MAY 22, 2016
THE BATTLE OF JERICHO
INTRODUCTION:
1. Joshua’s true greatness as a leader was due to his faithfulness to the Word of the Lord. The solemn charge, given unto him upon the death of his revered predecessor, he had taken to heart, so that every revealed word was carried out exactly as he received it from the Lord. His careful obedience included all things to do with the crossing of Jordan, before, during, and after, and also the matters of religious ordinances which they as God’s covenant people must be careful to keep, especially now, since they were partaking of the covenant promise.
2. Joshua’s faithfulness had been rewarded in that he was magnified in the eyes of the people over whom God had made him captain. They now feared (reverenced) him as they had feared (reverenced) Moses. (Ch. 4:14) They saw how God was with Joshua as He had been with Moses. (Ch. 3:9) At the command of Joshua, God did great wonders before the children of Israel. Thus, because of Joshua’s faithful obedience, God had confirmed His servant.
3. There was, however, a still greater confirmation for the Lord’s servant when the Lord Himself appeared to Joshua as a man of war, and announced “As Captain of the host of the Lord am I now come.” This man with his sword drawn was none other than the Angel of the covenant of the Lord, Christ preincarnate, the true Captain of our salvation (Heb. 2:10), of whom Joshua was a type.
4. Joshua will now learn from the Captain Himself how the battle of Jericho will be fought and won, for it is He Who here speaks in Verse 2. “And the Lord (Jehovah) said to Joshua…” Clearly, this mighty warrior is none other than Jehovah.
I. CONSIDER FIRST HOW THE CITY OF JERICHO RESPONDED TO THE PRESENCE OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL. (VERSE 1)
A. THE CITY WAS COMPLETELY SHUT UP. “JERICHO WAS STRAITLY SHUT UP.”
1. Literally, “Jericho did shut up and was shut up.” They shut the gates, barred them, and kept them barred, so that none were allowed to come in who were without, and none were allowed (even had they wanted) to go out who were within.
2. This pictures the attitude of the world toward the church.
a) It does not seek terms of peace, but maintains a wall of defiance vowing never to surrender.
b) Knowledge of God’s power and judgement only drives them to seek refuge within the doomed city.
c) Their only options seem to be either sudden death or prolonged death.
d) As long as sinners think they can somehow postpone the day of reckoning they opt to shut themselves up to their life of sin.
e) Happily there is, however, another option, as Rahab and her house discovered. We can be sure that had others sought favor as she did, they too would have obtained mercy.
B. THE CONDITION OF JERICHO ACCOUNTS FOR WHY THE LORD APPEARED TO JOSHUA AS HE DID.
1. Joshua had in faith assured the people that God had given them this land. Jericho was the first conquest, but how this initial victory would be won, only the Lord knew.
2. Joshua knew that their success would be by divine power, and now he is about to learn the divine method.
3. In the Gospel cause we come up against many a walled city which divine power alone can conquer.
a) The unregenerate hearts of sinners are like walled cities, barred and shut up against us and the Gospel. Only by the divine power and method can these hearts be penetrated. (I Cor. 1:21)
b) The enemy with which we have to do cannot be overcome in our human strength. (Eph. 6:10-12)
II. CONSIDER NEXT THE DIVINE PLAN FOR GAINING VICTORY OVER THIS JERICHO, AS REVEALED BY THE DIVINE CAPTAIN HIMSELF. (VERSES 2-5)
A. THAT HIS PLAN WOULD NOT FAIL IS SEEN IN THAT HE DECLARED THE VICTORY OVER JERICHO ALREADY ACCOMPLISHED. (VERSE 2) “SEE, I HAVE GIVEN INTO THINE HAND JERICHO,…”
1. Joshua had not been mistaken, truly this Person was divine. Only God can declare the end form the beginning. The plan which He was about to reveal would appear foolish to men, but it could not fail, because it was God’s plan, and God cannot fail.
2. Joshua was invited to see the victorious outcome by faith, even before he was informed of the plan. This seeing could only be through the eye of faith. The natural eye could only see the walls of a city, but faith can see things not seen to the natural eye. (Heb. 11:1)
3. How wonderfully we are enabled through the promise of God’s Word to see things that are hidden from natural men, and by faith to even have them in hand as substance of things hoped for.
4. This whole passage typically speaks of a great day coming when there will be a great trumpet blast and a victorious shout, and the powers of darkness will be destroyed forever.
