March 8, 2010 Joshua 5-8:23

News travels fast. When the kings of the neighboring cities heard about the Israelites crossing the Jordan on dry ground their courage melted. God told Joshua to circumcise the Israelites, since none of them in this new generation had been circumcised. They camped where they were until they were healed. Then the celebrated the Passover, the day after that, the manna stopped.

Joshua was near Jericho and saw a man standing with his sword drawn. Joshua asked him which side he was on. The man told him that he was commander of the Lord's army. Joshua fell on his face and asked his what message he had for him. The commander of God's army told him to take off his sandals, that he was standing was holy ground.

The Lord told Joshua to march around Jericho once each day for six days and 7 times on the final day. First 7 priests sounded rams' horns trumpets in front of the ark, followed by the army. For six days they circled the city as directed once each day. The 7th day they marched around Jericho six times sounding the trumpets as they were told to. On the final time around Joshua told them to shout. When they did the walls of the city crumbled. The Lord told them not to keep anything from the city - even the gold and silver. Every living thing in the city was not to be spared except for Rahab and all the people in her house. They took Rahab and all the people in her house and gave them room outside the camp. Then they burned down Jericho. Joshua's fame spread throughout the land.

A man named Achan couldn't help himself and took some goodies from Jericho and hid them in the dirt under his tent. Joshua sent some men to a place called Ai to conquer it, but they were unsuccessful. Joshua fell facedown and prayed. God told him that Israel had sinned against Him and that was the reason they did not succeed. So, tribe by tribe they questioned the people until they came to Achan and he told them where his loot was hidden. They found it and took him and his entire family to a place outside the camp and stoned and burned them. They covered the burned body of Achan with a pile of rocks.

God told them to attack Ai, that He had delivered the city to them. He also said that this time they could take plunder from Ai. Joshua sent 30,000 of his men out at night with orders to run from the fighters from Ai when they attacked as if they were scared of them. Then the city would be empty and other soldiers could go in and burn Ai down. In the morning the men of Ai and the king went out to attack the Israelites. Joshua and his fighters ran from them as planned. So when the soldiers from Ai saw their city burning, they ran back to it and were ambushed by the fighters from Israel waiting for them. They were caught in the middle of the Israelites. The only survivor was the king who they brought to Joshua.

Tomorrow read Joshua 8:24-11:9