20251120 [새벽묵상] 하나님의 전쟁, 하나님의 전리품 | God’s War, God’s Spoils (수/Josh 6:15~27)

6:15 일곱째 날 새벽에 그들이 일찍이 일어나서 전과 같은 방식으로 그 성을 일곱 번 도니 그 성을 일곱 번 돌기는 그 날뿐이었더라

6:16 일곱 번째에 제사장들이 나팔을 불 때에 여호수아가 백성에게 이르되 외치라 여호와께서 너희에게 이 성을 주셨느니라

6:17 이 성과 그 가운데에 있는 모든 것은 여호와께 온전히 바치되 기생 라합과 그 집에 동거하는 자는 모두 살려 주라 이는 우리가 보낸 사자들을 그가 숨겨 주었음이니라

6:18 너희는 온전히 바치고 그 바친 것 중에서 어떤 것이든지 취하여 너희가 이스라엘 진영으로 바치는 것이 되게 하여 고통을 당하게 되지 아니하도록 오직 너희는 그 바친 물건에 손대지 말라

6:19 은금과 동철 기구들은 다 여호와께 구별될 것이니 그것을 여호와의 곳간에 들일지니라 하니라

15 On the seventh day, they got up at daybreak and marched around the city seven times in the same manner, except that on that day they circled the city seven times. 16 The seventh time around, when the priests sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the army, “Shout! For the Lord has given you the city! 17 The city and all that is in it are to be devoted to the Lord. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall be spared, because she hid the spies we sent. 18 But keep away from the devoted things, so that you will not bring about your own destruction by taking any of them. Otherwise you will make the camp of Israel liable to destruction and bring trouble on it. 19 All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron are sacred to the Lord and must go into his treasury.”

6:20 이에 백성은 외치고 제사장들은 나팔을 불매 백성이 나팔 소리를 들을 때에 크게 소리 질러 외치니 성벽이 무너져 내린지라 백성이 각기 앞으로 나아가 그 성에 들어가서 그 성을 점령하고

6:21 그 성 안에 있는 모든 것을 온전히 바치되 남녀 노소와 소와 양과 나귀를 칼날로 멸하니라

20 When the trumpets sounded, the army shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the men gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so everyone charged straight in, and they took the city. 21 They devoted the city to the Lord and destroyed with the sword every living thing in it—men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep and donkeys.

6:22 여호수아가 그 땅을 정탐한 두 사람에게 이르되 그 기생의 집에 들어가서 너희가 그 여인에게 맹세한 대로 그와 그에게 속한 모든 것을 이끌어 내라 하매

6:23 정탐한 젊은이들이 들어가서 라합과 그의 부모와 그의 형제와 그에게 속한 모든 것을 이끌어 내고 또 그의 친족도 다 이끌어 내어 그들을 이스라엘의 진영 밖에 두고

22 Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, “Go into the prostitute’s house and bring her out and all who belong to her, in accordance with your oath to her.” 23 So the young men who had done the spying went in and brought out Rahab, her father and mother, her brothers and sisters and all who belonged to her. They brought out her entire family and put them in a place outside the camp of Israel.

6:24 무리가 그 성과 그 가운데에 있는 모든 것을 불로 사르고 은금과 동철 기구는 여호와의 집 곳간에 두었더라

6:25 여호수아가 기생 라합과 그의 아버지의 가족과 그에게 속한 모든 것을 살렸으므로 그가 오늘까지 이스라엘 중에 거주하였으니 이는 여호수아가 여리고를 정탐하려고 보낸 사자들을 숨겼음이었더라

24 Then they burned the whole city and everything in it, but they put the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron into the treasury of the Lord’s house. 25 But Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her family and all who belonged to her, because she hid the men Joshua had sent as spies to Jericho—and she lives among the Israelites to this day.

6:26 여호수아가 그 때에 맹세하게 하여 이르되 누구든지 일어나서 이 여리고 성을 건축하는 자는 여호와 앞에서 저주를 받을 것이라 그 기초를 쌓을 때에 그의 맏아들을 잃을 것이요 그 문을 세울 때에 그의 막내아들을 잃으리라 하였더라

6:27 여호와께서 여호수아와 함께 하시니 여호수아의 소문이 그 온 땅에 퍼지니라

26 At that time Joshua pronounced this solemn oath: “Cursed before the Lord is the one who undertakes to rebuild this city, Jericho:

“At the cost of his firstborn son

    he will lay its foundations;

at the cost of his youngest

    he will set up its gates.”

