Joshua 6 -- Destroy It ALL. Why?

My commentary talked about how many of the militant songs have been eliminated from our hymnbooks.  But “in Genesis 3:15 God declares war on Satan … If you eliminate the militant side of the Christian faith, then you must abandon the cross, for it was on the cross that Jesus won the victory over sin and Satan.”  It said that emphasizing peace and goodwill yet ignoring the spiritual battle against sin means we’ve already lost the battle and are working for the enemy.  Satan is certainly at war with us.  If we don’t fight back at God’s direction, we will find ourselves losing ground just as our country does when it fails to take on the attacks from terrorist groups.

 

In God’s instructions for capturing and defeating Jericho, the people had “to reckon on this truth.”  My commentary says “to reckon means to count as true in your life what God says about you in His Word.  It’s possible to believe a promise and still not reckon on it and obey the Lord.  Believing a promise is like accepting a check, but reckoning is like endorsing the check and cashing it.”  So the Israelites believed the promise and followed the instructions, and the walls fell down.

 

As they entered the city, God’s instructions were to destroy everything.  In this, my commentary said, “God is telling us that He will tolerate no compromise with sin in the lives of His people.  The Canaanites had known of God for at least 440 years, since Abraham had walked that land, and they had utterly rejected Him.  “Jericho was a wicked city, and sin is only fuel for the holy wrath of God.”

 

Father, thanks for showing me the importance of reckoning Your promises to be true for my life.  Thank You, too, for the reminder that You will tolerate no compromise with sin in the lives of Your people.

 

Your Brother In Christ,

 

 

Gary Ford