Bible Talks

From: Messages of God's Love: 1953

Joshua 6:17-7:1¹⁷And the city shall be accursed, even it, and all that are therein, to the Lord: only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent. ¹⁸And ye, in any wise keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed, when ye take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it. ¹⁹But all the silver, and gold, and vessels of brass and iron, are consecrated unto the Lord: they shall come into the treasury of the Lord. ²⁰So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city. ²¹And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword. ²²But Joshua had said unto the two men that had spied out the country, Go into the harlot's house, and bring out thence the woman, and all that she hath, as ye sware unto her. ²³And the young men that were spies went in, and brought out Rahab, and her father, and her mother, and her brethren, and all that she had; and they brought out all her kindred, and left them without the camp of Israel. ²⁴And they burnt the city with fire, and all that was therein: only the silver, and the gold, and the vessels of brass and of iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the Lord. ²⁵And Joshua saved Rahab the harlot alive, and her father's household, and all that she had; and she dwelleth in Israel even unto this day; because she hid the messengers, which Joshua sent to spy out Jericho. ²⁶And Joshua adjured them at that time, saying, Cursed be the man before the Lord, that riseth up and buildeth this city Jericho: he shall lay the foundation thereof in his firstborn, and in his youngest son shall he set up the gates of it. ²⁷So the Lord was with Joshua; and his fame was noised throughout all the country. ¹But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing: for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing: and the anger of the Lord was kindled against the children of Israel. (Joshua 6:17‑7:1)

When the people gave the shout, as the Lord commanded, the walls of Jericho fell down flat—all except one small piece. It was that spot where Rehab lived, for her house was upon the wall. Her house was perfectly safe, but it surely was not because she was a good woman—for she was a notable sinner—but she had placed her faith in Jehovah, the god of Israel, and so she and all those in her house were saved. The scarlet line in the window—a beautiful figure of the blood of Christ—marked out her home and made it safe, when all the rest of the wall fell. How wonderful is the grace of god! How different to the thoughts of men!

There was one thing the people were to remember in their hour of victory, and that was that the city was cursed. They were not to take anything out of it for themselves, for it they did they would bring trouble upon themselves and upon the people of God. The silver and the gold belonged to the Lord, and these things were to come into His treasury. There is undoubtedly an important lesson for us to learn here. We are not to seek anything for ourselves in this judged scene. Abraham would not take anything from the king of Sodom that would make him indebted to him (Genesis 14:21-23²¹And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself. ²²And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the Lord, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth, ²³That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich: (Genesis 14:21‑23)), and so, just as surely as we look to the world for something, we become indebted to them, and we lose in our souls. The silver and gold, however, where be the Lord’s, and so we can use what we have for the Lord, but to seek anything here, or to make any compromise or alliance with the world in order to get something from it, is not of God. Jericho was under judgment, and everything that breathed was to be put to death, except Rehab and those in her house. The city, was to be burned with fire.

Little do we realize the awful judgement that is to fall upon this dark scene. All those who are outside of Christ will find their portion in the lake of fire, while all those who tire cleansed from their sins in the precious blood of Christ will, like Rehab and her house, he delivered unto eternal blessing. Dear reader, how is it with you?

Again there was another warning issued. A curse was put upon the one who rebuilt Jericho. As we look about in the world today, this is just what is hiking place. Men are working harder than they ever did before to make this world beautiful and gigantic improvement scheme are under way as though they would forget entirely the awful judgments that are about to fall. It could he written across every one of these projects, great or small, the solemn words of God, “reserved unto fire.” 2 Peter 3:7⁷But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. (2 Peter 3:7). How solemn this is! How little heeded or believed by the great men of the world!

But, alas, the children of Israel did the very thing that God had forbidden. How quickly they forgot or ignored due commandment of God; and how easily we too, become attached to this world, and things here. Like Achan we covet its “goodly Babylonish garments,” and its gold, to our own trouble, sorrow, and loss. And there is remember, and that is that our sins affect others. We may say, “Oh, that is my business!” but do we realize that others are affected by what we do, so that we are affected by what we do, so that we are either a help or a hindrance? Let us remember that “now of us liveth to himself” (Romans 14:7⁷For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself. (Romans 14:7)), and seek to be a help.

ML 03/08/1953

Click here to show subject links in the text for more information.