When Life Gets Tougher (Joshua 10: 1-43)

Episode Notes: When Life Gets Tougher (Joshua 10:1-43)

Welcome to The Bible Project Daily Podcast!

Life can be challenging, and sometimes, as we move forward, those challenges only seem to increase. When the difficulties mount and discouragement sets in, we may find ourselves wondering if we have the strength to keep going. But before we consider giving up, we must remember the essential truths found in God’s Word.

Joshua 10 provides us with a powerful lesson on perseverance, faith, and God's intervention. At this point in Israel's journey, they have entered the Promised Land, experienced victories, faced setbacks, and even dealt with deception. But now, something shifts—their battles escalate as five Amorite kings unite against them. The trials grow harder, yet so does the evidence of God’s power.

In this episode, we explore how Joshua's story reflects our own spiritual and personal struggles. Whether in leadership, parenting, or our Christian walk, the higher we climb, the harder the challenges become. But just as God fought for Joshua, He fights for us, too.

This episode invites you to reflect on the increasing challenges in your own life and recognize that they are not signs of failure but signs of growth. God strengthens us for each new battle. When life gets tougher, His power becomes even more evident.

Join us as we unpack this remarkable chapter and discover how we can stand firm in faith, trusting that God is always working on our behalf.

Key Themes Covered in This Episode:

• The progression of spiritual battles in life
• Trusting God through increasing challenges
• God’s miraculous intervention in Joshua’s greatest battle
• Lessons on leadership, faith, and perseverance
• How God equips us for each new struggle

Thank you for listening to The Bible Project Daily Podcast. Be sure to subscribe, share, and stay tuned for more episodes diving deep into God’s Word and its relevance to our lives today.

Faith That Challenges. Conversations that Matter. Laughs included. Subscribe Now!
Breaking down faith, culture & big questions - a mix of humor with real spiritual growth.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Chapters

• 15:22 [Ad] Faith That Challenges. Conversations that Matter. Laughs included. Subscribe Now!
• 16:09 (Cont.) When Life Gets Tougher (Joshua 10: 1-43)

Transcript

When Life Gets Tougher (Joshua 10:1-43)

Transcript: 

From where I stand now, I can tell you—life can get tougher as you go on. 

There’s a kind of idealism and enthusiasm of your teenage years you have in your twenties that, over time, can begin to wear thin.

When the challenges pile up and discouragement sets in you may wonder if you have the strength to keep going.

But before you even think about giving up, there are some essential truths from God’s Word that you need to remember. Joshua 10 illustrates one of them….

At this point in Joshua’s journey, Israel has entered the Promised Land. They have already seen victory at Jericho, though they suffered a temporary setback at Ai. Then, in a surprising turn of events, the Gibeonites deceived them into making a covenant of peace. But despite these challenges, momentum is on their side.

In chapter 10, something shifts, lets take a look….

1 Now Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem heard that Joshua had taken Ai and totally destroye it, doing to Ai and its king as he had done to Jericho and its king, and that the people of Gibeon had made a treaty of peace with Israel and had become their allies. 2 He and his people were very much alarmed at this, because Gibeon was an important city, like one of the royal cities; it was larger than Ai, and all its men were good fighters. 3 So Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem appealed to Hoham king of Hebron, Piram king of Jarmuth, Japhia king of Lachish and Debir king of Eglon. 4 “Come up and help me attack Gibeon,” he said, “because it has made peace with Joshua and the Israelites.” 5 Then the five kings of the Amorites—the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish and Eglon—joined forces. They moved up with all their troops and took up positions against Gibeon and attacked it.

(Joshua 10: 1-5)

The king of Jerusalem heard about Israel’s victories—how they utterly destroyed both Jericho and Ai. He realizes that Gibeon, a great army with a fortified city, has effectively joined forces with Israel. This alarms him. 

So, what does he do? He doesn’t attack Joshua. Instead, he gathers four other kings and forms a military alliance to attack Gibeon. They see Gibeon as a traitor, someone who must be punished for siding with Israel.

This is where things take an interesting turn. The Gibeonites, who had tricked Joshua just a chapter earlier, now send an urgent plea for help. Verse 6 says:

The Gibeonites then sent word to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal: “Do not abandon your servants. Come up to us quickly and save us! Help us, because all the Amorite kings from the hill country have joined forces against us.”

