Conquest of Jericho

Transcript

GRS 2-42
9/24/2006
Conquest of Jericho
Joshua 6
Gil Rugh

We are stating the Book of Joshua together and so I would invite you to turn your Bibles to the end of Chapter 5. We left the last part of Chapter 5 in our last study. So we can tie it to Chapter 6, where they really go together. Really Chapters 3, 4, and 5 were about the preparation of Israel for the conquering of the City of Jericho. Chapter 3, Israel crossed the Jordan, the mighty miracle of God with the waters stopped. So Israel could go across on dry land, the circumcision of the males in the nation identifying them again as God’s covenant people in covenant relationship with him and then the observance of the Passover, remainder of God’s gracious provision for them when the angel passed over the home to the firstborn in Israel and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt suffered death.

Now we are ready for the first city to be conquered by Israel and this is a very significant event that you could imagine in the life of the nation. We have crossed the Jordan. There is no going back because God parts, opens the rivers for them. All the nation crosses on dry land. They get on the other side. The waters resume at flood stage. There is no going back and now the first city to be faced, the City of Jericho. As Joshua prepares for his responsibility of leading the people and only knowing that this is where God has brought them, he is confronted by a special theophany, an appearance of the Lord personally before him. This is recorded in verses 13, 14, and 15 in Chapter 5 of Joshua. Let me read those for you as you follow along.

Verse 13 of Joshua 5, now it came about when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing opposite him with his sword drawn in his hand, and Joshua went to him and said to him, "Are you for us or for our adversaries?" He said, "No; rather I indeed come now as captain of the host of the Lord." And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and bowed down, and said to him, "What has my lord to say to his servant?" The captain of the Lord's host said to Joshua, "Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy." And Joshua did so. It’s a remainder of God’s appearance to Moses in preparation for Moses leading his people out of Egypt.

Turn back to Exodus Chapter 3, the 3rd Chapter of Exodus, the rather well known account of the burning bush. Chapter 3 of the Exodus, as Moses is tending the flock of his father-in-law Jethro in the wilderness, came to Horeb, the mountain of God. The angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the bush, yet the bush was not consumed. Moses said, I must go and see why the bush wouldn’t be burning and be consumed. Verse 4, when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called him from the midst of the bush, said Moses, Moses; He said here I am. Then He said, "Do not come near here; remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground." He said also, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob." Then Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. Then God goes on to give him instructions regarding his plan in delivering his people from Egypt what Moses is to do and how things will progress.

You come back to Joshua, you can see the similarity. Moses was commanded; remove his sandals because he was standing on holy ground. He is in the presence of the living God and in verse 15 of Joshua 5, Joshua was instructed, remove your sandals from your feet for the place where you are standing is holy. This is none other than a manifestation of God. There are numerous appearances of Angels to men through the Old Testament, but men aren’t commanded to remove their sandals in their presence. Clearly this is the Lord and we know it because in Chapter 6 verse 2, this person speaks and were told the Lord said to Joshua. So it’s a manifestation of the Lord, a theophany.

It’s a compound word as you are aware, the word for God and the word for manifest. It’s a manifestation of God. Most of the Christophanies in the Old Testament are, most of the theophanies are Christophanies manifestations of the pre-incarnate Christ that would seem to be true here. The Captain of the host of the Lord in Chapter 5 verse 15, the captain of the Lord’s host. Verse 14, I come as captain of the Lord’s host and that he himself is the Lord because the Lord said to Joshua, but he is the captain of the host of the Lord.

In John Gospel Chapter 1, we have told that no man has seen God at anytime. The only begotten God, who is the in the bosom of the father, he has explained him. We come to know God most fully through the manifestation of the second person of the God, Jesus Christ, that culminates in the coming to earth of the son of God and the fullest revelation that is made of God is through the presence of the son of God on earth manifesting most fully God among men. There are other manifestations of God in the Old Testament. Several of that are preceded just back in the Book of Genesis. Turn back to Genesis Chapter 3. The first one, the most obvious one, we are not going to do a study of theophanies in the Old Testament, but these are remarkable occasions and they do stretch your mind in what is involved here and it was the practice when God created Adam and Eve and placed them in the Garden of Eden for God himself to come and walk with them in the cool of the day.

