耶利哥城陷落
1 耶利哥的城門因以色列人就關得嚴緊，無人出入。 2耶和華曉諭約書亞說：「看哪，我已經把耶利哥和耶利哥的王，並大能的勇士，都交在你手中。 3你們的一切兵丁要圍繞這城，一日圍繞一次，六日都要這樣行。 4七個祭司要拿七個羊角走在約櫃前。到第七日，你們要繞城七次，祭司也要吹角。 5他們吹的角聲拖長，你們聽見角聲，眾百姓要大聲呼喊，城牆就必塌陷，各人都要往前直上。」 6嫩的兒子約書亞召了祭司來，吩咐他們說：「你們擡起約櫃來，要有七個祭司拿七個羊角走在耶和華的約櫃前」； 7又對百姓說：「你們前去繞城，帶兵器的要走在耶和華的約櫃前。」
8 約書亞對百姓說完了話，七個祭司拿七個羊角走在耶和華面前吹角；耶和華的約櫃在他們後面跟隨。 9帶兵器的走在吹角的祭司前面，後隊隨着約櫃行。祭司一面走一面吹。 10約書亞吩咐百姓說：「你們不可呼喊，不可出聲，連一句話也不可出你們的口，等到我吩咐你們呼喊的日子，那時才可以呼喊。」 11這樣，他使耶和華的約櫃繞城，把城繞了一次；眾人回到營裏，就在營裏住宿。
12 約書亞清早起來，祭司又擡起耶和華的約櫃。 13七個祭司拿七個羊角在耶和華的約櫃前，時常行走吹角；帶兵器的在他們前面走，後隊隨着耶和華的約櫃行。祭司一面走一面吹。 14第二日，眾人把城繞了一次，就回營裏去。六日都是這樣行。
15第七日清早，黎明的時候，他們起來，照樣繞城七次；惟獨這日把城繞了七次。 16到了第七次，祭司吹角的時候，約書亞吩咐百姓說：「呼喊吧，因為耶和華已經把城交給你們了！ 17這城和其中所有的都要在耶和華面前毀滅；只有妓女喇合與她家中所有的可以存活，因為她隱藏了我們所打發的使者。 18至於你們，務要謹慎，不可取那當滅的物，恐怕你們取了那當滅的物就連累以色列的全營，使全營受咒詛。 19惟有金子、銀子，和銅鐵的器皿都要歸耶和華為聖，必入耶和華的庫中。」 20於是百姓呼喊，祭司也吹角。百姓聽見角聲，便大聲呼喊，城牆就塌陷，百姓便上去進城，各人往前直上，將城奪取； 21又將城中所有的，不拘男女老少，牛羊和驢，都用刀殺盡。
22 約書亞吩咐窺探地的兩個人說：「你們進那妓女的家，照着你們向她所起的誓，將那女人和她所有的都從那裏帶出來。」 23當探子的兩個少年人就進去，將喇合與她的父母、弟兄，和她所有的，並她一切的親眷，都帶出來，安置在以色列的營外。 24眾人就用火將城和其中所有的焚燒了；惟有金子、銀子，和銅鐵的器皿都放在耶和華殿的庫中。 25約書亞卻把妓女喇合與她父家，並她所有的，都救活了；因為她隱藏了約書亞所打發窺探耶利哥的使者，她就住在以色列中，直到今日。
26當時，約書亞叫眾人起誓說：「有興起重修這耶利哥城的人，當在耶和華面前受咒詛。
他立根基的時候，必喪長子，
安門的時候，必喪幼子。」
27耶和華與約書亞同在，約書亞的聲名傳揚遍地。
各位平安，我們今天進入到約書亞記第六章，講述一場極為著名的事件：耶利哥城的陷落。這場事件並非普通的戰役，而是上帝用祂的方式，在以色列人面前彰顯了祂的大能，親自完成了這場征戰。
我們看到，整場「戰役」的核心並不在於以色列的軍事力量，而是上帝的指示和祂的帶領。抬著約櫃的祭司扮演了極為重要的角色，他們拿著羊角，走在約櫃之前，不斷吹角。百姓則在祭司的後面安靜地跟隨。
每日繞城一次：以色列人按照耶和華的指示，六天中每天繞城一次。他們完全遵守約書亞的命令，全程保持安靜，不說一句話，也不發出任何聲音。
第七天繞城七次：到了第七天，祭司和百姓們繞城七次，然後在約書亞的吩咐下，百姓發出齊聲的呼喊。
城牆倒塌：在這震耳欲聾的呼喊和祭司的角聲中，堅固的耶利哥城牆竟然崩塌，以色列軍隊直接進入城中，取得了完全的勝利。
屬靈的意義
這一場事件充分展示了上帝的能力和主權。耶利哥城的陷落不是以色列人靠軍事計劃或力量所完成，而是完全依靠上帝的作為。這提醒我們：
順服和信靠：以色列人完全按照上帝的指示行事，即使這個計劃在人看來可能非常奇怪，但他們依然選擇順服，最終看到了上帝的作為。
上帝的同在：約櫃的祭司走在前方，象徵著上帝的同在。無論是當時的以色列人，還是今天的我們，真正的勝利並非出於人的努力，而是因著上帝的同在。
信心的彰顯：這場「戰役」完全顛覆了人的邏輯，教導我們信心的力量。當百姓呼喊的那一刻，是信心的行動，也是他們對上帝完全的信靠。
在這場耶利哥之戰中，喇合一家因著她對以色列探子的幫助與對上帝的信靠，成為這場戰役中唯一存活的外邦人。喇合不僅拯救了自己，也救了她的全家。在耶利哥城完全淪陷之後，按照先前的約定，喇合一家因為掛上了朱紅繩得以倖存。聖經特別提到，他們被安置在以色列的營外。喇合的故事為我們展示了一個重要的屬靈原則：外邦人因著信心和順服而蒙拯救。喇合的背景是一個外邦的妓女，身份卑微，但她卻憑著對以色列神的信心，成為神救恩計劃中的一部分。她的信心不僅改變了她自己的命運，也使她在後來的以色列歷史中占有重要的一席之地——她甚至出現在耶穌基督的家譜中（馬太福音1:5）。
當然，在接下來的這一章以及未來幾章中，我們會遇到一些可能讓很多基督徒感到困惑的經文，尤其是第21節所記載的：“又將城中所有的，不拘男女老少，牛羊和驢，都用刀殺盡。”
在閱讀這段歷史時，我們會看到類似的情景出現多次。這樣的記載往往引發讀者的疑問：慈愛的上帝怎麼會發出這樣的命令？ 這是一個困擾歷代聖徒以及外邦人的重大問題。
如何面對這些經文？
在此，我建議大家在讀這段經文時，先把整個約書亞記讀完，理解整個故事的脈絡。我們需要把這些記載放在以色列歷史的整體框架中來看，才能更全面地理解其中的意義。
我們會用嚴肅且認真的態度來探討這些經文。在未來的分享中，我會特別用一次分享來講解這段經文背後的動機，以及如何解讀這樣的敘述。到那時，我們將從歷史背景、神學意義以及屬靈反思多個角度來分析。現在，讓我們先將這部分經文當作故事的一部分，隨著約書亞記的進展，慢慢深入了解整個事件的背景與上帝的計劃。
感謝各位的聆聽！在以色列人大勝之後，他們馬上要迎來下一場戰役，艾城之戰。讓我們明天一起來閱讀約書亞記第七章的故事。
The Fall of Jericho
1Now the gates of Jericho were tightly shut because the people were afraid of the Israelites. No one was allowed to go out or in. 2But the Lord said to Joshua, “I have given you Jericho, its king, and all its strong warriors. 3You and your fighting men should march around the town once a day for six days. 4Seven priests will walk ahead of the Ark, each carrying a ram’s horn. On the seventh day you are to march around the town seven times, with the priests blowing the horns. 5When you hear the priests give one long blast on the rams’ horns, have all the people shout as loud as they can. Then the walls of the town will collapse, and the people can charge straight into the town.”
6So Joshua called together the priests and said, “Take up the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant, and assign seven priests to walk in front of it, each carrying a ram’s horn.” 7Then he gave orders to the people: “March around the town, and the armed men will lead the way in front of the Ark of the Lord.”
8After Joshua spoke to the people, the seven priests with the rams’ horns started marching in the presence of the Lord, blowing the horns as they marched. And the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant followed behind them. 9Some of the armed men marched in front of the priests with the horns and some behind the Ark, with the priests continually blowing the horns. 10“Do not shout; do not even talk,” Joshua commanded. “Not a single word from any of you until I tell you to shout. Then shout!” 11So the Ark of the Lord was carried around the town once that day, and then everyone returned to spend the night in the camp.
12Joshua got up early the next morning, and the priests again carried the Ark of the Lord. 13The seven priests with the rams’ horns marched in front of the Ark of the Lord, blowing their horns. Again the armed men marched both in front of the priests with the horns and behind the Ark of the Lord. All this time the priests were blowing their horns. 14On the second day they again marched around the town once and returned to the camp. They followed this pattern for six days.
