I’ve written this out, but I’ve also recorded an audio version for those who might rather listen. The audio file is here, and the written version just below.
Read
Joshua 6: 16-17, 20-21
The seventh time around, when the priests sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the army, “Shout! For the Lord has given you the city! 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.
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. 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.
Think
The time comes to take Jericho – a fortress against entry into the promised land. It’s a significant physical threat, but a more significant threat is hidden within.
The people of Israel are supported by angelic armies (Joshua 5:13-15), see the walls fall by miraculous power – and are given the command to devote the city and all its inhabitants to the Lord – to kill every man and woman, young and old, cattle, sheep and donkeys.
This command sounds truly awful, and must have felt awful to carry out. How could God command such a thing?
The point is not that these people in this land were the worst, or deserved it more than others. What’s going on is that God wants to create a nation so wonderful, so good that it shines above all others – a small example of what the whole world could look like. But it requires complete obedience to him – and any trace of the new land’s would-be-gods will ruin it.
Look further along in the old testament, and we see God proved right. We see the people start to take this issue less seriously – and what begins as a glorious nation falls into ruin and exile. Look around at the world – there is no perfect nation, and there never will be by our efforts. In every culture there’s things to celebrate and admire, always something good – but there’s always more or less evil mixed in.
We hope that humanity will naturally progress towards a more loving and perfect world, but we always fall short.
Now look at Jesus. He knows how serious sin is, knows that if you want a land free from evil your only option is to destroy all the people. There’s no other choice. Unless. Unless we could be given new hearts, free from slavery to sin, able to live amongst any culture yet not be warped and twisted by it.
Friends, don’t you see that this is the kingdom of God? Better than all the best of every culture, and none of the evil. We see it in part now in the global church, we will see it in its radiant fullness when Jesus returns. We should have been destroyed, but he was destroyed for us so we can enter that kingdom. Jesus lived in a twisted society, yet at every turn he recognised all that went against God’s way and followed the narrow path – and through his sacrifice he enables us to do the same because our every evil influence and desire has been nailed to the cross:
“For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin.“ Romans 6: 6
Have you understood the seriousness of sin, or the wonder of what Jesus has given you? Thank him, and ask him to open your eyes to see where you have compromised his ways to fit into your culture, then to see how he has set you free and will lead you into fullness of life.
Pray
Father, thank you that you have called us to be a part of your kingdom. Thank you Jesus that you chose to be destroyed for us so that we could be set free from everything that leads to heartache and pain and death.
Please help us to see where we have compromised your ways and settled for something less than your kingdom. Forgive us, fill us with your Spirit and help us to live as you ask us to, so that your kingdom would extend, more people would be saved, and you would be praised.
Amen.