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TOPIC: Pink, Arthur - Gleanings in Joshua (Other Topics in this Collection)
SUBJECT: 09.2-Victory at Jericho (Continued) 6:1-27
Other Subjects in this Topic:
Gleanings In Joshua
9. Victory at Jericho (Continued)
Joshua 6:1-27
Seven Days of March
In our last we considered the instructions which Joshua received from the Lord concerning Jericho; now we are to observe how the same were carried out. "And Joshua the son of Nun called the priests, and said unto them, Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the Lord. And he said unto the people, Pass on, and compass the city, and let him that is armed pass on before the ark of the Lord" (Josh. 6:6, 7). It is therefore quite evident from these verses that Joshua understood God's promise "I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valor" (v. 2) as meaning that, if His directions were faithfully and exactly executed, but only in that case, would the city be supernaturally overthrown. That promise was to assure Joshua that the Canaanites would be unable to successfully defend their city, and that the Lord would make it manifest that He had delivered it up to Israel; nevertheless they must act in full subjection to His revealed will.
This incident of the capture of Jericho is one which should be carefully pondered and taken to heart by all the people of God today, especially so by His servants, for if it be so it will supply a grand tonic to faith, and effectually counteract that spirit of gloom which now so widely obtains. Alas, the majority of professing Christians are far more occupied with what are called "the signs of the times" than they are with the One in whose hand all "times and seasons" are (Acts 1:7). They are walking by sight, rather than by faith; engaged with the things seen, rather than with those which are unseen. The consequence is that many of them are cast down and dispirited over present conditions, and only too often the preacher is apt to regard the situation as hopeless. But that is to be of the same temper as the unbelieving spies, who said "We be not able to go up against the people: for they are stronger than we" (Num. 13:31), magnifying the difficulties which confronted them and yielding to a spirit of defeatism.
If the minister of the Gospel be occupied with the smallness of his congregation, and their unresponsiveness to his preaching; if he dwell unduly upon the lack of interest on the part of the young people, and listens to the prophets of gloom, who ever give the darkest possible interpretation to things, then he may well be dejected. But if his thoughts be formed by and his own soul fed upon the Word of God, then he will discover that there is no cause whatever for dismay. Scripture nowhere teaches that God is seeking to convert the world, rather does it declare that He is visiting the Gentiles "to take out of them a people for His name" (Acts 15:14). When giving instructions to His servants, Christ bade them "take no anxious thought," for He would have their hearts at rest, trusting, in the living God to supply their every need; and also said "Fear not little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom" (Luke 12:22, 32). He ever sought to strengthen their confidence in the invincibility of God's purpose, declaring "all that the Father giveth Me, shall come unto Me" (John 6:37).
Instead of perplexing his mind with useless speculations about the ten toes of Daniel's colossus, the business of the minister of the Gospel is to faithfully carry out the commission which he has received from his Master (Matthew 38:19, 20). Instead of wasting time upon the newspapers and listening in to the wireless in order to ascertain the latest threats of the Kremlin or menaces of the Vatican, let him give more earnest heed to that injunction "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth" (2 Tim. 2:15). Instead of being so absorbed with the activities of Satan's emissaries, let him mix faith with that heartening assurance of the Most High, "For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: so shall My Word be that goeth forth out of My mouth: it shall not return unto Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper whereto I sent it" (Isa. 55:10, 11).
The Word of God is not outdated: "heaven and earth shall pass away but My words shall not pass away" (Matthew 24:35). Then preach that Word in its purity, in its fullness, with implicit confidence in its sufficiency. The Gospel of Christ is not obsolete, but is still "the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth" (Rom. 1:16). Then proclaim it, realizing that the curse of God rests on all who preach any other (Gal. 1:8). Do you reply, I have, in my poor way, sought to preach the Gospel as faithfully and earnestly as I know how: but so far as I can see, it has been fruitless, and I am thoroughly discouraged. Then take heed, we beg you, to the incident which is here before us. Get down on your knees right now and beg God to bless this article unto you. Fervently implore Him to open your heart to receive the same. Ponder afresh those words "by faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days" (Heb. 11:30). Surely then "all things are possible to him that believeth" (Mark 9:23)!
It requires no forced or fanciful effort of ours to show that Israel's conquest of Jericho adumbrated the victories won by the Gospel, when it is faithfully preached and the blessing of God attends the same. As was pointed out in our last, Jericho was one of the leading strongholds of the enemy: "the cities are walled and very great" (Num. 13:28). Probably Jericho was the most powerfully fortified of any of them, and as such it presented a formidable obstacle unto Joshua and his fellows. Nevertheless, it fell before them in response to the punctual observance of the orders which they had received from the Lord. It was in manifest reference to this that the apostle declared, "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds" (1 Cor. 10:4). How blessedly and unmistakably was that demonstrated under his own ministry! How gloriously was the same made evident in the days of Luther! How frequently has the same truth been made to appear in various parts of the earth since then. And you, my brethren in the ministry, have the same glorious Gospel to preach, and the same mighty God to look unto to bless your labors!
Do you reply, But I am no Joshua, no Paul, no Luther? Then we remind you of the apostle's self-abasing and God-honoring words to those who were glorying in the flesh. "Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man. I have planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase" (1 Cor. 3:5-7). The men whom God has most used throughout the ages were those who rated themselves as nobodies! But you say, I feel so weak and ill-equipped-God grant that such is your sincere language, for if the contrary were the case, if you deemed yourself an able and well-qualified man, you are no servant of Christ's. Listen again to Paul, who with all his gifts and graces contemplated the tasks before him in this spirit and attitude' "who is sufficient for these things?" (2 Cor. 2:16.)
Writing to those same saints and looking back to the days of his evangelistic labors among them, the apostle declared "I came to you not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you save Jesus Christ and Him crucified. And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling" (1 Cor. 2:13). Self-diffidence is no disqualification for Christ's service. It was not Paul that was "great," but rather that the weapons he used when engaging the forces of evil were "mighty through God"! And what were those "weapons"? Prayer, "the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God" (Eph. 6:17), and faith in the One who had commissioned him. Note that we put prayer first. Does not the example of the supreme Preacher (Mark 1:35; Luke 6:12, 13) require us to do so? Did not the Twelve declare, "We will give ourselves continually to [1] prayer and [2] to the ministry of the Word" (Acts 6:4)? Then do thou the same. Concerning faith, we refer the reader again to Hebrews 11:30. Now fellow preachers, the same three "weapons" are available to us, and we need no others for the glorifying of Christ and the execution of His commission.
Note well, ye preachers, our last sentence. We did not say that no other weapons are needed in order for you to be eminently "successful" in your work, or that your use of the same will ensure prompt "visible results." That must not be made your chief concern nor immediate end: and if you make it such, a jealous God is most likely to blow upon rather than bless your efforts. Your paramount care and principal design must be the glorifying of God (1 Cor. 10:31): to make known His excellency, to enforce His just claims upon the creatures of His hands, to bid men throw down the weapons of their warfare against Him, and be reconciled to Him. If you be a real servant of God's He has sent you forth to magnify Christ: the salvation of sinners is but secondary and subordinate thereto. God would have a universal testimony borne unto the matchless worth of the person and work of Christ-the Gospel is a "witness" (Matthew 24:14) to His perfections. God would have proclaimed far and wide the amazing fact that His own beloved Son "became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross" (Phil. 2:8), being wholly devoted unto the will of His Father.
It is of first importance that we should be quite clear upon the nature of the Gospel: it is "the Gospel of God . . . concerning His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord" (Rom. 1:1, 3). In the Gospel is made known the Savior's personal dignities: that He is the Lord of glory, the Prince of life, the King of kings, the Creator and Upholder of the universe. In the Gospel is revealed His amazing condescension and humiliation: how that in obedience to the Father's word He voluntarily and gladly, took upon Him the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of sin's flesh, tabernacling for a season in this scene. In the Gospel is exhibited His holy and unique life: performing the work which the Father had given Him to do. In the Gospel is displayed His official glories, as Prophet, Priest and Potentate. In it is told forth His grace unto sinners: dying the just for the unjust. In it is declared how that He magnified the Divine Law and made it honorable, superlatively glorifying the Father thereby. In it we are informed how that God rewarded His incarnate Son by raising Him from the dead, and seating Him at His own right hand on high. Our business, fellow preachers, is to proclaim that Gospel in its purity and fullness, that God may be glorified, and His Son magnified.
Our commission is crystal clear. It is no other than this: "Speak unto them, and tell them: whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear" (Ezek. 3:11). Our business is to declare "all the counsel of God" and keep back nothing that is profitable unto souls (Acts 20:20, 27). Our marching orders are the same as Jonah's (Jon. 3:2) and of Deuteronomy 4:2: "Preach unto it [the city] the preaching that I bid thee." "Ye shall not add unto the Word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it." Only by so doing will God be glorified and our souls cleared from the awful charge of infidelity. But if we do so-and only by Divine grace, earnestly and constantly sought, can we-we may safely leave "results" with the Lord of the harvest. Nay more, we may rest in full confidence on the promise "them that honor Me, I will honor" (1 Sam. 2:30). But it must be left with Him as to when and how He "honors." In the Day to come He will say "Well done, good and faithful servant." Even now "we are unto God a sweet savor of Christ, in them that are saved and in them that perish" (2 Cor. 2:15)!
