THURSDAY 29th
Joshua 6
NIV (v4) – ‘Have 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 trumpets.’
ESV (v4) – ‘Seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark. On the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets.’
We will pause in Joshua 6 for one more devotion, but it will be in the form of an option for you to go into the Word a little more with a study. You cannot have missed that one of the key words in this chapter is the number seven, seven priests, seven trumpets, seven days and seven times on the seventh day.
We are told that in Scripture the number seven is the number of completion or perfection and it is amazing how many times seven is the key word or number in many different ways. Today I will highlight just a few of them for you to study further if you wish to.
The first is the obvious one of the days of creation taking six days, and the next day being the seventh completed the week and was set aside as a day of rest. Genesis 1&2
We also have the sign of the rainbow which God set in the sky, to promise to Noah and his family that he would never destroy the earth again with a flood, and although the number is not used we all know that the number of colours in the rainbow is seven. Genesis 9.
In 2 Kings 5 we have the story of Naaman the leper and he is told by Elisha the servant of God to go and to dip in the river Jordan seven times, and when he comes up out of the water after the seventh time he is cleansed and healed from the awful disease.
We have the seven ‘I am’ statements of the Lord Jesus in the gospel of John,
The bread of life, (6:35) the light of the world, (8:12) the door, (10:7) the good shepherd, (10:11) the resurrection and the life, (11:25) the way, the truth and the life, (14:6) the true vine. (15:1)
The seven sayings of Jesus on the Cross found in Luke 23:34 ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.’ Luke 23:43 ‘Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.’ John 19:26–27 ‘Woman, behold your son! . . . Behold, your mother!’ Matthew 27:46 ‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani? . . . My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ John 19:28 ‘I thirst.’ John 19:30 ‘It is finished.’ Luke 23:46 ‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.’
In Hebrews we see seven better things, a better covenant, (7:22) better promises, (8:6) better possession, (10:34) better hope, (7:19) better sacrifices, (9:23) a better country, (11:16) a better life, (11:35)
In Revelation we have the ‘seven Churches’ (Revelation 1:4 and chapters 2-3) The ‘seven spirits who are before the throne’ (1:4) The ‘seven seals’ (5:1, 6:1-8:5) The ‘seven angels and seven trumpets’ (8:1-11:19) The ‘seven angels with seven plagues’ (15:18) The ‘seven bowls of God’s wrath’ (16:1-21)