Joshua's Oath

        When Joshua had taken the city of Jericho he made the Israelites take an oath saying, "Cursed before the LORD is the man who rises up and builds this city Jericho; with the loss of his first-born he shall lay its foundation, and with the loss of his youngest son he shall set up its gates." (Josh. 6:26). What was the reasoning behind such? I don't remember ever reading where such a curse was ever placed upon the rebuilding of any other city that Joshua had conquered.
        Jericho was the first city conquered in the promised land, it was God's. There was a "ban" placed upon this city, "and all that is in it belongs to the Lord" (Josh. 6:17). There would be many more cities they could inhabit, but this is God's. Thus Joshua wanted the people to never to take it away from God. Thus by making the people take this oath Joshua was ensuring God's possession of this city for future generations.
        But about 500 years later Hiel paid no heed to the curse. I suppose he thought that was so long ago, this curse surely can't apply to me today. I wonder if the thought ever crossed his mind, "Will God be angry with me if I take His city"? I don't know if it ever crossed his mind, but the text reads, "In his days Hiel the Bethelite built Jericho; he laid its foundations with the loss of Abiram his first-born, and set up its gates with the loss of his youngest son Segub, according to the word of the LORD, which He spoke by Joshua the son of Nun" (1Kings 16:34).
        A lesson from such a history is that God needs to be first, His portion needs to be set aside first and foremost. We can apply this to our Sunday giving. Secondly this story teaches us that "time" does not matter to God. Whether it's 500 years or 5000 years, God's Word stands. To begin to think the commandments that were given by Jesus and the apostles don't really apply today is death to our children and to us. God and His Word are eternal. DP

       Most of us know the story about Achan, how he "saw among the spoil a beautiful mantle from Shinar and two hundred shekels of silver and a bar of gold fifty shekels in weight, then (Achan) coveted them and took them... " (Josh. 7:21). It was this first city (Jericho) that belonged to God, "But all the silver and gold and articles of bronze and iron are holy to the LORD; they shall go into the treasury of the LORD" (Joshua 6:19). Achan knew better, but he wanted them, coveted them, and sinned.
        Did God not want Achan to have some gold? No. God was well-pleased to give Achan gold and silver and many other things. It almost kills me to read what happens when the Israelites take the very next city, Ai. For after conquering the 12,000 people of Ai, "Israel took only the cattle and the spoil of that city as plunder for themselves, according to the word of the LORD which He had commanded Joshua" (Joshua 8:27).
        You see God was pleased to give to his people the "spoil". Achan could have been a part of this enjoyment, could have gotten some gold and silver from the city of Ai, but he did not live to see it. Achan was too greedy and wanted it too fast. If Achan had put God first he could have put his gold in his tent without hiding it and without being ashamed that he had it. So it was not that God did not want Achan to have gold or silver, God was well-pleased to give it to him. But Achan did not put God first.
        Gold and silver are not evil, but it's the love of it that is sin. "For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith..." (1Timothy 6:10). Paul went so far as to say, "...greed, which amounts to idolatry". (Colossians 3:5).
        So what is the difference of wanting to have a little extra cash and being greedy? Where is that line between the "natural wanting" and "sinful greed"? Paul said it, "If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. (1Tim. 6:8-9). An Old Testament prayer reads, "Give me neither poverty nor riches; Feed me with the food that is my portion" (Prov. 30: 8). DP

        You would think by all the different kinds of denominations in the world that God wants us to make new denominations as fast as we can. But if we look at the Bible we see that God did not want any denominations. Rather we see the gospel is supposed to unite us, not divide us. I want you to think about the world as Jesus lived in it. You had two major groups, Jews and Gentiles. Did Jesus want a Jewish denomination and a Gentile denomination? No, on the contrary Paul said, "For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one, and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall," (Eph. 2:14). The greatest "barrier", Jesus broke down, but man has built up thousands to replace the one He destroyed.
        Smaller divisions among the Jews existed in Jesus' day. There were Pharisees, Sadducees, and Essenes. We could easily label them the denominations of the Jews. So if you think about it, the world was set for church denominationalism right from the beginning. But Jesus and the apostles refused to have the church divided in their day. They constantly condemned this kind of division.
        Jesus prayed, "I do not ask in behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word, that they may all be one; even as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be in Us; that the world may believe that Thou didst send Me." (John 17:20-21). We surely want God to answer our prayer when we pray, but we seem to make no effort in fulfilling Jesus' prayer of being 'one'.
        How can you fulfill Jesus' prayer? One step is to call yourself by no other name than "Christian". Don't add on to that name "Catholic Christian" or "Baptist Christian". By not accepting denominations and denominational names we show our commitment to Jesus, and that we are trying to fulfill his prayer. One great effect of the gospel in the first century was it's power to unite "Jew and Gentile" and eliminate barriers and dividing walls between people. But somehow today it has the opposite effect. Why is that? Perhaps the gospel that is being preached today is not the same gospel that was preached then. Is there any good news in division? No, Jesus said, a "house divided against itself shall not stand" (Matt. 12:25). It's time to come out of man-made houses, and into the church that Jesus built. DP