Verse 8 of Genesis 3. Adam and Eve this is after they sinned, they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day or the breeze the day and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees. Then the Lord God called to the man and said to him “Where are you: He said I hid myself and so on.” There you have God coming and personally walking with Adam in the Garden in the evening. It will be a theophany God choosing to manifest himself in his presence with them.

Turn over to Genesis 18, God appeared to Abraham at the oaks of Mamre in Genesis 18. Verse 1 tells us the Lord appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre. Verse 2, when he lifted up his eyes, this is Abraham here, he saw three men standing opposite to him and this is the Lord and two angels. We were told the Lord appeared to him in verse 1 and this becomes clears and moves along. He retells them at this time next year, Sarah, your wife will have a son and Sarah laughed. Then the Lord says, why did Sarah laugh? Verse 14, is anything too difficult for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you at this time next year and Sarah will have a son.

Verse 16, then the men rose up from there and looked down towards Sodom and Abraham was walking with them to send them off. The Lord said Shall I hide from Abraham, what I am about to do. And Abraham will become a great and mighty nation and him all the nations of the earth will be blessed for I have chosen him and so verse 18, the Lord is going to speak to him about what is going to do. Verse 20, the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great and you have the intercession of Abraham for the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah because remember lot in his family are living there. So we ask if the Lord will destroy the righteous with the wicked and if there are 50 righteous, will you spare it? The Lord he deceits his God on behalf of the character of God.

Verse 25, far be it from you to do such a thing to slay the righteous with the wicked so the righteous and the wicked are treated alike, but understand the character of God. He would not destroy the righteous with the wicked. Shall not the judge of all the earth deal righteously of justly? So you have all that ongoing intercession. And Abraham addresses him as the Lord. So here you have that clear theophany and as God manifest himself to Abraham, he has manifested himself in human form. Again probably a Christophany and we assume and it seems consistent that most of the theophanies in the Old Testament are Christophanies.

Well you are in Genesis, go to Genesis 32, this is the last one in Genesis we look at and we will have this one look at one more in the old testament. Genesis 32, it strikes me as similar in some ways to Joshua’s experience in verse 24, Jacob was left alone at Genesis 32:24. Jacob was left alone and a man wrestled with him until daybreak and at daybreak he touches the socket of Jacob’s thigh and his hip goes out of joint if you will and Jacob says I will not let you go unless you bless me and so he changes his name verse 28. Your name shall no longer be Jacob nut Israel, the one who strives with God and he is prevailed. He held on until he received the blessing. Verse 30, Jacob named the place Peniel for he says I have seen God face to face, get my life has been preserved. Remarkable experience.

One more before we leave these, come to the Book of Daniel, Daniel Chapter 7. You have a remarkable theophany in Ezekiel Chapter 1 with a somewhat detailed description of God as Ezekiel was privileged to see him, but we are just coming to Daniel Chapter 7, I say most of the manifestations of God and here you have a dream or a vision. So it’s not actually a theophany, but what is remarkable to me in this dream or vision, Daniel sees both the father and the son in his vision of a heavenly scene. So while it is a dream, in verse 1, we were told he saw a dream and visions in his mind. So it’s not an actual theophany, but it is a revelation of God to Daniel and I find it is interesting because he does see the father as well as the son.

In verse 9, I kept looking until thrones were set up and the Ancient of days took his seat. His vesture was white like snow. The hair of his head like pure wool. His throne was ablaze with flames. Its wheels were burning fire. A river of fire was flowing and coming out from before him. Thousands upon thousands were attending him. Myriads upon myriads were standing before him. The court sat, the books were opened. Verse 13, I kept looking in the night visions. Behold with the clouds of heaven, one like a son of man was coming. He came up before the Ancient of Days was presented before him.

To him was given dominion, glory, and kingdom that all the people’s nations and men of every language might serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which will not pass away. His kingdom is one, which will not be destroyed. And again since it is a dream or a vision, it wouldn’t fit technically within the theophanies, but it is of interest to see that both the father and the son, who comes before the throne of the father are manifested in a physical form that Daniel can see and describe in his vision and a rather interesting occasion, which prepares the way for some of what is unfolded in the Book of Daniel.

