From verse 1-4 Joshua admonished the children of Israel giving the specific instructions as they cross Jordan. He made a significant statement of how they have not been through the route before and the distance they need to keep from the ark of covenant that the Levitical priest would carry.
It is often said that a life that lacks direction will easily walk into doom. Joshua knew the importance of ensuring that the people have the information they needed for them to follow the details and instructions God had given to him. When we have leaders that are willing and able to share details that puts us in the right path that God wants us to go, it is important to listen and obey.
Verse 5 -13 Joshua asked the people to purify themselves before God because He is about to do great wonders. Purification in the Bible days involved removal of legal uncleanness, it can also be termed as repentance from sin. We are aware that God loves the sinners but detest the sin. So here the children of Israel are told to come out of uncleanliness. Joshua gave specific instructions to everyone including the priests and the Lord spoke to him in verse 7 that, He will make him a great leader and will be with him as He was with Moses. Joshua ensured that he informed the children of Israel what God had said and prepared them ahead of the journey according to the plans of God.
Leadership is not easy, when it's now spiritual leadership, you must stay connected to God because without God your spiritual leadership skills can't be sharpened.
Verse 14 -17 the Lord did great wonder as the priest stepped into the river Jordan, the river started flowing in different directions making the river bed dry enough for the children of Israel to cross. The priest stood in the middle of the river bed with the ark of covenant they waited there until the children of Israel had finally crossed the dry ground.
The assignment of God can be dangerous at times but He will always give us the strength we need. God will never put you on a journey without providing the strength and specific direction you need to accomplish His purpose on that journey. Imagine how tiring it woul have been for the priests carrying the ark of covenant to stay in the middle of the river until the entire nation of Israel had crossed. God gave them the strength they required at that point. Always seek for His strength.
Joshua 4
When all the people had crossed the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, “Now choose twelve men, one from each tribe. Tell them, ‘Take twelve stones from the very place where the priests are standing in the middle of the Jordan. Carry them out and pile them up at the place where you will camp tonight.’” So Joshua called together the twelve men he had chosen—one from each of the tribes of Israel. He told them, “Go into the middle of the Jordan, in front of the Ark of the Lord your God. Each of you must pick up one stone and carry it out on your shoulder—twelve stones in all, one for each of the twelve tribes of Israel. We will use these stones to build a memorial. In the future your children will ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ Then you can tell them, ‘They remind us that the Jordan River stopped flowing when the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant went across.’ These stones will stand as a memorial among the people of Israel forever.” So the men did as Joshua had commanded them. They took twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan River, one for each tribe, just as the Lord had told Joshua. They carried them to the place where they camped for the night and constructed the memorial there. Joshua also set up another pile of twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan, at the place where the priests who carried the Ark of the Covenant were standing. And they are there to this day. The priests who were carrying the Ark stood in the middle of the river until all of the Lord’s commands that Moses had given to Joshua were carried out. Meanwhile, the people hurried across the riverbed. And when everyone was safely on the other side, the priests crossed over with the Ark of the Lord as the people watched. Joshua 4:1-11 NLT
Verse 1 to 11 documented how the children of Israel crossed Jordan and the instruction God gave Joshua. It is important to note that things were not done hurriedly. They followed every instruction. God told them to get twelve stones to represent the twelve tribes of Israel so they can show it as an evidence to their children of how God brought them to the land as they crossed Jordan on dry ground.
God never do things without a solid prove that His hands are on it or He is involved. The stones found under a natural body of water looks different from stones just on the surface of the earth. They are more polished, some of which are used to produce jewelry. The stones the Israelites picked from river Jordan serves as memorial of the wonder acts of God almighty.
Verse 12 -18
God brough the children of Israel through Jordan and He also fulfilled His word of making Joshua great before the children of Israel. It is documented that the men from the tribe of Reuben, Gad and half tribe of Manasseh were 40,000 string and they were ready for the battle in Jericho. As the children of Israel finally crossed and Joshua asked the priest carrying the ark of covenant to come out to the highersl ground. When their feet touched the high ground from the river bed, the water of Jordan returned back and overflowed its banks.
There is no creature, entity or anything on earth that God can't control and here is a reminder for us that God have power over all systems because He created everything.
Verse 19- 21
After they had crossed the Jordan and camped in Gilgal the east of Jericho, Joshua pilled the twelve stones they had taken from Jordan River. He informed the children of Israel that their children will ask them what the stone means in the future and they need to tell them the story of how God dried up the river or Jordan just as He did at the red sea so they can fear the almighty God and His wonderful acts.
