JOSHUA - CHAPTER 6
A
Bible Study - Commentary by Jim Melough
Copyright
2000 James Melough
6:1.
"Now Jericho was straitly shut up because of the childen of Israel: none
went out, and none came in."
We have noted that the seven-day seige, and ultimate
destruction of Jericho, represent the seven years of the Tribulation period, which
will culminate in the destruction of Gentile power at the Lord's return to establish
His millennial kingdom.
The seige is stated to have been specifically "because
of the children of Israel." As the
destruction of Jericho was the prelude to Israel's entering Canaan, so will the
destruction of Gentile power in the Tribulation be the prelude to her entering
millennial Canaan. All of her rebellion
can't nullify God's covenant with Abraham. Those
same Tribulation judgments which will destroy Gentile power will also bring a remnant
of Israel to repentant faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and that believing remnant
will be the new Israel that will inherit millennial blessings.
6:2. "And
the Lord said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king
thereof, and the mighty men of valor."
Since Joshua is a type of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord's
words to Joshua become the symbolic announcement of the Father's words relative to
the Son, "Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.... Thou art my Son
... Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the
uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.
Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like
a potter's vessel" (Ps 2:6-9).
As the foretold destruction of Jericho was fulfilled so will
God's foretold destruction of the present evil world system also be fulfilled.
The king of Jericho represents the final beast emperor who will be ruling over
the Tribulation-age earth, and as the former was destroyed according to God's word,
so will the latter. "The mighty men
of valor," in this context, represent the kings who will be ruling under the
beast in the Tribulation. All will be
destroyed at Christ's return; and as Jericho was delivered into the hand of Israel,
so will the world be placed under Israel in the Millennium.
6:3. "And
ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once.
Thus shalt thou do six days."
This command resulted in Israel's marching around Jericho
once on each of six successive days, without their seeming to accomplish anything.
God's ways are not our ways. He
works by means inexplicable to us. All
that was required of Israel was obedience, nor is anything more required of us.
A further important truth is declared in that the city was
to be "compassed" (circled) on each of the seven days.
During this present age the whole world will not have heard the gospel before
the Rapture, but in the Tribulation the whole world will have heard it before
the Lord returns to execute judgment. This
is what is being declared symbolically in the "compassing" or encircling of
Jericho on each of the seven days. Christ,
portrayed by the ark, will have been presented to the whole world before judgment
falls.
6:4. "And
seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams' horns: and the
seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with
the trumpets."
The order of march around the city appears to have been such
that the ark, borne on the shoulders of four priests, was in the center of the line
of march. Ahead of the ark went the
seven priests, each blowing on a trumpet of ram's horn (see verses 13-14); and ahead
of the priests marched the armed men (of the two and a-half tribes, according
to some authorities), while the armed men of the other tribes, together with the
people, brought up the rear.
The ark, of course, represents Christ. Everything centers around Him.
The four priests bearing the ark may represent the four Gospels.
As Christ is presented to the world today through those four Gospels, so will
He also be presented to the world in the Tribulation by those same Gospels.
The seven priests represent the character of the Tribulation
remnant. As the priest in Israel was the
intercessor between God and the people, so will the remnant be during those seven
years of judgment. Since the trumpet
represents testimony, their blowing seven trumpets points to the fact that the
remnant will be God's witnesses in the Tribulation. The number seven tells us of the perfection or completeness both
of the believing remnant and of their witness.
Removed from the rams on whose heads they had grown, to
become trumpets, those seven horns remind us that it is the death of Christ (the ram)
that has placed the "trumpet" of testimony in the hand, not only of the
remnant, but of every believer.
The fact that the trumpets were sounded during each
encirclement of Jericho preceding its destruction tells us not only that the
Tribulation will be a time when the gospel will be preached worldwide, but that a
merciful God always precedes judgment with warning.
(It shouldn't be forgotten that Rahab's house was the place of safety in which
faith could find refuge). It will be in
the "house" of faith that the Tribulation-age sinner will find refuge if he
heeds the warning "trumpeted" by God's messengers through the gospel during
that age.
