Joshua 6:1 - Meaning and Application

Here we see a contest between God and the men of Jericho, and their very different plans. It is easy to see whose word would stand.

Jericho decided that Israel would not become its master, in Joshua 6:1. The city was tightly shut because of the people of Israel. It shut itself up, or, as the margin says, it was shut up. Its defenses were strong by both skill and nature, and the people inside were stubborn and determined. They agreed never to surrender, and not even to begin talks. No one came out as a deserter or to ask for peace, and no one was allowed in to offer it. In this way, they blinded themselves and hardened their hearts to their own ruin, the sad condition of all who set themselves against the Almighty (Job 15:25).

God, however, decided that Israel would be its master, and soon. The captain of the Lord's host, here called Jehovah, noticed how strongly Jericho was fortified and guarded. He also knew Joshua's worries about taking the city, and perhaps his fear of failure at the very start. So he gave Joshua the fullest assurance of success: “See, I have given Jericho into your hand” (Joshua 6:2). He did not say, “I will do it,” but, “I have done it.” The city was as good as theirs already.

This city was meant to be the first part of Canaan, the promised land, and it was to be given wholly to God. Joshua and Israel were never to become richer from it. Yet it is still said to be given into their hand, because what we can use to honor God and serve him is truly our own. The captain of the Lord's host then gave instructions for the siege. They were not to dig trenches, build platforms, or set up battering rams. Instead, the ark of God was to be carried by the priests around the city once each day for six days, and seven times on the seventh day, while the men of war stayed silent and the priests blew trumpets made from ram's horns (Joshua 6:3-4). That was all they had to do.

He also promised that by the seventh day, before night, they would certainly take the city. When the signal was given, all the people were to shout, and the wall would fall down at once (Joshua 6:5). This would leave the people exposed and would also shake their courage so badly that they could not resist.

God chose this way for several reasons. First, it would magnify his own power, so that he would be praised for his strength, not for the strength of tools or weapons (Psalm 21:13). He would make his almighty arm clearly seen, for Israel’s encouragement and for the fear and shame of the Canaanites. Second, it would honor his ark, the appointed sign of his presence, and help explain why the people were to treat it with such deep respect. Much later, when the ark was brought into the camp without God’s command, it was treated as a misuse of it, and the people paid dearly for their presumption (1 Samuel 4:3). But here, since it was done by God’s command, it honored the ark and strengthened Israel’s faith.

Third, it also honored the priests, who were chosen to carry the ark and blow the trumpets. Priests were usually free from military service, but here they were mainly used so that the people would see how useful they were to the nation and how worthy they were of the honors the law gave them. Fourth, it tested the people’s faith, obedience, and patience. They had to obey a command that seemed foolish by human judgment and trust a promise that seemed impossible by human reasoning. They also had to bear their enemies’ insults and wait patiently for the Lord’s rescue. In this way, Jericho fell by faith, not by force.

Fifth, this would strengthen Israel’s hope for the harder battles still ahead. The report of the evil spies, who said Canaan could never be conquered because its cities were fortified to heaven (Deuteronomy 1:28), would be silenced forever. No wall, no matter how strong or high, can stand against Almighty God. They did not need to fight in their own strength, and they did not need to be afraid, because God was fighting for them.