Joshua 6:6-14
6 So Joshua the son of Nun called the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant, and have seven priests carry seven trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark of the Lord.”
7 Then he said to the people, “Go forward and march around the city, and the armed men shall go on ahead of the ark of the Lord.”
8 And it was so, that when Joshua had spoken to the people, the seven priests carrying the seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the Lord went forward and blew the trumpets; and the ark of the covenant of the Lord followed them.
9 And the armed men went ahead of the priests who blew the trumpets, and the rear guard came after the ark, while they continued to blow the trumpets.
10 But Joshua commanded the people, saying, “You shall not shout nor let your voice be heard, nor let a word proceed from your mouth, until the day I tell you, ‘Shout!’ Then you shall shout!”
11 So he had the ark of the Lord taken around the city, circling it once; then they came into the camp and spent the night in the camp.
12 Now Joshua got up early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the Lord.
13 Then the seven priests carrying the seven trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark of the Lord went on continually, and blew the trumpets; and the armed men went ahead of them, and the rear guard came after the ark of the Lord, while they continued to blow the trumpets.
14 So the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp; they did the same for six days.
Six Day March
First day
Joshua acted accordingly to the Lord’s command. On the first day, the Israelites marched around the city in the following sequence: (1) First, the armed men went before the entire army (v 7). (2) Behind them were the seven priests carrying the trumpets (v 8). (3) Then there was the ark of the covenant (v 8). The ark symbolized the presence of God. The ark was placed in the center of the army, signifying that this battle was the Lord’s battle. The victory was certain only through His plan and His strength. (4) The rear-armed guards were the last (v 9). (5) Behind the army were all the other Israelites. On this day, the Lord commanded Joshua the following: (1) circle the city once. Considering the largeness of the city, it took about 30 minutes to circle the city. (2) The seven priests sounded the seven trumpets. (3) However, until Joshua commanded the people to shout, all of them, armed or not, were to march silently.
The resident of Jericho must have been terrified watching such an unusual sight.
Second through the sixth day
The march on the first day was done according to the Lord’s command. After that, the Israelites returned to the camp and spent the night there. On the next day, Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the covenant. You can notice Joshua’s attentiveness. He is not at all relaxed after a successful march of the previous day. Instead, he kept his posture, prepared for the day, and ensured everything was done according to the Lord’s command. The Israelites circled the city, just as they did on the first day. This was repeated until the sixth day. The six days also were a period to test Israel’s obedience to God’s command. In the first battle of the conquest of Canaan, God tested Israel’s faith. Though they did not see any result, they trusted the words of the Lord and repeated the march around Jericho for six days. This faith led them to victory on the seventh day.
Today's prayer
Heavenly Father, today I was taught the importance of waiting for Your timing. Even if the results are not yet visible, I will continue to faithfully await Your time. I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.