Front matter (continued, part 33)
Joshua's message to the priests (v. 6). The priests had the responsibility of bearing the ark of the covenant and going before the people as they marched. It was the priests who had to get their feet wet before God would open the waters. The priests would also have to stand in the middle of the riverbed until all the people had passed over. When the priests arrived on the other side, the waters would return to their original condition. It took faith and courage for these priests to do their job, but they trusted God and relied on the faithfulness of His Word.
Each of the tribes had an assigned place in the camp and an assigned order in the march when they broke up camp (Josh. 2). When the leaders of the tribes saw the priests bearing the ark and moving toward the river, they were to prepare their people to follow. Since the people had not traveled this way before, they needed God to guide them. But they were not to get too close to the ark, for this was a holy piece of furniture from the tabernacle, and it was not to be treated carelessly. God is our companion as we go through life, but we dare not treat Him like a "buddy."
The message of the Lord to Joshua (vv. 7–8). When Moses led the nation through the Red Sea, this miracle magnified Moses before the people, and they recognized that he was indeed the servant of the Lord (Ex. 14:31). God would do the same thing for Joshua at the Jordan, and in so doing, He would remind the people that He was with Joshua just as He had been with Moses (Josh. 4:14; see 1:5, 9). Both Moses and Joshua had received their authority from the Lord before these miracles occurred, but the miracles gave them stature before the people. It takes both authority and stature to exercise effective leadership.
Joshua's message to the people (v. 5). This was both an order and a promise, and the fulfillment of the promise depended on their obedience to the order. Some of God's promises are unconditional, and all we have to do is believe them; while other promises require that we meet certain conditions. In meeting these conditions, we're not earning God's blessing; we're making sure our hearts are ready for God's blessing.
Joshua's message to the people (vv. 9–13). Having instructed the priests bearing the ark, Joshua then shared the words of the Lord with the people. He didn't magnify himself; He magnified the Lord and His gracious blessings to the nation. True spiritual leadership focuses the eyes of God's people on the Lord and His greatness. Much of what Joshua said in this brief speech was recalled from Moses' last speech to Joshua (Deut. 31:1–8), as well as the Lord's words to Joshua when he took Moses' place (Josh. 1:1–9). Joshua didn't give the people a "religious pep talk." He simply reminded them of the promises of God—the Word of faith—and encouraged them to trust and obey.
If the experience of Israel at Mount Sinai was the pattern (Ex. 19:9–15), "sanctify yourselves" meant that everybody bathed and changed their clothes and that the married couples devoted themselves wholly to the Lord (1 Cor. 7:1–6). In the Near East, however, water was a luxury that wasn't used too often for personal hygiene. In our modern world we're accustomed to comfortable bathing facilities, but these were unknown to most of the people in Bible times.
In the Bible the imagery of washing one's body and changing clothes symbolized making a new beginning with the Lord. Since sin is pictured as defilement (Ps. 51:2, 7), God has to cleanse us before we can truly follow Him. When Jacob made a new beginning with the Lord and returned to Bethel, he and his family washed themselves and changed their garments (Gen. 35:1–3). After King David confessed his sin, he bathed, changed clothes, and worshipped the Lord (2 Sam. 12:20). The imagery is carried over into the New Testament in 2 Corinthians 6:14—7:1; Ephesians 4:26–27, and Colossians 3:8–14.
But Joshua's God was more than just the God of Israel. He was "the living God" (3:10) and "the Lord of all the earth" (vv. 11, 13). Because He is "the living God," He can defeat the dead idols of the heathen nations that then inhabited the land (Ps. 115). Because He is "the Lord of all the earth," He can go where He pleases and do what He wishes with every land and nation. "You shall be a special treasure to Me above all people," God had told them at Sinai, "for all the earth is Mine" (Ex. 19:5 nkjv). "The hills melted like wax at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth" (Ps. 97:5).
The promise was that the Lord would do wonders among them. As He opened the Red Sea to deliver Israel from Egypt, so also He would open the Jordan River and take them into the Promised Land. But that would be just the beginning of miracles, for the Lord would go with them into the land, defeat their
Joshua explained to the people that God would open the river as soon as the priests bearing the ark put their feet into the waters of the Jordan. He also ordered each tribe to appoint a man to perform a special task that was explained later (Josh. 4:2–8). God was going before His people, and He would open the way!
Joshua 3—4
3—4, the writer used Israel's experience at Kadesh Barnea to warn foolish Christians not to come short of all that God had planned for them. We never stand still in the Christian life; we either move forward in faith or go backward in unbelief.
As you review these five messages, you can see that the Lord gave them all the information they needed to accomplish what He wanted them to do. You find conditions that the people had to fulfill, orders they had to obey, and promises they had to believe. God always gives His "Word of faith" to His people whenever He asks them to follow Him into new areas of conflict and conquest. God's commandments are still His enablements, and God's promises do not fail. The counsel of King Jehoshaphat centuries later is still applicable today: "Believe in the Lord your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper" (2 Chron. 20:20 nkjv). "There has not failed one word of all His good promise" (1 Kings 8:56 nkjv).
The witness of faith (4:1–24) The Lord was in control of all the activities at the Jordan River that day. He told the priests when to enter the river and when to leave and go to the other side. He told the water when to roll back and when to return. Both the water and the people obeyed Him, and everything worked out as God planned. It was a day that glorified the Lord and magnified His servant Joshua (v. 14).
The walk of faith (3:14–17) During most of the year, the Jordan River was about a hundred feet wide, but at the spring flood season, the river overflowed its banks and became a mile wide. As soon as the priests bearing the ark put their feet into the river, the water stopped flowing and stood like a wall about twenty miles away upstream, near a city called Adam. It was a miracle of God in response to the faith of the people.
Two heaps of stones were set up as memorials of Israel's crossing of the Jordan River: twelve stones at Gilgal (vv. 1–8, 10–24), and twelve stones in the midst of the river (v. 9). They were witnesses that God honors faith and works on behalf of those who trust Him.
The stones placed at Gilgal were carried over by twelve previously selected men, one from each tribe (3:12). When these men reached the midst of the river, they each picked up a large stone and carried it about eight miles to Gilgal where the nation camped for the night. Gilgal was about two miles from Jericho and excluding the Transjordan was the first territory in Canaan claimed by Israel for their inheritance. In later years Gilgal became an important center for the nation Israel crowned their first king at Gilgal (1 Sam. 11); there David was welcomed back after Absalom's rebellion was subdued (2 Sam. 19); and Samuel thought Gilgal important enough to include it in his "ministry circuit" (1 Sam. 7:16). There was a "school of the prophets" at Gilgal in the days of Elijah and Elisha (2 Kings 2:1–2; 4:38). Gilgal was important to Joshua because it became his camp and center of operations (Josh. 9:6; 10:6, 15, 43; 14:6).
Unless we step out by faith (1:3) and "get our feet wet," we're not likely to make much progress in living for Christ and serving Him. Each step that the priests took opened the water before them until they were standing in the midst of the river on dry ground. They stood there as the people passed by, and when the whole nation had crossed, the priests walked to the shore and the flow of the water resumed.
