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Joshua 6:1-5

Lesson # Josh. 6:1-5
Study Material - Josh. 6:1-5

You must be in fellowship prior to your Bible study, so that the spiritual information you receive can become a source, of blessing to your soul and produce spiritual growth.

Josh. 6:1-5

1 Now Jericho was tightly shut because of the sons of Israel; no one went out and no one came in. 2 And the LORD said to Joshua, 'See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and the valiant warriors. 3 And you shall march around the city, all the men of war circling the city once. You shall do so for six days. 4 Also seven priests shall carry seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark; then on the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. 5 And it shall be that when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city will fall down flat, and the people will go up every man straight ahead.'

Presumption is not a part of the spiritual life. Joshua was guilty of this just minutes earlier, just prior to the appearance of the pre-incarnate Christ. Joshua was with 'dirty shoes' as it were. Out of fellowship, observing Jericho and probably wondering (all of this is implied of course) as to how to attack the city.

How can we make this presumption? Because people tend to repeat their weaknesses as a general rule. The next city of attack will be Ai, and the presumption is again repeated, 'we only need two or three thousand to attack', and of course they presumed wrong. Then there will be the unauthorized treaty, entered into without consultation with God, but we are getting ahead of ourselves.

The spiritual life is by means of Gods rules alone, not mans rules. And therein lies the only state of perfect protection as well.

The gates of Jericho were shut tight. A mouse could not get through them. They were so tight that the city could probably float - just kidding. There were two views in place, Deu. 1:28 - their walls were as high as heaven, and there is the second view, that God cannot be hindered by any created obstacle - the battle is the Lords.

The citizens of Jericho were in a state of alarm, 'melted hearts', full of anxiety and stressed. They were hiding behind their manmade walls. The Israelites had no home to return to, no country to go back to, no fortress to hide behind. They were encamped out in the open with no effective defenses save for their numbers.

But when one receives some sort of blessing from God, it is easy to want to charge head on into other enterprises, thinking that one is invincible. Thinking that you will be successful in anything that you will do. Not so. Gods game, Gods rules. Sit back and watch.

The instructions to Joshua were not to charge the city walls, not to construct ladders for scaling the walls, not for building rams to bash the doors down. They were to march around the city once each day for six days, then on the seventh day to march around the city seven times. In all of this the army was to remain silent until the final blast of the trumpets on that seventh round and on that seventh day.

The Levites were to carry the Ark around the city in that same procession, with seven priests out in front of the Ark, blowing their rams horns. These are horns of triumph.

In all of this the citizens of Jericho could see and watch. They could have given up. They could have opened the gates and come out with a proposal of peace. They could have changed their attitudes regarding God. They could have offered some type of negotiation for a better resolution to this encounter. They did nothing. They remained defiant and hid behind their walls. Their false protection. If they had their way they would have come out to fight and kill the Israelites, and take all that the Israelites had. They were no different than Pharaoh.

For seven days the Israelites will march in silence save for the horns. The silence of all, and the noise of the horns brings all attention to the Ark which is being carried prominently in the center of the procession. The issue is not one party against another, but God and what peoples attitudes were toward God. Certainly the people of Jericho could see the long silent procession of Israelites circling the city, but they couldn't help but see the Ark. The issue here was clear. God verses the evil of the city.

There is always grace before judgment. God is not unfair. These citizens of Canaan had, had many centuries to change their pattern of life. They had each of their respective lives to turn toward God. They had the past forty years to leave Canaan and go out into the desert to join the Israelites and worship God. They had their opportunities to change their lives right where they lived in Canaan. Only one person and her family did this - Rahab. We have seen that they have heard of the miracles of God, so they knew of God. Yet they remained defiant even now as they Israelites began marching around their city.

The people of Jericho had opportunity and refused to change. The Israelites had their orders and they obeyed. In each of our spiritual lives we have options. We make decisions. We can keep to our human attitudes of defiance against God Word - that is we can keep on gossiping, or sinning in some way. Or, we can change our lives and staunchly refuse to continue in the pattern to which we have become accustomed. We can stop whining, stop gossiping, stop judging, stop being vindictive, stop being inordinately competitive (office or family politics), stop playing games with life and other people, stop doing whatever it is that you do that you should not be doing. Look in your own mirror and judge yourself - 'if we should judge ourselves (confession) we shall not be judged' (restoration to fellowship). If we refuse, then Gods wrath will fall all around us sooner or later and it won't be pretty.

Now is the time to post a prayer.

End Of Lesson

Study to show thyself approved (mature) unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing (studying/discerning), the Word of truth.

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