Standing on the Promises: Understanding God’s Mercy in Ancient Jericho | Joshua 6

1st Baptist, baptist El Dorado.

Will you join me now in listening to our sermon from this week?

Good morning, let's turn to Joshua, chapter 6.

Joshua 6 · chapter mention

I want to, as we begin, read verses 15 through 25, kind of a large passage there, but I want to read it for us and then we'll pray and then we'll walk through it together Joshua 6, 15 through 25.

On the seventh day, they rose early at the dawn of day and marched around the city in the same manner seven times.

It was only on that day that they marched around the city seven times.

And at the seventh time, when the priests had blown the trumpets, joshua said to the people 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.

But you keep yourself 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.

But all silver and gold and every vessel of bronze and iron Are holy to the Lord and shall go into the treasury of the Lord.

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.

Then they devoted all in that city to destruction, both men and women, young and old, oxen, sheep and donkeys, with the edge of the sword.

But to the two men who have spied out the land, joshua said Go into the prostitute's house and bring out from there the woman and all who belong to her, as you swore to her.

So the young men who had been spies went in and brought out Rahab and her father and mother and brothers and all who belong to her, and they brought all her relatives and put them outside the camp of Israel.

And they burned the city with fire and everything in it, only the silver and gold and the vessels of bronze and of iron they put into the treasury of the house of the Lord.

But Rahab, the prostitute, and her father's household and all who belonged to her, joshua saved alive and she has lived in Israel to this day because she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.

Let's pray together.

Lord Jesus, from your word this morning, would you teach us and transform us.

Lord, would your spirit be present, speaking through me, speaking to us, speaking from your word, illuminate it fresh this morning for us.

We need you, lord, in Christ's name, amen us.

We need you, lord, in Christ's name, amen.

In 1814, a Russian poet, ivan Kirlov, wrote a fable and it's very brief but, I think, interesting.

It's about a man that goes to a museum and he's excited about this museum, a museum of natural history.

And he arrives, arrives and he is just overjoyed by his experience at this museum.

He sees all the small, tiny things in great details the beetles and insects, bugs, the birds.

He gets a close look at all these tiny things that in the real world he never really gets to see.

But today he gets a close look at these little bitty things and he leaves the museum and he finds a friend and he's overjoyed again to tell him of all that he saw.

He told him in great detail of what he saw at the museum and the friend looked at him and said well, what did you think about the great elephant in the museum?

You must've thought that looked like an absolute mountain in that room and the guy looks back and said I didn't see an elephant.

And the moral, the idea of the story, that's all there is to it.

The idea of the story is this that you can get so caught up in the little details, the little things, that you miss the elephant in the room.

And that's where the phrase, the proverbial phrase, the elephant in the room originally comes from.

Now this was an unintentional missing of the elephant in the room.

Originally comes from.

Now this was an unintentional missing of the elephant in the room.

Now we use that phrase as something we sometimes very intentionally want to miss that we're in a room of people or around a Thanksgiving table and there is the elephant in the room and we're just hoping and praying it doesn't come up and we all know we need to talk about it, but maybe it just won't come up today.

It's the elephant in the room.

Talk about it, but maybe it just won't come up today.

It's the elephant in the room.

If we're honest, when we come to scripture we're tempted to act as if there's kind of an elephant in the room.

In this book.

There's an outside world that sure is ready to talk about the elephant in the room to talk about the character of God and use that elephant in the room as a way to say is God really who you say that he is?

We're tempted to treat a part of scripture as kind of the elephant in the room, even though it's not, and it's simply this.

What in the world are we supposed to do with the judgment of God?

What in the world are we supposed to do with the phrase devote to destruction?

What are we supposed to do when we come to Jericho and we remember the children's story Joshua fought the battle of Jericho, but sometimes we forget what happens after the fact.

What do we do with the judgment of God?

I want us to see, over just a few minutes this morning, a few things about God's judgment and God's mercy.

This sermon may be a little different than usual, kind of what we call apologetics.

An apology, not saying I'm sorry, but defending the faith.

And I'm even careful when I say defending the faith, because the reality is God does not need my defense.

God is God all by himself, whether I defend him or not.

But to defend the faith, that's what apologetics is.

I just want to look this morning about how we talk about the judgment of God, and I really just want us to see this Our just judge rightly judges sin and mercifully justifies sinners.

That our just judge rightly judges sin and mercifully justifies sinners.

