Josué 6
Warren Wiersbe · Citado em PreceptAustin
Josué 6
Wiersbe - When we accept God’s plan, we invite God’s presence; and that guarantees victory. (See Ex. 33:12–17.)... It’s important that leaders receive their orders from the Lord and that those who follow them obey their instructions. As with the crossing of the Jordan River, so also the conquest of Jericho was a miracle of faith. Joshua and his people listened to God’s orders, believed them, and obeyed; and God did the rest. When God’s people rebel against spiritual leadership, as Israel often did in the wilderness, it leads to discipline and defeat. (Be Strong -- Joshua: Putting God's Power to Work in Your Life) Related Resources: Angel of the LORD - Discussion of Theophanies in the Old Testament The Hand of the Lord GEORGE BUSH Notes Critical and Practical on the Book of Joshua - Chapter 6 2. And the Lord said unto Joshua. That is, after Joshua had loosed his shoes from off his feet, as commanded above, Joshua 5:15. He who was before called the ‘Captain of the Lord’s host,’ is here called ‘Lord,’ or ‘Jehovah,’ thus clearly proving that it was a Divine personage; for who else could promise and perform what follows? I have given into thy hand Jericho. Not I will do it, but I have done it; it is all thine own, as surely as if it were even now in thy possession. And the mighty men of valor. The copulative ‘and’ does not occur here in the Hebrew. The proper rendering is, ‘I have given into thy hand Jericho and the king thereof, (who are, or, although they are) mighty men of valor,’ i. e. experienced and powerful warriors, men with whom, if you were to contend on ordinary terms, you would be unable to cope, but whom, through my assistance, you shall utterly overthrow. A city, in Scripture style, is often taken, not for a collection of houses and walls, but for the inhabitants, an assemblage of people dwelling together in a corporate capacity. The same distinction holds between the Latin urbs and civitas. By Jericho and its king, is here meant the inhabitants and their king, and they are spoken of collectively as mighty men of valor.’ Alan Carr applies this passage to the Christian life - As we face our obstacles, whatever they may be we can do so with confidence, because we have the Lord’s promises as banners to march under: 1. We Have His Promise That Our Weapons Are Powerful Through God—2 Cor. 10:4–5. 2. We Have His Promise That Our Battles Have All Been Arranged By The Lord—Rom. 8:28; 2 Cor. 4:17. 3. We Have His Promise That Our Ability Is Limited Only By Our Faith—Phil. 4:13; Eph. 3:20. 4. We Have His Promise Of Power In The Day Of Battle—Eph. 6:10. 5. We Have His Promise Of Ongoing Victory—1 Cor. 15:57. 6. We Have His Promise That We Will Never Fight Alone—Heb. 13:5; Matt. 28:20. 7. We Have His Promise That When The Battles Are Ended, We will Celebrate The Victory In His Presence—John 14:1–3. C. As we face the walled cities in our lives, we need to learn to believe the Lord, to take Him at His Word and trust Him for our victories! (Rom. 4:21; 2 Cor. 1:20) I Jesus did not save you for you to be defeated! He saved you for the victory and He will be there all the way to help you secure it for His glory! Will there be trials? But, there will also be victory—Luke 22:31–32.) (How To Make Your Walls Fall Down Flat) Joshua 6:3 "You shall march around the city, all the men of war circling the city once. You shall do so for six days. ye shall: Jos 6:7,14 Nu 14:9 1Co 1:21-25 2Co 4:7 Joshua 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries PRELIMINARY PREPARATION FOR PLUNDERING PAGANS! Notice that in Joshua 6:2 God says "I have given" indicating His sovereignty but here the focus is on Joshua's responsibility. You shall march around the city, all the men of war circling the city once. You shall do so for six days - These are quite likely the strangest marching orders in the history of military warfare, although Gideon's instructions come close (see Jdg 7:1-25+). Now think about this for a moment. On one hand put yourself inside the walls and what must have been going through the heads of the pagans. Initially they would have been puzzled which probably gave way to ridicule but after six days of silent marching they would be becoming fearful. On the other hand imagine six days of round and round and round and each time the walls are not getting any smaller. It is as if the LORD is giving them a living illustration of walking by faith, not by sight. Faith obeys the LORD in spite of the consequences (in this case nothing happening to Jericho). This reminds us of the nation camping at the eastern edge of the raging Jordan to get a good sense of how humanly impossible crossing would be. Similarly the obstacle of the high walls gives the soldiers plenty of time to ponder how humanly impossible it would be to take this city. THOUGHT - Has God allowed (or sent) some "obstacle" (trial, difficulty, etc) into