Bible presentation given at Laindon Old Paths Christadelphian Ecclesia on 21st December 2016, as part of a series on the Life and Times of Joshua. This study focussing on the conquest of Jericho and Ai (as well as the connected symbology and types)

1. The lifeand time of Joshua
L a i n d o n B i b l e S t u d y ,
2 1 s t D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 6
Jericho
and
Ai

2. Our secondstudy, afortnight ago
• “The life and time of Joshua – preparation and crossing of Jordan”
• Many reasons for the people to doubt, but clear instruction to “Be
strong and of a good courage”
• God elevated Joshua at the banks of the Jordan, as he would later
do Elisha and (most significantly) the Lord Jesus Christ
• Just two spies with a focussed mission vs. twelve spies previously,
with much broader assignment (only two were faithful, Jo. & Ca.)
• Rahab, the harlot, a remarkably faithful converted Gentile (who
demonstrated the intermingling of faith & works)
• Miraculous and highly typical events in crossing the flooded Jordan
• Stones of remembrance taken and a faithful circumcision at Gilgal
• In the promised land at last… but with significant further obstacles!
Preparation and crossing of Jordan 2

3. This evening’sthreechapters
Preparation and crossing of Jordan 3
Chapter 6 – Jericho taken, Rahab
saved Chapter 7 – Defeat at Ai, Achan’s sin
Chapter 8 – Fall of Ai, Ebal covenant

4. Confrontedby a formidablehurdle!
•Invaders immediately met a challenge (FORTRESS JERICHO):
•Based on the archaeological findings
of Kathleen Kenyon, there was a great
twin-walled defence around Jericho
•Largely immune to siege given recent harvest (3 v 15) and
perennial spring (17¾ gallons a sec)/oasis location
•How could all of this have affected the invading Israelites?
Preparation and crossing of Jordan 4
Joshua 6
1 Now Jericho was straitly shut up because of the children
of Israel: none went out, and none came in.
Rahab?

5. Preciseinstructionsgiven byGod
•A 7-day ‘campaign’, initially without a single weapon involved!
•Why such an unorthodox approach?
• For seven days the children of Israel (trumpets sounding, no voices
heard v.9-10) were repeatedly shown the scale of the challenge
• The eventual victory clearly came from the LORD God Almighty!
Preparation and crossing of Jordan 5
Joshua 6
2 And the Lord said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king
thereof, and the mighty men of valour. 3 And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and
go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days. 4 And seven priests shall bear
before the ark seven trumpets of rams' horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city
seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets.

6. “On theseventh day” victory!
• The final climax of the methodical
sequence
• No credible alternative (non-
miraculous) explanation to these
events (e.g. sound resonance)
• Seven the number of completeness
(seven trumpets blown by seven
priests, seven circuits on seventh day)
• The importance of the ark of the
covenant (in figure, Christ our ‘mercy
seat’, Romans 3 v 25 (Gk.))
• Future significance/echoes in the
putting down of the land’s occupiers
Preparation and crossing of Jordan 6
Joshua 6
15 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. 16 And it came to pass at the seventh time,
when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said
unto the people, Shout; for the Lord hath given you
the city. […] 20 So the people shouted when the priests
blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when
the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the
people shouted with a great shout, that 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 And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city,
both man and woman, young and old, and ox, and
sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword.

7. An aside: unconventionalwarfare!
•Why trumpets and voices – as opposed to battering rams
and armour/weaponry?
•Not according to man’s wisdom (1 Corinthians 3 v 19), this
victory was very clearly from God
•Representative things:
• Trumpets – pronouncing God’s judgement (e.g. Joel 2 v 1-3)
• Voices shouting – declaring God’s greatness (e.g. Isaiah 12 v 6)
Preparation and crossing of Jordan 7
2 Corinthians 10
4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of
strong holds;)
Turn up passage: Psalm 47 v 1-5