How do we get to the passage today in verse 15?

Well, they arrive at Jericho.

God gives them kind of a strange set of commands For seven days.

I want you to march around the city One time each day.

On the seventh day, I want you to march around seven times and then the trumpets are going to blow All of you, I want you to shout and then the walls are going to come down.

Now, if God is in the midst of this plan, it will 100% work.

If God is not in this plan, this is a laughable plan.

This is a ridiculous plan.

I imagine even in our own country, our president rushing down to the situation room in the basement of the White House and there's a matter of national security and all of his advisors are telling him ways to go about it, and in the corner, one guy speaks up Mr President, what if we get our best trumpet players together?

Have we tried just blowing the horns?

Have we tried just shouting and seeing what happens?

It's a laughable plan unless God's involved and because God is involved, it works.

And it's laughable.

And it's a wild plan on purpose, so that none of us can look back and say, look what we did at Jericho.

No, it is, look what God did at Jericho.

And so they march around for seven days and now on the seventh day as we saw in verse 15 and 16, the plan completely works.

And then here's verse 17.

And the city and all that was in it shall be devoted to the Lord for destruction.

Now there's the heavy language we were talking about coming into the day the whole city devoted to the Lord for destruction.

Now some look at this language and some great people much smarter than I, with very good intentions Okay, good folks look at this and wonder if it's hyperbolic language.

It's somewhat exaggerated.

Like we talk about a football game and that team absolutely annihilated that team.

Well, we know, no one on the field was annihilated.

What we mean is that was a lopsided victory, exaggerated for effect.

Again, well-intentioned thinkers, but as I read this text, there's nothing.

I see that seems like too much exaggeration.

In fact, in the next chapter we see what happens to one individual that actually takes something from what is devoted to destruction.

It seems clearly that this is a strict order from our Lord to really wipe out Jericho.

To be blunt, to wipe out Jericho.

So that's verse 17.

Verse 18.

But you keep yourselves from the things that were devoted to destruction, and so keep yourself safe.

Don't let this judgment come upon you if you take any of it.

Verse 19.

All the silver and gold, every vessel of bronze and iron, they're holy to the Lord.

They shall go into the treasury of the Lord.

And so the people shouted.

The trumpets were blown as soon as the people heard the treasury of the Lord.

And so the people shouted.

The trumpets were blown.

As soon as the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted a great shout.

The walls fell down flat so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him.

Look at verse 21 again with me.

This is the heaviest of them all.

Then they devoted all in the city to destruction.

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.

Again, what do we do with this language of judgment?

What do we do as we consider the God who commands this judgment on the people of Jericho and the people of Canaan.

I think there's a few things we need to see this morning, and first is this our overall point that our judge judges rightly as he judges sin.

I want us to see this that God's character is just.

So let's start there.

God's character is just.

We're not trying to work this text in such a way where we can manipulate it to prove that God's still good in the midst of this.

That was proven from the start.

God's character is just and he's in authority, and he's in authority and he is in power, and our just God can do what he pleases and he is right when he does what he pleases.

We remember, just a chapter ago, we saw the commander of the army of the Lord and there, on that hillside outside of of Jericho, you know, are you, are you with me or are you against me?

God says I'm for myself.

Are you with me or are you against me?

God says I'm for myself, are you with me?

He's the one in authority, he's the one in charge, and so what he does is completely of his authority, and what he does is always just, and what he does is always within his character of goodness and justice.

So no act he has ever done has lessened or tainted his righteousness or holiness.

That's not possible for him.

Psalm 50, verse 6.

Psalms 50:6

The heavens declare his righteousness, for God himself is judge.

Deuteronomy 32, 4.

The rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice, a God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright.

Is he so again, our God is just, he's holy.

He's holy, he's righteous.

So God's justice, god's judgment, is not based on some idea that on this day at Jericho he just woke up on the wrong side of the bed.

It's based in who he is, his view of sin, and it is just and right and true.

And so that means God's judgment of sin is just and right and true.

And so that means God's judgment of sin is just.

God judges sin.

God takes sin seriously.

We're sometimes in a world where our culture wonders does God really take sin seriously?

There's some who even would argue for the Christian faith, but do so in a way where God's not very serious about sin, where God you can just kind of make him what you want and really he ends up being a God made in our image.

But we see a God in scripture who is very serious about sin.

Why?

Because he's holy and he's righteousness.

Holy and he's righteous.

