Joshua – Lesson 31

There seems to be a real shortage of belief in the church today of the supernatural. The thirteen trips around the city walls should have convinced the Israelites of the impossibility of them personally conquering the city. So their hopes of conquest by their army had died.

Now remember, crossing the Jordan symbolized that they had died to self. The power of the enemy is too great for us. But when we recognize that it is God who is working on our behalf, as the Israelites did, things begin to happen. If our Jerichos are to fall, God must bring them down. So long as we want to do something alone, we are depending on our own strength and we will most often fail.

Now remember also that God had promised that every bit of land that they walked on would be theirs. So it is in our spiritual life. God will give us the victories we need when we admit to Him that we are utterly unable to win the battles for ourselves. Why? Because we are no match for Satan.

The final step of faith with regard to the taking of Jericho was the shout of faith. This came at the very last minute after they had circled the city thirteen times. At no time during the thirteen trips around the city did the walls fall. But every step they took during those thirteen trips was a step of faith.

Finally, this shout was the outward expression of the inward confidence in their God. The shout of faith was given while the walls were still intact.

· Joshua 6:16, 20, The seventh time around, when the priests sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the people, "Shout! For the LORD has given you the city! 20 When the trumpets sounded, the people shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the people gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so every man charged straight in, and they took the city.

In the 11th chapter of Hebrews we are told that by faith the walls of Jericho collapsed. There are some that attempt to deny the power of God and claim that the walls collapsed because of an earthquake. So? Did the Israelites cause the earthquake? Or is it just a coincidence that the walls collapsed from an earthquake precisely as the Israelites completed the thirteenth trip around the city and precisely as Joshua ordered the people to shout? No, it took place just at the time according to God’s plan.

God will speak again and the next time to the whole world. Just as the shout of the Israelites preceded the judgment on Jericho, just so will the Lord Jesus come for His saints, descending from heaven with a shout of the voice of the arch angel and the trump of God. (Thessalonians 4:16)

The fall of the walls of Jericho was the end of the road for the people there. But for Israel it was the beginning of conquest. We are told that there was an exception to the destruction of all the people of Jericho. Rahab and her family were spared as was promised by the two spies earlier. The portion of the wall where Rahab lived was not destroyed.

· Joshua 6:22-23, Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, "Go into the prostitute's house and bring her out and all who belong to her, in accordance with your oath to her." 23 So the young men who had done the spying went in and brought out Rahab, her father and mother and brothers and all who belonged to her. They brought out her entire family and put them in a place outside the camp of Israel.

There is a very interesting message in these two verses. Rahab believed God at the time the two spies came to her house. She believed not only for herself but for her family. Now before we read too much into this, we need to note that she “persuaded her family to stay with her during the siege of the city”.

The city of Jericho was demolished along with its people and animals. There was also a curse place on the city. Speaking through Joshua, God said,

· Joshua 6:26, At that time Joshua pronounced this solemn oath: "Cursed before the LORD is the man who undertakes to rebuild this city, Jericho: "At the cost of his firstborn son will he lay its foundations; at the cost of his youngest will he set up its gates."

We will not follow-up on this curse at this time but suffice it to say that the curse was in effect and there are biblical passages that point out how the curse resulted in the deaths of first born of those who attempted to rebuild the city.

So Israel’s conquest of Jericho caused fresh terror in the hearts of the Canaanites. There were to be many other campaigns.

But in the victory at Jericho, God had claimed certain treasures for Himself and He had made this clear to the Israelites. This became a test for the Israelites.

· Joshua 6:17-19, The city and all that is in it are to be devoted to the LORD. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall be spared, because she hid the spies we sent. 18 But keep away from the devoted things, so that you will not bring about your own destruction by taking any of them. Otherwise you will make the camp of Israel liable to destruction and bring trouble on it. 19 All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron are sacred to the LORD and must go into his treasury."

This is an important prelude to the next events in the unfolding story of the conquest of Canaan.

