Divine Judgment and the Spoils of War

Joshua 6

1 Now Jericho was straightly shut up because of the children of Israel: none went out, and none came in.

2 And the LORD said to Joshua, See, I have given into your hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valor.

3 And you shall compass the city, all you men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shall you do six days.

4 And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams’ horns: and the seventh day you shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets.

5 And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him.

6 And Joshua the son of Nun called the priests, and said to them, Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the LORD.

7 And he said to the people, Pass on, and compass the city, and let him that is armed pass on before the ark of the LORD.

8 And it came to pass, when Joshua had spoken to the people, that the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams’ horns passed on before the LORD, and blew with the trumpets: and the ark of the covenant of the LORD followed them.

9 And the armed men went before the priests that blew with the trumpets, and the rear guard came after the ark, the priests going on, and blowing with the trumpets.

10 And Joshua had commanded the people, saying, You shall not shout, nor make any noise with your voice, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I bid you shout; then shall you shout.

11 So the ark of the LORD compassed the city, going about it once: and they came into the camp, and lodged in the camp.

12 And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the LORD.

13 And seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the LORD went on continually, and blew with the trumpets: and the armed men went before them; but the rear guard came after the ark of the LORD, the priests going on, and blowing with the trumpets.

14 And the second day they compassed the city once, and returned into the camp: so they did six days.

15 And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they rose early about the dawning of the day, and compassed the city after the same manner seven times: only on that day they compassed the city seven times.

16 And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, Shout; for the LORD has given you the city.

17 And the city shall be accursed, even it, and all that are therein, to the LORD: only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent.

18 And you, in any wise keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest you make yourselves accursed, when you take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it.

19 But all the silver, and gold, and vessels of brass and iron, are consecrated to the LORD: they shall come into the treasury of the LORD.

20 So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.

21 And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword.

22 But Joshua had said to the two men that had spied out the country, Go into the harlot’s house, and bring out there the woman, and all that she has, as you swore to her.

23 And the young men that were spies went in, and brought out Rahab, and her father, and her mother, and her brothers, and all that she had; and they brought out all her kindred, and left them without the camp of Israel.

24 And they burnt the city with fire, and all that was therein: only the silver, and the gold, and the vessels of brass and of iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the LORD.

25 And Joshua saved Rahab the harlot alive, and her father’s household, and all that she had; and she dwells in Israel even to this day; because she hid the messengers, which Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.

26 And Joshua adjured them at that time, saying, Cursed be the man before the LORD, that rises up and builds this city Jericho: he shall lay the foundation thereof in his firstborn, and in his youngest son shall he set up the gates of it.

27 So the LORD was with Joshua; and his fame was noised throughout all the country.

God spared Rahab because she chose to exercise faith in Jehovah despite her pagan surroundings, while the total destruction of the rest of Jericho was a divine judgment upon a culture that had reached the full measure of its iniquity and persistently rejected lightEP 348.4+2.

The Judgment of Canaan

The command to utterly destroy the inhabitants of Jericho was the execution of a divine sentence that had been delayed for four hundred yearsEP 348.4+1. God had told Abraham that the land would be given to his descendants only when the "iniquity of the Amorites" was full Genesis 15:16. By the time of Joshua, the Canaanites had become rebels against Heaven and foes to man, living only to blaspheme and defile the earth through abominable rites, impurity, and murderEP 348.4+1. Justice demanded their execution to prevent the spread of their moral contagion to others, as they had rejected unnumbered mercies and ignored forty years of warnings provided by the miracles of the ExodusEP 348.4+2.

The Distinction of Jericho

Jericho was uniquely designated as "cherem," or "devoted" to Jehovah, because it represented the "firstfruits" of the conquestBHOTV3 49.3.

• A Symbol of Victory: The city fell not by human hands but before the Ark and the presence of Jehovah Himself2BC 995.7+1.

• Consecrated Spoil: Because it belonged to God as the firstfruits, no Israelite was permitted to take personal spoil; the silver, gold, and vessels of brass and iron were placed in the treasury of the Lord's house Joshua 6:19BHOTV3 49.3+1.

• A Warning Against Covetousness: The severe restrictions served as a test of faith, as seen in the tragic failure of Achan, whose theft of the "accursed thing" brought defeat to the whole nation Joshua 7:1EP 352.2+1.

