June 5, 2011
Lesson: Joshua 1:1-6, 11:15-23
Key Verse: Joshua 11:15
The Book of Joshua is the first of the twelve Historical Books, following the five Books of Moses. Matthew Henry introduces Joshua reminding us of the establishment of the people of God as a nation: “In the five books of Moses we had a very full account of the rise, advance, and constitution, of the Old Testament church, the family out of which it was raised, the promise, that great charter by which it was incorporated, the miracles by which it was built up, and the laws and ordinances by which it was to be governed, from which one would conceive and expectation of its character and state very different from what we find in this history. A nation that had statutes and judgments so righteous, one would think, should have been very holy; and a nation what had promises so rich should have been very happy.” Adam’s transgression pervades the Church even today. However, as in the Old Testament, the by the grace of God redemption comes to His people. Paul understood this: “Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression. Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of all” (Rom. 4:15-16) His words to Corinth sums it up: “For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive” (1 Cor. 15:21-22).
John Calvin’s words draw us to God’s grace as he reminds us of this need in times of troubles and sorrows: “But when God allures us so gently and kindly by his promises, and again pursues us with the thunders of his curse, it is partly to render us inexcusable, and partly to shut us up deprived of all confidence in our own righteousness, so that we may learn to embrace his Covenant of Grace, and flee to Christ, who is THE END OF THE LAW. This is the intention of The Promises, in which he declares that he will be merciful, since there is forgiveness ready for the sinner, and when he offers the spirit of Regeneration. … (to the) blessing of Adoption, and to that increasing flow of fatherly love which God extends to his people. For all the expiations have no other meaning than that God will be always merciful, as often as the sinner shall flee to the refuge of his pardon.”
I will be with thee –Joshua 1:1-6
Joshua’s service to God begins with these words, “Now after the death of Moses.” The death of Moses is a significant climax in his life, which reveals the grace of God and the continuing hope of His promises. Moses would not be allowed to enter the promised land (for he had not led his people to glorify God, Num. 20:12-13); thus hearing these words of condemnation from the Lord: “Because ye trespassed against me among the children of Israel at the waters of Meribah-Kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin, because ye sanctified me not in the midst of the children of Israel. Yet thou shalt see the land before; but thou shalt not go thither unto the land which I give the children of God” (Deut. 32:51-52). The love of God toward his chosen servant is revealed as Moses stood on the mountain of Nebo: “And the Lord showed him all the land of Gilead” (Deut. 34:1ff); “And the Lord said unto him, This is the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy seed: I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither. So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord” at the age of one hundred and twenty years.
The Lord would not leave His people without a shepherd: “And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him, and the children of Israel hearkened unto him, and id as the Lord had commanded Moses” (Deut. 34:9). The Lord spoke unto Joshua, saying, “Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel.” From generation to generation the Lord blesses His people with leaders, with under-shepherds, elders to lead His people, to feed them along the way in His Word. Elders ought to remember that they are to follow those servants that were before them, building upon the same foundation of the Promises of God, resting upon the teaching of the Holy Spirit as they faithfully teach and preach His Word.
The Lord encourages His people to be faithful with this promise: “Every place that the sole of your foot shall treat upon, that have I given you, as I said unto Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the rive Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast.” Calvin sees these words as an encouragement to the people: while ordering them to pass the Jordan, to give them peaceable possession of the whole country, and of every spot of it on which they should plant their foot. For as nothing tends more than distrust to make us sluggish and useless, so when God holds forth a happy issue, confidence inspires us with rigor for any attempt.”
It is the Lord’s work; the Lord’s providential care of His people that assure the people victory. The Lord is neither a foreign God, nor a distant God. He is always with His people; especially with His servant Joshua: “There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee; I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” The Apostle Peter was asked by Christ, “whom say ye that I am? Peter answered, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Christ Jesus then spoke about how Peter came to that truth, with promise of victory for His Church: “Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock (Peter’s testimony of who Christ is) I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matt. 16:15-17).
Therefore, knowing that God is with us, as He was with Joshua, we are being made strong in our life in Christ: “Be strong and of good courage for unto this people shall thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I swore unto their fathers to give them.” We are called to have courage in this life for we have an eternal inheritance kept by the divine hand of our Savior, “in whom also we have obtained and inheritance being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: that we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in who also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise” (Eph. 1:11-13).
Discussion: How does the presence of God encourage us to stand firm in our faith?
Faithful Obedience –Joshua 11:15-23
“As the Lord commanded”—this is the banner held high by Joshua as he led God’s people into that Promised Land. Victory comes to the Christian, not by our will but by the command of God. We look at the nations today and see the turmoil of wars, not for the purpose of righteousness, but for the purpose of power; not for the purpose of peace, but for the purpose of destruction. Into this mirage of hope enters the Christian congregations in obedience to the commandment of Christ the King: “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you, and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world” (Matt. 28:18-20). The banner we carry into every nation is the same as that of Joshua: “As the Lord commanded!” By the power or authority of the King of kings, Christ Jesus, we enter into the fray, not with our strength but with our Lord’s: “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us” (2 Cor. 4:6-7). In a world that seeks every way to hinder the Gospel of our Savior, we must be most faithful in our obedience to His Word. Let Christ lead us and even the gates of hell will tumble and lives will be brought into His Kingdom.
Joshua fought the battle well because he kept his eyes upon the Lord and his commands: “As the Lord commanded Moses his servant, so did Moses command Joshua, and so did Joshua; he left nothing undone of all that the Lord commanded Moses. So Joshua took all the land.” He patiently obeyed God: “Joshua made war a long time with all those kings.” The Lord is our victory, even when we see discouragement. We must patiently obey His Word; time is in His hands as are those who deny Him and serve their gods: “For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts, that they should come against Israel in battle, that he might destroy them utterly, and that they might have no favor, but that he might destroy them, as the Lord commanded Moses.”