But let us now take a more definite look at the instructions given to Israel's priests in Joshua 6:6. Observe carefully a significant omission therein, which silently but decidedly confirms what has been said above. Joshua did not announce to them the promise which he had received from the Lord in verses 2 and 5, but simply gave them their marching orders, without any assurance that success would certainly attend their efforts! In this, as in almost all things, Joshua was a type of Christ, who, although receiving promise from His Father (in the everlasting covenant) of the sure success of His undertaking (cf. Isaiah 53:10-12), yet when commissioning His servants, gave them specific commandments but said not a word about their labors being fruitful!-see Matthew 28, 29, 30; Mark 16:15, 16; Luke 24:46-49; John 20:21-23; Acts 1:7, 8. So here: the priests were told what to do, and that was all. Unquestioning and unreserved obedience to their orders was what was required from them: nothing more, nothing less. They were, first, to "take up the ark of the covenant"; second, to "bear seven trumpets of rams' horns"; and third, to go "before the ark of the Lord." Let us now point out the typical significance of the same.
The ark of the covenant was the symbol of the Lord's presence with them, as their "Leader and Commander" (Isa. 55:4). In like manner, Christ has assured His servants "Lo! I am with you always, even unto the end of the world" (Matthew 28:20). That is to be realized by faith, and not by sense. The minister of the Gospel is to go forward to the fight in the blessed consciousness that he is not alone: he is to act with full assurance that the Captain of his salvation is with him. What a difference it will make if he steadily bear the same in mind! Let him act accordingly. Let the known presence of Christ serve both as a bridle upon the flesh, and as a spur to his zeal. The priests "bearing the trumpets" at once identifies them as adumbrating ministers of the Gospel sounding forth their imperative message. "Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show My people their transgressions" (Isa. 58:1). "I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet" (Jer. 6:17). "Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in My holy mountain" (Joel 2:10). The apostle made use of this figure when he said "If the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle" (1 Cor. 14:8).
The sounding of the trumpets by the priests on this occasion had a twofold design: to strike terror into the hearts of the Canaanites: to inspire with courage and confidence the people of God. And that is the twofold work of Christ's servants. First, to solemnly declare the revealed wrath of God against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men (Rom. 1:18): to announce His war against those who continue in sin: to boldly declare "he that believeth not shall be damned." Thus did the supreme Gospeler: Matthew 11:23, 24; John 3:18, 36! Second, to strengthen the hearts of God's people: "And if ye go to war in your land against the enemy that oppresseth you, then ye shall blow an alarm with the trumpets, and ye shall be remembered before the Lord your God, and ye shall be saved from your enemies" (Num. 10:9). "And it shall be when ye are come nigh to the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak unto the people, and shall say unto them, Hear, O Israel, ye approach this day unto battle against your enemies: let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be ye terrified because of them; for the Lord your God is He that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you" (Deut. 20:2, 4). Thus is the preacher to encourage the saints in their conflict with the flesh, the world, and the devil.
"And Joshua the son of Nun called the priests and said unto them, Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the Lord. And he said unto the people, Pass on and compass the city, and let him that is armed pass on before the ark of the Lord" (Josh. 6:6, 7). Lack of space prevented the completion of our remarks upon these two verses in our last. There we dwelt at length upon the former one, and sought to show that Israel's priests, on this occasion, shadowed forth the ministers of the Gospel, and how that the appointed (spiritual) weapons of their "warfare are made mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds" (2 Cor. 10:4). Care needs to be taken against carnalizing that expression and interpreting it in a manner unwarranted by the Analogy of Faith. It is not the Gospel converting people en masse (in a body)-"Glasgow for Christ," "Chicago for Christ," as Arminian slogans express it-but the delivering of individual souls from that powerful "refuge of lies" in which the natural man is entrenched. The meaning of 2 Corinthians 10:4, is explained in the next verse:
"Casting down imaginations [or "reasongings"] and every high thing that exalteth itself against God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ" (2 Cor. 10:5). The heart of the natural man is stoutly opposed to God, being filled with enmity against Him. It is fortified by the love of sin against every appeal unto holiness. The unregenerate are so inured and hardened by habit and practice that the Holy Spirit declares "Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil' (Jer. 13:23). Their wills are enslaved, so that they "will not come to Christ" (John 5:40). They are steeled against both the terrors of the Law and the attractions of the Gospel. Furthermore they are the captives of the devil (Luke 11:21; 2 Timothy 2:26), and are unable to emancipate themselves. Naught but a miracle of grace can free them, and the means used by the Spirit in accomplishing that miracle is the preached Word, effectually applied to the heart by His power. Then is the proud rebel humbled into the dust before God, delivered from the dominion of sin and Satan, transformed into a loving and loyal subject of Christ.
In the seventh verse of Joshua 6, instructions were given to the people. On this occasion they were to accompany the priests! When crossing the Jordan the priests went "before the people" (Josh. 3:6), and stood alone "in the midst of Jordan" until "all the people had passed over" (Josh. 4:20). There they foreshadowed our great High Priest, who "by Himself" opened a way through death for His people (see Chapter Six). But here the priests typified the servants of Christ, as engaged on their evangelistic labors. Consequently the hosts of Israel must now accompany them. What a word is that for the rank and the of the people of God today! Only too often has the minister of the Gospel to go forth alone. He does not receive that moral and spiritual support to which he is entitled, and which he so much needs. No wonder so many faithful preachers are discouraged when the prayer-meetings are so thinly attended, and when so few are holding up their hands at the throne of grace! O that it may please God to use this paragraph in stirring up professing Christians to be more definite and fervent in praying for all godly ministers. Only a preacher knows what difference it makes to have the assurance that the hearts of his people are with him!
"And it came to pass, when Joshua had spoken unto the people, that the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams' horns passed on before the Lord, and blew with the trumpets: and the ark of the covenant of the Lord followed them" (v. 8). Observe, first, how precise is the time-mark here of the priests' action: they did not move forward until the people had taken their allotted position according to the instructions they had received from their leader. There was to be conjoint action: the priests accompanied by the people-exemplifying what we have said in the above paragraph. Second, since there is nothing meaningless or superfluous in Holy Writ, note how the Spirit has again emphasized the rude nature of the priests' "trumpets." No less than five times in this chapter are we told that those employed on this occasion were made of "rams' horns"-a cruder or meaner material could scarcely be imagined. They were in designed and striking contrast with the "trumpets of silver" which were normally used in the camp of Israel (Num. 10:1-10). It was God pouring contempt on the means used-those which were despicable in the eyes of men-that Israel's pride might be stained and Himself glorified, for His strength is ever made perfect through weakness.
Bearing in mind that Israel's priests here foreshadowed the true servants of Christ, their using trumpets of rams' horns is deeply significant, albeit, very distasteful to that pride of heart which glories in the flesh. It not only emphasized the feebleness of the means used by God in accomplishing His purpose of grace, namely, that it hath pleased Him "by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe" (1 Cor. 1:21), but also indicated the type of men God deigns to employ as His mouthpieces. When our Lord chose the men who were to be His apostles and ambassadors, He selected not those who occupied eminent stations in the world, nor those who had passed through the schools of learning, but unlettered fishermen and a despised tax-gatherer-that was the antitype of "the rams' horns" in contrast with "the trumpets of silver"-men of lowly origin, despised by those who are great and wise in their own eyes! To effect the mightiest of all works, God employs what is to the mind of the natural man the most inadequate means, in order that His wisdom and power may be the more apparent. The Gospel does not depend for its success on human wisdom-a fact lost sight of by the churches today.
That same flesh-withering truth is dearly expressed in 1 Corinthians 1:26-31, though few have perceived it. The immediate design of the apostle in 1 Corinthians 1 and 2 was to show that the great and grand change wrought in the hearts of believers is not to be ascribed to any wisdom or power possessed by the preacher (who is hut a channel through which God condescends to work), but is to be attributed wholly to the Divine grace in making his message effectual. The Corinthians were glorying in human instruments, setting up one against another (see Joshua 1:12), and the apostle shows how utterly baseless and foolish was such glorying. He pointed out that it was not the learning of Paul nor the eloquence of Apollos which could convert a soul, but that God must, from beginning to end, accomplish the same. This he demonstrates by describing the type of instruments which He makes to be vehicles of blessing unto sinners. "For ye see your calling, brethren [i.e. ye perceive from your own calling out of darkness into God's marvelous light], that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble"-"are employed" (by God) is a far better and more pertinent supplement than "are called."
"But God hath chosen [for His servants] the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; and base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen; and things which are not [nonentities, nobodies] to bring to naught the things that are." Thus, verses 26-28 are to be connected with the whole context, and not simply with verses 24, 25. In them we behold again "the trumpets of rams' horns"-God employing instruments which appear utterly inadequate to carnal reason. That interpretation is clearly confirmed by "that no flesh should glory in His presence," for the Corinthians were not glorying in themselves, but in their ministers (Josh. 1:12; 3:4)! It is clinched by the next words: "But of Him [and not by Paul, or Apollos, or any worm of the earth] are ye in Christ Jesus" (v. 30). Thus, Paul was showing that it was not through learned philosophers nor highly trained rabbins that the Corinthians had heard the Gospel of their salvation, but rather through those whom both the one and the other regarded with contempt. If further corroboration be needed, verse 31 supplies it!
God is jealous of His honor and will not share it with another. It pleases Him, as a general rule, to select for His instruments those who have no glittering accomplishments: rather, plain, simple, homely men. It is not silver-tongued orators through whom He most shows forth His praises, but by those who have nothing more, naturally, to commend them unto their hearers than that which resembles the "rams' horns"! His most eminent servants have not been those of royal blood, noble birth, or high station, but taken from the lower walks of life. Luther, the principal agent used by God in the mighty Reformation, was the son of a miner. Bunyan was but a tinker, yet his book Pilgrim's Progress has been translated into more languages, had a much wider circulation, and been used in blessing to a far greater number of souls, than all the writings put together of the learned Owen and Goodwin! Spurgeon had neither university nor college training, nor was he a graduate of any seminary! Though after God's call to the ministry, each of them studied hard and long to improve himself! In proportion as the churches have made an idol of education and theological learning in their ministers, has their spirituality waned: that is a fact, however unpalatable it may be.
