Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
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Joshua
Book: Joshua
Chapter: 6
Overview:
The siege of
Jericho.
(1-5) The
City is compassed.
(6-16)
Jericho is taken,
Rahab and her family are saved.
(17-27)
1-5 Jericho resolves
Israel shall not be its master. It shut
itself up, being strongly fortified both
By art and nature. Thus
were they foolish, and their hearts hardened to their
Destruction; the miserable case of all that strengthen
themselves against the Almighty.
God resolves
Israel shall be
its master, and that quickly.
No warlike preparations were to be
made.
By the uncommon method of besieging the
City, the
Lord
honoured the
Ark, as the symbol of his presence, and showed that
all the victories were from him. The
Faith and patience of the
people were proved and increased.
6-16 Wherever the
Ark went, the people attended it.
God's
ministers,
By the trumpet of the
Everlasting Gospel, which
proclaims liberty and victory, must encourage the followers of
Christ in their spiritual warfare. As promised deliverances must
be expected in
God's way,
So they must be expected in his time.
At last the people were to shout: they did
So, and the walls
fell. This was a shout of
Faith; they believed the walls of
Jericho would fall. It was a shout of
Prayer; they cry to
Heaven
for help, and help came.
17-27 Jericho was to be a solemn and awful
Sacrifice to the
Justice of God, upon those who had filled up the
Measure of
their sins.
So He appoints, from whom, as creatures, they
received their lives, and to whom, as sinners, they had
forfeited them.
Rahab perished not with them that believed not,
Heb 11:31. All her kindred were saved with her; thus
Faith in
Christ brings
Salvation to the
House, Ac 14:31. She, and they
with her, were plucked as brands from the burning. With
Rahab,
or with the men of
Jericho; our portion must be assigned, as we
posses or disregard the sign of
Salvation; even
Faith in
Christ,
which worketh
By Love. Let us remember what depends upon our
choice, and let us choose accordingly.
God shows the weight of a
Divine
Curse; where it rests there is
No getting from under it;
for it brings ruin without remedy.