Mooseksen kuoleman jälkeen, Joosua, Nunan poika, otti haltuunsa Mooseksen johtajuuden. Jumala valitsi ja nimitti Joosuan johtamaan kansansa luvattuun maahan ja ottamaan luvatun maan perinnöksi. Joosua todisti Jumalan suuruudesta ja vastoin muita, Joosua uskoi Jumalaan ja oli osoittanut uskonsa Jumalaan luottamalla Jumalaan ja tottelemalla Jumalan sanoja, jotka puhuttiin Mooseksen suun kautta, ja hänen teoillaan. Ja niin Joosua otti haltuunsa Mooseksen johdon ja johti kansan luvattuun maahan. Kun he olivat ylittäneet Jordanvirran ja saapuneet Kanaanin luvattuun maahan, Jeriko oli ensimmäinen kaupunki, jonka he valloittivat. Jerikon portit suljettiin. Miksi Jerikon portit suljettiin?? Israelin kansan tähden. Mutta suljetut portit eivät estäneet Israelin kansaa valloittamasta Jerikon. Kun Jerikon muurit kaatuivat, israelilaiset pystyivät valloittamaan Jerikon. Mutta kuinka Jerikon muurit kaatuivat?
Niin kuin Jumala oli Mooseksen kanssa, niin Jumala olisi Joosuan kanssa
Mooseksen kuoleman jälkeen, Jumala lupasi, että Hän olisi Joosuan kanssa, jonka nimi oli alun perin Hoosea. Jumala käski Joosuaa ylittämään Jordanin ja ottamaan haltuunsa luvatun maan. Jokaiseen paikkaan, jonne Joosua pani jalkapohjansa, jos Jumala olisi antanut Joosualle, kuten Jumala sanoi Moosekselle. Ainoa asia, mitä Joosuan ja kansan täytyi tehdä, oli mennä maahan ja ottaa se haltuunsa, jonka Herra oli luvannut ja antanut heille.
Kukaan ei pystyisi seisomaan Joosuan edessä kaikkina hänen elämänsä päivinä. Koska niin kuin Jumala oli Mooseksen kanssa, niin Jumala olisi Joosuan kanssa. Jumala ei pettäisi Joosuaa eikä hylkäisi Joosuaa.
Joosuan täytyi olla vahva ja rohkea
Jumala käski Joosuaa kolmesti olemaan vahva ja rohkea. Joosuan täytyi olla vahva ja rohkea, sillä kansalle hänen täytyi antaa maa omaisuudekseen, jonka Jumala oli vannonut heidän isilleen antavansa heille.
Joosuan täytyi olla vahva ja rohkea noudattaakseen kaiken lain mukaan, jonka Herran palvelija Mooses käski, eikä kääntyä oikealle tai vasemmalle, niin että Joosua menestyisi, minne ikinä menisikin.
Lain kirja ei voinut lähteä Joosuan suusta, vaan sen täytyi olla jatkuvasti hänen suussaan. Joosuan täytyi mietiskellä sitä päivin ja öin, niin että Joosua voisi tarkkailla tehdä kaiken sen mukaan, mitä lain kirjaan on kirjoitettu, koska silloin Joosuan tie olisi vauras ja hänellä olisi hyvä menestys.
Jumala oli antanut Joosualle ja kansalle Sanansa, mutta oli Joosuasta ja kansasta kiinni, olisiko heidän tiensä menestyksekäs vai ei ja menestyisikö hän hyvin;. Jumala ei ollut vastuussa tästä, mutta Joosua ja kansa olivat (Lue myös: "Onko Jumalan tie sinun tapasi?" ja ‘Lakkaa syyttämästä Jumalaa!").
Joosuan täytyi olla vahva ja rohkea eikä pelätä eikä kauhistua, sillä Herra, hänen Jumalansa, oli hänen kanssaan;, minne tahansa hän menisi.
Joosua ja kansa tottelivat Jumalan sanoja
Joosua vaelsi kuuliaisena Jumalan sanoille ja piti Hänen käskynsä ja tiedotti ihmisille. Ihmiset lupasivat sen, kun he tottelivat Moosesta, he tottelivat myös Joosuaa ja tekivät kaiken, mitä Joosua käski heidän tehdä. Ja jokainen, joka ei totellut Joosuaa, surmattaisiin.
Tämän lupauksen tekivät kansa, mikä tarkoittaa, että kaikki, joka kuului Jumalan kansaan, sovittu.
Jerikon kaupunki
Jerikon kaupunki oli ensimmäinen kaupunki, jonka Joosua ja kansa valloittivat. Kun kaksi vakoojaa oli etsinyt kaupungin ja he palasivat Joosuaan ja kertoivat Joosualle, mitä tapahtui ja että Herra oli antanut kaiken maan heidän käsiinsä, koska kaikki maan asukkaat pelkäsivät israelilaisten puolesta, he valmistautuivat menemään luvattuun maahan ja ottamaan haltuunsa Jerikon kaupungin.
Joosua ilmoitti asiasta kansalle ja käski heidän pyhittäytyä. Ihmiset tottelivat Joosuan sanoja ja pyhittäytyivät ja valmistautuivat astumaan luvattuun maahan.
Kun Jumala oli puhunut Joosualle ja ilmoittanut hänelle, miten heidän oli mentävä, Joosua puhui Herran sanat kansalle
Papit ja kansa toimivat Joosuan sanojen mukaan.
He menivät Jordan-joelle ja kun papit, joka kantoi liitonarkkia, panevat jalkapohjansa Jordanin vesiin, ylhäältä alas tulleet vedet seisoivat ja nousivat kasaan hyvin kaukana Aatamin kaupungista, joka on Zaretinin vieressä: ja ne, jotka tulivat alas tasangon merta kohti, jopa suolameri, failed and were cut off, and the people passed over right against Jericho.