There is a third thing in verse 8 which claims our notice, namely, that the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams' horns "passed on before the Lord." This is generally understood to mean that they preceded the ark, but that can scarcely be its significance, unless we are ready to conclude there is needless tautology here, for the same verse ends by declaring "and the ark of the covenant of the Lord followed them." What then is imported by they "passed on before the Lord"? It is very much more than a bare historical detail, which has no relation unto us today-alas that so few search for the present application to themselves of all in the Bible. There is that here which the servants of Christ need to observe and take to heart: something of vital importance and blessedness. That brief statement reveals to us the inward condition of the priests. It expressed their attitude unto Jehovah, and the Spirit of Truth delighted to record the same. Man looketh on the outward appearance but God looketh on the heart; and the hearts of Israel's priests were engaged with Him, and they comported themselves accordingly. By carefully comparing Scripture with Scripture we may ascertain the meaning of this clause.
In Genesis 5:24, we are told that "Enoch walked with God." In 1 Samuel 2:21, that "the child Samuel grew before the Lord." In Deuteronomy 13:4, that Israel were bidden to "walk after the Lord their God." While in' Colossians 2:6, Christians are exhorted "As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him." In those four prepositions we have an outline of the whole privilege and duty of the saint in his relation to God. To "walk with God" is only possible unto one who has been reconciled to Him, for "Can two walk together except they be agreed?" (Amos 3:2). Thus it is expressive of holy communion with God. To go or walk "before the Lord" is to conduct ourselves in the realization that all our actions are being scrutinized by Him: "For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and He pondereth all his goings" (Prov. 5:21). Thus it is expressive of holy fear. To walk "after the Lord" is to live in complete subjection to His revealed will: "And the king stood in his place and made a covenant before the Lord, to walk after the Lord, and to keep His commandments, and His testimonies, and His statutes, with all his heart and with all his soul" (2 Chron. 34:31). There it is expressive of unreserved obedience. To "walk in Christ" is expressive of union, like a branch in the vine, and signifies to live by His enablement, strengthened by Him, "rooted and built up in Him" as Colossians 2:27, explains it.
But the one passage which more expressly explains these words of the priests passing on "before the Lord" is Genesis 17:1, when He said unto Abraham "I am the Almighty God: walk before Me, and be thou upright." That was said, first, by way of rebuke, right after his impatient and carnal conduct with Hagar. Second, that was said for his instruction and encouragement: to show him that there was no occasion for taking matters into his own hands. The Lord now made known Himself to Abraham as "The Almighty"-El Shaddai-the fully competent One, able to supply all his need, without the patriarch resorting to any fleshly devices. In view of which Abraham was bidden to "walk before Me and be thou upright": that is, count upon My infinite resources. Thus, when it is said that Israel's priests "passed on before the Lord," the meaning is that they acted in complete dependence upon God's all-sufficiency, confidently counting upon His undertaking for them. In the light of Proverbs 5:21, it signifies too that they moved forward in God's fear, conscious that His eye was upon them, and therefore they dared not depart from the orders which He had given them.
Let every preacher who reads this article endeavor to recognize that this too has been recorded for his learning, his guidance, his encouragement. Let him seek to realize, first, that he is beneath the all-seeing eye of his Master: that his actions are "before the eyes of the Lord, and He pondereth all his ways." Let him bear that in mind while he is out of the pulpit: that the One to whom he must yet render an account of his stewardship takes note whether he is an idler and slacker, or one who faithfully devotes his time to prayer and study, and not only to "sermon preparation." And, second, let him view by faith the all-sufficiency of the One before whom he walks, refusing to depart from His instructions, confidently counting upon Him fulfilling His purpose by and through him. Let him constantly call to mind that He is none other than "the Almighty," the self-sufficient Jehovah. No other provider, no other protector is needed. It was because Abraham forgot that that he stooped to fleshly devices; and when we forget it, we are very apt to depart from His rule and resort to carnal methods. It is distrust of God which lies behind the fleshly and worldly devices now so commonly employed in the churches.
"And the armed men went before the priests that blew with the trumpets, and the rearward came after the ark, the priests going on, and blowing with the trumpets" (v. 9). Here our attention is directed away from the priests unto the remainder of the children of Israel, and they are divided into two companies-those who went before, and those who followed behind the ark of the covenant. The ones taking the lead consisted of the fighting force, who were to advance when the walls of Jericho fell down and slay those within the city This arrangement originated not in the mind of Joshua, for at no point was he required to lean unto his own understanding. The Lord had previously given orders through Moses that the fighting men of the tribes of Reuben and Gad should "go armed before the Lord to war . . . until He had driven out His enemies from before Him" (Num. 32:20, 21). It was in obedience thereto that Joshua here acted. As the margin more correctly renders, it was the "gathering host" of Israel who made up the rearward. In that twofold division we may find a hint that only a few of the Lord's people are possessed of a courageous spirit and prepared to show a bold front to the enemy.
"And Joshua had commanded the people, saying, Ye shall not shout, nor make your voice to be heard, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth until the day I bid you shout; then shall ye shout" (Josh. 6:10). Here is the third item in the instructions which Joshua gave to "the people." First, they had been bidden to "compass the city"; and second, the armed men among them to "pass on before the ark of the Lord" (v. 7); now they are enjoined to maintain strict silence as the long procession wended its way around Jericho. Very precisely and emphatically was this order worded: its threefold prohibition reminding us of the repeated interdiction of Proverbs 4:14, 15, "Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away." There is no excuse for ignorance of the Divine will: the things which God forbids us doing are as plainly stated in His Word as those which He requires of us.
No explanation was given the people, but simply the bare command: sufficient for them that so God required. Pondering it in the light of Scripture, several reasons for it and significations of it may be suggested. First and more generally, this injunction for the people to preserve complete silence constituted a test of their obedience-made the more real by their not being told why such an imposition was necessary. For the mouths of such a vast multitude to be sealed during the entire march around the city was no small test of their subjection unto the revealed will of Jehovah. Second and more specifically, such decorous silence well became them on this occasion. Why so? Because God was in their midst, and He is "greatly to be feared in the assembly of His saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about Him" (Ps. 89:7)-a verse which many preachers today need to press upon their congregations, among whom much irreverence obtains in the house of prayer. If the seraphim veil their faces before the Lord, how reverent should be our worship!
The "ark of the covenant" was the symbol of the Lord's presence, and its being in Israel's midst on this occasion required that they conduct themselves with the utmost propriety. God was about to speak loudly to the Canaanites in judgment, and it was therefore fitting that every human voice should be stilled. There is "a time to keep silence, and a time to speak" (Ecclesiastes 3:7). When Pharaoh and his hosts were pursuing the children of Israel, and they were confronted by the Red Sea, they were told, "The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace" (Ex. 14:14). The case was a parallel one here: Jehovah was about to lay bare His mighty arm and show Himself strong on behalf of His people, and it was meet that they should be still before Him, in reverent expectation of the event. It was a case of "hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord God, for the day of the Lord [when He acts in an extraordinary manner] is at hand" (Zeph. 1:7); "Be silent, O all flesh, before the Lord; for He is raised up out of His holy habitation" (Zech. 2:13). The profound silence observed by Israel's hosts added impressively to the gravity and solemnity of their procession.
Again; Israel's being forbidden to open their mouths on this occasion supplied another illustration and exemplification of the difference which marks the ways of God from man's. We are aware that some are likely to regard that statement as a trite platitude, yet they are probably the very ones who most need to be reminded of it here, for they are the least affected and influenced by it. God's work is to be done in His appointed way: but instead of that, much of what now pretends to be "His work" is being done in the world's way. God works silently, whether it be in creation, providence, or grace. Vegetation makes no noise in the process of its growth. God's government, both of individuals and nations, is wrought secretly. The miracle of regeneration is not perceptible to our senses, though its effects and fruits soon become apparent. So it is in His dealings with our souls' the Lord is not in the wind, nor in the earthquake, nor in the fire, but in the "still small voice" (1 Kings 19:11, 12). We too should go about our appointed tasks in the same calmness' "a meek and quiet spirit" is of "great price" in His sight (1 Pet. 3:4).
Third, the silence required of "the people" on this occasion supplied another important line in the typical picture furnished by this incident-though one which certainly will not appeal to many in present-day Christendom. Israel's capture of Jericho unmistakably pre-figured the victories achieved, under God, by the Gospel. The priests blowing with the trumpets of rams' horns pictured the servants of God preaching His Word. The forbidding of "the people" to open their mouths signified that the rank and the of Christians are to have no part in the oral proclamation of the Truth-they are neither qualified for nor called to the ministration of the Word. Nowhere in the Epistles is there a single exhortation for the saints as such to engage in public evangelism, nor even to do "personal work" and seek to be "soul winners." Rather are they required to "witness for Christ" by their daily conduct in business and in the home. They are to "show forth" God's praises, rather than tell them forth. They are to let their light shine. The testimony of the life is far more effectual than glib utterances of the lips. Actions speak louder than words.
How vastly different was the typical scene presented here in Joshua 6 from that which is now beheld in the so-called "evangelism" of our day! Here everything was orderly, decorous and reverent. "The people" in the rear' "the ark of the covenant"-symbol of the Lord's presence-in the midst: the "seven priests" blowing with their trumpets: the "armed men in front. The absolute silence of all the hosts of Israel-so utterly different from the war cries to which they were accustomed-must have deeply impressed the citizens of Jericho. But not only is there the marked absence of that dignified silence, gravity, solemnity, and reverence, which befits all gatherings that are professedly engaged in Divine worship, but modern "evangelism" is characterized by that which is noisy, vulgar, and carnally exciting. How different the self-advertised "evangelists" of this decadent age from the supreme Evangelist, who "suffered not the demons to speak, because they knew Him," and who said to the cleansed leper "See thou say nothing to any man" (Mark 1:34, 42)!