Some maintain that these were trumpets of jubilee, which if
correct, declares that the seven years of the Tribulation will be the prelude to
Israel's jubilee, (see Leviticus 25), for it can scarcely be doubted that the year of
jubilee is an OT shadow of the Millennium.
6:5. "And
it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when
ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and
the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man
straight before him."
It is significant that the "great shout" was to
precede the collapse of Jericho's walls. This
marks it as the shout of faith. The
"great shout" was the expression of faith's confidence in God's promise,
"I have given into thine hand Jericho...." verse 2.
"... this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith"
(1 Jn 5:4).
How different was the siege of Jericho from that of any
other city! The besiegers had nothing to
do except yield simple obedience to God. The
demolition of the wall was His business, and His method was one that was inexplicable
to human understanding, yet how effective His method was!
The collapse of the wall must have slain multitudes, for unquestionably it was
crowded with people. (It is believed to
have been a double wall, the space between the two being spanned by heavy beams upon
which houses had been built, as for example Rahab's).
The Israelites therefore probably met little or no resistance.
Faith will have no difficulty seeing in that victory the
foreshadowing of the greater one accomplished at Calvary, and also by a means
inexplicable to man: the death of the Lord Jesus Christ.
That day the walls of Satan's kingdom fell, and he himself received His death
wound. Faith has nothing to do except to
go in and take possession of "Canaan"
6:6. "And
Joshua the son of Nun called the priests, and said unto them, Take up the ark of the
covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of
the Lord."
In the four priests bearing the ark on their shoulders, and
in the seven walking ahead of it with the trumpets of rams' horn, God is providing us
with a symbolic view of our own position. We
too are a royal kingdom of priests whose privilege it is to present to the world the
Christ Who is represented by the ark. We
are to "walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called" (Eph 4:1).
Men are to see Christ living His life through us, as it is written, "I am
crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and
the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who
loved me, and gave himself for me" (Ga 2:20).
This relates to my mode of living. It
is to be Christlike.
The seven priests with the rams' horns portray us as
Christ's witnesses to the world through the gospel. We are to seize every opportunity
to present Him as Savior to men and women travelling with the speed of time toward
hell and the lake of fire.
The four (number of testing), and the seven (number of
perfection or completeness) can't be separated. The way I live tests the effectiveness of my witness for Christ.
As men see obvious contradiction between my life and my profession, so will
there be corresponding ineffectiveness in my witness in the gospel.
There is need for men to see Christ living His life in me if they are going to
listen to the gospel I try to present.
6:7. "And
he said unto the people, Pass on, and compass the city, and let him that is armed
pass on before the ark of the Lord."
Since the believer's armor is the Word of God, this command
for the armed men to pass on before the ark, is the symbolic declaration of the truth
that a thorough knowledge of the Word is essential for those who would be in the
vanguard when we go out against a hostile world with the gospel.
As noted already, these in the forefront are believed by
many to have been the fighting men from the two and a half tribes who had been given
their portion east of Jordan.
6:8. "And
it came to pass, when Joshua had spoken unto the people, that the seven priests
bearing the seven trumpts of rams' horns passed on before the Lord, and blew with the
trumpets: and the ark of the covenant of the Lord followed them."
6:9. "And
the armed men went before the priests that blew with the trumpets, and the rereward
came after the ark, the priests going on, and blowing with the trumpets."
There was implicit obedience to God's commands.
The sorry state of the professing church declares all too clearly that that
same ready obedience is rarely found amongst professing Christians today.
6:10. "And
Joshua had commanded the people, saying, Ye shall not shout, nor make any noise with
your voice, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I bid you
shout; then shall ye shout."
Since the trumpet represents God's voice, and since no human
voice was to be heard, the lesson being taught here is that while God condescends to
use human instruments, His messengers are to declare no more, and no less, than His
truth. The message is to be nothing
more, and nothing less, than comes from the mouth of God.
His voice alone is to be heard. The
first note of self-expression on the part of the servant is to be the shout of
triumph when the work is complete and the victory won.
6:11. "So
the ark of the Lord compassed the city, going about it once: and they came into the
camp, and lodged in the camp."
It was as though the priests and armed men didn't exist.
