“All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron are sacred to the Lord and must go into His treasury.” (Joshua 6:19 NIV)
Jericho is the first fruits of the Promised Land plunder, and God instructs the Israelites to devote the whole of it to Him. This was an act of faith on their part: faith that God would give them Jericho and faith that there would be more to come. Jericho was a wealthy city, the temptation was great. But the victory obviously belonged to God and so did the spoils.
“At the time Joshua pronounced this solemn oath: Cursed before the Lord is the one who tries to rebuild this city, Jericho.” (Joshua 7:26 NIV)
Jericho was destroyed and it’s plunder put aside fo the Lord’s treasury. This establishesd a sinking fund for the Temple, which would be built some four hundred years later. It wasn’t enough to destroy the city and devote the loot to the Kingdom. God cursed the foundation of Jericho, removing the temptation to begin again in Jericho.
Our guid in Israel told us that many times these ancient cities were built, destroyed, and rebuilt. One such city, Megiddo, had been destroyed and rebuilt twenty-five times! We could see it in the archeology; the changes in the stonework as the site was excavated. Apparently it was far easier to rebuild a city than to start from scratch. But God curses Jericho and the curse stands.
“In Ahab’s time, Hiel of Bethel rebuilt Jericho. He laid his foundations at the cost of his firstborn son, Abiram, and he set up it’s gates at the cost of his youngest son, Segub, in accordance with the word of the Lord spoken by Joshua son of Nun.” (1 Kings 16:34 NIV)
Generations later, a headstrong man decides to rebuild Jericho. Apparently he believed God’s word had an expiration date or he was unfamiliar with the Word of the Lord. His error cost him not one, but two sons.
What can we learn from this story? The firstfruits belong to the Father. Anything and everything we have is because of Him. Ten percent off the top is not much to ask and it’s how He funds His Kingdom: a Kingdom that all believers benefit from. Secondly, we see that God’s word stands forever. It doesn’t go void after ninety days. There’s no statue of limitation on HIs communication. His word endures forever.
Lord, help us hear and obey Your word. We gladly commit our first fruits to Your cause, recognizer that everything we have, we have because of You. It is an honor to contribute to Your Kingdom and we trust in Your Word forever. Amen.