Dec 29thDevotion Joshua 5:13-15 Those Who Trust Are Not Disappointed Part 1

Joshua 6:1-27 – Now the gates of Jericho were securely barred because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in.  2 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. 3 March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. 4 Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. 5 When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have the whole army give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the army will go up, everyone straight in.”  6 So Joshua son of Nun called the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant of the Lord and have seven priests carry trumpets in front of it.” 7 And he ordered the army, “Advance! March around the city, with an armed guard going ahead of the ark of the Lord.” 8 When Joshua had spoken to the people, the seven priests carrying the seven trumpets before the Lord went forward, blowing their trumpets, and the ark of the Lord’s covenant followed them. 9 The armed guard marched ahead of the priests who blew the trumpets, and the rear guard followed the ark. All this time the trumpets were sounding. 10 But Joshua had commanded the army, “Do not give a war cry, do not raise your voices, do not say a word until the day I tell you to shout. Then shout!” 11 So he had the ark of the Lord carried around the city, circling it once. Then the army returned to camp and spent the night there.  12 Joshua got up early the next morning and the priests took up the ark of the Lord. 13 The seven priests carrying the seven trumpets went forward, marching before the ark of the Lord and blowing the trumpets. The armed men went ahead of them and the rear guard followed the ark of the Lord, while the trumpets kept sounding. 14 So on the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. They did this for six days.  15 On the seventh day, they got up at daybreak and marched around the city seven times in the same manner, except that on that day they circled the city seven times. 16 The seventh time around, when the priests sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the army, “Shout! For the Lord has given you the city! 17 The city and all that is in it are to be devoted to the Lord. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall be spared, because she hid the spies we sent. 18 But keep away from the devoted things, so that you will not bring about your own destruction by taking any of them. Otherwise you will make the camp of Israel liable to destruction and bring trouble on it. 19 All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron are sacred to the Lord and must go into his treasury.”  20 When the trumpets sounded, the army shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the men gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so everyone charged straight in, and they took the city. 21 They devoted the city to the Lord and destroyed with the sword every living thing in it—men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep and donkeys.  22 Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, “Go into the prostitute’s house and bring her out and all who belong to her, in accordance with your oath to her.” 23 So the young men who had done the spying went in and brought out Rahab, her father and mother, her brothers and sisters and all who belonged to her. They brought out her entire family and put them in a place outside the camp of Israel.  24 Then they burned the whole city and everything in it, but they put the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron into the treasury of the Lord’s house. 25 But Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her family and all who belonged to her, because she hid the men Joshua had sent as spies to Jericho—and she lives among the Israelites to this day.  26 At that time Joshua pronounced this solemn oath: “Cursed before the Lord is the one who undertakes to rebuild this city, Jericho: “At the cost of his firstborn son he will lay its foundations; at the cost of his youngest he will set up its gates.”  27 So the Lord was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout the land.

The residents of Jericho were afraid.  They had heard of how the God of Israel went before them and protected them. They had heard of the great miracles he had done and that Israel had overcome all adversaries.  They were afraid that they would lose their city, lose their riches and their property, and perhaps even lose their lives.  So they came up with the best plan they could think of.  They had built fortified walls around their city so that they thought they were safe.   They felt secure in all their plans.  Yet, they had not thought to go out to the Israelites to try to make a peace agreement with them.  They instead would trust themselves to withstand, or defeat the God of the Israelites.  Still today that is a bad plan.

God told Joshua what to do when they came to Jericho (as described in Vs. 3-5).  God assured them the victory if they would do as the Lord told them.

Joshua, who had proven himself faithful in the scouting out of the Promised Land and so he would do exactly what the Lord told Him to do.  Now let’s face it, the commands that the Lord gave to Joshua probably sounded odd.  Why march silently around a strong fort that had to that day, had been unbreachable? It seemed an odd plan but Joshua did not doubt.  His faith was bulletproof.  Joshua remembered what the Lord had done and so no matter how weird the commands of God seemed, He would do it.  God says go, he went.  God says stop, he stops.  No questions asked.  And this order would have seemed very odd, except that it came from God. God made it all reasonable.

As God had done for Joshua He has given us, and more. He has given to us proof in the Word and in our life experiences to also know not to doubt God.  Think about it.

Joshua’s birth name was Hoshea.  Moses had changed his name from Hoshea to Joshua.  Moses changed his name before the twelve, who were selected to go and scout out the Promised Land, had left to do so.  Hoshea meant “salvation.”  Joshua meant “the LORD is salvation.”   So Joshua’s name had meant just “salvation” and became the more specific of “the LORD is salvation.”  Thus the Lord gave Joshua a name meaning that salvation of His people would come only from Him, and not from themselves or any other.  Salvation is not hoped for into the mist of the universe, but is placed solely in the LORD.  So Later when fearsome giants were found in the land, Joshua could think back to his changed name and could be comforted by that statement to him from God.  The Lord God had given Joshua that name to be a comfort and a promise to His people that no matter the circumstances faced they would not be overcome because it is the One God, the God of Israel, who was their protector and provider.  God does everything with a reason.  So ten of the twelve who had been sent feared because of what seemed like undefeatable opponents.  But Joshua and Caleb did not fear because they trusted in the salvation of the Lord.  A salvation that God had previously had shown to them His ability to do.  Joshua had faith, bolstered by his name change.  That name caused Joshua to not fear the enemy before him.  He didn’t fear the giants in the land, or any other enemy that they would come to face.  He stood unmovable in His faith of the Lord and He was never disappointed by the Lord.

It is the same for us.  What God has said we believe.  We believe and do not waiver as our relationship with Him grows.  When we really know who God is and what God is then we do not fear.  What He declares comes true.  God has declared Himself our salvation and as trust Him our faith becomes sure reality and we come to the point where we, like Peter, know there are no options for salvation other than Jesus.  (John 6:67-69)  In Him we stand.  There is no other.  Praise God!

Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.  Praise the Lord!

Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will Hear me.

Micah 6:8 – He has shown you, Oh man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.

Numbers 6:24-26 The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 The Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.