Mercy Amid Judgment

As Israel begins to take the Promised Land, we learn in Joshua 6 that the battle of Jericho is primarily about God bringing judgment against a wicked people. The emphasis on God's presence throughout the chapter and the language of "devoted things" point to this. But we also see intertwined in these verses God's mercy toward those who heed the warnings about the coming judgment and place their faith in God. In the end, we can only understand the mercy of God when we view it in the midst of God's judgment.