Attention was focused only on the ark, and the lesson God would teach is that
it is Christ, and He alone, Who is to be given all the glory for the mighty victory
won at Calvary. Part of the blessing
that will accrue from that victory will be the destruction of Gentile power at
Christ's return to establish His millennial kingdom; Israel's promotion and blessing
for the duration of that kingdom; and the eternal blessing of both Jew and Gentile.
The ascription of that glory to Christ is recorded in Revelation, "Thou art
worthy, O Lord, to receive glory, and honor, and power: for Thou has created all
things.... Thou art worthy ... for Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by
Thy blood...." (Re 4:11; 5:9).
The destruction of Jericho was just as certain on that first
day as on the seventh, though there was no outward sign of it; and it is the same in
regard to the destruction of Satan (represented by the king of Jericho).
Satan's destruction was as certain on that day when Christ died (though there
was no outward sign of it) as it will be when he is cast into the lake of fire.
6:12. "And
Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the Lord."
6:13. "And
seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams' horn before the ark of the Lord went on
continually, and blew with the trumpets: and the armed men went before them; but the
rereward came after the ark of the Lord, the priests going on, and blowing with the
trumpets."
6:14. "And
the second day they compassed the city once, and returned into the camp: so they did
six days."
The first six days, each with its one seemingly harmless
encirclement of the city, represent this present age. It seemed during those days that nothing was happening to endanger
Jericho's safety, and it may have been, in fact, that each day simply increased the
confidence, and evoked the mockery of the inhabitants.
So is it in the world today. God's
seeming indifference, or impotence, has increased man's defiance, and encouraged
mockery of the Creator, and of those who serve Him.
Others have pointed out that the confidence of the men of
Jericho was ill founded, not only because of the supernatural Power working
against them, but because of a simple law of physics. Jericho was built on the foundation of one, or perhaps more,
former cities. That foundation was
already weak, and the vibrations set up by the marching feet produced tremors that
weakened it still further, so that the prolonged march of the seventh day, together
with the vibrations caused by the great shout, were all that was needed to cause the
collapse of the whole structure. None of this was known to either the besiegers or the
besieged, and it is the same in regard to the events of the past twenty centuries.
An unbelieving world knows not that each passing day is bringing nearer the
moment when the whole structure of the present evil world system will come crashing
down - each generation of believers having contributed its part to the
destruction by simply "marching round the walls" not knowing how, but
having faith to believe that God's purposes were being accomplished by doing that
which itself may have seemed of little consequence.
It is by inexplicable means that He is accomplishing the destruction of the
present world system. Faith, though it
knows not how, believes that what God has said will be brought to pass, and on the
basis of that faith "marches round the walls," that is, does what God
commands, though it seems at times foolish, and evokes the world's contempt.
The "seventh day" isn't far off.
6:15. "And
it came to pass on the seventh day, that they rose early about the dawning of the
day, and compassed the city after the same manner seven times: only on that day they
compassed the city seven times."
The equivalent of that seventh day is fast approaching for
this unbelieving world. The judgment it
so little expects is about to fall with appalling consequences.
We should note that the judgment upon Jericho fell at the dawning of a new
day, and so will it be for this present world. That
day when Christ returns in power and glory to end the Tribulation will also be the
dawning of a new day. The old present
evil order will be swept away, being replaced with the long-promised Millennium, when
the misrule of man will give place to the perfect rule of the Prince of peace.
6:16. "And
it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua
said unto the people, Shout; for the Lord hath given you the city."
It may have been that the seemingly fruitless marching of
the preceding six days had prompted the question in some minds at least, What is the
use of this daily march around the city? There
are many of God's people today discouraged by the seeming futility of their efforts
in spiritual things, but the fast approaching "seventh day" will reveal the
reason for everything God does, and will call forth their shout of triumph also as
they see evil overthrown, and God vindicated.
6:17. "And
the city shall be accursed, even it, and all that are therein, to the Lord: only
Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that are with her in the house, because she
hid the messengers that we sent."
