Joshua 6:1-27
At a party, a young wife admonished her husband,
“That’s the fourth time you’ve gone back for ice
cream and cake. Doesn’t it embarrass you?”
“Why should it?” answered her spouse. “I keep
telling them it’s for you.”
Today we will look at the 6th chapter of Joshua.
Israel is going to experience their first victory in the
promised land.
Joshua 6:1
God is Bigger than any Obstacle
The people of Jericho are terrified of Israel.
They have heard what the God of Israel had done in Og
and Sihon. The Scripture says their hearts melted and
there was no courage remaining in any man.
Because of that the gates were locked.
It was likely that the walls around the city were around
30 feet tall. What an obstacle. I’m sure it must have
seemed insurmountable, and it was in their own strength.
But the good news is that God is bigger than any obstacle
There is no wall too high, there is no fortress too fortified that God can’t break
down.
Joshua 6:2
When God Speaks, It Happens
God speaks here in the past tense because when He says
something it happens. He told Joshua, see I have given
Jericho into your hands. But the gates were still locked
tight.
At creation, God said, “Let there be light” and there was
light. He spoke the entire world into existence by His
words. Joshua couldn’t see the city conquered yet, but
he would because God said it.
Joshua 6:3-5
God Uses Creative Methods to Accomplish His Plan
God is no stranger to doing the unexpected.
Gideon used torches and pitchers.
David used a sling and a stone.
Here, Joshua is going to use trumpets and shouts.
Think what Joshua and the priests and the people must
have been thinking when they heard God’s battle plan.
How is marching around a city going to defeat them?
I wonder if the residents of Jericho were making fun of
them as they circled them with the trumpet blasts.
God doesn’t want us to get stuck thinking in the box.
Sometimes He takes the box and throws it out the
window and then does something so off the wall we
never would have expected it.
Speaking of boxes. God told Joshua to have the priests
carry the ark of the covenant with them as they walked
around the city of Jericho.
Remember, the ark signifies the presence of God. This
detail may seem insignificant, but it’s actually the focal
point of the whole chapter.
None of this would happen without God’s leading and His
protection. Even though God’s plan is always the best,
people often mock us for trusting His seemingly crazy
plan.
Joshua 6:6-10
God Desires our Faith and Obedience
Joshua didn’t second guess God. He didn’t ask for
clarification. He simply did as God instructed him.
He passed on the battle plan to the priests and to the
people.
Seven priests with seven rams’ horns and they will march
around the city 7 times and then on the 7th day the city
walls will fall down. The number 7 is significant and that’s
why God commanded them in this specific way.
Joshua had faith that God’s way was the only way and he
obeyed immediately and fully. Joshua didn’t stop after
one or two days. He understood that partial obedience is
disobedience, in the same way delayed obedience is
disobedience. God expects our full and immediate
obedience. Our faith is displayed through our obedience.
Hudson Taylor said there are 3 ways to serve the Lord
1.Make the best plans you can and hope they succeed
2.Make our own plans and ask God to bless them
3.Ask God for His plan and do what He tells us to do
Joshua understood that God wants our obedience.
Joshua 6:11-19
God is Sovereign – His way is Perfect
God explained to Joshua just how things were to go.
He even gave the processional order.
In front were soldiers, next the priests with their rams’
horns, in the middle was the ark of the covenant, then
the rear guard (soldiers) followed by the people.
The ark was in the center, God must also be in the center
of our lives. He must be our focus and we ought to make
sure our eyes are fixed on Him because He is sovereign
and His way is perfect.
God even told Joshua to have the people keep quiet, it
was only the priests blowing their horns that should be
making noise until the final day. Then only when Joshua
commanded them to shout they would shout.
Again, how interesting is God’s perfect plan?!
March around a city and shout and the walls will fall down
and then you will conquer the city. But, it happened just
as God said.
Look at v.19. Joshua tells the people that the things of
the city are holy to the Lord. You could also translate
that as consecrated or set apart. But, Joshua is talking
about how the things of the city are set apart for God’s
destruction. The city is going to be obliterated. And it’s
all part of God’s perfect plan. If we look at the Hebrew
word we will see that it means that God is able to do with
His creation whatever He pleases.
Paul writes about this topic in Romans 9. It’s a very
difficult concept. Paul compares God to a potter molding
clay. The clay has no right to say to the potter what he
wants to be. The potter is in full control to do whatever
he wants with the clay. He makes some vessels for good
use and some for destruction.
The Canaanites had been given so many chances, yet
they continued to reject God. Moses told Israel in
Deuteronomy 9:5 that it wasn’t because of their
faithfulness and righteousness that He was giving them
the land, it was because of the wickedness of the
Canaanites that He was going to destroy them and give
the land to Israel.
Lest you think God wasn’t patient with them, He told
them once before that the time for the Canaanites
destruction wasn’t yet complete. God is patient and His
way is best.
Joshua 6:17-25
God is Willing to Save all who Turn to Him
Rahab helped the spies and saw how powerful and
mighty the Lord was. God called her to Himself and she
believed by faith and is even mentioned in the Hebrews
hall of faith.
2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slow about His
promise, as some count slowness, but is patient
toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all
to come to repentance.”
Even though God decided to destroy Jericho, He allowed
Rahab to survive. She kept the three tasks the spies
asked of her.
She placed the scarlet cord in her window,
She kept her whole family in her house, she didn’t say a
word to anyone about it. And God spared her.
It’s a promise that is still true today.
God wants everyone to love Him and turn from their sin
and receive His forgiveness, however not everyone will
do it.
Joshua 6:26-27
God’s Judgment is Certain and Final
God destroyed the city of Jericho and Joshua made the
people take an oath that if they rebuilt the city they
would lose their firstborn and their youngest sons as a
penalty.
God may be very long-suffering, but when time is up,
time is up. God assures us that sin will be punished.
Those who reject Him will suffer death.
Those who accept His free gift of salvation will experience
eternal life in heaven with Him. Jesus suffered the
judgment that we deserved. Justice was served on Him
so that we could be reconciled to God!!