27 So the Lord was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout the land.

                  하나님께서 지시하신 대로 여호와의 궤가 하루에 한 번씩 여리고 성을 돌았습니다. 오직 제사장들의 나팔 소리만 울리면서 침묵 가운데 엿새를 돌았습니다. 드디어 일곱번째 날이 밝았습니다. 이제 하나님이 약속하신 대로 여리고 성은 무너질 것입니다. 그런데 이 때, 여호수아는 이들에게 이상한 명령을 합니다. “모든 것을 여호와께 온전히 바쳐라.” 오늘 말씀은 드디어 여리고 성이 무너지는 승리의 순간을 그리고 있습니다. 그러면 그 승리의 과정을 자세하게 설명하는 것이 이치일 것입니다. 그런데 오히려 대부분의 지면을 어디에 쓰고 있습니까? 하나님께 온전히 바쳐진 것에 절대로 손대면 안된다는 명령에 촛점을 맞추고 있습니다. 여리고 성을 돌았던 것은 여호와의 궤, 즉, 하나님의 임재입니다. 이 전쟁은 하나님의 전쟁인 것이지요. 그러므로 승리 또한 하나님의 승리입니다. 하나님의 승리이니 전리품 또한 모두 하나님의 것이지요. 오늘은 “하나님의 전쟁, 하나님의 전리품” 이라는 제목으로 말씀을 나누기 원합니다.

The Ark of the Covenant, representing the presence of the Lord, circled the city of Jericho once a day, just as God commanded. For six days, the sound of the priests' trumpets was the only sound heard amid the silence.

Finally, the seventh day dawned. The moment had arrived for God to fulfill His promise, and for Jericho’s walls to fall.

But at this climactic moment, Joshua issues a strange command: "Devote everything to the Lord."

Today’s passage describes this moment of triumph—the fall of Jericho. Logically, the text should spend most of its time detailing the victory process. Yet, where does it focus the majority of its attention? On the stringent command that nothing devoted to God should be touched.

This was God’s war. The Ark of the Covenant, God’s very presence, circled the city. The victory, therefore, belongs entirely to God. And since the victory belongs to God, so too do the spoils.

Today, I want to share a message titled: God’s War, God’s Spoils.

                  첫번째, 우리는 순종함으로 하나님의 전쟁에 참여합니다. 엿새 동안 여리고 성을 돌았습니다. 15절을 보니 일곱째 날에는 전과 같은 방식으로 일곱번을 돌았습니다. 이것은 이들이 철저히 말씀대로 순종하였음을 보여줍니다. 그러나 여리고 성에는 여전히 아무런 변화가 없습니다. 이 때 여호수아가 말합니다. 16절 말씀 함께 읽겠습니다. “일곱 번째에 제사장들이 나팔을 불 때에 여호수아가 백성에게 이르되 외치라 여호와께서 너희에게 이 성을 주셨느니라” 아무 변화 없는 성을 향해서 이들은 전장의 함성을 질러야 했습니다. 계란으로 바위를 치는 것도 아니고 목소리로 성벽을 치는 것이 무슨 의미가 있을까요? 제사장들이 부는 나팔소리도 엿새동안 똑같이 들었습니다. 그러나 그들은 하나님께서 이 성을 주셨다는 믿음을 가지고 끝까지 말씀에 순종합니다. 저 굳게 닫힌 성벽을 향해 외쳤습니다. 그러자 성벽이 무너지는 기적이 일어납니다. 20절 함께 읽겠습니다. “이에 백성은 외치고 제사장들은 나팔을 불매 백성이 나팔 소리를 들을 때에 크게 소리 질러 외치니 성벽이 무너져 내린지라 백성이 각기 앞으로 나아가 그 성에 들어가서 그 성을 점령하고” 보통 성벽은 외부의 침입으로 안쪽으로 무너진다고 합니다. 그런데 고고학자들의 발굴에 따르면 이 여리고 성벽은 바깥쪽으로 무너져서 그 파편들이 마치 언덕에 놓인 계단과 같이 되었다고 합니다. 마치 이 쪽으로 들어오라고 하는 것처럼 말이지요. 이들은 철저히 말씀에 순종함으로 하나님의 전쟁에 참여하고 하나님의 뜻을 이루었습니다. 그런데 이들의 순종은 여기서 끝나지 않습니다. 하나님께서 이 전쟁의 마지막 단계, 즉 가장 어려운 순종을 요구하시기 때문입니다. 여기에 오늘의 두번째 포인트가 있습니다.

