The Successor Joshua - # 8

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The Lord said to me…”I will test my people with a Plumbline, Amos 7:8 (TLB)

The Plumbline is a blog to encourage the Body of Christ.

The Unchanging Word

The Successor Joshua - # 8

Joshua 6:8-9 (MSG) 8 And it happened. Joshua spoke, the people moved: Seven priests with their seven ram's horn trumpets set out before GOD. They blew the trumpets, leading GOD's Chest of the Covenant. 9 The armed guard marched ahead of the trumpet-blowing priests; the rear guard was marching after the Chest, marching and blowing their trumpets.

The sequence of the conquest of Jericho (6:8-21) It was perhaps a little after dawn when a long procession began to unwind out of the camp of Israel. First came the armed guard marching under tribal banners, then seven priests with trumpets; next the ark of God, and last the rear guard. The army thus had prominent places in the procession but Jericho would fall not through their prowess but because of the power of God.

Preserving absolute silence (except for the seven priests blowing their trumpets) this strange parade made its way toward Jericho and then around the city like a serpent. Jericho then covered about eight or nine acres and required less than 30 minutes to march around. When the circuit was completed, to the amazement of the Canaanites who probably anticipated an immediate attack, the Israelites returned quietly to camp. See 6:10-11.

The same procedure was followed for six days. No fortress had ever been conquered in this fashion. This strange strategy was probably given to test the faith of Joshua. He did not question; he trusted and obeyed. This procedure was also designed to test Israel’s obedience to God’s will. And that was not easy in this case. Every day they were exposing themselves to ridicule and danger. A Jericho soldier may have looked down from the wall on the army of Israel and asked, “Do they think they can frighten us into surrender by the sound of their rams’ horns?” And the rest may have joined in a loud chorus of raucous laughter. See 6:12-14. Probably the Israelites received their orders on a daily basis so that their obedience was not a once-for-all matter but a new challenge every morning. That is the way God often deals with His children. They are required to do their “daily march” with little or no knowledge of tomorrow (Prov. 27:1; James 4:14; cf. Matt. 6:34).

The faith of the Israelites triumphed over their fear that the enemy would attack. They also triumphed over any expectation of ridicule and scorn. Never before and seldom after this historic event did the thermometer of faith rise this high in Israel.

On that fateful seventh day the procession made the circuit of the walls seven times. This parade—consisting of the armed guard, the seven trumpet-blowing priests, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant, and the rear guard—may have taken about three hours. (On the word devoted in vv. 17-18 see comments on v. 21.) (As Joshua recorded, Israel experienced disastrous consequences because of an immediate violation of God’s instruction in vv. 18-19.) At the end of the seventh circuit the clear voice of Joshua rang out, Shout! For the Lord has given you the city! Also he told them to spare Rahab and her family (cf. 2:8-13). So when the priests blasted on the trumpets... the people gave a loud shout. That shout reverberated through the hills around, startling wild animals and terrorizing the dwellers of Jericho in their homes. At that moment the wall of Jericho, obeying the summons of God, collapsed (lit., “fell in its place”). Read 6:15-20a.

Adapted from the Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures by Dallas Seminary Faculty.

The Successor Joshua - # 7

The Lord said to me…”I will test my people with a Plumbline, Amos 7:8 (TLB)

The Plumbline is a blog to encourage the Body of Christ.

The Successor Joshua - # 7

Precious & Eternal

Joshua 6:1-5 (MSG) 1 Jericho was shut up tight as a drum because of the People of Israel: no one going in, no one coming out. 2 GOD spoke to Joshua, "Look sharp now. I've already given Jericho to you, along with its king and its crack troops. 3 Here's what you are to do: March around the city, all your soldiers. Circle the city once. Repeat this for six days. 4 Have seven priests carry seven ram's horn trumpets in front of the Chest. On the seventh day march around the city seven times, the priests blowing away on the trumpets. 5 And then, a long blast on the ram's horn—when you hear that, all the people are to shout at the top of their lungs. The city wall will collapse at once. All the people are to enter, every man straight on in."