Why Rahab Was Spared

Rahab’s salvation serves as a beautiful testimony that God delivers every soul that has not finally and eternally rejected HimPTUK October 7, 1897, page 630.26+1.

• Faith Over National Identity: While all of Jericho heard about the Red Sea and the defeat of the Amorite kings, only Rahab acknowledged that "Jehovah your God, He is God in heaven above and in earth beneath" Joshua 2:11BHOTV3 41.1+1.

• Evidenced by Works: Her faith was not merely a feeling but was demonstrated by her works when she risked her life to receive and protect the spies James 2:25BHOTV3 41.1+1.

• A New Beginning: Though she was a great sinner with little light, she accepted the truth she had and was brought into the "household of faith," eventually becoming a direct ancestor of Jesus Christ Matthew 1:5BHOTV3 41.1+2.

The Significance of the Trumpets

The fall of Jericho was deeply symbolic and propheticBHOTV3 49.3. The sounding of the jubilee horns proclaimed that the labor and sorrow of God's people were ending and that the kingdom of this world was falling before the kingdom of GodBHOTV3 49.3. Just as Jericho fell suddenly after the seventh trumpet blast, the final advent of God's kingdom will be heralded by a trumpet sound, bringing destruction to His enemies and final deliverance to those who, like Rahab, have sought refuge in His Word 1 Corinthians 15:52+1BHOTV3 49.3.

Joshua 6

1 Now Jericho was straightly shut up because of the children of Israel: none went out, and none came in.

2 And the LORD said to Joshua, See, I have given into your hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valor.

3 And you shall compass the city, all you men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shall you do six days.

4 And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams’ horns: and the seventh day you shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets.

5 And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him.

6 And Joshua the son of Nun called the priests, and said to them, Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the LORD.

7 And he said to the people, Pass on, and compass the city, and let him that is armed pass on before the ark of the LORD.

8 And it came to pass, when Joshua had spoken to the people, that the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams’ horns passed on before the LORD, and blew with the trumpets: and the ark of the covenant of the LORD followed them.

9 And the armed men went before the priests that blew with the trumpets, and the rear guard came after the ark, the priests going on, and blowing with the trumpets.

10 And Joshua had commanded the people, saying, You shall not shout, nor make any noise with your voice, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I bid you shout; then shall you shout.

11 So the ark of the LORD compassed the city, going about it once: and they came into the camp, and lodged in the camp.

12 And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the LORD.

13 And seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the LORD went on continually, and blew with the trumpets: and the armed men went before them; but the rear guard came after the ark of the LORD, the priests going on, and blowing with the trumpets.

14 And the second day they compassed the city once, and returned into the camp: so they did six days.

15 And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they rose early about the dawning of the day, and compassed the city after the same manner seven times: only on that day they compassed the city seven times.

16 And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, Shout; for the LORD has given you the city.

17 And the city shall be accursed, even it, and all that are therein, to the LORD: only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent.

18 And you, in any wise keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest you make yourselves accursed, when you take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it.

19 But all the silver, and gold, and vessels of brass and iron, are consecrated to the LORD: they shall come into the treasury of the LORD.

20 So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.

21 And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword.

22 But Joshua had said to the two men that had spied out the country, Go into the harlot’s house, and bring out there the woman, and all that she has, as you swore to her.

23 And the young men that were spies went in, and brought out Rahab, and her father, and her mother, and her brothers, and all that she had; and they brought out all her kindred, and left them without the camp of Israel.

24 And they burnt the city with fire, and all that was therein: only the silver, and the gold, and the vessels of brass and of iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the LORD.

25 And Joshua saved Rahab the harlot alive, and her father’s household, and all that she had; and she dwells in Israel even to this day; because she hid the messengers, which Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.

26 And Joshua adjured them at that time, saying, Cursed be the man before the LORD, that rises up and builds this city Jericho: he shall lay the foundation thereof in his firstborn, and in his youngest son shall he set up the gates of it.

27 So the LORD was with Joshua; and his fame was noised throughout all the country.

1 Samuel 15

1 Samuel also said to Saul, The LORD sent me to anoint you to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore listen you to the voice of the words of the LORD.

2 Thus says the LORD of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt.

3 Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.

