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Tonight we've crossed the River 
Jordan, we have entered the land, and now we are going to take 
possession of the land. Notice my use of we. We're right there with the children 
of Israel. And this passage, this chapter, 
deals with circumcision. Interestingly enough, is that 
why you brought up the question? That's what I was thinking. Circumcision, 
Passover, and then we'll go to chapter 6, verse 5, because I 
think that this commander of the Lord's army that's introduced 
to us in chapter 5 at verse 13, I think it is him that is giving 
the instructions to Joshua in chapter 6 verses 2 to 5. So we've got circumcision, Passover, 
and the commander of the Lord's army. Dale Ralph Davis calls 
this section celebrating the sacraments, and Woodstra calls 
it covenant sign and covenant meal. And that is precisely what's 
going on. So we'll just begin reading in 
Joshua 5 verse 1. So it was when all the kings 
of the Amorites who were on the west side of the Jordan and all 
the kings of the Canaanites who were by the sea heard that the 
Lord had dried up the waters of the Jordan from before the 
children of Israel until we had crossed over, that their heart 
melted and there was no spirit in them any longer because of 
the children of Israel. At that time, the Lord said to 
Joshua, make flint knives for yourself and circumcise the sons 
of Israel again the second time. So Joshua made flint knives for 
himself and circumcised the sons of Israel at the hill of the 
four skins. And this is the reason why Joshua 
circumcised them. all the people who came out of 
Egypt who were males, all the men of war, had died in the wilderness 
on the way, after they had come out of Egypt. For all the people 
who came out had been circumcised, but all the people born in the 
wilderness, on the way as they came out of Egypt, had not been 
circumcised. For the children of Israel walked 
40 years in the wilderness, till all the people who were men of 
war, who came out of Egypt, were consumed. because they did not 
obey the voice of the Lord, to whom the Lord swore that he would 
not show them the land which the Lord had sworn to their fathers 
that he would give us, a land flowing with milk and honey. 
And Joshua circumcised their sons whom he raised up in their 
place, for they were uncircumcised, because they had not been circumcised 
on the way. So it was when they had finished 
circumcising all the people that they stayed in their places in 
the camp till they were healed. Then the Lord said to Joshua, 
this day I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you. Therefore, 
the name of the place is called Gilgal to this day. Now the children 
of Israel camped in Gilgal and kept the Passover on the 14th 
day of the month at twilight on the plains of Jericho. And 
they ate of the produce of the land on the day after the Passover, 
unleavened bread and parched grain on the very same day. Then the manna ceased on the 
day after they had eaten the produce of the land. And the 
children of Israel no longer had manna, but they ate the food 
of the land of Canaan that year. And it came to pass when Joshua 
was by Jericho that he lifted his eyes and looked. And behold, 
a man stood opposite him with his sword drawn in his hand. 
And Joshua went to him and said to him, are you for us or for 
our adversaries? So he said, no, but as commander 
of the army of the Lord, I have now come. And Joshua fell on 
his face to the earth and worshiped and said to him, what does my 
Lord say to his servant? And the commander of the Lord's 
army said to Joshua, take your sandal off your foot for the 
place where you stand is holy. And Joshua did so. Jericho was 
securely shut up because of the children of Israel. None went 
out and none came in. And the Lord said to Joshua, 
see, I have given Jericho into your hand, its king, and the 
mighty men of valor. You shall march around the city, 
all you men of war. You shall go all around the city 
once. This you shall do six days. And 
seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of ram's horns before 
the ark. But the seventh day you shall 
march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the 
trumpets. It shall come to pass when they make a long blast with 
the ram's horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, 
that all the people shall shout with a great shout. And the wall 
of the city will fall down flat, and the people shall go up, every 
man straight before him. Amen. Well, as we consider this 
particular section, as I mentioned, verses 1 to 9 deal with the circumcision 
of the second generation. Verses 10 to 12 deal with the 
celebration of the Passover. And then beginning in chapter 
5 at verse 13, we are introduced to the commander of the Lord's 
army. So sacramental observance going 
on and then encouragement by the commander of the Lord's army 
prior to their taking the land. So let's look at the circumcision 
of the second generation. Verses 1 and 2 tell us the response 
