Joshua Lesson 7

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Joshua – Lesson 7

Joshua Chapter 6:1-7

Introduction:

Last week we saw the Israelites that had not been circumcised having that done with sharp knives to re-affirm the covenant between God and the people of his chosen nation. The sharp knives have application to you and I today. These sharp knives speak of the the Word of God which is "quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword." It is able to divide, and we live in a society today where morality lines are being grayed out, but God's Word makes the morals clear in black and white. We are to be separated people sanctified for God's use. This week we see the people begin the conquest of the promised land by taking Jericho. Jericho was a stronghold of the Canaanites. The people of Canaan feared the Jews because of seeing God performing the great miracles for them such as the parting of the waters.

God has always took care of his own in miraculous ways. We see Peter having the iron gates open for him in a mysterious way that only God could explain.

Acts 12:10 When they were past the first and the second ward, they came unto the iron gate that leadeth unto the city; which opened to them of his own accord: and they went out, and passed on through one street; and forthwith the angel departed from him.

Paul and Silas were freed from the prison in Phillipi by God.

Acts 16:26 And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed.

I. God Gives Jericho into the Hands of Israel

Josh 6:1 Now Jericho was straitly shut up because of the children of Israel: none went out, and none came in.

Josh 6:2 And the LORD said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour.

Notice that it wasn't the great power of the men that put the people in fear, it was God. This excludes any boasting of man. Just like when Gideon went to war with just a handful of men, God wanted them to know that it He who delivered them. It said in verse 2 that Jericho is given into thine hand.

John 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

We must always see the reality of life. We need to know that God is the one providing

the victories in our day to day accomplishments. He wins the little battles and the big ones also.

II. Instruction from the Lord

Josh 6:3 And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days.

Josh 6:4 And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams' horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets.

Josh 6:5 And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him.

I've read a lot of history accounts, and this is the only one I've come across where people took a city by walking around the outside of it for six days. The way God accomplishes things are not the way that we would do them.

Isa 55:8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.

Isa 55:9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Look back at how God did things before the days of Moses. Moses was preserved in

An Ark of Bulrushes. And that was right down at the river where Pharoah's daughter went to bathe. Who would have thought that Pharoah, who was the one destroying all the male babies, would be the one that took care of the one that God chose to lead his people out of Egypt. Who but God would use a young man with a sling and a stone to overcome the giant Goliath. And who but God would allow the King of the Universe to be born in a manger.

Luke 16:15 And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.

God does not look upon things as man does. The things that man puts so much emphasis on are the things God finds an abomination.

If we had set out to take Jericho, we would have put our minds to work. Do we break down the gates, starve the people out or scale the walls possibly with ropes. We might dig under the walls, but God does it a different way. Walk around the walls six days in a row. That was God's directions to the people. We can be sure that Joshua felt that God's way was best of all and must be followed if they were to be victorious and have His blessings. Every one of us need to learn that God's Way is the best way.

III. Instructions concerning the Ark of God

Josh 6:6 And Joshua the son of Nun called the priests, and said unto them, Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the LORD.

Josh 6:7 And he said unto the people, Pass on, and compass the city, and let him that is armed pass on before the ark of the LORD.

Josh 6:8 And it came to pass, when Joshua had spoken unto the people, that the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams' horns passed on before the LORD, and blew with the trumpets: and the ark of the covenant of the LORD followed them.

Josh 6:9 And the armed men went before the priests that blew with the trumpets, and the rereward came after the ark, the priests going on, and blowing with the trumpets.

We see the instructions were to put the armed men in the front followed by the seven priests who went before the ark. The third group was all the people of Israel. Joshua had not revealed what he had received from the Lord. Verses 2 and 5 contain the promises God made to Joshua.

Josh 6:2 And the LORD said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour.

God tells Joshua exactly what will happen. They will take the city, and the wall of the city will fall flat down. Joshua did not tell Israel that the victory was theirs, he just told them to do the things God instructed. The priests bearing the trumpets identify them as ministers of the gospel sounding forth their message…

Isa 58:1 Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.

1 Cor 14:8 For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?

1 Cor 14:9 So likewise ye, except ye utter by the tongue words easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken? for ye shall speak into the air.

1 Cor 14:10 There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them is without signification.

The sounding of the trumpets by the priest had a twofold design. The first was to strike fear into the hearts of the Canaanites. The second was to inspire confidence and courage in God's people.

