JOSHUA AND THE WALLS OF JERICHO

 The account of the walls of Jericho falling down is one of the human improbability and God's ability. It is not just a story in the bible but a demonstration of the power of God to roll away every obstacle in order to make a way for his people where it seems there's no way. This account is recorded in Joshua 6.

After the death of Moses, God chose Joshua the son of Nun to be the leader of the people of Israel. Joshua was a faithful and trustworthy servant of Moses for more than 40 years and followed God's commands. As Israel continued their journey to the promised land and were approaching Jericho, Joshua sent two men to go spy the city. The spies sneaked into the walled city of Jericho and stayed at the house of Rahab, a prostitute.

Some men of Jericho who saw when the spies entered the city went and told the king that some men of Israel had entered the city and had gone to the house of Rahab. The king of Jericho sent unto Rahab, asking her to bring out the spies but Rahab hid them in the roof of her house and told the king that two men of Israel actually came to her house but they had left and were no longer in her house.

When the King's soldiers left, Rahab let the two spies out of her house from her window using a rope but before doing this, she made a request from them. She said to them "I know that the LORD hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us...I pray you, swear unto me by the LORD, since I have shewed you kindness, that ye will also shew kindness unto my father's house, and give me a true token.  And that ye will save alive my father, and my mother, and my brethren, and my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death."[ Jo 2:9, 12 &13]

The spies vowed to spare Rahab and her family when the battle of Jericho began and instructed her to tie a scarlett cord in her window as a sign of their protection. 

The people of Israel continued to advance to Canaan. When they got to River Jordan, God commanded Joshua to have the priests carry the Ark of Covenant into the center of the Jordan river. As soon as they stepped into the river, the water stopped flowing. It piled up in heaps, upstream and downstream so the people could cross on dry ground. God performed a miracle for Joshua just as He had done for Moses by parting the Red Sea.

When they got to Jericho, the city was tightly shut because of the children of Israel, no one went out and no one came in. Jericho was a city-state that lay in the eastern provinces of the promised land but it had to go because it was fully given over to paganism. The name Jericho means "moon city" and it naturally related to a pagan god. 

God then told Joshua to have the armed men march round the city once each day for six days. The priests were to carry the ark, blowing trumpets, but the soldiers were to keep silent. God said to him "I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour, and ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days."[Jo 6:2-3].

Then Israel encircled the city and isolated it from any possible escape prior to their marching around it. The children of Israel marched round the city once everyday for six days. On the seventh day, they marched around the walls of Jericho seven times. Joshua told them that by Gods order, every living thing in the city must be destroyed except Rahab and her family, all articles of silver, gold, bronze and iron were to go into the lord's treasury.

At Joshua's command, the men gave a great shout and Jericho's wall fell down flat. The Isrealites army rushed in and conquered the city, only Rahab and her family were spared. And they totally destroyed all that were in the city, both man and woman, young and old and animals with the edge of the sword. And they burnt the city and everything in it with fire, only the silver, and the gold were reserved and kept in the lord's treasury as God instructed Joshua.

Joshua may have been the leader of the nation but its true leader was God. Even at very difficult circumstance, God always honoured his promise to lead Israel to the promised land.  

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