistake, God never forsakes His people. He always has a plan for a corrective measure to be taken. Psalm 37:23-24 If the Lord delights in a man’s way, he makes his steps firm; though he stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand. (NIV)

               In response to the Gibeonites’ cry for help, Joshua and his army marched all night and surrounded their enemies. The Lord sent a mass confusion to their enemies and the Israelites were able to defeat them. God also sent large hailstones that killed more of them than the Israelites had. Joshua saw that he needed more daylight to be victorious over his enemies, so he commanded the sun and the moon to stand still. Joshua 10:13-14 So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the nation avenged itself on its enemies, as it is written in the Book of Jashar. The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day. There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the lord listened to a man. Surely the Lord was fighting for Israel! (NIV) That took a lot of faith for Joshua to command the sun and moon to be still, but Jehovah Elyon honored that spoken word. It lets us know that He is the Most High God because only He could ensure that His creation not move. Why is that? Remember that He is also Jehovah Elohim…Our Creator. 

               There are times in life when we will have to stand still and allow Jehovah Elyon…Lord, Most High to fight our battles. Isaiah 40:31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. (KJV) When we try to do things our own way, we often tend to mess things up, and then we have to go right back to God and allow Him to fix it for us. But those who wait upon the Lord will see that HE will make everything alright. Because Jehovah Elyon is the Lord, Most High God, we are to always trust in Him and not in our own abilities. We will see in the next section where Gideon trusted in God, but David counted his numbers.