Joshua and the Wall

Now Jericho was shut up inside and outside because of the people of Israel. None went out, and none came in. And the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and mighty men of valor. You shall march around the city, all the men of war going around the city once. Thus shall you do for six days. Seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark. On the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. And when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, when you hear the sound of the trumpet, then all the people shall shout with a great shout, and the wall of the city will fall down flat, and the people shall go up, everyone straight before him.”

Jericho

So how big was Jericho

Population 1,200 people

Jericho was on an incline, and on top was a stone retaining wall that stood 12 to 15 feet high

On top of that wall was another wall made of mud bricks, 6 ft thick and 20-26 feet high.

With both walls you are looking at 32 to 41 feet high.

Then you had an embankment

With all three of these, the walls seemed to stand nearly 10 stories in height from ground level.

ok we all have this envisioned right. Large wall and the people of Jericho are probably saying these Israelites can do nothing to us.

We all know about the Achilles Heel right lol. I mean even David found on spot on Goliath even with all the armor to take him down with the Lord’s help.

Now Pahrump is bigger than Jericho and if God tells me to march around this city, I can tell you right now I am getting my steps in daily.

Now Jericho with the walls and the city totaled about 9-10 acres of land so this seems easy right.

God tells Joshua to do all this right

So Joshua passes this informattion off

Joshua 6:6–7 ESV

So Joshua the son of Nun called the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the Lord.” And he said to the people, “Go forward. March around the city and let the armed men pass on before the ark of the Lord.”

Joshua 6:8–14 ESV

And just as Joshua had commanded the people, the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the Lord went forward, blowing the trumpets, with the ark of the covenant of the Lord following them. The armed men were walking before the priests who were blowing the trumpets, and the rear guard was walking after the ark, while the trumpets blew continually. But Joshua commanded the people, “You shall not shout or make your voice heard, neither shall any word go out of your mouth, until the day I tell you to shout. Then you shall shout.” So he caused the ark of the Lord to circle the city, going about it once. And they came into the camp and spent the night in the camp. Then Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the Lord. And the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the Lord walked on, and they blew the trumpets continually. And the armed men were walking before them, and the rear guard was walking after the ark of the Lord, while the trumpets blew continually. And the second day they marched around the city once, and returned into the camp. So they did for six days.

Wake, March, Sleep

So they do this for 6 days, and they are blowing the trumpets of rams horns, and walking with the ark of the Lord. They get up they walk around they go back and they sleep.

Marched around the city once each day.

This wasn’t a 9-5 job here. This was what the Lord has commanded them to do.

Joshua 6:15–19 ESV

On the seventh day they rose early, at the dawn of day, and marched around the city in the same manner seven times. It was only on that day that they marched around the city seven times. And at the seventh time, when the priests had blown the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, “Shout, for the Lord has given you the city. And the city and all that is within it shall be devoted to the Lord for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall live, because she hid the messengers whom we sent. But you, keep yourselves from the things devoted to destruction, lest when you have devoted them you take any of the devoted things and make the camp of Israel a thing for destruction and bring trouble upon it. But all silver and gold, and every vessel of bronze and iron, are holy to the Lord; they shall go into the treasury of the Lord.”

They are marching around these walls, they getting their steps in. Now they have not been yelling just the ram’s horns blowing is all you hear. Then all of Sudden Joshua comes out and says Shout. The walls are going to fall. but if you touch any of these things that are devoted to destruction and bring them back to camp, the Camp of Israel will be a thing of destructions and you will bring trouble to it.

How many people remember the Disney movie Aladdin.

The Cave of Wonders

He says don’t touch any of the other treasure only the lamp right.

Ok let’s put this to here. God says don’t worry about the worldly things only do what I say.

Joshua 6:20 ESV

So the people shouted, and the trumpets were blown. As soon as the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they captured the city.

They yelled when they head the trumpet. and the first wall is gone, just crumbled. They didnt have a bulldozer, they didnt have explosives to blow it up.

They listened

Something we forget to do. We need to listen

So they devoted the city to Destruction

Joshua 6:24 ESV

And they burned the city with fire, and everything in it. Only the silver and gold, and the vessels of bronze and of iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the Lord.

Now there is proof of this. Archaeologists have stated that Jericho was destroyed by an earthquake and stated that there was charred wood found at the site to suggest the remains of the city were burned.

This right proves that Our God is a mighty God. This proves that what we read in the Bible is truth.

If we are reading this in the Old Testament, long, long, long, long time ago and people are seeing the remains of this, why is it so hard to talk about the Bible and tell the truth that is in it.

He is coming back soon.

We need to rise up and get prepared. The end is coming.

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