Shatter the Jericho STone Wall in you.

(Picture 1: Overview of Joshua's attack route into the Canaan lands.)

(Picture 2: Pictorial Impression of Joshua 6:1-7)

(Picture 3: Present day picture of Jericho from Google Earth)

(Picture 4: A portion of the Jericho foundation stone wall excavated in the 1950s)

Joshua 6:1-27 offers some very good insights into Abba's mysterious ways to victory. These insights i hope will encourage and motivate you.

We first trace the events to the book of Exodus 3, where Abba spoke to Moses and commanded him to lead his people out of the Egypt(Exodus 3:7). Then Abba declared repeatedly for 2 times (Exodus 3:8) & (Exodus 3:17). that the people will be freed from the Egyptians and they will be brought to a land that is good and spacious, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. You must appreciate that Abba does not have to repeat his words twice, because his words are final and guaranteed. Yet He did so to reassure the Isreali people that this piece of good land aka victory is assured to them. See also (Genesis 12:6-7) and (1 Chronicles 16:14-18). In fact, Abba also gave further instructions regarding how the capture of the Land of Canaan will be done. (See Numbers 33:51-55).

Now, we move on to Joshua 6. In Joshua 6:1-7 Abba told Joshua what to do to take down Jericho. Why capture Jericho 1st? You see based from Joshua's camp at Gilgal near the Jordan River the Israelites could see steep hills to the west.(See 1st picture). [1] Jericho controlled the entry into these mountains, and Ai, another fortress, stood at the head of the ascent. The Israelites must certainly take Jericho and Ai. This would put them on top of the hill country and in control of the central ridge, having driven a wedge between the northern and southern lands of Canaan. Israel could then engage the armies of the south in battle followed by the more remote enemy in the north.

The strategy stated in Joshua 6:1-7 is one which no human military advisor would ever dare to suggest; not to say even adhere to it submissively. You take down a city with battering rams, catapults and ladders, not with the blowing of some trumpets. You see men are prone to believe in a plan that introduces works and striving into the equation rather than faith alone in Christ alone. The truth is simple: Put your trust in Christ.

(I am not advocating that you simply lie in bed and subsequently the good grades, promotions and money will drop from the sky. By all means, study diligently, be responsible at work & earn a decent living. Abba wants you to work you know?. He wants you to earn your living in the fields so that you may then build a house and start your family. See Proverbs 26:27. "Works" refer to the gesture of compelling yourself to say pray like e.g. 5-10 times per day, fast your meal prior to asking Abba for a huge prayer, or restrict yourself to only pray when you are kneeling. BUT you will fall into a huge panic attack when you fail to pray up to the specified number times per day, you fail to fast a meal or you fail to get a chance to kneel for the day to pray. You will then fear if your blessings have been revoked by Abba. This is a life of "WoRks" that Abba says NO to you)

The number 7 is used prominently in this chapter for eleven times!!![2]. 7 priests, with 7 trumpets were to march around the city 7 days with 7 trips around the city on the 7th day. 7 signifies perfection or completion which reminds us that God’s plan, no matter how foolish it may seem to us, is always perfect and cannot be improved upon by man (first cf. 1 Cor. 1:18f and then Rom. 12:2; 11:33-36).

In Joshua 6:10, Joshua stressed that during the march around Jericho, the Israelis who followed behind must be utterly silent. Imagine several hundred thousand people marching around the city in silence. There were the priests with their trumpets, those with the ark, the armed men and then the rest of the people. This may have included the women and children as well. This silence must be difficult to maintain!. [3]This silence (see also Exodus 14:14, Psalm 46:10-11) portrays the need to be quiet, to stop our running around that we may rest quietly in Him as we think on Him in the midst of our trials and conquests in life. Our tendency is to complain or seek comfort from our friends more than we talk to God and seek our comfort from Him.

If you read Joshua 6:1-27 carefully, [4]Joshua did not reveal Abba's entire plan to the people at first. Joshua merely gave daily instructions. The people submitted to Joshua. They would march silently around the city daily and yet the walls were still standing and Jericho had not surrendered. Yet, they did not murmur or complain or question Joshua’s instructions. They simply complied until the seventh day. At the command of Joshua on the seventh day they gave a great shout and the walls came tumbling down by the mighty hand of God.

Is it not significant that Hebrews 11:30, which says, “by faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they had been circled seven days,”. Abba often works slowly. [5]We want immediate deliverance, but the Lord often tests our faith and in the process builds our character and our relationship with Him so we find Abba to be what we really need.

Source:

[1] J. Hampton Keathley, III , Th.M, "Destroying Fortresses; Victory at Jericho", bible.org http://www.bible.org/page.php?page_id=298

[2] ibid

[3] ibid

[4] ibid

[5] ibid

Dr. J. Hampton Keathleya is 1966 graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary and a former pastor of 28 years. In August of 2001 he was diagnosed with lung cancer and on August 29th, 2002 he went home to be with the Lord. Hampton wrote many articles for the Biblical Studies Foundation and on occasion taught New Testament Greek at Moody Bible Institute, Northwest Extension for External Studies in Spokane, Washington.