|
As a military commander, Joshua knew a decisive
victory over a hardened target would put fear into the Canaanites
and so he sent out spies to Jericho. The scouts decided the safest
place to lodge was in a whorehouse where they met a harlot who had
been visited by the Lord. Rahab knew Jericho was doomed and hid the
two men, telling them that fear had fallen on the city, and made
them promise to spare the lives of her family. Crossing a flood
swollen river is no easy task and but God wanted to impress upon the
people of Israel that Joshua was His man. The Lord magnified Joshua
by stopping the flow of water so that the Israelites could safely
walk across a dry river bed into the Promised Land. Then God did
something that made no sense when He ordered all the males to be
circumcised on the same day. A grown man that is circumcised would
take several days to recover. This plan was suicidal because all the
fighting men would be recovering from their wounds, giving the
Canaanites the opportunity to overrun and kill them all. Joshua
obeyed and Jesus met him outside the camp with instructions how to
attack and conquer Jericho. |
 |