[Point 1: We Participate in God’s War Through Obedience]

First, we participate in God’s war through obedience.

For six days, they circled Jericho. Verse 15 tells us that on the seventh day, they circled the city seven times in the same manner as before. This demonstrates their persistent, total obedience to the Word. Yet, there was still no visible change in the walls of Jericho.

It is at this point that Joshua speaks. Let’s read verse 16 together:

"The seventh time around, when the priests sounded the trumpet, Joshua commanded the army, 'Shout! For the Lord has given you the city!'"

They were commanded to raise a battle cry against an immovable wall—a wall that had shown no signs of yielding. What good would shouting do? It’s not like striking a rock with an egg; it's like striking a solid wall with only your voice.

But with faith that the Lord had already given them the city, they obeyed the command to the very end. They shouted against those tightly closed walls.

And the miracle happened; the walls crumbled. Let’s read verse 20:

"When the trumpets sounded, the army shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the men gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so every man charged straight in, and they took the city."

Archaeologists suggest that the walls of Jericho collapsed outwardly, forming ramp-like steps for the Israelites to climb right into the city. It was as if the walls themselves invited them to enter!

Through their persistent obedience, they participated in God's war and fulfilled His will.

But their obedience did not end there. God required the final, most difficult act of obedience in the wake of their triumph. This brings us to our second point.

                  두번째, 하나님께 온전히 바쳐라. 일반적인 전쟁이라면 승자가 전리품을 취하는 것이 당연합니다. 분명 우리가 함께 읽었던 16절의 말씀도 “여호와께서 너희에게 이 성을 주셨느니라” 라고 말하고 있습니다. 자 그런데 그 바로 다음 말씀인 17절 말씀을 보니 이상한 명령을 하시지요. “이 성과 그 가운데에 있는 모든 것은 여호와께 온전히 바치되” 분명히 이 성을 주셨다더니 정작 그 성을 취하려니까 모든 것을 여호와께 온전히 바치라 명령하십니다. 이유도 모른채 말 한마디 없이 성을 엿새동안 돌았던 것도 큰 순종이었습니다. 그런데 목숨을 걸고 뛰어든 전쟁에서 전리품을 모두 하나님께 바쳐야 한다는 것은 인간의 본성을 거스르는 더 큰 순종을 요구하는 일이지요. 이 명령의 핵심은 소유권에 있습니다. 백성이 싸운 것이 아니라 하나님께서 성을 무너뜨리셨습니다. 즉 전리품에 손을 대지 않는다는 것은 이 전쟁이 하나님이 하신 것이며, 이 모든 것의 소유권 또한 하나님의 것임을 공적으로 인정하는 행위인 것입니다.

여기서 “하나님께 온전히 바쳐졌다”라는 것은 ‘헤렘’으로, 그것이 거룩하게 구별되었다는 뜻입니다. 19절에도 설명이 되어있지요. “은금과 동철 기구들은 다 여호와께 구별될 것이니” 즉, 하나님의 독점적인 소유물이 되었다는 뜻인데 레위기 27:28은 이를 가르켜 “여호와께 지극히 거룩하다”라고 말하고 있습니다.  헤렘의 본질은 하나님께 온전히 바쳐진 것이 인간의 속된 영역에서 여호와의 거룩한 영역으로 옮겨진 것이라는 것입니다. 그렇다면 여호와께 온전히 바쳐진 것에 손을 대면 어떻게 되는 것일까요? 18절을 함께 읽겠습니다. “너희는 온전히 바치고 그 바친 것 중에서 어떤 것이든지 취하여 너희가 이스라엘 진영으로 바치는 것이 되게 하여 고통을 당하게 되지 아니하도록 오직 너희는 그 바친 물건에 손대지 말라” 

[Point 2: Devote Everything Wholly to God]

Second, we are commanded to devote everything wholly to God.

