Yesterday, my granddaughter Elizabeth posted the bit of prose on facebook, and today she added her signature "fire-bird" (really a picture of a sparkler with an unusual camera setting). I was VERY IMPRESSED WITH HER COMPOSITON and was glad when she gave me permission to use it!!!
Coincidence is a funny thing and yesterday was no exception, as Chat Tagtoe presented an excellent lesson based on the text of chapter 6 below. Now, most of us who are familiar with the book of Joshua, immediately think of the following text...
Joshua, Chapter 24
15 If it seems evil to you to serve Yahweh, choose this day whom you will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve Yahweh.”
But, Chad's lesson was on the sixth chapter of Joshua, so, please read the following and we will continue on from there...
Joshua, Chapter 6
1 Now Jericho was tightly shut up because of the children of Israel. No one went out, and no one came in. 2 Yahweh said to Joshua, “Behold, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and the mighty men of valor. 3 All your men of war shall march around the city, going around the city once. You shall do this six days. 4 Seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark. On the seventh day, you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. 5 It shall be that when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall go up every man straight before him.”
6 Joshua the son of Nun called the priests, and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before Yahweh’s ark.”
7 They said to the people, “Advance! March around the city, and let the armed men pass on before Yahweh’s ark.”
8 It was so, that when Joshua had spoken to the people, the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams’ horns before Yahweh advanced, and blew the trumpets; and the ark of the covenant of Yahweh followed them. 9 The armed men went before the priests who blew the trumpets, and the ark went after them. The trumpets sounded as they went.
10 Joshua commanded the people, saying, “You shall not shout, nor let your voice be heard, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I tell you to shout. Then you shall shout.” 11 So he caused Yahweh’s ark to go around the city, going about it once. Then they came into the camp, and lodged in the camp. 12 Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up Yahweh’s ark. 13 The seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams’ horns before Yahweh’s ark went on continually, and blew the trumpets: and the armed men went before them. The rear guard came after Yahweh’s ark. The trumpets sounded as they went. 14 The second day they marched around the city once, and returned into the camp. They did this six days.
15 On the seventh day, they rose early at the dawning of the day, and marched around the city in the same way seven times. Only on this day they marched around the city seven times. 16 At the seventh time, when the priests blew the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, “Shout, for Yahweh has given you the city! 17 The city shall be devoted, even it and all that is in it, to Yahweh. Only Rahab the prostitute shall live, she and all who are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent. 18 But as for you, only keep yourselves from the devoted thing, lest when you have devoted it, you take of the devoted thing; so would you make the camp of Israel accursed, and trouble it. 19 But all the silver, and gold, and vessels of brass and iron, are holy to Yahweh. They shall come into Yahweh’s treasury.”
20 So the people shouted, and the priests blew the trumpets. When the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted with 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 took the city. 21 They utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, both young and old, and ox, and sheep, and donkey, with the edge of the sword. 22 Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, “Go into the prostitute’s house, and bring out from there the woman and all that she has, as you swore to her.” 23 The young men who were spies went in, and brought out Rahab with her father, her mother, her brothers, and all that she had. They also brought out all her relatives, and they set them outside of the camp of Israel. 24 They burnt the city with fire, and all that was in it. Only they put the silver, the gold, and the vessels of brass and of iron into the treasury of Yahweh’s house. 25 But Rahab the prostitute, her father’s household, and all that she had, Joshua saved alive. She lived in the midst of Israel to this day, because she hid the messengers, whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.
26 Joshua commanded them with an oath at that time, saying, “Cursed is the man before Yahweh, who rises up and builds this city Jericho. With the loss of his firstborn shall he lay its foundation, and with the loss of his youngest son shall he set up its gates.” 27 So Yahweh was with Joshua; and his fame was in all the land.
6 Joshua the son of Nun called the priests, and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before Yahweh’s ark.”
7 They said to the people, “Advance! March around the city, and let the armed men pass on before Yahweh’s ark.”
8 It was so, that when Joshua had spoken to the people, the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams’ horns before Yahweh advanced, and blew the trumpets; and the ark of the covenant of Yahweh followed them. 9 The armed men went before the priests who blew the trumpets, and the ark went after them. The trumpets sounded as they went.
10 Joshua commanded the people, saying, “You shall not shout, nor let your voice be heard, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I tell you to shout. Then you shall shout.” 11 So he caused Yahweh’s ark to go around the city, going about it once. Then they came into the camp, and lodged in the camp. 12 Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up Yahweh’s ark. 13 The seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams’ horns before Yahweh’s ark went on continually, and blew the trumpets: and the armed men went before them. The rear guard came after Yahweh’s ark. The trumpets sounded as they went. 14 The second day they marched around the city once, and returned into the camp. They did this six days.