your life? Does it seem like it will be humanly impossible to overcome? While God may not remove the obstacle, He will provide a way of escape that you may be able to endure the obstacle/trial. (see 1Cor 10:13+). The purpose of the obstacle/trial is not to make you bitter but to make you better (see 1Pe 1:6+, James 1:2-4+). The LORD's unusual instructions remind us of His words in Isaiah 55:8-9... “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts. Based on archaeological findings the city of Jericho was only about 8.5-9 acres which would take approximately 20-30 minutes to march around. John Davis - To say the least, the battle plan revealed to Joshua was most unusual. It was indeed an act of faith on the part of Joshua to propose such a plan to the seasoned generals representing the various tribes. There is no evidence of rebellion to the plan as presented by Joshua, however. This probably indicates the commitment of the military leaders under Joshua to the Lord. The march around the walls was to be characterized by silence (6:10) except for blowing of the rams’ horns (6:8)....The march around the city in military formation, yet without any attempt to attack, must have sent “the Jericho commission on defense” into a number of special late evening sessions! From this strange strategy for sacking Jericho, Joshua had to believe that it was God who was in control of this battle which reminds me of the song by Twila Paris - God is in Control This is no time for fear This is a time for faith and determination Don't lose the vision here Carried away by emotion Hold on to all that you hide in your heart There is one thing that has always been true It holds the world together God is in Control We believe that His children will not be forsaken God is in Control We will choose to remember and never be shaken There is no power above or beside Him, we know God is in control, oh God is in control History marches on There is a bottom line drawn across the ages Culture can make its plan Oh, but the line never changes No matter how the deception may fly There is one thing that has always been true It will be true forever God is in Control We believe that His children will not be forsaken God is in Control We will choose to remember and never be shaken There is no power above or beside Him, we know God is in control, oh God is in control He has never let you down Why start to worry now? He is still the Lord of all we see And He is still the loving Father Watching over you and me Watching over you,watching over me Watching over everything Watching over you,watching over me Every little sparrow, every little thing Every little thing, oh! God is in Control We believe that His children will not be forsaken God is in Control We will choose to remember and never be shaken There is no power above or beside Him, we know God is in Control , oh God is in Control Oh God is in Control ! oh God is in Control GEORGE BUSH Notes Critical and Practical on the Book of Joshua - Chapter 6 3. And ye shall compass—thus shall thou do six days. The address is made in the latter clause to Joshua, in the singular number, as the commander and representative of the people. In the former clause the plural is used. Such changes of person are frequent, and always worthy of attention, as showing the constructive unity of people and their leaders.—It seemed good to Infinite Wisdom to appoint this method of besieging the city, (1) To magnify his power, to show in a convincing manner, both to the Canaanites and to Israel, that Omnipotence alone had achieved the work, that he was infinitely above the need of the ordinary means of obtaining a victory, and to render those of his enemies entirely inexcusable who should presume to withstand his resistless arm. (2) To try the faith and obedience of Joshua and his people, by prescribing a course of conduct that seemed to human wisdom the height of folly and absurdity, and also to secure a profound respect to all his subsequent institutions, however simple or contemptible they might seem to the eye of carnal reason. (3) To put honor upon the ark as the appointed token of his presence, and to confirm still more fully that veneration and awe, with which they had always been taught to regard it. Joshua 6:3-5 Dr. Woodrow Kroll It's a Mystery to Me Joshua 6:3-5 - "You shall march around the city, all you men of war; you shall go all around the city once. This you shall do six days. . . . But the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. Then it shall come to pass, when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, that all the people shall shout with a great shout; then the wall of the city will fall down flat." It's a Mystery to Me - In speaking of things beyond our understanding, the famous orator and statesman William Jennings Bryan declared, "I have observed the power of the watermelon seed. It has the power of drawing from the ground and