"So the ark of the Lord compassed the city, going about it once" (v. 11). And what follows? Therefore its walls at once fell down? No; "and they came into the camp and lodged in the camp." Then they had all their trouble for nothing! No indeed. But nothing happened: they were no forwarder, but just where they were previously! That is estimating things by sight, and is an erroneous conclusion. Much had happened. That which is of supreme importance had been accomplished. God had been honored and glorified! How so? By the implicit obedience of Joshua, of the priests, of the congregation of Israel. O that both ministers and laymen were more thoroughly convinced that nothing honors God so much as our obedience. "To obey is better than sacrifice" (1 Sam. 15:22)-the most lavish offering is unacceptable to God unless it be made by one whose will is subject to His. Attending meetings, contributing generously to His cause, busying ourselves in what is wrongly termed 'Christian service," is worthless-yea, a species of hypocrisy-if we be not walking in the path of the Divine precepts.
Unless what has just been said be laid to heart by both the public servants of God and private Christians, the most important lessons of this incident will be missed. As was pointed out in our last, the preacher who most honors Christ is not the one who produces the largest "visible results," but he who sticks the closest to His commission and preaches the Word most faithfully. So with the saints. The Christian housewife who discharges her God-given duties in the home and the domestic in the kitchen who conscientiously performs her menial tasks are as pleasing and glorifying to Christ as the most self-denying missionary in the foreign field. What is the one outstanding excellence in the Savior's life and work which the Holy Spirit has emphasized more than any other? Is it not that His meat and drink was to do the will of Him that sent Him (John 4:34)! That there was no limit in His subjection to the Father's authority, that He "became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross" (Phil. 2:8)! Say not that nothing was accomplished by Israel here, but admire their God-honoring obedience, and seek to emulate them.
"And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the Lord" (v. 12). Nothing escapes the all-seeing eye of the One with whom we have to do. In human estimation this may appear a very trivial detail, nevertheless it is one which the Holy Spirit delighted to notice and place upon imperishable record. Why so? Because it marked the diligence, fidelity and zeal of those servants of the Lord. Why so? Because they also inculcated yet another lesson which ministers of the Gospel need to heed. They are expressly bidden to study and show themselves "approved unto God, workmen who needeth not to be ashamed" (2 Tim. 2:15). Slackness and slothfulness ill become those who claim to be the ambassadors of Him who rose up "a great while before day" (Mark 1:35) and "early in the morning He came again into the temple" to teach the people (John 8:2). That searching question of His, "what do ye more than others?" (Matthew 5:47), is capable of many legitimate applications-not least to the preacher. Does he spend fewer or more hours per day in his study than do those who work for their daily bread!
"And seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the Lord went on continually, and blew with the trumpets; and the armed men went before them, but the rearward came after the ark of the Lord, the priests going on and blowing with the trumpets" (v. 13). The Hebrew word for "trumpet" (shophar) has its first occurrence in Exodus 19:16, 19, where its loud blast was used to awe the nation at Sinai: highly significant is the fact that it is mentioned just fourteen times here in Joshua 6:7-22, or the number of perfect witness. The word for "rams' horns" (yobel) is the one used throughout Leviticus 25, where twenty times it is rendered "jubilee," so that as an alternative to "trumpets of rams' horns" it would be equally permissible to say "trumpets of jubilee." In the year of jubilee all slaves were released and given their freedom, and all alienated estates were restored to their original owners. In view of the oft-repeated "ye shall return every man unto his possession" (Lev. 25:11, 13, 27, 28) and "the land of your possession" (v. 27) we perceive the significance and appropriateness of the sounding of "trumpets of jubilee" as Israel now began to possess their inheritance.
In that double meaning and purpose of the priests' "trumpets of rams' horns" we have clearly intimated the nature of that twofold work to which God has appointed His servants. Those trumpets had a mission and a ministry both unto the Canaanites and to Israel: the one were to be awed and affrighted, the other to be cheered and comforted. By faithfully preaching the holiness of God, the demands of His Law, the sinfulness of sin, and the reality of its awful wages, the minister of the Gospel is to strike terror into the hearts of the ungodly (2 Cor. 5:10), urging them to "flee from the wrath to come." Unto those who give evidence that they have forsaken their wicked ways and believed the Gospel, it is his privilege and duty to strengthen their faith and gladden their hearts by announcing to them the liberty which they have in Christ and the nature of that glorious inheritance which He purchased for them. In other words, to proclaim the grand jubilee tidings, so that assurance and joy may be the present portion of the redeemed. It is in the Epistles that the blessed contents of the Gospel are most fully unfolded to the saints.
"And the second day they compassed the city once, and returned into the camp" (v. 14). A careful reading of the context shows that while Divine assurance had been made unto Joshua himself that the Lord had given Jericho into his hand, yet he made no mention of this when giving orders to either the priests, the people, or the armed men: all were to act in what the world terms "blind obedience"-without any promise of reward. It is also to be duly noted that while Joshua had been informed by God how many days and times the enemy's stronghold must be encircled before its walls should supernaturally collapse (vv. 3-5), he kept this knowledge to himself, leaving all under him in ignorance of how long this strange method of procedure was to be continued. The absence of such information made an additional demand upon the faith and obedience of Israel on this occasion. After making one complete circuit of the city, the holy ark of Jehovah being carried aloft in their midst, and all the host had returned to their camp without any tangible result, it is much to their credit that they repeated the whole performance a second time. Yet still there was not the slightest sign of God's appearing on their behalf!
How striking then are the closing words of verse 14: "so they did six days"! After a second and third encompassing of Jericho, without any apparent success, little wonder had the people complained and said, What is the use of prolonging this business? Admire then their persistency. How different was this generation from their forefathers in the wilderness, who so quickly became discouraged and murmured against their leader!-and never possessed their heritage! In contrast, their sons vowed unto Joshua, "All that thou commandest us we will do, and whithersoever thou sendest us we will go" (Josh. 1:16), and faithfully did they keep their word. This too has been recorded for our instruction and for our encouragement. Was there not a time, fellow-minister, when Christ made Himself known and you asked "Lord, what wouldest Thou have me do?" Did He not in His condescending grace answer "Son, go work today in My vineyard"? When you received His call to devote the whole of your time and talents to His service, did you not promise to spend and be spent in the same? Then be not weary in well doing, for in due season ye shall reap, if ye faint not.
However impetuous be our spirit, the Lord is never in a hurry, and we are required to wait His leisure. Every dispensation of God has its prefixed period: as the mercy itself, equally so the timing of the mercy, is wholly in God's hand. "The vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry ' (Hab. 2:3). It is not at our beck and call: we can neither hasten nor retard the Almighty. "He that believeth shall not make haste" (Isa. 28:16), but continue steadfast in the performance of duty. We must neither fail through discouragement, nor adopt means of our own in order to speed the issue. Two things are required of us: adhering strictly to the directions which God has given us, trustfully and hopefully waiting His blessing on the same. Patience must have her perfect work. Thus it was with Israel here. They fainted not because the walls of Jericho fell not the first or second, nor even the fifth or sixth day; nor did they take matters into their own hands and resort to another method. Rather did they "Wait on the Lord, and keep His way" (Ps. 37:34).
"Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him" (Ps. 37:7) was the grand lesson inculcated by this incident. Confide in the Lord's goodness, count upon His power, submit fully to His authority, or there will be no waiting for Him. Israel must have implicit trust in the One who had given them their instructions through Joshua. And so must we. We are to wait in obedience as servants, and in expectation as believers. A desirous expectation concerning the future must be subordinated to a meek submission to God's will in the present. "Wait on the Lord, and keep His way, and He shall exalt thee to inhabit the land" (Ps. 37:34). It is failure to "wait on the Lord"-through giving way to the feverish flesh-which causes us to depart from "His way"! Those who are in too great a hurry to acquire things take "short cuts" which God has not appointed; but such who act in unholy haste are sure to repent at leisure. But if we patiently tarry for God's time, then we shall confine ourselves to those means which He has assigned. Let preacher and layman alike lay hold of that promise, "they shall not be ashamed [or "confounded"] that wait for Me" (Isa. 49:23).
"And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they rose early about the dawning of the day, and compassed the city after the same manner seven times: only on that day they compassed the city seven times" (v. 15). What a demand upon their faith, obedience, and patience was this! After their apparently fruitless effort of marching around Jericho once a day for no less than six days, now they were required not only to do the same on the seventh day, but to then repeat the performance no less than seven times more! And note well those words "after the same manner." There was to be no change of procedure: seeming failure did not warrant them in adopting other measures: they must adhere strictly to the Divine directions unto the end. What a needful lesson is there pointed for us! Not only was their testing protracted, but it became increasingly severe. Once a day for six days had been unavailing; and six times more on the seventh day passed without any Divine intervention; yet still they persevered! What cause for shame that we become discouraged so easily and faint so quickly!
A brief word needs to be said about the repeated occurrence of the number seven here: the seven priests, the seven trumpets, the seven days, and the seven encirclements of Jericho on the seventh day cannot be without some design and significance. The best comment we have seen thereon is John Owen's: "The compassing of the city once every day for six days, and the entrance into it on the seventh, had respect unto the work of the creation. For God was now entering into His rest with respect unto. His worship, in a new way of settlement and solemnity, such as He had not erected or made use of from the beginning of the world. Hence He frequently calls it 'His rest' (Ps. 95:11; 132:8, 14; Hebrews 3:11; 4:3, 11). And it was a type of the new creation, with the rest of Christ thereon, and of believers in Him. Therefore would God give here a resemblance of the first work of the labor of the six days, and the reward they received on the seventh."