In a typical war, it is only natural for the victor to take the spoils. We just read in verse 16 that Joshua said, "The Lord has given you the city!"

But look at the very next verse, verse 17, which contains a strange command: "The city and all that is in it are to be devoted to the Lord."

After telling them the city was given to them, He commands them to devote everything in it wholly to the Lord. It was a great act of obedience to circle the city for six days without asking why. But to lay aside the spoils of war—the very motivation for human warfare—is a far greater act of obedience that defies human nature.

The core of this command lies in ownership. It was not the people who fought; it was God who brought down the walls. Therefore, refraining from touching the spoils is a public acknowledgment that this was God’s war, and all ownership belongs to God.

The word "devoted to the Lord" here is the concept of 'Herem', meaning it has been made sacred or set apart. Verse 19 explains: "All the silver and gold, and articles of bronze and iron, are to be consecrated to the Lord." This means they have become God's exclusive property. Leviticus 27:28 calls this Herem "most holy to the Lord." The essence of Herem is the transition of something from the common human realm to the sacred, exclusive realm of God.

So, what happens if one touches what is devoted to the Lord? Let’s read verse 18:

"But keep away from the devoted things, so that you will not bring about your own destruction by taking any of them. Otherwise you will make the camp of Israel liable to destruction and bring trouble on it."

자, 헤렘된 것, 즉, 하나님께 온전히 바쳐진 것을 취하면 이스라엘 진영으로 헤렘된 것이 되게 한다고 합니다. 마치 레위기의 정결법처럼 전염의 원리가 헤렘에도 적용되는 것이지요. 하나님께 바쳐진 것을 취하게 되면 마치 전염되는 것 처럼 그 공동체 전체가 하나님께 바쳐진 것이 되는 것입니다. 이것은 단순한 절도의 문제가 아니라 하나님의 거룩함에 대한 침범의 문제이기 때문입니다. 그래서 이스라엘은 이 명령에 철저히 순종합니다.  21절에서는 “모든 것을 온전히 바치되… 칼날로 멸하였다”고 설명하고 있고, 24절에서는 “모든 것을 불로 살랐다” 라고 말하고 있습니다. 그들의 순종은 전쟁이 끝난 후에도 계속되었습니다.

그런데 오늘 본문을 보면 아주 기이한 대조가 나타납니다. 17절을 다시 보겠습니다. ‘이 성과 그 가운데에 있는 모든 것은 여호와께 온전히 바치되’ 라는 헤렘의 명령 뒤에 ‘기생 라합과 그 집에 동거하는 자는 모두 살려주라’는 예외 조항이 붙습니다. 그 뒤에 21절에서 헤렘의 명령이 실행된 장면 뒤인 22-23절에서는 마치 일부러 대비로 강조하려는 듯이 라합과 그에게 속한 모든 것을 구원하는 장면이 나옵니다. 24절에서 다시 헤렘의 명령이 이루어지는 것을 말하고 있는데 바로 그 다음인25절에서는 또 라합과 그에게 속한 모든 것을 살렸다는 내용이 나옵니다. 너무 강력하게 대비가 되어있어서 하나님께 온전히 바쳐진 것이라는 헤렘이 강조 되면 될 수록 라합과 그녀의 가족들의 구원이 더욱 도드라져 보입니다. 라합은 여리고성 사람입니다. 그녀야말로 헤렘의 대상입니다. 그러나 그녀는 살아남았습니다. 아니 단순히 목숨만을 부지한 것이 아닙니다. 25절을 보면 “그가 오늘까지 이스라엘 중에 거주하였다”고 말하고 있습니다. 헤렘의 대상에서 하나님의 백성으로 신분이 완전히 바뀐 것입니다. 이것이 어떻게 가능한 일입니까? 17절과 25절은 그 이유를 이렇게 설명합니다. “이는 우리가 보낸 사자들을 그가 숨겨 주었음이니라” 라합이 그들을 숨겨주었던 이유는 그가 이 전쟁이 하나님의 전쟁임을 알았기 때문입니다. 여호수아2:9-10의 말씀을 보면 라합은 이들을 두려워 하였던 것이 아니라 여호와를 두려워하였습니다. 또, 그녀는 “곧 그들을 전멸시킨 일”, 즉, 이 전쟁이 헤렘 전쟁임을 들어 알고 있었습니다.  그래서 그녀는 2:11에 여호와야말로 진정한 하나님이심을 고백하고 있는 것입니다. 그녀는 하나님의 편에 섰습니다. 그리고 하나님을 믿음으로 자신의 목숨과 맞바꾸어 정탐꾼들을 숨겨주는 순종을 하였던 것입니다. 그 순종이 그녀를 진멸의 대상에서 하나님의 백성으로 신분을 바꾸어주었습니다.

