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Isus Navin 6

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1 A Jerihon se zatvori, i čuvaše se od sinova Izrailjevih; niko nije izlazio, niti je ko ulazio.

2 A Gospod reče Isusu: Evo, dajem ti u ruke Jerihon i cara njegovog i junake njegove.

3 Zato obiđite oko grada svi vojnici, idući oko grada jedanput na dan; tako učinite šest dana.

4 A sedam sveštenika neka nose sedam truba od rogova ovnujskih pred kovčegom; a sedmog dana obiđite oko grada sedam puta, i sveštenici neka trube u trube.

5 Pa kad otežući zatrube u rogove ovnujske, čim čujete glas od trube, neka poviče sav narod glasno; i zidovi će gradski popadati na svom mestu, a narod neka ulazi, svaki naprema se.

6 Tada Isus sin Navin dozva sveštenike, i reče im: Uzmite kovčeg zavetni, a sedam sveštenika neka nose sedam truba od rogova ovnujskih pred kovčegom Gospodnjim.

7 A narodu reče: Idite i obiđite oko grada, i vojnici neka idu pred kovčegom Gospodnjim.

8 A kad Isus reče narodu, sedam sveštenika noseći sedam truba od rogova ovnujskih pođoše pred Gospodom, i zatrubiše u trube, a kovčeg zaveta Gospodnjeg pođe za njima.

9 A vojnici pođoše pred sveštenicima, koji trubljahu u trube, a ostali pođoše za kovčegom; i idući trubljahu u trube.

10 A narodu zapovedi Isus govoreći: Ne vičite, i nemojte da vam se čuje glas, i nijedna reč da ne izađe iz usta vaših do dana kad vam ja kažem: Vičite; tada ćete vikati.

11 Tako obiđe kovčeg Gospodnji oko grada jednom; pa se vratiše u logor, i noćiše u logoru.

12 A sutra usta Isus rano, i sveštenici uzeše kovčeg Gospodnji.

13 I sedam sveštenika noseći sedam truba od rogova ovnujskih iđahu pred kovčegom Gospodnjim, i idući trubljahu u trube; a vojnici iđahu pred njima, a ostali iđahu za kovčegom Gospodnjim; idući trubljahu u trube.

14 I jednom obiđoše oko grada drugog dana, pa se vratiše u logor; tako učiniše šest dana.

15 A sedmog dana ustaše zorom, i obiđoše oko grada isto onako sedam puta; samo toga dana obiđoše oko grada sedam puta.

16 A kad bi sedmi put da zatrube sveštenici u trube, Isus reče narodu: Vičite, jer vam Gospod dade grad.

17 A grad da bude proklet Gospodu i šta je god u njemu; samo Rava kurva neka ostane u životu i svi koji budu kod nje u kući, jer sakri poslanike koje smo poslali.

18 Ali se čuvajte od prokletih stvari da i sami ne budete prokleti uzevši šta prokleto, i da ne navučete prokletstvo na logor Izrailjev i smetete ga.

19 Nego sve srebro i zlato i posuđe od bronze i od gvožđa neka bude sveto Gospodu, neka uđe u riznicu Gospodnju.

20 Tada povika narod i zatrubiše trube, i kad narod ču glas trubni i povika glasno, popadaše zidovi na mestu svom; i narod uđe u grad, svaki naprema se; i uzeše grad.

21 I pobiše, kao prokleto, oštrim mačem sve što beše u gradu, i žene i ljude, i decu, i starce i volove i ovce i magarce.

22 A onoj dvojici što uhodiše zemlju reče Isus: Idite u kuću one žene kurve, i izvedite nju i sve što je njeno, kao što ste joj se zakleli.

23 I otišavši oni momci što uhodiše zemlju, izvedoše Ravu i oca joj i mater joj i braću joj i šta god beše njeno, i sav rod njen izvedoše, i ostaviše ih iza logora Izrailjevog.

24 A grad spališe ognjem i šta beše u njemu; samo srebro i zlato i posuđe od bronze i od gvožđa metnuše u riznicu doma Gospodnjeg.

25 A Ravu kurvu i dom oca njenog i sve što beše njeno ostavi u životu Isus, i ona osta među Izrailjcima do danas, jer sakri poslanike koje posla Isus da uhode Jerihon.

26 I u to vreme prokle Isus govoreći: Proklet da je pred Gospodom čovek koji bi ustao da gradi ovaj grad Jerihon! Na prvencu svom osnovao ga, i na mezimcu svom postavio mu vrata!

27 I Gospod beše sa Isusom, i razglasi se ime njegovo po svoj zemlji.

   

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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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Heaven and Hell # 543

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543. I need to explain briefly how the hells are governed, though. Overall, the hells are governed by a general impingement of divine good and divine truth from the heavens through which the general effort that flows out of the hells is restrained and controlled. There is also a specific impingement from each heaven and from each community of heaven.

Specifically, the hells are governed by means of angels who are given the ability to look into the hells and check the insanities and riots there. Sometimes angels are sent there, and their very presence brings matters under control.

In general, though, all the people in the hells are governed by their fears, some by fears sown and still in place from the world. However, since these fears are not adequate and gradually weaken, they are governed through fears of punishment, which are the primary means of preventing them from doing evil. There are many kinds of punishment there, milder or more severe depending on the evil [they are restraining]. Most of the time, the relatively malevolent spirits are in power, having gained control by their experience and skill; and they are able to keep the rest in servile obedience by punishments and the fears that these give birth to. These dominant spirits do not dare go beyond fixed limits.

We do need to realize that the only way of controlling the violent rages of people in the hells is through fear of punishment. There are no other means.

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Foundation for the permission to use this translation.