Closed gates of Jericho

The gates of Jericho were closed, prohibiting all traffic. The residents of Jericho were already prepared for battle as they discovered that spies had entered their city and the Israelites had crossed the Jordan River. The Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and the valiant warriors.” In God’s perspective, the battle was already won. The actual fighting was the people’s responsibility. It is said in Hebrews 11:30, “By faith, the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days.”

The battle of faith

Next, it was revealed that the conquest of Jericho was a battle of faith. The first six days, the Israelites were to march around the city once every day, and on the seventh day, they were to march around the city seven times. (1) Number seven is a complete number, repeated in this passage: seven priests, seven trumpets of rams’ horns, the seventh day, seven times. (2) The seven priests with trumpets of rams’ horns preceded the ark of the covenant. In the front and the back were the armed men. Thus, the ark of the covenant was placed in the center of the army. It was an unusual formation for a military march, but it signified that victory was certain in the presence of the Lord. (3) The trumpets used here were different from the silver trumpets used in Numbers chapter 10. These were trumpets of rams’ horns, normally used in religious rituals such as in the year of Jubilee. Using such an instrument signified that the true nature of this battle was religious. (4) When the Israelites heard the trumpets’ sound, everyone shouted a great shout. God promised that when they did so, the wall of Jericho would collapse. There are spiritual lessons for us in the conquest of Jericho. The battles we face daily as Christians are “the Lord’s battle.” Let’s examine our lives, whether or not we are walking in the presence of the Lord. God has provided in our lives many great things. In His perspective, all are given. To actually receive them is an act of faith on our part. Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”