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JOSHUA: GOD IS SALVATION (PART SIX)

“Now Jericho was straitly shut up because of the children of Israel: none went out, and none came in.  And the LORD said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour." (Joshua 6:1, 2).   Jericho was Israel's first real test of faith after God delivered them across the swollen waters of the Jordan River.  Considered to be the oldest inhabited city in the world, Jericho sat just west of the Jordan River on an ancient trade route that led to Damascus.  It was strategically situated at the pass that led up to the central highlands that ran north and south along the heart of Canaan, and was well fortified against its enemies.  It had a double wall that was 30 feet tall.  The outer wall was 6 feet thick, and after a space of 15 feet, the inner wall was 12 feet thick.  These walls were massive and virtually impervious to frontal assault.  Once Jericho was conquered, Israel would be able t...
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JOSHUA: GOD IS SALVATION (PART FIVE)

CIRCUMCISION OF THE HEART "At that time the LORD said unto Joshua, Make thee sharp knives, and circumcise again the children of Israel the second time.   And Joshua made him sharp knives, and circumcised the children of Israel.”   (Joshua 5:2, 3).   Male circumcision may seem like a primitive - even barbarous - act.   To cut away the flesh of a child and discard it when he is eight days old is a violent exercise that results in pain and shedding of blood.   When Moses' wife Zipporah witnessed it, she said to her husband, "A bloody husband thou art, because of the circumcision." (Exodus 4:26).   Despite this, God chose circumcision as a sign of the covenant that God made with Abraham, and later, with the children of Israel.   " This is My covenant, which ye shall keep, between Me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised.   And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of t...
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JOSHUA: GOD IS SALVATION (PART FOUR)

There is a wonderful story of faith and redemption contained in the second chapter of Joshua.   It is not only a story of God's faithfulness to His people, the Jews, but it also reveals His ultimate plan to bring the Gentiles into His fold through faith.   Joshua chose two men to go to the city of Jericho as spies and discover what they could about the city's strengths and weaknesses.  They were also to gauge what the attitude of the people of Jericho was toward the advancing Israelite army.    When the two spies reached Jericho they were invited into the house of a prostitute by the name of Rahab.  The name " Rahab" is an indirect Quranic name for boys and girls that means “vast”, “spacious”, “open-minded”, or “generous”.  Rahab was all of that and more, to be sure.  Despite her profession, she feared the LORD Who had delivered these Jews from Egypt and across the Red Sea and was willing to shelter them despite the fact that they were “e...
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