We come back to the Book of Joshua, here you have a face to face encounter as we saw in the Book of Genesis between God and Joshua and in these occasions evidently it is the son of God, who is the member of the Triune God, father, son, and holy spirit, who manifests God to man. A man is standing opposite to him, he appears and all these theophanies in the old testament God appears as a man. Here he appears as a soldier with a sword in his hand. Joshua confronts him as just a human individual and he sees him with a sworn drawn. So he asks him at the end of verse 13 are you for us or for our adversaries.

In other words, are you a friend or an enemy, are you on our side or the enemy side. And here interesting you see something of Joshua’s courage here. Joshua sees this man standing with a sword drawn. Joshua went to him and addressed him. You see something of the military character of Joshua here and challenges him, if you will. Whose side are you on? Obviously if you are not for us, you are for our adversaries, there is going to be a battle here. Me, I would have preferably run for help, but Joshua is a solider. There is a man here with a sword. I must determine who he is. So he goes to confront him. The response of the Lord is interesting. Are you for us or against us, for you or against you. No, neither one because the issue is not am I for you or against you is are you on my side. No rather I come as captain of the Lord of host. The issue is who side are you on. I am captain of the Lord’s host, this is not an issue, I am on your side. The issue is you Sabbath to me. I am the Lord, the captain of the host of the Lord. Joshua immediately falls on his face. There is no question, no doubt. He does not tell give me proof, give me evidence.

There is something about this man and something about the way he speaks to Joshua. All doubts removed in Joshua’s mind. He immediately falls to the ground on his face. He bowed down and says what has my Lord to say his servant. Another words I am on your side. I am your servant. I am here to do your biddy. What you have to tell me. The first thing is remove your sandals. You are on holy ground. You are in the presence of the Lord. Remove your sandal is an active respect that you are in the presence of the one word of your worship and iteration and honor. This is for as was the theophany in God’s appearance to Moses in Exodus 3 was to prepare him by giving him instructions. So here for Joshua this is to prepare him by giving him instructions.

The instructions of the Lord are contained in Chapter 6, verses 2 to 5. We might have had a little clear situation here if perhaps Chapter 6 had begun with verse 13 of Chapter 5. When we come to Chapter breaks confuse us and verse 1 of Chapter 6 just gives you parenthetical expression or a parenthetical expression. Now Jericho was tightly shut because of the sons of Israel. No one went out, no one came in. So this is about Jericho. This is about how we are going to conquer Jericho. Jericho is a fortified city and it is sealed up. Now in light of this, what are we going to do? Lay seize to the city. He is here to explain how Jericho will be conquered.

The Lord said to Joshua. See I have given Jericho into your hand with its king. The valiant warriors. The very fear of the people of Jericho in having sealed themselves up. Joshua has heard of the fear of the people from Rahab, remember, when he sent the two spies in. And now obviously the city is in fear. They don’t have the confidence to come out and challenge Israel’s army. So it’s given. See I have given Jericho into your hand with its king and its valiant warriors. We want to see this is some kind of timid city because they didn’t have soldiers, who could fight. This is supernatural. The fear of the Lord has descended upon these. There is no hurt in these soldiers in Jericho. For the battle they are terrified. It’s a supernatural occasion and the city will be given into Joshua’s hand supernaturally. The City of Jericho, even unbelievers know about Jericho, whether they believe it actually happen.

One of these events that was on TV recently and explaining the Old Testament, and how all these events, the waters drying up and everything Jericho, they were explaining how there seems to be evidence that there was an earthquake and that probably indicates how the account of Jericho really took place, when an earthquake destroyed the city naturally, it would be easy then to begin to equate this was an act of God and blah, blah, blah, for natural explanation of a supernatural event. Basically everything about the battle of Jericho is going to be supernatural and you are aware battle plan is simple. You shall march around the city. All the men of wars are going to city once. You shall do so for six days. Also seven priests shall carry seven trumpets, ramps, horns before the Ark.

