I’ve saved the best for last.
At the end of Joshua 6, we see a slightly odd paragraph:
Joshua laid an oath on them at that time, saying, “Cursed before the Lord be the man who rises up and rebuilds this city, Jericho. “At the cost of his firstborn shall he lay its foundation, and at the cost of his youngest son shall he set up its gates.”
It’s probably easier just to skip to the end of the chapter, but this section is central to what Day Seven is about. Because while the story of Joshua/Jericho and our story with Greenville are similar, there are vital differences. The main one being that we are not at war with Greenville. We are at war for Greenville. We do not want Greenville to be destroyed…just its idols. We do not want Greenville to be led into slavery…but led to Christ. God does not command us to destroy the livestock and people (Jos 6:21), but rather to pray for it’s welfare (Jer. 29:7). At the end of Joshua we see a prophesy that is eventually fulfilled in 1 Kings 16:34:
In King Ahab’s days Hiel of Bethel built Jericho. He laid its foundation at the cost of Abiram his firstborn, and set up its gates at the cost of his youngest son Segub, according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke by Joshua the son of Nun.
That was the deal: in order to rebuild Jericho, it would take the death of a firstborn son and the youngest son. While God did not want Jericho rebuilt, He does want our cities redeemed and worshiping Him. But the same rule still applies: in order for sin to be dealt with in our city, in order for idols to be cast aside, in order for the wrath of God not to remain on Greenville, it takes the death of the Firstborn. Our city will not be rebuilt without Jesus, and it would be useless to even try if it were not for the atoning death of Jesus the Christ. What point would there be in serving the homeless, seeking the lost, serving Third Street School, or working with Uptown Greenville if Jesus did not love this city?
Without the death of the Firstborn, our labors are useless.
The ultimate bottom-line of what I’m saying is this: if we do not keep the Gospel at the center of Day Seven, then we labor in vain. If we move on to shofars, music, prayer, and/or dancing, we’ve missed it. If the Cross is replaced by banners, we’ve missed it. If we leave the Atonement for fellowship, we’ve missed it.
Let us not think for a second that our event will accomplish anything without the cost of the Firstborn.