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Joshua 6

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1 καὶ ιεριχω συγκεκλεισμένη καὶ ὠχυρωμένη καὶ οὐθεὶς ἐξεπορεύετο ἐξ αὐτῆς οὐδὲ εἰσεπορεύετο

2 καὶ εἶπεν κύριος πρὸς ἰησοῦν ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ παραδίδωμι ὑποχείριόν σου τὴν ιεριχω καὶ τὸν βασιλέα αὐτῆς τὸν ἐν αὐτῇ δυνατοὺς ὄντας ἐν ἰσχύι

3 σὺ δὲ περίστησον αὐτῇ τοὺς μαχίμους κύκλῳ

5 καὶ ἔσται ὡς ἂν σαλπίσητε τῇ σάλπιγγι ἀνακραγέτω πᾶς ὁ λαὸς ἅμα καὶ ἀνακραγόντων αὐτῶν πεσεῖται αὐτόματα τὰ τείχη τῆς πόλεως καὶ εἰσελεύσεται πᾶς ὁ λαὸς ὁρμήσας ἕκαστος κατὰ πρόσωπον εἰς τὴν πόλιν

6 καὶ εἰσῆλθεν ἰησοῦς ὁ τοῦ ναυη πρὸς τοὺς ἱερεῖς

7 καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς λέγων παραγγείλατε τῷ λαῷ περιελθεῖν καὶ κυκλῶσαι τὴν πόλιν καὶ οἱ μάχιμοι παραπορευέσθωσαν ἐνωπλισμένοι ἐναντίον κυρίου

8 καὶ ἑπτὰ ἱερεῖς ἔχοντες ἑπτὰ σάλπιγγας ἱερὰς παρελθέτωσαν ὡσαύτως ἐναντίον τοῦ κυρίου καὶ σημαινέτωσαν εὐτόνως καὶ ἡ κιβωτὸς τῆς διαθήκης κυρίου ἐπακολουθείτω

9 οἱ δὲ μάχιμοι ἔμπροσθεν παραπορευέσθωσαν καὶ οἱ ἱερεῖς οἱ οὐραγοῦντες ὀπίσω τῆς κιβωτοῦ τῆς διαθήκης κυρίου πορευόμενοι καὶ σαλπίζοντες

10 τῷ δὲ λαῷ ἐνετείλατο ἰησοῦς λέγων μὴ βοᾶτε μηδὲ ἀκουσάτω μηθεὶς ὑμῶν τὴν φωνήν ἕως ἂν ἡμέραν αὐτὸς διαγγείλῃ ἀναβοῆσαι καὶ τότε ἀναβοήσετε

11 καὶ περιελθοῦσα ἡ κιβωτὸς τῆς διαθήκης τοῦ θεοῦ τὴν πόλιν εὐθέως ἀπῆλθεν εἰς τὴν παρεμβολὴν καὶ ἐκοιμήθη ἐκεῖ

12 καὶ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ δευτέρᾳ ἀνέστη ἰησοῦς τὸ πρωί καὶ ἦραν οἱ ἱερεῖς τὴν κιβωτὸν τῆς διαθήκης κυρίου

13 καὶ οἱ ἑπτὰ ἱερεῖς οἱ φέροντες τὰς σάλπιγγας τὰς ἑπτὰ προεπορεύοντο ἐναντίον κυρίου καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα εἰσεπορεύοντο οἱ μάχιμοι καὶ ὁ λοιπὸς ὄχλος ὄπισθε τῆς κιβωτοῦ τῆς διαθήκης κυρίου καὶ οἱ ἱερεῖς ἐσάλπισαν ταῖς σάλπιγξι καὶ ὁ λοιπὸς ὄχλος ἅπας περιεκύκλωσε τὴν πόλιν ἐγγύθεν

14 καὶ ἀπῆλθεν πάλιν εἰς τὴν παρεμβολήν οὕτως ἐποίει ἐπὶ ἓξ ἡμέρας

15 καὶ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ ἑβδόμῃ ἀνέστησαν ὄρθρου καὶ περιήλθοσαν τὴν πόλιν ἑξάκις

16 καὶ τῇ περιόδῳ τῇ ἑβδόμῃ ἐσάλπισαν οἱ ἱερεῖς καὶ εἶπεν ἰησοῦς τοῖς υἱοῖς ισραηλ κεκράξατε παρέδωκεν γὰρ κύριος ὑμῖν τὴν πόλιν

17 καὶ ἔσται ἡ πόλις ἀνάθεμα αὐτὴ καὶ πάντα ὅσα ἐστὶν ἐν αὐτῇ κυρίῳ σαβαωθ πλὴν ρααβ τὴν πόρνην περιποιήσασθε αὐτὴν καὶ ὅσα ἐστὶν ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ αὐτῆς

