Day 11: Horn Trumpet (Joshua
1:1-11; 6:1-20)
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Joshua was prepared for spiritual leadership early in his life. He alone was privileged to accompany Moses to the top of Mount Sinai, where Moses received the tablets of the law from God (Exod 24:12-13). Joshua was Moses’ attendant at the Tent of Meeting, the location of great theophanies, where God made himself manifest. He often remained in that holy place when Moses had to return to the camp of the Israelites (Exodus 33:7-11).
It was time. His apprenticeship
was complete and Joshua, Moses' long-serving aid was ready only now to bear Moses’s title: “the Servant of YAHWEH.” The Israelites committed to follow Joshua… “Just as we fully obeyed Moses, so we will obey you. Only may YAHWEH your God be with you as he
was with Moses. Whoever rebels against
your word and does not obey it, whatever you may command them, will be put to
death. Only be strong and
courageous!”
If I didn’t know better, I’d think this sounds like a promising start
to Joshua’s leadership of the people.
BUT, the Israelites were not the best followers when it came to
Moses. Remember the grumbling as they
waited for the Exodus? The griping in
the desert as he walked them toward their new land? Their failure to follow Moses’s lead at Mount
Sinai? And that’s really just scratching
the surface… Still... their expressed
desire to follow him is encouraging...
Lets see how it goes...
Lets see how it goes...
The land promised to Abraham so so long ago is right before them, and
after a little spy work and the help of Rahab, Joshua believes “YAHWEH has
surely given the whole land into our hands; all the people are melting in fear
because of us.”
YAHWEH was with Joshua, and planned to show the people that he was with
Joshua, just like he had been with Moses.
YAHWEH said to Moses, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of
all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses. Tell the priests... “When you reach the edge
of the Jordan river, go and stand in the waters.”
Joshua did as YAHWEH said, and as soon as their toes touched that water
the water piled up in a heap, and they crossed the Jordan River on dry
ground. Does this remind you of anything?
I bet the people were getting the picture: God was with Joshua, just as he had been with
Moses, and now He was leading his people through Joshua. This was something God told them to remember
forever. God told them to take twelve stones out
of the Jordan river (one for each tribe of Israel) and set them up. He
said to the Israelites, “In the future when your descendants ask their parents,
‘what do these stones mean?’ tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry
ground'” For YAHWEH your God did to the
Jordan River what he had done to the Red sea…
He did this so ALL THE PEOPLES OF THE EARTH might know that the hand of
YAHWEH is powerful and so that you might always fear YAHWEH your God.”
The Bible tells us that, with the help of YAHWEH, forty thousand armed
for battle crossed over the Jordan and they arrived on the plains of Jericho
for war. That day YAHWEH exalted Joshua
in the sight of all Israel; and they stood in awe of him all the days of his
life, just as they had stood in awe of Moses.
Word of this got to the Canaanite kings, and when they heard about what
YAHWEH had done at the Jordan River their hearts melted in fear and they no
longer had the courage to face the Israelites.
They camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho. It was time to celebrate the Passover and
remember how all those first born Egyptian children died because of sin, but
the sacrifice of a lamb and the blood of the lamb had saved the Israelite children from
death.
When Joshua was near Gilgal he met the commander of YAHWEH’s army of
angels. “Are you on our side? Or on the side of our enemies?” Joshua asked him. "Neither," he replied, “but as commander of the
army of YAHWEH I have now come.” It was
not a question of whether God was fighting on his side or not, it was a
question of whether Joshua and the Israelites were choosing to fight on
YAHWEH’s side. Were THEY faithful to
him?
Joshua fell face down to the ground in reverence, and the commander of
YAHWEH’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are
standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.
Then YAHWEH explained his battle plans to Joshua. This wouldn’t be your average battle. “March around the city once with all the
armed men,” God said. “Do this for six
days. 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. 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 straight in to the city.”
Joshua led the people just as YAHWEH had commanded him to. On the seventh day they got up at daybreak,
and on the seventh time around the priests sounded the trumpet blast. Joshua commanded the army, “Shout! For YAHWEH has given you the city! The city and all that is in it are to be
devoted to YAHWEH. Only Rahab, who
helped us, and the people who are with her in her house will be spared. 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.
All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron are sacred
to YAHWEH and must go into his treasury.”
The trumpets sounded, the army shouted, and when they did the wall
around the entire city collapsed.
Everyone charged straight in and took the city. They defeated all the people in the city. And
they put all of the treasures into YAHWEH’s house, just as he had commanded. YAHWEH was with Joshua, because he led
according to YAHWEH’s rule. He loved God
and served him, and because of his faithfulness to God, YAHWEH spread his fame
throughout the land.
God is holy. He does not
tolerate wickedness and rebellion from any people. The Canaanites were driven from their land
because of their rebellion against the One True God, and the time for their
judgement had come. The Israelites could
expect the same fate if they did not honor their God. If they did not live according to his rules
and honor him by being who he created them to be. Would
they continue to honor him?
“The dangers of apostasy were ever present. In every act of covenant renewal, Israel was
admonished to remain faithful. She was
warned of the perils of unfaithfulness and informed how difficult it is to
remain faithful.”[2]
The conquest was in progress when the Israelites were unfaithful in
regard to the devoted things [“irrevocable giving over of things…to YAHWEH
often by totally destroying them”][3]; Achan
of the tribe of Judah took some of them.
So YAHWEH’ anger burned against
Israel.
Until the sin was dealt with, God would not pour out his blessings on
them. Israelite or otherwise, whether God
blesses or withholds his blessing is conditional on human response. Similarly, God is a gracious God, but he does
not limit his grace to Israel. Anyone
who is willing to turn from their pagan ways and worship him will be spared.
Take Rahab for example, who escaped the fate of Jericho. EVERYONE who
calls on the name of the Lord will be saved!
And YAHWEH, as the God of the Universe, he reveals himself to the
Canaanites, showing his victory over the "gods" of Canaan:
“The crossing of the Jordan at high flood and the cyclonic hail storms
at Aijalon are of special theological significance, for Baal was the great
Canaanite storm god who was supposed to control the rain, the hail, the snow
and the floods of Palestine. These
episodes proved that Baal was as powerless before Yahweh in Palestine as he had
been in the episode of the plagues in Egypt.”[4]
In this book we are kept company by the theme of land – God’s promise
of land for the Israelites, echoed in Romans 4:13-16 as God’s promise that his
people will inherit the earth - a blessing offered to all peoples of the earth,
but to be received by the meek.
It was Jesus himself who had first assured, “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” (Matthew 5:5).
It was Jesus himself who had first assured, “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” (Matthew 5:5).
Our God keeps his promises, loves his people, and just as the Israelites
prepared to accept this long awaited gift, we wait for the long expected,
promised Savior. He is coming to break
down the walls dividing that have kept us from our God for so long! “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!” Are you ready? The time will come for us to shout, and
announce the presence of God in this world:
God with US!
Pray Together:
Jesus Christ, we want to shout to
the world that you are coming! You will walk with us and dwell with us! We wait. The time is nearing!
Spread the Good News:
Throughout the day pray for the people you see, that when the time
comes, they will hear, see, know the present God!
Sing Together:
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