Jim Deering, AncientPath.net

JOSHUA, CHAPTER 6

My assignment this morning is Joshua Chapter 6 - But, our first topic this morning is… What the Bible is all about. A quick lesson about Salvation in Christ Jesus.

I’m sure you’ve read many books and articles about this, and I’m sure that they were filled with the historical facts and people in the scriptures. This morning, I want to tell you about the single main idea of the Bible. If I asked you, many of you would immediately respond with “Jesus.” And you’d would be mostly right. However, according to the Apostles of the New Testament and the Prophets of the Old and New Testaments… The Central theme of the scriptures, beginning in Genesis, is the Love of God the Father for His Son, Jesus. His love for His Son has resulted in creating a world full of people who become infected with a sinful nature and are offered a salvation that each individual must choose. All this in order for His begotten Son to have brothers and sisters, who are free from that evil and its penalty, and to be indwelt with God’s Holy Spirit - for all Eternity. A people of loving and active Faith as members of His own beloved family. Upon your salvation, you become an actual physical family member of Almighty God, filled with the Holy Spirit and bound forever to His Son, Jesus.

I repeat: We need to understand that Almighty God the Father, back before creation, wanted human beings who would prove actively faithful to Him to become brothers and sisters for His Only Begotten Son.

At the highest level, it is always important to understand that every book of the bible is there to point mankind to the possibility of their individual salvation – based upon the Father God’s loving plan to provide the offer of salvation to each and every human being through the Son of God’s obedience to His Father in the self-sacrifice of His life as God in human flesh.

Where you will spend eternity is the most important consideration for each and every human being. That offer of salvation to each and every human being is far greater than anyone can completely comprehend. A single blade of grass is enough evidence to convict one of God’s existence.

How then can God accomplish this.

There is a Test, and I expect everyone here has already passed the test:

Who will you choose as your salvation: Yourself, Another human being, “mother earth,” “mother nature,” some lifeless pagan god, some demon, Satan himself, or Jesus, the Son of God in human flesh. Your choice determines your eternal destination. BUT there are only two destinations to choose from: Eternity apart from Almighty God, or Eternity in the presence of Almighty God, as brother or sister of His Son.

We need to be abundantly clear on Jesus’ qualifications as our Savior. The Scriptures are clear that the human race is fallen.

The God of the Bible is absolutely holy - absolutely free of any sin or corruption and thus cannot abide co-existence in a family sense with any form of evil. Satan and his fallen angels, because of their sin, were thrown from heaven and will eventually be removed from God’s creation. Mankind, in its fallen nature must be sin-free in order to become a member of God’s physical family.

God’s plan for salvation was put together before creation. It included the story of Satan and his angels in order for evil to enter into His plan. With the planned fall to earth of Satan, his angels and demons began the first stages of the testing of all humans. God’s plan put into place the opportunity for each and every human being to choose Almighty God, or reject Him. Active Faith or rejection.

The penalty for rejection is the “second death.” Eternity apart from God and His creation, in a place of penalty.

Salvation becomes available if one chooses active faith in God, and then a substitute would have to pay the penalty for each and every person who chooses God’s plan. You commit the crime, someone else pays the penalty, and you go free.

The Substitute’s requirements:

The Substitute Cannot be an angel or an animal - a human life only. Therefore, the substitute must be human.

Is Jesus Human - Yes - Phil. 2:7 – “for He took upon himself the form of a servant and was in the likeness of men.”

The substitute must be a sinless human - else the substitute must die for his own sins.
Is Jesus sinless? - Yes - Heb. 4:15 “He was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.”

The substitute must be infinite in order to die for an innumerable number of sinners.
Is Jesus Infinite? (Is He God?) - Yes - John 1:1 “The Word was with God, and the Word was God.” The substitute therefore must be both human and God. Settled.

The substitute must be both voluntary and willing to take the sinner’s place and bear their punishment.
Is Jesus voluntary and willing? - Yes - Luke 22:42 “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet Not My Will, but Yours be done.

The substitute must shed his blood, as the scriptures teach that sins cannot be forgiven any other way.
Did Jesus shed His blood? - Yes - John 19:34 “But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.

Thus, the salvation problem is solved.

Now as we move to Joshua Chapter 6 it will show us what can result by doing what God desires by Loving Him and Following Him by Active Faith - like He has done for us.

In the previous chapters God has used Joshua to bring the new nation of Israel miraculously across the Jordan river and begin to get established in this new Promised Land. Like in the time of Noah. We have learned that the land of Canaan is full of evil. Where, apparently only the woman Rahab, like Noah, and perhaps members of her family, were people of faith.

And we find that the army of Israel has surrounded the city of Jericho and successfully shut all its people and army within its walls because God has told Joshua it must be done. Here for one of the first times – in a long history of getting to this time – Israel is now completely willing to be obedient and faithful to God and Joshua’s leadership.

Here we have three stories of Faithfulness for us to understand and see the results in a way that helps us to develop our own faithfulness to God’s chosen leadership and ultimately to place all of our faith and trust in Him.

Story #1. Joshua the Faithful Leader of Israel
Story #2. The new nation of Israel in its faithfulness to God and Joshua
Story #3. Rahab, the prostitute – changed by faith

And a conclusion that is important to understand from the beginning: Spiritual victories are won by means and upon principles that are utterly foolish and inadequate in the view of the wisdom of sinful men.

What do I mean by that? God is going to require Joshua to take command and order the army and some of the priesthood to walk around the city of Jericho, making a lot of noise with ram’s horn trumpets, for a week, and then with a great moment of shouting, make the walls around the city collapse.

Spiritual victories are won by means and upon principles utterly foolish and inadequate in the view of the wisdom of sinful men.

So, let’s get right to the text - and we’ll skip a number of verses because it often repeats.

Chapter 6:1
1 Now Jericho was shut up inside and outside because of the people of Israel. None went out, and none came in. 2 And the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and mighty men of valor. 3 You shall march around the city, all the men of war going around the city once. Thus shall you do for six days. 4 Seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark [of the covenant]. On the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. 5 And when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, when you hear the sound of the trumpet, then all the people shall shout with a great shout, and the wall of the city will fall down flat, and the people shall go up, everyone straight before him.”

This verse records the important information that the Captain of the Lord’s hosts, probably the Pre-Incarnate Jesus, communicated to Joshua about taking Jericho. The divine plan… for Israel’s people to march around Jericho for seven days. This would test Israel’s faith and would accentuate the fear already present in the people of Jericho. The city covered only about 8.5 acres, making it easy to march around seven times on the last day.

So, we have: “The Sevens” God’s number of perfection.
The 7 Priests with The 7 Ram’s horn trumpets, The 7 days, The 7th Day, and The 7 trips around the city

Verse 2 tells us that The Lord Gives Jericho’s future to Joshua!

Verse 3 tells us about the ease of taking the city.
This last phrase, “everyone straight before him.” Literally means that when the wall falls, it will all fall (except where Rahab lived), and every soldier surrounding the city can rush straight in from their location – thus taking the whole city at once.

6 So 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 the ark of the Lord.” 7 And he said to the people, “Go forward. March around the city and let the armed men pass on before the ark of the Lord.”

Joshua includes evidence of the Lord God being their guide by including the Ark of the Covenant and the 7 priests who are assigned to accompany it – including the 7 rams’ horn trumpets.

8 And just as Joshua had commanded the people,…
Here’s one of those moments when we hear that what the Lord commanded Joshua, and Joshua commanded the people… was done, “Just as Joshua had commanded.” The people of Israel had been on a quite long journey [more than 40 years) trying to learn to be faithful to their God and those He has placed into their leadership. Now, here, all are following the commands.

12 Then Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the Lord. 14 And the second day they marched around the city once, and returned into the camp. So they did for six days. 15 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. 16 And at the seventh time, when the priests had blown the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, “Shout, for the Lord has given you the city.

