Bible Study Materials

Joshua 5:1-6:27

by Paul Choi   06/23/2013  

Question


By Faith Israel Takes Jericho

Joshua 5:1-6:27

Key Verse:6:20

1.  How did Israel’s crossing of the Jordan affect the Canaanites? (5:1) What was Joshua commanded to do after Israel had crossed the Jordan? (2) Why was this necessary? What is the significance of circumcision (Ge 17:1-14)

2. When and where did Israel eat their first Passover in Canaan? (5:10) What was the significance of their eating the produce of the land? (Ex 16:35) Who appeared to Joshua and what was the purpose of this appearance? (5:13-15)

3. Describe how Israel captured and destroyed Jericho. Is this the usual way armies defeated walled cities in that day? What was shown by Israel’s obedience? (Heb 11:30)

4. Who was spared when the city fell? Why? (2:17,18) What warning was given in connection with the taking of Jericho? (6:18,19) Give two reasons for the utter destruction of Jericho (6:21, A: Ge 15:16; Lev 18:25; Deut 9:5;18:12,  B:Ex 23:31-33;34:12-16; Deut 7:1-5;20:16-18)


Attachment


Message


Israel Takes Jericho by Faith

Joshua 5:1-6:27

Key Verse 6:20 “When the trumpets sounded, the people shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the people gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so every man charged straight in, and they took the city.”

  In today’s passage Joshua and the Israelites conquer Jericho by faith. This story of conquest teaches us how to deal with seemingly impossible situations and to experience victory as conquerors. May God help us to conquer our own Jericho by faith. Amen.

First, circumcise the Israelites (5:1-9) Look at verse 1. “Now when all the Amorite kings west of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings along the coast heard how the Lord had dried up the Jordan before the Israelites until we had crossed over, their hearts melted and they no longer had the courage to face the Israelites.” As we studied last week, the Israelites crossed the Jordan River by faith. When they simply trusted in the Lord and followed the ark of the covenant of the Lord, God cut off the flow and they crossed the river as on dry ground. The Israelites’ crossing the Jordan gave great fear to all the Canaanites. They lost courage to fight against the Israelites because the Almighty God, God in heaven above and on the earth below, was with the Israelites. If God is with us, who can be against us?

  Victory was right at the door for the Israelites. What did God command Joshua to do? Look at verse 2. “At that time the Lord said to Joshua, “Make flint knives and circumcise the Israelites again.”  Circumcision is the procedure of removing the foreskin from a man’s private part. It has been practiced by Abraham and his descendants ever since as the sign of God’s covenant. After God made a covenant with Abraham, he asked him and all his children to be circumcised. (Ge 17:10) Circumcision is a painful procedure, which gave Abraham’s children identity as God’s covenant people. God wanted the Israelites to be circumcised so that they might live as a covenant people, a people belonging to God.

  What was Joshua’s response to God’s command? Joshua obeyed. Look at verse 3. “So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the Israelites at Gibeath Haaraloth.” Why must the Israelites be circumcised? Look at verses 4-7. “Now this is why he did so: All those who came out of Egypt—all the men of military age—died in the desert on the way after leaving Egypt. All the people that came out had been circumcised, but all the people born in the desert during the journey from Egypt had not. The Israelites had moved about in the desert forty years until all the men who were of military age when they left Egypt had died, since they had not obeyed the Lord. For the Lord had sworn to them that they would not see the land that he had solemnly promised their fathers to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey. So he raised up their sons in their place, and these were the ones Joshua circumcised. They were still uncircumcised because they had not been circumcised on the way.” The second generation Israelites didn’t have any chance to be circumcised because they were traveling in the desert. Now, God commanded them to be circumcised. Their current situation was very dangerous because their enemies, the Canaanites were right in front of them. If they circumcised all their fighting men, they might be attacked by their foes. It seems like better strategy to prepare for a surprise attack rather than mass circumcision. But God commanded the Israelites to be circumcised. To the eyes of God, the circumcision was absolutely necessary for them. They had to have a clear identity as his covenant people by their circumcision. God already promised in his covenant to Abraham to give them the land of the Canaanites. So the Israelites needed to affirm the covenant of God by their circumcision. The war of conquest against the Canaanites was not based on their own effort or power but on the covenant of God.

