The Old Testament gives us analogies and pictures of the spiritual process which is salvation in Christ Jesus. So then the New Testament is in the OT concealed....and the OT is in the NT revealed.
That brings us to Jericho...the first city to be conquered by God's people upon entering into the promised land. Now the land represents the spiritual realm of the kingdom of God. We are called to displace the squatters (principalities and powers) in heavenly places. But we must first be renewed in our way of thinking....after we have been crucified in the outer man. Our walls need to come down and everything we once held as our own...our own ideas, words, opinions...need to be destroyed by the edge of the sword. So Jericho represents the outer man.
Conquered by whom? Well...us, with a lot of help from God. So it is a joint venture, so to speak. God brought down the walls and the people put the city to the sword. God does the impossible part, and we are to do the doable (for us) part. :)
Now I would like to contrast Jericho with ourselves as the basic human being....with outer defenses and a whole life going on that is oblivious to God...at least at first.
So then the fear of the Lord came on the city. But one person, Rahab, received the spies as of the Lord and their words as of the Lord, and helped them together with a promise from them to be delivered by God.
So then Rahab represents the inner man. The man within the man. The fear of the Lord caused nothing but dread to the outer man...but that same fear brought about a surrender and a shifting of allegiances to the inner man (Rahab). Her allegiance was now with God and His people.
Now Rahab protected the spies..and hid them..the way we hide the words of God in our hearts. By faith we hold to the promises of God...as we wait on the Lord. As Rahab did.
That brings us to Jericho...the first city to be conquered by God's people upon entering into the promised land. Now the land represents the spiritual realm of the kingdom of God. We are called to displace the squatters (principalities and powers) in heavenly places. But we must first be renewed in our way of thinking....after we have been crucified in the outer man. Our walls need to come down and everything we once held as our own...our own ideas, words, opinions...need to be destroyed by the edge of the sword. So Jericho represents the outer man.
Conquered by whom? Well...us, with a lot of help from God. So it is a joint venture, so to speak. God brought down the walls and the people put the city to the sword. God does the impossible part, and we are to do the doable (for us) part. :)
Now I would like to contrast Jericho with ourselves as the basic human being....with outer defenses and a whole life going on that is oblivious to God...at least at first.
So then the fear of the Lord came on the city. But one person, Rahab, received the spies as of the Lord and their words as of the Lord, and helped them together with a promise from them to be delivered by God.
So then Rahab represents the inner man. The man within the man. The fear of the Lord caused nothing but dread to the outer man...but that same fear brought about a surrender and a shifting of allegiances to the inner man (Rahab). Her allegiance was now with God and His people.
Now Rahab protected the spies..and hid them..the way we hide the words of God in our hearts. By faith we hold to the promises of God...as we wait on the Lord. As Rahab did.