Num 10:9 And if ye go to war in your land against the enemy that oppresseth you, then ye shall blow an alarm with the trumpets; and ye shall be remembered before the LORD your God, and ye shall be saved from your enemies.

IV. Instructions for the Conquest

Josh 6:10 And Joshua had commanded the people, saying, Ye shall not shout, nor make any noise with your voice, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I bid you shout; then shall ye shout.

Joshua gave no explanation as to why they were to keep silent until the command. To keep so many thousands of people silent for all this time was no small task. They were to bring themselves under subjection to the rules. We today are to bring our flesh under subjection each day to the glory of God.

Why were the people to keep silent? Could be multiple reasons. With God in their midst, the people were to fear God greatly to be feared in the assembly of His saints. We are to be in reverence of all them that are about Him.

Psa 89:7 God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him.

God was about to deal with the Canaanites in judgment, and it was fitting that every man be silent.

Eccl 3:7 A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

1 Ki 19:11 And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake:

1 Ki 19:12 And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.

We see that God spoke to Elijah in a still small voice.

V. Israel's Victory over Jericho

Josh 6:15 And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they rose early about the dawning of the day, and compassed the city after the same manner seven times: only on that day they compassed the city seven times.

We see that the people compassed the city for six days with no results, but in this, God was glorified. In our lives, small acts of obedience may seem insignificant, but in this we glorify the Heavenly Father.

Other acts of obedience were recorded that glorified God.

1 Sam 15:22 And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.

The people did not faint when the walls did not fall after one day, or two days, or even after six days.

Even with no apparent success, the people stayed with God and did not look for another way to win the battle. No visible results were scene, but the people waited on God.

Psa 37:34 Wait on the LORD, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.

Josh 6:16 And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said unto the people, Shout; for the LORD hath given you the city.

The people did not shout until they received the instructions from Joshua.

Josh 6:17 And the city shall be accursed, even it, and all that are therein, to the LORD: only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent.

Josh 6:18 And ye, in any wise keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed, when ye take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it.

Josh 6:19 But all the silver, and gold, and vessels of brass and iron, are consecrated unto the LORD: they shall come into the treasury of the LORD.

The people were forbidden to take any of the spoils of war for themselves. This would be hard, but many things that test us are difficult. We are blessed when we obey. God wants us to think on things above, not on things of the world.

Jericho was the first fruits of Canaan, and it therefore was to be devoted wholly unto the Lord. The treasures were to be consecrated unto God.

Josh 6:20 So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.

Josh 6:21 And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword.

Josh 6:22 But Joshua had said unto the two men that had spied out the country, Go into the harlot's house, and bring out thence the woman, and all that she hath, as ye sware unto her.

Josh 6:23 And the young men that were spies went in, and brought out Rahab, and her father, and her mother, and her brethren, and all that she had; and they brought out all her kindred, and left them without the camp of Israel.

Josh 6:24 And they burnt the city with fire, and all that was therein: only the silver, and the gold, and the vessels of brass and of iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the LORD.

Josh 6:25 And Joshua saved Rahab the harlot alive, and her father's household, and all that she had; and she dwelleth in Israel even unto this day; because she hid the messengers, which Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.

The wall of Jericho fell just like God promised. The victory to Israel was given to them by God.

Heb 11:30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days.

We see that the people's faith is what brought the walls down. The shout the people put out was given because they had faith and believe the Lord. Note that when they shouted, the walls were still standing.

VI. A Warning about rebuilding the Walls of Jericho

Josh 6:26 And Joshua adjured them at that time, saying, Cursed be the man before the LORD, that riseth up and buildeth this city Jericho: he shall lay the foundation thereof in his firstborn, and in his youngest son shall he set up the gates of it.

Josh 6:27 So the LORD was with Joshua; and his fame was noised throughout all the country.

These things God told the people not to do are just as important as what to do. God promises that if a man tried to rebuild that which God had destroyed, he would be cursed.

1 Ki 16:34 In his days did Hiel the Bethelite build Jericho: he laid the foundation thereof in Abiram his firstborn, and set up the gates thereof in his youngest son Segub, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Joshua the son of Nun.

We have a record of a man being cursed for doing this exact thing that God forbid.

Note in verse 27 that the Lord was with Joshua and he became a famous man for leading the people and obeying God.

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