Introduction: Israel, by now, had crossed the Jordan River and were staying at Gilgal for the moment. The men of Israel had undergone circumcision, following the Law, and had celebrated their first Passover in the Promised Land.
But Israel was never intended to remain packed in one small area, like Gilgal. The vast majority of the Promised Land was still under enemy control; even so, the LORD had promised Israel victory once they got started and followed His commands. This chapter has the record of Israel’s first victory in the Promised Land.
The prologue: The LORD’s commands to Joshua
Text, Joshua 6:1-5, KJV: 1 Now Jericho was straitly shut up because of the children of Israel: none went out, and none came in. 2 And the LORD said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour. 3 And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days. 4 And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams' horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets. 5 And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him.
It’s important to link the last few verses of chapter 5 with these verses here. The Captain of the Hosts of the Lord had appeared to Joshua, and Joshua had worshiped Him just like Moses did when he saw the burning bush (Exodus 3). Now, the Captain is described as the LORD Himself and He giving Joshua the strategy to defeat Jericho, the first city Israel dealt with in Canaan.
And speaking of the strategy, none of it would make sense to any military commander. During Bible times, the strategy of conquest was either siege warfare, camping outside an enemy city and just staying there until the people inside the city either starved or surrendered; or, use any physical means necessary to enter a city and destroy as much as possible.
Later, as was the case with Nineveh and Babylon, rivers were either diverted or reached such a flood stage that the water ruined the walls. Nahum’s book gives a glimpse of what happened to Nineveh, and Adam Clarke cites Xenophon and Herodotus (Greek historians) regarding the last moments of Babylon (https://bibleportal.com/commentary/chapter/adam-clarke/daniel/5) as does Albert Barnes (https://bibleportal.com/commentary/section/albert-barnes-notes-on-the-whole-bible/27134) in his Notes, especially the introduction to chapter 5. Benson’s commentary on Daniel 5:30 adds more light (https://biblehub.com/commentaries/benson/daniel/5.htm)
But Joshua was not to use any conventional or even logical, to man’s understanding, when time came to conquer Jericho. The LORD made it simple to understand and even more simple to follow: walk around the city one time for six days, then on Day 7 walk around the city seven times, have the priests make a long blast on the rams’ horn trumpets, then have the people shout with a loud voice. The walls will fall down and Jericho will be conquered.
It’s not mentioned here, but my opinion is that the Captain, the LORD, left Joshua’s presence soon after giving these instructions. The time for strategy and planning was over.
It was time to get moving.
1 The six-day strategy.
Text, Joshua 6:6-14, KJV: 6 And Joshua the son of Nun called the priests, and said unto them, Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the LORD. 7 And he said unto the people, Pass on, and compass the city, and let him that is armed pass on before the ark of the LORD. 8 And it came to pass, when Joshua had spoken unto the people, that the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams' horns passed on before the LORD, and blew with the trumpets: and the ark of the covenant of the LORD followed them. 9 And the armed men went before the priests that blew with the trumpets, and the rereward came after the ark, the priests going on, and blowing with the trumpets. 10 And Joshua had commanded the people, saying, Ye shall not shout, nor make any noise with your voice, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I bid you shout; then shall ye shout. 11 So the ark of the LORD compassed the city, going about it once: and they came into the camp, and lodged in the camp.
12 And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the LORD. 13 And seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the LORD went on continually, and blew with the trumpets: and the armed men went before them; but the rereward came after the ark of the LORD, the priests going on, and blowing with the trumpets. 14 And the second day they compassed the city once, and returned into the camp: so they did six days.
Again, we’re not told just when Joshua did this but according to the text, he told the priests what they were supposed to do. They were to take up the ark-and I can’t help but wonder if the same priests who carried the Ark across Jordan volunteered to do the same for Jericho! Then, seven other priests were to take seven trumpets made from rams’ horns. It would be impossible for any priest to hold on to the Ark and try to blow a trumpet at the same time!
Following these words to the priests, Joshua gave word to the people. They were to “compass” or walk all the way around the city in front of the priests, who were blowing the trumpets. By “the people”, it’s not sure if Joshua meant only the men of war (600,000 plus) or the entire nation (nearly two million people) or somewhere in-between. The important thing was to follow God’s instructions completely.
And part of those instructions were to KEEP SILENT. Now, can you imagine any group of people, of any size, able to keep absolutely silent? No clearing the throat, no, “Oops, sorry about that”, no “get outta my way!”—no, no sounds at all, except for the trumpets. Taking a guess that Jericho was, say, one square mile around (I haven’t found an estimate of old Jericho’s dimensions), the Israelites would be walking close to ten miles (allowing for a mile or two to get to Jericho, the 4-mile lap around the city, and the return to camp). There aren’t that many, then or now, who could keep still for that entire adventure, and yet there is no record any of the Israelites ever broke that silence.
Day 1 came and there were the people of Israel, marching once around the city, saying nothing while the priests blew the trumpets. The Ark of the Covenant was probably near the rear of the group, but it was there, just as the LORD had commanded. They did the same thing on Day 2 and every day including Day 6, again, just as the LORD had commanded.
