Read Joshua 6
1 Now the gates of Jericho were securely barred because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in.
2 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men.3 March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. 4 Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. 5 When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have the whole army give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the army will go up, everyone straight in.”
6 So Joshua son of Nun called the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant of the Lord and have seven priests carry trumpets in front of it.” 7 And he ordered the army, “Advance! March around the city, with an armed guard going ahead of the ark of the Lord.”
8 When Joshua had spoken to the people, the seven priests carrying the seven trumpets before the Lord went forward, blowing their trumpets, and the ark of the Lord’s covenant followed them. 9 The armed guard marched ahead of the priests who blew the trumpets, and the rear guard followed the ark. All this time the trumpets were sounding. 10 But Joshua had commanded the army, “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!” 11 So he had the ark of the Lord carried around the city, circling it once. Then the army returned to camp and spent the night there.
12 Joshua got up early the next morning and the priests took up the ark of the Lord. 13 The seven priests carrying the seven trumpets went forward, marching before the ark of the Lord and blowing the trumpets. The armed men went ahead of them and the rear guard followed the ark of the Lord, while the trumpets kept sounding. 14 So on the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. They did this for six days.
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.”
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.
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.
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.
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.
Go Deeper
This battle plan just didn’t make sense. Joshua didn’t try to find the weakest spot in the wall. The army didn’t try a sneak attack during the night. Instead, the plan from God was that the Israelites would overtake the city by marching around it and shouting? Why even bother with that plan? Not only would it certainly not work, but it would be an embarrassment to the people of God. They would walk around the city with the people of Jericho mocking them with every step they took. This plan is simply ridiculous! It would crush their morale and destroy their trust in their God if it didn’t work. But Joshua didn’t think twice. As soon as he heard from the Lord, he put the plan into action. Even though it didn’t make sense. Even though he probably had a better battle plan. Joshua was faithful anyway.
God hasn’t changed from the times He was leading Joshua and the Israelite army. He’s still giving out orders that don’t seem to make sense to us. He asks us to give more than we want to, pray about things that don’t seem possible, and keep ourselves from pleasures that seemingly would make our lives better. Do we really have to trust God when the plans don’t make sense? But if we only follow God when we understand, we aren’t following Him we’re following our own thoughts. It’s only when we choose to follow Jesus when we don’t understand (or flat out don’t want to!) that we are truly living by faith.
As followers of God we act in ways that we wouldn’t on our own. There’s a temptation in us to follow conventional wisdom and the ways of the world. We want to take the next logical step. But sometimes we’re asked to step out in faith in a way that doesn’t quite make logical sense. When we step out in faith, we can follow the plans of God because we trust in the results. We know that if He asks us to march in order to win the battle, we need to march! And when we live into the ways of God, we get to see Him provide in ways that we wouldn’t otherwise. Because when we live by faith, it grows our trust in Him, and He gets all the glory.
Questions
- What most stuck out to you about this passage?
- What keeps you from living by faith?
- What are some commands from God that you need to start following?
Keep Digging
The battle of Jericho is one of many exciting stories in the book of Joshua. For a digital guide with an in-depth summary, some FAQs, and extra resources, check out this guide from The Bible Project!
7 responses to “Joshua 6”
We are at war.
We think, no as a Christ follower I am a peaceful, proper, person. But that is not what God had/has in mind. Our warfare is not against flesh and blood but against enemies in the spiritual realm. We fight from victory, not just for victory. If God is for us, who can be against us? Rom 8:31.
We have become so lackadaisical. In fact the church is so much like the world that the world takes very little notice of us or what we do. We imiitate the world’s methods, we solicit the world’s approval, we measure our success from the world’s standards. The world gives the “christians” very little respect. We are not doing the will of God well.
Jerico is in the “hall of faith” in Hebrews. Overcoming the enemy is what is in common with this group. W. Weirsbe says, “the fall of Jerico is an encouragement to God’s people to trust the Lord’s promises and obey His instructions, no matter how impossible the situation may appear to be. The only way to grow in faith is to accept new challenges and trust God to give you victory.”
God I thank You for the victory. You have given me an instruction book. God thank You that I am able to not look to the unbelievable but to the victory that You have already won. God thank You for today and these minutes of this day. God whatsoever comes. let me trust You with that. Help me to not look to the world for answers but to turn to You. God thank You for talking, discussing all things with You every day. God thank You now, for victory, for being an overcomer, to be an odd person. God I am so thankful, blessed and grateful for all the past miracles and the upcoming ones as well. God give me eyes to see, ears to hear to hear and obey. God and words that I speak glorify and edify You today in these minutes in Jesus name amen.
WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Woo Hoo!
20 “. . . the wall collapsed“
Wow! What sight that must have been! It is amazing to see the fulfillment of God’s promises to us!
There are “walled Jericho” foes we are sure to encounter. It may be aging bodies, a health diagnosis, fractured relationships, financial concerns—at the very center of each hardship we must determine that God is still good and he will provide. What he has said he will do. I’m reminded of what the people declared as Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey of Holy Week, “Hosanna” God save us. He is our Savior, we are in need of saving. The lyrics of this song by Matthew West encouraged my heart this morning:
https://youtu.be/bpbZqMJ-B44?si=YCt-SB1b8Yp_EKjG
Gosh Ella, I feel the “walled Jericho” was the playbook I’ve lived these last couple of weeks. God has delivered me in victory from the battles I’ve encountered. Hallelujah! Praise God!
Although I claim victory in the battles, I’ve faced in the above comment to Ella, I must add that in the ultimate battle, in what ultimately matters, God has said this: our battle with sin, evil, injustices and all the things of this fallen world, we are guaranteed victory in and through Him, Jesus Christ. During Holy Week, I reflect on the love of God sending His Son to us, for us and I praise Him for His sacrifice and promises and victory over sin and death. Come Lord, Jesus.
God has burned me so many times in the past. It’s been embarrassing. Why trust him now?