· Joshua 7:1-26, 1. But the Israelites acted unfaithfully in regard to the devoted things; Achan son of Carmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of them. So the LORD's anger burned against Israel. 2 Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth Aven to the east of Bethel, and told them, "Go up and spy out the region." So the men went up and spied out Ai. 3 When they returned to Joshua, they said, "Not all the people will have to go up against Ai. Send two or three thousand men to take it and do not weary all the people, for only a few men are there." 4 So about three thousand men went up; but they were routed by the men of Ai, 5 who killed about thirty-six of them. They chased the Israelites from the city gate as far as the stone quarries and struck them down on the slopes. At this the hearts of the people melted and became like water. 6 Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell facedown to the ground before the ark of the LORD, remaining there till evening. The elders of Israel did the same, and sprinkled dust on their heads. 7 And Joshua said, "Ah, Sovereign LORD, why did you ever bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us? If only we had been content to stay on the other side of the Jordan! 8 O Lord, what can I say, now that Israel has been routed by its enemies? 9 The Canaanites and the other people of the country will hear about this and they will surround us and wipe out our name from the earth. What then will you do for your own great name?" 10 The LORD said to Joshua, "Stand up! What are you doing down on your face? 11 Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions. 12 That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies; they turn their backs and run because they have been made liable to destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction. 13 "Go, consecrate the people. Tell them, 'Consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow; for this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: That which is devoted is among you, O Israel. You cannot stand against your enemies until you remove it. 14 "'In the morning, present yourselves tribe by tribe. The tribe that the LORD takes shall come forward clan by clan; the clan that the LORD takes shall come forward family by family; and the family that the LORD takes shall come forward man by man. 15 He who is caught with the devoted things shall be destroyed by fire, along with all that belongs to him. He has violated the covenant of the LORD and has done a disgraceful thing in Israel!'" 16 Early the next morning Joshua had Israel come forward by tribes, and Judah was taken. 17 The clans of Judah came forward, and he took the Zerahites. He had the clan of the Zerahites come forward by families, and Zimri was taken. 18 Joshua had his family come forward man by man, and Achan son of Carmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken. 19 Then Joshua said to Achan, "My son, give glory to the LORD, the God of Israel, and give him the praise. Tell me what you have done; do not hide it from me." 20 Achan replied, "It is true! I have sinned against the LORD, the God of Israel. This is what I have done: 21 When I saw in the plunder a beautiful robe from Babylonia, two hundred shekels of silver and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. They are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath." 22 So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent, and there it was, hidden in his tent, with the silver underneath. 23 They took the things from the tent, brought them to Joshua and all the Israelites and spread them out before the LORD. 24 Then Joshua, together with all Israel, took Achan son of Zerah, the silver, the robe, the gold wedge, his sons and daughters, his cattle, donkeys and sheep, his tent and all that he had, to the Valley of Achor. 25 Joshua said, "Why have you brought this trouble on us? The LORD will bring trouble on you today." Then all Israel stoned him, and after they had stoned the rest, they burned them. 26 Over Achan they heaped up a large pile of rocks, which remains to this day. Then the LORD turned from his fierce anger. Therefore that place has been called the Valley of Achor ever since.

Chapter 6 ended with a great victory but there is a marked change at the beginning of chapter 7. It begins by saying that the Israelites acted unfaithfully with regard to the treasures taken at Jericho.

Here we see the Israelites being defeated by the men of Ai. It should have been an easy victory except that one man of the tribe of Judah had stolen some of the treasures. It is a very serious matter to steal that which belongs to God, and that is what happened following the conquest of Jericho. We could spend quite a lot of time here discussing the consequences of keeping from God that which He expects us to return to Him.

All of Israel was held accountable for the sin of Achan. When Joshua heard of this he fell on the ground before God. But God told him to get up and do something. So Achan and his family and all his possessions were stoned until they were dead and then they were burned.

There was no need for the defeat at Ai. God does not make it impossible for men to sin, but He always makes it possible for them to not sin.

As we study the Bible we cannot help but see the progression of sin. It is the same with us as it was with Achan. He first saw  the treasures and he wanted them. Then he took them and hid them. We have already described what punishment was handed out to Achan and his family.

Several steps were involved in this punishment. First, the stolen goods were brought out from where they were hidden. Sin has to be brought out in the open. Next, they brought him to Joshua. In this case Joshua stands in the position of Jesus. He is both Savior and Judge of sin. Third, the sin was laid before the Lord. So the sin was brought out in the open, meaning it has to be confessed before God.