by the Canaanites when the children of Israel marched across the 
River Jordan. It says, so it was when all the 
kings of the Amorites who were on the west side, remember, they 
had been on the east side, God parts the River Jordan for them 
and they cross through the river. Now they are on the west side 
of the river. So having come through and being 
now currently gathered on the west side, All the kings of the 
Amorites who were on the west side of the Jordan and all the 
kings of the Canaanites who were by the sea heard that the Lord 
had dried up the waters of the Jordan from before the children 
of Israel until we had crossed over, that their heart melted 
and there was no spirit in them any longer because of the children 
of Israel. You remember back in Joshua 2. I know it was a long, long time 
ago when we studied Joshua chapter 2. Remember, this is precisely 
the same thing that Rahab the harlot said when we heard about 
how the Lord God opened the Red Sea for you She says, I know 
that the Lord has given you the land, that the terror of you 
has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land are 
fainthearted because of you. For we have heard how the Lord 
dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out 
of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites 
who were on the other side of the Jordan, Sion and Og, whom 
you utterly destroyed. And as soon as we heard these 
things, our hearts melted. neither did there remain any 
more courage in anyone because of you for the Lord your God 
he is God in heaven above and on earth beneath." So the same 
effect is had upon these Amorites and Canaanites on the west side 
of the Jordan when God the Lord acts on behalf of Israel and 
he heaps up the waters of the river Jordan into one place so 
that they can then cross through unscathed, the peoples of the 
land hear, the peoples of the land witness, and the peoples 
of the land fear and tremble. So as their heart melted, there 
was no spirit in them any longer because of the children of Israel. 
Now, this is key in this chapter for two reasons. First of all, 
it indicates why these Canaanites didn't immediately confront them 
in battle. They didn't immediately jump 
into the fray with the children of Israel. They did not charge 
them. Rather, their hearts melted. 
fearful, there was no spirit any longer in them because of 
what God the Lord had done. But as well, too, it will give 
Israel time to recover and to heal from the circumcision. This isn't something that you 
go in have done and then enter into the battlefield. In fact, 
as we read through the chapter, we see in verse 8, so it was 
when they had finished circumcising all the people, where was it 
that they were healed? Oh, verse 10. Let's see here. Verse 8, So it was when they 
had finished circumcising all the people that they stayed in 
their places in the camp till they were healed. So the fact 
is they have a respite from battle immediately because of what God 
has done with reference to the river Jordan. And so this then 
gives them time to engage in these sacraments of circumcision 
and Passover. So it is a mercy from God giving 
them or purchasing this time for them. And then notice specifically 
the command to Joshua in verses 2 and 3. I don't think we're 
supposed to surmise that Joshua was actually the knife maker 
and Joshua was actually the circumciser. I think rather Joshua was the 
overseer to make sure all of this was carried out. Gil says, 
not that Joshua circumcised them himself any more than he made 
the knives himself, but he ordered both to be done and took care 
that they were done. So God tells him in verse 2, 
make flint knives for yourself and circumcise the sons of Israel 
again the second time. Now some have taken this reference 
to the second time to say that their initial circumcision was 
not complete. It was not full. Most of the 
ancient people's practice and most many of the ancient peoples 
practiced circumcision. Circumcision predates Abraham. The commentators say that circumcision 
was found on just about every continent. Most of the Canaanites 
practiced circumcision, with the exception of the Philistines. So circumcision was a widespread 
situation. And so when we read here that 
he was to make flint knives for yourself and circumcise the sons 
of Israel again the second time, some have said that the children 
of Israel in their initial circumcision imbibed the customs of the nations 
around them and did not have the entirety of the foreskin 
cut off. I realize this is a bit of a 
delicate subject, but that's not what's going on here. I think 
the idea is, as we move through the passage, it's evident that 
they were not circumcised. That's the problem. Joshua has 
to circumcise them. I think it's the giving of this 
commandment again. When they come out of Egypt, 
there is a circumcision. Now they're entering into Canaan. This is the second time. The 
first generation was circumcised according to God's command. The 
second generation was not circumcised. I think that's the reference 
to circumcise the sons of Israel again the second time. It's not 
to finish the job that wasn't done initially, rather it simply 
means to take these uncircumcised ones and circumcise them. And 
it's interesting, the use of flint knives. You remember Zipporah, 
Moses' wife, that circumcised her son and threw the foreskin 
at his feet. She used a flint, a flint rod. So this One of the commentators 
suggested this was in use, this was a common use for this particular 
type of rock in order to commit or to engage in this act of circumcision. And then notice the compliance 
with the command in verse 3. So Joshua made flint knives for 
himself and circumcised the sons of Israel at the hill of the 
four skins. So Gil, as I've already quoted 
Hath, he says, and as any that had skill might make the knives, 
so might any circumcise. Circumcision was not restrained 
to any order of men, not to the priests and Levites, but any 
might perform it, so that though the number to be circumcised 
was great, it might soon be finished." So there is the response by the 
Canaanites, verses 1 and 2, gives them this opportunity, the command 
given to Joshua, verses 2 and 3, And then notice in verses 
4 to 6, the reason for the command. The reason for the command is 
specified in verse 4. This is the reason why Joshua 
circumcised them. All the people who came out of 
Egypt who were males, all the men of war had died in the wilderness 
on the way after they had come out of Egypt. For all the people 
who came out had been circumcised, but all the people born in the 
wilderness on the way as they came out of Egypt had not been 
circumcised. So this is the problem. Very 
interesting. That first generation who come 
out of Egypt, they receive the covenant sign. They receive circumcision. But that didn't mean their hearts 
were circumcised. Notice what he says in verse 
6. For the children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, 
till all the people who were men of war who came out of Egypt 
were consumed, because they did not obey the voice of the Lord. So the presence of physical circumcision 
does not necessarily result in obedience to God's commands. 
And this was a stipulation and a command given by God through 
Abraham that all of his descendants would in fact be circumcised. So this first generation who 
obeyed the command to get circumcised for themselves certainly did 
not obey the command to circumcise their young ones. Some say that 
this was a judgment from God and God held them or kept them 
from getting circumcision, but the text nowhere says that. Nowhere 
do we find in Exodus Leviticus or Exodus Numbers specifically 
that God was withholding this from them. The text is silent. 
What we find here specifically is that they were disobedient, 
they did not obey the voice of the Lord. And this ultimately 
is why God destroyed them and why God would not allow them 
to enter into the promised land. Numbers 14 is very clear on this 
whole issue. God swears in His wrath that 
they will not enter into His rest. And so God determines then 
to destroy that first generation. That does not invalidate His 
oath made to the fathers, as is specified here. It does not 
nullify the oath that was made to the fathers. He promised to 
Abraham that in him the nations would be blessed. There would 
be a land, there would be seed, there would be blessing. all 
those things. Well, this first generation, 
they rejected it through their faithlessness and their disobedience. And so it says that the Lord 
swore to them that He would not show them the land which the 
Lord had sworn to their fathers. So God's covenantal promise is 
going to be fulfilled regardless, ultimately, even of the faithlessness 
of the first generation. You see, some would read this 
and say, wait a minute, God swore and then he swore to keep them 
out. No, their faithlessness does not invalidate and does 
not cancel out his faithfulness. He destroys the first generation, 
but he then blesses the second generation because he has sworn 
with his oath that to Abraham he would give this seed, He would 
give this land, He would give this blessing. So the circumcised 
first generation disobeyed with reference to circumcising the 
second generation. Now remember that circumcision 
itself was a sign of the covenant in verse 11. Circumcision was 
obligatory. Circumcision was necessary in 
terms of covenant membership. In fact, in Exodus 12, in verse 
48, no uncircumcised man could participate in the Passover meal. So there is a specific order 
even in Joshua chapter 5. We have circumcision preceding 
the Passover meal. If you're not circumcised, you're 
not allowed to eat the Passover meal. So circumcision was necessary 
within the covenant community in Old Testament Israel. So God 
tells Joshua to engage in this activity, to take care of business 
here in Gilgal in order to fit the men for service and faithfulness. I think the argument sort of 
goes like this, God makes this covenant with Abraham to give 
them this land, to give them seed, to give them blessing. 
Well now they've actually entered into the land, so God says you 
need to take the sign, you need to have the covenant sign in 
your body so that you may be faithful in the land that the 
Lord your God is giving unto you. So that's the flow of the 
narrative at this particular juncture. junction. And then 
notice the compliance or obedience in verses 7 and 9. Joshua circumcised 
their sons whom he raised up in their place for they were 
uncircumcised because they had not been circumcised on the way. So they were in essence heathen 
or pagans or Gentile types. And so God wants to clean that 
up, get them in order so that they are fit to dwell in the 
land that he is giving to them. So it was when they had finished 
circumcising all the people, that they stayed in their places 
in the camp till they were healed. Then the Lord said to Joshua, 
this day I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you. Therefore, 
the name of the place is called Gilgal to this day. So the sons 
were circumcised, the men healed, and the Lord removed the reproach 
from Israel. Gilgal, if you notice in your 
margin there, it's related to that word roll. He's rolled away 
the reproach of Egypt from you this day. And then that brings 
us to the celebration of the Passover. Notice in verse 10, 
now the children of Israel camped in Gilgal and kept the Passover 
on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight on the plains 
of Jericho. Plains of Jericho there indicate 
for us, foreshadows what's coming up in the next chapters. Now 
they're on the west side of the Jordan River, they've left the 
plains of Moab, they're in the plains of Jericho. The keen reader 
is going, okay we're getting ready, we're gonna conquer this 
land. That's what the author is doing. He's building up that 
suspense or he's building up that tension or that crescendo 
to get us right on board with him. And then notice the date 
is mentioned there specifically. We already saw back in Joshua 
chapter 4. They come from the Jordan on 
the tenth day of the first month and they camped in Gilgal on 
the east border of Jericho. Remember back in Exodus 12, 2 
and 3, this was the date they were to remember the Passover, 
on that 10th day of the first month, which is Nisan. Now the 
book of Exodus also specified, though, that when they entered 
into the land, even though it's the 14th day and not the 10th 
day, when they enter into the land, Exodus 13, verse 5, says 
when they enter into the land, there they will celebrate the 
Passover. So that's what's going on here. 
They're rejoicing before God Most High because He has liberated 
them, He has freed them from the house of bondage, and He 
has brought them to this place of great blessing. They are to 
recall God's redemption. They are to recall His great 
power. They are to recall that blood 
put over the doorframe so that the angel of the Lord would pass 
over and not destroy them. This was a great event in Israel's 
history. It was a great time for them 
to celebrate and to remind their children of what God had done, 
similar to the way we take the Lord's Supper. We're remembering 
a great redemptive event associated with the blood of Christ and 
the way that God passes over us instead of destroying us and 
throwing us into hell and utter abandonment. He has dealt thus 
with his son and spared us. So they are celebrating the Passover. And then notice in verses 11 
and 12, It says, they ate of the produce of the land on the 
day after the Passover, unleavened bread and parched grain on the 
very same day. Then the manna ceased on the 
day after they had eaten the produce of the land. And the 
children of Israel no longer had manna, but they ate the food 
of the land of Canaan that year. And one of the commentators said 
that any time Passover is mentioned, the lamb that was roasted for 
the Passover feast was always mentioned. I didn't have time 
to check every reference. But notice, when they instituted 
the Passover, or when you had this Passover meal, there was 
a special diet or a special menu. None of those things are mentioned 
at this Passover feast. It's not to suggest that those 
things aren't important, but you know what's interesting and 
what's repeated three times for emphasis in verses 11 and 12 
is that they ate the produce of the land. They ate the produce 
of the land. They ate the produce of the land. They entered into the land that 
God had promised and they were reaping the benefit that God 
had promised. Remember they went to this land 
because it was a good land that flowed with milk and honey. It 
was a good land that yielded grain. It was a good land that 
had vineyards. It was a good land that produced 
abundantly. And so when we read in verses 
11 and 12, of the produce of the land. After they had eaten 
the produce of the land, but they ate the food of the land 
of Canaan that year, it's as if the author is saying, look, 
this is what we've been waiting for. This is what that 40 years 
of wilderness wandering has led to. The Lord our God is faithful. And he is so faithful that we 
don't need manna anymore. Notice verse 12, Then the manna 
ceased on the day after they had eaten the produce of the 
land, and the children of Israel no longer had manna, but they 
ate the food of the land of Canaan that year. Now, isn't that beautiful? God had given them manna to sustain 
them throughout the wilderness. They come into the land, they 
eat the produce of the land, they don't need the manna anymore. 
Now, are we to assume that the cessation of the miraculous gift 
of manna means the cessation of God's providential care? Absolutely not. God is as sovereign 
in the planting of seed, in the sun shining upon it, in watering 
that seed, causing it to grow, and being produced for the children 
of Israel. He is as sovereign and as sustaining 
and as beneficent in that activity as he is in providing manna from 
heaven. You know, earlier we talked about 
a young man whose car flipped and he landed in the water. And 
God, by all intents and appearances, miraculously spared him. Now, here's what I fear that 
we often overlook, is that every single day, we likewise get into 
cars, and we don't flip into rivers. We all made it here safely 
tonight. We have all had breath today. 
We've all had food. We've all had drink. God is as 
sovereign in providing that daily sustenance and safety to us as 
He is in sparing a young man who flipped his car and ended 
up in the river. The cessation of manna does not 
mean the cessation of God's providence. God operates in the midst of 
seed time and harvest when the ground yields plentifully to 
produce food for His people. So these brethren were not saying, 
wait a minute, where's God? They were saying, praise God, 
we've moved from this manotype environment Now to stability 
in our own land, we can plant fields, we can harvest grain, 
and we can in fact reap the bounty that God the Lord has promised 
and that God the Lord has delivered for us. So this cessation of 
manna is a blessing because it gives way to the produce of the 
land that God the Lord had promised unto them. So his wondrous mercy 
in sparing us miraculously ought not to eradicate, it ought not 
to get rid of his wondrous mercy that spares us each and every 
day. So if we can walk to our refrigerator 
and open it up and grab out a bottle of milk, We ought to praise God 
just like if we were stranded out in the middle of nowhere 
and we found a big water jug. I mean, we'd be more inclined 
to say, praise God for this find of the water jug than we are 
when we go to the fridge to get our milk out. But in light of 
the fact that God is holy and we are sinners, that we get any 
good or any bits of mercy truly is cause for thanksgiving to 
the Lord our God. So we see circumcision, we see 
Passover. Now let's look at the commander 
of the Lord's army. I think that verse 1 of chapter 
6 is a parentheses. I think the narrative goes from 
5.13 to 6.5. I think it is this commander 
of the Lord's army that is giving instruction to Joshua in verses 
2 to 5. This commander of the Lord's 
army, I hope you will all know, is the pre-incarnate Jesus Christ. Oftentimes, in the Old Testament, 
you see this one called the angel of the Lord. And then the respondent, 
or the one to whom the angel of the Lord is speaking or discoursing, 
then it's as if he's speaking to the Lord himself. So he is 
synonymously addressed as the angel of the Lord and as the 
Lord. And the same is true here. We 
see in verses 13 to 15, this commander of the Lord's army 
And then in verse 2 of chapter 6, and the Lord said to Joshua, 
I think this is what we are to pick up on as Trinitarian readers, 
is that we have God the Son coming pre-incarnation as the commander 
of the Lord's army, discoursing with Joshua at a very, very, 
very, very key time. I mean, remember, we've crossed 
the river, we're on the west side of the Jordan, we're about 
to get our hands dirty. We're about to go into battle. 
We're about to destroy things and kill people. What better 
time for Jesus to come and encourage Joshua? I mean, talk about the 
goodness of our God. When we need him most, there 
he is. When we need encouragement, there 
he is. And, of course, our Bible should 
function that way, right? This is the best time that Jesus 
could have ever come to General Joshua. Notice the encounter 
in verse 13. It came to pass when Joshua was 
by Jericho that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, 
a man stood opposite with him. with his sword drawn in his hand. There's some parallels to this. 
In fact, if you've been paying attention up to this point, you've 
seen a lot of parallels between Joshua and Moses. Moses, God splits open the Red 
Sea and there goes Moses and the children of Israel. With 
Joshua, it's the river Jordan. Even before that, there is a 
circumcision event. Zipporah circumcises Moses' son 
prior to him undertaking his mission. Here, the children of 
Israel are being circumcised prior to undertaking their mission. 
There is this whole theophany where the Lord God appears to 
Joshua, the Lord God appeared to Moses, and Jacob before him 
at Peniel. So what we find here is a similar 
way of working where God deals with his people. And so there 
is this theophany, that means a manifestation of God to Joshua. And notice that this man stood 
opposite with him, or opposite him, with his sword drawn in 
his hand. So he's battle ready. He's combat 
ready. I mean, when you see the troops, 
if you see them playing ping pong, they don't have all of 
their gear on. They don't have all of their 
armament, because they're not combat ready. When you see them 
decked out and face painted and wearing all their gear, you know 
they're ready for combat. This commander of the Lord's 
army has sword in hand, and this causes Joshua to say, are you 
friend or foe? At this particular time, he doesn't 
know he's talking to the commander of the Lord's army. He doesn't 
know he's talking to the Lord Jesus Christ. He sees this sword, 
probably wasn't poised at Joshua's head, There was some degree of 
ambiguity for Joshua, so he asks the question, are you for us 
or for our adversaries? And then the response comes, 
the identification, the man makes, no, but as commander of the army 
of the Lord, I have now come. What a great, again, strategic 
and blessed visitation for Joshua. As commander of the army of the 
Lord, I have now come. So we didn't just carry this 
Ark of the Covenant across the River Jordan, we now physically, 
or Joshua physically sees the commander of the Lord's army. 
he is realizing beyond any degree of doubt that the Lord God Almighty 
really is marching into battle before them. It is the victory 
that is going to belong to the Lord. John Gill says it this 
way, he says, not a mere man, when he is commenting on, no, 
but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come. 
Gil says, not a mere man, nor a created angel in a human form, 
but a divine person in such a form, even the Son of God, who frequently 
appeared in this manner to the patriarchs, as is clear from 
the worship paid unto him by Joshua, by his calling him Lord, 
and owning himself to be his servant, and by the ground on 
which he stood being holy, through his presence as well as by his 
title, the captain of the Lord's host. I mean, who could say that? 
The captain of the Lord's army? The captain? I mean, who says 
that but the Lord Jesus Christ? Woodstra says, Joshua has been 
made aware of the presence of one greater than man, whose drawn 
sword clearly speaks of combat readiness, and whose army is 
nothing less than that of the Lord himself. He then says, what 
more is there to know before the conquest is to begin in earnest? What more do you want? What further 
encouragement? You have Jesus Christ holding 
the sword, claiming his title as commander of the Lord's army. 
He makes this statement, Joshua fell on his face to the earth 
and worshiped and said to him, what does my Lord say to his 
servant? That is a great response. Worship 
Christ and then ask, what do you want me to do? Joshua is 
evidencing himself as a superior general. He's evidencing himself 
as a godly man. He is evidencing himself as the 
legitimate successor of Moses every step of the way. Then the 
commander of the Lord's army said to Joshua, take your sandal 
off your foot for the place where you stand is holy and Joshua 
did so. Just like at that burning bush 
when God calls from the bush for Moses to remove his sandals. So God is taking Joshua along 
the very same path that he took Moses to affirm to confirm, to 
continue to demonstrate that as the Lord God was with Moses, 
so I will be with you, Joshua. And then notice in verses 1 to 
5 in chapter 6. I mentioned chapter 6 verse 1 
probably is a parenthesis. Jericho was securely shut up 
because of the children of Israel. None went out and none came in. That's given there probably to 
highlight a couple of things. One, the children of Israel stand 
in need. Remember they're not primarily 
a warring people. This was not their job. I mean, the last 40 years, they've 
been wandering through the wilderness. Prior to that, they were in Egypt 
as slaves. They don't have a lot of combat 
readiness. They don't have SEAL Team 6. 
They don't have the Rangers. They don't have the Special Forces. They don't have all of these 
things. So this statement inserted here, 
parenthetically, is given to us to show us and to demonstrate 
to us that the children of Israel stand in great need. that this 
is a formidable foe, that Jericho is impenetrable, that this is 
going to be difficult, it's going to be hard, unless the commander 
of the Lord's army undertake on their behalf. You see, just 
as chapter 3, verse 15 told us about the way that the river 
piled up on the shore at certain times of the year, It's almost 
as if God along the way is saying, make sure you indicate how hard 
it is so that when I come through for the people, no one will ever 
doubt that anything is too difficult for our God. Make sure that you 
use these things as teaching devices to show them that the 
God of Israel can certainly overcome rivers that flow over and armies 
or cities that think they're impenetrable. So chapter 6 verse 
1 again sets up the tension in the narrative and then come the 
instructions given by the commander of the army of the Lord. Verse 
2, And the Lord said to Joshua, See, I have given Jericho into 
your hand its king and the mighty men of valor. Right there, promise, 
promise. you proceed based on faith in 
the promise of the Lord God Almighty. When He says that He will do 
something, He will most certainly do it. This was the fundamental 
problem with the first generation according to Numbers 13 and 14. 
God said, I am giving them the land. When the 12 spies went 
out, the 10 come back and say, no, the land is not a good land. 
It's filled with giants. There's no way that we'll ever 
be able to take the land for the Lord. Of course, the congregation 
listened to the 10 spies. God was angry. God sworn His 
wrath that they would not enter into His rest because they did 
not Believe him. Isn't that what Hebrews 3 says? 
They didn't enter in. Why? Because of unbelief. They did not believe that the 
God who promised is in fact faithful. In this they were not like Abraham. Abraham believed God and it was 
counted unto him as righteousness. Here the Lord in verse 2 says, 
I have given Jericho into your hand. Note the stark contrast. Verse 1 basically tells us there 
is no way anybody can penetrate Jericho. There is no way any 
army is going to get in to Jericho. Jericho was securely shut up 
because of the children of Israel. None went out. None came in. It was one big fortress They 
were waiting. They were poised. They were ready. 
If the children of Israel shall launch an attack, we will destroy 
them. What does God say? I've given 
it to you. It's yours. It's a done deal. It's over. You might as well 
just start figuring out where you're going to... put things 
near knick-knacks. I don't know about knick-knacks, 
but just realize that when God promises, He is faithful. He then specifies the means, 
verses 3 to 5. You shall march around the city, 
all you men of war. You shall go all around the city 
once. This you shall do six days. Seven 
priests shall bear seven trumpets of ram's horns before the ark. 
The seventh day you shall march around the city seven times and 
the priests shall blow the trumpets. It shall come to pass when they 
make a long blast with the ram's horn And when you hear the sound 
of the trumpet, that all the people shall shout with a great 
shout, then the wall of the city will fall down flat. And the 
people shall go up, every man straight before him." So it's 
going to be a means that is obviously supernatural in effect. It's 
not going to be sneak in, take men out, kill people, bash their 
heads against the skull. No, God says, here's the way 
you're going to do this, so that when Jericho falls, it will be 
evident that victory did not come about because of your military 
prowess, because of your ability, or because of your crack training, 
but victory will obviously be of the Lord God Almighty. So 
that will be the significance. I think it was asked why on the 
Sabbath day. I mean, if you look at the timing, 
the text doesn't say. I would argue in terms of Sabbath, 
the very principle, not here specifically, I think an act 
of war is a legitimate work of necessity. In other words, if 
you are a Christian and you're a Sabbatarian and you've got 
to go in and take out an enemy combatant, it happens to be on 
Sunday, That's an act of necessity, to take that person out. Here, 
I think it probably goes along with, it is God the Lord that 
is providing them victory, and it is not through their effort, 
ultimately, that they are gaining possession of this particular 
city. or conquest of this particular 
city, and probably does highlight more realistically the Sabbath 
principle. God is delivering his people, 
granting them rest as they enter into the land. But the text really 
doesn't get into all of the particulars. Some have asked, and it wasn't 
just Roger who mentioned that, somebody last time, not last 
time, years ago we met, I don't know why, why we were or when 
we were in this tax, that somebody said, well, that would have meant 
they would be marching on the Sabbath day. Isn't that a violation 
of the Sabbath? Well, this first and foremost 
isn't an ethical passage in terms of our practice for Sabbath keeping. That's really not the point. If we look at the passage, we 
look at what's going on, it could in fact be God's giving them 
victory through his effort, through his power, and through his might, 
such that they are not exerting the specific energy involved 
in this task. So that's circumcision, Passover, 
commander of the Lord's army. We'll stop there, pray, and then 
we'll have discussion. Father, we thank you for this, 
your word, and we thank you for your grace and mercy to each 
of us. God, as we have rehearsed tonight, your miraculous and 
your glorious means of preserving your people. God, we also want 
to acknowledge the normal and the ordinary ways you preserve 
and you keep us each and every day, whether it's manna from 
heaven or it's the produce of the land. Certainly, God, you 
are sovereign and your providence extends to every inch of our 
lives. And may we never forget this, 
and may we as well see in this passage that relationship with 
you, covenant with you, precedes going in to conquer the land 
of Canaan. May you help us, God, to be obedient, 
May you help us, God, to delight in your nearness and in your 
goodness and in your kindness. And we pray through Christ our 
Lord. Amen.