Creator, Father, King #100

The seventh time around, as the priests sounded the long blast on their horns, Joshua commanded the people, “Shout! For the LORD has given you the town!”

THE PEOPLE OF JERICHO were shaking in their tunics and sandals!

Word had spread quickly throughout Canaan about Joshua and Israel. Jericho’s residents knew all about God’s miraculous acts and powerful victories as he led his chosen people from Egypt to Canaan’s doorstep.

Now, Israel had its sights set on Jericho. So the city was sealed up airtight. Nobody in. Nobody out.

Then the Lord told his people to do something strange:

I have given you Jericho, its king, and all its strong warriors. You and your fighting men should march around the town once a day for six days. Seven priests will walk ahead of the Ark, each carrying a ram’s horn. On the seventh day you are to march around the town seven times, with the priests blowing the horns. When you hear the priests give one long blast on the rams’ horns, have all the people shout as loud as they can. Then the walls of the town will collapse, and the people can charge straight into the town.

Has there ever been such an unusual command given in the history of warfare?

What’s It Mean?

As the story of Jericho in Joshua 6 unfolds, God’s intentions become very clear: he wanted to test Israel’s faith and show his people that their victory was completely by his power (“I have given you Jericho,” Joshua 6:2, emphasis added), not their military strength.

There must have been times during that weeklong march where Israel’s soldiers felt pretty ridiculous. After all, who defeats a well-fortified city by quietly circling it, then shouting? Nobody does—except God. On the seventh day, Israel achieved a remarkable victory through faith and obedience.

How big is your faith in God? Do you believe he can do the impossible? Do you believe he created the universe, flooded the earth, and plagued one nation to begin another? Do you believe he can part the seas, thunder from on high, and topple city walls?

Yes, the Lord God Almighty can do all these things—and much more. Let any disbelief crumble away like Jericho’s walls and trust in him!

Now What?

Read the story of Jericho in Joshua 6.

Did You Know?

Archaeologists have discovered that ancient biblical Jericho was surrounded by two walls, and that the inner wall was 4 meters (13 feet) thick at certain points.