Second, celebrate the Passover (10-12)  Before the Israelites entered the promised land, God wanted them to do one more thing. What was it? Look at verse 10. “On the evening of the fourteenth day of the month, while camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, the Israelites celebrated the Passover.” The last time they had celebrated the Passover was at the foot of Mt. Sinai after they were released from Egypt. (Nu 9:1-5) After that, the Israelites didn’t celebrate the Passover because of their rebellion and complaints toward God.  Now God wanted them to resume the Passover. God wanted them to remember what he had done while their forefathers were in Egypt.

  As we studied last week, remembering what God has done for us is very important in our life of pilgrimage. When the Israelites didn’t remember God’s grace, they easily complained and rebelled against God When we don’t remember God’s grace, we also complain about small sufferings and inconveniences like the Israelites.

How did God bless Joshua and the Israelites when they celebrated the Passover? Look at verses 11,12. “The day after the Passover, that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land: unleavened bread and roasted grain. The manna stopped the day after they ate this food from the land; there was no longer any manna for the Israelites, but that year they ate of the produce of Canaan.”  The provision of manna was stopped. But, the Israelites began to eat food grown in the land. For the last 40 years, God had provided manna from heaven for the Israelites in the desert. Now, since they entered the promised land, God provided crops from the land for them. God is their loving and faithful provider.

Third, blast and shout. Before Israel conquered Jericho, Joshua encountered the commander of the army of God. Joshua asked the commander if he would stand for Israel or for their enemies. (5:13) This was not an appropriate question to the commander because God always stands on the side of his people who trust in him and obey. His question should be whether his people were standing on God’s side or not. The commander asked Joshua to take off his sandals because the place he stood was the holy place of God’s presence. In this way God consecrated Joshua personally. Through this encounter with the commander of the army of God, Joshua learned that the military leader was the Lord God, not Joshua himself, and that victory comes from the Lord, not from any human power or strategy.

  Look at 6:1. “Now Jericho was tightly shut up because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in.” Jericho was the doorway to the Promised Land. Without passing Jericho, it was impossible for Israel to enter the Promised Land. The physical size of Jericho was not big, around 5 or 6 acres all together, but it was a strong, double-walled city. To the eyes of the Israelites, conquering Jericho looked like mission impossible. Out of fear of the Israelites, the gate of Jericho was tightly shut up. How could the Israelites conquer Jericho?  In ancient days there were several ways to conquer a walled city. They used to climb up the wall with ladders or dig tunnels under the ground and attack their enemies. They also laid a siege until their enemies were starved into submission. In chapter 8, Joshua enticed the armies of Ai out of the city and attacked them from ambush. Since people invented gunpowder, they would blow a hole in the wall and enter through the hole.  But, God did not choose any of these strategies. What was God’s strategy for the Israelites to conquer the wall of Jericho? It was to march around the wall for seven days and shout.

Look at verses 2-5. “Then the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. March around the city once with all the armed men. 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 all the people give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the people will go up, every man straight in.” What a strange strategy! To march around the city for seven days and shout? It is not a St. Patrick’s parade in St. Louis downtown or a children’s competition for the loudest shout. From a human point of view, this is not a military campaign, but a religious event. In the battlefield, armed soldiers should assume a battle position, not a marching position. God’s strategy seemed completely unrealistic and unreasonable.

How did Joshua respond to God’s command? Look at verses 6-7. “So Joshua son of Nun called the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant of the Lord and have seven priests carry trumpets in front of it.” And he ordered the people, “Advance! March around the city, with the armed guard going ahead of the ark of the Lord. ”” Joshua obeyed the word of God completely. He also commanded the priests and all the people to obey what God told them to do. His obedience was absolute and his action was quick. He did not hesitate in obeying God’s word. Immediately and absolutely he obeyed God’s word. He also commanded his people to become one in heart and action in following God’s direction. There should be one direction, one leader, and one heart in achieving our spiritual goal. In preparation for the coming ISBC we also need such spirit and obedience. We need to have one heart for one goal with one direction, which is to serve the world with the love of Christ Jesus. No delay. No division. One heart with one direction.