During their journey, God gave Joshua commandments, which Joshua obeyed.
After the crossing of the river Jordan, and the twelve stones, which were taken out of Jordan and were set up in their lodging place at Gilgal as a memorial, and after the circumcision and after the keeping the Passover, while Joshua was by Jericho, there appeared to Joshua the captain of the host of the Lord with his sword drawn in his hand.
Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshipped and inquired, what his lord had to say unto his servant? But before the captain of the Lord’s host spoke, he commanded Joshua to loose his shoe from off his feet for the place where he stood was holy. And Joshua obeyed his words.
Jericho had closed his gates because of the children of Israel
Now Jericho had closed his gates because of the children of Israël. No one could go out and no one could come in. But nothing is impossible for our God!
The Lord said unto Joshua, See, I have given into your hand Jericho, and the king of Jericho and the mighty men of valour. And you shall march the city all you men of war and go round about the city once. Thus shall you do six days. And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams horns: and the seventh day you shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets. Ja se tulee tapahtumaan, 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 ascend up every man straight before him (Joosua 6:2-5).
God’s people obeyed his words and compassed the city of Jericho
Joshua called the priests and informed them what the Lord had spoken to him and what they had to do and also instructed the people.
As soon as Joshua had spoken to the people, the seven priests, who bore 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. The armed man went before the priests and the reward came after the ark, the priests going on, and blowing with the trumpets.
Joshua had commanded the people to not shout nor to make any noise with their voice, nor speak any word until the day Joshua would bid the people to shout. Only then would the people shout.
The people obeyed the words of Joshua and the people and the ark of the Lord compassed the city and did this for 6 days.
On the seventh day, they rose early and compassed the city of Jericho, in the same manner, seven times, according to the words of God. Only that day, they compassed the city seven times.
At the seventh time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua told the people:
“Shout, for the Lord had given them the city. 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. And ye, in any wise keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed, when ye take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it. But all the silver, and gold, and vessels of brass and iron, are consecrated unto the Lord: they shall come into the treasury of the Lord” (Lue myös: "What happened in the valley of Achor?').
The people did according to the words of Joshua and while they shouted and the priests blew with the trumpets, it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall of Jericho fell down flat.
The walls of Jericho fell
The walls of Jericho fell and the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, as Joshua had commanded and they took the city. They destroyed the city and burned all that was therein, except for the silver, gold, and vessels of brass and iron, which were put into the treasury of the house of the Lord.
And as promised Rahab, her father, mother, and her brethren and all that she had, were saved. They brought her and her relatives out and left them outside the camp of Israel (Joosua 1-6).
The fall of Jericho
The city of Jericho was destroyed and Joshua warned the people by saying, “cursed be the man before the Lord, that rises up and builds this city Jericho: he shall lay the foundation thereof in his firstborn and in his youngest son shall he set up the gates of it”
And so it came to pass, during the reign of king Ahad, that the Bethelite Hiel rebuild the city of Jericho and laid the foundation thereof in Abiram his firstborn, and set up the gates thereof in his youngest son Segub, according to the word of the Lord, which He spake by Joshua the son of Nun (1 Kuninkaiden kirja 16:34).
Miten Jerikon muurit putosivat?
In the natural (visible) realm it seemed impossible that the walls of Jericho would fall. But what seems impossible in the natural realm is possible with God.
The walls of Jericho didn’t fall per se by compassing the city, by blowing the trumpets of rams’ horns nor the shouting of the people on the seventh day. But the walls of Jericho fell by faith in God and the obedience to the words of God by God’s people
God sent His word and Joshua received the word of God and obeyed His word and did what God had commanded him to do, just like the rest of the people.
The obedience was the result of Joshua’s faith in God. Joshua believed God and His might and feared God and because of that Joshua trusted in God and stayed faithful to His words and did according to what God had commanded him to do. Through his obedience and acts (works), which derived from his faith in God, the walls of Jericho fell.
By faith the walls of Jericho fell down
By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days. (heprealainen 11:30)
And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith (Mark 11:22-23)
By faith in God and His Word, which caused them to obey the words of God and compassed the walls of the city for seven days, the walls of Jericho fell. By faith in God and His Word, this great miracle happened and many more miracles happened and by faith in God and faith in Jesus Christ and faith in His Name miracles still happen. Miracles, which seem impossible and inexplicable in the natural realm but are possible and explicable with God.
Joosua, who belonged to the generation of the old man, didn’t put his trust in his own action, in this case, in compassing the city, but Joshua had put his trust in God.
More faith and trust in formulas than in God
Unfortunately in this age, many believers have more faith in their words and actions (works) than in God. They have more faith in speaking the right words and following the acquired strategies, menetelmät, and technics than in God and His Word.
Although they say they believe in God and have faith in Jesus Christ and His name, many times their actions speak otherwise.
Because if you really believe in God then you trust Him and you do what He says and you obey His words.
Besides that, if you really believe in God then you know that what you will say will come to pass, if it is according to the will of God.
You will hold on and persevere and don’t give up and don’t doubt and question yourself whether you have spoken the right words or used the right methods and technics and followed the right strategies. You shall not wonder whether you have done something wrong and search for other (magical) words and formulas.
Faith is not believing in a formula and speaking the right words and using the right methods and technics and following the right steps and strategies. But faith is knowing God and to know His will and believing in His Word, which He has sent, and His power and trusting Him and doing what He says.
All the works Jesus did, He did by faith in God and through faith in His Name. If you believe in God then everything is possible. But you have to know Him and you only can get to know Him by His Word and do what the Word says.
'Ole maan suola’
