JOSHUA 5-6 - Fall of Jericho

NOTES BY VERSE

Note: each ** comment in this document is listed in numerical order according to the verse(s) from this chapter

CHAPTER 5

** The men from the 12 tribes of Israel built a memorial to remember how God cut off the waters of the Jordan as His people crossed into the Promised Land

• The memorial was to serve as a vivid reminder of an act of God on behalf of His people

• The heap of stones taken from the Jordan River was to be a symbol to future generations

• Touching and feeling these stones would help make history and God real to future generations  <R1795>

Joshua 5:1 NIV

[1] Now when all the Amorite kings west of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings along the coast heard how the Lord had dried up the Jordan before the Israelites until they had crossed over, their hearts melted in fear and they no longer had the courage to face the Israelites.

Joshua 4:4-7 NIV

[4] So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, [5] and said to them, “Go over before the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, [6] to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ [7] tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.”

Joshua 4:9 NIV

[9] Joshua set up the twelve stones that had been in the middle of the Jordan at the spot where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant had stood. And they are there to this day.

Joshua 4:20-24 NIV

[20] And Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken out of the Jordan. [21] He said to the Israelites, “In the future when your descendants ask their parents, ‘What do these stones mean?’ [22] tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ [23] For the Lord your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The Lord your God did to the Jordan what he had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over. [24] He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God. ”

** The Lord wanted to reinstate the physical identification of circumcision now that His people were going to establish their presence in the Promised Land after 40 years of punishment in the desert

• While the procedure of circumcision has health benefits, it served a religious purpose

• Circumcision was given the descendants of Abraham as a sign of their participation in the covenant of promise that had been given to him

• While the book of Joshua stresses obedience, that obedience was rendered by those who had a faith relationship with God

• Circumcision speaks of faith, not law

• Only the person with faith in God has any claim to His aid  <R1795>

Joshua 5:4-5,8-9 NIV

[4] Now this is why he did so: All those who came out of Egypt---all the men of military age---died in the wilderness on the way after leaving Egypt. [5] All the people that came out had been circumcised, but all the people born in the wilderness during the journey from Egypt had not. [8] And after the whole nation had been circumcised, they remained where they were in camp until they were healed. [9] Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” So the place has been called Gilgal to this day.

** Joshua and Israelites first entered the Promised Land in 1406 BC  <N154>

• Covenant between Abraham and God was approximately 400 years before the Israelites entered the land

Joshua 5:10-12 NIV

[10] On the evening of the fourteenth day of the month, while camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, the Israelites celebrated the Passover. [11] The day after the Passover, that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land: unleavened bread and roasted grain. [12] The manna stopped the day after they ate this food from the land; there was no longer any manna for the Israelites, but that year they ate the produce of Canaan.

** God changed His daily provision for the Israelites from manna to fruits of the land

• From now on, Israel would live by faith, not sight

• Daily visible evidence of God’s presence would be absent for the first time in the memory of many of the Israelites – no manna or fiery pillar

• The people under Joshua learned to trust and obey God

• Seen or unseen, we can trust God to lead us to victory!  <R1795>

Joshua 5:11-12 NIV

[11] The day after the Passover, that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land: unleavened bread and roasted grain. [12] The manna stopped the day after they ate this food from the land; there was no longer any manna for the Israelites, but that year they ate the produce of Canaan.

** God sent a messenger as Commander of the Lord's Army to talk with Joshua

• This is proof our battle is not against the physical flesh and blood but spiritual principalities

• God is in full control of the physical and spiritual realms and will defeat anything and anyone who stands in His way!

Joshua 5:13-15 NIV

[13] Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?” [14] “Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord have for his servant?” [15] The commander of the Lord’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.

Ephesians 6:12 NIV

[12] For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Philippians 2:10-11 NIV

[10] that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, [11] and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

** Joshua found himself in the presence of Jesus and fell to the ground and removed his sandals; if this were an angel, they would have told Joshua not to worship him  <F60>

Joshua 5:13-15 NIV

[13] Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?” [14] “Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord have for his servant?” [15] The commander of the Lord's army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.

** The question is not 'whose side is God on?' but rather 'are we on God's side?' and whether we are following His will  <F60>

Joshua 5:13-14 NIV

[13] Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?” [14] “Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord have for his servant?”

CHAPTER 6

** Joshua and his army signaled judgment against Jericho with trumpets on the seventh day, similar to how God will declare judgment on the earth in the end times with seven trumpets  <M130>

• There will be seven seal judgments during the Tribulation

• Foreboding silence in heaven will be the precursor to the travesties to be unleashed on the earth

• Joshua also was to silently march around the city for six days before blowing the trumpets and destroying Jericho

Joshua 6:2-5 NIV

[2] Then the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. [3] March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. [4] Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams' horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. [5] When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have the whole army give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the army will go up, everyone straight in.”

Revelation 8:2,6 NIV

[2] And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. [6] Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to sound them.