When God opened the Red Sea, He used a strong wind that blew the whole night before (Ex. 14:21–22). This was not an accident, for the wind was the blast of God's nostrils (15:8). When Moses lifted his rod, the wind began to blow, and when he lowered the rod, the waters flowed back and drowned the Egyptian army (14:26–28). When Israel crossed the Jordan River, it was not the obedient arm of a leader that brought the miracle but the obedient feet of the people. Unless we are willing to step out by faith and obey His Word, God can never open the way for us.
This heap of twelve stones was a reminder of what God did for His people. The Jews were great believers in teaching the next generation about Jehovah and His special relationship to the people of Israel (4:6, 21; Ex. 12:26; 13:14; Deut. 6:20; see Ps. 34:11–16; 71:17–18; 78:1–7; 79:13; 89:1; 102:18). To an unbeliever, the heap of twelve stones was simply another stone pile, but to a believing Israelite, it was a constant reminder that Jehovah was his or her God, working His wonders on behalf of His people.
As I mentioned before, the crossing of the Jordan River is not a picture of the Christian dying and going to heaven, contrary to what is said in some songs. The crossing of the Red Sea pictures the believer being delivered from the bondage of sin, and the crossing of the Jordan River pictures the believer claiming the inheritance in Jesus Christ. Joshua is a type of Jesus Christ our Conqueror who leads us from day to day into the inheritance He has planned for us (1 Cor. 2:9–10). "He shall choose our inheritance for us" (Ps. 47:4). What a tragedy it is when God's people fail to claim their inheritance and wander aimlessly through life as Israel did in the wilderness. The book of Hebrews was written to challenge God's people to go on in spiritual maturity and not go backward in unbelief. In Hebrews
But also note that Joshua put an obligation on the Jews to fear the Lord and bear witness of Him to the whole world (Josh. 4:24). The God who can open the river is the God everybody ought to fear, love, and obey! Israel needed to tell the other nations about Him and invite them to trust Him too. The God of Israel cares for His people, keeps His promises, goes before them in victory, and never fails. What a witness to give to the world!
It's unfortunate that this memorial at Gilgal gradually lost its spiritual meaning and instead became a
Joshua 4—5
(Deut. 6:23), and He brings us in that we might overcome and claim our inheritance in Jesus Christ. Because God's people are identified with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection (Rom. 6; Gal. 2:20), they have "overcoming power," and the world (6:14), the flesh (5:24), or the devil (John 12:31) need not defeat them. In Jesus Christ, we are overcomers (1 John 5:3).
shrine where the Jews sinned against God by worshipping there. The prophet Hosea condemned the people for worshipping at Gilgal instead of at Jerusalem (Hos. 4:15; 9:15; 12:11), and Amos echoed his warnings (Amos 4:4; 5:5). Unless we teach the next generation the truth about the Lord, they will turn away and start following the world.
Joshua set up the monument in the midst of the river (v. 9); and to the Jews, it must have seemed a strange thing for their leader to do. After all, who but God could see twelve stones heaped together in a riverbed? We aren't told that God commanded Joshua to set up this second monument, but it's likely that He did. At least, He didn't reproach him for doing it.
If you want to claim your spiritual inheritance in Christ, believe the Word of faith and get your feet wet! Step out in a walk of faith, and God will open the way for you. Surrender yourself to the Lord and die to the old life (Rom. 6), and He will bring you into the land and give you "days of heaven upon the earth" (Deut. 11:21). The Israelites were now in the land, but they were not yet ready to confront the enemy. There was still some spiritual preparation necessary for the people and for Joshua.
The monument at Gilgal reminded the Jews that God had opened the Jordan River and brought them safely across into the Promised Land. They had made a break with the past and were never to think of going back. The monument in the depths of the river reminded them that their old life was buried and they were now to "walk in newness of life" (Rom. 6:1–4). (When we study Josh. 5, we will see the spiritual significance for the Christian today of the establishing of this monument and the circumcising of the new generation.)
CHAPTER FIVE Joshua 5 PREPARING FOR VICTORY T
Meanwhile, whenever the Jewish children asked about the twelve stones at Gilgal, the parents would explain the miracle of the crossing of the river. Then they would add, "But there's another monument in the middle of the river where the priests stood with the ark. You can't see it, but it's there. It reminds us that our old life has been buried, and we must live a new life in obedience to the Lord." The children would have to accept this fact by faith, and if they did, it could make a great difference in the way they related to God and to His will for their lives.
he nation of Israel arrived safely on the other side of the Jordan River. Their crossing was a great miracle, and it sent a great message to the people of the land (5:1). The Canaanites were already afraid (2:9–11), and now their fears totally demoralized them.
D.Affirming the covenant—5
You would have expected Joshua to mobilize the army immediately and attack Jericho. After all, the people of Israel were united in following the Lord, and the people of the land were paralyzed by fear. From the human point of view, it was the perfect time for Joshua to act.
These two heaps of stones were the first of several stone monuments that the Jews put up in the land. In obedience to Moses' instructions, they also set up the two "stones of blessing and cursing" at Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim (Deut. 27:1–8; Josh. 8:30–35). They raised a heap of stones over Achan and his household (7:25–26), and at the close of his life, Joshua set up a "witness stone" at Shechem (24:24–28; Judg. 9:6). The two and a half tribes that lived east of the Jordan set up a "great altar" to remind their children that they were a part of the nation of Israel, even though the river separated them from the other tribes (Josh. 22:10ff.).
But God's thoughts and ways are higher than ours (Isa. 55:8–9), and Joshua was getting his orders from the Lord, not from the military experts. The nation crossed the river on the tenth day of the first month (Josh. 4:19). The events described in Joshua 5 took at least ten days, and then the people marched around Jericho for six more days. God waited over two weeks before giving His people their first victory in the land.
God's people must be prepared before they can be trusted with victory. The triumphant conquest of the land was to be the victory of God, not the victory of Israel or of Joshua. It was neither the expertise of the Jewish army nor the emotions of the enemy that would give Israel the victory, but the presence and blessing of the Lord. There were three steps of preparation necessary before God would give His people victory over the nations in the land of Canaan.
There is nothing wrong with memorials, provided they don't become religious idols that turn our hearts from God, and provided they don't so link us to the past that we fail to serve God in the present. Glorifying the past is a good way to petrify the present and rob the church of power. The next generations need reminders of what God has done in history, but these reminders must also strengthen their faith and draw them closer to the Lord.
Renewing the Lord's covenant (5:1–9) After triumphantly crossing the Jordan River, the nation had to pause at Gilgal while the men submitted
God brings us out that He might bring us in
Joshua 5
people, they could live just as they pleased! Moses warned them about this sin (Deut. 30:6), and so did the prophets (Jer. 4:4). When John the Baptist called them to repent, the Jewish spiritual leaders said, "We have Abraham as our father" (Matt. 3:9 nkjv). They were not unlike some people today who feel sure they're saved and are going to heaven because they're baptized, confirmed, and participate regularly in Communion. As good as these religious rites can be, they must never become substitutes for faith in Jesus Christ. (See Rom. 2:25–29.)
to painful surgery. Why did God command this ritual at this time?
