Synthetic Bible Studies by James Gray

• Title Page
• Pentateuch
• History
  • Lesson 10: Joshua
    • I: The Command to Joshua, Joshua 1
    • II: The Spying of the Land, Joshua 2
    • III: The Crossing of Jordan, Joshua 3–4
    • IV: The Conquest of Jericho, Joshua 5–7
    • V: The Defeat at Ai, Joshua 7–8
    • VI: The Rescue of Gibeon, Joshua 9–10
      • Did the Sun and Moon Stand Still?
    • VII: The Close of the War, Joshua 11
    • VIII: The Division of the Land, Joshua 12–21
    • IX: The Altar of Witness, Joshua 22
    • X: The Renewal of the Covenant, Joshua 23–24
  • Lesson 11: Judges and Ruth
  • Lesson 12: I Samuel
  • Lesson 13: II Samuel
  • Lesson 14: I Kings
  • Lesson 15: II Kings
  • Lesson 16: I and II Chronicles and Esther
• Poetry
• Prophets
• Post Captivity Prophets
• Gospels, Acts
• Pauline Epistles
• General Epistles

Testament. Joshua speaks in Joshua 10:12, and the historian in Joshua 10:13 in the popular language of men referring to the heavenly bodies. It seems to a spectator on the earth’s surface as though they moved, while in reality the earth moves with reference to them. This miracle, therefore, literally construed, was the cessation of the earth’s revolution on its axis by the space of a day. Men say this could not be, but they forget who God is, and what He has done. Given a God who can create the earth and set it rolling on its axis, and it can not be too hard for Him to stop it twenty-four hours without allowing it, or the universe of which it is an important part, to get out of order.

All the supernatural phenomena attendant on this battle, and its prime importance to Israel at that particular juncture, and hence to the plans and purposes of God in the earth, prepare us to accept this view of the case. In addition to this there is other corroborative evidence which may, or may not, be regarded as having value. For example, Professor C.A. Totten, a mathematician, and at one time professor of military science in Yale College, has made and published calculations to show that one day in the earth’s history was 48 hours long. A tradition to the same effect is held by the Egyptians and Chinese.

These things are not stated for the purpose of maintaining a theory, or defending a principle of exegesis, or opposing Christians who take another view of the matter, but simply to express a personal opinion. Men whom we all love and respect hold differently. For example, F.B. Meyer, in the book previously referred to, speaks of this incident thus: “God could make the clock of the universe stop if it were necessary. But it is not necessary to believe that He did this. By some process, the laws of which are at present unknown to us, but of which we get glimpses, in refraction, in the afterglow of sunset, God was able to prolong the daylight until Israel had made an end of slaying their foes.”

The Close of the War, Joshua 11

The seventh great fact in the book may be stated in the words at the head of this paragraph, and requires the briefest treatment. Examine the map, and observe that the names of the places mentioned in the text bear out the general statement as to locality, in Joshua 11:2. Locate the particular field of battle (Joshua 11:5). Observe the vastness of the combination against Israel (Joshua 11:1-4), and the thoroughness of the victory (Joshua 11:8, 10, 12). Observe that this did for the northern part of Canaan what the previous victory