Joshua 6:19, commentary and pictures

All the silver and gold and vessels of brass and iron taken at Jericho were set apart as holy to the Lord and were to be brought into His treasury rather than kept for personal use. The metals that fire could not destroy were devoted to the service of the tabernacle, while the rest of the spoil was to be destroyed, because Jericho was the first-fruits of Canaan and the victory with all it yielded belonged wholly to the Lord. The command taught Israel that in conquering Canaan they fought not for themselves or for riches and self-exaltation, but only as instruments to execute God's will for the glory of Jehovah their King. The conquest was God's work and not man's, for Christ the Captain of the Lord's host commanded the heavenly armies and no human skill devised the plan or threw down the walls, so God alone received the glory. To take and hide what God had reserved was theft from God, and Achan's coveting and hiding of the consecrated treasure in breach of the clear command brought trouble and defeat upon Israel.

Fall of Jericho

Joshua 6:19 belongs to God's instructions for taking Jericho, which Israel was to believe and obey rather than win by skill in warfare. In obedience the armed men, seven priests with trumpets, the ark borne by priests, and the army in order under its standards circled the city once each day for six days in silence except for tread and trumpets. Then on the seventh day they marched seven times around Jericho and shouted at the trumpet peal because God had given them the city, and the walls fell and Israel marched in and took possession.

The conquest was God's work and not man's, for Christ, the Captain of the Lord's host, commanded the heavenly armies to bring down the walls and make an entrance for Israel. No human general devised the plan and no human hand touched the massive walls, so the victory came through the Lord's plan and power and not by the people's own strength or merit. God alone received the glory and no person was exalted, and Israel was taught to give God the glory rather than take credit for themselves. Jesus the Son of God with heavenly angels went before the ark to Jordan and cut off the waters, stood by the ark and priests in the riverbed until all Israel passed over, attended the circuit of the ark around Jericho, cast down the massive walls, and delivered Jericho into Israel's hands. Four heavenly angels always accompanied the ark to guard it from danger and to fulfill every mission connected with it.

The ark was borne by holy men by express command with the Captain before the repository of the law, which stands in contrast to the later time when Israel followed their own plans and the ark was borne by men doomed to destruction. Its sacredness came from God's law and not from itself, for the ark was but a symbol of the divine presence vouchsafed to an obedient and believing people and not itself the source of blessing. Israel's strength was not in merely having the ark present but in obedience to the law contained in the ark, which represented God himself, and Israel could expect its blessings only by obeying the conditions of its covenant. Israel was to trust God to give Jericho and the land rather than rely on military strength, and their fear and complaints showed distrust of the God who had led and protected them.

The overthrow of Jericho through simple means when His people followed His directions was so that God received the glory. It was a stage in the march from Gilgal in the conquest of the promised land, later recalled in connection with Gilgal. This exhibition of God's power was to be kept fresh in memory and repeated by Israelites to their children, along with the deliverance from Egypt, the water from the rock, the bread from heaven, and the commandments of God.

Treasure Consecrated to God

All the silver and gold and vessels of brass and iron taken at Jericho were consecrated to the Lord and were to come into the treasury of the Lord, not to be kept for personal use. That setting apart is stated also where the other things are named as to be destroyed, so that what was reserved could not lawfully be taken and hidden. The metals that fire could not destroy were set apart to God and devoted to the service of the tabernacle.

The rest of the spoils were to be destroyed, because the victory and its spoils belonged to the Lord. Jericho with all it contained was the first-fruits of Canaan belonging to God and devoted as a sacrifice to Him, because the victory was wholly the Lord's. The command taught Israel that in conquering Canaan they fought not for themselves but only as instruments to execute God's will, seeking not riches or self-exaltation but the glory of Jehovah their King. Israel was therefore to take no riches for itself, but to carry out God's will and honor Him.

Disobedience and Its Lessons

Achan had heard the clear instruction that all the silver and gold and vessels of brass and iron from Jericho were set apart for the Lord and were to come into His treasury, yet he coveted that consecrated treasure and took it for himself as though what belonged to God were his own. He took a garment and gold and hid them, in violation of the command that the metals fire could not destroy should be devoted to God while the rest of the spoil was to be destroyed. His taking and hiding what God had reserved was theft from God and a breach of the command, for the victory and its spoils belonged to the Lord and were not for personal use. He knew the treasures he coveted were not his to take, and to steal them was to steal from God.

His sin brought trouble and defeat upon Israel, and his punishment is recalled in connection with that conquest and with the events connected with Gilgal. The taking of Jericho shows that the Lord alone is to be magnified, for the mighty General of armies planned the battle in such simplicity that no human being could take glory to himself. No human hand touched the city or brought down its walls, lest man take to himself the glory of the victory, for the armies of the Lord's host under their heavenly General took the city and the victory was God's work. Israel's triumph came through the Lord's plan and power and not by the people's own strength, so God alone received the glory and no person was exalted. Today likewise no human being is to take to himself glory for the work accomplished, but human agents are to do their part under God's direction while leaving the management of the work in the hands of the great I AM who instructs His servants and works through whom He will, with heavenly and human agencies joined and glory to the Lord alone.

With the overthrow of the Midianites, this conquest stands unlike any victory in the history of nations, won not by human wisdom, skill, or worldly maxims and customs but by simple means through the help of God working with human effort. It shows that humble trust in God and faithful implicit obedience to His commands irrespective of the world's opinion is the only sure ground of success. That same simplicity of faith remains essential for Christians in waging spiritual warfare, for glorifying God's name, strengthening faith, and bringing enemies to shame and confusion. Those same heavenly armies will do many things now if men move in accordance with God's will and obey their great Captain, giving God a chance to work in His own way.