To restore their covenant relationship (vv. 2–7). Israel is a covenant nation, a privilege God has given to no other nation on earth (Rom. 9:4–5). God gave His covenant to Abraham when He called him out of Ur of the Chaldees (Gen. 12:1–3), and He sealed that covenant with a sacrifice (Gen. 15). God gave circumcision as the sign of the covenant to Abraham and his descendants (17:9–14, 23–27; note especially v. 11). Other nations in that day practiced circumcision, but the ritual didn't carry with it the spiritual meaning that it did for the Jews.
To test their faith (5:8). Israel was camped in enemy territory, just a few miles from Jericho. Now they were going to temporarily disable every male in the nation, including every soldier in the army! What a golden opportunity for the enemy to attack and wipe them out. (See Gen. 34.) It took faith for Joshua and the people to obey the Lord, but their obedience to the law was the secret of their success (Josh. 1:7–8). In their weakness they were made strong, and through faith and patience they inherited the promises (Heb. 6:12).
Through this ritual the Jews became a "marked people" because they belonged to the true and living God. This meant that they were under obligation to obey Him. The mark of the covenant reminded them that their bodies belonged to the Lord and were not to be used for sinful purposes. Israel was surrounded by nations that worshipped idols and included in their worship rituals that were sensual and degrading. The mark of the covenant reminded the Jews that they were a special people, a separated people, a holy nation (Ex. 19:5–6), and that they were to maintain purity in their marriages, their society, and their worship of God.
Shortly after Israel departed from Egypt, God tested them at Meribah, and they failed the test (Ex. 17:1–7; Ps. 81:7). Shortly after Israel entered the Promised Land, God tested them by commanding the men to be circumcised, and they passed the test. The people had faith to obey God, and this act gave evidence that they would obey His orders as they marched through the land.
The Jews had not practiced circumcision during their years of wandering in the wilderness. Thirty-eight years before, at Kadesh Barnea, they had refused to believe God and enter the land (Deut. 2:14; Num. 13–14). God disciplined the people by making them wander in the wilderness until the entire older generation had died off, except Caleb and Joshua. During that time, God had suspended His covenant relationship with Israel and didn't require the mark of the covenant on their male children. He performed wonders for them and met their every need even though they were temporarily not His covenant people.
After we've experienced an exciting victory of faith, God often permits us to be tested. Abraham arrived in the land of promise and was confronted with a famine (Gen. 12). Elijah triumphed over Baal and was threatened with death (1 Kings 18–19). After His baptism in the Jordan, the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan (Matt. 3:13—4:11). Since great victories can lead to great pride, God allows us to be tested in order to remind us to depend on Him. The Scottish preacher Andrew Bonar (1810–92) used to say, "Let us be as watchful after the victory as before the battle."
The new generation was now in their inheritance, however, and it was important that they renew their covenant relationships with the Lord. If during their wilderness journey Israel was tempted to sin (see Num. 25), how much more they would be tempted now that they were living in the land! They would be surrounded by pagan people with immoral religious practices, and they would be tempted to compromise with their enemies. Later, this is exactly what future generations did, because they forgot the true meaning of circumcision.
To remove their reproach (v. 9). The word Gilgal is similar to the Hebrew word galal which means "to roll." But what was "the reproach of Egypt"? Some suggest that this means their reproach for being slaves in Egypt, but it wasn't Israel's fault that the new pharaoh turned against them (Ex. 1:8ff.). The Jews were in Egypt because God had sent them there (Gen. 46:1–4), not because they were disobedient.
This physical operation on the body was meant to be a symbol of a spiritual operation on the heart. "Therefore circumcise the foreskin of your heart, and be stiff-necked no longer" (Deut. 10:16 nkjv). No amount of external surgery can change the inner person. It's when we repent and turn to God for help that He can change our hearts and make us love and obey Him more. (See Rom. 2:25–29.)
It's also been suggested that "the reproach of Egypt" refers to the nation's shame because they had worshipped idols in Egypt (Ezek. 20:7–8; 23:3) and even during their wilderness wanderings (Amos 5:25–26; Acts 7:42–43). But that older generation was now dead, and the younger Israelites certainly shouldn't be blamed for the sins of their fathers. Furthermore, it's difficult for me to see the relationship between crossing the river, circumcision, and the Jews' idolatry in Egypt.
But over the years, the Jews came to trust in the external mark of the covenant and not in the God of the covenant who wanted to make them a holy people. They thought that as long as they were God's covenant
I think that "the reproach of Egypt" refers to the ridicule of the enemy when Israel failed to trust God
Joshua 5
the old life) and their crossing of the Jordan River (entering into the new inheritance).
at Kadesh Barnea and enter the Promised Land. When Aaron made the golden calf at Mount Sinai and the people broke God's law, God threatened to destroy them and make a new nation from Moses. But Moses argued that God would lose glory if He did that, because the Egyptians would only say that God delivered them in order to kill them (Ex. 32:1–12). At Kadesh Barnea Moses used the same appeal when God said He would destroy Israel (Num. 14:11–14). Moses didn't want the Egyptians to spread the word that the God of Israel couldn't finish what He had started.
We have also been identified with Christ in His circumcision. "In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead" (Col. 2:11–12 nkjv).
The Christian's circumcision is in contrast to that of the Jews. They had external physical surgery, while believers have internal "spiritual surgery" on their hearts. The Jews' surgery involved only a part of the body; while for the believer, the whole "body of the sins of the flesh" (Col. 2:11) was removed. When you accept this fact and reckon on it, you have victory over sins of the flesh that would enslave you. Faith "in the working of God" (Col. 2:12 nkjv) can give you overcoming power.
Israel's sin at Kadesh Barnea was a reproach to them, but now that was all in the past. The nation was actually in the Promised Land! They had captured the territory east of the Jordan, and their people were already occupying it (Num. 32). They had crossed the Jordan River and were ready for conquest. No matter what the Egyptians and the other nations had said about Israel because of their sin at Kadesh Barnea, that reproach was now completely gone. Each man bore on his body the mark that reminded him that he belonged to God, he was a son of the covenant, and the land was his to conquer and possess.
In the early church there were false teachers who said the Gentile Christians had to be circumcised and obey the law of Moses, or they couldn't be saved (Acts 15). They were adding human works to God's grace (Eph. 2:8–10; Gal. 5:1). Paul called these false teachers "dogs" (that's what some Jews called the Gentiles) and called circumcision "the concision" ("mutilation"), and he affirmed that Christian believers were the "true circumcision" (Phil. 3:1–3). God's children have experienced in Christ an inward "spiritual surgery" that has given them a new heart and new desires (2 Cor. 5:17; Eph. 4:24; Col. 3:10; see Ezek. 11:19; 36:26). Just as the Jewish men at Gilgal had to submit to God's will, so believers today must yield to the Spirit and allow Him to make true in their personal experience what God says is true in His Word. We must practice "dead reckoning" (Rom. 6:11ff.).
