JOSHUA - CHAPTER 6
About Jericho
v1 The people in Jericho kept their gates shut. They watched to be sure that the Israelites did not get in. No one could go in or out of the city. v2 ‘I will give Jericho to you’, the Lord said to Joshua. ‘I will give its king and all its brave soldiers to you. v3 You and all your soldiers must march round the city once each day, for 6 days. v4 7 priests will walk in front of the ark. They will carry trumpets as they walk. On the 7th day, you and your soldiers must march round the city 7 times. At the same time the priests will cause their trumpets to sound. v5 Then they will make one long loud noise. As soon as you hear this, all the men must shout loudly. The city walls will fall down. Then the whole army will go straight into the city.’
Commentary
Verses 1, 2
The people in Jericho were afraid of the Israelites. They knew how powerful God was. They did all that they could do to protect themselves. God told Joshua that the Israelites would defeat Jericho. God was the captain of the army. He would win the battle for them. Joshua and the Israelites trusted God. They knew that God was on their side. God is on our side. He is our captain. He will fight our battles for us. We must trust him. Romans 8:31 says that if God is for us, nobody can defeat us.
Verse 3
God told the Israelites to walk around Jericho for 7 days. There are several possible reasons for this.
---1. To test the faith of the Israelites.
---2. To test if Joshua and the Israelites would obey God.
---3. To prove that God had to be in control.
Verse 4
It was not usual for the Israelites to take the ark into battle. This was the first battle in the promised land. The Israelites needed to know that God was with them. They needed to see something to help them.
God has promised to be with us at all times (Matthew 28:20). We do not need to see anything. We know that God keeps his promises.
Joshua's Instructions to the Priests
v6 Joshua called the priests. ‘Take the ark of God’s promise, and make 7 other priests walk in front of it. They must carry trumpets’, he said to them. v7 He told the people to march round the city. A group of fighting men should march in front of the ark.v8 Joshua finished speaking to the people. Then the 7 priests that were carrying the 7 trumpets went ahead. They were making their trumpets sound as they went. And the priests that were carrying the ark followed them. v9 Some strong fighting men went in front of the priests that were making the trumpets sound. Another group of soldiers followed the ark. The priests were making the trumpets sound all this time. v10 But Joshua had said to the people, ‘Do not shout or make a noise. Do not say a word until I tell you to shout. I will tell you to shout one day, then shout!’ v11 Joshua made them carry the ark round the city once. Then they returned to their tents, and they slept there that night.
Commentary
Verses 6, 7
It seems that only Joshua knew all the plans. The priests and the people did not know that it would take 7 days.
Verses 6-8
The number 7 appears several times in this story. In the Bible, the number 7 usually means that something is complete or perfect. In this story, the number 7 shows us that God was giving the instructions. God is perfect. His plans are perfect. His plans were perfect for Joshua and the Israelites. God’s plans are perfect for us (Jeremiah 29:11).
Verses 9-11
See Notes on Joshua 6:4 (above).
The Trumpets
v12 Joshua got up early the next morning, and the priests took up the ark of the Lord. v13 The 7 priests that were carrying the trumpets marched in front of the ark. They were making the trumpets sound. Some soldiers went in front of the priests that were making the trumpets sound. Other soldiers followed the ark. The priests made the trumpets sound all the time. v14 This is how they marched round the city on the second day. They did this once and then they returned to their tents. They did this for 6 days.
v15 On the 7th day they got up at dawn and they marched round the city in the same way. But this day, they did it 7 times. v16 The 7th time, the priests made a long, loud noise on the trumpets. Joshua told the people, ‘Shout, because the Lord has given the city to you. v17 The city and all that is in it belongs to the Lord. All the people must die. Only Rahab and the people with her in her house will live. This is because she hid our two men. v18 Keep away from the things that belong to God. If you take any of them, you will die. You would make trouble for the Israelites, and you could cause the Lord to kill them, too. v19 Every metal object in the city belongs to the Lord. The gold, iron and silver belong to him. You must store them with his valuable things.’
v20 When the trumpets made their loud sound, all the people shouted loudly. When they did this, the walls fell down. Every man went up into the city. And they took the city. v21 They gave the city to the Lord. So they killed every living thing in it. They killed men and women, young people and old people, cows, sheep and other animals.