8. Rahab,with her family,is saved
•The Gentile who had risked her life is preserved alive…
•Why “messengers” (Heb. malak)? Because as well as spying
out the land they had a message of hope for Rahab, a Gentile
•Emphasis of this passage is that nothing was lost of all of hers
Preparation and crossing of Jordan 8
Joshua 6
17 And the city shall be accursed, even it, and all that are therein, to the Lord: only Rahab the harlot shall live,
she and all that are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent. […] 22 But Joshua had
said unto the two men that had spied out the country, Go into the harlot's house, and bring out thence the
woman, and all that she hath, as ye sware unto her. 23 And the young men that were spies went in, and brought
Rahab, and her father, and her mother, and her brethren, and all that she had; and they brought out all her
kindred, and left them without the camp of Israel. […] 25 And Joshua saved Rahab the harlot alive, and her
father's household, and all that she had; and she dwelleth in Israel even unto this day; because she hid the
messengers, which Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.

9. Archaeologyconfirmsthe Bible
Preparation and crossing of Jordan 9
•Some remarkable things (based on a comparison of the
Biblical record and the work of Kenyon and others):
Fortifications
Huge
collapsed
walls of a
great city
discovered
at Tell es-
Sultan
Height
A mound
excavated,
evidencing
the need to
‘go up’ into
the city to
capture it
Nosiege,sudden
Proof of
destruction
by fire and
charred
remains of
grain stores
Notrebuiltinera
No
resettlement
until several
centuries
later (at the
very least)
Ageconfirmed
Carbon
dating
suggests
destruction
~1410 BC
+/- 40 years

10. TheBibleis History: Jerichotoday
Preparation and crossing of Jordan 10

11. But, ahiddenproblem…
•Despite God’s clear instruction, a trespass was committed:
Preparation and crossing of Jordan 11
Joshua 7
1 But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing: for Achan, the son of
Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing:
and the anger of the Lord was kindled against the children of Israel.
…not all of the spoils
were devoted to God…

12. Thenext stage of the conquest
•Ai in the hill country, to the west of Jericho…
Preparation and crossing of Jordan 12
Possibly Khirbet el-Maqatir as is
suggested by Bryant G. Wood,
excavations 1995 onwards…
Ai
Hill
Ambushes

13. Aiis spiedout, battleplansdrawn
•An opportunity to continue the success of the conquest?
•The LORD was seemingly not consulted(?)
•Confidence in the victory, “they are but
few” (7 v 3)
•Decision to send just 3,000 men (7 v 4)
Preparation and crossing of Jordan 13
Joshua 7
2 And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Beth-aven, on the east side of
Bethel, and spake unto them, saying, Go up and view the country. And the men went up and
viewed Ai.

14. Defeatat Ai
•Children of Israel “fled before the men of Ai” and 36 men
killed (v 4-5)
•“Hearts of the people melted” (v 5) and “Joshua rent his
clothes” (v 6) before importuning God (v 7-9)
Preparation and crossing of Jordan 14

15. Achan’s sin is uncovered
•Joshua is told by God the cause of the defeat:
Preparation and crossing of Jordan 15
Joshua 7
10 And the Lord said unto Joshua, Get thee up;
wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face? 11 Israel hath
sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant
which I commanded them: for they have even taken
of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and
dissembled also, and they have put it even among
their own stuff. 12 Therefore the children of Israel
could not stand before their enemies, but turned their
backs before their enemies, because they were
accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except
ye destroy the accursed from among you.
The lot is
cast, to
identify the
offender
Achan is
identified
(did not
give self up)

16. Achan ispunished
•Having been found/singled out, Achan makes his confession:
•An appropriate punishment:
• Had wilfully disobeyed God (cp. Ch. 6 v 18, 24)
• Only confessed his sin when it was discovered (far too late)
•Achan and all of his destroyed, to put away the sin from
Israel (a little leaven affects whole lump, cp. Galatians 5 v 9)
Preparation and crossing of Jordan 16
Joshua 7
20 And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and thus and thus
have I done: 21 When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver,
and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in
the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it.