through itself 200,000 times its weight. When you can tell me how it takes this material and out of it colors an outside surface beyond the imitation of art, and then forms inside of it a white rind and within that again a red heart, thickly inlaid with black seeds . . . when you can explain to me the mystery of a watermelon, you can ask me to explain the mystery of God." Joshua was faced with the mystery of God as well. Upon hearing the plan given by God, surely someone must have asked him, "How will marching around a wall, blowing trumpets and shouting knock down that wall?" Certainly it was beyond understanding. But the mysteries of God usually are. Divine mysteries abound. We don't understand how a child could be conceived without a father, but it happened (Luke 1:34). We can't comprehend how an infinite God could be housed in a finite human body, but He was (see note Colossians 1:15). It's beyond our comprehension that one man's death could pay for the sins of the world, but it did (see note Romans 5:18). We don't understand, but that's okay. God's mysteries are not for us to explain; they are for us to accept by faith and act upon. If you're struggling to understand a mystery of God, don't trouble yourself. The real issue is not whether you understand; it's whether you are willing to obey. Faith obeys when explanations are lacking. Joshua 6:4 "Also seven priests shall carry seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark; then on the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. trumpets of rams': Lev 25:9 Nu 10:1-10 Jdg 7:7,8,15-22 2Ch 13:12 20:17,19,21 Isa 27:13 Zec 4:6 seven times: Ge 2:3 7:2,3 Lev 4:6 14:16 25:8 Nu 23:1 1Ki 18:43 2Ki 5:10 Job 42:8 Zec 4:2 Rev 1:4,20 5:1,6 8:2,6 10:3 15:1,7 16:1 Joshua 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passages: Leviticus 25:9+ ‘You shall then sound a ram’s horn (shophar) abroad on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the day of atonement you shall sound a horn all through your land. A SET OF SEVENS Also - In addition to the men of war. Seven priests shall carry seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark - Trumpets of ram's horns is literally "trumpets of jubilee." Now the LORD gets more specific on the order of the march. It will be the priests carrying trumpets and preceding the Ark.
Josué 6
Wiersbe - In this plan the emphasis is on the number seven: seven priests, seven trumpets, seven days of marching, and seven circuits of the city on the seventh day. The number seven is written clearly into the life of Israel: The Sabbath celebrated on the seventh day of the week; seven weeks from Passover is Pentecost; the seventh year is the Sabbatical Year; and after forty-nine years (seven times seven) comes the Year of Jubilee. Three of Israel’s feasts fall in the seventh month: the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement (Lev. 16), and the Feast of Tabernacles. (For details about this remarkable calendar, see Lev. 23+.) (Be Strong -- Joshua: Putting God's Power to Work in Your Life) Ram's horn (Jubilee) (03104) yobel from yabal = to conduct, bear along) has two distinct meanings (1) that of "ram's horn," appearing in construct with the noun shôphār, "horn," and qeren , "horn"; and (2) reference to "Year of Jubilee." The horn was used as a musical instrument in Hebrew and is usually labeled by the technical term "shophar." The association of the meanings stems from the blowing of the horn to announce the advent of the Year of Jubilee. It is used in the phrase qeren yôḇēl, “horn of a ram” (Josh. 6:5) or in the phrase šôp̱erôṯ hayyôḇelı̂ym “shophars (rams’ horns) of rams” which is rendered as “trumpets of rams’ horns” (e.g.Josh. 6:4). Its most famous use is in the phrase “year of the ram’s horn,” which means the Year of Jubilee that was announced by blowing a ram’s horn (Lev. 25:13) GEORGE BUSH Notes Critical and Practical on the Book of Joshua - Chapter 6 4. Seven trumpets of rams’ horns, Heb. שופרות יובלים shoperoth yobelim, trumpets of the jubilee, i. e. such trumpets as used to be blown in the year of jubilee, implying, perhaps, that the entrance of Israel into Canaan was a kind of jubilee to them, an occasion that called rather for the sound of the trumpet of joy, than the dreadful notes of the trumpet of war. No other scriptural instance is adduced, in which the word יובל yobël is translated ram, though it be true that the Chaldee paraphrase favors that rendering. But its single authority on the point is not conclusive. The like phrase in v.5, is, in the original קרן יובל keren yobël, horn of jubilee, and proves only that horns were used, without restricting the meaning to rams’ horns. Still the sense of rams’ horns, as a traditional sense, seems for ages to have connected itself with the phrase, grounded, we presume, on the fact, that the trumpets in question were made in the shape of the horns of this animal, and the appellation ‘horn of jubilee’ may be used figuratively for trumpet of jubilee, just as with us a well known musical instrument of brass is called ‘a horn,’ from its form, and another called ‘a serpent,’ for the same reason. The seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times. The time was thus lengthened out, both to afford a continued exercise of the faith and patience of the people, and that the besieged and besiegers might be the more deeply impressed with that supernatural power by which the result was to be accomplished. Men are usually prone to precipitate measures. God moves deliberately, and he would have his people wait his time. ‘He that believeth shall not make haste.’ ‘It is the pleasure of God to hold us both in work and in expectation, and though he require our continual endeavors for the subduing of our corruptions, during the six days of our life, yet we shall never find it perfectly effected till the very evening of our last day,’ Bp. Hall, The repeated mention of the number seven in this connexion, is worthy of notice. It has been suggested that it might have a latent reference to the creation of the world in six days, and God’s resting on the seventh, which completed the first week, and in the present case, that it may convey an allusion to the preaching of the gospel for a limited period of time, at the close of which, perhaps early in the seventh thousand years, all Satan’s remaining bulwarks shall fall to the ground, and the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of the Lord and of his Christ. Joshua 6:5 "It shall be that when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city will fall down flat, and the people will go up every man straight ahead." make a long: Jos 6:16,20 Ex 19:19 2Ch 20:21,22 the people: Jdg 7:20-22 1Sa 4:5 17:20,52 2Ch 13:14,15 Jer 50:15 and the wall: Isa 25:12 30:25 2Co 10:4,5 Heb 11:30 Joshua 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries A TRUMPET BLAST AND A SHOUT It shall be that when they make a long blast with the ram's (yobel) horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout (rua) with a great shout (teruah) - Joshua obviously passed on these unusual orders apparently with no grumbling or questioning of his authority or his reasoning, which is undoubtedly one reason the LORD exalted him in the sight of all Israel (Josh 3:7, Josh 4:14). Were Joshua not highly esteemed by the people, can you imagine how they would have reacted to this seemingly silly strategy for sacking Jericho! But clearly the generals and the people simply believed him and obeyed him.
Josué 6
Wiersbe - If the week’s schedule was a test of their patience, the divine command of silence was a test of their self-control. People who can’t control their tongues can’t control their bodies (James 3:1–2), and what good are soldiers whose bodies are not disciplined? “Be still, and know that I am God” (Ps. 46:10). In the Christian life there’s “a time to keep silence, and a time to speak” (Ecc. 3:7); and wise is the child of God who knows the difference. Our Lord is the perfect example of this (Isa. 53:7; Matt. 26:62–63; 27:14; Luke 23:9). (Be Strong -- Joshua: Putting God's Power to Work in Your Life) GEORGE BUSH Notes Critical and Practical on the Book of Joshua - Chapter 6 15. The seventh day—they rose early. Because on this day they had to encompass the city seven times; a proof that the city could not have been very large, and also that the whole Israelitish host could not have been employed in going round it; for as the fighting men alone amounted to 600,000, independently of the mass of the people, who made a total of at least two millions more, the thing is utterly inconceivable. A select number, sufficient for the occasion, was doubtless all that were employed. It is evident that in the course of these seven days there must have been a sabbath. This the Jewish writers say was the last, the day on which the city was taken; but this is not certain. It is not material, however, which day it was. That God, who commanded the sabbath to be set apart for rest and religious purposes, has a right to suspend or alter the usual modes of its observance when he sees fit, and his command is sufficient to make any action lawful at any time. Joshua 6:15-27 Theodore Epp A Shout of Faith According to Hebrews 11:30 (note), the walls of Jericho fell down by faith. Some people want to attribute the collapse of the walls to an earthquake. It makes no difference to us what means God used. Whatever He did was timed so that after Israel had passed around the city the 13th time, and when the trumpets blew and the shout was made, then the walls fell. It took place just when God said it would. God will speak again, and this time to the whole world. Just as the shout of the Israelites preceded the judgment on Jericho, so the Lord Jesus will come for His saints, descending from heaven with a shout and with the voice of the