Pam Padgett ... teacher
God gave Joshua instructions to follow in overcoming the city of Jericho, which was tightly closed up, but which God had given into his hands ....
Joshua 6:1 Now Jericho was straitly shut up because of
the children of Israel: none went out, and none came in. 2 And the Lord
said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the
king thereof, and the mighty men of valour.
3 And ye shall compass the city, all ye men
of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days. 4
And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams' horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and
the priests shall blow with the trumpets. 5 And it shall come to pass,
that when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when ye hear
the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout;
and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall
ascend up every man straight before him.
For six days Israel's men of war, together with the ark and seven priests having rams horn trumpets, were to go around the city one
time Then on the seventh day they were to go around the city seven
times, and when the priests made a long blast on the trumpets, the
people were to shout.
None of these things would seem to the natural
eye to be how men of war would come against a walled city. But this
was the will and plan of God. For as the people shouted with a great
shout, God would cause the walls of the city to fall down flat. The
army of Israel simply were to follow the instructions God gave to them,
and then go into the city to destroy it. And this is exactly what happened ...
Joshua 6:12 And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests
took up the ark of the Lord. 13 And seven priests bearing seven trumpets
of rams' horns before the ark of the Lord went on continually, and blew
with the trumpets: and the armed men went before them; but the rereward
came after the ark of the Lord, the priests going on, and blowing with
the trumpets. 14 And the second day they compassed the city once, and
returned into the camp: so they did six days. 15 And it came to pass on
the seventh day, that they rose early about the dawning of the day, and
compassed the city after the same manner seven times: only on that day
they compassed the city seven times. 16 And it came to pass at the
seventh time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said unto
the people, Shout; for the Lord hath given you the city. 17 And the city
shall be accursed, even it, and all that are therein, to the Lord: only
Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that are with her in the
house, because she hid the messengers that we sent. ....
23 And the young men that were spies went in, and brought out Rahab,
and her father, and her mother, and her brethren, and all that she had;
and they brought out all her kindred, and left them without the camp of
Israel. 24 And they burnt the city with fire, and all that was therein:
only the silver, and the gold, and the vessels of brass and of iron,
they put into the treasury of the house of the Lord.
The army of Israel
simply obeyed what God told them to do, not taking Jericho by their own
wisdom, but according to the way God instructed.
As we live on this earth we face various types of battles. Just as the army of Israel was given victory over Jericho as they followed the
instructions God gave, we overcome by turning to God, waiting
to hear from God in the matter, and going according to the Word God
gives to us by the Holy Spirit.
2 Corinthians 10:3 For though we walk in the flesh, we
do not war after the flesh: 4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not
carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)