 Exploring
the Word of God____Unit 2: The Historical Books |
To the next lesson in this series |
Joshua:
Conflict and Conquest
The Promised Land
Chapters 1 - 8 (continued)
| THE FALL OF JERICHO CHAPTER 6 |
Israel conquered the walled city of Jericho by faith and obedience to God, not through human wisdom and power. While God explained to Joshua what would happen (verse 5), the account does not tell us that God told the Israelites why he was having them march around the city for seven days. Humanly speaking, it may have appeared to be an exercise in futility. In fact, it was not until the seventh day that Joshua exhorted the people: "Shout! For the Lord has given you the city!" (verse 16).
|
The Bible explains that the fall of Jericho was a miracle of faith: "By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days" (Hebrews 11:30). Joshua was an army commander, but first and foremost he was a spiritual leader who relied on the power of God. From a military point of view, the entire spectacle must have seemed ridiculous. But Joshua lived by faith and not by sight (see Habakkuk 2:4 and 2 Corinthians 5:7). After all, God had already told him that Jericho would be taken — the enemy was already defeated. Christians also fight against a defeated enemy. Our enemy, Satan the devil, has been defeated by Christ: "Since the children have flesh and blood, [Christ] too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death — that is, the devil — and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death" (Hebrews 2:14-15; see also 1 John 3:8). This should give us tremendous encouragement. Although we still fight battles every day, we have God’s assurance that the greater war against Satan has already been won. On the individual level, this means that we do not have to be paralyzed by the power of a defeated enemy. We can overcome Satan through the power of Jesus Christ (Revelation 12:11).
|
|
| "The people shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the people gave a loud shout, the wall [of Jericho] collapsed...and they took the city" (Joshua 6:20). A shofar, or ram’s horn (left), was used as a battle trumpet in Israel. | |
 |
|
| The tell of Jericho (above) was occupied for millennia, largely because of its plentiful year-round spring. The stone tower (below), which stands 25 feet high today, dates back to the city's earliest defense system. Fine portrait heads of clay molded over skulls (example in box below), found at Jericho, may reflect a form of ancestor worship. | |
 |
|
|
The Curse of Jericho |
|
| After the destruction
and burning of Jericho, God, through Joshua, pronounced a solemn oath
over its ruins: "Cursed before the Lord is the man who undertakes
to rebuild this city, Jericho: At the cost of his firstborn son will he
lay its foundations; at the cost of his youngest will he set up its
gates" (Joshua 6:26).
The site of the |
abandoned for several centuries, until the
reign of King Ahab (circa 870-850 B.C.). At that time, the curse was
fulfilled when Hiel, a man of Bethel, rebuilt Jericho:
"He laid its foundations at the cost of his firstborn son Abiram, and he set up its gates at the cost of his youngest son Segub, in accordance with the word of the Lord spoken by Joshua son of Nun" (1 Kings 16:34). |
|
| ACHAN'S SIN CHAPTERS 7-8 |
After they conquered the city of Jericho, the Israelites had a route into Canaan. However, the central highlands were still protected by the strategic city-fortress of Ai. The Israelites attacked the city, but were put to flight by the men of Ai, who killed about 36 Israelite soldiers (Joshua 7:4-7). God revealed to Joshua the reason for this humiliating defeat (verses 10-11). When confronted, Achan confessed his guilt (verses 20-21).
Achan had exercised the fighting-man’s right, in the ancient world, to plunder the ruins of a conquered city, something that God did allow the Israelites to do in subsequent military campaigns. However, God had specifically pronounced everything in the first Canaanite city to be conquered, Jericho, as "devoted to the Lord" (Hebrew: cherem, meaning "something consecrated for destruction by God"). To plunder the city was to steal from God.
Achan’s sin illustrates how the actions of a single person can affect the family and the nation. The sin of the individual does affect other people. There are no victimless crimes, no private sins. Knowledge of sin may be kept secret, but the impact of sin is widespread. All of us need to be reminded of this from time to time. It is good to consider how devastating the sin of one person can be to the well-being of a family, church, business or other social group.
Following Achan’s execution, God again directed Israel to attack Ai, this time by way of ambush (Joshua 8:1-8). God commanded Joshua to stretch out his javelin toward the city until all its inhabitants were destroyed (verses 18, 26). This act brings to mind Moses’ uplifted hands in the victory over the Amalekites (Exodus 17:11-13).
Note that although the city of Ai, its king and its people were consecrated by God for destruction, the plunder and livestock were not (Joshua 8:2, 27).
Joshua knew that Israelite swords and spears had not won the battle. The God of Israel had conquered Ai. The psalmist would later echo this truth in a song of praise to God: "It was not by their sword that they won the land, nor did their arm bring them victory; it was your right hand, your arm, and the light of your face, for you loved them" (Psalm 44:3).
For the Christian, the lesson of Ai is clear: We can triumph where, in the past, we have failed — if we rely on God (Proverbs 24:16; Ephesians 6:10-18). However, we must first repent of our sins and respond to God’s correction.
After the conquest of Ai, Joshua led the Israelites in reconfirming their covenant with God by performing the ceremony of blessings and curses as prescribed by Moses (Joshua 8:30-35; see also Deuteronomy 27–28).
To next article in this series
Copyright © 2002 Worldwide Church of God