9. Victory at Jericho (Continued)
Joshua 6:1-27
Seven Days of March
In our last we considered the instructions which Joshua received from the Lord concerning Jericho; now we are to observe how the same were carried out. "And Joshua the son of Nun called the priests, and said unto them, Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the Lord. And he said unto the people, Pass on, and compass the city, and let him that is armed pass on before the ark of the Lord" (Josh. 6:6, 7). It is therefore quite evident from these verses that Joshua understood God's promise "I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valor" (v. 2) as meaning that, if His directions were faithfully and exactly executed, but only in that case, would the city be supernaturally overthrown. That promise was to assure Joshua that the Canaanites would be unable to successfully defend their city, and that the Lord would make it manifest that He had delivered it up to Israel; nevertheless they must act in full subjection to His revealed will.
This incident of the capture of Jericho is one which should be carefully pondered and taken to heart by all the people of God today, especially so by His servants, for if it be so it will supply a grand tonic to faith, and effectually counteract that spirit of gloom which now so widely obtains. Alas, the majority of professing Christians are far more occupied with what are called "the signs of the times" than they are with the One in whose hand all "times and seasons" are (Acts 1:7). They are walking by sight, rather than by faith; engaged with the things seen, rather than with those which are unseen. The consequence is that many of them are cast down and dispirited over present conditions, and only too often the preacher is apt to regard the situation as hopeless. But that is to be of the same temper as the unbelieving spies, who said "We be not able to go up against the people: for they are stronger than we" (Num. 13:31), magnifying the difficulties which confronted them and yielding to a spirit of defeatism.
If the minister of the Gospel be occupied with the smallness of his congregation, and their unresponsiveness to his preaching; if he dwell unduly upon the lack of interest on the part of the young people, and listens to the prophets of gloom, who ever give the darkest possible interpretation to things, then he may well be dejected. But if his thoughts be formed by and his own soul fed upon the Word of God, then he will discover that there is no cause whatever for dismay. Scripture nowhere teaches that God is seeking to convert the world, rather does it declare that He is visiting the Gentiles "to take out of them a people for His name" (Acts 15:14). When giving instructions to His servants, Christ bade them "take no anxious thought," for He would have their hearts at rest, trusting, in the living God to supply their every need; and also said "Fear not little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom" (Luke 12:22, 32). He ever sought to strengthen their confidence in the invincibility of God's purpose, declaring "all that the Father giveth Me, shall come unto Me" (John 6:37).
Instead of perplexing his mind with useless speculations about the ten toes of Daniel's colossus, the business of the minister of the Gospel is to faithfully carry out the commission which he has received from his Master (Matthew 38:19, 20). Instead of wasting time upon the newspapers and listening in to the wireless in order to ascertain the latest threats of the Kremlin or menaces of the Vatican, let him give more earnest heed to that injunction "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth" (2 Tim. 2:15). Instead of being so absorbed with the activities of Satan's emissaries, let him mix faith with that heartening assurance of the Most High, "For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: so shall My Word be that goeth forth out of My mouth: it shall not return unto Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper whereto I sent it" (Isa. 55:10, 11).
The Word of God is not outdated: "heaven and earth shall pass away but My words shall not pass away" (Matthew 24:35). Then preach that Word in its purity, in its fullness, with implicit confidence in its sufficiency. The Gospel of Christ is not obsolete, but is still "the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth" (Rom. 1:16). Then proclaim it, realizing that the curse of God rests on all who preach any other (Gal. 1:8). Do you reply, I have, in my poor way, sought to preach the Gospel as faithfully and earnestly as I know how: but so far as I can see, it has been fruitless, and I am thoroughly discouraged. Then take heed, we beg you, to the incident which is here before us. Get down on your knees right now and beg God to bless this article unto you. Fervently implore Him to open your heart to receive the same. Ponder afresh those words "by faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days" (Heb. 11:30). Surely then "all things are possible to him that believeth" (Mark 9:23)!
It requires no forced or fanciful effort of ours to show that Israel's conquest of Jericho adumbrated the victories won by the Gospel, when it is faithfully preached and the blessing of God attends the same. As was pointed out in our last, Jericho was one of the leading strongholds of the enemy: "the cities are walled and very great" (Num. 13:28). Probably Jericho was the most powerfully fortified of any of them, and as such it presented a formidable obstacle unto Joshua and his fellows. Nevertheless, it fell before them in response to the punctual observance of the orders which they had received from the Lord. It was in manifest reference to this that the apostle declared, "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds" (1 Cor. 10:4). How blessedly and unmistakably was that demonstrated under his own ministry! How gloriously was the same made evident in the days of Luther! How frequently has the same truth been made to appear in various parts of the earth since then. And you, my brethren in the ministry, have the same glorious Gospel to preach, and the same mighty God to look unto to bless your labors!
Do you reply, But I am no Joshua, no Paul, no Luther? Then we remind you of the apostle's self-abasing and God-honoring words to those who were glorying in the flesh. "Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man. I have planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase" (1 Cor. 3:5-7). The men whom God has most used throughout the ages were those who rated themselves as nobodies! But you say, I feel so weak and ill-equipped-God grant that such is your sincere language, for if the contrary were the case, if you deemed yourself an able and well-qualified man, you are no servant of Christ's. Listen again to Paul, who with all his gifts and graces contemplated the tasks before him in this spirit and attitude' "who is sufficient for these things?" (2 Cor. 2:16.)
Writing to those same saints and looking back to the days of his evangelistic labors among them, the apostle declared "I came to you not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you save Jesus Christ and Him crucified. And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling" (1 Cor. 2:13). Self-diffidence is no disqualification for Christ's service. It was not Paul that was "great," but rather that the weapons he used when engaging the forces of evil were "mighty through God"! And what were those "weapons"? Prayer, "the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God" (Eph. 6:17), and faith in the One who had commissioned him. Note that we put prayer first. Does not the example of the supreme Preacher (Mark 1:35; Luke 6:12, 13) require us to do so? Did not the Twelve declare, "We will give ourselves continually to [1] prayer and [2] to the ministry of the Word" (Acts 6:4)? Then do thou the same. Concerning faith, we refer the reader again to Hebrews 11:30. Now fellow preachers, the same three "weapons" are available to us, and we need no others for the glorifying of Christ and the execution of His commission.
Note well, ye preachers, our last sentence. We did not say that no other weapons are needed in order for you to be eminently "successful" in your work, or that your use of the same will ensure prompt "visible results." That must not be made your chief concern nor immediate end: and if you make it such, a jealous God is most likely to blow upon rather than bless your efforts. Your paramount care and principal design must be the glorifying of God (1 Cor. 10:31): to make known His excellency, to enforce His just claims upon the creatures of His hands, to bid men throw down the weapons of their warfare against Him, and be reconciled to Him. If you be a real servant of God's He has sent you forth to magnify Christ: the salvation of sinners is but secondary and subordinate thereto. God would have a universal testimony borne unto the matchless worth of the person and work of Christ-the Gospel is a "witness" (Matthew 24:14) to His perfections. God would have proclaimed far and wide the amazing fact that His own beloved Son "became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross" (Phil. 2:8), being wholly devoted unto the will of His Father.
It is of first importance that we should be quite clear upon the nature of the Gospel: it is "the Gospel of God . . . concerning His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord" (Rom. 1:1, 3). In the Gospel is made known the Savior's personal dignities: that He is the Lord of glory, the Prince of life, the King of kings, the Creator and Upholder of the universe. In the Gospel is revealed His amazing condescension and humiliation: how that in obedience to the Father's word He voluntarily and gladly, took upon Him the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of sin's flesh, tabernacling for a season in this scene. In the Gospel is exhibited His holy and unique life: performing the work which the Father had given Him to do. In the Gospel is displayed His official glories, as Prophet, Priest and Potentate. In it is told forth His grace unto sinners: dying the just for the unjust. In it is declared how that He magnified the Divine Law and made it honorable, superlatively glorifying the Father thereby. In it we are informed how that God rewarded His incarnate Son by raising Him from the dead, and seating Him at His own right hand on high. Our business, fellow preachers, is to proclaim that Gospel in its purity and fullness, that God may be glorified, and His Son magnified.
Our commission is crystal clear. It is no other than this: "Speak unto them, and tell them: whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear" (Ezek. 3:11). Our business is to declare "all the counsel of God" and keep back nothing that is profitable unto souls (Acts 20:20, 27). Our marching orders are the same as Jonah's (Jon. 3:2) and of Deuteronomy 4:2: "Preach unto it [the city] the preaching that I bid thee." "Ye shall not add unto the Word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it." Only by so doing will God be glorified and our souls cleared from the awful charge of infidelity. But if we do so-and only by Divine grace, earnestly and constantly sought, can we-we may safely leave "results" with the Lord of the harvest. Nay more, we may rest in full confidence on the promise "them that honor Me, I will honor" (1 Sam. 2:30). But it must be left with Him as to when and how He "honors." In the Day to come He will say "Well done, good and faithful servant." Even now "we are unto God a sweet savor of Christ, in them that are saved and in them that perish" (2 Cor. 2:15)!
But let us now take a more definite look at the instructions given to Israel's priests in Joshua 6:6. Observe carefully a significant omission therein, which silently but decidedly confirms what has been said above. Joshua did not announce to them the promise which he had received from the Lord in verses 2 and 5, but simply gave them their marching orders, without any assurance that success would certainly attend their efforts! In this, as in almost all things, Joshua was a type of Christ, who, although receiving promise from His Father (in the everlasting covenant) of the sure success of His undertaking (cf. Isaiah 53:10-12), yet when commissioning His servants, gave them specific commandments but said not a word about their labors being fruitful!-see Matthew 28, 29, 30; Mark 16:15, 16; Luke 24:46-49; John 20:21-23; Acts 1:7, 8. So here: the priests were told what to do, and that was all. Unquestioning and unreserved obedience to their orders was what was required from them: nothing more, nothing less. They were, first, to "take up the ark of the covenant"; second, to "bear seven trumpets of rams' horns"; and third, to go "before the ark of the Lord." Let us now point out the typical significance of the same.