Joshua was in faithful obedience to his Lord: “So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the Lord said unto Moses; and Joshua gave it for an inheritance unto Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. And the land rested from war.” The conquest and the victory was of the Lord, according to His promise: “Understand therefore this day, that the Lord thy God is he which goeth over before thee; as a consuming fire he shall destroy them, and he shall bring them down before thy face: so shalt thou drive them out, and destroy them quickly, as the Lord hath said unto thee” (Deut. 9:3). So shall the idols of this world be destroyed as we follow Christ in obedience to His great commission. Matthew Henry encourages us: “And now it was done. There failed not one word of the promise. Our successes and enjoyments are then doubly sweet and comfortable to us when we see them flowing to us from the promise (this is according to what the Lord said), as our obedience is then acceptable to God when it has an eye to the precept. And, if we make conscience of our duty, we need not question the performance of the promise.”
Discussion: What is our strength and hope as we desire to be obedient to the Word of God?
Be Strong and Courageous
June 12, 2011
Lesson: Joshua 1:7-16
Key Verse: Joshua 1:7
Introduction
Our Lord desires that we be strong and courageous in following Him. We are encouraged to grow strong in the Lord by remembering what the Lord has done in the past. The Psalmist gives this picture of the Lord as our Deliverer: “We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, what work thou didst in their days, in the times of old. How thou didst drive out the heathen with thy hand, and plantest them; how thou didst afflict the people, and cast them out. For they got not the land in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them: but thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance, because thou hadst a favor unto them” (Psa. 44:1-3). Because of this remembrance the Psalmist then declares: “Thou art my King, O God: command deliverances for Jacob.”
Very Courageous –Joshua 1:7-9
The Lord continues to bless Joshua as His servant who would lead His people to the land that He promised: “Only be thou strong and very courageous.” The Lord never calls upon His servants to follow Him without giving to them the ability to do so. The one who said, “I will be with you” will never leave them without His presence and power. David’s words ring true in the life of God’s chosen disciples: “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? …I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord” (Psa. 27:1, 13-14). Our faith and trust in the Lord is our strength and courage.
Be “very” courageous, be exceedingly diligent in the work of the Lord; “that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.” God’s law is being written upon our hearts, giving to us a moral standard by which our character is being built, that we would be like Christ in His righteousness; “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Phil. 1:21). By the Word of God our souls have been given a new birth in Christ; and by the Word of God we serve Him who is our Lord: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. …Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves” (James 1:17-22). Our prosperity or success rests upon our obedience to that Word which is both infallible and effectual in our lives.
God continues, “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.” The achievement of Joshua, as well as the saints today, finds its success in God alone, who said, “Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.”
Discussion: How does the Word of God encourage us to be strong in our service for Christ?
Joshua Commands –Joshua 1:10-16
Joshua, in obedience to the Word of God, “commands the “officers of the people, saying, Pass through the host, and command the people, saying, Prepare your victuals; for within three days ye shall pass over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land, which the Lord your God giveth you to possess it.” Tribes and families and their animals are to prepare themselves for this crossing. Overseers and heads of households are told to prepare to travel, giving thought to the food they would need for such a trip. Joshua sent word to the Reubenites and Gadites “and to half the tribe of Manasseh,” telling them, “Remember the word which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, saying, The Lord your God hath given you rest, and hath given you this land.” However, their “wives, your little ones, and your cattle, shall remain in the land which Moses gave you on this side of Jordan; but ye shall pass before your brethren armed, all the mighty men of valor, and help them; Until the Lord have given your brethren rest, as he hath given you, and they also have possessed the land which the Lord your God giveth them: then ye shall return unto the land of your possession, and enjoy it, which Moses the Lord’s servant gave you on this side Jordan toward the sun rising.”
The response to Joshua was, “All that thou commanded us we will do, and whithersoever thou sendest us, we will go.” M. Henry wrote that “We must thus swear allegiance to our Lord Jesus, as the captain of our salvation, and bind ourselves to do what he commands us by his word, and to go where he sends us by his providence.” Elders, the under-shepherds or overseers under Christ the King and Head of the Church, must understand this kind of allegiance that they may love and feed the flock. The Apostle Peter stood alongside the Elders of the congregations, taking to his heart as well as theirs: “The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed; feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away” (1 Peter 5:1-4).
Elders, leaders chosen of the Lord to serve Him as He builds His congregations, seek the prayers and encouragement of the people. Thus they must be examples before the flock. Henry concludes then that the people “animate” Joshua “to go on with cheerfulness in the work to which God had called him; and, in desiring that he would be strong and of a good courage, they did in effect promise him that they would do all they could, by an exact, bold, and cheerful observance of all his orders, to encourage him. It very much heartens those that lead in a good work to see those that follow with a good will. Joshua, though of approved valor, did not take it as an affront, but as a great kindness, for the people to bid him be strong and of a good courage.”
Discussion: What should the relationship be between the people and their leaders within the congregations of Christ Jesus?
The Lord has Given
June 19, 2011
Lesson: Joshua 2:1-24
Key Verse: Joshua 2:24
Introduction
Joshua had been appointed, after the death of Moses, to lead God's people into the land of promise. Canaan was to be their inheritance according to the covenant given to Abraham. The Canaanites were to be expelled from the land, not because of the righteousness of the people, but because of the "wickedness of these nations the Lord thy God doth drive them out" (Deut. 9:4-5). This inheritance should be remembered by each of us by these words of God’s Scripture: Abraham “looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. ...But now they desire a better (country), that is, a heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city” (Heb. 11).