Since Jericho represents this present evil world, its being
accursed reveals the abhorrence with which God views the present state of the world,
and surely no reasonable mind will refuse to admit that it has filled its cup of
wickedness to overflowing, prompting wonder at the patience of God that has borne so
long with man's rebellion. His patience,
however, has an end, and as that seventh day brought Jericho's destruction, so will a
soon coming day bring the judgment of God upon this world which has been for so long
the scene of His dishonor.
The small number saved reminds us of the solemn warnings
given relative to salvation, "Strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which
leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.... Not every one that saith unto
me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven.... Many will say to me in
that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast
out demons? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that
work iniquity" (Mt 7:14-23). Today's
spurious "gospel" has produced many professions of faith, but the
lifestyles of many of the professors raise serious questions as to whether there has
ever been a new birth.
The reference to "the house" as the only place of
safety, reminds us that in Scripture the house is used frequently as a symbol of the
Church, so that the lesson being taught here is that only those who are members of
that body (the Church) of which Christ is the Head, are saved.
We should note incidentally that the believing remnant of the OT age, and of
the Tribulation era are the equivalent of the Church in those ages, but they are not
to be confused with the Church. They are
saved just as surely as are believers of this present age, but they stand in a
different relationship to Christ: they are not part of the Church which is His body.
Rahab and those assembled in her house represent primarily the believing
remnant of the Tribulation era, but they may be viewed also as being representative
of the Church as we shall see in a moment.
"...because she hid the messengers" may not be
understood to teach salvation by works. As
noted already, it was her faith that led her to hide them, so that her act is simply
the typological demonstration of the truth declared by James, "...faith, if it
hath not works, is dead.... Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by
works, when she had received the messengers ... for as the body without the spirit is
dead, so faith without works is dead also" (Jas 2:17-26).
Good works are the product of faith, but faith is never the product of good
works.
6:18. "And
ye, in any wise keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves
accursed, when ye take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse,
and trouble it."
This verse embodies several lessons. First, as the first part of Canaan given to Israel, it was to be
as a firstfruits unto God, see for example, Ex 23:19 "The first of the
firstfruits of the land thou shalt bring into the house of the Lord thy God."
This command to Israel relative to the firstfruits of all their harvests, is
the OT announcement of a principle that applies to believers of every age. We are to acknowledge Him as the Giver of everything we have, by
returning to Him the firstfruits of all that He gives us, as it is written,
"Honor the Lord with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine
increase: so shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out
with new wine" (Pr 3:9-10).
In this present age, however, the blessings are spiritual
rather than temporal, and if our giving to God is in the expectation of getting
temporal riches, we might as well not give at all. The giving must be prompted by love and gratitude for His great
love, mercy, and grace. It is the
withholding from God of what is His due that accounts for the spiritual poverty
amongst so many professing Christians today.
A further lesson involves our attitude towards the things of
this world. As Israel was not to covet
the things of Jericho neither are we to covet anything pertaining to this world.
But again, it is our coveting the things of the world that has brought
spiritual penury instead of blessing.
"... lest ye make yourselves accursed, when ye take of
the accursed thing." The desire for
the things of the world not only deprives us of blessing: it brings chastisement
having eternal consequences. The love of
earthly things has cost many a man his soul, and that same forbidden love will cost
many a believer the loss of reward on that soon coming day when we shall all stand at
the judgment seat of Christ.
"... and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble
it." This conveys a further lesson.
No man is an island living only unto himself.
What we do affects others. How I
live affects my brethren, for the measure in which I quench and grieve the Holy
Spirit is the measure in which I impede His use of me as an instrument for the
accomplishment of God's purposes, so that the service of the whole assembly of which
I am a member is impaired, see 1 Co 12:11-27 "For as the body is one, and hath
many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also
is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all
bapatized into one body.... For the body is not one member, but many.... And whether
one member suffer, all the memberes suffer with it; or one member be honored, all the
members rejoice with it. Now ye are the
body of Christ, and members in particular."
6:19. "But
all the silver, and gold, and vessels of brass and iron, are consecrated unto the
Lord: they shall come into the treasury of the Lord."