Joshua 5
Verse 1 the Amorite kings west of Jordan, all the Canaanite Kings heard of how God dried up the Jordan River for the children of Israel to cross and they were paralyzed with fear. When God is your backbone and your main source and support even authorities far and near will be fearful of who you are. Note that these areas mentioned the children of Israel were yet to even physically arrived there but news had traveled about the wonderful act of God in their lives.
Verse 2- 8
The Lord instructed Joshua to curcumcise the second generation of Israel because the ones that were circumcised who were old enough to fight had died in the wilderness due to their disobedience and God said they will not get to the promise land.
It was not old age that made these people die, it was sin, so sin can hinder a person from getting what God had promised them. What a waste of destiny and fulfillment of purpose. John 10:10
says the enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy but I have come to give you life more abundantly. Sin is a tactic the enemy uses to derail a man or woman of purpose, we must be vigilant of things that seem okay and pleasant but gradually details and ruins ones purpose just as the circumcised Israelites that died before getting to the promise land.
After their circumcision they took time to rest and heal up in the camp. It is okay to spend time to heal, some circumcision might be of our hearts when God rips something's off us, it is okay to spend time to recuperate and regain strength to furge ahead in the journey, don't carry on in the journey with wounds and pain, heal up first.
Verse 9 -12
The Lord gave Joshua a word that He had rolled away the shame of slavery from Egypt hence the name of the place was called Gilgal "circle of stones or rolling of stones." Whilst they were at Gilgal they celebrated the Passover and they began eating the unleavened bread and roasted grain they harvested from the land. Manna ceased to fall. It's recorded in Exodus 16:35 how manna stopped after 40 years. Also here it's recorded that manna ceased which may imply God provided for them supernaturally. Once they arrived a habitation they could get normal grain, the supernatural provision ceased.
Verse 13 -15
Joshua encountered the Lord's commander as he was nearing the town of Jericho and he asked if he was a friend or foe. The commander introduced himself to Joshua, Joshual fell in reverence and to his command and the commander told him to take off his shoe because he was standing on a holy ground.
From here we can see that God will never send us on a journey he has not gone ahead of us already. This commander was Jesus because Jesus Christ is the Commander of the Lord's Army.
Today ask Him to go ahead of you as you yield to His teaching and leading.
If the commander was just any angel he won't have asked Joshua to take his sandal off. Abraham entertained Angels, Lot did as well but when you encounter Christ in the scripture especially in the old testament there is always a reverence to standing on holy ground. When you study the word of God always study with the help of the Holy Spirit so you can have a better understanding.
Joshua 6
Now the gates of Jericho were tightly shut because the people were afraid of the Israelites. No one was allowed to go out or in. But the Lord said to Joshua, “I have given you Jericho, its king, and all its strong warriors. You and your fighting men should march around the town once a day for six days. Seven priests will walk ahead of the Ark, each carrying a ram’s horn. On the seventh day you are to march around the town seven times, with the priests blowing the horns. When you hear the priests give one long blast on the rams’ horns, have all the people shout as loud as they can. Then the walls of the town will collapse, and the people can charge straight into the town.”
Joshua 6:1-5 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/jos.6.1-5.NLT
God informed Joshua that He has given Jericho to him. Prior to that the people of Jericho had shut their gates tight because of fear. Even with their security and all, they were already given to Israelites by God. Their physical security and trained men of war were not fit enough to stand this battle because it's the Lord's.
When God goes ahead of a man in any battle, it's no longer the man that fights the battle but God almighty.
Verse 6- 14
Joshua gave the instructions they were meant to follow, the priest carried the ark of covenant and the people followed quietly. They were told not to make noise. They marched around the camp following the same pattern for six days. No one argued, no one said but God has given us the land why do we have to go through this routine. They obeyed dilligently, doing all that was required of them. This was not just obedience but team work, they carried each others burden, they worked towards a set goal.
Verse 15- 21
On the seventh day, they got up doing thesame thing, but the seventh day they went round the city seven times. It appeared as though the previous days was preparing them for the main day and the seventh time the priest blasted the horns and commanded the people to shout. Joshua then reminded them that Jericho and everything in it must be destroyed except Rahab and her family because sheprotected the spies. The children of Israel were warned not to take anything for personal use. The gold, silver and bronze must be brough into the treasure sacred to the Lord. And Jericho and everything was destroyed.
Verse 22 -27
Joshua sent the two spies to go get Rahab and her family. After which Israel burnt everything in the town except the silver, gold and bronze that was brought to the treasury. Then Joshua placed a curse in verse 26 specifically on whoever plans to rebuild Jericho and the reputation of Joshua grew.
Joshua was willing to be used by God from the times of Moses, he was always ready to served and be sent. It is not a shock that He was available to be used by God and how God used Him to lead the children of Israel to promise land. It pays to obey God and serve Him dilligently.
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