Israel returned to the campsite and the people of Jericho did whatever they did. I’m absolutely baffled, though, because even as Rahab herself had admitted, the people of Jericho were deathly afraid of Israel (“our hearts did melt”, Josh. 2:11), there didn’t seem to be any movement towards faith or belief in the God of Israel. Were the Jerichoans still trusting in the priests, idols, or whatever for deliverance? They were going to be very disappointed, the very next day.
That was because Day 7 was about to dawn, and the “Seventh-Day Strategy” was about to be on display in Jericho beginning that day.
2 The seventh-day strategy
Text, Joshua 6:15-21. KJV: 15 And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they rose early about the dawning of the day, and compassed the city after the same manner seven times: only on that day they compassed the city seven times. 16 And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said unto the people, Shout; for the LORD hath given you the city. 17 And the city shall be accursed, even it, and all that are therein, to the LORD: only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent. 18 And ye, in any wise keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed, when ye take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it. 19 But all the silver, and gold, and vessels of brass and iron, are consecrated unto the LORD: they shall come into the treasury of the LORD. 20 So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city. 21 And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword.
Morning, day 7, and about sunrise the army of Israel moved on to Jericho. As they had done on days 1 through 6, they marched once around the city. But now, they followed the “Seventh-Day Strategy”, which had four parts to it: march, shout, conquer, collect. Once they had walked around the city the first time, to what could be the surprise of Jericho’s citizens, the Israelites walked around the city the second time.
And the third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh times. All the while, none of the Israelites had made any noises except for the priests who had been blowing on the trumpets.
Now Joshua gives the next set of instructions. He commanded the people, “Shout!” The LORD had already given them the city and except for Rahab and the people in her house, everything was to be destroyed, not counting the articles of various metals which were to be deposited in the LORD’s treasury. The people did exactly that, shouting while the priests blew the trumpets, and sure enough, as a number of Gospel songs record, “the walls came tumbling down!”
Then once the walls came down, Israel came up and completely destroyed everything in the city except Rahab and those who took refuge in her house. The LORD had commanded, the LORD had provided, and the LORD had completed all He said He would do. Jericho was gone and now the way for Israel’s next victories was clear. And it was all due to obedience.
3 The promise to Rahab and her family fulfilled
Text, Joshua 6:22-25, KJV: 22 But Joshua had said unto the two men that had spied out the country, Go into the harlot's house, and bring out thence the woman, and all that she hath, as ye sware unto her. 23 And the young men that were spies went in, and brought out R ahab, and her father, and her mother, and her brethren, and all that she had; and they brought out all her kindred, and left them without the camp of Israel. 24 And they burnt the city with fire, and all that was therein: only the silver, and the gold, and the vessels of brass and of iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the LORD. 25 And Joshua saved Rahab the harlot alive, and her father's household, and all that she had; and she dwelleth in Israel even unto this day; because she hid the messengers, which Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.
Rahab had believed and obeyed, and now she was going to receive the reward she had been promised. Apparently her house was still standing, or maybe it was on the ground floor, as it were, but she and at least some of her relatives still there. The spies, keeping their word, took Rahab and the others “without the camp of Israel”. They didn’t stay there forever, though, because Rahab married Salmon of the tribe of Judah (Ruth 4:21, Matthew 1:5). Nothing is mentioned of the others, though, so we commit them to God.
As a wrap up, the soldiers not only saw the walls fall down, they burned the city with fire. Some of the Israelites brought in the articles of brass (bronze), silver, gold, and iron into the LORD’s treasury. The conquest of Jericho was complete, and Israel was ready to advance and claim the rest of the Promised Land!
The epilogue: A curse on anyone who rebuilt Jericho
Text, Joshua 6:26-27, KJV: 26 And Joshua adjured them at that time, saying, Cursed be the man before the LORD, that riseth up and buildeth this city Jericho: he shall lay the foundation thereof in his firstborn, and in his youngest son shall he set up the gates of it. 27 So the LORD was with Joshua; and his fame was noised throughout all the country.
Very briefly, Joshua placed a curse on anyone who would rebuild Jericho. Sure enough, many years later in the days of Ahab, Hiel of Bethel rebuilt it. He lost his oldest and youngest sons as a result of this curse (1 Kings 16:34).
This chapter begins with Joshua receiving instructions from the LORD, a strategy that on the face of it doesn’t make sense. There was to be no frontal attack, nor endless streams of arrows fired by archers, or even siege warfare (camping outside the city and waiting until the enemy either starved out or surrendered). No, this strategy was to just walk around the city once each day for six straight days, with the only noise being that of the trumpets.
Then on the seventh day, they were to walk around seven times, with the priests still blowing the trumpets and shout with a loud voice! The LORD answered, the walls fell down flat, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Except. . .
There was one Israelite who did not obey these instructions. As a result, Israel was going to suffer for that person’s sin. Victory today does not guarantee victory tomorrow, when sin enters the picture.
What a warning for believers, then and now.
Scripture quotations taken from the King James Version of the Bible (KJV)