The promise of victory comes from the Sovereign Lord who speaks to Joshua, saying, “There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” Joshua is to “Be strong and of a good courage.” This strength comes from the Lord's promise to have a land for an inheritance, as well as the promise that He will be present with His people. Joshua is also to be strong and “very courageous,” so that he may observe God's law given to His servant Moses. Strength and courage come from the Lord who promises his people that He will be with them, that He will keep His promise, and that the Book of the Law of God will be observed. Therefore success is granted, fear is dissipated, and anxiety is laid to rest (Joshua 1).
We should note the similarities of promised victory in the Lord's commission to His disciples: “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” (Matt. 28:18-20).
Two Spies –Joshua 2:1-7
Joshua, having the promise and presence of God to be strong and of good courage, moves ahead as a good commander and sends out two spies or scouts to find the best place of attack against Jericho. Joshua responds to the Lord's promise by sending two men to find the best way into the city of Jericho. Joshua was to lead God's people into the Promised Land. The promises of the Lord, whether it be to conquer the land of Canaan, or to make disciples of nations, does not negate the use of wisdom, but encourages diligence in the obedience of our Lord's commands. Joshua is encouraged to command according to the promises and will of His Lord and Sovereign King.
The servants of Joshua travel across the Jordan to the city of Jericho. They “came into a harlot's house, named Rahab, and lodged there.” The king of Jericho heard of the coming of the spies and sent a message to Rahab that she was to turn the men over to him. Rahab hides the spies, and sends the king's servants on a false trail. We should take a moment to see who Rahab was in the light of God's covenant. She was an adulterer, a sinner in sight of the law. She was an owner or operator of an inn which was attached to the city's wall. Therefore many people pass through her lodgings.
However, she was more than that. She had a place in covenant promise of the true King of kings. She heard of the deliverance of Israel by the Almighty God. Moved by the activities of God she was granted the marvelous gift of faith, and therefore came to know the grace of the forgiveness of sins. Rahab would become the wife of Salmon, the mother of Boaz, and the great grandmother of David (Matt. 1:5). Her life is made pure by the blood of her Savior, who before the foundation of the world died for the sins of His chosen ones. She is honored to be of the lineage of David, and so of the Christ. Her deceiving of her own countrymen only shows the deliverance she herself has experienced. She is justified in the New Testament, first for her faith and then for the works of which faith would have been dead: “By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace” (Heb. 11:31), and, “Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?” (James 2:25).
Question: How is the providential care of God carried out in the sending and receiving of the spies?
Lord God –Joshua 2:8-11
Rahab goes to the two men on the roof. She proceeds to give a statement of faith which seems puzzling because of her position in Jericho, but not so because of her position before Jehovah: Her testimony declares more than just knowledge of the mind. The Scripture reveals just what kind of knowledge Rahab had when it quotes her as saying, “I know that the Lord hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you.” The word, 'know,' means to perceive, to understand, to discern. It is the work of God in the heart of Rahab that we are witnessing.
She further states what she has heard, of “how the Lord dried up the water of the Red sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt.” Rahab speaks of herself, and others, declaring a faith which can only come from the Lord God, saying, “our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the Lord your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath.”
From the idols of man, Rahab turns to the God of Israel. To receive Christ as our Savior, is not only an acknowledgement of our sin and Christ's sacrifice on behalf of us, but also a firm repudiation of the idols of man, whether those idols be carved from stone, or from the their world view that there is not god, their authority resting in man alone. Rahab embraces the Lord God of Israel, and begins her pilgrimage, “surrendering herself to his power, she gives proof of her election, and that from that seed a faith was germinating which afterwards attained its full growth” (Calvin).
Discussion: How would your testimony of faith be compatible with that of Rahab?
The Promise –Joshua 2:12-22
Rahab urges the men to pledge by the Lord to show kindness to her as she herself has shown kindness to them. She entreats them to also save her family that they too would be delivered from death. The spies urge Rahab not to tell of their business in Jericho, saying, “And it shall be, when the Lord hath given us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with thee.” The men are let down by a cord through a window, reaffirming their oath to Rahab.
Rahab is told to do three things that will secure for her the deliverance she is expecting. She is to tie the scarlet rope to the window by which the men are to be lowered to the ground. She is to have all of her family with her, all those she wishes to be kept from harm, not allowing anyone to go outside to perish by the sword of Israel. And she was to keep faithful counsel with herself, not saying anything to betray the trust given to her. She agreed and tied the scarlet line to her window, the Israelites fleeing to the safety of the mountains.
Shall we not also keep faith in light of the salvation that is ours in Christ Jesus? We are to remember the death of our Savior until He comes. Just as the sprinkled blood was placed on the door posts of the families in Egypt, and the scarlet cord of Rahab, so, in true deliverance from the death of sin, so Christ's blood is sprinkled upon our hearts, claiming that we belong to Him. Our life is His and no one shall take it from His hands. For “if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).
Discussion: What three things were Rahab to do to assure her of being saved from death?
Conclusion –Joshua 2:23-24
So the two men returned to Joshua and told them of the things which happened. They gave this testimony: “Truly the Lord hath delivered into our hands all the land; for even all the inhabitants of the country do faint because of us.”
The enemies of God will fall before the Almighty God. The testimony of victory comes before the battle; recognizing that it is the Lord alone who delivers. The gates of hell will not prevail. The evil forces of this world will not stand before the armies of righteousness. King Jesus rides the white horse while the forces of this earth lay buried in His trail.
Victory!
June 26, 2011
Lesson: Joshua 6:1-27
Key Verse: Joshua 6:16
Introduction
To enter into this portion of God's Word is to encounter one of those incidents in the Redemptive Acts of God that is filled with color and sound, with excitement and expectation. God's work in history is nothing short of majestic, glorifying His name as He makes known both His wrath and His mercy. The truth of God's covenant activity cannot be displayed upon the largest screen, for it even outshines the heavens presented by the innumerable stars of the galaxies.
