Fall of Jericho
Notes
Transcript
We have been in Joshua in the past few weeks. What has happened so far?
God Commissions Joshua to lead His people in place of Moses. God tells Joshua to be strong, be courageous and obey His commandments.
The Spies to out to in the land to spy and Rehab hides them.
God splits the Jordan river so the Israelite can cross.
We are now in Chapter 5 and can someone read verses 13-15 please.
When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing before him with his drawn sword in his hand. And Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us, or for our adversaries?” And he said, “No; but I am the commander of the army of the Lord. Now I have come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped and said to him, “What does my lord say to his servant?” And the commander of the Lord’s army said to Joshua, “Take off your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.
Q: Joshua was by Jericho and he sees a man standing there and he has what in this mans hands?
A sword and clearly Joshua is concerned. He wondering if this man will attack him or if he’s a friend. His mind is on the physical battle ahead.
“Are you for us or for our adversaries?” Joshua said
The response“No” or is some translations “Neither”
“I am the commander of the LORDS Army”
Whats with this response?
Q: Why isnt the Commander of the Lords Army on Joshua’s side?
I just mentioned that in Chapter 1 God commissioned Joshua to lead Gods chose people. Even God’s presence was there in the Ark of the Covenant so how can he say that?
Well lets think of this.
Which political party does God side on?
Which christian denomination does God side on?
Who was God siding with during world war 2?
Neither side, and I know how hard that can be to hear because there are sides that seem to be clearly evil and others that look to be good.
God isnt interested in either. He is here to accomplish his own goals not anyone elses.
Either we work to fufill God’s plan and that means we are on His side or we arent
Joshua immediately recognizes the mans higher standing and significance and asks how he can serve him. Joshua displayed three types of attitudes here
Humble attitude
Recognized God’s superior standing and that of His messenger
Ready to server
Last, the Commander of the Lord’s Army told Joshua to take off his sandals because he was standing on Holy ground.
This encounter is very similar to God’s response to Moses at the burning bush.
To summarize this encounter, in the midst of Joshua and the Israelite being at war, conquering lands and having other nations try to kill them. God expected His peoples obedience, submission and for them to trust Him. To look at the spiritual before the physical.
This sets us up for the following events. Now we turn to Jericho we have a bit to read.
Now Jericho was shut up inside and outside because of the people of Israel. None went out, and none came in. And the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and mighty men of valor. You shall march around the city, all the men of war going around the city once. Thus shall you do for six days. Seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark. On the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. And when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, when you hear the sound of the trumpet, then all the people shall shout with a great shout, and the wall of the city will fall down flat, and the people shall go up, everyone straight before him.” So Joshua the son of Nun called the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the Lord.” And he said to the people, “Go forward. March around the city and let the armed men pass on before the ark of the Lord.”
In verse 2 God tells Joshua said “I have given Jericho into your hand”. How can this be possible before any swords was even raised or before any battle plans could be set.
declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’
From a military leader’s perspective, what do you think God’s plan would have sounded like to Joshua?
How hard do you think it was for Israel’s soldiers to march around Jericho in this way and be quiet at the same time? What do you think was going through their minds when all of this was happening?
Why do you think God chose to defeat Jericho this way? What lessons would the Israelites have learned? What message would have been sent to all the other cities in the region?
Imagine these strong military guys. Who have won many battles already and killed many men. One day Joshua comes up and tells them the plan.
God told me that today we will March around this place and blow trumpets.
You follow orders and you start marching. You are in the blazing sun, with all your heavy armor on, these trumpets are blowing constantly and you are bored out of your mind because instead of battle you are literally walking in circles.
So what do you do as a bored solider while marching?
You start staring at the place that you are supposed to be conquering. And since its slow going you stare at those walls and eventually as you stare you start seeing parts of the walls where there are cracks and imperfections. Crack means weakness and weaknesses can be exploited.
Then further along you see part of the walls of Jericho where the wall is shorter than other parts. Shorter walls mean their are easier to climb.
The day ends and Joshua tells you that you are going to do the same this the following day. And then again and again and again for 6 days total. Then on the 7th days you will march around the wall 7 times and then yell at it.
At a certain point you would think that he is crazy but they did it.
Q: Table Discussion. Have you ever had a time in your life when you were asked to do something that didn’t seem to make sense at first, only to find out later that it was the right thing? Maybe something that seem to defy logic but worked out right? Tell us about it and how you felt.
Take 6 to 7 minutes to Share that experience at your tables.
On the seventh day they rose early, at the dawn of day, and marched around the city in the same manner seven times. It was only on that day that they marched around the city seven times. And at the seventh time, when the priests had blown the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, “Shout, for the Lord has given you the city. And the city and all that is within it shall be devoted to the Lord for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall live, because she hid the messengers whom we sent. But you, keep yourselves from the things devoted to destruction, lest when you have devoted them you take any of the devoted things and make the camp of Israel a thing for destruction and bring trouble upon it. But all silver and gold, and every vessel of bronze and iron, are holy to the Lord; they shall go into the treasury of the Lord.” So the people shouted, and the trumpets were blown. As soon as the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they captured the city.
What can we learn about how God works and how we should respond?
From many other accounts the Isrealites were not the best at obeying God but in this case they did exactly what they were supposed to.
Remember that
From Rahab’s response and Israel’s response to God. What lesson is there in our own lives?
What does a a strange sounding battle from thousands of years ago have anything to do with us? Whats the lesson here?
You will continually face battles in your life, many different types. You are in a battle in life right now and it could have worn you down.
God I am still single after so long, I want to be married and have a family already.
God my coworkers are getting promoted even though I work harder then them.
God everyone else is doing so well expect for me.
God I am depressed, life has lost all of its meaning and I cant take it anymore.
While you are in this battle, God is approaching you and all you can ask is just like Joshua, are you on my side or not. You may be so caught up in the battle that you dont realize that God can make the impossible happen when you focus on the spiritual.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither 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.