Now, if you were Joshua, what would you do? Here’s a group of people who deceived you, and now they’re crying out for rescue. Wouldn’t it be tempting to step back and let them deal with the consequences of their actions? Maybe Joshua might have reasoned, “If these five kings wipe out the Gibeonites, that’s one less problem for us.”

But Joshua doesn’t take that approach. Maybe it’s because of the covenant he made with them, or maybe he sees a military advantage in facing all five kings at once rather than fighting them city by city. Either way, here’s what I want you to see: 

This battle marks a turning point. Up until now, Israel has fought one city at a time. Now, five kings have joined forces against them. The difficulty has escalated.

It was one thing to march around Jericho’s walls and watch them fall. Ai required more effort, more strategy. But now, the challenge is even greater—five enemies, in one huge battle.

Life works the same way sometimes. Challenges don’t always stay the same; sometimes they increase. What was difficult before may feel small compared to what you’re facing now. But as we’ll see in this passage, when life gets tougher, God’s power becomes even more evident. The greater the challenge, the greater the opportunity for God to work.

And that’s what Joshua is about to experience.

Their journey isn’t over, it’s only getting started. After this battle, they will have to take the rest of the land in the south, and then they will move north. With each step forward, the opposition will grow stronger, the obstacles will multiply, and the battles will become even more demanding.

That’s the nature of life always. It doesn’t get easier, it often gets tougher. The higher you climb, the harder the challenges become.

A simple example is the workplace. You start at the bottom of the ladder, and as you prove yourself, you get promoted. But with each promotion, the pressure increases. More people depend on you. The decisions you make have a greater impact. The responsibility that once felt like an honor can sometimes feel like a weight on your shoulders.

Anyone who has led others knows this feeling. Leadership can be lonely. Decisions can weigh heavily on you and sometimes, you find yourself longing for the simplicity of the past.

Nowhere has this truth hit me harder than being a father.

When you first hold that newborn in your arms, life is demanding but simple. They need food, a warm place to sleep, and a nappy changd. It’s exhausting, but it is straightforward.

Then they get a little older. You put them in a crib, and you can still keep an eye on them because soon, they’re climbing out. Now, you must watch them constantly because they can get into things that could hurt them.

Then they start walking all the ornaments need moving to higher shelves. Then they want to go outside, suddenly, keeping them safe becomes much more complicated. And that’s just the beginning.

Before long, they’re wandering into the road if you are not watching them.

Then comes the real test: the teenage years.

This is where many parents struggle the most. Up until now, you’ve been letting them go little by little. But once they become teenagers, they start making decisions that can have lifelong consequences. They become more influenced by their peers than their parents. They want to go places. Maybe they start dating and suddenly, you’re not just concerned about them, you’re concerned about the person they might choose as a spouse.

Parenting never really gets easier. Even when they grow up and move out, you find yourself worrying about their marriages, their careers, your grand-children. 

Life is a joy but a worry also

But this principle is just as true in our spiritual lives.

When you first become a Christian, especially if you come to faith as a teenager or a young adult, the first struggles you face are often sins of action—the things you used to do that you now know you shouldn’t. 

Maybe it’s bad habits, destructive behaviors, or things that were obviously wrong. And when you overcome them, you feel a sense of victory. You think, Wow, that was tough, but I did it.

But it doesn’t stop there. The next challenge comes even harder, the sins of the tongue.

Controlling your words can be even harder than controlling your behavior. Learning to hold your tongue, to resist gossip, to speak with kindness instead of anger—that’s a battle many of us will fight for a lifetime.

I think the progression of the challenges in this book of Joshua is interesting that at the beginning of the book God supernaturally gave Israel victory over Jericho—the walls fell down without them having to lift a sword. But after that, God required them to fight. At Ai, they had to strategize. And now, in Joshua 10, they aren’t just fighting one city, they’re facing five kings at once.

That’s how spiritual growth works. God may give you an initial victory in a dramatic way, but as you mature, the battles become harder. He doesn’t just hand you everything—you have to learn to fight for it.

I’ve heard many testimonies of how God gave people victory over certain sins, and that’s great but I’m not sure I’ve never heard anyone say, God supernaturally took away my tendency to gossip. Why? Because some spiritual battles require ongoing discipline to obtain the victory.

The reality is, life can still be tough maybe for you even tougher as you live out the Christin life. Spiritually, emotionally, and physically, the challenges won’t disappear. But the good news is, God strengthens us for the battles ahead. 

Which means, if life is getting harder, that’s not a sign of failure, it’s a sign of growth.