To qualify them to eat the Passover (Ex. 12:43–44, 48). No male could participate in the annual Feast of the Passover unless he had been circumcised and was a true son of the covenant. I'll have more to say later about this great Passover celebration.
To picture some important spiritual truths. Old Testament events are often illustrations of New Testament doctrines (Rom. 15:4; 1 Cor. 10:11). Israel's Exodus from Egypt pictures the sinner's deliverance from the slavery of sin through faith in Jesus Christ (John 1:29; 1 Cor. 5:7; Gal. 1:4). Israel's crossing of the Jordan River is a picture of believers dying to self and entering by faith into their inheritance. This truth is explained in Hebrews 1–6, especially chapters 3 and 4. God doesn't want us to wander in the wilderness of unbelief. He wants us to claim our inheritance by faith, conquer our enemies, and enjoy the spiritual "rest" that He has for those who walk by faith.
Remembering the Lord's goodness (5:10–12) "Forgetting those things which are behind" (Phil. 3:13) is wise counsel for most areas of life, but there are some things we must never forget. In his farewell address to the nation, Moses repeatedly commanded the Jews to remember that they were once slaves in Egypt and that the Lord had delivered them and made them His own people (Deut. 6:15; 15:15; 16:12; 24:18, 22). This great truth was embodied in their annual Passover feast. They were never to forget that they were a redeemed people, set free by the blood of the lamb.
Because the Holy Spirit baptizes all believers into the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:13), all believers are identified with Christ in His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension (Rom. 6:1–10; Eph. 2:1–10). This truth is pictured in Israel's crossing of the river. We're saved from the penalty of sin because of substitution: Christ died for us (Rom. 5:8). But we're saved from the power of sin because of identification: We died with Christ (Gal. 2:20). We must believe what God says is true and reckon ourselves to be dead to sin and alive in Christ (Rom. 6:11–23). We have crossed the river!
Forty years before, Israel had celebrated the Passover on the night of their deliverance from Egypt (Ex. 11–14). They also celebrated Passover at Mount Sinai, before leaving for Kadesh Barnea (Num. 9:1–14), but there is no evidence that they commemorated the Passover at any time during their years of wilderness wandering. The fact that the new generation wasn't circumcised prevented them from participating, and God had temporarily suspended His covenant with His people because of
Many New Testament scholars believe the apostolic church practiced baptism by immersion. The candidate was submerged into the water and then raised up, picturing the believer's identification with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection. Israel pictured this truth in their crossing of the Red Sea (separated from
Joshua 5
move until he was sure the Lord's presence was with him.
their rebellion at Kadesh Barnea. That one act of unbelief had cost Israel dearly.
This paragraph records one of the pre-incarnation appearances of the Lord Jesus Christ recorded in the Old Testament. To Abraham the pilgrim, the Lord came as a traveler to share in a friendly meal (Gen. 18:1–8). To Jacob the schemer, He came as a wrestler to bring him to the place of submission (32:24–32). The three Hebrew men met Him as their companion in the furnace of fire (Dan. 3:25), and Joshua met Him as the Captain of the Lord's armies. Our Lord always comes to us when we need Him and in the way we need Him.
The death of Jesus Christ is typified in the slaying of the Passover lamb (1 Cor. 5:7), and His resurrection is typified in the "wave offering" that was presented on the day after the Sabbath that followed Passover (Lev. 23:10–14; 1 Cor. 15:23). The day after the Sabbath would be the first day of the week, the Lord's Day, the day of Christ's resurrection (Matt. 28:1). Again, we see the picture of death and resurrection, which is our only means of life and victory (Rom. 6:4).
The Passover was followed by the Feast of Unleavened Bread when for a week the Jews avoided leaven (yeast) and ate unleavened bread (Ex. 12:15, 18–20). When Israel entered Canaan, it was time for the barley harvest; thus grain was available. No doubt the inhabitants of the area had left grain behind when they fled to Jericho for safety; thus that grain was also available. The Lord prepared a table for His people in the presence of their enemies, and Israel didn't have to be afraid (Ps. 23:5).
It must have been a great encouragement to Joshua to realize that he was not alone. There is a loneliness to leadership that can be disturbing and even depressing as you realize how much your decisions affect the lives of others. "To be President of the United States is to be lonely," said Harry Truman, "very lonely at times of great decisions." Joshua must have been feeling some of that loneliness.
God had promised to be with Joshua (Josh. 1:5, 9), and the people had prayed that the Lord would be with him (vv. 16–17). The enemy knew that God was with Israel (2:8ff.), and Joshua had encouraged his people with this promise (3:9ff.). Joshua was now experiencing the reality of that promise! The Lord met him as Captain of the Lord's armies, whether in heaven or on earth. "The Lord of hosts [armies] is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge" (Ps. 46:7, 11). Joshua would recall the song Israel had sung at the Red Sea: "The Lord is a man of war: the Lord is His name" (Ex. 15:3).
On the day after Passover, the manna ceased, and thus ended a forty-year miracle (Ex. 16). If the Passover reminded the Jews of their redemption from Egypt, the manna reminded them of their desire to go back to Egypt! "Would to God we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full" (Ex. 16:3). God fed His people the bread of heaven, the food of the angels (Ps. 78:23–25), and yet they still lusted for the food of Egypt (Num. 11:4–9). God easily took His people out of Egypt, but it was difficult for Him to take Egypt out of His people.
I appreciate the courage of Joshua as he confronted this stranger, for he wanted to know whose side he was on. With Joshua, there was no compromise: You were either for the Lord and His people or against them (Matt. 12:30; Luke 11:23). When Joshua discovered the visitor was the Lord, he fell at His feet in worship and waited for His orders.
Too many professed Christians contradict their profession by exhibiting an appetite for what belongs to their past life. "If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth" (Col. 3:1–2 nkjv). Using the imagery from Joshua, this means, "You've crossed the river and are now in your inheritance. Don't look back and desire the things of Egypt or the wilderness. Let God feed you and satisfy you with the harvest in the inheritance."
In Christian ministry great public victories are won in private as leaders submit to the Lord and receive their directions from Him. It's doubtful that anybody in the camp of Israel knew about their leader's meeting with the Lord, but that meeting made the difference between success and failure on the battlefield. The Chinese Bible teacher Watchman Nee wrote, "Not until we take the place of a servant can He take His place as Lord."
The harvest is another image of death and resurrection. The seed is buried in the ground and dies, but from that death comes forth beauty and fruitfulness. Jesus applied to Himself both the image of the manna (John 6:26–59) and the harvest (12:20–28), for He is the nourishment upon which we must feed.
Joshua was reminded that he was second in command. Every father and mother, pastor, and Christian leader is second in command to the Lord Jesus Christ, and when we forget this fact, we start to move toward defeat and failure. The Lord came to Joshua that day, not just to help but to lead. "Without Me you can do nothing" (John 15:5 nkjv). Joshua was an experienced soldier, whom Moses had trained for leadership. Yet that was no guarantee of success. He needed the presence of the Lord God.
