Fear No Fear

(All scripture from Lexham English Bible, Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software)

The people crossed over the dry bed of the Jordan – quite a feat in the latter rain period. Joshua had them select twelve men (one from each tribe) to collect twelve stones and bring them out of the Jordan to be memorial stones at Gilgal where they would stop that night. Twelve OTHER stones were brought into the Jordan and piled up right where the feet of the priests were (they were standing in the middle carrying the ark). The twelve stones where the priests stood symbolise the death of Jesus. The twelve stones taken out symbolise the resurrection of Jesus.

They crossed over by the death and resurrection of Messiah Jesus. The seen and the unseen. We were guilty in sin, under the waters of death. But through Jesus we engaged His resurrection and come up out of the waters and enter into the heavenlies where we engage the Blessing – all by what Jesus did and His Lordship in our lives. The Law brought death as the ministration of death, pointing toward Jesus and His sacrifice for us leading into HIS ministration: life-giving resurrection. We were baptised into His death (Romans 6:3-4) so that in Him, we can be resurrected to life (2 Corinthians 5:21). Standing in the Blessing we see all around us the high calling we are to walk in (Philippians 3:14) – just like the Israelites in the land of promise. And they set up the stones they took from the Jordan at Gilgal where they stopped for the night as a witness to them and their future generations.

The kings of the land panicked. The latter rains were happening RIGHT THEN. The flooding of the Jordan and its wild water should have given them safety for MONTHS. But God brought His people across – just like at the Red Sea. The land went to Defcon 1 and locked themselves up tight, each preparing in their own way.

Back at Gilgal, the Israelites were busy. They hadn’t been following the command of circumcision – evidence and witness of being in/part of the Abrahamic Covenant. It had stopped sometime in Egypt (Joshua 5:9), which isn’t surprising as even Moses hadn’t originally followed it (Exodus 4:24-26). They circumsized the men and celebrated Passover in ACTIONS, renewing the covenant with God that they had VERBALLY done with Moses (Deuteronomy 30-31). They had to cast off the old in order to enjoy the new. The old nature had to die because it would refuse the new. We have to completely reject the habits, thoughts, and behaviours learned from the old (dead) nature. We have to be informed by the new nature we have (John 15:5).

Their circumcision was also a great spiritual lesson: the flesh has NO strength. They (just like us) only would get victory when GOD was making it (John 16:33). God was going to fight for them (Deuteronomy 31:3, 8). They needed to keep a remembrance that it was through and by GOD’s efforts – not theirs – that they would have victory and thereby possess the land. To keep remembrance, they needed to consistently give God His due (Psalm 29:1-2). They started to do that with the circumcision, remembering their Covenant with Him. When they recovered (about three weeks), they celebrated Passover.

They ate the ‘old corn’ (previous harvest from the land) of the land during Passover, not manna. This was the end of manna. Manna in the wilderness was a shadow of Jesus (John 6:1-15, 22-71; Psalm 23). The provision of the land was ALSO a shadow of Jesus (John 15:1-11; Ephesians 3:7-21). The book of Ephesians is the New Covenant equivalent to the book of Joshua, and the two pair well together. There are a lot of references and pointing to Jesus throughout Joshua. A good example is the man Joshua saw.

Joshua saw a man with a sword standing near the camp. He went over and challenged him with the classic friend/foe: are you for us or against us? Response: No. I really enjoy that answer. This man was the Captain of the Lord’s Host (Revelation 19:11-16 – a preincarnate Jesus? I believe it is. In 5:13 the man accepts worship from Joshua, which angels NEVER do.). Joshua has now entered holy ground like Moses did (Exodus 3:5-6). Here Joshua’s commission is repeated, his orders are given, and Joshua acknowledges who it is that he is following: God.

The city of Jericho was completely shut up (compare with Joshua 2). God told Joshua not to worry about it because He (Yah) had given the victory to Joshua already. He told Joshua how to do it, and it had NO value and NO sense according to human point of view. From God’s point of view it had real value.

They were now ready. Joshua had orders and was following God. The people had been separated to God (circumcision) and celebrated their remembrance of how He did it all and none could prevail over Him (Passover). They also remembered it was in Him and through Him alone that possession of the land was possible (the memorial stones). They were prepared.

Jericho. Walls so impressive that homes were built in them without compromising their structure OR their security (Joshua 2:15). How? Jericho was built on a tell. At the base was a stone retaining wall 4-5m high. On top of that was a mudbrick wall 2m thick and 6-8m tall. Then there was a sloped embankment leading up to the top of the tell. In this embankment, people lived and built houses – some right up against the walls. At the peak of the tell above the embankment was another mudbrick wall (2m thick and 6-8m tall) – the base of which was 14m above the ground level outside the lower retaining wall.

When the walls fell, the mud bricks collapsed. The outer walls collapsing made heaps of brocks beside the retaining wall. The Israelites could just walk up or climb over and get to the embankment, which they could walk up to the collapsed bricks of the upper wall, which they could walk up or climb over to get to the rest of the city. EXCEPT on the North side of Jericho. There, there was a short stretch of the lower mud brick wall that did NOT fall. The wall was still there, 2m thick and 6-8m tall AND there were houses built against it. From that location it is a SHORT walk to the hills where the two spies had hidden (Joshua 2:16, 22). This would have been Rahab’s house.

How did the Israelites get them to fall? They didn’t. God did. Joshua attacked the city God’s way. The men marched around the town in silence, guided from the middle of their formation by seven priests blowing horns and the ark – armed men, priests blowing horns, the ark, then more armed men. The blowing of these trumpets was a memorial to the Lord to invoke His blessing and deliverance (Numbers 10:9). They did it once a day for six days. On the seventh, they marched seven times around the city blowing trumpets, with the men again silent. After the last time around, Joshua gave the signal and all the men shouted a battle cry, the trumpets blared, and the walls of Jericho fell down.

The spies were sent to get Rahab and everyone with her in the house – they all lived. The rest of the Israelites simply ran up and into Jericho. According to God’s instructions, Joshua had told them that everyone (except Rahab’s household) were to be killed, the city burnt, and nothing taken except some gold, silver, iron, and bronze for the tabernacle (treasury of the Lord). This city was a kind of first-fruit tithe (Leviticus 23:10). They did that. There are HUGE ash deposits in Jericho. And there have been caches of grain found untouched – normally vital plunder. They had done as God commanded – it seemed.

Rahab survived the battle. Salmon of the tribe of Judah married her after she converted (some believe he was one of the two spies sent to Jericho). She was the mother of Boaz, who married Ruth who had Obed, who had Jesse, who had David who replaced Saul as king over Israel AND eventually became an ancestor of Jesus who was of David’s live through his son Nathan.

God fought the battle, they trusted that He would, and God got the victory for them. They began to get a reputation in the land.

Joshua pronounced a curse on Jericho. Words matter. Read 1 Kings 16 and see how it turned out.

Summary

Key Players: God, Joshua, Two Spies, Rahab

Key Themes: Possession, Circumcision, Manna, Unseen Captain, Trust in God

Key Verse(s): Joshua 4:1-3, 14; 5:2-3, 6, 13-15; 6:6-11, 20-23, 26-27