Israel had finally reached the shores of the Jordan River. Those who had been born in the wilderness received from Joshua the covenant sign and seal of circumcision, and they then rested in their homes until they were healed (Joshua 5:5-8). The Lord declared that He had “rolled away the reproach of Israel,” and the place of their encampment was called Gilgal (5:9-10). The manna ceased and the children of God ate of the fruit of Canaan (5:12). It was at this time that Joshua came face to face with a man whose hand held a sword, and asking if he was an adversary, heard this reply: “as captain of the host of the Lord am I now come. ...Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy” (5:14-15). The journey of the wilderness ended, and the beginning of the occupation of the land of milk and honey, was in the hand of the Lord God Almighty.
The commander of the host of Israel is emboldened by the presence of the Commander in Chief of angels and men. The angel calls himself the captain of the Lord's host. Calvin understands this confrontation of Joshua's as the bestowal of “divine kindness,” as a pledge of divine assistance and favor by the “Captain and Head of the Church.” The glory of God with His people is seen in the presence of the divine Son, the second person of the Godhead. For all did “drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ” (1 Cor. 10:4).
We must come before King Jesus in the manner of Joshua, to take off our shoes, so to speak, and worship Him in whom the fullness of the Godhead dwells. For we too walk upon holy ground, the place wherein dwells the King, for He “must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet” (1 Cor. 15:25).
He Has Given –Joshua 6:1-10
It would have been a long and weary battle to take Jericho, for the city was a stronghold, its doors locked and its people ready for war. It is the Sovereign Lord who will conquer and give success to His people. The Lord speaks to Joshua as if the victory is already given: “See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valor. The only thing left for the people of Israel to do is to carry out God’s means of possessing Jericho, the way established by the will of the Lord. Both the means and the ends are established by the Lord and are agreeable with His purpose and glory.
Thus the “men of war” under the command of Joshua were to walk around the city once a day for six days. Seven priests were to march before the Ark of the Covenant bearing seven “trumpets of ram's horns,” on the seventh day of that week. Then the long blast of the ram's horn would signal the people to shout loudly, “and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before them.” Therefore Joshua called the priests and people together to tell them of the will of their God and Savior.
The child of God may seem like the clown that the world smiles at and doesn't take very seriously. But it is the Lord God who justifies His people, making “foolish the wisdom of this world” (1 Cor. 1:20). It is the Sovereign King of kings who enters Jericho, using the “foolish things of the world to confound the wise” (1 Cor. 1:27). We must understand this work of God in the preaching of the cross of Christ. For to those who are perishing it is foolishness, “but unto us which are saved it is the power of God,” as it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise” (1:18-21).
Discussion: What promise is given to Joshua that Jericho will be conquered?
Unto The Lord –Joshua 6:11-21
The promise was given that the city of Jericho would be given over to Joshua. The accomplishment of this task was given to Joshua through certain commands of the Lord. The response of obedience must now be activated in the hearts and lives of the priests and people.
The Ark of the Covenant goes once about Jericho and rests at the camp. Joshua rises early and the priests again take up the ark of the Lord. For six days the priests and the army of Israel circled the city. Only on the seventh day did they circle Jericho seven times. On this day as the priests blew the trumpets, Joshua called on the people to shout; “for the Lord hath given you the city.”
The taking of the city of Jericho is to be by the authority and command of the Lord. The Lord is pleased to see His people wait upon Him. We must be careful not to be presumptuous in our decisions or actions, allowing our impatience to preclude the word of God. We ought not to anticipate our Lord's will, but in obedience and faithful perseverance, seek His will and joyfully bear the fruit of His work.
It is the Lord who has given the city to His chosen people. It is the word of God declared before the actual possession of the city that reminds us that deliverance and salvation is of the Lord alone. We are only the receivers of this wonderful grace. Not only is the city theirs, but there is the warning that the city is to be destroyed because of the disobedience of its people. Therefore, the people are not to touch anything that is “accursed.”
“Accursed,” is understood as something which is set apart to the Lord to be forbidden, cursed, exterminated, etc. The evil city of Jericho was to be given wholly unto God for its destruction. (When Achan, and others, sinned by taking some of the riches, (Chapter 7), Israel lost a war and needed to repent.) That which is of the Lord must be dealt with according to His will and purpose. Other cities would be Israel's as a free gift of God. But all of the silver and gold Jericho would be consecrated to the Lord, and go “into the treasury of the Lord. “So the people shouted when the priests blew” their trumpets. The city of Jericho was destroyed by the sword, along with the people and their flock.
Discussion: What is promised by the Lord, and how are the people to respond?
Joshua Saves –Joshua 6:22-27
Before Jericho is leveled, a promise to Rahab is kept. Rahab had pleaded for her salvation in the name and confession of the Lord Almighty. As Rahab is listed as justified by James, and of faith (Heb. 11:31), we should take her salvation as of Lord, “only Rahab shall live.” Rahab is brought out of the city of Jericho by the spies she once saved, along with her family and goods. Joshua had “saved Rahab the harlot alive, and her father's household, and all that she had, and she found a home in Israel.” Rahab's salvation came by promise. She found not only a deliverance from the sure destruction of Jericho, but a place in which to live. All of God's elect know of this deliverance: “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9).
God speaks of the wicked as those who are as “wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever” (2 Peter 2:17). This picture of the fate of the wicked is seen in the destruction of Jericho. This city is to be “burnt with fire,” with the warning that it is not to be rebuilt: “Cursed be the man before the Lord, that riseth up and buildeth this city of Jericho.” The desolation of Jericho would remind each generation that the destruction of the wicked is by divine power. To lay another foundation upon the ashes which God so wills, is like putting your own son to death. “Nor did Joshua utter this curse at his own suggestion; he was only the herald of celestial vengeance” (Calvin).
