Journey Of The Seed - Catch The Bible's Big Picture In 60 DaysНамуна

FLINT KNIVES

[Scheduled Reading: Joshua 1-8]

We spent Week #1 in Genesis, covering roughly 2,000 years of Biblical history. 

In Week #2 we cleared the remaining four books of the law, covering just 40 years – a single generation! 

For the Israelites, it’s time to break out of this wilderness rut and start living. And break out they do! 

Here’s a quick run down of the first several chapters:

Chapter 1 - Joshua assumes firm command of the Israelites.

Chapter 2 – A private company of men go on an exploratory mission to Jericho. They make strategic connection with Rahab, the prostitute. 

Chapter 3 – The Israelite nation crosses the Jordan River. 

Chapter 4 – A memorial service is held. 

Chapter 5 – All the men are circumcised. (Remember, the previous generation had died. So roughly 600,000 men were circumcised with flint knives! (Think about that). 

While healing from their circumcision, they celebrate the Passover on the 14th day of the first  month of the year. 

Chapter 6 – This is where it gets interesting. 

It’s time for the dirty work to begin. God has plans for the Israelites to start taking enemy territories by storm. 

These take-over campaigns don’t sound like a loving and neighborly way to make friends – but we’ll come back to that point in a few days. God prescribes a strange formula for this particular take-over. 

Seven priests will blow seven trumpets while the army marches around the walls of Jericho for six straight days. On the seventh day, they march around the city seven times (God likes the number seven). The walls come down, the people flee and the Israelites devote all the inhabitants and animals to destruction with the sword. It must have been a nasty site. 

One family is spared, the family of Rahab the harlot who cooperated with the spies during their takeover mission (chapter 2). 

Rahab was instrumental in allowing Joshua’s spies to penetrate the walls of Jericho, setting up its eventual fall. 

Something else is special about this lady, Rahab. She eventually marries Salmon the son of Nahshon. And what’s so special about Salmon? He’s in the line of The Seed  - #29. That’s right. Rabah the harlot is in the line of Jesus Christ!

Honorable Mention

Remember Judah’s strange encounter with his daughter-in-law Tamar? The story is in the Bible to trace the path of The Seed.

As is the case with Rahab – Tamar has her own role in Seed history. She’s also one of only two mothers mentioned in Matthew’s genealogy (see Matthew 1:5). She’s also given special mention for her faith in the book of Hebrews (11:31).