The fact that these things out of the wicked city of Jericho
were consecrated unto the Lord and were brought into His treasury, teaches the lesson
that they represent the things out of this evil world that will abide for ever in
God's house. Silver is the Biblical
emblem of redemption, so that the bringing in of the silver declares that redemption
is all of God, and that His redeemed out of this present evil world will dwell for
ever in His house.
Gold is the Biblical symbol of glory, so that the bringing
in of the gold announces that the redeemed will not only dwell for ever in heaven,
but that they will be glorified there, as it is written, "... if so be that we
suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.... Moreover whom he did
predestinate, them he also called, and whom he called, them he also justified: and
whom he justified, them he also glorified" (Ro 8:17,30).
We should note also that here, as almost invariably in
Scripture, silver comes before gold, and for a very good reason.
As silver represents redemption, and gold glory, the truth being declared is
that redemption precedes glory. The
redemption must be received here on earth; the glory will be given when we get to
heaven.
Brass is the Biblical emblem of judgment, its mention here
reminding us that while God is a God of love He is also a God Who executes judgment
upon those who reject His salvation. Believers,
their judgment having been borne by Christ at Calvary, will dwell with God as His
children, forever beyond judgment, as it is written, "There is therefore now no
condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus" (Ro 8:1).
Iron is the Biblical symbol of strength, and its being
brought into the treasury of God declares not only that all strength resides in Him,
but that in the eternal state in heaven the redeemed, who on earth are weak and
despised, will then be endued also with His power and strength.
6:20. "So
the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when
the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout,
that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man
straight before him, and they took the city."
How simple everything becomes when all is done God's way,
and in His time! It was His mighty power
that brought down the walls of Jericho, their fall undoubtedly killing multitudes,
and leaving the survivors so demoralized, that Israel had only to march into the city
and execute those who hadn't died in the collapse of the walls.
How much needless care and trouble we would save ourselves if we too did
things God's way and in His time!
6:21. "And
they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old,
and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword."
In the complete destruction of every living creature in
Jericho - except Rahab and those in her house - we are being shown in type what will
occur when the Lord returns in power and glory to end the Tribulation and establish
His millennial kingdom. Every unbeliever
will be banished from the earth, so that the Millennium will begin with a world
inhabited only by believers who will have physically survived the terrible
Tribulation judgments. (Unbelievers,
however, will begin to appear on the millennial earth as children are born to those
believers).
The slaughter of all the animals may not be taken to imply
that all animal life will perish in the Tribulation (it won't), but rather that
everything pertaining to the present order will undergo such change as to be
virtually the same as if everything had died, e.g., the carnivores will become
herbivorous.
But as always, the spiritual lesson transcends the literal,
and that spiritual lesson is that the believer is not to be concerned about the
things of this world, but rather about the things pertaining to the world to come.
He is to live as one who has become dead to the things of the world, and the
things of the world to him, as it is written, "But God forbid that I should
glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified
unto me, and I unto the world" (Ga 6:14).
As noted already, the Israelites entering Canaan represent believers entering
into the enjoyment of their spiritual blessings even while here on earth, and as they
took nothing of Jericho with them into Canaan, neither are we to take into the sphere
of the Spirit anything pertaining to this present evil world.
"... with the edge of the sword" reminds us that
it is by obedience to the written Word which is "the sword of the Spirit"
(Eph 6:17), that we will be able to make good in practice what is here set before us
typologically.
6:22. "But
Joshua had said unto the two men that had spied out the country, Go into the harlot's
house, and bring out thence the woman, and all that she hath, as ye sware unto
her."
It is to be noted that "Joshua had said unto the
two men." They had been instructed
to take her and household out before the seven day seige of Jericho began, for
to have her removed at any other time would mar the typological picture, which very
clearly is of the rapture of the Church before the Tribulation begins, she and those
in her house being an obvious figure of the Church.
"... as ye sware unto her." She had been promised that if she obeyed the orders of the two men
she would not perish in the destruction of the city.
We who comprise the Church have been given a similar assurance relative to the
Tribulation. We will not experience its
judgments. It is generally accepted that
the Philadelphian church represents the faithful true Church in the midst of the
apostate Laodicean travesty that will be left behind for judgment in the Tribulation,
and the promise to Philadelphia is "I also will keep thee from the hour of
temptation (trial) - the Tribulation - which shall come upon all the world, to try
them that dwell upon the earth" (Re 3:10).