We must not miss the glory of our Savior in this picture of God's salvation of His people. Did not the angel of the Lord give this name to Him who was born of the virgin, Mary, saying, You shall call His name Joshua, “for he shall save his people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21). Though we use the name Jesus today, we must remember His name means “Jehovah saves”! He was sent by the Father, that believing in Him we might have life (John 3:15-17). There is no other name by which we can be saved (Acts 4:12). Therefore, acknowledging our sin against God, we repent and turn our eyes upon Jesus (Mark 1:15; Acts 2:36-38).
Discussion: What does it mean to receive salvation from the Lord?
I will be with thee –Joshua 1:1-6
Joshua’s service to God begins with these words, “Now after the death of Moses.” The death of Moses is a significant climax in his life, which reveals the grace of God and the continuing hope of His promises. Moses would not be allowed to enter the promised land (for he had not led his people to glorify God, Num. 20:12-13); thus hearing these words of condemnation from the Lord: “Because ye trespassed against me among the children of Israel at the waters of Meribah-Kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin, because ye sanctified me not in the midst of the children of Israel. Yet thou shalt see the land before; but thou shalt not go thither unto the land which I give the children of God” (Deut. 32:51-52). The love of God toward his chosen servant is revealed as Moses stood on the mountain of Nebo: “And the Lord showed him all the land of Gilead” (Deut. 34:1ff); “And the Lord said unto him, This is the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy seed: I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither. So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord” at the age of one hundred and twenty years.
The Lord would not leave His people without a shepherd: “And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him, and the children of Israel hearkened unto him, and id as the Lord had commanded Moses” (Deut. 34:9). The Lord spoke unto Joshua, saying, “Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel.” From generation to generation the Lord blesses His people with leaders, with under-shepherds, elders to lead His people, to feed them along the way in His Word. Elders ought to remember that they are to follow those servants that were before them, building upon the same foundation of the Promises of God, resting upon the teaching of the Holy Spirit as they faithfully teach and preach His Word.
The Lord encourages His people to be faithful with this promise: “Every place that the sole of your foot shall treat upon, that have I given you, as I said unto Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the rive Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast.” Calvin sees these words as an encouragement to the people: while ordering them to pass the Jordan, to give them peaceable possession of the whole country, and of every spot of it on which they should plant their foot. For as nothing tends more than distrust to make us sluggish and useless, so when God holds forth a happy issue, confidence inspires us with rigor for any attempt.”
It is the Lord’s work; the Lord’s providential care of His people that assure the people victory. The Lord is neither a foreign God, nor a distant God. He is always with His people; especially with His servant Joshua: “There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee; I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” The Apostle Peter was asked by Christ, “whom say ye that I am? Peter answered, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Christ Jesus then spoke about how Peter came to that truth, with promise of victory for His Church: “Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock (Peter’s testimony of who Christ is) I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matt. 16:15-17).
Therefore, knowing that God is with us, as He was with Joshua, we are being made strong in our life in Christ: “Be strong and of good courage for unto this people shall thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I swore unto their fathers to give them.” We are called to have courage in this life for we have an eternal inheritance kept by the divine hand of our Savior, “in whom also we have obtained and inheritance being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: that we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in who also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise” (Eph. 1:11-13).
Discussion: How does the presence of God encourage us to stand firm in our faith?
Faithful Obedience –Joshua 11:15-23
“As the Lord commanded”—this is the banner held high by Joshua as he led God’s people into that Promised Land. Victory comes to the Christian, not by our will but by the command of God. We look at the nations today and see the turmoil of wars, not for the purpose of righteousness, but for the purpose of power; not for the purpose of peace, but for the purpose of destruction. Into this mirage of hope enters the Christian congregations in obedience to the commandment of Christ the King: “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you, and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world” (Matt. 28:18-20). The banner we carry into every nation is the same as that of Joshua: “As the Lord commanded!” By the power or authority of the King of kings, Christ Jesus, we enter into the fray, not with our strength but with our Lord’s: “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us” (2 Cor. 4:6-7). In a world that seeks every way to hinder the Gospel of our Savior, we must be most faithful in our obedience to His Word. Let Christ lead us and even the gates of hell will tumble and lives will be brought into His Kingdom.
Joshua fought the battle well because he kept his eyes upon the Lord and his commands: “As the Lord commanded Moses his servant, so did Moses command Joshua, and so did Joshua; he left nothing undone of all that the Lord commanded Moses. So Joshua took all the land.” He patiently obeyed God: “Joshua made war a long time with all those kings.” The Lord is our victory, even when we see discouragement. We must patiently obey His Word; time is in His hands as are those who deny Him and serve their gods: “For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts, that they should come against Israel in battle, that he might destroy them utterly, and that they might have no favor, but that he might destroy them, as the Lord commanded Moses.”
Joshua was in faithful obedience to his Lord: “So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the Lord said unto Moses; and Joshua gave it for an inheritance unto Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. And the land rested from war.” The conquest and the victory was of the Lord, according to His promise: “Understand therefore this day, that the Lord thy God is he which goeth over before thee; as a consuming fire he shall destroy them, and he shall bring them down before thy face: so shalt thou drive them out, and destroy them quickly, as the Lord hath said unto thee” (Deut. 9:3). So shall the idols of this world be destroyed as we follow Christ in obedience to His great commission. Matthew Henry encourages us: “And now it was done. There failed not one word of the promise. Our successes and enjoyments are then doubly sweet and comfortable to us when we see them flowing to us from the promise (this is according to what the Lord said), as our obedience is then acceptable to God when it has an eye to the precept. And, if we make conscience of our duty, we need not question the performance of the promise.”