The picture of the procession is like this. The armed guards go ahead of the seven priests who carried seven trumpets blowing on them while marching. The ark of the covenant of the Lord follows them with armed guards behind them, and then all the people follow the ark of the Lord. Now, Joshua gave repeated and detailed instructions to his people. Look at verse 10. “But Joshua had commanded the people, “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!” It was not easy for the Israelites to march around the city in complete silence. While the Israelites were marching around, they might have received mocking and litter thrown from the people of Jericho. What did Joshua and the Israelites do the first day? Look at verse 11. “So he had the ark of the Lord carried around the city, circling it once. Then the people returned to camp and spent the night there.” They did exactly what God had said. They did the same for six days. While they marched around the wall, they might have battled inner doubt and fear. They could not know when their enemies would attack them and whether the wall would collapse or not. However they believed in God. According to Hebrews 11:30, the walls of Jericho fell by their faith. It says, “By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days.” During their marching around the wall, they might have reminded themselves of God’s promise again and again, that God would deliver Jericho into their hands, saying to themselves that the wall would collapse when they obeyed God. Their marching around the wall was not only their obedience but also their prayer.

Look at verses 15,16. “On the seventh day, they got up at daybreak and marched around the city seven times in the same manner, except that on that day they circled the city seven times. The seventh time around, when the priests sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the people, “Shout! For the Lord has given you the city!” What happened when they obeyed what God said? Let us read verse 20 all together. “When the trumpets sounded, the people shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the people gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so every man charged straight in, and they took the city.” A miracle happened! The wall of Jericho collapsed from their trumpet blasts and shout. In fact, the wall of Jericho collapsed when Joshua and the Israelites trusted in the Lord and obeyed his direction. They did not climb up the wall with ladders. They did not dig a tunnel under the ground, either. They just marched around the city for seven days and shouted as God had said. Then, the wall collapsed. Trust and obedience bring God’s victory.

We confront our own Jericho every day. Our Jericho looks like an invincible fortress and seems impossible to conquer. The doors are firmly sealed, and the walls are as thick as a house! But, as long as God is with us, there is a way. If God is with us, who can be against us? When we trust in him and obey his words, our Jericho will collapse in front of our eyes. Our real problem is not Jericho, but our doubt, fear and unbelief. Some of our missionaries visit campus and pray. They don’t do much but pray. But, their prayer is like marching around the city. As long as they trust in God and pray, God will surely open the door for them. What looms like Jericho ahead of us today? School study, raising disciples, children’s education, family support, establishing a house church, overcoming language barriers, getting a job and permanent resident cards are Jericho at present. We can conquer our Jericho by faith. Amen.

By faith the Israelites crossed the Jordan River. By faith they conquered Jericho. Today we learned how God prepared the Israelites before their war of conquest against the Canaanites. God had them circumcised so that they could keep their identity as covenant people of God. God made them resume the celebration of the Passover so that they might remember the grace of God. God also initiated Joshua’s personal consecration in his holy presence. Most of all God asked the Israelites to obey his words and trust in God by faith. When they believed in God, the walls of Jericho collapsed and they experienced a miracle. We thank God who sacrificed his One and Only Son Jesus Christ to give us eternal victory. Through faith in Jesus, his death and resurrection, we cross over the Jordan River and enter the kingdom of heaven. As long as we have Jesus in our hearts, we see salvation. As Joshua spared Rahab’s life in the midst of the fall of Jericho, God spares our lives through faith in the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us have faith in God and obey his words. Let us pray to conquer our own Jericho by faith.  Amen!


Attachment




St Louis UBF University Bible Fellowship

7375 Tulane Ave University City, MO 63130, USA
314-898-3512 choi8149@yahoo.com


  Website : UBF HQ | Chicago UBF | Korea UBF | Pray Relay Site |   YouTube : UBF HQ | UBF TV | Daily Bread

Copyright St Louis UBF UBF © 2020