The strategy of the conquest of Jericho (6:1-7)

Jericho was a beleaguered city. Orders had been given to close all the gates, and no traffic was permitted in or out. As Rahab had disclosed to the spies (2:11) the residents of Jericho were filled with terror because of the advancing Israelites (cf. 5:1). But there this impressive fortress stood, in full view of Joshua whose conversation with the Commander of the Lord’s army continued. This Commander, the Lord Himself, promised victory to Joshua and announced that He had given Jericho into his hands. The city, its king, and its army would all fall to Israel. The tense of the Hebrew verb is prophetic perfect (I have delivered), describing a future action as if it were already accomplished. Since God had declared it, the victory was assured.

The battle plan Joshua was to use was most unusual. Ordinary weapons of war such as battering rams and scaling ladders were not to be employed. Rather Joshua and his armed men were to march around the city once a day for six successive days with seven priests blowing trumpets preceding the ark of the covenant. On the seventh day they were to circle Jericho seven times and then the wall of Jericho would collapse and the city would be taken.

In the Bible the number seven often symbolizes completeness or perfection. There were seven priests, seven trumpets, seven days, seven circuits of the wall on the seventh day. Though God’s plan of action may have seemed foolish to men it was the perfect scheme for this battle.

What was the significance of the blaring trumpets? These instruments were “jubilee trumpets” (lit. Heb.) used in connection with Israel’s solemn feasts to proclaim the presence of God (Num. 10:10). The conquest of Jericho was not therefore exclusively a military undertaking but also a religious one, and the trumpets declared that the Lord of heaven and earth was weaving His invisible way around this doomed city. God Himself, in effect, was saying in the long blasts of these priestly trumpets, “Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in” (Ps. 24:7). When Christ returns, He, the King of glory, will enter cities in triumph. The conquest of Jericho was a similar kind of triumphant victory.

No battle strategy appeared more unreasonable than this one. What was to prevent the army of Jericho from raining arrows and spears down on the defenseless Israelites pursuing their silent march? Or who could stop the enemy from rushing out of the city gates to break up Israel’s line, separating and then slaughtering them? Joshua was an experienced military leader. Certainly these and similar objections to the divine strategy flashed into his mind. But unlike Moses at the burning bush who argued with lengthy eloquence against the Lord’s plan (cf. Ex. 3:11-4:17) Joshua responded with an unquestioning obedience. He lost no time in calling together the priests and soldiers, passing on to them the directions he had received from his Commander-in-chief. Adapted from the Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures by Dallas Seminary Faculty.

The Successor - Joshua - # 6

 

The Lord said to me…”I will test my people with a Plumbline, Amos 7:8 (TLB)

The Plumbline is a blog to encourage the Body of Christ.

The Successor - Joshua - # 6

The Source of Life

Joshua 5:1-9 (MSG) 1 When all the Amorite kings west of the Jordan and the Canaanite kings along the seacoast heard how GOD had stopped the Jordan River before the People of Israel until they had crossed over, their hearts sank; the courage drained out of them just thinking about the People of Israel. 2 At that time GOD said to Joshua, "Make stone knives and circumcise the People of Israel a second time." 3 So Joshua made stone knives and circumcised the People of Israel at Foreskins Hill. 4 This is why Joshua conducted the circumcision. All the males who had left Egypt, the soldiers, had died in the wilderness on the journey out of Egypt. 5 All the people who had come out of Egypt, of course, had been circumcised, but all those born in the wilderness along the way since leaving Egypt had not been. 6 The fact is that the People of Israel had walked through that wilderness for forty years until the entire nation died out, all the men of military age who had come out of Egypt but had disobeyed the call of GOD. GOD vowed that these would never lay eyes on the land GOD had solemnly promised their ancestors to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey. 7 But their children had replaced them. These are the ones Joshua circumcised. They had never been circumcised; no one had circumcised them along the way. 8 When they had completed the circumcising of the whole nation, they stayed where they were in camp until they were healed. 9 GOD said to Joshua, "Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt." That's why the place is called The Gilgal. It's still called that.