The ark of the covenant was the symbol of the Lord's presence with them, as their "Leader and Commander" (Isa. 55:4). In like manner, Christ has assured His servants "Lo! I am with you always, even unto the end of the world" (Matthew 28:20). That is to be realized by faith, and not by sense. The minister of the Gospel is to go forward to the fight in the blessed consciousness that he is not alone: he is to act with full assurance that the Captain of his salvation is with him. What a difference it will make if he steadily bear the same in mind! Let him act accordingly. Let the known presence of Christ serve both as a bridle upon the flesh, and as a spur to his zeal. The priests "bearing the trumpets" at once identifies them as adumbrating ministers of the Gospel sounding forth their imperative message. "Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show My people their transgressions" (Isa. 58:1). "I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet" (Jer. 6:17). "Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in My holy mountain" (Joel 2:10). The apostle made use of this figure when he said "If the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle" (1 Cor. 14:8).
The sounding of the trumpets by the priests on this occasion had a twofold design: to strike terror into the hearts of the Canaanites: to inspire with courage and confidence the people of God. And that is the twofold work of Christ's servants. First, to solemnly declare the revealed wrath of God against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men (Rom. 1:18): to announce His war against those who continue in sin: to boldly declare "he that believeth not shall be damned." Thus did the supreme Gospeler: Matthew 11:23, 24; John 3:18, 36! Second, to strengthen the hearts of God's people: "And if ye go to war in your land against the enemy that oppresseth you, then ye shall blow an alarm with the trumpets, and ye shall be remembered before the Lord your God, and ye shall be saved from your enemies" (Num. 10:9). "And it shall be when ye are come nigh to the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak unto the people, and shall say unto them, Hear, O Israel, ye approach this day unto battle against your enemies: let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be ye terrified because of them; for the Lord your God is He that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you" (Deut. 20:2, 4). Thus is the preacher to encourage the saints in their conflict with the flesh, the world, and the devil.
"And Joshua the son of Nun called the priests and said unto them, Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the Lord. And he said unto the people, Pass on and compass the city, and let him that is armed pass on before the ark of the Lord" (Josh. 6:6, 7). Lack of space prevented the completion of our remarks upon these two verses in our last. There we dwelt at length upon the former one, and sought to show that Israel's priests, on this occasion, shadowed forth the ministers of the Gospel, and how that the appointed (spiritual) weapons of their "warfare are made mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds" (2 Cor. 10:4). Care needs to be taken against carnalizing that expression and interpreting it in a manner unwarranted by the Analogy of Faith. It is not the Gospel converting people en masse (in a body)-"Glasgow for Christ," "Chicago for Christ," as Arminian slogans express it-but the delivering of individual souls from that powerful "refuge of lies" in which the natural man is entrenched. The meaning of 2 Corinthians 10:4, is explained in the next verse:
"Casting down imaginations [or "reasongings"] and every high thing that exalteth itself against God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ" (2 Cor. 10:5). The heart of the natural man is stoutly opposed to God, being filled with enmity against Him. It is fortified by the love of sin against every appeal unto holiness. The unregenerate are so inured and hardened by habit and practice that the Holy Spirit declares "Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil' (Jer. 13:23). Their wills are enslaved, so that they "will not come to Christ" (John 5:40). They are steeled against both the terrors of the Law and the attractions of the Gospel. Furthermore they are the captives of the devil (Luke 11:21; 2 Timothy 2:26), and are unable to emancipate themselves. Naught but a miracle of grace can free them, and the means used by the Spirit in accomplishing that miracle is the preached Word, effectually applied to the heart by His power. Then is the proud rebel humbled into the dust before God, delivered from the dominion of sin and Satan, transformed into a loving and loyal subject of Christ.
In the seventh verse of Joshua 6, instructions were given to the people. On this occasion they were to accompany the priests! When crossing the Jordan the priests went "before the people" (Josh. 3:6), and stood alone "in the midst of Jordan" until "all the people had passed over" (Josh. 4:20). There they foreshadowed our great High Priest, who "by Himself" opened a way through death for His people (see Chapter Six). But here the priests typified the servants of Christ, as engaged on their evangelistic labors. Consequently the hosts of Israel must now accompany them. What a word is that for the rank and the of the people of God today! Only too often has the minister of the Gospel to go forth alone. He does not receive that moral and spiritual support to which he is entitled, and which he so much needs. No wonder so many faithful preachers are discouraged when the prayer-meetings are so thinly attended, and when so few are holding up their hands at the throne of grace! O that it may please God to use this paragraph in stirring up professing Christians to be more definite and fervent in praying for all godly ministers. Only a preacher knows what difference it makes to have the assurance that the hearts of his people are with him!
"And it came to pass, when Joshua had spoken unto the people, that the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams' horns passed on before the Lord, and blew with the trumpets: and the ark of the covenant of the Lord followed them" (v. 8). Observe, first, how precise is the time-mark here of the priests' action: they did not move forward until the people had taken their allotted position according to the instructions they had received from their leader. There was to be conjoint action: the priests accompanied by the people-exemplifying what we have said in the above paragraph. Second, since there is nothing meaningless or superfluous in Holy Writ, note how the Spirit has again emphasized the rude nature of the priests' "trumpets." No less than five times in this chapter are we told that those employed on this occasion were made of "rams' horns"-a cruder or meaner material could scarcely be imagined. They were in designed and striking contrast with the "trumpets of silver" which were normally used in the camp of Israel (Num. 10:1-10). It was God pouring contempt on the means used-those which were despicable in the eyes of men-that Israel's pride might be stained and Himself glorified, for His strength is ever made perfect through weakness.
Bearing in mind that Israel's priests here foreshadowed the true servants of Christ, their using trumpets of rams' horns is deeply significant, albeit, very distasteful to that pride of heart which glories in the flesh. It not only emphasized the feebleness of the means used by God in accomplishing His purpose of grace, namely, that it hath pleased Him "by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe" (1 Cor. 1:21), but also indicated the type of men God deigns to employ as His mouthpieces. When our Lord chose the men who were to be His apostles and ambassadors, He selected not those who occupied eminent stations in the world, nor those who had passed through the schools of learning, but unlettered fishermen and a despised tax-gatherer-that was the antitype of "the rams' horns" in contrast with "the trumpets of silver"-men of lowly origin, despised by those who are great and wise in their own eyes! To effect the mightiest of all works, God employs what is to the mind of the natural man the most inadequate means, in order that His wisdom and power may be the more apparent. The Gospel does not depend for its success on human wisdom-a fact lost sight of by the churches today.
That same flesh-withering truth is dearly expressed in 1 Corinthians 1:26-31, though few have perceived it. The immediate design of the apostle in 1 Corinthians 1 and 2 was to show that the great and grand change wrought in the hearts of believers is not to be ascribed to any wisdom or power possessed by the preacher (who is hut a channel through which God condescends to work), but is to be attributed wholly to the Divine grace in making his message effectual. The Corinthians were glorying in human instruments, setting up one against another (see Joshua 1:12), and the apostle shows how utterly baseless and foolish was such glorying. He pointed out that it was not the learning of Paul nor the eloquence of Apollos which could convert a soul, but that God must, from beginning to end, accomplish the same. This he demonstrates by describing the type of instruments which He makes to be vehicles of blessing unto sinners. "For ye see your calling, brethren [i.e. ye perceive from your own calling out of darkness into God's marvelous light], that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble"-"are employed" (by God) is a far better and more pertinent supplement than "are called."
"But God hath chosen [for His servants] the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; and base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen; and things which are not [nonentities, nobodies] to bring to naught the things that are." Thus, verses 26-28 are to be connected with the whole context, and not simply with verses 24, 25. In them we behold again "the trumpets of rams' horns"-God employing instruments which appear utterly inadequate to carnal reason. That interpretation is clearly confirmed by "that no flesh should glory in His presence," for the Corinthians were not glorying in themselves, but in their ministers (Josh. 1:12; 3:4)! It is clinched by the next words: "But of Him [and not by Paul, or Apollos, or any worm of the earth] are ye in Christ Jesus" (v. 30). Thus, Paul was showing that it was not through learned philosophers nor highly trained rabbins that the Corinthians had heard the Gospel of their salvation, but rather through those whom both the one and the other regarded with contempt. If further corroboration be needed, verse 31 supplies it!
God is jealous of His honor and will not share it with another. It pleases Him, as a general rule, to select for His instruments those who have no glittering accomplishments: rather, plain, simple, homely men. It is not silver-tongued orators through whom He most shows forth His praises, but by those who have nothing more, naturally, to commend them unto their hearers than that which resembles the "rams' horns"! His most eminent servants have not been those of royal blood, noble birth, or high station, but taken from the lower walks of life. Luther, the principal agent used by God in the mighty Reformation, was the son of a miner. Bunyan was but a tinker, yet his book Pilgrim's Progress has been translated into more languages, had a much wider circulation, and been used in blessing to a far greater number of souls, than all the writings put together of the learned Owen and Goodwin! Spurgeon had neither university nor college training, nor was he a graduate of any seminary! Though after God's call to the ministry, each of them studied hard and long to improve himself! In proportion as the churches have made an idol of education and theological learning in their ministers, has their spirituality waned: that is a fact, however unpalatable it may be.
