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“Cursed be the man before the Lord, that riseth up and buildeth this city Jericho” (Joshua 6:26).
“In his days did Hiel the Bethelite build Jericho: he laid the foundation thereof in Abiram his firstborn, and set up the gates thereof in his youngest son Segub, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake by Joshua the son of Nun” (1 Kings 16:34).
Jericho was a wicked city, and through Joshua the Lord pronounced a curse on whoever rebuilt it. For more than 500 years Israel respected this, but finally in the days of a wicked king named Ahab a man named Hiel rebuilt the city. Possibly they thought that God had forgotten what He had said back in Joshua’s time, but God does not forget. It is a serious thing to disobey the word of the Lord, and Hiel’s family suffered because of it. Although it is not totally clear from the wording in our KJV Bible, I believe it means that rebuilding Jericho cost Hiel the lives of two of his sons. What a big price to pay for disobedience! It is important to respect what the Lord tells us, and to obey Him.
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