On the seventh day, you shall march around the city seven times; the priest shall blow the trumpets. It shall be when they make a long dash with the ramp’s horn when you hear the sound of the trumpet. All the people shall shout with a great shout. The wall of the city will fall down flat. The people will go in every man straight ahead. Simple strategy, going to take a week, but not a week of fighting. A week and everyday for six days you march out according to the order and instructions. Circle the city once, come back to camp and sit down and have dinner, relax. Next day, go out circle the city, go back, sit down, wait till the next day. Six days you do this. Seventh day, march around the city seven times. The horns blow, the people shout, the walls fall down. Then you go and take over the city. Pretty good plan. You know what you have to do. You have to take it by faith.

To this point, they have not seen such a battle strategy work. But in your Joshua, your military man, you have already led Israel in battles. That’s until we are just going to walk around the city and then on the seventh day we are just going to stand there. You know what is going to happen. Those walls are just going to collapse. It will take faith on the part of Joshua, just to do what God said, what about if they embellishes, what about if what about if, not Joshua’s credit, the people’s credit. None of that kind of challenges recorded. They just do it. You know scenes are simple here. Israel has 40 years of struggling to trust God and believe him, but here on this occasion, an evidence they function by faith and the results are well known.

Verse 6 and following, here is the plan. You have the Ark, you have the priest, and you have the trumpets. Now it seems like you are going to, you know actually have a war; these could be in the way. Priest would not make good soldiers. They are not the soldiers. They are the religious leaders. The Ark is the representation of God’s presence among his people. And there is an order here. You are going to have some of the soldiers. Israel’s armed men go out first follow that with the priest with the ramps horn that they will sound. Then you will have the arc come, then you have soldiers again, and then you will have the people and all we are going to do is go around. The people are to not talk to one another, not make a sound.

Verse 10, Joshua commanded the people saying, you shall not shout nor let your boys be heard, no letter word, proceed of your mouth till a day I tell you to shout. Imagine with the people of Jericho are on the walls of the city and so on looking out through the slots through which they might shoot errors and so on. And here the people come out and except for the blowing and the sounding of the trumpets, nobody signed anything. It just come out, march around, and then they go back to their camp.

The next day they do the same thing, the next day they do the same thing and this is the strange thing that they were going to come and attack our city, but that’s not going, that’s interesting if you note here there is going to be seven priests, seven trumpets, seven days, seven time around the city on the seventh day. In the instructions given in verse 4, there were seven priests carrying seven trumpets of ramps horns on the seventh day you march around the city seven times. Sven often used in the old testament of the completion of what God wants done. Evidently, that’s involved here. So they go out in the order.

Now the city of Jericho in combusted area of about 9 acres, someone is figured it out, it would take about 30 minutes to walk around the City. In all probability, not everybody in Israel went out, particularly the armed men and then the priest of course and the one and perhaps represented in some every tribe. We don’t have to think that the women are carrying the babies around and everything. We take a log time to march two million people around the city. It doesn’t seem to be the indication that every single person had to go out, but the soldiers go out and perhaps representatives from every tribe, we speculate there just because we are not told. But if you just go into walk around the city of Jericho and its 9 acres, it would take you about 30 minutes, then perhaps from the beginning person to the last person, it would take it longer and this goes on for six days. I am sure by the seventh day, everybody in the city of Jericho is getting up for watching what’s going on today, but the seventh day, as you are aware, they go around seven times and this be somewhat unnerving, all you have is the blowing of these ramps horns trumpets, trumpets made of ramps horns.

Verse 9 tells us the armed men went out before the priest blew the trumpets. The real God came after the arc while they continue to blow the trumpets. So nobody saying anything, but you have these rams horns sounding as they are going around and then they go back and then the seventh day as they walk around seven times. Now we are told in the verse 17, the city shall be under the ban. It and all that is in it belongs to the Lord. The instructions were on the seventh day, here they rose early, then march around the city, only they march around seven times and then at the end of the seventh time at the command of Joshua, all the people shout and the walls will fall down, but the city is under the ban.

Verse 17, means it is devoted to the Lord, it is devoted to destruction. So everyone in it must be destroyed and the silver and the gold and that kind of items are to be given to the Lord. Nobody is allowed to take any spoil from this city, but everyone is going to be destroyed in the city. It is devoted to destruction and anything of value belongs to the Lord. Only Rahab, the hoar, the harlot, and who are with her, verse 17 shall live. It’s warning, this becomes key because in Israel’s next battle, they are going to suffer terrible defeat because of failure to obey the instructions here. But as for you, only keep yourself from the things under the ban so that you do not covet them and take some of the things under the ban and make the camp of Israel occurs and bring trouble on it, but all the sovereign gold and articles of bronze and iron are holy to the Lord.