Commentary
Verses 12-14
The Israelites had to learn to be patient. They had to learn to trust God. They probably wondered why they had to walk around the city for seven days. God was not in a hurry. God is never in a hurry. The Israelites had to learn this.
There are times when we must be patient with God. He does not always answer our prayers quickly. Sometimes we have to wait a long time.
Verse 15
There may be many reasons why the Israelites had to walk around the city 13 times:
---1. They learned to be patient.
---2. God increased their faith.
---3. The Israelites frightened the people in Jericho.
The Israelites did not argue with the instructions that God had given. God sometimes tells us to do strange things. We might not know why. God always knows best! God always asks us to do things that will be good for us or for other people. We should not doubt the instructions that God has given to us.
Verse 16
‘The Lord has given the city to you.’ God has already given the victory! All the Israelites had to do was to obey God. God has given us victory over our enemies. Our greatest enemy is sin. When Jesus died, he defeated sin. We have victory because Jesus died for us.
Verses 18-19
In Deuteronomy 20:10-14 God gave to the Israelites some rules about war. They could keep the valuable things from towns and cities that they defeated. But at Jericho God said that all the valuable things belonged to him.
This was their first victory. God likes to receive the first of everything. In Deuteronomy 26:1-2, God gave the Israelites some rules about the harvest. They had to give the first fruit of each harvest to God. This may be the reason why God wanted all the valuable things from Jericho.
God wants the best from each one of us. He wants us to give to him the first of everything. This includes our money, our time and our work.
Verses 17 and 21
Some people ask, ‘Why did God demand the death of innocent people?’ Deuteronomy 20:18 tells us the answer. The people who lived in Canaan were very bad people. They might teach the Israelites to do bad things. They did bad things when they worshipped their gods. They might teach the Israelites to sin. The people who lived in Canaan were not innocent. They were guilty of very bad things that made God unhappy. God had given them time to change. But they refused to do the right things. So God had to punish them.
God wants us all to confess our sins to him. Jesus died so that God would forgive us. But, if we do not invite God into our lives, God will be our judge. Then, God will punish us too, for our sins.
Verse 20
Hebrews 11:30 says, ‘By faith the walls of Jericho fell.’ Joshua had faith. He believed that God would do something great. The people had faith. They walked round the city. They did not know why. They believed that something would happen. Something did happen! The walls fell down!
Verse 21
The Israelites gave everything in the city to God. God had told them to do this (Joshua 6:19).
Joshua Spoke to the Two Men Rahad Had Hidden
v22 Joshua spoke to the two men that Rahab had hidden. ‘Go into her house. Bring her out with all who are with her’, he said. ‘This is what you promised to her.’ v23 So the young men went and brought out Rahab and her whole family. They brought out her father, mother and brothers and all who belonged to her. They gave them a place outside the Israelite camp. v24 Then they burned the whole city and everything in it. They put the gold, silver, iron and metal things into the Lord’s store of valuable things. v25 But Joshua saved Rahab and her family and all who belonged to her. Joshua had sent two men to find out about the city. And Rahab had hidden those men. Rahab still lives among the Israelites.
v26 At that time, Joshua made this serious promise. ‘The Lord will punish the man who builds this city again’, he said. ‘When he starts to build, his oldest son will die. His youngest son will die when he puts up its gates.’ v27 So the Lord was with Joshua, and people everywhere heard all about him.
Commentary
Verses 22-23
God had rescued Rahab and her family. They lived outside the camp of the Israelites. This was because they were not Israelites. Later, they lived with the Israelites (see Joshua 6:25). This suggests that they had become Israelites. They believed in the God of the Israelites. They accepted all the rules that the Israelites had.
In Acts 10:35, we read that ‘God accepts people from every nation. He accepts people who fear him and do what is right.’
Verse 26
The serious promise that Joshua made came true 500 years later. We read about it in 1 Kings 16:34. A man called Hiel started to build Jericho. When he started, his oldest son died. When he completed it, his youngest son died.
Perhaps nobody will be able to find anything from the city of Jericho that Joshua defeated. We must remember that nobody built anything in the area for 500 years after Joshua. So, perhaps there was nothing left.
Verse 27
The Book of Joshua tells us many times that God was with Joshua. Joshua needed God to help him.
God had promised Joshua that all the Israelites would give him honor. God kept his promise. God always keeps his promises!
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