** God declared the secured city of Jericho 'delivered' into the hands of the Israelites before it actually happened; God gave instructions how Joshua was to conquer the city

Joshua 6:2-5 NIV

[2] Then the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. [3] March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. [4] Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. [5] When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have the whole army give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the army will go up, everyone straight in.”

Joshua 6:15-16 NIV

[15] On the seventh day, they got up at daybreak and marched around the city seven times in the same manner, except that on that day they circled the city seven times. [16] The seventh time around, when the priests sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the army, “Shout! For the Lord has given you the city!

Joshua 6:20-21 NIV

[20] When the trumpets sounded, the army shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the men gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so everyone charged straight in, and they took the city. [21] They devoted the city to the Lord and destroyed with the sword every living thing in it---men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep and donkeys.

** The Israelite army must have wondered what was going on when told to march around the city for 7 days and then shout, but they obeyed God and conquered!

Joshua 6:6-7 NIV

[6] So Joshua son of Nun called the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant of the Lord and have seven priests carry trumpets in front of it.” [7] And he ordered the army, “Advance ! March around the city, with an armed guard going ahead of the ark of the Lord.”

Joshua 6:9-11 NIV

[9] The armed guard marched ahead of the priests who blew the trumpets, and the rear guard followed the ark. All this time the trumpets were sounding. [10] But Joshua had commanded the army, “Do not give a war cry, do not raise your voices, do not say a word until the day I tell you to shout. Then shout! ” [11] So he had the ark of the Lord carried around the city, circling it once. Then the army returned to camp and spent the night there.

** Through Samuel, the Lord instructed Saul to kill ALL Amalekites AND livestock in retaliation for what they did to the Israelites on their previous journey from Egypt

• When God told the Israeli leaders to annihilate everything that was before them, He had a purpose

• In this case, Satan attempted to corrupt the bloodline of Christ via the giants (Nephilim) in the land and God wanted to eliminate the threat  <C409>

1 Samuel 15:1-3 NIV

[1] Samuel said to Saul, “I am the one the Lord sent to anoint you king over his people Israel; so listen now to the message from the Lord. [2] This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from Egypt. [3] Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy all that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.’ ”

Joshua 6:12,15,20-21 NIV

[12] Joshua got up early the next morning and the priests took up the ark of the Lord. [15] On the seventh day, they got up at daybreak and marched around the city seven times in the same manner, except that on that day they circled the city seven times. [20] When the trumpets sounded, the army shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the men gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so everyone charged straight in, and they took the city. [21] They devoted the city to the Lord and destroyed with the sword every living thing in it---men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep and donkeys.

Joshua 10:39-40 NIV

[39] They took the city, its king and its villages, and put them to the sword. Everyone in it they totally destroyed. They left no survivors. They did to Debir and its king as they had done to Libnah and its king and to Hebron. [40] So Joshua subdued the whole region, including the hill country, the Negev, the western foothills and the mountain slopes, together with all their kings. He left no survivors. He totally destroyed all who breathed, just as the Lord, the God of Israel, had commanded.

** All items of value were to be devoted to the Lord's treasury

Joshua 6:19 NIV

[19] All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron are sacred to the Lord and must go into his treasury.”

Joshua 6:17-18 NIV

[17] 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.

Joshua 6:24 NIV

[24] Then they burned the whole city and everything in it, but they put the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron into the treasury of the Lord’s house.

** The Israelites began the conquest of the Promised Land by destroying Jericho

• The conquest was with God’s supernatural help of course

• The city of Jericho, built thousands of years before Joshua was born, was one of the oldest cities in the world

• In some places, it had fortified walls up to 25 feet high and 20 feet thick

• Jericho was a symbol of military power and strength, and the Canaanites considered it invincible  <N154>

Joshua 6:20 NIV

[20] When the trumpets sounded, the army shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the men gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so everyone charged straight in, and they took the city.

** It is needless to go into a defense of what some call the atrocities of Joshua, in slaying women and children as well as warriors; in short, making a clean sweep of the inhabitants.

The Lord ordered it, and that is enough.

We may be sure that, whether He obliterates a nation by war, or blots out the entire race with a flood--He has good reasons for it, although He may not choose to give them.

The extinction of one race by another, and the occupation of its land, is one of the common things in the history of the world. And whether it is done by the swift process of the sword, or by gradual demise, or the introduction of disease and vice--the principle and the fact remain the same.

The Lord ordered it, and that is enough.  <H92>

Joshua 6:21 NIV

[21] They devoted the city to the Lord and destroyed with the sword every living thing in it---men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep and donkeys.

Deuteronomy 32:39 NIV

[39] “See now that I myself am he! There is no god besides me. I put to death and I bring to life, I have wounded and I will heal, and no one can deliver out of my hand.

Isaiah 45:6-7 NIV

[6] so that from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting people may know there is none besides me. I am the Lord, and there is no other. [7] I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the Lord, do all these things.

Amos 3:6 NIV

[6] When a trumpet sounds in a city, do not the people tremble? When disaster comes to a city, has not the Lord caused it?

Revelation 19:6 NIV

[6] Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: “Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns.