Promise-Keeping

Please see the links to our EXTRA Bible Study notes at the bottom of the page.

Opening Prayer

Almighty God, Yours is the Kingdom, the power and the glory. I affirm and rejoice in this great truth.

Read Joshua 6:20–27

^[20] 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. ^[21] 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. ^[22] Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, “Go into the prostitute’s house and bring her out and all who belong to her, in accordance with your oath to her.” ^[23] So the young men who had done the spying went in and brought out Rahab, her father and mother, her brothers and sisters and all who belonged to her. They brought out her entire family and put them in a place outside the camp of Israel. ^[24] Then they burned the whole city and everything in it, but they put the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron into the treasury of the LORD’s house. ^[25] But Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her family and all who belonged to her, because she hid the men Joshua had sent as spies to Jericho-and she lives among the Israelites to this day. ^[26] At that time Joshua pronounced this solemn oath: “Cursed before the LORD is the one who undertakes to rebuild this city, Jericho: “At the cost of his firstborn son he will lay its foundations; at the cost of his youngest he will set up its gates.” ^[27] So the LORD was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout the land.

Meditate

This passage, (and others following), contain great victories for God and his people, but also raise great questions which we cannot address here. A helpful resource in looking at these issues is Peter Craigie’s book The Problem of War in the Old Testament.

Think Further

Unimaginable terror. Trumpet blasts, shouting, collapsing walls, sword-

wielding soldiers, death, destruction (20,21). Finally, a terrible fire (24). And far from being a

surprise attack, this was the culmination of a period of growing fear in Jericho. For six days,

increasingly terrified inhabitants had watched priests carry the Ark of the Covenant around their

city, following other priests blowing trumpets, with warriors in front and behind, all the time

knowing that there was no escape. The earlier description of the kings’ hearts melting in fear

(5:1) seems far too tame for the Jericho experience. This reality is much more dark and sinister

than the story many of us heard in Sunday school.

In the midst of this cataclysm comes an amazing act of faithfulness. Victors—whether politicians

or military leaders—don’t always keep their promises. We are probably familiar with politicians

brazenly breaking election promises, sometimes the day after being elected! It can often be a

promise better not made in the first place. But Joshua wasn’t like that. He remembered the

promise made by the spies (2). Rahab’s generous treatment of the spies was rewarded. The two

young spies were sent back into the city to find the scarlet cord (2:18) and rescue Rahab and her

family. Do we, as inheritors of God’s promises, show the same faithfulness to our promises?

For many people today, there is a major problem with the unfolding conquest of Canaan. It’s

clear that God is no passive onlooker. Israel’s faithfulness to him is supremely important and

anything that might get in the way of that, such as the Canaanites, is to be destroyed (Deut.

7:1–5). Difficult though that may be for us, perhaps recognizing the supreme importance of right

worship is a starting point for our understanding.

Unimaginable terror. Trumpet blasts, shouting, collapsing walls, sword-wielding soldiers, death, destruction (20,21). Finally, a terrible fire (24). And far from being a surprise attack, this was the culmination of a period of growing fear in Jericho. For six days, increasingly terrified inhabitants had watched priests carry the Ark of the Covenant around their city, following other priests blowing trumpets, with warriors in front and behind, all the time knowing that there was no escape. The earlier description of the kings’ hearts melting in fear (5:1) seems far too tame for the Jericho experience. This reality is much more dark and sinister than the story many of us heard in Sunday school. In the midst of this cataclysm comes an amazing act of faithfulness. Victors—whether politicians or military leaders—don’t always keep their promises. We are probably familiar with politicians brazenly breaking election promises, sometimes the day after being elected! It can often be a promise better not made in the first place. But Joshua wasn’t like that. He remembered the promise made by the spies (2). Rahab’s generous treatment of the spies was rewarded. The two young spies were sent back into the city to find the scarlet cord (2:18) and rescue Rahab and her family. Do we, as inheritors of God’s promises, show the same faithfulness to our promises? For many people today, there is a major problem with the unfolding conquest of Canaan. It’s clear that God is no passive onlooker. Israel’s faithfulness to him is supremely important and anything that might get in the way of that, such as the Canaanites, is to be destroyed (Deut. 7:1–5). Difficult though that may be for us, perhaps recognizing the supreme importance of right
worship is a starting point for our understanding.

Apply

Is anything distracting you from commitment to Jesus and his way? (See Galatians 4:8–10). Perhaps today is the day to change something.

Closing prayer

Gracious Lord, I am reminded that You are a God who takes sin seriously. And I am also reminded that You are a promise-keeping God. I bless Your name.

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