archangel and the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first (see note 1Thessalonians 4:16). Then will follow the Great Tribulation, the time of awful judgment for the earth. Hebrews 12:26 (note) prophesies of this when it says of God, "Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven." Peter described it in 2 Peter 3 in these words: "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up" (see note 2 Peter 3:10). "In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed" (1 Cor. 15:52). Joshua 6:15 Dr Woodrow Kroll Perfect Promises 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. Every few years the countries of the free world participate in national elections. The democratic system of government provides the opportunity for men and women representing their parties to campaign, make promises and pledges, and run for office on the basis of their platform and promises. Generally the winner is the person who promises the most and who, in the minds of the voters, can actually deliver on those campaign promises. Unfortunately history has taught us that most political promises are little more than campaign rhetoric and the voters have justifiable reason for concern about their validity. In contrast to this are the promises of God in which the believer may have absolute confidence. God has a perfect record of keeping His promises. The story of Jericho's conquest is a fine example of the completed promises of God. Prior to their entrance into the promised land, Joshua sent two men across the Jordan to spy out the city of Jericho. These spies came to the place where information would freely flow among the men of the town. They entered the house of Rahab the harlot. Although the life of Rahab as a harlot was certainly not condoned by the Israeli spies, nevertheless apparently the Lord God had been working in the heart of Rahab. When the king of Jericho attempted to track down the two spies, Rahab hid them on her roof among the sticks of flax. She confessed her faith in Jehovah God saying "The LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath" (Joshua 2:11). Because this woman aided His secret agents, God promised Rahab and her household salvation in the midst of the peril of her city. God's battle plan for the defeat of Jericho was unconventional, to say the least. Joshua would command seven priests, bearing seven trumpets of ram's horns before the ark of the Lord, to march around the city walls in silence for seven days, once each day until the seventh. On the seventh day they would march seven times around the wall. Then amid the blast of the seven jubilee trumpets and the war cry of the people of God, the destruction of the stronghold at Jericho would take place. The children of Israel did as God commanded. "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" Joshua (6:15). On the seventh circuit of the seventh day the people shouted and the walls of Jericho fell down flat. The army of Israel entered the city unhindered and utterly destroyed all that was in the city, with one notable exception--the household of Rahab. Because they obeyed the Lord explicitly, the people saw two great promises of the Lord performed on the same day. The city of Jericho, the strongest outpost of the Canaanite defenses, had been utterly destroyed as God had promised. Likewise Rahab and her household had been spared destruction, as God had promised. But there is one final promise of God that can be seen in the conquest of Jericho. In verse 26 Joshua counseled the people, warning them, "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." To show that God means business when He makes a promise, Joshua imprecated a solemn curse on anyone who would rebuild the now-destroyed Jericho. This curse was literally fulfilled in the fate of Heil, the Bethelite, who rebuilt Jericho in the reign of Ahab (about 925 B.C.). Heil's firstborn son, Abiram, died as he was laying the foundation for the rebuilding of Jericho. Also his youngest son, Segub, died while he was setting up the gates of the city (1 Kings 16:34). What God promises, God performs. Whether the promise is for salvation, as in the case of Rahab, or for destruction, as in the case of Heil, the promises of God must never be taken lightly. Whatever God promises, God performs. You can count on it. MORNING HYMN Standing on the promises that cannot fail, When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail By the living word of God I shall prevail, Standing on the promises of God. Joshua 6:16 At the seventh time, when the priests blew the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, "Shout! For the LORD has given you the city. Shout: Jos 6:2 Jdg 7:20-22 2Ch 13:15 20:22,23 Joshua 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries A TRUMPET BLAST AND A SHOUT At the seventh time, when the priests blew the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, "Shout! For the