4 And Saul gathered the people together, and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand men of Judah.

5 And Saul came to a city of Amalek, and laid wait in the valley.

6 And Saul said to the Kenites, Go, depart, get you down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them: for you showed kindness to all the children of Israel, when they came up out of Egypt. So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites.

7 And Saul smote the Amalekites from Havilah until you come to Shur, that is over against Egypt.

8 And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.

9 But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatted calves, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but every thing that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly.

10 Then came the word of the LORD to Samuel, saying,

11 It repents me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and has not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried to the LORD all night.

12 And when Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning, it was told Samuel, saying, Saul came to Carmel, and, behold, he set him up a place, and is gone about, and passed on, and gone down to Gilgal.

13 And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said to him, Blessed be you of the LORD: I have performed the commandment of the LORD.

14 And Samuel said, What means then this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?

15 And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice to the LORD your God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.

16 Then Samuel said to Saul, Stay, and I will tell you what the LORD has said to me this night. And he said to him, Say on.

17 And Samuel said, When you were little in your own sight, were you not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the LORD anointed you king over Israel?

18 And the LORD sent you on a journey, and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed.

19 Why then did you not obey the voice of the LORD, but did fly on the spoil, and did evil in the sight of the LORD?

20 And Saul said to Samuel, Yes, I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.

21 But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice to the LORD your God in Gilgal.

22 And Samuel said, Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.

23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has also rejected you from being king.

24 And Saul said to Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD, and your words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice.

25 Now therefore, I pray you, pardon my sin, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD.

26 And Samuel said to Saul, I will not return with you: for you have rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD has rejected you from being king over Israel.

27 And as Samuel turned about to go away, he laid hold on the skirt of his mantle, and it rent.

28 And Samuel said to him, The LORD has rent the kingdom of Israel from you this day, and has given it to a neighbor of yours, that is better than you.

29 And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent.

30 Then he said, I have sinned: yet honor me now, I pray you, before the elders of my people, and before Israel, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD your God.

31 So Samuel turned again after Saul; and Saul worshipped the LORD.

32 Then said Samuel, Bring you here to me Agag the king of the Amalekites. And Agag came to him delicately. And Agag said, Surely the bitterness of death is past.

33 And Samuel said, As the sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women. And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the LORD in Gilgal.

34 Then Samuel went to Ramah; and Saul went up to his house to Gibeah of Saul.

35 And Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death: nevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul: and the LORD repented that he had made Saul king over Israel.

Deuteronomy 20

1 When you go out to battle against your enemies, and see horses, and chariots, and a people more than you, be not afraid of them: for the LORD your God is with you, which brought you up out of the land of Egypt.

2 And it shall be, when you are come near to the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak to the people,

3 And shall say to them, Hear, O Israel, you approach this day to battle against your enemies: let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be you terrified because of them;

4 For the LORD your God is he that goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.

5 And the officers shall speak to the people, saying, What man is there that has built a new house, and has not dedicated it? let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man dedicate it.

6 And what man is he that has planted a vineyard, and has not yet eaten of it? let him also go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man eat of it.

7 And what man is there that has betrothed a wife, and has not taken her? let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man take her.

8 And the officers shall speak further to the people, and they shall say, What man is there that is fearful and fainthearted? let him go and return to his house, lest his brethren’s heart faint as well as his heart.

9 And it shall be, when the officers have made an end of speaking to the people that they shall make captains of the armies to lead the people.

10 When you come near to a city to fight against it, then proclaim peace to it.

11 And it shall be, if it make you answer of peace, and open to you, then it shall be, that all the people that is found therein shall be tributaries to you, and they shall serve you.

12 And if it will make no peace with you, but will make war against you, then you shall besiege it:

13 And when the LORD your God has delivered it into your hands, you shall smite every male thereof with the edge of the sword:

14 But the women, and the little ones, and the cattle, and all that is in the city, even all the spoil thereof, shall you take to yourself; and you shall eat the spoil of your enemies, which the LORD your God has given you.

15 Thus shall you do to all the cities which are very far off from you, which are not of the cities of these nations.

16 But of the cities of these people, which the LORD your God does give you for an inheritance, you shall save alive nothing that breathes:

17 But you shall utterly destroy them; namely, the Hittites, and the Amorites, the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; as the LORD your God has commanded you:

18 That they teach you not to do after all their abominations, which they have done to their gods; so should you sin against the LORD your God.

