Jesse Tree Story: JOSHUA
Jesse Tree Symbol: RAM HORN TRUMPET
Scripture: And after the death of Moses, the servant of the Lord, it happened that the Lord spoke to Joshua, the son of Nun, the minister of Moses, and he said to him: “Moses, my servant, has died. Rise up, and cross this Jordan, you and all the people with you, into the land which I will give to the sons of Israel. I will deliver to you every place that the step of your foot will tread upon, just as I said to Moses. From the desert and from Lebanon, even to the great river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, as far as the great sea opposite the setting of the sun, shall be your border. No one will be able to resist you during all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so will I be with you. I will not leave you, nor will I forsake you. Be strengthened and be steadfast. For you shall divide by lot, to this people, the land about which I swore to their fathers that I would deliver it to them. Therefore, be strengthened and be very steadfast, so that you may observe and accomplish the entire law, which Moses, my servant, instructed to you. You may not turn aside from it to the right, nor to the left. So may you understand all that you should do. The book of this law shall not depart from your mouth. Instead, you shall meditate upon it, day and night, so that you may observe and do all the things that are written in it. Then you shall direct your way and understand it. Behold, I am instructing you. Be strengthened, and be steadfast. Do not dread, and do not fear. For the Lord your God is with you in all things, wherever you may go. And Joshua instructed the leaders of the people, saying: “Cross through the midst of the camp, and command the people, and say: ‘Prepare your food supplies. For after the third day, you shall cross the Jordan, and you shall enter so as to possess the land, which the Lord your God will give to you.’ ”
Now Jericho was closed as well as fortified, out of fear of the sons of Israel, and no one dared to depart or to enter. And the Lord said to Joshua: “Behold, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and all the strong men. Have all the warriors circle the city once each day; you shall do so for six days. Then, on the seventh day, the priests shall take the seven trumpets, which are used on the jubilee, and they shall precede the ark of the covenant. And you shall circle the city seven times, and the priests shall sound the trumpets. And when the voice of the trumpet sounds longer and with interruptions, and it increases in your ears, then all the people shall cry out together with a very great shout, and the walls of the city shall fall to the foundation, and they shall enter it, each from a place opposite where they are standing.” Then Joshua, the son of Nun, called the priests, and he said to them, “Take the ark of the covenant, and let seven other priests take the seven trumpets of the jubilee, and advance before the ark of the Lord.” He also said to the people, “Go, and circle the city, armed, preceding the ark of the Lord.” And when Joshua had finished his words, and the seven priests sounded the seven trumpets before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and all the armed soldiers went ahead, the remainder of the common people followed the ark, and the sound of the trumpets grew louder everywhere. But Joshua had instructed the people, saying, “You shall not cry out, nor shall your voice be heard, and no word at all shall proceed from your mouth, until the day arrives on which I will say to you, ‘Cry out, and shout.’ " Thus, the ark of the Lord circled the city once each day, and returning to the camp, it remained there. And so, with Joshua, arising in the night, the priests took the ark of the Lord, and seven of them took the seven trumpets, which are used in the jubilee, and they preceded the ark of the Lord, walking and sounding the trumpets. And the armed men went before them, and the remainder of the common people followed the ark, and they were blaring the trumpets. And they circled the city on the second day, once, and they returned to the camp. They did so for six days. Then, on the seventh day, rising at first light, they circled the city, just as had been ordered, seven times. And at the seventh circling, when the priests sounded the trumpets, Joshua said to all of Israel: “Shout! For the Lord has delivered the city to you. And let this city be anathema, with all the things that are within it, before the Lord. May only Rahab the harlot live, with all who are with her in the house. For she hid the messengers whom we sent. But you must be careful that you do not touch any of those things, as you have been instructed, for then you would be guilty of transgression, and all the camp of Israel would be under sin and would be troubled. But whatever gold and silver there will be, and vessels of brass or of iron, let these be consecrated to the Lord and be stored in his treasuries.” Therefore, with all the people shouting, and the trumpets blaring, after the voice and the sound increased in the ears of the multitude, the walls promptly fell to ruin. And each one climbed up at the place which was opposite where he was. And they seized the city.
Joshua 1:1-11, 6:1-20
Commentary:
According to God's instructions to Joshua, the walls around the besieged city of Jericho crumble at the sound of the ram horn trumpets blown by holy men. The spoils were left for the Israelites.
Readings for the Day:
Isaiah 40:25-31
Psalm 103
Matthew 11:28-30
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