Question:
Joshua asked the Lord that the sun should stand still (See Joshua 10:12), but the astronomers claim that the sun stands still all the time and the earth moves. How should we understand this?
Answer:
It is easily understood if we allow the same language used in the Bible elsewhere. We speak of the sun’s rising and setting. But when we say the sun has risen, we mean that the portion of the earth upon which we are has revolved toward the sun; and when we say the sun has set, we mean that that portion has revolved away from the sun. So it was in Joshua’s day. The sun did not go down. Joshua desired that it should not go down in appearance. That could have been met in two ways. The sun’s reflection could have been cast back upon the earth just as long as God desired it if He chose to work that way, or He could have retarded the earth’s motion so that the day would be much longer. It was in God’s power to do either.
