Read Joshua 6:17-21
Key verses: 6:18-19
17 And the city and all that is within it shall be devoted to the Lord for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall live, because she hid the messengers whom we sent. 18 But you, keep yourselves from the things devoted to destruction, lest when you have devoted them you take any of the devoted things and make the camp of Israel a thing for destruction and bring trouble upon it. 19 But all silver and gold, and every vessel of bronze and iron, are holy to the Lord; they shall go into the treasury of the Lord.” 20 So the people shouted, and the trumpets were blown. As soon as the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they captured the city. 21 Then they devoted all in the city to destruction, both men and women, young and old, oxen, sheep, and donkeys, with the edge of the sword.
God gave the Israelites some pretty specific instructions as they faced the city of Jericho. The city was marked for total destruction, and God made it clear that if the Israelites didn’t follow those instructions, destruction would come to them. As Chapter 6 comes to a close, it appears that all is well. God brings the victory, the city is destroyed, and the Israelites head back to camp. But all is not what it seems. In the hustle and confusion of the destruction, disobedience has crept in.
Reading this story thousands of years later, we might be tempted to shake our heads and wonder why they couldn’t just obey God completely. But, isn’t that how we act sometimes? Sure, the circumstances are different. But in the hustle and confusion of life, we too might be tempted to believe that no one would notice if we didn’t follow God completely…If we just compromised a little. So we do a little cover-up of our disobedience, or we allow culture to validate our choices instead of trusting that God knows what is best.
Before we head into the week, take some time to evaluate where you are. Are there areas of your life that you keep hidden, especially ones you know God is asking you to surrender to Him? What is keeping you from totally living in obedience to God in those areas? Is it fear? Anger? Pride? Ask God to help you face those things so they do not remain hidden any longer, and to rely on Him.
