They completely destroyed everything in the city with the sword – every man and woman, both young and old, and every ox, sheep, and donkey. Joshua 6:21 HCSB
My father died eleven years ago and my mother came to live with us. She has her own apartment space in our home with a bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, dining area, living room, and laundry room. Today is her 93rd birthday. For someone who is 93, she is in relative good health and still enjoys brief outings. In her living quarters she has many pieces of antique furniture, glassware, pictures, and other heirlooms that are important to her and bring back many good memories of days gone by.
Many of us own a keepsake box with items that are important to us that bring back memories of past activities. The people of Jericho were evil people in the eyes of the Lord and had rejected Him for multiple pagan gods. They practiced immoral behaviors as a form of worship and perverted the ways of God. The destruction of everything was a judgment against these evil practices. Their behavior was a threat to the Israelites and the right way to live for God. His purpose was to keep His people from being contaminated by the evil practices of the Canaanites. Obviously if any Canaanites lived, they would have been a negative influence on the Israelites. Even animals and objects would be a reminder of the Canaanites and their wickedness.
Challenge: God desires for us to be pure and clean. We must not allow the evil of this world to distract us from our spiritual purpose of living for God. We must reject any objects that are reminders of the evil in our lives before we became believers in Jesus Christ.