Reaffirming the Lord's presence (5:13–15) Joshua had read in the book of the law what Moses had said to the Lord after Israel had made the golden calf: "If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here" (Ex. 33:15 nkjv). The Lord had promised to be with Joshua just as He had been with Moses (Josh. 1:5), and now He reaffirmed that promise in a personal way. Like his predecessor, Joshua refused to
The Lord's first order to Joshua revealed to him
Joshua 5—6
Notes 1 Dr. and Mrs. Howard Taylor, Biography of James Hudson Taylor (London: China Inland Mission, 1965), 271. 2 Andrew A. Bonar, Memoir and Remains of Robert Murray McCheyne (London: Banner of Truth Trust, 1966), 282.
that he was standing on holy ground. This reminds us of God's words to Moses at the burning bush (Ex. 3:5). Joshua was standing in "heathen territory," yet because God was with him, he was standing on holy ground. If we are obeying the will of God, no matter where He leads us, we are on holy ground, and we had better behave accordingly. There's no such thing as "secular" and "sacred," "common" and "consecrated," when you are in the Lord's service. "Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Cor. 10:31 nkjv).
CHAPTER SIX Joshua 6 THE CONQUEST BEGINS! Y
The sequence here is significant: first humble worship, then holy walk, then heavenly warfare. This parallels the "spiritual postures" found in the epistle to the Ephesians. Joshua first bowed the knee (Eph. 3:14); then he submitted to a holy walk (4:1, 17; 5:2, 8, 15), and then he went out to battle the enemy in the power of the Lord (6:10ff.). Like Joshua, we have already been given our inheritance (described in Eph. 1–2) and we must overcome the enemy in order to claim it for ourselves and enjoy it.
ou are but a poor soldier of Christ if you think you can overcome without fighting, and suppose you can have the crown without the conflict." The courageous Syrian preacher and martyr John Chrysostom (347–407) said that, and he was right, for the Christian life involves challenge and conflict whether we like it or not. Our enemies are constantly waging war against us and trying to keep us from claiming our inheritance in Jesus Christ. The world, the flesh, and the devil (Eph. 2:1–3) are united against Christ and His people just as the nations in Canaan were united against Joshua and the Jewish nation.
II. Defeating the enemy (6—12) A.The Central Campaign—6—9
When Joshua met the Lord, he discovered that the battle was the Lord's and He had already overcome the enemy. All Joshua had to do was listen to God's Word and obey orders, and God would do the rest. God had already given Jericho to Israel (Josh. 6:2); all they had to do was step out by faith and claim the victory by obeying the Lord.
It's unfortunate that many of the "militant songs" of the church have been removed from some hymnals, apparently because the idea of warfare disturbs people and seems to contradict the words and works of Jesus Christ. But these zealous editors with scissors seem to have forgotten that the main theme of the Bible is God's holy warfare against Satan and sin. In Genesis 3:15, God declared war on Satan, and one day He will declare the victory when Jesus comes as Conqueror to establish His kingdom (Rev. 19:11–21). If you eliminate the militant side of the Christian faith, then you must abandon the cross, for it was on the cross that Jesus won the victory over sin and Satan (Col. 2:13–15).
In a meeting with a small group of missionaries in China, James Hudson Taylor, founder of the China Inland Mission (now Overseas Missionary Fellowship) reminded them that there were three ways to do God's work: "One is to make the best plans we can, and carry them out to the best of our ability … or, having carefully laid our plans and determined to carry them through, we may ask God to help us, and to prosper us in connection with them. Yet another way of working is to begin with God; to ask His plans, and to offer ourselves to Him to carry out His purposes.''1
A pastor attended a court hearing to protest the building of a tavern near his church and a public school. The lawyer for the tavern owners said to him, "I'm surprised to see you here today, Reverend. As a shepherd, shouldn't you be out taking care of the sheep?"
Joshua followed the third plan, and that's why the Lord blessed him.
The main lesson of Joshua 5 is that we must be a spiritually prepared people if we are going to do the Lord's work successfully and glorify His name. Instead of rushing into the battle, we must "take time to be holy."
The pastor replied, "Today I'm fighting the wolf!" Too many Christians cultivate only a sentimental emphasis on "peace and goodwill" and ignore the spiritual battle against sin, and this means they've already lost the victory and are working for the enemy. We must never forget Paul's warning about the savage wolves that are ready to destroy the flock (Acts 20:28–29). The Christian's warfare is not against flesh and blood, but against enemies in the spiritual realm (Eph. 6:10–18), and the weapons we use are spiritual (2 Cor. 10:3–6). Satan and his demonic armies use people to oppose and attack the church of God, and if we don't take our stand with Christ, we've already lost the battle. In the army of Jesus Christ there can be no neutrality. "He that is not with Me is against Me," said Jesus, and
In a letter to his missionary friend Rev. Daniel Edwards, the saintly Scottish preacher Robert Murray McCheyne wrote: "Remember you are God's sword— His instrument—I trust a chosen vessel unto Him to bear His name. In great measure, according to the purity and perfections of the instrument, will be the success. It is not great talents God blesses so much as great likeness to Jesus. A holy minister is an awful weapon in the hand of God."2
That letter was written in 1840, but its admonition applies to God's people today. All of us are His ministers, His servants, and we want to be holy instruments that He can use successfully.
Joshua 6
The promise of the Lord (v. 2). It's possible that the Lord spoke these words to Joshua when He confronted him at Jericho (5:13–15). The tense of the verb is important: "I have given Jericho into your hand" (6:2 nkjv, italics added). The victory had already been won! All Joshua and his people had to do was claim the promise and obey the Lord.
He spoke those words in the context of spiritual warfare (Matt. 12:24–30). Since the apostle Paul often used the military image to describe the Christian life, we dare not ignore the subject (Eph. 6:10ff.; 2 Tim. 2:1–4; Rom. 13:12; 1 Thess. 5:8). Israel's victory at Jericho illustrates three principles of spiritual conflict and victory applicable to our lives today, no matter what challenges we may be called to confront.
Victorious Christians are people who know the promises of God, because they spend time meditating on God's Word (1:8); they believe the promises of God because the Word of God generates faith in their hearts (Rom. 10:17); and they reckon on these promises and obey what God tells them to do. To "reckon" means to count as true in your life what God says about you in His Word.
Before the challenge: remember that you fight from victory, not just for victory (6:1–5) The Christian soldier stands in a position of guaranteed victory because Jesus Christ has already defeated every spiritual enemy (John 12:31). Jesus defeated Satan not only in the wilderness (Matt. 4:1–11), but also during His earthly ministry (12:22–29), on the cross (Col. 2:13–15), and in His resurrection and ascension (Eph. 1:19–23). As He intercedes for His people in heaven, He helps us mature and accomplish His will (Heb. 13:20–21), and "if God be for us, who can be against us?" (Rom. 8:31).
"Be of good cheer," Jesus told His disciples; "I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). "And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts" (Gal. 5:24). "Now is the judgment of this world; now shall the prince of this world be cast out" (John 12:31). Christ has conquered the world, the flesh, and the devil; and if we reckon on this truth, we can conquer through Him. It's possible to believe a promise and still not reckon on it and obey the Lord. Believing a promise is like accepting a check, but reckoning is like endorsing the check and cashing it.
