Chapter 6

The fall of Jericho

I don’t have anything to say about this. Yet.

Chapter 7

Joshua 7:5  And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men: for they chased them from before the gate even unto Shebarim, and smote them in the going down: wherefore the hearts of the people melted, and became as water.

How can we be losing? Sin in the camp. 36 people died because one dude took something he wasn’t supposed to. Please don’t take that which you ought not. Other people can get hurt or die because of our sin.

Joshua 7:6  And Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the LORD until the eventide, he and the elders of Israel, and put dust upon their heads.

This was such a shock; such a disappointment. After all that the Israelites had gone through in the wilderness. They had finally crossed over to possess the land that God had given them. They had a great victory at the Jordan River and at Jericho. No reason to think that anything would go wrong and BANG! 36 people dead and they’re fleeing from the enemy. No!!!

Joshua 7:8  O Lord, what shall I say, when Israel turneth their backs before their enemies!

What an embarrassment to turn your backs to your enemies. To flee. To turn tail and run.

Joshua 7:12  Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you.

Destroy the accursed from among you. One guy chose curses for the whole camp. Doesn’t seem fair, but that’s how it works. No use complaining about it, just destroy the accursed thing.

Joshua 7:13  Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow: for thus saith the LORD God of Israel, There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee, O Israel: thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the accursed thing from among you.

What are we doing? What is the accursed thing in our life? Maybe it’s hidden. It’s hidden in the earth in the midst of the tent of Achan, of the sons of Carmi, of the household of Zabdi, of the family of the Zahrites, o f the tribe of Judah.

In the tribe, in the family, in the household, of the sons, in the midst of the tent, under the earth. Search me O God and know my heart. See if there be any wicked way in me.

Joshua 7:18  And he brought his household man by man; and Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken.

What if we went man by man?

Joshua 7:20  And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done:

If we confess our sins, they are faithful and just to stone us for our sins.  I like Christianity.

Chapter 8

Joshua 8:8  And it shall be, when ye have taken the city, that ye shall set the city on fire: according to the commandment of the LORD shall ye do. See, I have commanded you.

Turn and burn. Not turn or burn. A lot of fire. A lot of death.

Joshua 8:17  And there was not a man left in Ai or Bethel, that went not out after Israel: and they left the city open, and pursued after Israel.

The flesh is dumb.

Joshua 8:21  And when Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush had taken the city, and that the smoke of the city ascended, then they turned again, and slew the men of Ai.

Mucho bueno. Good move. Good job.

Joshua 8:30  Then Joshua built an altar unto the LORD God of Israel in mount Ebal,

Which mount was this? The curses or the blessings.

Joshua 8:31  As Moses the servant of the LORD commanded the children of Israel, as it is written in the book of the law of Moses, an altar of whole stones, over which no man hath lift up any iron: and they offered thereon burnt offerings unto the LORD, and sacrificed peace offerings.

Why don’t we do this anymore? Even the whole temple things seems to be contrary to this. Obviously my misunderstanding, but I always think about this when I hear about building programs. I’m not against new buildings and all that, I just can’t help but think about this verse. I’m just a legastic fanatic!

Chapter 9

Joshua 9:1  And it came to pass, when all the kings which were on this side Jordan, in the hills, and in the valleys, and in all the coasts of the great sea over against Lebanon, the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, heard thereof;

There’s a bunch of kings. You might get one, but there will be another.

Joshua 9:2  That they gathered themselves together, to fight with Joshua and with Israel, with one accord.

The flesh is not going down without a fight.

Joshua 9:10  And all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites, that were beyond Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon, and to Og king of Bashan, which was at Ashtaroth.

There’s Sihon and Og again.

Joshua 9:14  And the men took of their victuals, and asked not counsel at the mouth of the LORD.

Interesting. These Gideonites tricked Joshua and Israel from killing them. They lied to them. And Joshua made peace without having “asked no counsel at the mouth of the LORD.” Joshua didn’t ask. Maybe if they would have asked, God may have helped them to see what was going on. Oh well.

Joshua 9:16  And it came to pass at the end of three days after they had made a league with them, that they heard that they were their neighbours, and that they dwelt among them.

There’s those 3 days again.

Joshua 9:22  And Joshua called for them, and he spake unto them, saying, Wherefore have ye beguiled us, saying, We are very far from you; when ye dwell among us?

Whoops. Found out. But your word is your word. Joshua didn’t say, you tricked us and now you’re dead. No, he honored what he agreed to. Even though is went against what God had intended for them. We are people of our word. We just better make sure our word match THE word. Or make sure we’re not getting beguiled.  How?  “Ask counsel at the mouth of the LORD”

Chapter 10

Joshua 10:2  That they feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, as one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all the men thereof were mighty.

My guess is that they were afraid of Israel. They were afraid of Gibeon. A league between Israel and Gibeon meant definite defeat for them. I guess.

Joshua 10:5  Therefore the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, the king of Eglon, gathered themselves together, and went up, they and all their hosts, and encamped before Gibeon, and made war against it.

More Amorites. Sihon and Og were Amorites. Those Amorites were not all about love. Amor-ites. Get it? They weren’t lovers they were fighters.

Joshua 10:8  And the LORD said unto Joshua, Fear them not: for I have delivered them into thine hand; there shall not a man of them stand before thee.

Everybody sit down.  Have a seat.

Joshua 10:12-14  Then spake Joshua to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon.  (13)  And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day.  (14)  And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the LORD hearkened unto the voice of a man: for the LORD fought for Israel.

It was such a blood bath that God had to stop the sun to let the Israelites get the job done.

Joshua 10:19  And stay ye not, but pursue after your enemies, and smite the hindmost of them; suffer them not to enter into their cities: for the LORD your God hath delivered them into your hand.

This is where the expression kick butt came from.

Joshua 10:24  And it came to pass, when they brought out those kings unto Joshua, that Joshua called for all the men of Israel, and said unto the captains of the men of war which went with him, Come near, put your feet upon the necks of these kings. And they came near, and put their feet upon the necks of them.

Not sure about all this. Why? It’s not like they could put it on Instagram or live stream it on Facebook or something. Feet on the neck!

I can just hear preacher Allen, “I want all the God-called, God-sent captains to stand up. If you’re a captain of the men of war, I want you to come down to the front. We’re gonna put our feet on the necks of these kings. All the God-called captain! Come down to the front!”

Joshua 10:31  And Joshua passed from Libnah, and all Israel with him, unto Lachish, and encamped against it, and fought against it:

Besiege. Camp around. Starve it out and fight it out. Make no provisions for the flesh. It’s kill or be killed.