B. JUST AS THE VICTORY OVER JERICHO WAS BEFORE DETERMINED BY GOD; SO ALSO WERE THE NECESSARY MEANS TO THAT END, WHICH ARE HERE REVEALED TO JOSHUA. (VS. 3-5)
1. That God knows the end from the beginning does not negate the need for the use of those means which He has also prescribed. Gospel means, and the use that we are to make of them in defeating our foes and saving the elect are here dramatically portrayed.
2. The city of Jericho was to be brought under siege, but strangely, the instructions call for no military actions or maneuvers. The procedure would involve all of the people, even such as would ordinarily been exempt from warfare, such as priests, women, and children. This was meant to show that the spiritual warfare includes the whole church. All believers do not have the same duties, but none are exempt, for all have their proper place and gifts.
3. The place of preeminence given to the Ark of the Covenant and the priests who carried it is meant to emphasize that “it is not by power, nor by might, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord.”
4. The prominence given to the number seven in these directions speaks of completeness, and teaches how thoroughly God blesses obedience, even when His instructions make no sense to the natural man.
5. They were to compass the city once each day for six days, and seven times on the seventh day. The priests were to blow continuously on their rams’ horns as they were compassing the city. There was to be no shouting until the seventh day, and that by signal, because it was to be a great shout of victory in which all were to take part.
a) The people were to learn patient obedience in waiting upon the Lord. (Psalm 27:14; Isa. 40:31) They must not grow weary in well doing.
b) The priests were blowing their rams’ horn trumpets. These were not the usual trumpets of war, but rather those that were used to sound the Jubilee. This pictures how it is that persistent preaching of the Gospel that shall bring down the strongholds of the enemy. (Isa. 61:1, 2; Luke 4:18; II Cor. 10:5)
6. Foolish as the divine method appeared to the people of Jericho and perhaps to many Israelites also, it pictures how it is by the foolishness of preaching that God’s Kingdom is advanced in this world. (Mic. 4:1-3; I Cor. 1:18-21) Not only that, but the instruments God uses are base, despised things in the eyes of the world. (I Cor. 1:26-29; II Cor. 4:7)
7. Sadly, many churches and Christian organizations have come to share the world’s opinion of God’s methods, and have adopted what they believe to be more appealing and less objectionable. The result is apostate churches with unregenerate worldly members.
8. Let us be faithful to the divine method of preaching, and never be ashamed of the Gospel of Christ. (Rom. 1:15, 16)
III. CONSIDERING LASTLY JOSHUA’S FAITHFULNESS IN CARRYING OUT THE DIVINE PLAN AGAINST JERICHO. (VERSES 6-16) Although the inhabitants of Jericho may have thought the behavior of the Israelites to be foolish, we may be certain they found it to be most unsettling, and the suspense must have been terrifying.
A. JOSHUA, IT APPEARS, PUT THE PLAN IN MOTION EAGERLY AND PROMPTLY. (VRS. 6, 7, 12)
1. He did not question the method, but was most punctual in setting everything in motion.
2. Much to their credit, it appears that none of them, neither the priests nor the people were questioning, but were very forward in their obedience to the instructions.
B. THE ORDER OF THE M ARCH WAS PURPOSEFULLY DESIGNED TO FIT THE DIVINE PLAN. (VERSES 7-11)
1. The fighting men led the way before the Ark, while seven priests sounded the presence of God with their horns. (Deut. 20:2-4) This was to assure them that they were remembered before the Lord their God in the day of battle. (Num. 10:9)
a) Not all are called to the front lines, as it were, but all are to be engaged.
b) May we ever hold up our comrades in prayer, that they may not faint in the battle, and that they might know the presence and power of God is with them.
2. The people were to keep silent, while the sound of the trumpets representing the Word and voice of God were heard. (Verse 10; Zech. 2:13; Ex. 14:14)
C. IN THIS INITIAL BATTLE THEY WERE GIVEN TO LEARN WHAT WOULD BE KEY TO THEIR SUCCESS BOTH PRESENT AND FUTURE. (VERSES 11-16)
1. They must be obedient to the Word of the Lord, one and all. This would include Joshua, the priests, the troops, and all of the people.
2. They must in obedient faith wait patiently on the Lord.
a) This was the lesson of Gilgal.
b) Now in their first battle, six days passed, and nothing was to show for it, but they must wait. (Vrs. 11-14)
3. At last, on the seventh and climactic day, after the special procedure for that day was faithfully carried out, they all, everyone included, got to participate in the victorious shout, and the walls of Jericho did fall down flat. (Verses 5, 16)
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