18 ἀλλὰ ὑμεῖς φυλάξασθε σφόδρα ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀναθέματος μήποτε ἐνθυμηθέντες ὑμεῖς αὐτοὶ λάβητε ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀναθέματος καὶ ποιήσητε τὴν παρεμβολὴν τῶν υἱῶν ισραηλ ἀνάθεμα καὶ ἐκτρίψητε ἡμᾶς

19 καὶ πᾶν ἀργύριον ἢ χρυσίον ἢ χαλκὸς ἢ σίδηρος ἅγιον ἔσται τῷ κυρίῳ εἰς θησαυρὸν κυρίου εἰσενεχθήσεται

20 καὶ ἐσάλπισαν ταῖς σάλπιγξιν οἱ ἱερεῖς ὡς δὲ ἤκουσεν ὁ λαὸς τὴν φωνὴν τῶν σαλπίγγων ἠλάλαξεν πᾶς ὁ λαὸς ἅμα ἀλαλαγμῷ μεγάλῳ καὶ ἰσχυρῷ καὶ ἔπεσεν ἅπαν τὸ τεῖχος κύκλῳ καὶ ἀνέβη πᾶς ὁ λαὸς εἰς τὴν πόλιν

21 καὶ ἀνεθεμάτισεν αὐτὴν ἰησοῦς καὶ ὅσα ἦν ἐν τῇ πόλει ἀπὸ ἀνδρὸς καὶ ἕως γυναικός ἀπὸ νεανίσκου καὶ ἕως πρεσβύτου καὶ ἕως μόσχου καὶ ὑποζυγίου ἐν στόματι ῥομφαίας

22 καὶ τοῖς δυσὶν νεανίσκοις τοῖς κατασκοπεύσασιν εἶπεν ἰησοῦς εἰσέλθατε εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν τῆς γυναικὸς καὶ ἐξαγάγετε αὐτὴν ἐκεῖθεν καὶ ὅσα ἐστὶν αὐτῇ

23 καὶ εἰσῆλθον οἱ δύο νεανίσκοι οἱ κατασκοπεύσαντες τὴν πόλιν εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν τῆς γυναικὸς καὶ ἐξηγάγοσαν ρααβ τὴν πόρνην καὶ τὸν πατέρα αὐτῆς καὶ τὴν μητέρα αὐτῆς καὶ τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς αὐτῆς καὶ πάντα ὅσα ἦν αὐτῇ καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν συγγένειαν αὐτῆς καὶ κατέστησαν αὐτὴν ἔξω τῆς παρεμβολῆς ισραηλ

24 καὶ ἡ πόλις ἐνεπρήσθη ἐμπυρισμῷ σὺν πᾶσιν τοῖς ἐν αὐτῇ πλὴν ἀργυρίου καὶ χρυσίου καὶ χαλκοῦ καὶ σιδήρου ἔδωκαν εἰς θησαυρὸν κυρίου εἰσενεχθῆναι

25 καὶ ρααβ τὴν πόρνην καὶ πάντα τὸν οἶκον τὸν πατρικὸν αὐτῆς ἐζώγρησεν ἰησοῦς καὶ κατῴκησεν ἐν τῷ ισραηλ ἕως τῆς σήμερον ἡμέρας διότι ἔκρυψεν τοὺς κατασκοπεύσαντας οὓς ἀπέστειλεν ἰησοῦς κατασκοπεῦσαι τὴν ιεριχω

26 καὶ ὥρκισεν ἰησοῦς ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ ἐναντίον κυρίου λέγων ἐπικατάρατος ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὃς οἰκοδομήσει τὴν πόλιν ἐκείνην ἐν τῷ πρωτοτόκῳ αὐτοῦ θεμελιώσει αὐτὴν καὶ ἐν τῷ ἐλαχίστῳ αὐτοῦ ἐπιστήσει τὰς πύλας αὐτῆς καὶ οὕτως ἐποίησεν οζαν ὁ ἐκ βαιθηλ ἐν τῷ αβιρων τῷ πρωτοτόκῳ ἐθεμελίωσεν αὐτὴν καὶ ἐν τῷ ἐλαχίστῳ διασωθέντι ἐπέστησεν τὰς πύλας αὐτῆς

27 καὶ ἦν κύριος μετὰ ἰησοῦ καὶ ἦν τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ κατὰ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν

   

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Exploring the Meaning of Joshua 6

Napsal(a) New Christian Bible Study Staff, Julian Duckworth

Joshua 6: The Fall of Jericho

Here, the first conflict for Israel in Canaan presents itself: the taking of the city of Jericho, which stands directly and obstinately in the path of the Israelites, preventing them from moving forward. This conflict embodies the whole essence and scope of all the rest of the conquests in the Joshua story, which in the inner meaning is to overcome and rule the things in our lives which oppose what God wants for us.

