Joshua 6-10

A whole lot of bloodshed in these five chapters! We begin at Jericho with the march around the wall for seven straight days. I guess one of those days would have had to have been a Sabbath, right? I wonder if the Pharisees thought about all that "work" their ancestors performed.

Destoying cities everywhere. Jericho completely destroyed except for Rahab and her family, who were given a place to live outside the camp of Israel. Also Achan's stolen booty was from Jericho, although it was eventually found. Interesting detail that the silver was on the bottom and the gold and robe on top. I wonder what the significance of that was.

Ai wins one because of Israel's disobedience. Then Israel sets the ambush "behind" the city. Joshua's force came from the north, but the ambush force came from the west, not the south. I guess either Joshua didn't head for the front gates or there is something in the geography that would make west "behind" the city. Or possibly the ambush force went 90 degrees around the city to enter it. I doubt that one will ever be cleared up.

Joshua reinforces the Covenant after the victory at Ai. The people gathered before the two mountains and Joshua read every word of the Law. Repetition. Reminders.

The folks from Gibeon pull a fast one on Joshua and the elders. Still I wonder how they knew that Joshua would live up to his oath. Certainly someone who had apparently been so bloodthirsty wouldn't necessarily honor an oath made by deception. Probably the only chance they thought they had. The moldy bread was a nice touch.

Then comes bloody chapter ten. The five kings attack Gibeon and Israel comes to their aid. Probably a convenient reason to go off to take care of those nations. The armies are routed and only a few escape. The five kings who had been hiding in a cave were brought out to face Joshua. The Israelite army commanders were told to step on the necks of the kings in symbolic domination. Then Joshua repeats the instructions which he was given in chapter one. "Be strong and courageous." Joshua is passing along the wisdom. He has obviously found it useful.

The longest day passage reads like a heroic story with God as the mightiest warrior. As Joshua had summoned the sun to remain in the sky until the battle was over, I was reminded of Moses holding his arms aloft (and eventually held up by Joshua) as the Israelites were fighting before the crossing of the Jordan. Even the notation of Joshua's outstreached javelin in 8:26 runs this familiar theme.

Finally, the cities of the five kings are utterly destroyed as well as a few other nations before Joshua brings the troops home. Why would God want so many "innocent" people killed? Well, they were hardly innocent. This was God's judgment upon peoples who engaged in horrible practices like child sacrifice and other horrid things. These were not people who were essentially good. God used the armies of Israel in judgment just as He used foreign armies to bring judgment upon Israel and Judah years later.

Oh, and I'm guessing that Israelites didn't move a lot of rocks. How many notations of rocks "being there to this day" were in this passage. (Then add the rocks from the Jordan set up at Gilgal in the previous section. Ebenezers. Monuments. Remember. We cannot overlook the history of God's provision for Israel or for us.