There is a third thing in verse 8 which claims our notice, namely, that the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams' horns "passed on before the Lord." This is generally understood to mean that they preceded the ark, but that can scarcely be its significance, unless we are ready to conclude there is needless tautology here, for the same verse ends by declaring "and the ark of the covenant of the Lord followed them." What then is imported by they "passed on before the Lord"? It is very much more than a bare historical detail, which has no relation unto us today-alas that so few search for the present application to themselves of all in the Bible. There is that here which the servants of Christ need to observe and take to heart: something of vital importance and blessedness. That brief statement reveals to us the inward condition of the priests. It expressed their attitude unto Jehovah, and the Spirit of Truth delighted to record the same. Man looketh on the outward appearance but God looketh on the heart; and the hearts of Israel's priests were engaged with Him, and they comported themselves accordingly. By carefully comparing Scripture with Scripture we may ascertain the meaning of this clause.
In Genesis 5:24, we are told that "Enoch walked with God." In 1 Samuel 2:21, that "the child Samuel grew before the Lord." In Deuteronomy 13:4, that Israel were bidden to "walk after the Lord their God." While in' Colossians 2:6, Christians are exhorted "As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him." In those four prepositions we have an outline of the whole privilege and duty of the saint in his relation to God. To "walk with God" is only possible unto one who has been reconciled to Him, for "Can two walk together except they be agreed?" (Amos 3:2). Thus it is expressive of holy communion with God. To go or walk "before the Lord" is to conduct ourselves in the realization that all our actions are being scrutinized by Him: "For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and He pondereth all his goings" (Prov. 5:21). Thus it is expressive of holy fear. To walk "after the Lord" is to live in complete subjection to His revealed will: "And the king stood in his place and made a covenant before the Lord, to walk after the Lord, and to keep His commandments, and His testimonies, and His statutes, with all his heart and with all his soul" (2 Chron. 34:31). There it is expressive of unreserved obedience. To "walk in Christ" is expressive of union, like a branch in the vine, and signifies to live by His enablement, strengthened by Him, "rooted and built up in Him" as Colossians 2:27, explains it.
But the one passage which more expressly explains these words of the priests passing on "before the Lord" is Genesis 17:1, when He said unto Abraham "I am the Almighty God: walk before Me, and be thou upright." That was said, first, by way of rebuke, right after his impatient and carnal conduct with Hagar. Second, that was said for his instruction and encouragement: to show him that there was no occasion for taking matters into his own hands. The Lord now made known Himself to Abraham as "The Almighty"-El Shaddai-the fully competent One, able to supply all his need, without the patriarch resorting to any fleshly devices. In view of which Abraham was bidden to "walk before Me and be thou upright": that is, count upon My infinite resources. Thus, when it is said that Israel's priests "passed on before the Lord," the meaning is that they acted in complete dependence upon God's all-sufficiency, confidently counting upon His undertaking for them. In the light of Proverbs 5:21, it signifies too that they moved forward in God's fear, conscious that His eye was upon them, and therefore they dared not depart from the orders which He had given them.
Let every preacher who reads this article endeavor to recognize that this too has been recorded for his learning, his guidance, his encouragement. Let him seek to realize, first, that he is beneath the all-seeing eye of his Master: that his actions are "before the eyes of the Lord, and He pondereth all his ways." Let him bear that in mind while he is out of the pulpit: that the One to whom he must yet render an account of his stewardship takes note whether he is an idler and slacker, or one who faithfully devotes his time to prayer and study, and not only to "sermon preparation." And, second, let him view by faith the all-sufficiency of the One before whom he walks, refusing to depart from His instructions, confidently counting upon Him fulfilling His purpose by and through him. Let him constantly call to mind that He is none other than "the Almighty," the self-sufficient Jehovah. No other provider, no other protector is needed. It was because Abraham forgot that that he stooped to fleshly devices; and when we forget it, we are very apt to depart from His rule and resort to carnal methods. It is distrust of God which lies behind the fleshly and worldly devices now so commonly employed in the churches.
"And the armed men went before the priests that blew with the trumpets, and the rearward came after the ark, the priests going on, and blowing with the trumpets" (v. 9). Here our attention is directed away from the priests unto the remainder of the children of Israel, and they are divided into two companies-those who went before, and those who followed behind the ark of the covenant. The ones taking the lead consisted of the fighting force, who were to advance when the walls of Jericho fell down and slay those within the city This arrangement originated not in the mind of Joshua, for at no point was he required to lean unto his own understanding. The Lord had previously given orders through Moses that the fighting men of the tribes of Reuben and Gad should "go armed before the Lord to war . . . until He had driven out His enemies from before Him" (Num. 32:20, 21). It was in obedience thereto that Joshua here acted. As the margin more correctly renders, it was the "gathering host" of Israel who made up the rearward. In that twofold division we may find a hint that only a few of the Lord's people are possessed of a courageous spirit and prepared to show a bold front to the enemy.
"And Joshua had commanded the people, saying, Ye shall not shout, nor make your voice to be heard, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth until the day I bid you shout; then shall ye shout" (Josh. 6:10). Here is the third item in the instructions which Joshua gave to "the people." First, they had been bidden to "compass the city"; and second, the armed men among them to "pass on before the ark of the Lord" (v. 7); now they are enjoined to maintain strict silence as the long procession wended its way around Jericho. Very precisely and emphatically was this order worded: its threefold prohibition reminding us of the repeated interdiction of Proverbs 4:14, 15, "Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away." There is no excuse for ignorance of the Divine will: the things which God forbids us doing are as plainly stated in His Word as those which He requires of us.
No explanation was given the people, but simply the bare command: sufficient for them that so God required. Pondering it in the light of Scripture, several reasons for it and significations of it may be suggested. First and more generally, this injunction for the people to preserve complete silence constituted a test of their obedience-made the more real by their not being told why such an imposition was necessary. For the mouths of such a vast multitude to be sealed during the entire march around the city was no small test of their subjection unto the revealed will of Jehovah. Second and more specifically, such decorous silence well became them on this occasion. Why so? Because God was in their midst, and He is "greatly to be feared in the assembly of His saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about Him" (Ps. 89:7)-a verse which many preachers today need to press upon their congregations, among whom much irreverence obtains in the house of prayer. If the seraphim veil their faces before the Lord, how reverent should be our worship!
The "ark of the covenant" was the symbol of the Lord's presence, and its being in Israel's midst on this occasion required that they conduct themselves with the utmost propriety. God was about to speak loudly to the Canaanites in judgment, and it was therefore fitting that every human voice should be stilled. There is "a time to keep silence, and a time to speak" (Ecclesiastes 3:7). When Pharaoh and his hosts were pursuing the children of Israel, and they were confronted by the Red Sea, they were told, "The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace" (Ex. 14:14). The case was a parallel one here: Jehovah was about to lay bare His mighty arm and show Himself strong on behalf of His people, and it was meet that they should be still before Him, in reverent expectation of the event. It was a case of "hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord God, for the day of the Lord [when He acts in an extraordinary manner] is at hand" (Zeph. 1:7); "Be silent, O all flesh, before the Lord; for He is raised up out of His holy habitation" (Zech. 2:13). The profound silence observed by Israel's hosts added impressively to the gravity and solemnity of their procession.
Again; Israel's being forbidden to open their mouths on this occasion supplied another illustration and exemplification of the difference which marks the ways of God from man's. We are aware that some are likely to regard that statement as a trite platitude, yet they are probably the very ones who most need to be reminded of it here, for they are the least affected and influenced by it. God's work is to be done in His appointed way: but instead of that, much of what now pretends to be "His work" is being done in the world's way. God works silently, whether it be in creation, providence, or grace. Vegetation makes no noise in the process of its growth. God's government, both of individuals and nations, is wrought secretly. The miracle of regeneration is not perceptible to our senses, though its effects and fruits soon become apparent. So it is in His dealings with our souls' the Lord is not in the wind, nor in the earthquake, nor in the fire, but in the "still small voice" (1 Kings 19:11, 12). We too should go about our appointed tasks in the same calmness' "a meek and quiet spirit" is of "great price" in His sight (1 Pet. 3:4).
Third, the silence required of "the people" on this occasion supplied another important line in the typical picture furnished by this incident-though one which certainly will not appeal to many in present-day Christendom. Israel's capture of Jericho unmistakably pre-figured the victories achieved, under God, by the Gospel. The priests blowing with the trumpets of rams' horns pictured the servants of God preaching His Word. The forbidding of "the people" to open their mouths signified that the rank and the of Christians are to have no part in the oral proclamation of the Truth-they are neither qualified for nor called to the ministration of the Word. Nowhere in the Epistles is there a single exhortation for the saints as such to engage in public evangelism, nor even to do "personal work" and seek to be "soul winners." Rather are they required to "witness for Christ" by their daily conduct in business and in the home. They are to "show forth" God's praises, rather than tell them forth. They are to let their light shine. The testimony of the life is far more effectual than glib utterances of the lips. Actions speak louder than words.
How vastly different was the typical scene presented here in Joshua 6 from that which is now beheld in the so-called "evangelism" of our day! Here everything was orderly, decorous and reverent. "The people" in the rear' "the ark of the covenant"-symbol of the Lord's presence-in the midst: the "seven priests" blowing with their trumpets: the "armed men in front. The absolute silence of all the hosts of Israel-so utterly different from the war cries to which they were accustomed-must have deeply impressed the citizens of Jericho. But not only is there the marked absence of that dignified silence, gravity, solemnity, and reverence, which befits all gatherings that are professedly engaged in Divine worship, but modern "evangelism" is characterized by that which is noisy, vulgar, and carnally exciting. How different the self-advertised "evangelists" of this decadent age from the supreme Evangelist, who "suffered not the demons to speak, because they knew Him," and who said to the cleansed leper "See thou say nothing to any man" (Mark 1:34, 42)!
