Our belief is that all the Bible records historically happened literally, except maybe when it says that animals speak, it may be in the mind of the individual interpreting the actions of the animal. In the case of the sun standing still, we do not believe the earth stopped spinning for a day. Rather, we believe that somehow the LORD caused it to appear that the sun stood still.  Whether He did this with another light in the heavens, or used an object in the heavens to reflect the light of the sun makes little difference to us.  The point is that Joshua’s prayer, which was in accord with the Lord’s purposes, was answered, and a picture was drawn for us about the day of God’s vengeance upon those who do not fear him.

An additional consideration – a critical examination of this passage in the Hebrew language in which the Old Testament was written, discloses the fact that Joshua never requested the Lord to cause the sun and moon to stand still. His request was that the sunlight and the moonlight might be restrained or prevented from shining through the dark clouds of the storm mentioned in verse 11, in which great hailstones had been formed, and doubtless were accompanied by thunder and lightning, all of which would strike terror into the hearts of the Amorites. Had the dark clouds rolled away and the sun shone forth, the enemies of Israel, who were sun worshippers, would have plucked up courage and resisted the onslaughts of Joshua and his army. So, the sunlight and the moonlight remained dim (Hebrew) about a whole day, “until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies.” The Bible rightly interpreted and understood is consistent with reason and with facts.

For a more detailed discussion, please see the following article in Beauties of the Truth: The link is www.beautiesofthetruth.org  Then click on the past issue of August 2009. The front feature article is on Joshua’s long day.

Additional Resource:  Christian Questions Podcast Episode #1220: “Can Faith Take Me From Failure to Victory?”
Powerful lessons of faith overcoming adversity from the life of Joshua
Preview Video  CQ Rewind Show Notes