ONE OF THE LOST BOOKS of the bible is “ Sefer ha-Yashar.” It is only mentioned twice in the O.T., and not at all in the N.T. It is thought to be a book of the poetry of Israel. It is mentioned of David, grieving over the death of Saul and Jonathan, that “he ordered that the people of Judah be taught this lament of the bow” (2 Sam. 1:18a), which lauded the feats of leadership and war of both them, and their deaths. In parenthesis is added: “It is written in the Book of Jashar.” (2 Sam. 1:18b)
The second reference is found in the story of Joshua and the long day. He speaks the first half of his supplication to God, and we must understand it in context. “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.’” (Jos. 10:12) This event occurs early in Joshua’s leadership in the conquest of the Promised Land. Jericho’s walls had already fallen through a miracle of the LORD (cf. Jos. 6:1-27). The Israelites are poised to drive out the enemies of God from his Land. But the disaster of the battle of Ai (cf. Jos. 7:1-8:29), wherein sin in the camp brought ignominious defeat, forced the Israelites to pause and formally renew their covenant with their God (cf. Jos. 8:30-35).
Only then could the further war and conquest of the other existing inhabitants of the land resume, and Israel immediately then faces the fiercest and most powerful of their enemies, the Amorites. As the battle is about to commence, Joshua’s poem of prayer, in unity with all Israel, is synchronized with God’s will and favor for his people. His battle prayer is answered as the poem finishes, “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.” (Jos. 10:13a) The battle is engaged, and God’s power is shown as large hailstone rain down on the Amorites, routing them and killing many. The account of scripture then records: “The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day. There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the Lord listened to a human being. Surely the Lord was fighting for Israel!” (Jos. 10:13b-14)
There have been many attempts to reconcile this historical incident of the bible with science and human history. One draws on the lore of other cultures—stories from ancient China, New Zealand’s indigenous Maoris, North American eastern Indian tribes, and the Central American Mayans all tell of a long day—but there is no sufficient detail to further explain this extraordinary event. Conjectures by earlier astronomers and scientists, influenced by Christian persuasion, seemed to find validation in a story of 1970’s Nasa computers studying planetary orbits and their effect on rocket trajectories. This purported study had somehow found a missing day in the record of time. But it has since been debunked as an urban myth. Many bible commentators across centuries have offered interpretations ranging from a stoic defense of biblical inerrancy, to allegorical spiritualization, to deeply involved study of any and all astronomical references or inferences in scripture that might offer a nuanced explanation. One thing remains true. This is one of the most difficult and controversial stories of the bible.
But there are two observations we can make from the text itself, supported prophecy and by historical record. One comes from the fact that the Israelites are fighting the Amorites. God is obviously on the side of the Israelites, shown in his miraculous—not magical—use of hailstones from the sky to rout and kill the Amorites. The Amorites, clearly described in Mesopotamian historical records, are worshippers of the sun god Sin and the moon god Amurru. The first observation, then, is that the story is a literary polemic: this is a battle between the gods of the Amorites, who have long defiled the land, and the God of Israel. This event is a fulfillment of the fore-shadowing prophecy given to Abraham: “In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.” (Gen. 15:16)
It is in the second observation that we find application for our own lives, in any battle that we face. “Sefer ha-Yashar” is the Hebrew title transliterated as “The Book of Jashar.” The title, coming from that language into English, most nearly means “The book of the just, or righteous, man.” A more literal translation is “The upright one’s book.” Joshua—Hebrew “Yashua”—is God’s anointed leader of Israel, and has proven himself true. Just as God has proven himself true, Joshua has fulfilled the commission given to him by the LORD through Moses. “Be strong and courageous, for you will bring the Israelites into the land I promised them on oath, and I myself will be with you.” (Deut. 31:23) In fulfilling the will of God through faith and obedience in the midst of sustained and significant trials, we see in Joshua an underlying principle of intercessory prayer. The apostle James says, “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” (James 5:16)
Some of the hard sayings of the bible truly test our faith; but, that is the disciple’s journey in any age. The story of Joshua is one of those stories. The story of Joshua is a foreshadow of Jesus the Messiah. Both names are the same in the sense of “Savior.” As Moses commissioned Joshua to supersede him, so the Covenant of the Law gives way to the Covenant of Love and Mercy. And in this story, we find the meaning of our own story. “In the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith.’” (Rom. 1:17)
Q. Is my God bigger than my trials?
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