Questions for Littles: What has been done to the city of Jericho, according to v1? What does Yahweh tell Joshua He has done with Jericho in v2? How many times are they to go around the city each day for six days (v3)? How many times will they go around the seventh day (v4)? What will the priests do with their ram’s horns on that day? What will all the people do at that point (v5)? And what will happen when the people shout? Which direction should each man go, when the wall falls down? What went behind the armed men and the priests as they marched around the city? What did the people not do at all during the march around the city on each of the first six days (v10)? Yet what did the priests do continually each of the six days (v13-14)? What did Joshua finally tell them to do in v16? What instruction do we find out about in v17? Why isn’t it likely that this was the first time that this instruction was given? What are they warned not to take at all in v18? What are they commanded to do with the items in v19? What are those items? Whose sparing is mentioned in v17, then again in vv22-23, and then again in v25? What curse is pronounced in v26? How does v27 summarize the point of this entire chapter?In the passage for this week’s Old Testament reading, we find at the end that Joshua chapter 6 was evidence that the Lord was with Joshua. Well, if that’s the main point, then what is this chapter telling us about the Lord?
First, it’s telling us that the Lord is powerful. Jericho’s doing it right: the city is shut up securely. Israel’s doing it wrong: having daily parades. But it doesn’t matter—so great is the exceeding power of the Lord that His “giving Jericho into Israel’s hand” is the only thing that matters from a military strategy perspective.
Second, it’s telling us that the Lord is gracious and faithful. Yes, we can see this in the fact that these newly circumcised, Passover-celebrating, manna-no-longer-eating children of a faithless and wicked generation are here conquering a great city. But, we can see it most of all in whom the Lord saves right out of the wall. The whole wall falls down except, presumably, the section of it that is Rahab’s house. And whom is the Lord saving? A harlot. And according to what is He saving her? According to promise. The Lord is gracious and faithful.
Finally, this passage is telling us that the Lord is holy. He is holy, holy, holy. Sinners deserve ultimate destruction. Everything that belongs to them is defiled and deserves destruction. Even little children and livestock. We may have a hard time with this, but that is only because we do not properly value the holiness of the Lord. It just highlights His grace to Israel and Rahab for us to see what all of us sinners deserve. He is holy, and worship and treasure are to be set apart to Him!
Joshua’s fame spreads as someone who has Yahweh with him. And may the Lord ever spread the fame of His church in the same way—not that we are great and impressive, but that we are a people in whose life the Lord is shown to be powerful, gracious, faithful, and holy!
What was one time when you were overwhelmed by how holy the Lord is?Suggested songs: ARP32 “What Blessedness” or TPH425 “How Sweet and Awesome Is the Place”
No comments:
Post a Comment