Consider the factors involved in Joshua's victory: The fear of the Lord (v. 1). The land of Canaan was divided up among a number of "city states," each ruled by a king (see 12:9–34). These cities were not large; Ai, which was smaller than Jericho (7:2–3), had about 12,000 people (8:25). Excavations at Jericho indicate that the city covered perhaps eight acres and was protected by two high parallel walls, which stood about fifteen feet apart and surrounded the city. It was the sight of cities like Jericho that convinced ten of the Jewish spies that Israel could never conquer the land (Num. 13:28).
The instructions of the Lord (vv. 3–5). "Joshua did not take the city merely by a clever, human military tactic," wrote Francis A. Schaeffer. "The strategy was the Lord's."1
No situation is too great for the Lord to handle, and no problem is too much for Him to solve. When He saw more than 5,000 hungry people before Him, Jesus asked Philip, "Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?" Then John adds, "But this He said to test him; for He Himself knew what He would do" (John 6:5–6 nkjv). God always knows what He will do. Our responsibility is to wait for Him to tell us all that we need to know and then obey it.
But the news of Israel's Exodus from Egypt and their recent victories east of the Jordan had already spread to Canaan and put the people in panic (Josh. 2:9–11; see Deut. 2:25; 7:23; 11:25; 32:30). "I will send My fear before you," God had promised; "I will cause confusion among all the people to whom you come, and will make all your enemies turn their backs to you" (Ex. 23:27 nkjv).
At the close of the last chapter, I quoted J. Hudson Taylor's words about three different ways to serve the Lord: (1) to make the best plans we can and hope they succeed; (2) to make our own plans and ask God to bless them; or (3) to ask God for His plans and then do what He tells us to do. Joshua received his orders from the Lord, and that's why Israel succeeded.
It was said that Mary Queen of Scots feared John Knox's prayers more than she feared an enemy army. But is society today afraid of what God's people may do? Probably not, and it's mainly because the church hasn't done very much to display the power of God to a skeptical world. The church is no longer "terrible as an army with banners" (Song 6:4, 10). In fact, the church is so much like the world that the world takes little notice of what we do. We imitate the world's methods; we cater to the world's appetites; we solicit the world's approval; and we measure what we do according to the world's standards. Is it any wonder that we don't gain the world's respect?
God's plan for the conquest of Jericho was seemingly foolish, but it worked. God's wisdom is far above ours (Isa. 55:8–9), and He delights in using people and plans that seem foolish to the world (1 Cor. 1:26–29). Whether it's Joshua with trumpets, Gideon with torches and pitchers (Judg. 7), or David with his sling (1 Sam. 17), God delights in using weakness and seeming foolishness to defeat His enemies and glorify His name. "For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew Himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him" (2 Chron. 16:9).
But not so with Joshua and Israel! They were a conquering people who made no compromise with the enemy but trusted God to give them the victory. Theirs was a march of triumph that put the fear of God into the hearts of the enemy.
God's instructions were that the armed men march
Joshua 6
During the challenge: Remember that you overcome the enemy by faith (6:6–16, 20) "By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days" (Heb. 11:30). "And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith" (1 John 5:4 nkjv).
around Jericho once a day for six days, followed by seven priests each blowing a trumpet. The priests carrying the ark of the Lord would come next, and the rear guard would complete the procession. The only noise permitted was the sound of the trumpets. On the seventh day the procession would march around the city seven times, the priests would give a long blast on the trumpets, and then the marchers would all shout. God would then cause the walls to fall down flat so that the soldiers could easily enter the city. In this plan the emphasis is on the number seven: seven priests, seven trumpets, seven days of marching, and seven circuits of the city on the seventh day. The number seven is written clearly into the life of Israel: The Sabbath celebrated on the seventh day of the week; seven weeks from Passover is Pentecost; the seventh year is the Sabbatical Year; and after forty-nine years (seven times seven) comes the Year of Jubilee. Three of Israel's feasts fall in the seventh month: the Feast of Trumpets, the day of Atonement (Lev. 16), and the Feast of Tabernacles. (For details about this remarkable calendar, see Lev. 23.)
Faith is not believing in spite of evidence, for the people of Israel had been given one demonstration after another proving that God's Word and God's power can be trusted. The Lord had opened the Red Sea, destroyed the Egyptian army, cared for His people in the wilderness, defeated great kings, given Israel their land, opened the Jordan River, and brought His people safely into the Promised Land. How could they do anything other than believe Him!
Joshua first shared the Lord's plan with the priests. It was important that the ark of the Lord be in its proper place, for it represented the presence of the Lord with His people. When Israel crossed the river, the account mentions the ark sixteen times (Josh. 3—4), and here in 6:6–15, the ark is mentioned eight times. Israel could march and the priests blow trumpets until all of them dropped from weariness, but if the Lord wasn't with them, there would be no victory. When we accept God's plan, we invite God's presence, and that guarantees victory. (See Ex. 33:12–17.)
In biblical numerology the number seven represents completeness or perfection. The Hebrew word translated "seven" (shevah) comes from a root that means "to be full, to be satisfied." When God finished His work of creation, He rested on the seventh day and sanctified it (Gen. 2:3), and this helped give the number seven its sacred significance. The Jews noted that there were seven promises in God's covenant with Abraham (12:1–3) and seven branches on the candlestick in the tabernacle (Ex. 37:17–24). Anything involving the number seven was especially sacred to them. It spoke of God's ability to finish whatever He started.
Then Joshua instructed the soldiers. He probably didn't enlist the entire army for this important event, for that would have involved far too many people. According to the military census of Numbers 26, there were over 600,000 men able to bear arms. Think of how long it would take that many men to march around the city walls! And when the walls fell down, Joshua certainly didn't need hundreds of thousands of soldiers to rush in and overcome the people. The men would have been falling over one another!
The Jews used two different kinds of trumpets, those made of silver and those made of ram's horns. The silver trumpets were used especially by the priests to signal the camp when something important was happening (Num. 10). The ram's horns were used primarily for celebrations. The common Hebrew word for "trumpet" is shofar; for "ram's horn," it is jobel, which is the root of the word jubilee. The "Year of Jubilee" was the fiftieth year after seven Sabbaticals, and was a special time of celebration in Israel (Lev. 25; 27:17–14). The priests blew the ram's horns to "proclaim liberty throughout all the land" (25:10).
Over 2 million people were in the nation of Israel, and marching all of them around the city of Jericho would have been time-consuming and dangerous. The people no doubt watched in silence from a distance and then participated in the great shout on the seventh day. It was a victory for Israel and Israel's God, and not just for the priests and soldiers.
It's important that leaders receive their orders from the Lord and that those who follow them obey their instructions. As with the crossing of the Jordan River, so also the conquest of Jericho was a miracle of faith. Joshua and his people listened to God's orders, believed them, and obeyed, and God did the rest. When God's people rebel against spiritual leadership, as Israel often did in the wilderness, it leads to discipline and defeat.
