When God Throws Stones

I had to laugh one morning as I reflected on the chapter in Joshua. It makes a nice writing topic. Here are a couple of suggested titles: “God Throws Stones”, or try this, “When God Jumps in Your Fight”. The passage referred to is Joshua 10:11. It occurred in the more famous framework of Joshua, commanding the sun and moon to stand still.

Previously in verse 8, God said, “Don’t worry about this; I’ve got it!”

Amid the fight, as Joshua and his army ambushed the enemy troops, the enemy turned and fled. God then jumped in and threw stones from heaven! It simply said — “and they died”. What other option was there? The last time we saw God flinging stones from heaven was in Genesis 19:24 where brimstone and fire destroyed two cities. 

God still wants to fight our battles. He tells us the battle is not ours, but His. He tells us to stand still and see the salvation of the Lord (II Chronicles 29:15, 17). Is this another way of saying, “Step out of the way; I’ll handle this?” God has definitely “got our backs”. 

Two of my favorite Bible verses attest to this. The first is Isaiah 41:10, “Fear thou not, for I am with thee; be not discouraged, for I am thy God. I will strengthen thee, Yea, I will help thee, yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” Isaiah 43:2 states “When thou passest through the waters I will be with thee: and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee; when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.”  

To me, Scripture makes it clear that God is right here in the fight with me. He might even toss a stone or two!