15 On the seventh day, they rose early at the dawning of the day, and marched around the city in the same way seven times. Only on this day they marched around the city seven times. 16 At the seventh time, when the priests blew the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, “Shout, for Yahweh has given you the city! 17 The city shall be devoted, even it and all that is in it, to Yahweh. Only Rahab the prostitute shall live, she and all who are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent. 18 But as for you, only keep yourselves from the devoted thing, lest when you have devoted it, you take of the devoted thing; so would you make the camp of Israel accursed, and trouble it. 19 But all the silver, and gold, and vessels of brass and iron, are holy to Yahweh. They shall come into Yahweh’s treasury.”
20 So the people shouted, and the priests blew the trumpets. When the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted with 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 took the city. 21 They utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, both young and old, and ox, and sheep, and donkey, with the edge of the sword. 22 Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, “Go into the prostitute’s house, and bring out from there the woman and all that she has, as you swore to her.” 23 The young men who were spies went in, and brought out Rahab with her father, her mother, her brothers, and all that she had. They also brought out all her relatives, and they set them outside of the camp of Israel. 24 They burnt the city with fire, and all that was in it. Only they put the silver, the gold, and the vessels of brass and of iron into the treasury of Yahweh’s house. 25 But Rahab the prostitute, her father’s household, and all that she had, Joshua saved alive. She lived in the midst of Israel to this day, because she hid the messengers, whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.
26 Joshua commanded them with an oath at that time, saying, “Cursed is the man before Yahweh, who rises up and builds this city Jericho. With the loss of his firstborn shall he lay its foundation, and with the loss of his youngest son shall he set up its gates.” 27 So Yahweh was with Joshua; and his fame was in all the land.
Now, Jericho was a very great walled city, a model of invincibility. So, just marching around it a blowing a trumpet doesn’t make much sense to conquer it, but they did it anyway. Funny thing is, when Jericho was discovered by an archaeologist some time ago, the walls were burnt with fire and were facing outward. Not a natural occurrence, which supports the Biblical account. Chad pointed out that the command to conquer it in the unusual way found in Scripture was an arbitrary command of God and not a logical one. Sometimes God does that... tells us to do things which seem to make no sense to us- like Naaman being told to dip seven times in the Jordan to cleanse him of leprosy or Jesus commanding that we be baptized (Matthew 28:18-20). Lizzie's prose hit home to me because we all make choices (like the famous Joshua one, above) and some people will simply not do ANYTHING that does not seem logical to them. However, there is a concept that we should all warm up to from the word of God- that we are but mere human beings and GOD; well, GOD is ALMIGHTY. I like the way the God inspired the prophet Isaiah to say....
Isaiah, Chapter 55
7 let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return to Yahweh, and he will have mercy on him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” says Yahweh.
9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways,
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
10 For as the rain comes down and the snow from the sky,
and doesn’t return there, but waters the earth,
and makes it grow and bud,
and gives seed to the sower and bread to the eater;
11 so shall my word be that goes out of my mouth:
it shall not return to me void,
but it shall accomplish that which I please,
and it shall prosper in the thing I sent it to do.
8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” says Yahweh.
9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways,
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
10 For as the rain comes down and the snow from the sky,
and doesn’t return there, but waters the earth,
and makes it grow and bud,
and gives seed to the sower and bread to the eater;
11 so shall my word be that goes out of my mouth:
it shall not return to me void,
but it shall accomplish that which I please,
and it shall prosper in the thing I sent it to do.
Don't like this, well, then --- don't listen! Will not change a thing; sooner or later, WE ALL have to come to grips with our own mortality and meet our maker!!! Like I have said before, yesterday was a day of coincidence and driving to Sunday Evening church services, I heard the following song on the radio....
(click to listen [and view])
Over the past few months my life has been influenced by two adorable little miniature poodles (Buddy and Pal), but I have influenced THEM AS WELL. Each and every day, I walk them multiple times. As we are about to cross from the carport to the front driveway, I pull on the leash and say "STOP"- and they STOP until I say "GO". Along the route to the dog walk, I usually repeat these commands a couple times. They know to do what they are told, even though I doubt if they understand WHY!!!!! They don't think logically; they are dogs. We are far more advanced than they, but we too can learn; and frankly there is no better instructor than God.
WE JUST HAVE TO STOP AND GO TO THE WORD OF GOD AND LISTEN... FAITH WILL HELP US MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICES IN LIFE MORE THAN LOGIC EVER WILL!!!!
PS.
I know these things are difficult for the logical, organized, modern mind to grasp, but sooner or later, we all encounter things we will never fully understand and if we are wise, we will look to faith to fill in the gaps. Anyway, that's what I do- and it works for me!!! I pray that it will for you as well!!!
Your friend,
Gary