The consecration of the Israelites (5:1-12)

Under Joshua’s leadership and by miraculous intervention some 2 million soldiers and civilians crossed the Jordan. A beachhead was quickly established at Gilgal, and from every human point of view it was time to strike immediately at the strongholds of Canaan. After all, the morale of the people of Canaan had utterly collapsed in the face of one old and two recent news items that had spread through the land: (a) that the God of Israel had dried up the Red Sea (2:10); (b) that the Israelites had defeated the powerful kings of the Amorites in Transjordan (2:10); (c) that Yahweh had also dried up the waters of the Jordan River so that the Israelites could cross over into Canaan (5:1; cf. 4:24).

As this news spread, so did fear. What better time to strike a paralyzing blow? Certainly the military leaders of Israel must have favored an immediate all-out offensive. But this was not God’s plan. He is never in a hurry though His children often are. From God’s point of view Israel was not yet ready to fight on Canaan’s soil. There was some unfinished business—and it was spiritual in character.

It was time for renewal. Consecration must precede conquest. Before God would lead Israel to victory, He would lead them through three experiences: (a) the renewal of circumcision (5:1-9), (b) the celebration of the Passover (v. 10), and (c) the appropriation of the land’s produce (vv. 11-12).

5:1-3. When the nations of the land were filled with terror (cf. 4:24) the Lord commanded Joshua to circumcise the sons of Israel. He obeyed, even though it must have been difficult for him as a military commander to incapacitate his entire army in that hostile environment.

5:4-7. An explanation is given. Though all the men of Israel had been circumcised before they left Egypt, they died in the wilderness because of their disobedience at Kadesh Barnea (Num. 20:1-13; cf. Num. 27:14; Deut. 32:51). Their sons born during the wilderness wanderings were not circumcised, which was further evidence of their parents’ spiritual indifference. This sacred rite therefore needed to be performed on this new generation.

5:8-9. After all the males were circumcised... the Lord acknowledged the completed task by declaring, Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you. Since the Israelites were slaves in Egypt, they did not practice circumcision until they were about to leave. No doubt the Egyptians prohibited the practice since it was reserved for their own priests and upper-class citizens. “The reproach of Egypt” may refer to the Egyptians’ mocking the Israelites for not having possessed the land of Canaan.

Another indication of this event’s importance is the fact that a new significance was attached to the name Gilgal (niv. marg.). Not only was the meaning “circle” to remind Israel of the memorial stones (see comments on 4:19-20), but now the related idea of “rolling” would commemorate Israel’s act of obedience at the same site.

But why was circumcision so important? The Bible’s answer is clear. Stephen, in his dynamic speech before the Sanhedrin, declared that God “gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision” (Acts 7:8). Circumcision, then, was no ordinary religious rite; it was rooted in the Abrahamic Covenant, a contract guaranteeing the everlasting continuation of Abraham’s seed and their ever-lasting possession of the land (Gen. 17:7-8). In this connection God adopted circumcision as the “sign” or symbol of that contract (Gen. 17:11). God instructed Abraham that every male in his household as well as every male descendant of his was to be circumcised. And Abraham immediately obeyed (Gen. 17:23-27).

But why did God choose circumcision as the symbol of His covenant with Abraham and his seed? Why not some other sign or work? The act of circumcision itself symbolized a complete separation from the widely prevalent sins of the flesh: adultery, fornication, and sodomy. Further, the rite had spiritual overtones not only in relation to sexual conduct but in every phase of life. “Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked any longer” (Deut. 10:16; cf. Deut. 30:6; Jer. 4:4; Rom. 2:28-29).

