The Walls of Jericho – Part 2

The city was accursed including the people and many things inside the city, except when stated otherwise. Two commands were given on the accursed things: Keep yourselves from the accursed thing. All the silver, gold, and vessels of brass and iron shall come into the treasury of the Lord (Jos. 6:19). Anyone who broke the law of accursed things would not only be punished, he would bring a curse upon Israel (Jos. 7:1-26).

Joshua pronounced this ban on Jericho, a great and wealthy city, evidently by divine decree, and the severity of the doom that came to all violaters is illustrated in the punishment of Achan in Joshua 7:1-26. This curse was justified, not only because its inhabitants were part of a people who had filled up their cup of iniquity (Gen. 15:16), but by the fact that fighting men from many surrounding peoples were in Jericho helping to defend it against Israel (Jos. 24:11). Its destruction would serve to paralyze further resistance to Israel on the part of other Canaanite cities when they saw the mighty power of God in the miracle of the walls falling flat.

We see from Joshua 6:21 the utter destruction of all that was in the city. Such total destruction was unique, as firstfruits to God. It was also an example of His wrath on the depravity of Canaanites. In all other places, the laws of conquest were carried out, meaning that the stock and the spoils (including virgin women) belonged to Israel (Jos. 11:11-14; Num. 31:9-35; Deut. 20:14).

The Walls of Jericho – Part 1

‘By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days.’ Israel – faith’s miracle (Jos. 6:1-27).

Five commands or conquest of Jericho: Circle the city with the men of war once each day for six days (Jos. 6:2). Seven priests with seven rams’ horns shall go before the ark each day around the city (Jos. 6:4). On the seventh day, circle the city seven times. At the end of the seventh time the priests shall blow a long blast on the rams’ horns and the people shall shout with a great shout (Jos. 6:5). Every man shall go straight forward to take the city.

The Canaanites must have laughed at the sight of armed men marching day after day in silence except for blowing trumpets. There was no effort to scale the wall, no weapons were used, no siege engines were brought up, and no other ordinary means of warfare were used. They had never seen or heard of such a foolish thing. Neither had the Israelites, but they obeyed the One who takes the “foolish” things to confound the wise and the weak things to destroy the mighty (1Cor. 1:18-31).

Jericho was accursed [Hebrew: cherem] “devoted to destruction”. It was the devotion of any idolatrous object – person, city, or thing – to utter destruction. When such a curse was pronounced on a city, it meant that all the people, animals, and treasures that would ordinarily be taken were to be completely burned in the fire or consecrated to the sanctuary (Jos. 6:19, 24).

To be continued…