Rebuilding Jericho

Rebuilding Jericho

Q: Who tried to rebuild Jericho at the cost of his sons?

• a. Absalom
• b. Hiel
• c. Malachi

Back in the time of Joshua, the Israelites had faced a big challenge—destroying Jericho (see Joshua 6). God gave Joshua the game plan for demolishing the city. The people would march around Jericho one time each day for six days. On the seventh day the people would march around the city seven times with priests blowing horns. At the sound of a long blast, the people were to shout, and the walls would fall. This happened exactly as God said, and Jericho was destroyed.

Once Jericho was destroyed, Joshua gave a solemn oath: “May the curse of the LORD fall on anyone who tries to rebuild the town of Jericho. At the cost of his firstborn son, he will lay its foundation. At the cost of his youngest son, he will set up its gates” (Joshua 6:26).

Around 500 years passed, but the oath Joshua gave never changed. Up until the time of Ahab, no one even attempted to rebuild Jericho. But then Hiel, a wealthy and well-known man of Bethel, wanted to rebuild Jericho. When Hiel laid Jericho’s foundation, it cost him the life of his oldest son, Abiram. He completed it and set up its gates at the cost of the life of his youngest son, Segub.

This was a great loss for Hiel. Furthermore, it shows how far from God the people were at that time. If they were still following God, they would have never thought to do something that had been considered off limits for so many years.

For You

Disobedience has consequences and obedience has rewards. It’s better to walk God’s way and experience his blessings rather than risk the consequences of disobedience.

Answer: b

It was during [Ahab’s] reign that Hiel, a man from Bethel, rebuilt Jericho. When he laid its foundations, it cost him the life of his oldest son, Abiram. And when he completed it and set up its gates, it cost him the life of his youngest son, Segub. This all happened according to the message from the LORD concerning Jericho spoken by Joshua son of Nun.   1 Kings 16:34

(The Whole Story: 1 Kings 16:34)