They will go the treasury of the Lord. So the people shouted, the priest blew the trumpets. When the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted with a great shout. The wall fell down flat. So the people will not be into the city. Every man straight ahead and took the city. Jericho is something like the first fruit and that belongs to God. Remember Leviticus 23, from the harvest, they brought in the first years of grain and they were given to the Lord. And it was a reminder then what the Lord would provide in the following harvest. Here the first city belongs to the Lord. After that Israel will be privileged and given he opportunity to take spoil, but this first city is the Lord’s.

Everyone in it must be destroyed and the items of value like sovereign gold, bronze, and iron, they will be put into Lord’s treasury. There is a natural explanation here. Well, couldn’t God have used an earthquake, well God can do it everyone. We have a supernatural event here of the walls of the city falling down. There is no indication that Israel is in the midst of an earthquake and that will be a terrifying event when the ground under your feet began to shake, the walls of the city just collapse. Walls had been built to withstand attack. This was the defense of the city. Walls that were made so you could travel around the top, shoot arrows, throw spears, throw rocks down. I mean people could shoot arrows against them and so on. They were impregnable as much as could be made. They just collapse. Not thin walls, but wide walls made to move soldiers around the top and so on and they just crumble down.

May be you turn to Joshua 24:11 “there would have been soldiers and you know, there is destruction of the armies of Israel move in and kill every person in the city with the exception of Rahab’s family. Verse 11 of Joshua 24, you cross the Jordan and came to Jericho when the citizens of Jericho fight against you, which may indicate what went on after the walls collapsed. I mean you have got the armies are the fighting men of Jericho, the valiant men of Jericho. In this city what happens when the walls fall down. Now the soldiers of Israel move in. There may have been battle. Israel suffers no casualties, but the people are destroyed. Really, it’s not a military victory; it is a religious victory, the God of Israel. Now this will be true in all the other military battles as where there is actual fighting. But here is clearly a display of the power God and it is a declaration to Israel of how the land of Canaan will be conquered by the might and power of God and as long as they keep their faith in him and obey him, it will be victory after victory after victory, but that’s not quite how it will be, because they don’t always walk by faith. Why it comes at this time, Canaan is right for judgment.

Turn back to Genesis 15, and here God is telling Abram who is Abraham as God changes his name in Genesis 15:13. God said to Abraham, now for certain that your descendants will be strangers in the land, that is not theirs where they will be enslaved and oppressed 400 years. That was the Egyptian captivity and afterward I will judge the nation, they will come out with many possessions. Remember the Jews spoiled the Egyptians, they asked them for previous items. Verse 16 Abraham is told he will die, be buried in a good old age, “then in the fourth generation they will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete.” We have talked about before. The earth is ripening for judgment # how long you are going to allow this to go on. It is ripening for judgment. We say, it’s ripening, right. But god’s timing is always right.

And no was Israel moves into Canaan and Jericho falls, God is bringing judgment on these people. This is the fear’s judgment you understand, men women and children, the youngest baby in Jericho is going to be killed. No mercy on the one week old, the one-month-old. The elderliest person in Jericho is going to die under the sword. Watching a man being interviewed on TV in the last day or two and he remarked about how these kinds of events in the Old Testament and gruesomeness of it. He is not a believer and it is gruesome. And when the judgment of God comes and God’s mercy and patience comes to an end, this is fearest thing. Every person, man, woman and child is going to die on the judgment on Jericho with the exception of Rahab and her family like the judgment on the earth into the flood of Noah in Genesis 6 to 9.

The earth was right for judgment. Sodom and Gomorrah, God’s time of judgment. Where are we going, we are going toward the tribulation, right, when God’s raffle be poured out on the earth and that’s all simply preparation for the final judgment, which revelation 14 says when men and women are cast into hell and they experience the fullness of God’s wrath unmixed with mercy. We are going to have a true perspective on God, a true understanding of God, a God of infinite wealth and a God of infinite wrath and you don’t what to experience the wrath. You want to cast yourself on the mercy believing the provision he has made, so that you can escape the wrath that is to come.

