Jericho Comes Down

Joshua 6:15-21
15 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. 16 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. 17 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. 18 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. 19 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.” 20 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. 21 Then they devoted all in the city to destruction, both men and women, young and old, oxen, sheep, and donkeys, with the edge of the sword.

After six days and six circuits around Jericho is silence, the people take their final journey around the city walls. On Joshua’s command, they break their silence and give out a might shout and the walls of Jericho fall straight down to the ground. Then they stream into Jericho and take the city that God has given to them. Along with the command to shout at the appointed time, Joshua also tells them that they are to take no booty, but instead to destroy everything; everything except the gold, silver, and bronze items are to be destroyed. Those precious metals are to be set aside for God. That destruction includes the people and animals – with the exception of Rahab and her family.

Our western sensibilities may be offended by these actions. But we need to keep in mind this was God’s plan and His wisdom and ways cannot be called into question, for His will is always just. He knows things we do not.

Jericho, which probably means “moon city,” may have been an ancient center of moon worship. We know that detestable Canaanite practices included such things as incest, cultic prostitution, homosexuality, and child sacrifice. Remains of children have been found in funerary jars at the foundations of temples and other buildings. The OT refers to child sacrifice a number of times, especially in connection with the god Molech. It is now time for God’s judgment to fall on the full-grown sin of the people of Canaan.
Harstad, A. L. (2004). Joshua (pp. 287–288). Saint Louis, MO: CPH.

On a larger scale, we can think of Jericho as a ‘type’ for the future of an unrepentant world. In the end, at the final trumpet / judgment, Jericho – that is the world – will collapse. Those who are repentant (such as Rahab) will be spared and those who choose to mock God will be destroyed. We can hate that all we want, but God’s ways are perfect and right. Those facts must be taken by faith, for trying to figure them out using our weak reasoning will end us in the wrong place. Jesus died for the sins of mankind, but many choose to deny Him. That is not God’s fault or choice, for it is His good and perfect will that all should come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. When we deny Him, we must turn the finger of blame upon ourselves. And the imperative to share His loving salvation with a sin-dark world becomes even greater.

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