As you continue to grow in your walk with the Lord and gain in spiritual strength, the challenges you face will only become greater. Just as Joshua had to fight one king and then suddenly found himself facing five, our own spiritual battles intensify over time.

One of the greatest struggles we encounter as we mature in our faith is not just overcoming sinful actions or guarding our speech but fighting battles within our own minds. Controlling our thoughts is a more difficult challenge than controlling our actions. 

But beyond that, there is an even greater struggle, the battle for pure motives. We often speak idealistically about simply "doing what is right," but the reality is that making the right choice isn't always straightforward. Life presents us with complex, nuanced decisions that test not only our wisdom but also our integrity.

This is exactly the kind of challenge Joshua faced here. In the first six verses, we see the call to conflict, five kings uniting against Gibeon, which had made peace with Israel. In verses 7–15, we see the course of that conflict unfold. The text tells us:

So, Joshua marched up from Gilgal with his entire army, including all the best fighting men. The Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them; I have given them into your hand. Not one of them will be able to withstand you.” After an all-night march from Gilgal, Joshua took them by surprise. 

(Joshua 10: 7-9)

At first glance, this may seem like just a simple logistical detail, but it's actually a crucial part of the story. These five kings had attacked Gibeon, and Joshua's army was stationed at Gilgal, meaning they had to travel 25 miles to reach the battle. 

But this was not just any journey, it was an uphill climb of nearly 4,000 feet. If any of you are fell runners as I used to be you might know travelling 25 miles, uphill, (4000 feet), in the middle of the night would be an exhausting, grueling journey.

And yet, right in the middle of this challenge, God appeared to Joshua and encourages him and after that long, uphill march, Joshua has the confidence to launch a surprise attack at dawn:

The battle was intense, but the real turning point came in verse 10.

 The Lord threw them into confusion before Israel, so Joshua and the Israelites defeated them completely at Gibeon. Israel pursued them along the road going up to Beth Horon and cut them down all the way to Azekah and Makkedah.

(Joshua 10:10)

This was a direct fulfillment of God’s earlier promise in Exodus 23:27, when he said:

"I will send My fear before you, I will cause confusion among all the people to whom you come and will make all your enemies turn their backs to you."

And that’s exactly what happened. God threw the enemy into confusion, giving Joshua’s forces the advantage. But even with this divine intervention, the battle was still far from over. Five kings meant five armies, a much greater force than Joshua had ever faced before. Even with the element of surprise and the enemy in disarray, Joshua still had an enormous challenge ahead of him.

So, God stepped in again.

As they fled before Israel on the road down from Beth Horon to Azekah, the Lord hurled large hailstones down on them, and more of them died from the hail than were killed by the swords of the Israelites.

(Joshua 10: 11)

The text doesn’t go into detail about this event, but it’s important not to overlook it. This wasn’t just a typical hailstorm, it is presented as a supernatural intervention of God’s judgment.

Unlike a typical battle where an enemy could retreat or regroup, there was no escaping the hail. They were completely at the mercy of God’s judgment.

The significance of this moment cannot be overstated. It demonstrates that while Joshua and his army fought with all their strength, it was ultimately God who secured the victory. 

This is a powerful picture for us today spiritually: No matter how hard we fight, no matter how much effort we put into overcoming the struggles before us, there are battles we can only win with God’s intervention. Just as Joshua faced his toughest challenge yet, God fought for him. 

We too may face increasingly difficult battles in our spiritual lives. And just as God showed up for Joshua, He will show up for us. Our job is to trust Him, press forward in obedience, and allow Him to work on our behalf.

The enemy is thrown into confusion, tis was clearly a miracle, because the hail struck the enemy but spared Israel’s army. God intervened supernaturally by ensuring the hail only harmed the enemies and not the Israelites. But there’s another significant event about to happen next.

12 On the day the Lord gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the Lord in the presence of Israel: “Sun, stand still over Gibeon, and you, moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.” 13 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.

(Joshua 10:12-13)

This is one of the most debated and intriguing verses in the Bible. Some question how the sun could stand still since the earth revolves around the sun, not the other way around. So, it wasn’t the sun that stood still; it must have been the earth. So, how do we explain that?

First, I think we need to appreciate that this is the language of observation, it is the way Joshua and the armies perceived the situation. The Bible is not concerned with explaining things scientifically here but simply describing what was experienced by the people involved in this battle on that day. 

Dn’t think approaching it this way in any way lessons the miracle, but even today, scientists often refer to the sun “rising” or “setting,” even though we know that’s not the scientifically true. We still us the language of observation to explain many thigs today.