15On the seventh day the Israelites got up at dawn and marched around the town as they had done before. But this time they went around the town seven times. 16The seventh time around, as the priests sounded the long blast on their horns, Joshua commanded the people, “Shout! For the Lord has given you the town! 17Jericho and everything in it must be completely destroyed as an offering to the Lord. Only Rahab the prostitute and the others in her house will be spared, for she protected our spies.
18“Do not take any of the things set apart for destruction, or you yourselves will be completely destroyed, and you will bring trouble on the camp of Israel. 19Everything made from silver, gold, bronze, or iron is sacred to the Lord and must be brought into his treasury.”
20When the people heard the sound of the rams’ horns, they shouted as loud as they could. Suddenly, the walls of Jericho collapsed, and the Israelites charged straight into the town and captured it. 21They completely destroyed everything in it with their swords—men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep, goats, and donkeys.
22Meanwhile, Joshua said to the two spies, “Keep your promise. Go to the prostitute’s house and bring her out, along with all her family.”
23The men who had been spies went in and brought out Rahab, her father, mother, brothers, and all the other relatives who were with her. They moved her whole family to a safe place near the camp of Israel.
24Then the Israelites burned the town and everything in it. Only the things made from silver, gold, bronze, or iron were kept for the treasury of the Lord’s house. 25So Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute and her relatives who were with her in the house, because she had hidden the spies Joshua sent to Jericho. And she lives among the Israelites to this day.
26At that time Joshua invoked this curse:
“May the curse of the Lord fall on anyone
who tries to rebuild the town of Jericho.
At the cost of his firstborn son,
he will lay its foundation.
At the cost of his youngest son,
he will set up its gates.”
27So the Lord was with Joshua, and his reputation spread throughout the land.
Brothers and Sisters, Peace to you all!
Today we delve into Joshua chapter 6, which narrates a famous event: the fall of Jericho. This was no ordinary battle; rather, it was a divine act through which God displayed His power before the Israelites and personally ensured their victory.
The Battle Plan
The focus of this "battle" was not on Israel's military strength but on God's instructions and His guidance. The priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant played a pivotal role, leading the procession with ram’s horns, while the people followed silently behind.
Marching Around the City Once a Day:For six days, the Israelites circled the city once each day as instructed by the Lord. They followed Joshua’s commands faithfully, remaining completely silent throughout the process.
Marching Around Seven Times on the Seventh Day:On the seventh day, the priests and the people circled the city seven times. At Joshua’s command, the people then let out a unified shout.
The Collapse of the Walls:At the sound of their shout and the blast of the priests’ horns, Jericho’s formidable walls collapsed. The Israelite army entered the city and achieved total victory.
Spiritual Lessons
This event profoundly demonstrates God's power and sovereignty. The fall of Jericho was not accomplished through military strategy or human effort but purely through God’s intervention. It reminds us of several key principles:
Obedience and Trust:The Israelites followed God’s instructions to the letter, even though the plan may have seemed strange to them. Their obedience allowed them to witness God’s mighty works.
God’s Presence:The priests carrying the Ark symbolized God’s presence. Whether in the time of the Israelites or in our lives today, true victory comes not from human effort but from the presence of God.
The Power of Faith:This battle defied human logic, teaching us the strength of faith. When the people shouted, it was an act of faith, a declaration of their complete trust in God.
The Story of Rahab
Rahab and her family were the only non-Israelites spared during this event because of her faith in God and her help to the Israelite spies. After Jericho’s fall, Rahab and her family were saved as promised, with the scarlet cord marking her home. The Bible notes that they were placed outside the Israelite camp.
Rahab’s story reveals an important spiritual truth: Gentiles can be saved through faith and obedience. Despite her lowly background as a prostitute, Rahab’s faith in the God of Israel secured her a place in His redemptive plan. Remarkably, she is even included in the genealogy of Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:5).
Addressing Difficult Passages
In the same chapter, we encounter verses like 6:21, which describe the total destruction of Jericho:"They devoted the city to the LORD and destroyed with the sword every living thing in it—men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep, and donkeys."
Such accounts have puzzled believers and skeptics alike, raising questions about how a loving God could command such actions.
How Should We Approach These Passages?
Understand the Full Context:It’s essential to read the entire book of Joshua to grasp the full narrative and place these events within the larger framework of Israel’s history.
Serious and Thoughtful Engagement:In future discussions, I will dedicate a session to exploring the motivations behind such commands and how to interpret them. This will involve examining the historical context, theological significance, and spiritual reflections. For now, consider these passages as part of the larger story that unfolds in Joshua.
Thank you for listening! After this significant victory, the Israelites faced their next challenge: the battle of Ai. Join us tomorrow as we read Joshua chapter 7 and continue uncovering God’s plan for His people.
Peace and blessings!
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