But what I see about God is that he's serious about sin, but he's also patient with judgment.

Genesis, chapter 15.

Genesis 15 · chapter mention

God is making a covenant with Abraham.

He's going to be the father of many nations.

And midway through chapter 15, he says something fascinating to Abraham.

He says that your people are going to grow and they're going to be bound for X number of years.

That happened in Egypt, but then I'm going to set them free and they're going to come out, and that we saw that happen.

And then verse 16 is fascinating, of Genesis 15.

And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.

God tells Abraham, after all this, your people are going to come back here.

Well, where is here?

It's exactly where God is talking to Abraham, and it's in Canaan, what would be the promised land.

And so God is saying your people are going to come back to this place, this promised land, and this is going to be their land, but not yet, he said, because the iniquity of the Amorites are not yet complete.

Who are the Amorites?

The people who live in the land.

You can think of these Canaanites, these Amorites, the people living there, and it's as if this cup is filling up of their iniquities and when it reaches the brim and flows over, judgment will come, but not yet.

And you can get in a little trouble if you speculate too much with Scripture and you can get a little trouble if you read between the lines.

But I wonder if, on the character of God, what could have happened in that time of patience if the people of Canaan would have repented and chased after God?

Well, I don't think it's too much speculation to wonder.

We saw it with Rahab and we'll see it again in a minute.

What happens when her, a Canaanite, was sensitive to the things of God?

Think of a story like Jonah the Ninevites.

They were the worst of the worst.

That's why Jonah didn't want to go there.

Jonah thought they deserved judgment.

He didn't want to preach against it, he wanted it to come.

The worst of the worst.

Yet what happens when they're sensitive to the things of God and they repent of their sin?

Well, god relents of this destruction.

Yet in this moment, what's Jericho's response to the movement of God?

Joshua 6, 1,.

Now, jericho was shut up inside and outside because of the people of Israel.

None went out and none came in.

So these people who we saw for generations lived in their own wickedness.

In fact I can't even say from this stage in this pulpit this morning just how wicked these people are.

It's not appropriate to say in a room like this I read one commentator was talking about archaeologists digging up the land of the Canaanites and say when archaeologists get a hold of these people and dig up these things, the only question they have is how did God not give this judgment sooner?

These are people who lived in wickedness, in idolatry, chasing after every other God.

Yet we also can't say this is an idea where God has just set on judgment for Canaan and just gives his people a pass.

Time and time again In the next chapter we'll see at Ai the people of God don't get a pass.

We'll see with Achan the people of God don't get a pass.

We'll see with the exile the people of God don't get the pass.

And so judgment comes on all people because of their sin, and not just Canaan and not just Israel, but El Dorado and Arkansas, and in the year 2024.

Paul in Romans, chapter 1, talks about Gentile believers and in their own sin they've chased after everything else and been left to their sin.

Romans 1 · chapter mention

In chapter 2, he looks at the Jewish believers in the crowd and said you judge these Gentiles, yet you do the very same things In Romans.

Romans 3 · chapter mention

Chapter 3, he talks to anyone who might would have been prideful enough to think they slipped through the cracks of Romans 1 and 2.

And then he says this there is none righteous no, not one.

We all deserve the judgment.

We all have sinned in the face of a holy God.

And so the question y'all of all this judgment that we see is not this.

The question is not why did God give out so much judgment?

The real question is this how am I standing here right now?

How is this room here right now?

How in the world is that possible?

Because, like Canaan, we've built our own idols, we've chased after our own gods, we've fought to be on the throne of our own lives and remove God from it, and we've sinned.

We've sinned against a holy and righteous God.

Romans 3.23,.

All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

Romans 6.23,.

The wages of sin is what?

It's?

Death, and so no one who receives the judgment of God is able to look up to God and say God, you have done me wrong.

God, you did not do right by me.

No one is able to say, god, I just want what I deserve.

That's the world we live in, isn't it?

I punch the clock, I serve my time, I just want what's coming.

I want what I deserve.

Church, family, in the Christian life, the last thing we need to ask for from God is what we deserve.

The only hope we have is that we would serve a God who would in any way not give us what we deserve.

We would serve a God who would in any way not give us what we deserve, give us exactly what we do not deserve, because what we deserve is the same judgment of Canaan.

What we deserve, quite bluntly, because of our sin, is death and hell.

That should and could be our future, if not, for one thing, that our just judge rightly judges sin, but look at this and mercifully justifies sinners.