Back in Joshua Chapter 6:21, they utterly destroyed everything in the city, both man and woman, young and old, ox and sheep, donkey with the edge of the sword. Joshua said to the two men, who expired out of the land. Go to the harlot’s house; bring the woman, all she has out of there as you have sworn to her. So the young men who were spies went in and brought out Rahab and her father and her mother and her brothers and all she has. They brought out all her relatives, placed them outside the camp of Israel. They burnt the city with fire, all that was in it. Only the sovereign the gold, the articles of bronze and iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the Lord. However, Rahab the harlot and her father’s household and all that she had Joshua spared and she has lived in the midst of Israel through this day for she had the messengers when Joshua sent the spy out Jericho.

Can you imagine how packed out Rachel’s house was rather her family, parents and how many relatives she had that I am sure everybody that was a relative, she had gone to tell and yet should have to do with some discussion, but come back my house, but what they had to do. Believe what Rahab told them. And all they had was the word from Rahab about the God of Israel, any relative of Rahab did not believe that God perished in the city, but those what believed had faced the God of Israel is the sovereign god, who will bring destruction on Jericho is the god, who brought mighty deliverance to Israel, he is the God who will give this City and this land to his people, who really believed that any of those family members were in the house with Rahab and she will be stayed.

Turn over to Hebrew’s Chapter 11, going to read two verses here, then we will say something further about it in a moment. Go to Hebrew’s Chapter 11:30, by faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days. Hebrew’s Chapter 11 begins, now faith is the assurance of things hoped for the conviction of things not seen. For by it the men of old gained approval, that’s by faith we understand that the world was created by the word of God. You come down to verse 6, without faith it is impossible to be please Him; for he who comes to God must believe that he is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

Then all those examples of faith and you come down to verse 30, by faith walls of Jericho fell down. Faith is believing what God says, that’s all the evidence I need, that’s all the support I have, God said it. But you know, Israel could not just sit in camp and wait for the walls of Jericho to fall down. They had to go out and walk around the walls. That was the evidence of their faith. The shoe leather if you will. Faith is not just passive; sitting doing nothing, waiting to see what God will do. Faith is active obedience to what God has said. God couldn’t just told Israel, you know, sit down, eat relax, enjoy, yourself, and the end of the week, I am going to just have the walls fall down. Now Israel had to put their faith into action. You go and walk around, and you trust me to do what I tell you to do.

Look at the next verse, verse 31, by faith, Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient for she had welcomed to spies in peace. You know when the walls fall down, it’s too late. Those who believe, they already had believed what all she had was the word of God. She hadn’t seen these things, she had only heard. Those who were in the house with her had only the word. Once the walls fall down, it’s too late for anybody to fall on their face and believe in the God of Israel. They are already devoted to destruction. There is no salvation provided. So the whole provision of God’s living by faith here.

For these Old Testament says become an example. Let’s come back to Joshua, there is one other event for us to pick up here and that is Joshua takes an oath in verse 26 at that time, “Cursed before the Lord is the man who rises up and build this city, Jericho. With the loss of his firstborn, he shall lay its foundations; with the loss of his youngest, he shall set up its gates." So the Lord with Joshua his fame was in all the land. The foundation and the gate refer to establishing a walled city. Anybody, who tries to refortify and build Jericho as a fortress again will pay for it with the death of his older son and the death of his younger son. You know what 500 years later, a man will try to rebuild Jericho as a fortified city and you know why, the word of Joshua will come about.

Turn over the First Kings. Chapter 16. Where the days of Ahab King of Israel. In verse 34, in his days Hiel the Beth-elite built Jericho. Almost 500 years after Joshua here. He laid its foundation with the loss of Abiram his first-born, and set up its gates with the loss of his youngest son Segub, according to the word of the lord, which he spoke by Joshua, the son of Nun. 500 years later, and is a matter now and this man is going to rebuild the Jericho as a fortified city, not one jot not one tittle compass from the word of God until all is fulfilled. And not just one of his sons, but the oldest and the youngest, just as God said through Joshua would happen.