Discussion: What is our strength and hope as we desire to be obedient to the Word of God?
Be Strong and Courageous
June 12, 2011
Lesson: Joshua 1:7-16
Key Verse: Joshua 1:7
Introduction
Our Lord desires that we be strong and courageous in following Him. We are encouraged to grow strong in the Lord by remembering what the Lord has done in the past. The Psalmist gives this picture of the Lord as our Deliverer: “We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, what work thou didst in their days, in the times of old. How thou didst drive out the heathen with thy hand, and plantest them; how thou didst afflict the people, and cast them out. For they got not the land in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them: but thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance, because thou hadst a favor unto them” (Psa. 44:1-3). Because of this remembrance the Psalmist then declares: “Thou art my King, O God: command deliverances for Jacob.”
Very Courageous –Joshua 1:7-9
The Lord continues to bless Joshua as His servant who would lead His people to the land that He promised: “Only be thou strong and very courageous.” The Lord never calls upon His servants to follow Him without giving to them the ability to do so. The one who said, “I will be with you” will never leave them without His presence and power. David’s words ring true in the life of God’s chosen disciples: “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? …I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord” (Psa. 27:1, 13-14). Our faith and trust in the Lord is our strength and courage.
Be “very” courageous, be exceedingly diligent in the work of the Lord; “that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.” God’s law is being written upon our hearts, giving to us a moral standard by which our character is being built, that we would be like Christ in His righteousness; “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Phil. 1:21). By the Word of God our souls have been given a new birth in Christ; and by the Word of God we serve Him who is our Lord: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. …Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves” (James 1:17-22). Our prosperity or success rests upon our obedience to that Word which is both infallible and effectual in our lives.
God continues, “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.” The achievement of Joshua, as well as the saints today, finds its success in God alone, who said, “Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.”
Discussion: How does the Word of God encourage us to be strong in our service for Christ?
Joshua Commands –Joshua 1:10-16
Joshua, in obedience to the Word of God, “commands the “officers of the people, saying, Pass through the host, and command the people, saying, Prepare your victuals; for within three days ye shall pass over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land, which the Lord your God giveth you to possess it.” Tribes and families and their animals are to prepare themselves for this crossing. Overseers and heads of households are told to prepare to travel, giving thought to the food they would need for such a trip. Joshua sent word to the Reubenites and Gadites “and to half the tribe of Manasseh,” telling them, “Remember the word which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, saying, The Lord your God hath given you rest, and hath given you this land.” However, their “wives, your little ones, and your cattle, shall remain in the land which Moses gave you on this side of Jordan; but ye shall pass before your brethren armed, all the mighty men of valor, and help them; Until the Lord have given your brethren rest, as he hath given you, and they also have possessed the land which the Lord your God giveth them: then ye shall return unto the land of your possession, and enjoy it, which Moses the Lord’s servant gave you on this side Jordan toward the sun rising.”
The response to Joshua was, “All that thou commanded us we will do, and whithersoever thou sendest us, we will go.” M. Henry wrote that “We must thus swear allegiance to our Lord Jesus, as the captain of our salvation, and bind ourselves to do what he commands us by his word, and to go where he sends us by his providence.” Elders, the under-shepherds or overseers under Christ the King and Head of the Church, must understand this kind of allegiance that they may love and feed the flock. The Apostle Peter stood alongside the Elders of the congregations, taking to his heart as well as theirs: “The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed; feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away” (1 Peter 5:1-4).
Elders, leaders chosen of the Lord to serve Him as He builds His congregations, seek the prayers and encouragement of the people. Thus they must be examples before the flock. Henry concludes then that the people “animate” Joshua “to go on with cheerfulness in the work to which God had called him; and, in desiring that he would be strong and of a good courage, they did in effect promise him that they would do all they could, by an exact, bold, and cheerful observance of all his orders, to encourage him. It very much heartens those that lead in a good work to see those that follow with a good will. Joshua, though of approved valor, did not take it as an affront, but as a great kindness, for the people to bid him be strong and of a good courage.”
Discussion: What should the relationship be between the people and their leaders within the congregations of Christ Jesus?
The Lord has Given
June 19, 2011
Lesson: Joshua 2:1-24
Key Verse: Joshua 2:24
Introduction
Joshua had been appointed, after the death of Moses, to lead God's people into the land of promise. Canaan was to be their inheritance according to the covenant given to Abraham. The Canaanites were to be expelled from the land, not because of the righteousness of the people, but because of the "wickedness of these nations the Lord thy God doth drive them out" (Deut. 9:4-5). This inheritance should be remembered by each of us by these words of God’s Scripture: Abraham “looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. ...But now they desire a better (country), that is, a heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city” (Heb. 11).
The promise of victory comes from the Sovereign Lord who speaks to Joshua, saying, “There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” Joshua is to “Be strong and of a good courage.” This strength comes from the Lord's promise to have a land for an inheritance, as well as the promise that He will be present with His people. Joshua is also to be strong and “very courageous,” so that he may observe God's law given to His servant Moses. Strength and courage come from the Lord who promises his people that He will be with them, that He will keep His promise, and that the Book of the Law of God will be observed. Therefore success is granted, fear is dissipated, and anxiety is laid to rest (Joshua 1).
We should note the similarities of promised victory in the Lord's commission to His disciples: “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” (Matt. 28:18-20).
