Unusual Plan Of Attack

Unusual Plan of Attack

Q: How many times total did the Israelites walk around the city of Jericho?

• a. 6
• b. 13
• c. 20

The tall, strong walls of the city of Jericho loomed in front of the Israelites. The gates were tightly shut. Jericho was prepared for an attack, but not for what God had planned.

God told Joshua the people would walk around Jericho one time each day for six days. On the seventh day, they’d march around it seven times. The priests would blow their horns, and when Joshua gave the command, everyone would shout.

Joshua was a military leader, but this was not a strategy he’d used before. Nor would it work apart from God’s power. Joshua didn’t question God’s plan, he just put it into action. The people in Jericho must have wondered what was going on. They were prepared for a battle, yet their enemy just walked around the walls each day.

That changed on the seventh day. The people marched around Jericho in silence until the horns blew. Then they shouted, and the walls fell down. Did the walls fall because of a defect? No. Did they fall because of vibrations from the horns? No. Did the Israelites destroy the walls? No. Hebrews 11:30 says, “It was by faith that the people of Israel marched around Jericho for seven days, and the walls came crashing down.”

God saw the Israelites’ faith, and he alone sent the walls crashing down. The Israelites took the city, sparing only Rahab and the family members in her house. They were given a home near the Israelite camp.

For You

Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” That’s what Joshua did, and it led to success. The same is still true for you today.

Answer: b

[The Lord said to Joshua,] “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.”   Joshua 6:3-4

(The Whole Story: Joshua 6)