Prayer: I will sing about your loving-kindness and your justice, Lord. I will sing your praises! I will try to walk a blameless path, but how I need your help, especially in my own home, where I long to act as I should. Help me to refuse the low and vulgar things; help me to abhor all crooked deals of every kind, to have no part in them. I will reject all selfishness and stay away from every evil (Psalms 101:1-4, TLB). In my life and in Jesus holy and precious name, Amen.
Main Scripture: Read Hebrews 1:30.
Joshua, by faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the army had marched around them for seven days.
Associated Scriptures:
(find the NIV equivalent - "Behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth: and ye know in all your hearts and in all your souls, that not one thing hath failed of all the good things which the Lord your God spake concerning you; all are come to pass unto you, and not one thing hath failed thereof" (Josh. 23:14).
Correlative Quotes:
If Joshua had met with his military advisors, no one would have come up with this plan. The plan set forth by the Lord in chapter 6 certainly illustrates the principle of a number of passages from the Bible like Proverbs 14:12 and Isaiah 55:8. God’s plan of salvation and deliverance is not a plan that man would design if he could or could if he would because of his basic alienation from God and proneness to depend on his own solutions. So today, men are prone to believe in a plan of salvation and sanctification that in some way or another introduces works into the equation rather than faith alone in Christ alone. Such a gospel is called by some easy believism when the truth is simple trust in Christ is not easy; it goes against the very grain of man’s makeup.[1] – J. Hampton Keathley III
Joshua and his soldiers did not stop to theorize nor rationalize, nor yet to discuss the relation between cause and effect. They just did what they were told, and left the rest to God. This is faith. Not the mere subscription to a creed, but such implicit and absolute trust in God, as leads men unquestionably to obey His commands and to believe His promises, without stopping to argue, or debate, or discuss.[2] – Joseph S. Exell
Faith is trusting completely in God's Word. It is unconditional confidence in what He says, strictly on the basis that He has said it. The fact is that we either trust what God says or we are left to trust our own intellect, instincts, and attitudes. These are our only two options. Our own way is the way of unbelief; God's way is the way of faith.[3] – John MacArthur
Study:
The theme of the book of Joshua is found in the phrase “Be strong and courageous.” Deuteronomy 31:23 gives us the account of the first time that God tells Joshua too, "Be strong and courageous, for you will bring the Israelites into the land I promised them on oath, and I myself will be with you." We see the phrase used five times in Chapter 1 and once in Chapter 25. This statement set the spiritual tone for the entire conquest of the Promised Land. The victories and ultimate capture of the land would be a direct result of the faith and trust that Joshua and the people of Israel had in God.
There are many acts of faith and heroism associated with the life and works of Joshua. We first see Him as one of the ten men chosen to explore the land of the Canaanites, the promised land, at the end of the exodus from Egypt (Exodus 13:1-2). Only Caleb and Joshua, among the ten, encouraged Moses and all of Israel to take the land. They had faith that God would give them victory (Exodus 14:5-9). As a result of their unfaithfulness, they wouldn’t listen to Caleb and Joshua, Israel wandered for forty years in the wilderness until all the adults had died.
In a second act of faith, Joshua directs the people to enter the land. God opens the waters of the Jordan river so that they can walk across on dry land. He then directs them to erect a stone memorial in honor of the event (Joshua 3 and 4).
The Lord then leads Israel to victory over the city of Jericho. This is a victory won completely on faith since the walls fell by the direct intervention of God (Joshua 6).
Thirdly, by faith Joshua followed God’s plan for destroying Ai with an ambush. After the city was burned and the livestock plundered, Joshua honored and glorified God by ascending mount Ebal and building an alter according to the specifications given to them by Moses. In honor of God’s work and the miracle of victory, Joshua read the entire book of the law to the people (Joshua 8).
After the Gibeonites tricked Joshua into giving them a treaty and an oath of protection (Chapter 9). Following the treaty of peace, the five Amorite kings attacked Gibeon and captured the city. The Gibeonites, now protected by an oath, cried out to Joshua to save his servants (Joshua 10:6). Joshua armed with an assurance of victory from God and using wise military tactics defeated the Amorite army. His attack from the front pulled the Amorite army out of Gibeon while an ancillary force came at them from the rear. Joshua personally destroyed the five kings and had them buried in a cave which became their tomb (Joshua 10).
In further obedience to God, the remaining territories in the north were defeated and captured, and Joshua distributed the land by lot just as God had commanded through Moses (Joshua 14:1-4).
Once the land had been distributed, Joshua received a pledge from all the people of Israel saying, “We will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:21).
As a reward for his faith, Joshua 24:29-30 says this, “After these things, Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of a hundred and ten. And they buried him in the land of his inheritance, at Timnath Serahd in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.” God always keeps His promises.
Summary Statement:
As we look at these astounding accomplishments, we see a common thread, faith. Joshua was an ordinary man with extraordinary faith just like his predecessors. Many commentators of the book of Joshua see the initial act of walking through the Jordan river as Joshua’s greatest act of faith. But this is not what the writer of Hebrews chose to record. Under the inspiration and direction of the Holy Spirit (2 Timothy 3:16), he chose the battle of Jericho to demonstrate Joshua greatest action of faith.
When we look back at the definition of faith, we see that it is the assurance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1). Using this definition, we remember that Israel had already seen the parting of the Red Sea. They walked across it.
Lesson within the Lesson:
How would you describe Joshua’s faith?
How would you explain the importance of faith using this account of Joshua as a model?
Taking that model to the next level, how does Joshua’s faith compare to your faith?
How does it help your faith to see the faith of Joshua?
[1] J. Hampton Keathley III, 5. Destroying Fortresses; Victory at Jericho (Joshua 6:1-27), © 2016 Bible.org, All Rights Reserved, bible.org/seriespage/5-destroying-fortresses-victory-jericho-joshua-61-27.
[2] Exell, Joseph S. "Commentary on "Hebrews 11:30". The Biblical Illustrator. "//www.studylight.org/commentaries/tbi/hebrews-11.html". 1905-1909. New York, studylight.org/commentary/hebrews/11-30.html.
[3] The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, Copyright © Moody Press and John MacArthur, Jr., 1983-2007.