Two Spies –Joshua 2:1-7
Joshua, having the promise and presence of God to be strong and of good courage, moves ahead as a good commander and sends out two spies or scouts to find the best place of attack against Jericho. Joshua responds to the Lord's promise by sending two men to find the best way into the city of Jericho. Joshua was to lead God's people into the Promised Land. The promises of the Lord, whether it be to conquer the land of Canaan, or to make disciples of nations, does not negate the use of wisdom, but encourages diligence in the obedience of our Lord's commands. Joshua is encouraged to command according to the promises and will of His Lord and Sovereign King.
The servants of Joshua travel across the Jordan to the city of Jericho. They “came into a harlot's house, named Rahab, and lodged there.” The king of Jericho heard of the coming of the spies and sent a message to Rahab that she was to turn the men over to him. Rahab hides the spies, and sends the king's servants on a false trail. We should take a moment to see who Rahab was in the light of God's covenant. She was an adulterer, a sinner in sight of the law. She was an owner or operator of an inn which was attached to the city's wall. Therefore many people pass through her lodgings.
However, she was more than that. She had a place in covenant promise of the true King of kings. She heard of the deliverance of Israel by the Almighty God. Moved by the activities of God she was granted the marvelous gift of faith, and therefore came to know the grace of the forgiveness of sins. Rahab would become the wife of Salmon, the mother of Boaz, and the great grandmother of David (Matt. 1:5). Her life is made pure by the blood of her Savior, who before the foundation of the world died for the sins of His chosen ones. She is honored to be of the lineage of David, and so of the Christ. Her deceiving of her own countrymen only shows the deliverance she herself has experienced. She is justified in the New Testament, first for her faith and then for the works of which faith would have been dead: “By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace” (Heb. 11:31), and, “Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?” (James 2:25).
Question: How is the providential care of God carried out in the sending and receiving of the spies?
Lord God –Joshua 2:8-11
Rahab goes to the two men on the roof. She proceeds to give a statement of faith which seems puzzling because of her position in Jericho, but not so because of her position before Jehovah: Her testimony declares more than just knowledge of the mind. The Scripture reveals just what kind of knowledge Rahab had when it quotes her as saying, “I know that the Lord hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you.” The word, 'know,' means to perceive, to understand, to discern. It is the work of God in the heart of Rahab that we are witnessing.
She further states what she has heard, of “how the Lord dried up the water of the Red sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt.” Rahab speaks of herself, and others, declaring a faith which can only come from the Lord God, saying, “our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the Lord your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath.”
From the idols of man, Rahab turns to the God of Israel. To receive Christ as our Savior, is not only an acknowledgement of our sin and Christ's sacrifice on behalf of us, but also a firm repudiation of the idols of man, whether those idols be carved from stone, or from the their world view that there is not god, their authority resting in man alone. Rahab embraces the Lord God of Israel, and begins her pilgrimage, “surrendering herself to his power, she gives proof of her election, and that from that seed a faith was germinating which afterwards attained its full growth” (Calvin).
Discussion: How would your testimony of faith be compatible with that of Rahab?
The Promise –Joshua 2:12-22
Rahab urges the men to pledge by the Lord to show kindness to her as she herself has shown kindness to them. She entreats them to also save her family that they too would be delivered from death. The spies urge Rahab not to tell of their business in Jericho, saying, “And it shall be, when the Lord hath given us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with thee.” The men are let down by a cord through a window, reaffirming their oath to Rahab.
Rahab is told to do three things that will secure for her the deliverance she is expecting. She is to tie the scarlet rope to the window by which the men are to be lowered to the ground. She is to have all of her family with her, all those she wishes to be kept from harm, not allowing anyone to go outside to perish by the sword of Israel. And she was to keep faithful counsel with herself, not saying anything to betray the trust given to her. She agreed and tied the scarlet line to her window, the Israelites fleeing to the safety of the mountains.
Shall we not also keep faith in light of the salvation that is ours in Christ Jesus? We are to remember the death of our Savior until He comes. Just as the sprinkled blood was placed on the door posts of the families in Egypt, and the scarlet cord of Rahab, so, in true deliverance from the death of sin, so Christ's blood is sprinkled upon our hearts, claiming that we belong to Him. Our life is His and no one shall take it from His hands. For “if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).
Discussion: What three things were Rahab to do to assure her of being saved from death?
Conclusion –Joshua 2:23-24
So the two men returned to Joshua and told them of the things which happened. They gave this testimony: “Truly the Lord hath delivered into our hands all the land; for even all the inhabitants of the country do faint because of us.”
The enemies of God will fall before the Almighty God. The testimony of victory comes before the battle; recognizing that it is the Lord alone who delivers. The gates of hell will not prevail. The evil forces of this world will not stand before the armies of righteousness. King Jesus rides the white horse while the forces of this earth lay buried in His trail.
Victory!
June 26, 2011
Lesson: Joshua 6:1-27
Key Verse: Joshua 6:16
Introduction
To enter into this portion of God's Word is to encounter one of those incidents in the Redemptive Acts of God that is filled with color and sound, with excitement and expectation. God's work in history is nothing short of majestic, glorifying His name as He makes known both His wrath and His mercy. The truth of God's covenant activity cannot be displayed upon the largest screen, for it even outshines the heavens presented by the innumerable stars of the galaxies.
Israel had finally reached the shores of the Jordan River. Those who had been born in the wilderness received from Joshua the covenant sign and seal of circumcision, and they then rested in their homes until they were healed (Joshua 5:5-8). The Lord declared that He had “rolled away the reproach of Israel,” and the place of their encampment was called Gilgal (5:9-10). The manna ceased and the children of God ate of the fruit of Canaan (5:12). It was at this time that Joshua came face to face with a man whose hand held a sword, and asking if he was an adversary, heard this reply: “as captain of the host of the Lord am I now come. ...Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy” (5:14-15). The journey of the wilderness ended, and the beginning of the occupation of the land of milk and honey, was in the hand of the Lord God Almighty.