The priests didn't use the silver trumpets in this event because Israel was not declaring war on Jericho, for there was no war! The Jews were announcing the arrival of the "Year of Jubilee" for Israel in their new land. God's people today can march in triumphal procession because of the victory of Jesus Christ over all the enemies of God (Rom. 8:37; 2 Cor. 2:14; Col. 2:15). We should be living like victors, not victims. "The wall of the city shall fall down!" (Josh. 6:5) was God's promise, and His promises never fail (21:45; 23:14). God's people don't simply fight for victory but from victory, because the Lord has already won the battle. Reckon on His promises and obey what He tells you to do, and you shall have the victory.
The activities of the week were a test of the Jewish people's faith and patience. No doubt some of them were anxious to get on with the invasion so they could claim their inheritance and settle down to enjoy the rest God had promised them (Josh. 1:13). To some of them, it may have seemed a futile waste of time to devote an entire week to the taking of one city. Impatience was one of Israel's besetting sins, and God was helping them
Joshua 6
war—and He could do with it whatever He pleased. In this first victory in Canaan, Jericho was presented to God as "the firstfruits" of the victories to come. Ordinarily the soldiers shared the spoils of war (Deut. 20:14), but not at Jericho; for everything there belonged to the Lord and was put into His treasury (Deut. 13:16; 1 Kings 7:51). It was this command that Achan disobeyed, and his disobedience later brought Israel defeat and disgrace and brought Achan and his family death.
learn patient obedience, for it's through "faith and patience" that God's people inherit what He has promised (Heb. 6:12). God is never in a hurry. He knows what He's doing, and His timing is never off.
If the week's schedule was a test of their patience, the divine command of silence was a test of their selfcontrol. People who can't control their tongues can't control their bodies (James 3:1–2), and what good are soldiers whose bodies are not disciplined? "Be still, and know that I am God" (Ps. 46:10). In the Christian life there's "a time to keep silence, and a time to speak" (Eccl. 3:7), and wise is the child of God who knows the difference. Our Lord is the perfect example of this (Isa. 53:7; Matt. 26:62–63; 27:14; Luke 23:9). How did the people in the city of Jericho respond to this daily procession around the city? It's likely that the march on the first day frightened them, for they probably expected the army to raise a siege against the city. But the Jews neither built ramps against the walls nor did they try to batter down the gates. When the marchers returned to camp after making only one circuit of the walls, the citizens must have felt greatly relieved. However, as the march was repeated day after day, tension must have grown in the city as the people wondered what would happen next. They knew that the God of Israel was a "great God of wonders," whose power had defeated Egypt and the kings east of the Jordan. What would Jehovah now do to Jericho?
Rescue Rahab and her family (vv. 22–23, 25–26). When the walls of the city fell down, it appears that the section of the wall that held Rahab's house (2:15) didn't fall down! It wasn't necessary for the spies to look for a window with a red cord hanging from it (vv. 18–19), because the only house that was preserved was the house in which Rahab and her family waited. When the spies made their covenant with Rahab, they didn't know exactly how God would give them the city.
God saved and protected Rahab because of her faith (Heb. 11:31), and because she led her family to trust in Jehovah, they were also saved. These Gentile believers were rescued from a fiery judgment because they trusted the God of Israel, for "salvation is of the Jews" (John 4:22). They were "afar off" as far as the covenants were concerned (Eph. 2:11–12), but their faith brought them into the nation of Israel, for Rahab married Salmon and became an ancestress of King David and of the Messiah (Matt. 1:5)!
When the procession went around the walls seven times on the seventh day, the tension within the city must have increased to frightening proportions. Then came the blast of the trumpets and the victory shout of the people, and the walls fell down flat! All that the soldiers had to do was rush into the city and take over.
Rahab and her relatives were put "outside the camp" initially because they were unclean Gentiles, and "outside the camp" was the place designated for the unclean (Num. 5:1–4; 12:14; Deut. 23:9–14). The men in the family would have to be circumcised in order to become "sons of the covenant," and all of the family would have to submit to the law of Moses. What grace that God spared Rahab and her loved ones, and what abundant grace that He chose her, an outcast Gentile, to be an ancestress of the Savior!
The Holy Spirit directed the writer of the epistle to the Hebrews to use this event as one of the "by faith" examples in Hebrews 11. The fall of Jericho is an encouragement to God's people to trust the Lord's promises and obey His instructions, no matter how impossible the situation may appear to be. You and I may not capture a city as Joshua did, but in our everyday lives we face enemies and high walls that challenge us. The only way to grow in faith is to accept new challenges and trust God to give you victory. "Do not pray for easy lives," said Phillips Brooks; "pray to be better men and women. Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers; pray for power equal to your tasks."
Like Jericho of old, our present world is under the judgment of God (John 3:18–21; Rom. 3:10–19), and His judgment will eventually fall. No matter what "walls" and "gates" this present evil world will try to hide behind, God's wrath will eventually meet them. God has given this lost world plenty of evidence so that sinners can believe and be saved (Josh. 2:8–13; Rom. 1:18ff.). The tragedy is, lost sinners willingly reject the evidence and continue in their sins John 12:35–41).
After the victory: Remember to obey God's commands and give Him the glory (6:17–19, 21–27) Let me quote again Andrew Bonar's wise counsel: "Let us be as watchful after the victory as before the battle." Because one soldier didn't heed this warning, Israel's next challenge in Canaan turned out to be a humiliating defeat. Joshua gave the soldiers four instructions to obey after they had taken the city.
Destroy the people (v. 21). It disturbs some people that God commanded every living thing in Jericho to be killed. Isn't our God a God of mercy? After all, it's one thing for the Jews to kill the enemy soldiers, but why kill women, children, and even animals?
To begin with, this commandment was not a new one. The Lord had given it to Moses years before. In the "divine law of war" found in Deuteronomy 20, the Lord made a distinction between attacking cities that were far off (vv. 10–15) and cities in the land of Canaan where Israel would dwell (vv. 16–18). Before
Devote the entire city to God (vv. 17–19). This meant that everything was dedicated to the Lord—the people, the houses, the animals, and all the spoils of
Joshua 6—7
now I understand. The Lord will not share my life if there are rival gods in my heart. He will not permit me to compromise with the enemy. When you grasp this truth, you also better understand His admonition in 2 Corinthians 6:14–7:1.
besieging a city afar off, the Jews were to give that city an offer of peace, and if the city surrendered, the Jews would spare the people and make them subjects. But the people in the cities in the land of Canaan were to be destroyed completely, and their cities burned.
Burn the city (v. 24). "Thy God is a consuming fire" was spoken by Moses in Deuteronomy 4:24 long before it was quoted by the Holy Spirit in Hebrews 12:29. Moses was warning the Jewish people against idolatry and the danger of following the religious practices of the people in Canaan. Moses added a phrase that isn't quoted in Hebrews but is still important for us to know: "even a jealous God." God is jealous over His people and will not permit them to divide their love and service between Him and the false gods of the world (Ex. 20:5; 34:14). We cannot serve two masters.