19 When you shall besiege a city a long time, in making war against it to take it, you shall not destroy the trees thereof by forcing an ax against them: for you may eat of them, and you shall not cut them down (for the tree of the field is man’s life) to employ them in the siege:

20 Only the trees which you know that they be not trees for meat, you shall destroy and cut them down; and you shall build bulwarks against the city that makes war with you, until it be subdued.

The variation in God's commands regarding the spoils of war reflects the specific spiritual purpose of each battle, the degree of iniquity being judged, and whether the conquest was a "devoted" sacrifice to Him or a provision for His people. 🏺

Jericho: The Devoted Firstfruits

In the case of Jericho, the city and everything within it were "cherem," or accursed, because they were the firstfruits of the landYI January 25, 1894, par. 6+1.

• Total Consecration: As the first victory in Canaan, God claimed the entire city as His own to show that the battle was His, not Israel's1TT 338.1.

• Treasures for the Sanctuary: While people, animals, and common belongings were to be consumed by fire, the gold, silver, brass, and iron were consecrated to the Lord’s treasuryYI January 25, 1894, par. 6+1.

• A Test of Loyalty: This was a test of faith for the people; to take from this "accursed thing" was considered a direct theft from God’s treasury, as seen in the sin of Achan Joshua 7:13T 264.2+2.

Amalek: A Perpetual Moral Judgment

The command to destroy the Amalekites—including every man, woman, infant, and animal—was a specific judicial sentence for their unprovoked and cowardly attack on the weak and weary during the Exodus Deuteronomy 25:17-19PP 299.3+2.

• No Personal Gain: By commanding the destruction of the animals and belongings, God ensured that the war was seen as an act of divine justice rather than a raid for personal enrichmentST August 31, 1882, par. 8+1.

• Saul's Disobedience: King Saul failed this test by sparing the best of the sheep and oxen under the guise of religious sacrifice, when in reality it was an excuse for covetousness 1 Samuel 15:13-15ST August 31, 1882, par. 8+2.

• Blotting out Remembrance: Because the "hand of Amalek is against the throne of Jehovah," their total extermination was necessary to blot out their remembrance from under heaven Exodus 17:16PP 299.3+1.

The Amorites and Other Tribes: Filling the Cup of Iniquity

In many other conquests, God permitted the Israelites to keep the cattle and the spoil for themselves as a provision for their nomadic needsBHOTV3 76.1+2.

• Provisions for the Nation: Once the "firstfruits" (Jericho) were given to God, subsequent victories like Ai allowed the people to take the spoil and cattle for a prey unto themselves Joshua 8:2ST May 12, 1881, par. 1.

• Judicial Extermination: The destruction of the people themselves was commanded because their cup of iniquity was full; they were abandoned to polluting idolatry and revolting practices that would have corrupted IsraelPP 688.2+2.

• Prevention of Apostasy: God understood that if these races were spared, they would become a snare, leading Israel into sensual rites and the worship of false gods Exodus 23:33ARSH March 19, 1861, page 137.18+1.

The Guiding Principles of the Difference

The specific nature of the command depended on the following divine objectives:

• Spiritual Protection: If the inhabitants or their idols and belongings were likely to charm the hearts of the Israelites away from God, they were to be utterly consumed Exodus 34:12-133T 264.2+1.

• Severity of Sin: Some nations, like those in the days of Noah or the cities of the plain, reached a level of depravity where mercy was no longer an option, and total destruction was the only remedy to purge the earthARSH March 19, 1861, page 137.18+2.

• Divine Ownership: In certain instances, God required the spoil to be destroyed to teach His people that they must rely on His strength and not on the "loaves and fishes" of worldly gain1SP 229.3+2.

• Sanctification of the People: Commands to "cleanse the camp" or destroy accursed items were meant to remind Israel that they were a holy people who could not stand before their enemies if they harbored the dross of worldly corruptionPH157 17.2+3.

God's methods are always just and true, aimed at the ultimate salvation of those who will receive His mercy and the necessary removal of that which would lead the universe into a second rebellion Revelation 15:3ST January 6, 1881, par. 7+2.