Now, what actually happened? Honestly, no one knows for sure. But for me it's clear that a miracle occurred, and that’s enough for me. 

But if you're looking for an explanation, here's the best one I've heard: it’s possible that God rather than stop the earth, but rather slowed its rotation. The earth’s rotation causes day and night, and it usually takes 24 hours for a full rotation. What some suggest is that God slowed the earth’s rotation, so it took longer to complete one full turn instead of 24 hours. This theory helps avoid the disastrous consequences of stopping the earth altogether, such as everything being thrown into space or the oceans spilling over.

Interestingly, there are ancient traditions from Persia, Greece, Egypt, and China that speak of a long day happening around the time of Joshua. The Chinese tradition connects it to a dynasty that seems to align with Joshua’s era.

Even more recently, in 1972, two scientists demonstrated that a storm on the sun slowed the earth’s rotation for a brief time. They concluded that the sun’s storm affected the earth’s rotation, and lengthening the day, albeit for a fraction of a second.

While we may never fully understand what happened, it’s clear that God performed a miracle here and the extra time allowed Joshua and his army to finish their pursuit of the enemy before nightfall, preventing the enemy from regrouping and giving Joshua a complete victory over the five kings.

Now, while I wish God would intervene like this for me, it’s important to note that this is the only time in Scripture when God grants an extended day for military victory. Because this specific situation demanded it.

Does God still work miracles today? Absolutely. I believe He does. He works in supernatural ways.

To illustrate, let me share a story I heard about from World War II.

A soldier, part of American 3rd Army Division, wrote to his mother about an incredible answer to prayer. His platoon was pinned down by German artillery fire, unable to move because the Germans had them pinned down from a higher position with a perfect view of them. 

Tom, the guy who wrote to his mother was a devout Christian the only one in his section he openly and visibly prayed earnestly for God’s help. Miraculously, almost immediately a fog rolled in, providing cover for the men, and they escaped. 

Later, those soldiers found a church in the nearby village where they went together to pray and thank God for His intervention. Tom’s respect among his comrades grew because of this event.

Yes, I believe that God still works, and He continues to intervene in ways that defy natural explanation, even sometimes it seems just like in Joshua’s time using meteorological phenonium to do it.

Verses 16 onwards describes the climax of the battle.

16 Now the five kings had fled and hidden in the cave at Makkedah. 17 When Joshua was told that the five kings had been found hiding in the cave at Makkedah, 18 he said, “Roll large rocks up to the mouth of the cave and post some men there to guard it. 19 But don’t stop; pursue your enemies! Attack them from the rear and don’t let them reach their cities, for the Lord your God has given them into your hand.”20 So Joshua and the Israelites defeated them completely, but a few survivors managed to reach their fortified cities. 21 The whole army then returned safely to Joshua in the camp at Makkedah, and no one uttered a word against the Israelites. 22 Joshua said, “Open the mouth of the cave and bring those five kings out to me.” 23 So they brought the five kings out of the cave—the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish and Eglon. 24 When they had brought these kings to Joshua, he summoned all the men of Israel and said to the army commanders who had come with him, “Come here and put your feet on the necks of these kings.” So, they came forward and placed their feet on their necks. “Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Be strong and courageous. This is what the Lord will do to all the enemies you are going to fight.” Then Joshua put the kings to death and exposed their bodies on five poles, and they were left hanging on the poles until evening. At sunset Joshua gave the order and they took them down from the poles and threw them into the cave where they had been hiding. At the mouth of the cave they placed large rocks, which are there to this day.

(Joshua 10: 16-27)

Because of the confusion caused by the hail and the extra time granted by the sun standing still, Israel was able to defeat the remaining enemy forces. However, the five kings who led the army hid in a cave. So, Joshua instructed his men to block the cave entrance until the battle was over. Afterward, they returned, removed the five kings, and executed them.

One part of this passage that might be troubling is verse 24, where Joshua instructs the leaders to place their feet on the necks of the kings. This act was a symbolic gesture, representing victory over the enemies. It was a common practice in ancient cultures, often depicted in inscriptions on walls. 

Joshua here used this as a symbol of the victory they had achieved and a reminder that they would continue to be victorious in the future. 

The rest of the chapter recounts the conquest of the southern cities, starting in verse 28 and continuing through verse 43. It details the cities that Israel conquered as they swept through the southern region of Palestine. 