The commander of the host of Israel is emboldened by the presence of the Commander in Chief of angels and men. The angel calls himself the captain of the Lord's host. Calvin understands this confrontation of Joshua's as the bestowal of “divine kindness,” as a pledge of divine assistance and favor by the “Captain and Head of the Church.” The glory of God with His people is seen in the presence of the divine Son, the second person of the Godhead. For all did “drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ” (1 Cor. 10:4).
We must come before King Jesus in the manner of Joshua, to take off our shoes, so to speak, and worship Him in whom the fullness of the Godhead dwells. For we too walk upon holy ground, the place wherein dwells the King, for He “must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet” (1 Cor. 15:25).
He Has Given –Joshua 6:1-10
It would have been a long and weary battle to take Jericho, for the city was a stronghold, its doors locked and its people ready for war. It is the Sovereign Lord who will conquer and give success to His people. The Lord speaks to Joshua as if the victory is already given: “See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valor. The only thing left for the people of Israel to do is to carry out God’s means of possessing Jericho, the way established by the will of the Lord. Both the means and the ends are established by the Lord and are agreeable with His purpose and glory.
Thus the “men of war” under the command of Joshua were to walk around the city once a day for six days. Seven priests were to march before the Ark of the Covenant bearing seven “trumpets of ram's horns,” on the seventh day of that week. Then the long blast of the ram's horn would signal the people to shout loudly, “and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before them.” Therefore Joshua called the priests and people together to tell them of the will of their God and Savior.
The child of God may seem like the clown that the world smiles at and doesn't take very seriously. But it is the Lord God who justifies His people, making “foolish the wisdom of this world” (1 Cor. 1:20). It is the Sovereign King of kings who enters Jericho, using the “foolish things of the world to confound the wise” (1 Cor. 1:27). We must understand this work of God in the preaching of the cross of Christ. For to those who are perishing it is foolishness, “but unto us which are saved it is the power of God,” as it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise” (1:18-21).
Discussion: What promise is given to Joshua that Jericho will be conquered?
Unto The Lord –Joshua 6:11-21
The promise was given that the city of Jericho would be given over to Joshua. The accomplishment of this task was given to Joshua through certain commands of the Lord. The response of obedience must now be activated in the hearts and lives of the priests and people.
The Ark of the Covenant goes once about Jericho and rests at the camp. Joshua rises early and the priests again take up the ark of the Lord. For six days the priests and the army of Israel circled the city. Only on the seventh day did they circle Jericho seven times. On this day as the priests blew the trumpets, Joshua called on the people to shout; “for the Lord hath given you the city.”
The taking of the city of Jericho is to be by the authority and command of the Lord. The Lord is pleased to see His people wait upon Him. We must be careful not to be presumptuous in our decisions or actions, allowing our impatience to preclude the word of God. We ought not to anticipate our Lord's will, but in obedience and faithful perseverance, seek His will and joyfully bear the fruit of His work.
It is the Lord who has given the city to His chosen people. It is the word of God declared before the actual possession of the city that reminds us that deliverance and salvation is of the Lord alone. We are only the receivers of this wonderful grace. Not only is the city theirs, but there is the warning that the city is to be destroyed because of the disobedience of its people. Therefore, the people are not to touch anything that is “accursed.”
“Accursed,” is understood as something which is set apart to the Lord to be forbidden, cursed, exterminated, etc. The evil city of Jericho was to be given wholly unto God for its destruction. (When Achan, and others, sinned by taking some of the riches, (Chapter 7), Israel lost a war and needed to repent.) That which is of the Lord must be dealt with according to His will and purpose. Other cities would be Israel's as a free gift of God. But all of the silver and gold Jericho would be consecrated to the Lord, and go “into the treasury of the Lord. “So the people shouted when the priests blew” their trumpets. The city of Jericho was destroyed by the sword, along with the people and their flock.
Discussion: What is promised by the Lord, and how are the people to respond?
Joshua Saves –Joshua 6:22-27
Before Jericho is leveled, a promise to Rahab is kept. Rahab had pleaded for her salvation in the name and confession of the Lord Almighty. As Rahab is listed as justified by James, and of faith (Heb. 11:31), we should take her salvation as of Lord, “only Rahab shall live.” Rahab is brought out of the city of Jericho by the spies she once saved, along with her family and goods. Joshua had “saved Rahab the harlot alive, and her father's household, and all that she had, and she found a home in Israel.” Rahab's salvation came by promise. She found not only a deliverance from the sure destruction of Jericho, but a place in which to live. All of God's elect know of this deliverance: “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9).
God speaks of the wicked as those who are as “wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever” (2 Peter 2:17). This picture of the fate of the wicked is seen in the destruction of Jericho. This city is to be “burnt with fire,” with the warning that it is not to be rebuilt: “Cursed be the man before the Lord, that riseth up and buildeth this city of Jericho.” The desolation of Jericho would remind each generation that the destruction of the wicked is by divine power. To lay another foundation upon the ashes which God so wills, is like putting your own son to death. “Nor did Joshua utter this curse at his own suggestion; he was only the herald of celestial vengeance” (Calvin).
We must not miss the glory of our Savior in this picture of God's salvation of His people. Did not the angel of the Lord give this name to Him who was born of the virgin, Mary, saying, You shall call His name Joshua, “for he shall save his people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21). Though we use the name Jesus today, we must remember His name means “Jehovah saves”! He was sent by the Father, that believing in Him we might have life (John 3:15-17). There is no other name by which we can be saved (Acts 4:12). Therefore, acknowledging our sin against God, we repent and turn our eyes upon Jesus (Mark 1:15; Acts 2:36-38).
Discussion: What does it mean to receive salvation from the Lord?
