Judgment Falls, Mercy Stands
Joshua 6
2 And the LORD said to Joshua, “See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and mighty men of valor.”
20–21 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 the city to destruction, both men and women, young and old, oxen, sheep, and donkeys, with the edge of the sword.
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 whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.
After Joshua’s encounter with “the Commander of the army of the LORD”, he is ready to face Jericho, a city heavily fortified by massive walls. Yet it is not Joshua’s skill, the size of Israel’s army, or a brilliant military strategy that determines the outcome. God is the defining factor. Before the battle even begins, the Lord declares: “I have given Jericho into your hand.” God is the one who gives Jericho, its king, and its mighty warriors into Joshua’s hands.
The battle itself unfolds in a way no military commander would have devised. Israel does not begin with an assault on the city. Instead, following God’s instructions, they march around Jericho once each day for six days. On the seventh day, they circle it seven times. Then the priests blow their trumpets, the people raise a great shout, and the walls collapse instantly. Israel enters the city and captures it. They devote the city to destruction, putting to the sword men and women, kids and adults. It is a massacre!
Then there is Rahab—a woman of questionable reputation who lied to her own leaders in order to protect the Israelite spies. She and her household alone survive the slaughter.
How do you explain a perplexing passage like this? Some might say the people of Jericho were wicked and simply received what they deserved. But what about Rahab? Was she morally superior to everyone else? The story gives no indication that she was. Yet she is spared.
And what about Israel? Were they better than their enemies and therefore deserving of God’s favor? Hardly. They had just spent forty years wandering in the wilderness because of their own idolatry and rebellion. Even after the victory at Jericho, they would soon suffer defeat at Ai because of their own disobedience and self-sufficiency.
Everyone in this account has flaws, including Joshua. There are no perfect human heroes or spotless examples of morality. In the end, they all fall short. No one deserves God’s favor on the basis of personal merit.
Some receive freely given, undeserved mercy. Others receive just judgment. In all of this, God wrongs no one. Those who are judged receive the just retribution for their crimes. Those who receive mercy do so not because they are better than anyone else, but because God is gracious to those upon whom He chooses to show mercy. No one can accuse God of injustice. Rather, those who receive His mercy can only bend their knees and thank Him perpetually for His undeserved magnanimity.