What happens to those who fall on the mercy of God?

What happens to those equally guilty, equally deserving of judgment, that fall on the mercy of God?

Well, we get a picture of it in our text.

Look with me again, at verse 22.

But to the two men who had spied out the land, joshua said at verse 22.

But to the two men who had spied out the land, joshua said go into the prostitute's house and bring out from there the woman and all who belong to her, as you swore to her.

Let me say again in Joshua, chapter 2, we saw the story of Rahab.

Joshua 2 · chapter mention

Now, this is Rahab, clearly a sinful, broken woman, rahab the prostitute.

This is Rahab who is just as much resident of Jericho as any other, just as much Canaanite as any other, just as much just like you and me and Israel and Canaan, just as much deserving of the judgment of God.

And yet we saw in chapter 2, she was sensitive to the movements of God, she helped out the spies, she let them go safely and freely and she opened her heart to the movement of God in the land and she spared, in this moment, verse 23.

So the young men who had been spies went in and brought out Rahab and her father and mother and brothers and all who belonged to her, and they brought all her relatives and put them outside the camp of Israel.

And look at verse 25.

But Rahab the prostitute, and her father's household and all who belonged to her, joshua saved alive and she has lived in Israel to this day Because she hid the messengers from Joshua, who was sent to spy out Jericho.

There's things I want us to see here as we think about what happens when someone falls upon the mercy of God.

We see here that what happens well, rahab and her family is spared.

This is quite a gracious moment where not just Rahab is spared but her whole household.

Why?

Because, again, she was sensitive to the movement of God, she was willing to serve these individuals on behalf of the Lord and she was willing to fall upon the mercy of God.

Her and her household are saved.

But here's what I also love at the end of verse 25.

She's lived in Israel to this day.

I love that phrase.

She's lived in Israel to this day.

I might be tempted to think, you know this would turn out like this Rahab, you sure were helpful, we'd be willing to not take you down with the rest of Jericho.

Okay, we did our part, we'll see you later on, like we can save you, but you sure don't belong here.

But the text does not say that.

Where does she live to this day?

In Israel.

She's in.

She's really invited into the family of Israel.

She's part of it, and we saw a few weeks ago just how part of it she was when we turned to Matthew 1 and saw she was in the lineage of David and then Jesus himself.

She's not just in, she's in.

This is what happens when we fall on the mercy of God.

Did Rahab deserve the same judgment Canaan did?

Absolutely.

Was she equally as guilty?

Of course she was.

Yet she fell on the mercy of God and she was invited in to the family of God.

Because earlier I read the first half of a couple verses.

Now I'm going to finish them, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justified by his grace as a gift through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, for the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus, our Lord.

What happens to those who fall on the mercy of God?

Just that Justification happens.

We are equally guilty, make no mistake about it.

You didn't slip through the cracks.

You're not just a little more special than the others.

I'm not picking on you, I'm just telling you the truth.

But we serve a Savior who came for us, and as we think about the judgment that was rightfully due us, I think about the words of one theologian, karl Barth.

He says this that the judge was judged in our place.

The judge was judged in our place.

So when you think about the courtroom of eternity, there God sits as the judge and there is the accuser who comes, the evil one that says hey, taylor belongs to me, I've seen his sin, I've seen his brokenness.

And God, the judge, instead, says I have counted him righteous.

And the accuser says no, no, you didn't hear me, maybe you haven't seen what I see.

He's broken, he's sinful, he's seemingly broken beyond repair.

And the judge says the punishment has been paid.

The punishment has been paid.

The judge is judged in his place.

And in Christ there is justification.

And so there was a point in history where that judgment that was reserved for you, that judgment and wrath for sin that had your name on it, it was your sin, it was your judgment.

There was a point in history where that was laid on the perfect Savior, jesus Christ, on the cross.

So what happens to those who deserve mercy or deserve judgment, but fall on the mercy of God?

Justification happens, clothed in the righteousness of Christ.

And so, as we think about these passages in Joshua and beyond in Scripture, where we wonder about the judgment and the wrath of God, and how do we sort all this out?

The question is not how could God judge sin like that?

The real question is this how could God be so merciful to me?

How is there a God whose character is such that he'd be willing to pay the penalty that was due me?

I just want to ask this question this morning Do you live like someone who's been set free from judgment?

Do you live like someone who deserves death and hell, the judgment of God, and yet, because of Christ Jesus, you are now clothed in righteousness?

