Joshua 5 and 6

 Who? Joshua, the priests, the Israelites, the “captain of the army of the Lord”, Rahab and her family, the spies, those living in Jericho, the king of Jericho and the kings of the Canaanites

What? The conquest of Jericho by the Israelites - preparation for it, instructions, and the battle

Where? Jericho

When? First month for Israel, middle and second half of the month

Why? Jericho was a heavily fortified city.  It needed to be taken before Israel could enter the rest of the Promised Land.

How? God’s way, by God’s might

Some notes from these chapters:

(5:1) The Amorites live in the hill country (Numbers 13:29).  The Canaanites are those in the lower regions of the land (Numbers 13:29, 14:25, Deuteronomy 1:7).  The people of Jericho and the rest of Canaan have heard what God has done for Israel.  These people know that God is mighty and their fear is because of Him, not just Israel itself (Joshua 2:10-11).

(5:2-7) Circumcision shows that they are keeping the covenant God made with Abraham and must be done in order to celebrate the Passover (Genesis 17:8-14, Exodus 12:48).  Remember that everyone 40 years old and younger were born in the wilderness.  For what ever reason, the Israelites did not keep up with circumcisions while wandering in the wilderness.  This is disobedience and breaking the covenant with God, but He gives them a chance to make it right.  This is like starting over with a “new Israel”.  See also Deuteronomy 10:16 and 30:6.

(5:8-9) God has brought them to the Promised Land and Egypt now knows that God keeps His promises.  The people are no longer wandering around with other nations wondering what they are doing.  Redemption for Israel is only complete with the entrance into the Promised Land.  The same is true for us: “Only in Jesus will people find their reproach rolled away.”  See also Exodus 3:8 and Deuteronomy 9:28.

(5:10) The Passover is the remembrance of the original Passover in Egypt (Exodus 7-12) and also of all God has done since then.  

(5:11-12) Manna is no longer needed.  God is providing food another way - through the produce of the land.  

QUESTION 1: What did the Israelites need to do before they began their conquest of Canaan?  Why was that important?  Cf. Genesis 17:1-14

The men needed to be circumcised.  This is their part of keeping the covenant that God made with Abraham.  This is sort of a “rededication” or “recommitment” of the people.  They also celebrated the Passover - remembrance of what God has done gives confidence in what He will do.  They are starting the conquest by giving glory to God.

-This ends the first major section of Joshua - preparation for entering the land.-

(5:13-15) This scene shows us a theophany or, more specifically, a Christophany.  Most scholars believe that this is an appearance of Jesus before His incarnation.  It is a scene similar to the burning bush, which is also considered a theophany because it is “an unambiguous manifestation of God to man” (Adrian Ivakhiv).  Joshua is reminded that he is not alone and that he is second in command.  The victory is God’s and the glory is His alone.  The “captain of the army of the Lord” was there to exercise judgement against Jericho, as seen by the drawn sword.  See also Revelation 19:11-16.  Notice the change in Joshua’s tone when he realizes that he is speaking to the Lord.  He recognizes God’s authority and His holiness with an outward symbol of humility and respect - removing his shoes.  Joshua has a proper perspective of who he is and, more importantly, who God is.  Wherever God puts us is holy ground and we need to keep this perspective as well.  

“Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest

concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right.” 

-Abraham Lincoln 

QUESTION 2: Who did Joshua meet near Jericho?  Why is his reply important?  What does this tell us about the Lord’s battle strategy versus our own?

The captain of the army of the Lord meets Joshua.  This captain, likely the preincarnate Jesus, is not on a side in the conflict because He is in charge and He is the One leading.  He will not follow Israel (or the Canaanites), but leads.  His battle strategy is perfect and He know what works best.  

(6:1-5) This may be a continuation of the discussion between Joshua and the captain of the army of the Lord because He is giving Joshua instructions for the battle.  Remember that Jericho, which was approximately seven acres in size), was heavily fortified by a double wall with gates.  It was also on a hill.  This would mean that, humanly speaking, the only way to defeat the city was with a long siege which would starve them out.  Notice that the battle is already won (v. 2).  This is part of the “now and not yet” because God is not bound by time and because His promises are guarantees (see also Romans 8:18).  The Israelites will demonstrate their faith by obeying God’s instructions exactly.  It is also possible that the seven days taken to carry out these instructions allowed for anyone in Jericho who wished to repent and join God’s people had the time to do so.  It also could be showing the Israelites that God has given Jericho chance after chance and therefore make them understand and be more able to carry out the utter destruction God had commanded.  Again, God will lead the people into battle and they will see that because the ark goes with them.  God promises a miracle.  All they need to do is obey.

The Lord’s commands frequently go directly against what the

world teaches, and there can be times when God’s people will not

see the full reason for obeying His Word.  After all, the Bible was

written thousands of years ago, and it is easy to fall into the trap of

assuming its commands and precepts are not relevant today.  But

the Lord’s Word stands for all time, and His commands are as

relevant to us today as they were when they were first penned.  It

may not be evident how obedience to God’s Word will resolve a

difficult situation, but our job is to obey what the Bible teaches and

trust the Lord to take care of our circumstances.

-John MacArthur in  Joshua, Judges, & Ruth: Finally in the Land

(6:6-14) Joshua relates God’s instructions to the people and they obey.  Notice that the ark is now surrounded by the army with “armed men” going first, followed by the seven priests carrying the rams’ horns, then the ark with a rear guard after it.  Joshua instructs the people to be silent to show meekness and reverence in the presence of the Lord until they are to give a victory shout.  

(6:15-27) Notice that Joshua gives God all the glory.  See also Deuteronomy 1:30-31.  The contents of the city and the city itself are so wicked that God demands total destruction.  Israel is to be a pure people, not corrupted by a wicked people’s things.  See also John 15:19 and        1 John 2:15-17.  Rahab and her family are spared, as promised, by the grace of God given to her because of His choice and her faith.  They are left outside the camp temporarily because they are unclean.  Later, they are brought into the camp as evidenced by the fact that Rahab is in the lineage of Christ (Matthew 1:5,6; Hebrews 11:31).  Joshua’s curse in verses 26 and 27 is fulfilled by Hiel the Bethelite as recorded in 1 Kings 16:34.

QUESTION 3: What are God’s instructions to the Israelites concerning the people and things of Jericho?  What struggles do you have with this command?  Cf. Genesis 15:16, Leviticus 18:24-28, Deuteronomy 12:29-32 and 20:16-18

Everything in Jericho belongs to the Lord - either to be destroyed or, that which can’t be destroyed by humans, put in the treasury of the Lord.  The utter destruction of the people of Jericho seems harsh to us, but they had been given time to submit to the Lord and their evil ran rampant instead.  They, and their belongings, make everything they touch unclean, so they must be destroyed so that Israel remains clean.  We too often forget about God’s wrath and justice.  God’s wrath is poured out on sin, either on the unrepentant sinner who still bears his/her own sin or on Jesus who bore the sins of all who believe.

Applications:  Circumcise our hearts to belong to God fully.  Remember all He has done for us in the past, all He asks of us, and be obedient.  Even when His instructions in His Word do not make sense to us, we need to obey because we can’t see the bigger picture and we aren’t the ones in charge.