LORD has given you the city - After 6 days of silent marching Joshua gives the command to shout or as the NET version says "Give the battle cry!" Notice that the "for" functions as a term of explanation, in this case explaining to the people why they were to shout. This explanation would clearly have drawn immediate obedience from the people. They were learning "step by step" to trust in the LORD's power to deliver on His promises. Recall the assurance of the LORD's declaration to Joshua in Joshua 6:2 “See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and the valiant warriors. NET Note on "for the LORD has given to you the city." The verbal form is a perfect, probably indicating certitude here. J Oswald Sanders - It is the nature of faith that it believes and rejoices in advance of realization. Every step around Jericho had been a step of appropriation by faith. But the climax came with the mighty shout, the release of long pent-up emotion, which was the outward expression of their inward confidence in God. It must be noted that the shout of faith arose before the walls showed any sign of collapse, not after. It would be easy to shout afterward. Once again, in the second impossible situation, they had risked everything on the faithfulness of God, and their faith received its reward. Compass the frowning wall With silent prayer; then raise-- Before the ramparts fall-- The victor's song of raise. It shall be done! Faith rests assured; Challenge thy mountain in the Lord! (Author Unknown) A magnificent example of the shout of faith is told of Robert Moffat, father-in-law of David Livingstone. For seven years Moffatt had been engaged in missionary work in Bechuanaland, but with no visible results. In those days, mails to and from Scotland, his homeland, took six months. One year, his home church wrote inquiring what they could send him as a Christmas present. As yet there was not a single convert, but in sublime faith Moffatt replied, "A communion service . " When it arrived at Christmas, was it put to use? Of course it was! That letter had been his shout of faith after he had encircled his Jericho for seven years. God could not disappoint His trusting servant, and many new believers joined the missionary in using that Communion service to celebrate the Lord's death. (Promised Land Living) GEORGE BUSH Notes Critical and Practical on the Book of Joshua - Chapter 6 16. Shout; for the Lord hath given you the city. As before it does not appear that the people were informed how they were to cross the Jordan till they came to the river’s brink, so on this occasion Joshua seems to have forborne telling them how they were to become masters of the city, till they had compassed it six times. Their implicit obedience in this, as in the former instance, strikingly evinced their faith, which is commended by the apostle, Heb. 11:30. ‘By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they were compassed about seven days.’ James Smith - THE FALL OF JERICHO Joshua 6 “Faith is a courier swift and sure, who will carry us to the absent.” —MADAM DE JASPARIN. The terror of the Lord had fallen upon the Canaanites on hearing what the Lord had done. Joshua believed God, and He overcame. All really holy men are a terror to the ungodly. Those who live only for God will have a power for Him that the wisdom and strength of the world cannot resist (v. 1). All human defences melt in the powerful presence of the Holy Ghost. Power for testimony is oneness with God, witness the life of Jesus Christ. It was easy for Joshua to overcome, just because he trusted in God, who goeth before in the spirit of conviction, showing to the enemy their utter weakness in the presence of the Almighty. We shall notice three leading thoughts in this chapter— I. A Doomed City, OR THE SINNER’S STATE. It was— 1. UNDER THE CURSE OF GOD. “The city shall be accursed” (v. 17). The sentence of death had been passed upon it forty years ago (Exod. 23:27, 28), although then they were glorying in their strength, ignorant of their condition in the sight of God, just as many still are insensible of their state. Their doom was as surely fixed when they were rejoicing as when they were trembling. The Scriptures hath concluded all under sin, and so under the curse of a broken law. The sentence of death has already passed upon all men, for that all have sinned (Rom. 5:12). 