- My intent is to focus on some things that are sometimes glossed over in the story. The story of Rahab is a very important story with ramifications even in the line of David and ultimately Jesus, without even bringing up her mention in the book of Hebrews, the Hall of Faith
- This isn't the first time that spies have been used by Israel. What is different from last time?
- Last time, God commanded it
- Last time, it was public, this time it is private
- Last time, it was 12 (representing each tribe), this time it is two (representing Joshua)
- Last time they visited the land somewhat openly, this time it is secretive
- Last time, the majority report was negative, this time it is positive
- What time of year is it? See verse 4:19 (the tenth of Nisan) or Spring
- The Israelites crossed the Jordan when the river was at its widest, deepest, and swiftest, in late April or early May. As the snow on Mt. Hermon melts and the rainy season ends, the Jordan rises to a depth of 10–12 feet and floods to a width of 300–360 feet at this point today. Normally it is only 150–180 feet wide here. However, in Joshua’s day the river may only have been full up to its banks, as the Hebrew suggests. The people considered crossing the river at this time of year by swimming a heroic feat in ancient times (cf. 1 Chron. 12:15). This is probably how the spies crossed. [Constable, T. (2003). Tom Constable’s Expository Notes on the Bible (Jos 3:14).]
- Is there any significance in the events or even the timing?
- Joshua 3:7 (ESV) — 7 The Lord said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you.
- It is a replay of the failure before but this time with success
- It is a reminder that God is still with them, even after their many failures
- Let's start with observation. What is specifically happening in the story?
- Two sets of 12 stones are set up
- One set, Joshua sets up in the midst of the Jordan
- The second set is carried out and set up in the land
- So, what is Joshua doing and why?
- Joshua is setting up reminders
- We are forgetful. God can do an amazing thing in our life in the answer to prayer, and then a crisis happens and we completely forgot what God did in the past
- What kind of reminders do you keep?
- Written note in a bible
- Momento of some period of life where God did something very special. APPLICATION: I think this could be a neat application. A little shelf with odd momentos and reminders of the time God rescued me
- A regular journal
- Later, Samuel will set up a stone (1 Sam 7:12) and call it "ebenezer," meaning stone of help. The Hebrew for stone is eben
- Stones are also things you build on
- Memories are things you can build on as well, if you don't forget
- There is repeated emphasis of certain words, what are they and why? Also, what other words emphasize their importance?
- "Seven" is repeated. It is a number represent God
- The Ark is specifically highlighted
- This is almost a religious event and not a military campaign
- There are a lot of explanations for why the walls felled. How were walled cities during that time attacked?
- Siege engines (these were just tall wheeled ladders, with archers and spearmen on top)
- Primarily, you would either shoot down on the enemy or roll it up to the wall and disembark troops
- Some siege engines had large battering rams with archers on top
- Catapults were not invented for another 1000 years
- The most common tactic would be to starve out the city
- God's method is supernatural, no matter how you define it
- Either the walls fell from the vibrations or God pushed them over
- If it was from vibrations, only God could have known what frequencies (activities) would weaken the base of the walls (to this day, no one has ever used vibrations to bring down a wall, although sappers are close)
- SEE MAPS
- Why the destruction of everything?
- It is not as if God has not given them time to repent
- Genesis 15:13–16 (ESV) — 13 Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. 14 But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. 15 As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age. 16 And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”
- God is saying, in his foreknowledge, that though I am giving more time to repent, they will not repent
- From the point of view of eternity, missing out on earthly life is not even a blip on the radar screen
- For a child in that culture, they may fall under the age of accountability (if such a thing exists), and so they lose nothing
- But primarily, when it comes to sin, it must be completely excised. When it is not, if will be a pain in our side all of our life--the best example is the Philistines
- Trumpet blast
- This is the first time that the trumpet is blown in Israel. The long blast is similar to the last of the 100 blasts during the Feast of Trumpets
- It could be symbolic of Jesus return and the rapture
- It is most certainly symbolic of last trumpet, the call to go to war
- Learn from your mistakes. Make applications to change and do things differently
- God wants us to learn from the past
- We need to set up reminders of the work of God in our life
- We need to remember that it is God that goes before us (even if we don't see him or feel his presence)
Joshua 2:1 (ESV) —
1 And Joshua the son of Nun sent two men secretly from Shittim as
spies, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.” And they went and came
into the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab and lodged there.
Joshua 2:23–24 (ESV) —
23 Then the two men returned. They came down from the hills and passed
over and came to Joshua the son of Nun, and they told him all that had
happened to them. 24 And they said to Joshua, “Truly the Lord has given
all the land into our hands. And also, all the inhabitants of the land melt
away because of us.”
Joshua 3:14–16 (ESV) —
14 So when the people set out from their tents to pass over the Jordan
with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people, 15 and as soon as those bearing the ark had come as far as the Jordan,
and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the brink of the
water (now the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvest),
16 the waters coming down from above stood and rose up
in a heap very far away, at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan, and those
flowing down toward the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut
off. And the people passed over opposite Jericho.
Joshua 4:8–10 (ESV) —
8 And the people of Israel did just as Joshua commanded and took up
twelve stones out of the midst of the Jordan, according to the number of the
tribes of the people of Israel, just as the Lord told Joshua. And they carried
them over with them to the place where they lodged and laid them down there. 9 And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of the Jordan, in the
place where the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the covenant had stood;
and they are there to this day. 10 For the priests
bearing the ark stood in the midst of the Jordan until everything was finished
that the Lord commanded Joshua to tell the people, according to all that Moses
had commanded Joshua.
The people passed over in haste.
Joshua 4:19–24 (ESV) —
19 The people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first
month, and they encamped at Gilgal on the east border of Jericho. 20 And those twelve stones, which they took out of the Jordan, Joshua
set up at Gilgal. 21 And he said to the people of Israel, “When your
children ask their fathers in times to come, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 22 then you shall let your children know, ‘Israel passed over this
Jordan on dry ground.’ 23 For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the
Jordan for you until you passed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea,
which he dried up for us until we passed over, 24 so that all
the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, that
you may fear the Lord your God forever.”
Joshua 6:12–21 (ESV) —
12 Then Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the
ark of the Lord. 13 And the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of
rams’ horns before the ark of the Lord walked on, and they blew the trumpets
continually. And the armed men were walking before them, and the rear guard
was walking after the ark of the Lord, while the trumpets blew continually. 14 And the second day they marched around the city once, and returned
into the camp. So they did for six days.
15 On the seventh day they rose early, at the dawn of day, and marched
around the city in the same manner seven times. It was only on that day that
they marched around the city seven times. 16 And at the
seventh time, when the priests had blown the trumpets, Joshua said to the
people, “Shout, for the Lord has given you the city. 17 And the city and all that is within it shall be devoted to the Lord
for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her
house shall live, because she hid the messengers whom we sent. 18 But you, keep yourselves from the things devoted to destruction, lest
when you have devoted them you take any of the devoted things and make the
camp of Israel a thing for destruction and bring trouble upon it. 19 But all silver and gold, and every vessel of bronze and iron, are
holy to the Lord; they shall go into the treasury of the Lord.” 20 So the people shouted, and the trumpets were blown. As soon as the
people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted a great shout, and
the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man
straight before him, and they captured the city. 21 Then they devoted all in the city to destruction, both men and women,
young and old, oxen, sheep, and donkeys, with the edge of the sword.
APPLICATION:
No comments:
Post a Comment