So Israel was to understand that circumcision was not simply a cutting of flesh; also their lives were to be holy. This is why at Gilgal God said, in effect, “Before I fight your battles in Canaan you must have this mark of the covenant in your flesh.” Joshua understood the importance of this divine requirement and led all males in unhesitating obedience.

Paul affirmed that a Christian has been “circumcised” in Christ (Col. 2:11). This circumcision is spiritual not physical, relating not to an external organ but to one’s inward being, the heart. This circumcision takes place at the time of salvation when the Holy Spirit joins a believer to Christ. At that time one’s sinful nature is judged (Col. 2:13). A Christian is to recognize that fact (Rom. 6:1-2) even though his carnal nature remains a part of him during this life. He is to treat his carnal nature as a judged and condemned (though not yet executed) enemy. Adapted from the Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures by Dallas Seminary Faculty.

The Successor – Joshua # 5

 

The Lord said to me…”I will test my people with a Plumbline, Amos 7:8 (TLB)

The Plumbline is a blog to encourage the Body of Christ.

The Successor – Joshua # 5

Memorial Stones from the Jordan:

The Holy Bible - God's Eternal Word

Joshua 4:1 (ESV) 1 When all the nation had finished passing over the Jordan, the LORD said to Joshua, 2 “Take twelve men from the people, from each tribe a man, 3 and command them, saying, ‘Take twelve stones from here out of the midst of the Jordan, from the very place where the priests’ feet stood firmly, and bring them over with you and lay them down in the place where you lodge tonight.’ ”

The Lord told Joshua to direct 12 men, previously chosen (cf. Jos 3:12), to carry 12 stones from the bed of the river to the place of the first night’s encampment as a memorial. Calling the 12 tribal representatives together Joshua instructed them. They were to return to the middle of the riverbed and each one was to bring back one stone. These stones would be a vivid reminder (a memorial) of God’s work of deliverance (cf. v. 24) and an effective means for the Israelites to teach their young (vv. 6-7; cf. vv. 21-24). The response of the 12 men was immediate and unquestioning. They could well have feared reentering the Jordan. After all, how long would it stay dry? Whatever fears they may have had were put aside and they unhesitatingly obeyed God’s instructions. Joshua joined these men on their strange mission, and while they were wrenching up great stones from the bed of the river, he set another pile of 12 stones (niv. marg.) in the riverbed itself to mark the precise spot where the priests stood with the ark of the covenant. This was apparently done on Joshua’s own initiative and expressed his desire to have a personal reminder of God’s faithfulness at the very beginning of the Conquest of Canaan.

Joshua 4:10-18. All was now accomplished that the Lord... commanded. In anticipation of the Jordan flowing again the details of the crossing were reviewed. (1) The priests and the ark remained in the riverbed while the people hurried across (v. 10; cf. 3:17). (2) The armed men of the Transjordanian tribes, not hampered with families and goods, led the crossing (4:12-13). (3) As soon as all the people had crossed and the special mission for the memorials was completed, the priests left the riverbed—they were the first ones in and the last ones out—and resumed their position at the head of the people (vv. 11, 15-17). (4) Immediately the Jordan resumed its flow (v. 18).

Thus all the tribes participated in the crossing, though Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh sent only representative armies. The rest of those two and one-half tribes remained on the east side to protect their homes and cities (cf. v. 13). The population of males in those tribes 20 years of age or older totaled 136,930 (Num. 26:7, 18, 34). The 40,000 soldiers (Josh. 4:13) were 29 percent of that adult male population—less than one of every three adult males.

One can imagine what it must have been like for the Israelites to stand on the riverbank, watching the hurrying torrent covering up their path, and then lifting their eyes to look at the opposite side where they had stood that morning. There was no returning now. A new and exciting chapter in their history had begun.