Jericho is to be taken with a siege, and God gives Joshua a procedure to follow: You shall march round the city once a day for six days in absolute silence. Seven priests shall carry seven rams’ horns before the ark. On the seventh day you shall march round the city seven times, and then the priests shall blow their trumpets. All the people are to shout with a huge shout, and then the walls of the city will fall down flat. And all the people are to go up and take the city.

This is quite unlike any other siege, where walls have to be scaled and fire catapulted in to burn things, but... this is a spiritual siege. The siege of Jericho represents how we are to lay siege to, or deal effectively with, our own evils and tendencies. It is the description blueprint for the battle between good and evil, which is our battle too. (See Doctrine of Faith 50).

In the Bible, Jericho is sometimes called the ‘city of palm trees’, giving a lovely idea of it. Its name means “a place of fragrance”, or, “his (the Lord’s) sweet breath”. It sounds perfect, but this has been usurped by invaders and takers who are now in complete possession of this sweet city and who will hold on for all they're worth (Apocalypse Explained 502[11]). This is really an account of the influence of hell in human life, and especially our unregenerate lives, when we are open to whatever feels self-gratifying.

Jericho, we hear, is shut up tight. It is not going to be an easy matter – because the work of regeneration never is – but this also describes hell’s fear; it is shut up tight because of the Israelites (Heaven and Hell 543). In us, when we become aware of a better way to live and we want to follow the Lord - whose yoke is easy and whose burden is light - hell will soon hit back in some devious imperceptible way to hold on to what it has got. It is scared of losing us.

This takes us to the siege and its tactics. The march once a day around the city for six days, carrying the ark, is to see every part of our situation from every angle, and it is also to parade our worship and adoration of the Lord (by parading the ark). The time period, six days, is always to do with the work involved in our regeneration as we see evil and shun it, pray to God, stand back and determine. (Arcana Caelestia 10373)

The seventh day involves seven marches round the city, then the trumpets and the shouts. This is the culmination, the Sabbath. For us, it is the avowal that we know the Lord is now ruling our will and our life and there will be no turning back or weakness of giving in. Jericho is now taken! The command is that every living thing in the city is to be completely destroyed because we must be unrelenting against all the things in our lives that go against God.

The gold, the silver, and the vessels of brass and iron, were put into the treasury of the house of Jehovah. The "gold and silver" represent the knowledges of spiritual truth and good, and "the vessels of brass and iron" represent knowledges of natural truth and good. In the profane hands of the idolaters of Jericho, those knowledges could be tools to serve dire falsities and evils. In the house of Jehovah, they could be serviceable knowledges, applied to good ends - hence their being salvaged. (See Heaven and Hell 487)

The prostitute Rahab (who had hidden Israel’s spies and confessed the Lord’s power) and all her family are brought out and given safekeeping. For us, this is the acknowledgement of the truth that we are sinful (as she was) and that if it were not for the Lord we would plunge into who knows what. But now we know and confess the power and truth of God. And then, the Israelites burn the city with fire and Joshua pronounces a curse on anyone who ever rebuilds this city. We are to abhor evil for what it is and be faithful to the Lord our God.

The story of the destruction of Jericho is then the pattern for all our resistance and resolve in seeing and overcoming evil, while confessing, as we do this, that the battle is the Lord’s. (Charity 166)

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Genesis 15

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1 After these things the word of Yahweh came to Abram in a vision, saying, "Don't be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward."

2 Abram said, "Lord Yahweh, what will you give me, since I go childless, and he who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?"

3 Abram said, "Behold, to me you have given no seed: and, behold, one born in my house is my heir."

4 Behold, the word of Yahweh came to him, saying, "This man will not be your heir, but he who will come forth out of your own body will be your heir."

5 Yahweh brought him outside, and said, "Look now toward the sky, and count the stars, if you are able to count them." He said to Abram, "So shall your seed be."

6 He believed in Yahweh; and he reckoned it to him for righteousness.

7 He said to him, "I am Yahweh who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give you this land to inherit it."

8 He said, "Lord Yahweh, how will I know that I will inherit it?"

9 He said to him, "Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon."

10 He brought him all of these, and divided them in the middle, and laid each half opposite the other; but he didn't divide the birds.

11 The birds of prey came down on the carcasses, and Abram drove them away.

12 When the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. Now terror and great darkness fell on him.

13 He said to Abram, "Know for sure that your seed will live as foreigners in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them. They will afflict them four hundred years.

14 I will also judge that nation, whom they will serve. Afterward they will come out with great wealth,

15 but you will go to your fathers in peace. You will be buried in a good old age.

16 In the fourth generation they will come here again, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet full."

17 It came to pass that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold, a smoking furnace, and a flaming torch passed between these pieces.

18 In that day Yahweh made a covenant with Abram, saying, "To your seed I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates:

19 the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites,

20 the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim,

21 the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites."