This time just read the first 15 verses.

You now know the story. But notice how the story is told. You never (!) give away the punch line at the beginning…unless you’re trying to teach a lesson. The first verse in this chapter pretty much lays out the point of this narrative. That’s because God doesn’t want us to miss it.

If you have access to a map, or want to look it up on the internet, note the location of Ai relative to Jericho. The people of Ai knew exactly what had happened to their larger and much more powerful neighbor. What did they expect would happen to them? What did Israel expect?

When things didn’t go as expected everyone was shocked, including Joshua. How do you explain his reaction? And what was his most basic concern (v. 9)?

The heart of this narratives lesson is found in vv. 10-15. (As a general rule, if God speaks his words are the key to the story.) Take a few minutes and think about how this applies today? How does the Achan Dynamic play out in our lives?

Before you read this chapter for the first time, go back and read 6:17-18. The Hebrew word used for “ban” here (it may be a different word in your version) refers to the utter destruction of something devoted to the Lord. Jericho is the firstfruits of the Promised Land and so belongs to God, entirely. All of the plunder was to be taken to the Tabernacle and given to the priests. For anyone to keep any of it would be to steal from God.

Chapter 7 describes Israel’s defeat at Ai. This was a village and should have been easy pickin’s compared to the mighty fortress of Jericho. So what went wrong? That’s what the second half of this narrative recounts.

As with your first time through chapter 6, just skim this narrative to get the basic story, the flow and main features. There’s lots more to see, but we’ll get there later.

One more time through this fascinating chapter. First, a couple of details that will help you picture the narrative in your mind.

The walls would have been double-thickness (see earlier chapter about Rahab’s house) and probably 40′ tall…maybe more. The Israelites didn’t ALL circle the city. They numbered 2-3 million, far too many to march around a city that had a circumference of about a mile. The “Israelites” here undoubtedly refers to the men of fighting age…the army. That still would amount to a few thousand men. The people of Jericho all would have known about these marches and many, including the leaders, would have watched. Pay attention as you read this time to the specific order of march and what they did…and did not…do as they marched. Six days, six times around. On the seventh day, seven times around and then the shout.

OK, now read the chapter one more time, and as you do ask yourself these questions (no correct answer):

1. What did the citizens of Jericho think as they watched the daily march? Did they think the same thing on the 5th day as they did on the first? Were they afraid, amused, confused…?
2. What did the Israelite men marching think? Did they know the plan? Did they feel stupid? Afraid? Eager?
3. When the walls fell down what did Rahab and her family think? Was she confident throughout the week?

So, think about the people involved in this narrative and how they thought & felt about the week’s activities. Put yourself in the story as an observer hovering above the action. What do you see?

One of the very basic principles of Bible reading is to look for repetition. God determined exactly what the Bible says, right down to the very words chosen. So if words or phrases are repeated it is NOT coincidental. Rather, identifying that repetition is the first step in discovering the lesson God wants us to get from the narrative.

Read chapter 6 again, this time a little slower. Look for repetition. Do you have colored pencils, or several colors of ink pens? Use underlining and circling to mark things that get repeated in this chapter. You’ll see some of them right off. You may have to work back and forth a bit. You may read something and think, “Hey, didn’t I read that up above?” Look back, and if you did, mark that repetition in some way.

When you’re all done (or think you are) look at what’s been repeated. Do you see any common threads? That is, do the repeated items have any connection with each other?

As an aside, don’t you think this self-discovery is the best part of Bible reading? The preacher or teacher can feed it to you but it’s a LOT more fun to see it for yourself!

Our reading for today is another example of the way to start with a narrative section. Read it quickly, almost skimming it. Your objective is to get a feel for the forest, not the trees. Just work on getting the BIG picture. What is this narrative about? (that’s easy) Who are the main characters? Is there any conflict, and if  there is, who are the parties involved? If there isn’t any conflict, if the narrative isn’t about people, what is the action about?

This section is very straightforward. You can’t help but notice there are some very specific details - some trees in this forest. And some of those details are pretty precise. But now is not the time to worry about them. It’s sometimes too easy to get caught up in the fine points and not every really get a sense of the whole. So as hard as it may be to do, scan this chapter (scan it twice if you have the time). We’ll talk through some of the specifics later…because there’s some pretty interesting stuff in chapter 6, including some pretty common misconceptions.

Steve will bring the morning’s message. This week Josh will teach the adult Foundations class. He’s asked that everyone read the short (one chapter) book of Philemon. So take 5 minutes between now and then to give it a read-through. Hey, do it twice. That will help prepare you for the lesson.

