Outline from Emanuel Presbyterian and Charles Drew on Joshua 6
I. God Alone Brings Judgement
(Fighting without and fear within) 2 Cor 7:5)
This was a great test of faith, and a great glory to the almighty God. Usually when we come out of a holy victory we are prone to sin, which we will see in Joshua 7:1-26.
- Specific Instructions by God for Joshuah to follow. Step by step outlined.
- Key action is from God: Shouts and the walls come tumbling down.
- Military formation. (Arc of the Covenant, followed by Priests blowing horns, followed by the Silent People Walking).
- Number Seven, occurs again and again in this passage.
- Seven priests
- seven trumpets
- seven days
- seven circuits of the walls on the seventh day
- Everything is devoted to destruction. This is not their battle for their needs or wants, they are to destroy it all. This is not about your gain its about God's Judgement. (Joshua 6:17-21 and 26).
- Also had they taken gains they would risk Jericho's illness and contamination.
- The battle itself is not the focus (Joshua 6:19-20) The focus is not on soldiers and their battle; its on the glory of God, his strength alone. (The soldiers are silent witnesses.)
- The battle is a holy battle not framed by the actions of man. (Joshua 5:13-15)
II. Patient Waiting: Take Warning
- 6 Days the people marched around Jericho! Why did the people of Jericho not repent and come towards God! God waits to fill up the people of Jericho with total lack of God. (Genesis 15) "Inequity of the Amorites is not yet complete." (Joshua 11:19-Gibeonites made a treaty of peace with the Israelites.) People of Jericho may have had an opportunity to repent, but the people of Jericho failed to do so.
- Put your lives in perspective.
- Inequity fills up, there is time to repent before Judgement.
- Taking out the weeds may take out the wheat.
III. God's Mercy Is Great and God's People are Truthful
God's kindness brings a sinner to repentance.
Rahab the prostitute was spared from the destruction of the people in Jericho.
Hebrews 11:31
Acts 14:31
God shows the weight of a Devine curse, where it rests there is no getting out from under it; for it brings ruin without remedy.
M., Henry,. Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible: Nelson's Concise Series. City: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2000.
Note in I Kings XVI:34 Ahab rebuilds Jericho, this was against the warning sent by God to never rebuild the city again. Ahab sacrificed two of his sons in order to rebuild this once mighty city. Ahab became a curse without remedy.
Connection to Your Life:
What does it mean that God is the sole Judger and Executioner in Joshua?
Where does prayer belong here?
What does it mean to be silent, and when does man need to speak up?
What does it mean that we are people of peace?
What's keeping you from repenting and coming closer to God?
Where are you not being transparent in your Christian Walk?
What do you do when you are away from godly friends, your curtains are drawn, and no one knows but you and God, that you may need to repent of and walk away from? (Be sober minded.)
Joshuah Fought the Battle of Jericho by Mahalia Jackson
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