Judges 10:12-14
An amazing thing! Not happened before and not happened since! That's how the writer of Joshua describes the events of Joshua 10:12-14.
What was it that so amazed him? It wasn't so much that the sun and moon stopped, but that the LORD heeded the voice of a man and fought for Israel.
Now, the sun stopped at Gibeon and the moon in the Valley of Aijalon, and the commentators make it clear that this must mean that these events took place at early morning. Traditionally, it has been thought that what stopped was the motion of sun and moon - and this led to thinking that what happened was then a period of extended day. This doesn't really fit though - for it was probably still pre-dawn when Joshua uttered this famous prophetic-prayer. Probably what stopped was not the motion but the shining of the sun and moon, and this means that what occurred was a prolonged darkness. The darkness gave Israel the upper hand in the battle - they were ready to go, but the armies they came to defeat were unprepared.
Now, this was prophetic prayer - Joshua spoke to the LORD (v. 12) and yet the prayer really gives commands to sun and moon, commands which they obey! The word of God does what it says, and that is what gives this prayer a prophetic ring. But more, all true prophecy has at its heart the person and work of Jesus Christ - 'the spirit of prophecy is the testimony of Jesus...' ... 'the Spirit of Christ in the prophets was indicating...the sufferings of Christ and subsequent glories...'
There was a subsequent day to this writing where a similar, though more significant, event took place and where the sun was darkened while a battle took place. The midday darkness that shrouded Jesus as he hung on the cross was darkness in which a decisive battle took place. He came, our great warrior-King, to rescue us from assailing enemies - sin, death, evil. And this battle was engaged in the strangest of places - his own body. He bore in his body our sins on the cross. He bore in his body the judgment of God on our sins. He bore in his body the battle against sin, death and evil. And at the end of the battle, the end of the darkness, he called out with a loud, triumphant cry, 'It is accomplished!' His Father had heard his prayer, and answered him - salvation had been won.
It is done. Never more can sin rise to triumph over the people of God, those who place their faith in Jesus Christ. This victory will never need to be won again. All prophecy has been fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
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