Thurs.’s Devo - Jericho

Read: Joshua 5:1-7:15: Luke 15:1-32; Psalm 81:1-16; Proverbs 13:1
The children of Israel are about to enter into the promised land and God gives them another altar call. It is Passover and time to come to salvation and be cleansed. The way they did that in the Old Testament was the same way we do it in the New Testament - by choice and by faith. Joshua took the men and circumcised them as a sign of sanctification. They celebrated Passover which was a sign of their salvation, then their manna stopped falling and they ate of the fruit of the promised land.
The commander or the Lord’s army came to Joshua and gave him strategy into how to take the city of Jericho. Jericho meant fragrant which was the first thing they would possess. They would start smelling like the promises of God.
They were to encircle the camp once every seven days and on the seventh day they were to march around it seven times. Then Joshua would sound the trumpet and the army was to shout and the walls, that were wide enough to ride chariots on, would fall down.
After they took the city, they were to kill everyone except Rahab and her family. All the booty of gold, silver, bronze and iron was to go in the Lord’s treasury.
The Lord put a curse on Jericho saying that whoever tries to rebuild this city will do it at the cost of his first born son when he lays the foundation, and his youngest when he sets up its gates. When Dave and I went to Jerusalem, we were told this story by our guide. Several years ago, a wealthy man decided to reconstruct Jericho. He had three sons. His oldest son died the day he poured the foundation. He decided to stop. God’s word never times out; it is eternal.
After taking Jericho they moved to the next small town of Ai. Because of Ai’s size, they took only a few thousand men and were sorely defeated. When Joshua went to the Lord for an answer, the Lord told him that someone had taken some of the booty at Jericho instead of giving it all to Him. Joshua was to call out each tribe and God would show him who did it.
Jericho was to be their first fruit or tithe to the Lord. After that, they could take all the booty they wanted. Sometimes we balk when it comes to giving to the Lord but God has a plan to bless us far beyond what we give if we will trust him.
In Luke, Jesus was stressing the importance of the individual and how personal God is. We are all his prized, created possessions. He cares dearly about each one of us, no matter how much mud and filth we have accumulated in our lives. He wants to wash us, heal us and use us for his glory.
Lord, help us to see other people as you see them. Give us love for the lowly and poor. May we freely give you the first of everything we are blessed with. You are the giver of all good things.