Joshua 6:1-27


The Lord had a very strange means of delivering the city of Jericho into the hands of Joshua and the rest of the nation.  No man would ever consider this as a military strategy, but God wanted to show the people that He would be faithful to fight for them and that they could simply trust and obey Him.  There are many times in life where we are tempted to depend on our own experience or our own wisdom to order our lives.  God wants us to trust Him and His Word no matter how difficult or strange it may seem.  God wants His children to stand out in this society and to live for His glory no matter how illogical His commands may seem in our particular circumstance.  This task that God gave to the children of Israel called for two key characteristics that God wants to see in each of our lives.

TRUST: The strategy of walking around the wall once a day for six days in silence and then walk around the wall seven times on the seventh day makes no military sense whatsoever.  However, it was an opportunity for the nation to show that it trusted the Lord and that His commands, given through Joshua, were not to be questioned or criticized but simply followed.  The standards that God has set for His children often look foolish to the natural man who does not know God.  During these times we must learn to trust God and His Word even if we are criticized by the world around us.  Just as the walls of Jericho came down because the people trusted God; so the walls of sin that surround our lives will fall down as we trust in the work of Christ to save us from sin.

OBEY: Once the walls came down, there were several standards that God had set up for the children of Israel to follow.  First they were to spare the live of Rahab and her family that was with her in her house.  God wants us to keep our word and He is faithful to keep His promises.  Second, the entire population, both people and animals were to be killed, with the exception of Rahab.  Finally, any of the precious objects of gold, silver or bronze were to be gathered and brought into the treasurer of the Lord.  The men did not have to fight a battle; no lives were lost, so the spoils of war were to all belong to the Lord.  The Lord expects His children to obey Him and follow His instructions.  It is impossible to demonstrate that we truly trust God apart from our willingness to obey Him.

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