The Walls of Jericho

After forty years of wilderness wandering, the Israelites stood poised to enter the Promised Land under Joshua's leadership. But between them and their inheritance stood Jericho, a fortified city with massive walls designed to be impregnable. The city was tightly shut up because of the Israelites—no one went out and no one came in. The challenge seemed impossible by human standards, but the Lord had a plan that would require faith over military might.

The Lord said to Joshua, 'See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men.' Notice the past tense—God had already delivered the city; Joshua just needed to walk in obedience to see the victory manifest. God's instructions were unusual: the Israelite army was to march around the city once a day for six days, with seven priests carrying trumpets of rams' horns ahead of the ark of the covenant. On the seventh day, they were to march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets.

God commanded absolute silence during the marches: 'Do not give a war cry, do not raise your voices, do not say a word until the day I tell you to shout. Then shout!' Joshua conveyed these instructions to the people, and they obeyed exactly as commanded. Early the next morning, Joshua led the army, the priests with trumpets, and the ark of the covenant in a silent procession around Jericho's walls. The only sound was the blast of the trumpets. After completing the circuit, they returned to camp. They did the same thing for six days.

Imagine the scene: the defenders of Jericho watching from the walls as Israel's army marched silently around their city day after day. They must have been bewildered, perhaps mocking what appeared to be a pointless ritual. Meanwhile, the Israelites had to exercise faith, following what seemed like an absurd military strategy—walking instead of attacking, remaining silent instead of shouting war cries, trusting in priests and the ark rather than weapons and siege equipment.

On the seventh day, they rose at daybreak and marched around the city seven times, following the same procedure. The seventh time around, when the priests sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the army, 'Shout! For the Lord has given you the city!' As the trumpets sounded a long blast and the people gave a loud shout, the massive walls of Jericho collapsed. The walls fell down flat, enabling the army to charge straight in from every side and take the city.

The Israelites devoted the city to the Lord as the firstfruits of the Promised Land. Everything in it was to be destroyed except for Rahab the prostitute and her family, who had hidden the Israelite spies and whose scarlet cord marked her house. They spared her household, bringing them to safety outside the camp. The silver, gold, and articles of bronze and iron were put into the Lord's treasury. Then they burned the city and everything in it. Joshua pronounced a curse on anyone who would rebuild Jericho.

The fall of Jericho became famous throughout the land, and the Lord was with Joshua, establishing his leadership. This victory taught Israel crucial lessons that would serve them throughout their conquest: God fights for His people, obedience to His commands—even when they seem foolish—brings victory, and God's methods may defy human logic but they accomplish His purposes. The story reminds believers that we fight spiritual battles not with earthly weapons but through faith, obedience, and reliance on God's power.