"So the ark of the Lord compassed the city, going about it once" (v. 11). And what follows? Therefore its walls at once fell down? No; "and they came into the camp and lodged in the camp." Then they had all their trouble for nothing! No indeed. But nothing happened: they were no forwarder, but just where they were previously! That is estimating things by sight, and is an erroneous conclusion. Much had happened. That which is of supreme importance had been accomplished. God had been honored and glorified! How so? By the implicit obedience of Joshua, of the priests, of the congregation of Israel. O that both ministers and laymen were more thoroughly convinced that nothing honors God so much as our obedience. "To obey is better than sacrifice" (1 Sam. 15:22)-the most lavish offering is unacceptable to God unless it be made by one whose will is subject to His. Attending meetings, contributing generously to His cause, busying ourselves in what is wrongly termed 'Christian service," is worthless-yea, a species of hypocrisy-if we be not walking in the path of the Divine precepts.
Unless what has just been said be laid to heart by both the public servants of God and private Christians, the most important lessons of this incident will be missed. As was pointed out in our last, the preacher who most honors Christ is not the one who produces the largest "visible results," but he who sticks the closest to His commission and preaches the Word most faithfully. So with the saints. The Christian housewife who discharges her God-given duties in the home and the domestic in the kitchen who conscientiously performs her menial tasks are as pleasing and glorifying to Christ as the most self-denying missionary in the foreign field. What is the one outstanding excellence in the Savior's life and work which the Holy Spirit has emphasized more than any other? Is it not that His meat and drink was to do the will of Him that sent Him (John 4:34)! That there was no limit in His subjection to the Father's authority, that He "became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross" (Phil. 2:8)! Say not that nothing was accomplished by Israel here, but admire their God-honoring obedience, and seek to emulate them.
"And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the Lord" (v. 12). Nothing escapes the all-seeing eye of the One with whom we have to do. In human estimation this may appear a very trivial detail, nevertheless it is one which the Holy Spirit delighted to notice and place upon imperishable record. Why so? Because it marked the diligence, fidelity and zeal of those servants of the Lord. Why so? Because they also inculcated yet another lesson which ministers of the Gospel need to heed. They are expressly bidden to study and show themselves "approved unto God, workmen who needeth not to be ashamed" (2 Tim. 2:15). Slackness and slothfulness ill become those who claim to be the ambassadors of Him who rose up "a great while before day" (Mark 1:35) and "early in the morning He came again into the temple" to teach the people (John 8:2). That searching question of His, "what do ye more than others?" (Matthew 5:47), is capable of many legitimate applications-not least to the preacher. Does he spend fewer or more hours per day in his study than do those who work for their daily bread!
"And seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the Lord went on continually, and blew with the trumpets; and the armed men went before them, but the rearward came after the ark of the Lord, the priests going on and blowing with the trumpets" (v. 13). The Hebrew word for "trumpet" (shophar) has its first occurrence in Exodus 19:16, 19, where its loud blast was used to awe the nation at Sinai: highly significant is the fact that it is mentioned just fourteen times here in Joshua 6:7-22, or the number of perfect witness. The word for "rams' horns" (yobel) is the one used throughout Leviticus 25, where twenty times it is rendered "jubilee," so that as an alternative to "trumpets of rams' horns" it would be equally permissible to say "trumpets of jubilee." In the year of jubilee all slaves were released and given their freedom, and all alienated estates were restored to their original owners. In view of the oft-repeated "ye shall return every man unto his possession" (Lev. 25:11, 13, 27, 28) and "the land of your possession" (v. 27) we perceive the significance and appropriateness of the sounding of "trumpets of jubilee" as Israel now began to possess their inheritance.
In that double meaning and purpose of the priests' "trumpets of rams' horns" we have clearly intimated the nature of that twofold work to which God has appointed His servants. Those trumpets had a mission and a ministry both unto the Canaanites and to Israel: the one were to be awed and affrighted, the other to be cheered and comforted. By faithfully preaching the holiness of God, the demands of His Law, the sinfulness of sin, and the reality of its awful wages, the minister of the Gospel is to strike terror into the hearts of the ungodly (2 Cor. 5:10), urging them to "flee from the wrath to come." Unto those who give evidence that they have forsaken their wicked ways and believed the Gospel, it is his privilege and duty to strengthen their faith and gladden their hearts by announcing to them the liberty which they have in Christ and the nature of that glorious inheritance which He purchased for them. In other words, to proclaim the grand jubilee tidings, so that assurance and joy may be the present portion of the redeemed. It is in the Epistles that the blessed contents of the Gospel are most fully unfolded to the saints.
"And the second day they compassed the city once, and returned into the camp" (v. 14). A careful reading of the context shows that while Divine assurance had been made unto Joshua himself that the Lord had given Jericho into his hand, yet he made no mention of this when giving orders to either the priests, the people, or the armed men: all were to act in what the world terms "blind obedience"-without any promise of reward. It is also to be duly noted that while Joshua had been informed by God how many days and times the enemy's stronghold must be encircled before its walls should supernaturally collapse (vv. 3-5), he kept this knowledge to himself, leaving all under him in ignorance of how long this strange method of procedure was to be continued. The absence of such information made an additional demand upon the faith and obedience of Israel on this occasion. After making one complete circuit of the city, the holy ark of Jehovah being carried aloft in their midst, and all the host had returned to their camp without any tangible result, it is much to their credit that they repeated the whole performance a second time. Yet still there was not the slightest sign of God's appearing on their behalf!
How striking then are the closing words of verse 14: "so they did six days"! After a second and third encompassing of Jericho, without any apparent success, little wonder had the people complained and said, What is the use of prolonging this business? Admire then their persistency. How different was this generation from their forefathers in the wilderness, who so quickly became discouraged and murmured against their leader!-and never possessed their heritage! In contrast, their sons vowed unto Joshua, "All that thou commandest us we will do, and whithersoever thou sendest us we will go" (Josh. 1:16), and faithfully did they keep their word. This too has been recorded for our instruction and for our encouragement. Was there not a time, fellow-minister, when Christ made Himself known and you asked "Lord, what wouldest Thou have me do?" Did He not in His condescending grace answer "Son, go work today in My vineyard"? When you received His call to devote the whole of your time and talents to His service, did you not promise to spend and be spent in the same? Then be not weary in well doing, for in due season ye shall reap, if ye faint not.
However impetuous be our spirit, the Lord is never in a hurry, and we are required to wait His leisure. Every dispensation of God has its prefixed period: as the mercy itself, equally so the timing of the mercy, is wholly in God's hand. "The vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry ' (Hab. 2:3). It is not at our beck and call: we can neither hasten nor retard the Almighty. "He that believeth shall not make haste" (Isa. 28:16), but continue steadfast in the performance of duty. We must neither fail through discouragement, nor adopt means of our own in order to speed the issue. Two things are required of us: adhering strictly to the directions which God has given us, trustfully and hopefully waiting His blessing on the same. Patience must have her perfect work. Thus it was with Israel here. They fainted not because the walls of Jericho fell not the first or second, nor even the fifth or sixth day; nor did they take matters into their own hands and resort to another method. Rather did they "Wait on the Lord, and keep His way" (Ps. 37:34).
"Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him" (Ps. 37:7) was the grand lesson inculcated by this incident. Confide in the Lord's goodness, count upon His power, submit fully to His authority, or there will be no waiting for Him. Israel must have implicit trust in the One who had given them their instructions through Joshua. And so must we. We are to wait in obedience as servants, and in expectation as believers. A desirous expectation concerning the future must be subordinated to a meek submission to God's will in the present. "Wait on the Lord, and keep His way, and He shall exalt thee to inhabit the land" (Ps. 37:34). It is failure to "wait on the Lord"-through giving way to the feverish flesh-which causes us to depart from "His way"! Those who are in too great a hurry to acquire things take "short cuts" which God has not appointed; but such who act in unholy haste are sure to repent at leisure. But if we patiently tarry for God's time, then we shall confine ourselves to those means which He has assigned. Let preacher and layman alike lay hold of that promise, "they shall not be ashamed [or "confounded"] that wait for Me" (Isa. 49:23).
"And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they rose early about the dawning of the day, and compassed the city after the same manner seven times: only on that day they compassed the city seven times" (v. 15). What a demand upon their faith, obedience, and patience was this! After their apparently fruitless effort of marching around Jericho once a day for no less than six days, now they were required not only to do the same on the seventh day, but to then repeat the performance no less than seven times more! And note well those words "after the same manner." There was to be no change of procedure: seeming failure did not warrant them in adopting other measures: they must adhere strictly to the Divine directions unto the end. What a needful lesson is there pointed for us! Not only was their testing protracted, but it became increasingly severe. Once a day for six days had been unavailing; and six times more on the seventh day passed without any Divine intervention; yet still they persevered! What cause for shame that we become discouraged so easily and faint so quickly!
A brief word needs to be said about the repeated occurrence of the number seven here: the seven priests, the seven trumpets, the seven days, and the seven encirclements of Jericho on the seventh day cannot be without some design and significance. The best comment we have seen thereon is John Owen's: "The compassing of the city once every day for six days, and the entrance into it on the seventh, had respect unto the work of the creation. For God was now entering into His rest with respect unto. His worship, in a new way of settlement and solemnity, such as He had not erected or made use of from the beginning of the world. Hence He frequently calls it 'His rest' (Ps. 95:11; 132:8, 14; Hebrews 3:11; 4:3, 11). And it was a type of the new creation, with the rest of Christ thereon, and of believers in Him. Therefore would God give here a resemblance of the first work of the labor of the six days, and the reward they received on the seventh."