6:23. "And
the young men that were spies went in, and brought out Rahab, and here father, and
her mother, and her brethren, and all that she had; and they brought out all her
kindred, and left them without the camp of Israel."
We have noted already that the young men represent Christ,
so that their coming to take Rahab out of the doomed city is a figure of the Lord's
coming to take His blood-bought Church out of this doomed world before the terrible
Tribulation judgments fall. That those
of her family who were taken out with her had come into her house as commanded, is
made clear in verse 22 and in 2:18-19.
There is also a special significance in its being said that
they "left them without the camp of Israel." The fact of her being left outside the camp of Israel
emphasizes that the Church, which Rahab represents in this present context, is an
entity completely separate from Israel. Much
confusion in the understanding of Scripture would be avoided if that fact were more
generally understood.
6:24. "And
they burnt the city with fire, and all that was therein: only the silver, and the
gold, and the vessels of brass and of iron, they put into the treasury of the house
of the Lord."
Common to the four metals was the ability to survive testing
by fire, and the spiritual lesson isn't difficult to read.
A coming day will find every man's work tested by fire, as it is written,
"Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because
it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it
is. If any man's work abide ... he shall receive a reward.
If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall
be saved; yet so as by fire" (1 Co 3:13-15).
This refers of course to the trial of the believer's works at the Bema
(judgment seat of Christ), and gives the assurance that even if little of his works
survive the fire, he himself will be saved. It
is very different with the unbeliever. Following
the judgment of the great white throne described in Re 20, he himself will be cast
into the eternal torment of the lake of fire.
6:25. "And
Joshua saved Rahab the harlot alive, and her father's household, and all that she
had; and she dwelleth in Israel even unto this day; because she hid the messengers,
which Joshua sent to spy out Jericho."
Her being described as "the harlot" reminds us
that every believer has had a similar sinful past; and it is instructive to recall
that when the Israelites presented the sheaf of firstfruits and thus acknowledged
that God was the giver of all they possessed, each one was to confess, "A Syrian
ready to perish was my father" (Dt 26:5). Nothing
is more likely to maintain a humble greatful spirit than the frequent recollection of
our former state.
In verse 23 the distinction between Israel and the Church is
emphasized. There she was left outside
the camp of Israel, but here she is seen dwelling in Israel.
There is no contradiction, however. Though
the Church is and always will be distinct from Israel, they will dwell together
eternally, as it is written, "And these all (OT saints), having obtained a good
report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing
for us, that they without us should not be made perfect" (Heb 11:39-40).
Relative to her having hidden the messengers, see comments
on verse 17.
6:26. "And
Joshua adjured them at that time, saying, Cursed be the man before the Lord, that
riseth up and buildeth this city Jericho: he shall lay the foundation thereof in his
firstborn, and in his youngest son shall he set up the gates of it."
Transcending the literal command against the rebuilding of
Jericho, is the spiritual admonition to every believer.
Obviously he who would rebuild the city would do so in order to live there.
The lesson is clear. Believers
are not to return again to the world from which the cross of Christ has separated
them, and he who does so will suffer loss, not of his salvation, but of his joy and
peace, and eternal reward, for it is to be noted that it isn't the man, but his sons
who would die. Children represent
spiritual fruit. In the case of the
believer who returns to the world, spiritual fruit-bearing will be cut off.
It is solemn to note the literal fulfillment of this curse
as recorded in 1 Ki 16:34, "In his days (Ahab's) did Hiel the Bethelite build
Jericho: he laid the fundation thereof in Abiram his firstborn, and set up the gates
thereof in his youngest son Segub, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake
by Joshua the son of Nun."
6:27. "So
the Lord was with Joshua; and his fame was noised throughout all the country."
So will it be with Christ, not only in the Millennium, but
in the eternity that will follow that glorious earthly reign.
Then every knee will bow and acknowledge His lordship, believers bowing
willingly; unbelievers by compulsion.
[Joshua
7]