Joshua chapter 6 is one of the lessons that seems to be taught in every child’s Sunday school class. Could it be because the message of believing God’s promise is hard for adults? In response to the disciples’ question about who is the greatest in the Kingdom of God, Jesus teaches through children. Matthew 18:4 says, “Whoever humbles himself like a child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven“. The chapter begins with Joshua receiving the battle plan from God Himself. “I have delivered Jericho into your hands… march around the city once with all the armed men… have seven priests carry trumpets in front of the Ark. On the seventh day march around the city seven times… have all the people shout a loud shout, then the walls of the city will collapse and the people will go up, every man straight in.” Notice that General Joshua does not hesitate. He does not reason with God, or bargain with God. Joshua takes action. “So Joshua… called the priests… and he ordered the people, ‘Advance!’” Joshua explains part of God’s plan to the people, “Do not give a war cry, do not raise your voice, do not say a word until the day I tell you to shout. Then Shout!” After the first day, “Then the people returned to the camp and spent the night there“. We get the sense that there is tremendous peace in the camp of the Israelites. In contrast the city of Jericho was “shut up tight… No one went out and no one came in“. Walking in God’s will is always accompanied with His peace.
The chapter continues, “So on the second day they marched around the city once and returned to camp. They did this for six days“. There is no indication that the rest of the Israelites knew when the time for taking the city would come. They were just waiting for Joshua to give the command. “On the seventh day, they got up at day break, and marched around the city seven times. The seventh time around, when the priests sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the people to shout!” “At the sound of the trumpet, when the people gave a shout, the wall collapsed; so every man charged straight in and took the city. They devoted the city to the Lord and destroyed with the sword every living thing in it men and women, young and old, cattle sheep and donkey.” Many today might ask why is God so harsh? Remember God warned the people of the spiritual wickedness practiced by the Canaanites. God is judging their sin and protecting His people from being corrupted. “There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For all who do these things are an abomination to the Lord, and because of these abominations the Lord your God drives them out from before you” (Deut. 18:10-12).
Joshua gave orders to the two men who had been spies, “Go into the prostitute’s house and bring her out and all who belong to her, in accordance with your oath to her“. Then they burned the whole city and everything in it. The chapter also tells us, “Joshua spared Rahab and all who were with her… because she hid the men Joshua sent as spies to Jericho and she lives among the Israelites to this day“. Perhaps you and I are Rahab today. We did not fight the battle; we simply had enough faith to believe the promise of salvation. Are you too sophisticated to believe God’s promise is for you too?