28 That day Joshua took Makkedah. He put the city and its king to the sword and totally destroyed everyone in it. He left no survivors. And he did to the king of Makkedah as he had done to the king of Jericho.29 Then Joshua and all Israel with him moved on from Makkedah to Libnah and attacked it. 30 The Lord also gave that city and its king into Israel’s hand. The city and everyone in it Joshua put to the sword. He left no survivors there. And he did to its king as he had done to the king of Jericho. 31 Then Joshua and all Israel with him moved on from Libnah to Lachish; he took up positions against it and attacked it. 32 The Lord gave Lachish into Israel’s hands, and Joshua took it on the second day. The city and everyone in it he put to the sword, just as he had done to Libnah. 33 Meanwhile, Horam king of Gezer had come up to help Lachish, but Joshua defeated him and his army—until no survivors were left. 34 Then Joshua and all Israel with him moved on from Lachish to Eglon; they took up positions against it and attacked it. 35 They captured it that same day and put it to the sword and totally destroyed everyone in it, just as they had done to Lachish. 36 Then Joshua and all Israel with him went up from Eglon to Hebron and attacked it. 37 They took the city and put it to the sword, together with its king, its villages and everyone in it. They left no survivors. Just as at Eglon, they totally destroyed it and everyone in it.38 Then Joshua and all Israel with him turned around and attacked Debir. 39 They took the city, its king and its villages, and put them to the sword. Everyone in it they totally destroyed. They left no survivors. They did to Debir and its king as they had done to Libnah and its king and to Hebron.40 So Joshua subdued the whole region, including the hill country, the Negev, the western foothills and the mountain slopes, together with all their kings. He left no survivors. He totally destroyed all who breathed, just as the Lord, the God of Israel, had commanded. 41 Joshua subdued them from Kadesh Barnea to Gaza and from the whole region of Goshen to Gibeon. 42 All these kings and their lands Joshua conquered in one campaign, because the Lord, the God of Israel, fought for Israel. 43 Then Joshua returned with all Israel to the camp at Gilgal.

(Joshua 10: 28-43)

Remarkably, they began by facing the challenge of fighting five kings at once, rather than one at a time. By the end of the chapter, they had conquered all of the southern cities, which was a huge victory.

One notable exception is Jerusalem. Though the king of Jerusalem was one of the instigators of the conflict, the city itself was not conquered during this campaign. 

Jerusalem isn’t taken until many years later, when David became king and moved the capital from Hebron to Jerusalem. At that time, Israel conquered the city for the first time.

The key takeaway from this chapter is that when life gets tougher, if you call upon the Lord, He will fight for you. This is the core message I think this passage wants us to grasp. 

Look back at verse 14, where it says, "There has been no day like it before or after it, when the Lord heeded the voice of a man, for the Lord fought for Israel." 

And in verse 42, it says, "All these kings and their lands Joshua took at one time, because the Lord God of Israel fought for Israel." 

Twice in this chapter, it is emphasized that God fought for His people.

But it's important to place this in context. Throughout the book of Joshua, we see Joshua obeying God's word, trusting Him, but also putting in a personal effort of his own.

This victory didn’t happen in isolation—Joshua was actively involved, and then God stepped in.

God does not promise to fight for those who are faithless, indifferent, or lazy. He doesn’t battle for the inactive or the idol. But when we are walking with Him, trusting Him, and faithfully following Him, God will intervene, even sometimes supernaturally, when needed.

Life may get tougher, but we serve a God who is bigger than any challenge we face. I don’t mean to suggest that if you're obeying God, you automatically deserve His intervention, because it’s always by grace. 

God doesn’t grant victory because we earn it through our obedience, but because we are His children, and He graciously bestows it upon us. It’s not because we’re generals in His army, He does it because He is merciful and gracious father.

The crucial point here is that Joshua was obeying the Lord, praying, and then God acted. But it wasn’t because Joshua was obedient that God intervened—it was because God is gracious. 

That’s something you can rely on. Even if you haven’t been perfectly obedient, you can still come before the Lord, with a repentant heart and trust Him to work on your behalf. God will work, and He will act in grace.

I think this is how God deals with us.

He is our father, and we are His children, and even though we don’t deserve it, He blesses us and intervenes on our behalf.

He doesn’t do this because of our worthiness, but because we are His sons and daughters. 

When life gets tougher, the world tells us we must fight for victory on our own. But when we look to the Lord in those situations we’ll discover that He is incredibly gracious to His children, and definitely wants to fight for us when we call on Him to help us.