17. Representativethings: Achan/Rahab
Achan Rahab
A Jew (of tribe of Judah) A Gentile (and a harlot)
Saved a forbidden bounty from Jericho Personally saved from Jericho
Unfaithful, breaking God’s commandment Faithful, fulfilling her vow
Tried unsuccessfully to hide his sin Confessed her sin (scarlet cord)
Whole family destroyed Whole family saved
Preparation and crossing of Jordan 17
25 For I would not, brethren, that ye
should be ignorant of this mystery, lest
ye should be wise in your own conceits;
that blindness in part is happened to
Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles
be come in.
Romans 11
11 I say then, Have they stumbled that they should
fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall
salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to
provoke them to jealousy.

18. Learningfrom Achan’ssin (7 v 21)
•“Saw… coveted… took”, process of sin illustrated (Jas. 1 v 14-15)
•“They are hid in the earth”(!)
•Very clear that these riches did the owner no good, were
actually damaging (fatal)
Preparation and crossing of Jordan 18
Ecclesiastes 5
13 There is a sore evil which I have seen under the sun, namely, riches kept for the owners
thereof to their hurt. 14 But those riches perish by evil travail: and he begetteth a son, and
there is nothing in his hand. 15 As he came forth of his mother's womb, naked shall he return
to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labour, which he may carry away in his hand.
16 And this also is a sore evil, that in all points as he came, so shall he go: and what profit hath
he that hath laboured for the wind?

19. Theplan to takeAisummarised
Preparation and crossing of Jordan 19
[Ambush army alone was 30,000 men!]

20. A wonderful victoryovertheAites
•Having dealt with the wrong-doer, victory comes from God
Preparation and crossing of Jordan 20
Joshua 8
18 And the Lord said unto Joshua, Stretch out the spear that is
in thy hand toward Ai; for I will give it into thine hand. And
Joshua stretched out the spear that he had in his hand toward
the city. 19 And the ambush arose quickly out of their place,
and they ran as soon as he had stretched out his hand: and
they entered into the city, and took it, and hasted and set the
city on fire. 20 And when the men of Ai looked behind them,
they saw, and, behold, the smoke of the city ascended up to
heaven, and they had no power to flee this way or that way:
and the people that fled to the wilderness turned back upon
the pursuers. 21 And when Joshua and all Israel saw that the
ambush had taken the city, and that the smoke of the city
ascended, then they turned again, and slew the men of Ai.

21. Thecovenantat Ebal(cp. Deut.27)
Preparation and crossing of Jordan 21
Joshua 8
30 Then Joshua built an altar unto the Lord God of Israel in mount Ebal, 31 As Moses the servant
of the Lord commanded the children of Israel, as it is written in the book of the law of Moses, an
altar of whole stones, over which no man hath lift up any iron: and they offered thereon burnt
offerings unto the Lord, and sacrificed peace offerings. 32 And he wrote there upon the stones a
copy of the law of Moses, which he wrote in the presence of the children of Israel. 33 And all
Israel, and their elders, and officers, and their judges, stood on this side the ark and on that side
before the priests the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord, as well the
stranger, as he that was born among them; half of them over against mount Gerizim, and half of
them over against mount Ebal; as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded before, that
they should bless the people of Israel. 34 And afterward he read all the words of the law, the
blessings and cursings, according to all that is written in the book of the law. 35 There was not a
word of all that Moses commanded, which Joshua read not before all the congregation of Israel,
with the women, and the little ones, and the strangers that were conversant among them.

22. Twokey battles, two keylessons
Preparation and crossing of Jordan 22
No battle is
too difficult,
no obstacle
is too great
for God
Success in
battle is
conditional,
learning
from failure

23. Our spiritualwarfare
Preparation and crossing of Jordan 23
2 Corinthians 10
3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war
after the flesh: 4 (For the weapons of our
warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God
to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5 Casting
down imaginations, and every high thing that
exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and
bringing into captivity every thought to the
obedience of Christ;

24. A future day of restin store (Gw)
Preparation and crossing of Jordan 24
“For if [Joshua] had given them rest, then
would he not afterward have spoken of
another day. There remaineth therefore a
rest to the people of God.” (Hebrews 4 v 8-9)