A little break comes now in the narration. As it readies us for Chapter 7.

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.

“Devoted to the Lord for destruction.” All of the people of Jericho and all of their wealth, possessions, stocks of animals and lives were considered to God to be “dedicated” to God through their destruction.

The Warning:
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.”

Back to the story…

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.

Here is one of those places where it may be difficult for us to imagine that these were the instructions from the Lord – Yet, the problem is not with what the Lord has commanded. The problem is that we, quite often, do not understand the absolute difference between the holiness of God and His chosen people… and the evil practiced by the human race. If it weren’t for the Lord God Almighty’s arrangement through the voluntary and effective sacrificial death of His Son while in human form – every living or dead human being would be spending eternity suffering forever in hell. It is only by faith that anyone can be forgiven of their evil and be rescued as a Child of God. Forgiveness, salvation, for any person, at any time in history, pre-flood, during the Old Testament Covenant years, today, the future, is based upon the finished work of Christ at the Cross. The Lord had required all in the city of Jericho to be “devoted to destruction…”

“But Rahab”
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.” 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.

24 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.

Here then is evidence of the faith – faithfulness – of the army, priests and the people of Israel. They did exactly what the Lord had commanded, and they took nothing for themselves. EXCEPT for one person – that, you’ll learn about in Chapter 7’s lesson.

“The Curse”
26 Joshua laid an oath on them at that time, saying, “Cursed before the Lord be the man who rises up and rebuilds this city, Jericho.

“At the cost of his firstborn
shall he lay its foundation,
and at the cost of his youngest son
shall he set up its gates.”

27 So the Lord was with Joshua, and his fame was in all the land.

The date of Joshua’s writings was approx. 1,400 years before the birth of Jesus. Then… Approx. 526 years after the taking of Jericho [874 b.c.]… [1 Kings 16:33-34] Ahab, an evil king of Israel, rebuilt and armed the city, and lost his two sons in the process. Elijah prophesied that Ahab’s first born and youngest son would die and the dogs would lick Ahab’s blood – and they did.

In the New Testament, Rahab is highlighted for her remarkable faith and she is praised as an inspiring example of faith coupled with action. In the book of Hebrews, in the famous “Hall of Faith” Chapter 11, the biblical text reveals that after the events at Jericho, she married a man named Salmon (possibly one of the spies sheltered by Rahab in her home in Jericho) and became the mother of Boaz in the book of Ruth. Through this lineage, she is recognized as the great-great-grandmother of David. And in the Book of James (2:25) Rahab is used as a prime example to demonstrate that true faith is proven by action. The text states she was “justified by works,” as her faith was demonstrated when she received the spies, hid them, and safely sent them away on a different route.

But it goes on… The second highlight… in Matthew Chapter 1:5, she is remarkably honored as one of the few women named in the direct family lineage of Jesus Christ – because of the demonstration of her faith in action at Jericho.

So, there it is – Joshua Chapter 6 – it is all about Faith, which is proven through Action. May that be the lesson we all have acquired this morning. Go, and Prove your faith through your Actions to your family, your friends, and your neighbors. And remember… as a believer, you are now a child of God, and a brother or sister to the Lord Jesus Christ forever.

This message was prepared, written, and presented by Jim Deering for the Richard Forsen Sunday morning "Move Group" 2026-06-28 at King's Baptist Church, 3235 58th Avenue, Vero Beach, Florida.

The Book of Joshua, Chapter 6, the Presentation - Bible Study, J. Deering, AncientPath.net, study materials are a ministry of AncientPath.net, and may be copied for use in Bible study groups, in limited numbers, providing that no charge is made for them.  No further distribution or use of these materials is allowable under U.S. or International Copyright Law without the express permission of AncientPath.net. ©2026 AncientPath.net, All rights reserved.

J. Deering [AncientPath.net] is the author and editor of this study.
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2026-07-07