Joshu 4:19-20. But this was no time for reflection. Joshua led the people to Gilgal, their first encampment in Canaan, about two miles from Jericho. There the 12 stones... taken out of the Jordan were set up, perhaps in a small circle. The name Gilgal means “circle,” and may have been taken from an ancient circle of stones of pagan significance. If so, the more recent circle commemorating Yahweh’s great work would serve to counteract the idolatrous association of the site.

Joshua 4:21-23. The purpose of the stones was clearly to remind Israel for generations to come that it was God who brought them through the Jordan (cf. vv. 6-7) just as He had taken their fathers through the Red Sea.But how were the future generations to know what the stones meant? The answer is clear. Parents were to teach God’s ways and works to their children (cf. Deut. 6:4-7). A Jewish father was not to send his inquisitive child to a Levite for answers to his questions. The father was to answer them himself.

Joshua 4:24. However, besides serving as a visual aid for parental instruction of children, the memorial stones had a broader purpose: that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful. As the families of Israel spent their first night in the land, their hearts may well have been filled with uncertainty and fear. The mountains rising steeply to the west looked foreboding. But then the people looked at the 12 stones taken out of the Jordan and were reminded that God had done something great for them that day. Surely they could trust Him for the days ahead.

Adapted from The Bible Knowledge Commentary:

The Successor - Joshua #4

The Lord said to me,.."I will test my people with a plumbline. Amos 7:8 (TLB)

The Plumbline is a blog to encourage the Body of Christ.

The Successor - Joshua #4

Israel Crosses the Jordan

The Infallible, Authoritative Rule of Faith & Conduct

Then Joshua rose early in the morning; and they set out from Acacia Grove and came to the Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and lodged there before they crossed over. ² So it was, after three days, that the officers went through the camp; ³ and they commanded the people, saying, “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the priests, the Levites, bearing it, then you shall set out from your place and go after it. Joshua 3:1–3 (NKJV)

Think of it, finally after forty years of wandering through the wilderness, under new leadership Israel is now poised to cross the Jordan into the land which God had promised.

Joshua was a man of action. The spies having reported in, Israel’s leader began immediate preparations to cross the Jordan and invade Canaan. As yet Joshua had no knowledge of how this massive group of people was to cross the swollen river (cf. v. 15). But believing that God would somehow make it possible, he moved them all, bag and baggage, the seven miles from Shittim … to the Jordan.

Having arrived at the river they stopped for three days. Time was no doubt needed for the leaders to organize the crossing and pass instructions on to the people. The delay also gave everyone an opportunity to get close and see the river, now a strong and rapid current due to the melting of the winter snows of Mount Hermon in the north. They must have faltered at the seeming impossibility of the crossing.

At the end of the third day of waiting the people were given instructions. The pillar of cloud would no longer lead them but they were instead to follow the ark of the covenant. No army scouts would advance first into the land but rather priests bearing the ark (cf. v. 11). And since the ark symbolized the Lord Himself, it was Yahweh who led His people into Canaan.

With the ark going ahead the people were to fall in behind, or possibly to spread around it on three sides. But they were to keep their distance by some 3,000 feet. Why? Probably to remind them of the sacredness of the ark and the holiness of the God it represented. They were to have no casual or careless intimacy with God but a profound spirit of respect and reverence. God was to be considered not “the Man upstairs” but the sovereign and holy God of all the earth.

The distance was also essential so that the largest possible number of this great population could see the ark. God was about to lead them over unfamiliar ground, over a way they had not taken before. It was new territory so without the Lord’s guidance and leadership the people would not know which direction to take.

Consecration for the Crossing

As the day for the crossing approached Joshua commanded the people to sanctify or consecrate themselves. It would be easier to understand if he had said, “Sharpen your swords and check your shields!” But spiritual not military preparation was needed at this time because God was about to reveal Himself by performing a great miracle in Israel’s midst. As a person would prepare scrupulously to meet someone of earthly fame so it was appropriate for the Israelites to prepare for a manifestation of the God of all the earth. The same command was heard at Sinai when the previous generation prepared itself for the majestic revelation of the Lord in the giving of the Law (Ex. 19:10-13).

