PASSAGE

Joshua 6:15 Then on the seventh day they rose early at the dawning of the day and marched around the city in the same manner seven times; only on that day they marched around the city seven times.

• Possibly the oldest city in the world
• Tropical paradise [think palm trees]
• 800 feet below sea level
• Summer is hot; winter months warm and pleasant
• Battle in Joshua 6 took place in the spring
• Not the largest city in Canaan but was in a strategic location
  o Split the promised land in ½
  o Gilgal became the headquarters for the southern conquest
  o Well-fortified
   Walls 25 feet thick and over 25 feet high
   Guards could see for great distances and identify threats from miles away

Battle Plan – March. Worship. Shout.
- Armed men of war up front
- 7 priest with 7 trumpets and the Ark of the Covenant
- Rear Guard, consisting of the rest of the men of war
- Walk around the city 1x per day for the first 6 days
- Walk 7 times on the 7th day
- Priests will blow the trumpets as they circle the city
- On the 7th day and the 7th lap around the city, the priest will give a distinct long blast of the trumpet which will be the signal.
- The people marching will break their week-long silence with a battle cry shout
- When the shout goes out, the walls will come down flat and they will take the city.

Joshua 6:16 At the seventh time, when the priests blew the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, “Shout! For the LORD has given you the city.

Joshua/Revelation connection
o OT Joshua dispossesses the promised land of the wicked – NT Joshua (Jesus) dispossesses His creation of the wicked
o OT Joshua sends in 2 spies before the full judgment – NT Joshua has 2 witnesses proclaiming Jesus before the full judgment
o 7 priests blowing trumpets in Joshua, denoting judgment – In Revelation, 7 angels blow 7 trumpets during the trumpet judgments
o In this chapter, the number 7 is used 14 times – Revelation is built on the number 7

Joshua 6:17 “The city shall be under the ban, it and all that is in it belongs to the LORD; only Rahab the harlot and all who are with her in the house shall live, because she hid the messengers whom we sent.
Joshua 6:18 “But as for you, only keep yourselves from the things under the ban, so that you do not covet them and take some of the things under the ban, and make the camp of Israel accursed and bring trouble on it.
Joshua 6:19 “But all the silver and gold and articles of bronze and iron are holy to the LORD; they shall go into the treasury of the LORD.”

Lessons from ‘The Ban’ – [Things designated for complete destruction]
1. Jericho was a first fruits offering. Takeaway: Give God our very best
2. All the precious metals of Jericho were to be devoted to the Lord. Takeaway: If we truly want to enjoy our relationship with Jesus, all our time, talents, and treasures – Our entire being – should be set apart and given over to Him for His use.
3. They were told to ‘utterly destroy’ everything. Takeaway: We need to destroy everything that hinders our Christian walk.
Why were the Canaanites under God’s judgment?
- Extreme wickedness
o Their “religion” included
 The exploitation of women via prostitution as part of their rituals
 Their worship included infant sacrifice to a demonic entity named Molech
- Unrepentant
o God was patient with them for over 400 years, yet they persisted in their wickedness until God had no choice but to move on them in judgment

Jos 6:20 So the people shouted, and priests blew the trumpets; and when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted with a great shout and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight ahead, and they took the city.
Jos 6:21 They utterly destroyed everything in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox and sheep and donkey, with the edge of the sword.

3 elements of victory
1. Worship
2. Warfare [Prayer, Fasting, etc…]
3. God’s Presence
3 purposes of waiting
1. Waiting tests our faith
2. Waiting creates the space for God to set in motion other things He wants to happen (God’s economy)
3. Waiting develops our character

Jos 6:22 Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, “Go into the harlot’s house and bring the woman and all she has out of there, as you have sworn to her.”
Jos 6:23 So the young men who were spies went in and brought out Rahab and her father and her mother and her brothers and all she had; they also brought out all her relatives and placed them outside the camp of Israel.

Just like Rahab
We come to him in faith. He saves us from judgment. Plucks us from the crashing walls and puts us into his chosen family.

We may have to wait sometimes, but God is faithful. Don’t lose faith. Don’t lose hope. He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. “By faith the walls of Jericho fell” – Keep marching!