+ DAILY PRAYER +
The Sun Stands Still at Gibeon – And it happened that when Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem heard that Joshua captured Ai and had utterly destroyed it (just as he had done to Jericho and its king, so he did to Ai and its king) and that the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were among them, 2 he became very afraid because Gibeon was a very large city, ?like one of the royal cities…
This Daily Devotion covers the first five books of the Bible, Genesis through Deuteronomy also called the Books of Moses or the Pentateuch, in a period of one year in a Monday through Friday format, the Psalms and order of devotion follow those presented in The Treasury of Daily Prayer from Concordia Publishing House.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Hear my prayer, O Lord; give ear to my pleas for mercy!
In your faithfulness answer me, in your righteousness!
Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan,
and he hears my voice.
Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you;
He will never permit the righteous to be moved.
Psalm 32:1-7
1 A Maskil of David.
Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered.
2 Blessed is the man
against whom the LORD counts no iniquity,
and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
3 For when I kept silent,
my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.
4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;
my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah
5 I acknowledged my sin to you,
and I did not cover my iniquity;
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,”
and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah
6 Therefore let everyone who is godly
offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found;
surely in the rush of great waters, they shall not reach him.
7 You are a hiding place for me;
you preserve me from trouble;
you surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah
Reading for Friday August 25th Joshua 10:1-28
The Sun Stands Still at Gibeon
10 And it happened that when Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem heard that Joshua captured Ai and had utterly destroyed it (just as he had done to Jericho and its king, so he did to Ai and its king) and that the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were among them, 2 he became very afraid because Gibeon was a very large city, ?like one of the royal cities?, and because it was larger than Ai, and all its men were mighty warriors. 3 So Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem sent word to Hohman king of Hebron, to Piram king of Jarmuth, to Japhia king of Lachish, and to Debir king of Eglon, saying, 4 “Come up and help me, and let us attack Gibeon, because it has made peace with Joshua and the ?Israelites?.” 5 And 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 and all their forces, and ?they laid siege to Gibeon? and made war against it.
6 And the men of Gibeon sent word to Joshua at the camp at Gilgal, saying, “?Do not abandon? your servant. Come up to us quickly and save us! Help us, for all the kings of the Amorites who dwell in the hill country have gathered against us.” 7 So Joshua went up from Gilgal, he and ?all the fighting men? with him, ?all the best warriors?. 8 And Yahweh said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them, for I have given them into your hand; ?no one will withstand you?. 9 Joshua came upon them suddenly ?by marching up? all night from Gilgal. 10 And Yahweh threw them into panic before Israel, who struck them with a great blow at Gibeon and pursued them by the way of the ascent of Beth-horon and struck them as far as Azekah and Makkedah. 11 And as they were fleeing from Israel, they were on the slope of Beth-horon, and Yahweh threw huge stones from the heavens on them as far as Azekah; and more died by the hail stones than those whom the ?Israelites? killed by the sword.
12 Then Joshua spoke to Yahweh, on the day Yahweh gave the Amorites over to the ?Israelites?, and he said in the sight of Israel,
“Sun in Gibeon, stand still,
and moon, in the valley of Aijalon.”
13 And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped,
until the nation took vengeance on its enemies.
Is it not written in the scroll of Jashar? The sun stood still in the middle of the heaven and was not in haste to set for about a full day. 14 There has not been a day like this before it or after, that Yahweh listened to the voice of a man; for Yahweh fought for Israel. 15 And Joshua returned and all Israel with him to the camp at Gilgal.
The Kings of the Amorites Are Killed
16 But these five kings fled and hid themselves in the cave at Makkedah. 17 And it was told to Joshua, saying, “The five kings were found hidden in the cave at Makkedah.” 18 And Joshua said, “Roll large stones against the mouth of the cave, and set men in front of it to guard them. 19 But do not stay there; pursue after your enemies and attack them from the rear. Do not allow them to go into their cities, for Yahweh your God has given them into your hand.” 20 When Joshua and the ?Israelites? had finished striking them with a very great blow, until they perished, ?those of them who survived? went into the fortified cities, 21 and all the people returned to the camp safely to Joshua at Makkedah. ?No one spoke? against the ?Israelites?.
22 And Joshua said, “Open the mouth of the cave, and bring to me those five kings from the cave.” 23 And they did so, and brought him these five kings from the cave, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon. 24 And when they brought these kings to Joshua, Joshua called all the men of Israel and said to the commanders of ?the fighting men? who had gone with him, “Come near, put your feet on the necks of these kings.” So they came near and put their feet on their necks. 25 And Joshua said to them, “Do not be afraid or dismayed! Be strong and bold, for thus Yahweh will do to all your enemies whom you are about to fight. 26 And after this Joshua struck them down and killed them, and he hanged them on five trees. And they were hanging on the trees until the evening. 27 And it happened ?at the time of sunset?, Joshua commanded, and they took them down from the trees and threw them into the cave where they had hidden themselves, and they put large stones against the mouth of the cave, which are there to this very day.
28 Joshua captured Makkedah on that day, and he struck it and its king with ?the edge of the sword?; he utterly destroyed it and everyone that was in it. He did not leave behind a survivor. So he did to the king of Makkedah just as he did to the king of Jericho.
Lord’s Prayer
Daily Prayer
O God, You resist the proud and give grace to the humble. Grant us true humility after the likeness of Your only Son that we may never be arrogant and prideful and thus provoke Your wrath but in all lowliness be made partakers of the gifts of Your grace; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Concluding Prayer
Heavenly Father, send Your Holy Spirit into our hearts to direct and rule us according to Your will, to comfort us in all our afflictions, to defend us from all error, and to lead us into all truth; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