Taking the Herem, the thing wholly devoted to God, makes the entire camp liable to become Herem itself. Just like the purity laws in Leviticus, the principle of contagion applies to Herem. Taking what belongs to God's holiness means the entire community becomes infected and set apart for destruction. This is not just a matter of theft; it is a violation of God's holiness.

The Israelites obeyed this command meticulously. Verse 21 states that they "devoted the city to the Lord and destroyed with the sword every living thing," and verse 24 says they "burned the whole city and everything in it." Their obedience continued even after the war was technically over.

The Stunning Contrast of Grace

However, look at the astonishing contrast presented in our passage.

In verse 17, immediately following the command that the city be "devoted to the Lord," there is a major exception: "But give the prostitute Rahab and all who are with her in her house safe passage."

Later, after the execution of the Herem command in verse 21, the narrative goes out of its way (verses 22-23) to highlight the rescue of Rahab and her entire household. Again, in verse 24, after confirming the Herem command was fulfilled by fire, verse 25 immediately stresses that Rahab and her family were spared.

The more the Herem—that which is utterly devoted to destruction—is emphasized, the more the salvation of Rahab and her family stands out. Rahab was a citizen of Jericho; she was the definition of an object of Herem. Yet, she survived.

And she didn’t just survive. Verse 25 says, "She lives among the Israelites to this day." Her status was completely transformed from an object of destruction to a citizen of God’s people.

How was this possible? Verses 17 and 25 explain the reason: "because she hid the men we sent."

Rahab hid them because she knew this was God's war. As we saw in Joshua 2:9-10, Rahab did not fear the spies; she feared the Lord. She had heard of the 'Herem' warfare—that God had completely destroyed the Amorite kings—and she confessed in 2:11 that the Lord was the true God.

She stood on God's side. And by faith in God, she obeyed the Word by trading her life for the spies. That obedience transformed her status from an object of destruction to a daughter of the covenant.

말씀을 맺습니다. 오늘의 말씀은 우리가 어떻게 하나님의 전쟁에 참여 할 수 있는지 보여줍니다. 그것은 순종이었습니다. 하나님의 전쟁이기에 전리품은 모두 하나님의 것입니다. 어쩌면 가장 어려운 순종은 전쟁 그 자체가 아니라 그 영광의 순간에 우리의 본성을 거슬러야하는 순종인지도 모릅니다. 그리고 우리는 이 하나님의 전쟁 가운데서 그 전쟁의 대상이었던 한 여인이 구원되는 것을 보았습니다. 하나님을 두려워하여 하나님 편에 선 그녀의 순종이 그것을 가능하게 했습니다. 하나님께서 여러분에게 말씀하시는 것이 무엇입니까? 여러분은 어떻게 여러분 각자의 상황에서 그 말씀에 순종하시겠습니까? 기도하시겠습니다.

[Conclusion]

Today’s passage shows us how we can participate in God’s war: through obedience. Because it is God's war, the spoils are all God's. Perhaps the hardest obedience is not the battle itself, but the surrender of our human nature's desire for gain in the moment of victory.

And in the midst of this divine war, we saw one woman—who was an object of the war itself—rescued. Her obedience, born out of a genuine fear of God and a resolve to stand on His side, made that salvation possible.

What is God speaking to you today? How will you demonstrate your obedience to His Word in your current situation? Let us pray.