Follow of Jericho as Hebrew’s 11 makes clear becomes an example to us of faith. The faith of Rahab, who is spared, the faith of Israel in trusting God and the walls of the city fall down. Both incidents noted had to be faith put into action, not passively doing nothing but sitting, but Rahab had done hide the spies, put her life on the line to protect them, to bring her family into her home believing that that’s the only thing that wound spare her from destruction, but doing that would spare her from coming destruction. And for that she is spared. Israel had never seen the walls of the city, it just fell down. They didn’t seem like what you know, we are going to conquer the city or we are just going for a walk. We are doing what God tells us. That’s what it means to believe God, to obey him. You do what he tells you. You trust him and allow him to do what only he can do.

Turn over to First Samuel Chapter 15, you left you left you bible of the kings, we want to be just before kings for Samuel 15. There is no replacement for the obedience of faith, a faith that obeys God. Here you have Saul in its confrontation with Samuel and Saul has obeyed God pretty much, which in God’s sight means he hasn’t obeyed. For that he will be rejected his King. He saved the king of the people he was supposed to destroy, the Amalekites and some of the spoil. God said everyone have to be destroyed, all of the Amalekites and all that they own and all their animals. Saul tried to tell Samuel I did what God said. Samuel says, I think I hear some ox and sheep, if you destroyed all these where they come from.

Well the people kept some for sacrifice. Here is the word of the Lord, verse 21, the people says took some of the spoil, sheep, ox and the choices things devoted to destruction to sacrifice to the Lord. When we guess they destroy them, they are devoted to destruction, but we are going to use them in sacrifice. Will God be pleased with that act. Has the Lord has much delight in burn offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord, “Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice and to hearken than the fat of rams.” For rebellion is as the sin of divination, an insubordination is as iniquity and the idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has rejected you from being king. There is no substitute for obedience. We don’t take the word of God seriously enough. We think well you know our intentions are good, and that’s what counts, that’s not we count, and does not count at all.

You know Samuel doesn’t even argue with Saul, whether the intentions here were go to bad. You have rebelled against the Lord, you rejected his word. No matter whether you really kept these animals for sacrifice, God told you destroy them. You think that sacrifice is more important to God than obedience. To obey is better than sacrifice. How often people think that they can cover their rebellion and disobedience by doing something they think will please God. And because I do something that God should be pleased with this that will overshadow my disobedience. God wants us to obey him that means we do what he says. It’s a simple pattern. When Israel does what God says, Jericho’s walls fall down. Rahab does what God says, she spared, the obedience of faith.

Faith is not something passive in the scripture. That just shall leave by faith. We enter into the life God has provided us by faith and now everyday is whammed in faith trusting God. God will give Israel Jericho. Go out and walk around the city. No I don’t think we need to do that. If God is going to give us Jericho, he will just do it. You obey God. Now I will stay back here and offer sacrifices. That’s better than going and walking around the city. Could anything be better than going or walking around the city, sacrifices, no. Why? To obey is better than sacrifice. Why do we argue with God? God, this I what you said, I will do what you said.

One more passage will be done. Second Corinthians Chapter 10, the warfare of the believer. Second Corinthians Chapter 10 verse 3, though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to flesh for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, they are not physical weapons, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God. We are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ and we are ready to punish all disobedience and every your obedience is complete taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. We are in a warfare. It has to be fought according to the spiritual provision of God. Individually we need to remember that is the Church of Jesus Christ. This will be involved in the next section of Joshua. We need to realize the importance of this. God has not asked us to come up with some alternative plans. Just do what I tell you. Obey the word and God will do what he has promised to do.

Let’s pray together. Thank you Lord for your faithfulness, Your faithfulness to your word. Lord, what a blessing it is, what security it is to us to know, you are a faithful God. You cannot deny yourself. You are always true to your word. Lord you have called us to obedience. You have called us to obedience personally and individually and together as your people that you might bless us. You might use us in the destroying of fortresses, the spiritual war that we are involved in against principalities and powers and the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenlies. But the weapons of this warfare are not physical weapons. They are divinely powerful, how tragic that we should disobey and think that we can fight a war in our strength. Thank you for these examples of faith. Thank you for Rahab, thank you for Joshua, thank you Lord for this time, a strong testimonial faith of your people Israel. But thank you most of all for your faithfulness to them and to us in Christ’s name, amen.