Why? For one thing, the civilization in Canaan was unspeakably wicked, and God didn't want His holy people contaminated by their neighbors (7:1–11). We must never forget that God put Israel in the world to be the channel for His blessing (Gen. 12:1–3), which involves, among other things, the writing of the Scriptures and the coming of the Savior. Read the Old Testament record, and you will see Satan doing everything he could to pollute the Jewish nation and thus prevent the birth of the Messiah. When the Jewish men married pagan women and began to worship pagan gods, it was a threat to the purposes God had for His chosen people (Neh. 13:23–31). God wanted a "holy seed" (Mal. 2:14–15) so that His holy Son could come to be the Savior of the world.
Jericho was a wicked city, and sin is only fuel for the holy wrath of God. Jesus compared hell to a furnace of fire (Matt. 13:42), fire that is eternal (25:41, 46), and John compared it to a lake of fire (Rev. 19:20; 20:10, 14). John the Baptist described God's judgment as "unquenchable fire" (Matt. 3:12). The burning of Jericho, like the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Jude 7), is a picture of the judgment of God that will fall on all who reject the truth.
"God is perpetually at war with sin," said G. Campbell Morgan. "That is the whole explanation of the extermination of the Canaanites."2 Because the Jews didn't fully obey this commandment in later years, it led to national defilement and divine chastening (Ps. 106:34–48). The book of Judges would not be in the Bible if the nation of Israel had remained true to the Lord (Judg. 2:11–23).
Even after he had burned the city, Joshua put a curse on Jericho. This would warn any of the Jews or Rahab's descendants who might be tempted to rebuild what God had destroyed. The curse was later fulfilled in the days of evil King Ahab (1 Kings 16:34).
There is a second consideration: The people in the land had been given plenty of opportunity to repent and turn to the Lord, just as Rahab and her family had done. God patiently endured the evil of the Canaanites from the time of Abraham (Gen. 15:16) to the time of Moses, a period of over 400 years. (See 2 Peter 3:9.) From the exodus to the crossing of the Jordan was another forty years in Israel's history, and the Canaanites knew what was going on! (See Josh. 2:8–13.) Every wonder that God performed and every victory that God gave His people was a witness to the people of the land, but they preferred to go on in their sins and reject the mercy of God. Never think of the Canaanites as helpless ignorant people who knew nothing about the true God. They were willfully sinning against a flood of light.
As He promised, God was with Joshua (Josh. 1:5, 9), and God magnified Joshua's name in the land (v. 27; 3:7; 4:14). God's servants must never magnify themselves, and if the Lord magnifies them, they must be careful to give Him the glory. It's when we are strong that we get overconfident and forget to trust the Lord (2 Chron. 26:15).
Notes 1 Francis A. Schaeffer, Joshua and the Flow of Biblical History (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1975), 102–3. 2 G. Campbell Morgan, Living Messages of the Books of the Bible (Old Tappan, NJ: Fleming H. Revell, 1912), 1:104. 3 Ibid., 114.
We should also keep in mind that these historical events were written "for our learning" (Rom. 15:4) as we seek to live for Christ today. In the destruction of Jericho and its population God is telling us that He will tolerate no compromise with sin in the lives of His people. To quote Campbell Morgan again: "Thank God that He will not make peace with sin in my heart! I bless His name for the thunder of His authority, and for the profound conviction that He is fierce and furious in His anger against sin, wherever it manifests itself."3
CHAPTER SEVEN Joshua 7 DEFEAT IN THE LAND OF VICTORY M
oses described the Promised Land as "a land of hills and valleys" (Deut. 11:11). That statement, I believe, is much more than a description of the contrast between the hilly landscape of Canaan and the flat monotonous topography of Egypt. It's also a description of the geography of the life of faith that is pictured by Israel's experiences in Canaan. As by faith we claim our inheritance in Christ, we experience
When I was a child in Sunday school, the superintendent often chose the song "Whiter Than Snow" for us to sing in general assembly. While we sang "Break down every idol/Cast out every foe," I confess that I didn't understand at the time what I was singing, but
Joshua 7
(6:17–21, 24). Since Jericho was Israel's first victory in Canaan, the firstfruits of the spoils belonged to the Lord (Prov. 3:9). But Achan disobeyed and took the hazardous steps that lead to sin and death (James 1:13–15): "I saw … I coveted … [I] took" (Josh. 7:21). Eve did the same thing when she listened to the devil (Gen. 3:5), and so did David when he yielded to the flesh (2 Sam. 11:1–4). Since Achan also coveted the things of the world, he brought defeat to Israel and death to himself and his family.
peaks of victory and valleys of discouragement. Discouragement isn't inevitable in the Christian life, but we must remember that we can't have mountains without valleys.
The ominous word but that introduces Joshua 7 is a signal that things are going to change, for Joshua is about to descend from the mountaintop of victory at Jericho to the valley of defeat at Ai. Joshua was a gifted and experienced leader, but he was still human and therefore liable to error. In this experience, he teaches us what causes defeat and how we must handle the discouragements of life.
Achan's first mistake was to look at these spoils a second time. He probably couldn't help seeing them the first time, but he should never have looked again and considered taking them. A man's first glance at a woman may say to him, "She's attractive!" But it's that second glance that gets the imagination working and leads to sin (Matt. 6:27–30). If we keep God's Word before our eyes, we won't start looking in the wrong direction and doing the wrong things (Prov. 4:20–25).
A disobedient soldier (7:1, 20–21) The sinner (v. 1). His name was Achan, or Achar, which means "trouble"; and he was from the tribe of Judah (v. 16). (See 1 Chron. 2:7; note in v. 26 that "Achor" also means "trouble.") He is known in Bible history as the man who troubled Israel (Josh. 7:25). Because of Achan's disobedience, Israel was defeated at Ai, and the enemy killed thirty-six Jewish soldiers. It was Israel's first and only military defeat in Canaan, a defeat that is forever associated with Achan's name.
His second mistake was to reclassify those treasures and call them "the spoils" (Josh. 7:21). They were not "the spoils"; they were a part of the Lord's treasury and wholly dedicated to Him. They didn't belong to Achan, or even to Israel; they belonged to God. When God identifies something in a special way, we have no right to change it. In our world today, including the religious world, people are rewriting God's dictionary! "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!" (Isa. 5:20 kjv)
Never underestimate the amount of damage one person can do outside the will of God. Abraham's disobedience in Egypt almost cost him his wife (Gen. 12:10–20); David's disobedience in taking an unauthorized census led to the death of 70,000 people (2 Sam. 24); and Jonah's refusal to obey God almost sank a ship (Jonah 1). The church today must look diligently "lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble" (Heb. 12:15 nkjv). That's why Paul admonished the Corinthian believers to discipline the disobedient man in their fellowship, because his sin was defiling the whole church (1 Cor. 5).
If God says something is wrong, then it's wrong, and that's the end of the debate.
Achan's third mistake was to covet. "But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed" (James 1:14 nkjv). Instead of singing praises in his heart for the great victory God had given, Achan was imagining in his heart what it would be like to own all that treasure. The imagination is the "womb" in which desire is conceived and from which sin and death are eventually born.