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Isaiah, Prophet of Salvation, Book 4, part 26

Isaiah 28:21 says that “He will be stirred up as in the valley of Gibeon, to do his task, His unusual task, and to work His work, His extraordinary work.” This is a reference to the battle that Joshua fought in the valley of Gibeon in Joshua 10, which was to protect the town of Gibeon from the attack of Adoni-zedek, the king of Jerusalem.

That battle is most known for Joshua’s prophetic declaration, “O sun, stand still in Gibeon, and O moon in the valley of Aijalon” (Joshua 10:12). The day was thus lengthened in order to allow time for Joshua to do “His unusual task” and “His extraordinary work,” as Isaiah described it.

This story was the second example that Judah should have remembered before trying to make an alliance with Egypt that would fail to repel the Assyrians. Even today, as we face difficult times in the final showdown with Mystery Babylon, we ought to remind ourselves of Joshua’s example, knowing that the story set precedents for us today. To understand how it applies to us today, we must know the story of Gibeon

The Covenant with Gibeon

The story properly begins with Noah’s curse upon Canaan in Genesis 9:25-27,

²⁵ So he [Noah] said, “Cursed be Canaan, a servant of servants he shall be to his brothers.” ²⁶ He also said, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem; and let Canaan be his servant. ²⁷ May God enlarge Japheth and let him dwell in the tents of Shem; and let Canaan be his servant.”

This curse put the Canaanites on Cursed Time for 2 x 414 years. Cursed Time is a grace period from the time of the curse (of the law) until the time that curse is actually executed. The interim is a grace period to give men time to repent. If they do not repent, then the curse is carried out at the appointed time.

In this case the curse was pronounced in the year 1660 from Adam, or three years after the end of Noah’s flood. (See Secrets of Time.) The curse came due 828 years later in the year 2488, the year that Joshua led Israel into the land to bring judgment on the unrepentant Canaanites according to the terms of Noah’s curse.

But the curse was not to destroy the Canaanites but to make them servants. The wording of the curse is also important, though somewhat vague. Genesis 9:26 says, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem, and let Canaan be his servant.” Whose servant? Shem’s servant? Perhaps, but it could also mean that Canaan should be a servant to “the Lord, the God of Shem.”

The point is that when Israel’s wars against the Canaanites began, at least some of those Canaanites would have to survive in order to serve Shem or the Lord God of Shem. Men do not make good servants when they are dead. For this reason, God caused the town of Gibeon to trick Joshua into making a covenant of peace with them. While it was not the will of God according to God’s instructions to Moses, it was most certainly His plan dating back to Noah.

The Gibeonites had made a covenant of peace with Israel in Joshua 9:15,

¹⁵ Joshua made peace with them and made a covenant with them, to let them live; and the leaders of the congregation swore an oath to them.

The previous verse tells us that Joshua “did not ask for the counsel of the Lord” in this, implying that this covenant was not the will of God. Nonetheless, it was in the plan of God that had been established in the days of Noah.

The War with Adoni-zedek

The king of Jerusalem at that time heard of this peace covenant and moved to attack Gibeon. After all, the king did not want any other city to follow Gibeon’s example. Canaan needed to present a united front to repel the Israelite invaders. So he gathered a coalition of five kings (Joshua 10:16) and attacked Gibeon. The Gibeonites then appealed to Joshua for help, and that is why the battle took place in the valley of Gibeon.

Joshua’s troops marched all night from Gilgal and won a decisive battle (Joshua 10:9, 10). The Canaanite survivors fled the scene but were met with a hailstorm that killed more Canaanites than the Israelites had slain with the sword (Joshua 10:11).

But as nightfall approached, the Israelites needed more time to pursue the fleeing Canaanite troops. So we read in Joshua 10:12, 13, 14,

¹² Then Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, “O sun, stand still at Gibeon, and O moon in the valley of Aijalon.” ¹³ So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped until the nation avenged themselves of their enemies. Is it not written in the book of Jasher? And the sun stopped in the middle of the sky and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day. ¹⁴ There was no day like that before it or after it, when the Lord listened to the voice of a man; for the Lord fought for Israel.

This was certainly a noteworthy miracle, but unless we understand some less-known details, most will not understand the real significance of this battle. First, Joshua was a type of Christ. Jesus Christ came as the high priest of the Melchizedek order (Hebrews 5:10). Melchizedek was the builder of Jerusalem who met Abraham after the battle against the kings of Shinar (Hebrews 7:1). Melchizedek, “King of Righteousness,” was the official title of the king of Jerusalem.

Adoni-zedek, “Lord of Righteousness,” was the equivalent of Melchizedek. The two terms were used interchangeably. The book of Jasher, mentioned in Joshua 10:13, uses Adoni-zedek to describe the one who met with Abraham, whereas Scripture speaks of Melchizedek.

Jasher 16:11, 12 tells us the story.

¹¹ And Adonizedek king of Jerusalem, the same was Shem, went out with his men to meet Abram, and his people, with bread and wine, and they remained together in the valley of Melech. ¹² And Adonizedek blessed Abram, and Abram gave him a tenth from all that he had brought from the spoil of his enemies, for Adonizedek was a priest before God.

Shem outlived Abraham, but when Shem finally died at the age of 600, his successors continued using the same title. We have no record of the kings of Jerusalem after Shem, but it is clear that by the time of Joshua, they were unbelievers who had been fully integrated with the Canaanites. Hence, the Adoni-zedek that fought against Joshua was a counterfeit Melchizedek priest ruling in Jerusalem. He was thus an antichrist ruling from the earthly Jerusalem, which Paul identifies prophetically as “Hagar” (Galatians 4:25). So the New Testament story of Jerusalem’s war against the true high priest of the order of Melchizedek was actually prophesied in Joshua 10.

Likewise, in our own time, we are seeing the next phase of the same war being fought in the context of the second coming of Christ. For this reason, Isaiah’s reference to this battle in Isaiah 28:21 is relevant to us today, even though Judah and Jerusalem failed to take heed to that example in the days of the prophet.

Keeping Covenants

Joshua’s covenant with the Gibeonites came with a sacred oath that was made under the authority of the Third Commandment, “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.” In other words, when you swear by the name of the Lord your God to do something, you must keep your word. Joshua did this.

The immediate context was that the Gibeonites became servants of the tabernacle in Shiloh, for we read in Joshua 9:27,

²⁷ But Joshua made them that day hewers of wood and drawers of water for the congregation and for the altar of the Lord, to this day, in the place which he would choose.

Perhaps each family of Gibeonites was scheduled to serve at the altar for a week at a time. In doing this, they were not only serving Shem (i.e., his descendants) but more importantly, they were serving the Lord God of Shem. In essence, they became types and shadows of the Melchizedek order. Christ, who was of Judah, was a priest of this same order, because it was not dependent upon any genealogy from Aaron. So also the Canaanite Gibeonites too could serve as types and shadows of the Melchizedek order, regardless of their descent from Ham.

Their example also shows how the curse of God works out for good in the end. All those Canaanites who were killed fighting Joshua in those days will be restored in the end. The Gibeonites established that pattern of restoration and were the first fruits of Canaan. Though they were trodden down as grapes, they will be placed on God’s great Communion Table in the end.

This is the "extraordinary work" in Isaiah 28:21, as much as the hailstorm (of truth) and the sun standing still for a day.