But that was not all. The people of Israel were to expect God to work a miracle. They were to be eager, gripped by a sense of wonder. Israel was not to lose sight of their God who can do the incredible and the humanly impossible.

The Lord then told Joshua how they would make the crossing, and explained to Joshua that this miracle would magnify or exalt him as the leader of the people. It was time to establish Joshua’s credentials as God’s representative to guide Israel. What better way to accomplish this than for Joshua to direct their passage through a miraculously parted river? After the crossing the people did in fact revere Joshua (4:14), knowing that God was with him (3:7; cf. 1:5, 9).

The Successor - Joshua #3

The Lord said to me,.."I will test my people with a plumbline. Amos 7:8 (TLB)

The Plumbline is a blog to encourage the Body of Christ.

The Successor - Joshua #3

The Only Way to Life

Joshua 2:8–14,17-19 (NCV) ⁸ Before the spies went to sleep for the night, Rahab went up to the roof. ⁹ She said to them, “I know the Lord has given this land to your people. You frighten us very much. Everyone living in this land is terribly afraid of you ¹⁰ because we have heard how the Lord dried up the Red Sea when you came out of Egypt. We have heard how you destroyed...two Amorite kings who lived east of the Jordan. ¹¹ When we heard this, we were very frightened. Now our men are afraid to fight you because the Lord your God rules the heavens above and the earth below! ¹² So now, promise me before the Lord that you will show kindness to my family just as I showed kindness to you. Give me some proof that you will do this. ¹³ Allow my father, mother, brothers, sisters, and all of their families to live. Save us from death.”¹⁴ The men agreed and said,  “You must do as we say. If not, we cannot be responsible for keeping this oath you have made us swear. ¹⁸ When we return to this land, you must tie this red rope in the window through which you let us down. Bring your father, mother, brothers, and all your family into your house. ¹⁹ If anyone leaves your house and is killed, it is his own fault. We cannot be responsible for him. If anyone in your house is hurt, we will be responsible.

Rahab went to them upon the roof—Rahab’s dialogue is full of interest, as showing the universal panic and consternation of the Canaanites on the one hand (Jos 24:11; De 2:25), and her strong convictions on the other, founded on a knowledge of the divine promise, and the stupendous miracles that had opened the way of the Israelites to the confines of the promised land. She was convinced of the supremacy of Jehovah, and her earnest stipulations for the preservation of her relatives amid the perils of the approaching invasion, attest the sincerity and strength of her faith.

The men answered her, Our life for yours, if you do not expose our business—This was a solemn pledge—a virtual oath, though the name of God is not mentioned; and the words were added, not as a condition of their fidelity, but as necessary for her safety, which might be endangered if the private agreement was divulged.

Her house was upon the town wall—In many Oriental cities houses are built on the walls with overhanging windows; in others the town wall forms the back wall of the house, so that the window opens into the country. Rahab’s was probably of this latter description, and the cord or rope sufficiently strong to bear the weight of a man.

Get you to the mountain—A range of white limestone hills extends on the north, called Quarantania (now Jebel Karantu), rising to a height of from twelve hundred to fifteen hundred feet, and the sides of which are perforated with caves. Some one peak adjoining was familiarly known to the inhabitants as “the mountain.” The prudence and propriety of the advice to flee in that direction rather than to the Jordan.

Rahab tied the scarlet line in the window—probably soon after the departure of the spies. It was not formed, as some suppose, into network, as a lattice, but simply to hang down the wall. Its red color made it conspicuous, and it was thus a sign and pledge of safety to Rahab’s house, as the bloody mark on the lintels of the houses of the Israelites in Egypt to that people. God’s great provision is manifest in this wonderful plan for Rahab and all her family.