Joshua 6 - The battle belongs to the Lord!

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Synopsis

Jericho was a well fortified city. Walls up to 25 feet high and 20 feet thick protect the people living in it. It was a symbol of military power and strength at that time. The Canaanites considered the city as impregnable. And yet God directed the Israelites to attack this city first, after their river crossing. God had an interesting way of destroying the city. It tested the faith of the Israelites as well as bring fear to the heart of every Canaanite as He demonstrated His mighty power.

The Israelites had to trust God completely. His instruction required attacking the strongest city without actually attacking it conventionally. It was in a way that no human military strategist would ever do. By simply marching around it over seven days was certainly not a logical way; it was a divine one!

By so doing, God showed that the battle belonged to Him and Him alone. This was to keep the Israelites forever aware that it was He who won the battles for them.

Major Verses

V2 - 7 - God told Joshua that He had already delivered Jericho into his hands. That meant that the battle was already won and the enemies defeated even before the battle began. Joshua believed completely and acted as God had instructed. Joshua obeyed and instructed the people accordingly.

What I learnt - Our enemy, Satan, is a defeated foe - Christ won decisively at Calvary. Though we may still see sins rampant and sometimes even struggle against sin ourselves, we must remember that we are the proclaimed victors. We must not be terrorised by the power of the defeated enemy. Just as Joshua and the people acted appropriately in God's words, so must we in our daily battle, always remembering that the battle belongs to the Lord!

V8-16 - God gave unconventional battle orders. No weapons of war was needed; only those instruments that were related to the worship of Him. The ark and the trumpets were sufficient. The orders were simple; march around the city once a day for 6 days but not a word from any one. And on the seventh day, march around for 7 times and shout when the trumpets were blown. The sounding of the trumpets was to remind them that their victory came from the Lord. At that, the city walls fell !

What I learnt - Why did God chose to demonstrate His power through the simple marching around the city and specifically for 13 times?

1) God wanted to make it absolutely clear that the battle was His and none of Israel's weapons or expertise would be needed.

2) God's method to destroy Jericho would increase the fear and terror across Canaan and hence make it easier for the people to conquer the rest of the land.

3) This is a test of Israel's faith in God - would they do what the Lord commanded them? Would they put their trust in God despite the circumstances around them?

V17-25 -God demanded that Israel destroyed everything and everyone, except Rahab's household. This was partly to deliver judgement to the Canaanites who had rebelled against God (Jericho was a city entrenched in Baal and idol worship). Another reason was that they were a threat to Godly living and so everything had to be removed in order not to affect the Israelites as they occupy the land. Even Rahab's household had to be placed outside the camp.

What I learnt- Rahab and her household were spared because she had faith in God. Everything else was destroyed. For us, when we devote ourselves to God, we ought to throw out all habits and thoughts that are not acceptable to God too. We must work hard to ensure that we are not putting ourselves in places or positions that would allow sin to tempt us.

Summary

The battle belongs to the Lord - all we need to do is to trust Him completely. What a great way to start 2007, knowing that He is the one who loves us and keeps us in His care always. Let's resolve to walk according to His instructions daily.

Next up......

Joshua 7 tells us about the consequence of disobedience. It will be posted on 8 Jan.