2. STRAITLY SHUT UP (v. 1). If it had been straitly shut up by God as Noah was shut up in the ark, then they might have laughed the Israelites to scorn. When He shutteth no man can open, but they shut themselves up against God. He that covereth his sins shall not prosper. This is characteristic of the vain effort of proud, defiant sinners, shutting themselves within the walls of their own righteousness. Every mouth must be shut up. 3. QUICKLY BROUGHT DOWN. “The wall fell flat” (v. 20). Their only refuge failed, and great was the fall of it. What is the value of a refuge that will not stand the day of trial? It is like a rotten ship in a storm. These great walls, the work of their own hands, were all their confidence (Isa. 28:17). Such hopes will only make ashamed. II. A Strange Assault, OR THE VICTORY OF FAITH (Heb. 11:30). The means appointed by God are often foolishness with man. But the believing heart delights to obey. The means appointed were the— 1. COMPASSING OF THE CITY (v. 3). Here we see the measure of faith. Heb 11:30 says: “By faith the walls of Jericho fell.” They must have had great faith; their faith as well as their feet must compass the city. Our faith also must compass the object of desire if we would possess it. “According to your faith,” etc. It is in the compassing that the faith is tried, for nothing is seen but huge walls of difficulty. Nothing is felt but human inability. But these only make the trusting heart more confident in God. 2. BLOWING OF THE TRUMPETS (v. 4). Here we see the means of faith. The means faith uses are far different from the inventions of the carnal mind. They are the simple, seemingly weak, things of God; but they are the weapons, not of doubt or experiment, but of faith. The sling and the stone would be no use to Saul, but they are mighty in the hand of David. The trumpet of the Gospel must be blown in faith if the victory is to be won. The holy lips of the priests alone were to blow. Holy men must still speak, being moved by the Holy Ghost. 3. CARRYING OF THE ARK (v. 6). Here we see the object of faith. The ark, the symbol of Jehovah’s presence. All was arranged according to the ark. What confidence! The Ark that divided Jordan is coming. Their faith would not be in their blowing or marching, and yet if they do not march the ark does not follow. So our faith must look up to Him who has said, “Lo, I am with you alway,” and press on with the compassing and the blowing. 4. SHOUTING OF THE PEOPLE (v. 20). Here we see the expectation of faith. This is not the work of the priests alone, but of all the people (v. 5). Through what has been done faith has been increased in the hearts of all Israel. Now all are trusting and expecting, and all shout the downfall and the victory. Why so few great victories for God? Because so few expect. So few join in the shout. Oh, how much blowing there is in these days of much preaching, but how little shouting among the people. III. A Family Spared, OR THE GREAT SALVATION (v. 25). “By faith the harlot Rahab perished not” (Heb. 11:31). Notice that she— 1. BELIEVED. “I know that the Lord hath given you the land; … for the Lord your God, He is God” (chap. 2:9, 11). She hid the message as well as the messengers. Her old beliefs and prejudices were cast aside. She heard and believed (vv. 2, 11). “Who hath believed our report, to whom is the arm (power) of the Lord revealed.” He that believeth shall be saved. 2. OBEYED. “She bound the scarlet line in the window” (chap. 2:21). Her faith was justified in the sight of men by her works. She hid the messengers and exposed the line (James 2:25). “Faith without works is dead.” By the scarlet cord she is to be justified or condemned. Is the crimson blood between you and the approaching vengeance, which must come upon all who obey not the Gospel? When I see the line (blood) I will pass over you. 3. TESTIFIED. She not only saved herself, but “all that she had” (v. 23). How she would persuade them we know not, but drowning ones will catch at a straw; the hope might seem vain, but the honour of Joshua was at stake. The name of the Lord is a strong tower. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.” “Behold, now is the accepted time;” not when the walls are fallen flat. “Come thou and all thy house into the ark.” Joshua 6:17 "The city shall be under the ban, it and all that is in it belongs to the LORD; only Rahab the harlot and all who are with her in the house shall live, because she hid the messengers whom we sent. Under the ban Jos 7:1 Lev 27:28,29 Nu 21:2,3 1Co 2:7 Ezr 10:8 *marg: Isa 34:6 Jer 46:10 Eze 39:17 Mic 4:13 1Co 16:22 Ga 3:10,12 only Rahab the harlot: Jos 2:1 because: Jos 6:22,23 2:4-6,22 Ge 12:3 1Sa 15:6 Mt 10:41,42 25:40 Heb 6:10 Heb 11:31 Jas 2:25 Joshua 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passages: James 2:25+ In the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? Hebrews 11:31+ By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient, after she had welcomed the spies in peace. JERICHO UNDER THE BAN BELONGS TO GOD The city shall be under the ban, it and all that is in it belongs to the LORD- Under the ban is actually "defined" in this passage, for the word describes the fact that all of it belongs to the LORD. The Septuagint translates ban (herem) with anathēma which means something dedicated to the deity or "votive gifts" (cf Lk 21:5+) and in in a negative sense, as one delivered over to divine wrath. Both senses are in play in this passage.