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Did the Hebrews Break the Sabbath when They Sacked Jericho?

 

The question applies to the Hebrews taking of the city of Jericho on the Sabbath, as detailed here:

2Then the LORD said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. 3March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. 4Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets5When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have the whole army give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the army will go up, everyone straight in.”

Joshua 6:2-5

The law of the Sabbath — the day of of rest (Exodus 20:8-11) — was already established when Joshua led troops into Canaan to conquer it. However, this law wasn’t applicable on this particular occasion for these reasons:

  1. The Hebrews were at war at the moment due to God’s just judgment on the Canaanites after hundreds of years of gracious mercy (see Genesis 15:16).
  2. Since the LORD is the One who gave the Sabbath command He can override the day of rest when necessary, which was essentially Jesus’ point in Luke 6:5.
  3. The Hebrews were following the LORD’s instruction to march around Jericho seven times on the Sabbath and take the city.

Related Topics:

Sabbath — What is it? Should Believers Observe It?

Law (Torah) — New Testament Believers are NOT Under the Law

Legalism — Understanding its Many Forms

The Basics of Christianity


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