I spent a decade in student ministry and it was always interesting talking to different students, especially those who grew up in the church.

One thing I heard often, and one thing maybe some of you in the room have said maybe this is something I've said one thing I heard often from students, maybe when we talk about evangelism, when we talk about sharing our faith, is this simple idea.

They say this, taylor, I'll be honest, my testimony is a little bit boring.

Have y'all heard this before?

Or maybe some of you have thought this before?

My testimony is just a little bit boring.

I mean, you know, there's some people out there and their testimony.

They're just powerful.

They just got so much power by what God turned a life upside down and they were at rock bottom and God did this.

Mine's just a little boring.

I was born in a Christian home.

I was at church every time the doors were open.

You know, at the age of seven or eight the teacher was talking about Jesus.

I prayed to make him Lord of my life.

I was baptized and that's kind of the story Like.

Is that just a little boring?

Can that really lead someone to the Lord?

Let me tell you what your testimony is, lord.

Let me tell you what your testimony is that you, not the person next to you, you deserve death and hell, but the God of the universe came down to take your punishment upon himself.

And this is what's wild.

Now the God of the universe looks at you and no longer sees you, but sees you clothed in the righteousness of Christ, and so you get all the credit for what Christ has done.

It's like me in a group project in high school Someone else did the work and I get all the credit because this person did the work.

This is what Christ has done for you.

There are no boring testimonies.

There's only stories of death to life, of judgment and death and hell, to hope in the person of Jesus Christ.

Do you live like that?

Do people around you know that you've been transformed by this kind of grace?

Do people you work with know that there is a Savior who loves them deeply?

Have they heard the story?

They've heard us talk about this or our sports team, or what's going on at home or all these things?

Have they heard about Jesus?

Because you're someone who can say I've got a story to tell because I deserved judgment but God gave me grace.

Do you live like that?

Do you wake up every morning trying to find worth and validation in any other place whether it's my career, my income, my followers, whatever it looks like when all the while there is a Savior who has called you whole, who you can find your identity in Him and everything he has he has given to you in the person of Jesus Christ?

Do you live like that kind of person?

Because this isn't a story that should just change some things about your life.

This isn't a story that should change what you do on Sunday mornings or Wednesday nights.

I hope it does.

This isn't a story that you just add to other stories you've got in your life.

This is, this is the story in which every other story kind of finds its purpose in this is the story that changes everything.

And when you take hold of that and I'm not just talking for non-believers, I'm talking about believers.

We don't graduate from the gospel when you take hold of this, it'll change everything.

It'll change how you live, how you make decisions, how you handle your finances.

It'll change your marriage.

It'll change your parenting.

It'll change how you share.

It'll change everything.

And this story is your story if you know Jesus Christ.

And this story is your story if you know Jesus Christ.

The judgment should have been yours but was placed on Christ and in that you now have life.

We're going to pray together in just a moment.

And how do we respond?

Maybe there is one in this room that you came into this room with the knowledge that sin and judgment that's your story.

But this morning you want to meet a Savior who has taken that upon himself.

I want to introduce you to him.

Come down and talk to me.

Maybe you're here this morning.

You want to come down and make a decision.

Come be a part of our church family.

Maybe you just need to pray right where you're at.

Maybe you need to pray with someone beside you.

Maybe you just need to pray right where you're at.

Maybe you need to pray with someone beside you.

Maybe you need to take inventory of your life, of is this story just changing everything?

However, you need to respond.

I pray that you would, because we have a good Savior who's provided us a good story from his good gospel.

Let's pray, lord Jesus, I do thank you that we do have a story to tell, because we have a Savior who has saved us, who loves us, who cares for us.

Lord, we deserve judgment and yet we've received grace.

So I thank you for the gospel.

Thank you for this free gift.

I can't earn it.

I don't deserve it.

If it were something I could earn, I wouldn't have it.

I wouldn't have it.

God, by your grace, we are no longer condemned, but instead we are clothed in the righteousness of Christ.

If there is one that doesn't know that story for themselves this morning, would they not leave this room till they know that they belong to Jesus?

If there is one that knows this story but maybe just treats it as something we just kind of add to everything else we've got going on.

I pray that they would be overcome this morning by the glory of your gospel and that it would become something that reshapes every area of our lives.

I ask this in Christ's name, amen, would you stand now as we continue to worship, and if you have any decisions to make, I'll be right down front this morning.