Girl Read Your Bible: Guided Bible Reading Plan Volume 2Sample

The Gibeonites are in trouble. The king of Jerusalem, Adoni-Zedek, heard the news of how Israel destroyed Ai and Jericho. He also learned about the peace treaty the people of Gibeon made with the Israelites, so he devised a plan of his own. Adoni-Zedek and his people were terrified, knowing that it was only a matter of time before they would be next to be destroyed. They were also afraid that the Gibeonites had made a treaty with Israel because they were a major town and had mighty warriors. The Gibeonites and the cities that surrounded them were settled on a plateau near Jerusalem in the northern part. Throughout time, whoever possessed the plateau also controlled the hill country, and with the Gibeonites befriending Israel, the Israelites now controlled this land. Adoni-Zedek wanted to defeat the Gibeonites, so he sent messages to a number of other kings in Southern Canaan, urging them to join forces with him to destroy the people of Gibeon. Since Israel controlled Northern Canaan, he knew he wouldn’t be able to get help from their kings.

So Adoni-Zedek and the kings he recruited attack Gibeon. The Gibeonites rush to send messengers to Joshua, begging for help, and Joshua, along with his entire army, sets out to assist them. The Lord throws the Amorites into a panic, and Joshua and his men attack them by surprise. The Israelites destroy a massive amount of the Amorites, but God sends a fierce hailstorm, and the hail kills more of their enemies than the Israelites did with their swords! Joshua prays that the sun and moon would stand still so that the day would be extended until they finished defeating their enemies. And God answers his prayer! God is just tight like that. They completely annihilate them. The Israelites proceed to travel throughout the Southern towns of Canaan and destroy them. Six additional cities are defeated, and not a battle is lost. God is fighting for His people.

After the Southern cities are captured, the Israelites move northward. King Jabin of Hazor hears of the victories of the Israelites and sends messages to the Northern kings to join together to fight against Israel. Hazor was the largest Canaanite city; combined with the Northern kings, they were colossal. The Lord encourages Joshua because he might or might not have been quaking in his boots, but God affirms him. He lets him know He will hand their enemies over to them. The Israelites even defeat the Anakim, who, if you recall from Numbers 13:27-33, were the reason the first generation was terrified to enter the Promised Land in the first place. Joshua had taken hold of the land of Canaan, though some small cities had not been completely captured. It would be up to the tribe assigned to that particular section of land, which we’ll read more about next.