Chapter 8: Understanding God’s Word

Page 21

Before going into Jericho, God made His plan clear in verse 17.

“Now the city shall be doomed by the Lord to destruction, it and all who are in it. Only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all who are with her in the house, because she hid the

messengers that we sent.” Joshua 6:17

Note that the city was doomed for destruction. “It and all who are inside of it except Rahab and all who are with her [in her house].” God

Almighty had cursed the city of Jericho and its contents with the exception of Rahab and those in her home. This destruction applied to every other physical and living thing.

In verse 18, God instructed to the people of Israel to “abstain from the

accursed things.” In other words, don’t take any personal souvenirs. Don’t take any battle trophies. Destroy everything physical and all of the people [with the sole exception God noted]. If you read further into the story, you will find out that “Achan took of the accursed things; so the anger of the

Lord burned against the children of Israel.” Joshua 2:1

The story of Jericho is a story about the collective obedience of Israel. God expected everyone in Israel to do what He told all of them collectively

to do. God also defined what was “accursed.” He defined “the accursed things” as the entire city, all of its contents and its entire people with the sole exception of Rahab and those in her home.

The Second College Edition of The American Heritage Dictionary3 defines the word accursed as follows:

Accursed 1. Under a curse; 2. Abominable; hateful

Both of these definitions fit God’s description and His intention of the word “accursed.” God cursed Jericho because it was an abomination and a hateful place in His eyes. However, Pastor Rod Parsley gave instructions to

his congregation and television viewers to alter the Bible’s clear language.