And hang on to your hats, folks. Todd is teaching Foundations next week (the 15th). A DO NOT MISS event!

First, forgive irregular postings. We’re on a tent camping vacation in Oregon and finding wi-fi is an irregular thing. I may miss some days over the next couple of weeks. But I’ll post when I can!

Re-read this section, noting the several pieces of “data” included in this text. For example, you’ll find significant bits of information in vv. 9 & 12. Was the reproach before God or the nations who would have looked down on a nation of slaves?

What lesson can we learn about the precise ending of the provision of manna?

The man with the sword was, as Joshua soon realized, at least an angel. He may well have been a Christophany - an appearance of Christ. What do you think Joshua inferred from the fact the “man” had a sword? And that it was drawn? How would you interpret his words that he is neither for nor against Israel? We would naturally expect him to say he was there to fight for Israel.

Is the command to take off his sandals another intentional parallel to Moses, who was told the same thing at the burning bush?

Look ahead to chapter 6 just enough to notice there is no more mention of this “captain of the host (army) of the Lord. This is all we get. Huh? Again, not what we’d expect - an interaction that ends abruptly and seems to have no point. But it does! It must, because it’s in God’s Word. So what is the point? What does the very brevity of this dialogue tell us is the lesson God wants us to get?

Lot’s of great stuff in this section! Little things, hidden just under the obvious. Do NOT hurry!

Verse 8 has to make you smile just a bit, huh?

What’s the reproach God mentions in v. 9? They carried that burden of shame before whom? God or the surrounding nations?

Re. v. 10ff, the Passover is always celebrated on the 14th of Nissan (one of the months on the Jewish calendar). It has been exactly 40 years since they left Egypt and first celebrated this festival. The first time it was just before they crossed the Red Sea and this time it comes just after they’ve crossed the Jordan River. The first crossing took them out of Egypt and this one takes them into the Promised Land.

Take a piece of paper and draw a line down the center. Write out as many other parallels between these two Passovers as you can think of. Some will be similarities, some will be contrasts. Do NOT quit too early!! There are many more than will appear quickly!

This is obviously a shorter reading than we’ve been doing, but these verses clearly stand as a unit separate from what follows. Go read them now and then come back. We’ll talk.

(I’m waiting while you read)

OK, what did you learn? And how does it strike you?

It says something about the generation before this one, the generation been delivered from Egypt, crossed the Red Sea and spent two years at Mt. Sinai receiving the Law that they didn’t follow the command to circumcise their sons. This most basic command dating back to God’s covenant with Abraham (!) was ignored by an entire generation. When they voted NOT to enter the Land they were not just turning their back on God’s gift to them, they were rejecting obedience at virtually every level. No wonder he said they would wander in the wilderness until they had all died.

This generation cannot receive God’s blessings until they have conformed to his will. (eh?!)

Now, read these verses again. This time, as you read think about parallels to our spiritual life today. Is there any connection between holy living and receiving God’s blessing? Do Christians sometimes assume God blesses us just because we’re his children, without regard for obedience?

We’ll read through chapter 4 one more time, but a couple of notes before we do.

This narrative about the stones should be understood as connected with the reference to the same activity in chapter 3. There are some problems putting things together in precise order, but it seems clear that the priests stood in the middle of the river while the Israelites crossed. Once that had happened 12 men, one from each tribe, came back into the river, each picking up a stone. These stones were stacked to form a monument, a memorial to this important event. Were the 12 men chosen by the people or by Joshua? The answer is probably yes…that is, both. Whether that means Joshua gave the instruction to the people, or he selected from a group of individuals, or…we don’t know. And it isn’t really significant.

The clear point of emphasis in this narrative is the collection and placing of the stones.
How many times in chapter 3 and 4 is this covered? If you add up the repetition of the instructions and the actual activity, how many times, total?

Any time you come across repetition in the Bible, pay attention! Something is important.
If you were a preacher and wanted to make a contemporary application of this narrative re. the memorial stones, what would you do with it?
If thinking like a preacher doesn’t come naturally (it’s OK; we’re weird), ask the question, Does God want us to remember times when he delivered us through special circumstances?
Can you identify a time or event in your life when God’s deliverance was unmistakeable? How could you memorialize that deliverance so that you and those who follow you will always remember God’s grace on your behalf?

Now go read chapter 4 again. This time as you read think in terms of that experience from your life and listen to God speak about remembering that deliverance.