Joshua and the Battle of Jericho

After Moses’ death, Joshua became the leader of Israel. His first great challenge was to lead the people across the Jordan River and conquer the fortified city of Jericho. What happened there would become one of the most famous victories in all of history.

Crossing the Jordan

The Lord said to Joshua, “Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them—the children of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses.”

Joshua commanded the officers of the people, “Pass through the camp and command the people, saying, ‘Prepare provisions for yourselves, for within three days you will cross over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land which the Lord your God is giving you to possess.’”

When the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant stepped into the Jordan River, the waters stopped flowing and stood up in a heap, just as the Red Sea had parted for Moses. All of Israel crossed over on dry ground, and Joshua set up twelve stones as a memorial of God’s mighty power.

The Spies at Jericho

Before crossing the Jordan, Joshua had secretly sent two spies to investigate Jericho. “Go, view the land, especially Jericho,” he commanded them.

The spies entered the city and lodged at the house of Rahab the harlot. But the king of Jericho heard about their presence and sent soldiers to capture them.

Rahab hid the spies under stalks of flax on her roof and told the soldiers, “Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from. And it happened as the gate was being shut, when it was dark, that the men went out. Where the men went I do not know; pursue them quickly, for you may overtake them.”

When the soldiers left, Rahab came to the spies on the roof. “I know that the Lord has given you the land,” she said, “for the terror of you has fallen on us, and all the inhabitants of the land are fainthearted because of you. For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt.”

She helped them escape by lowering them through a window on a scarlet cord, and they promised to spare her and her family when Jericho fell.

The Fortified City

Jericho was a mighty fortress city, strategically located near the Jordan River crossing. Its massive walls rose high into the sky, built of enormous stones and reinforced with towers. The walls were so thick that houses were built on top of them, and the city seemed absolutely impregnable.

The people of Jericho had shut up their city tightly because of the children of Israel; none went out, and none came in. They had barricaded the gates, posted guards on the walls, and stored enough food and water to withstand a long siege.

From their high walls, the defenders of Jericho looked down at the Israelite camp with a mixture of fear and confidence. They had heard the stories of Israel’s victories over other nations, but surely their mighty walls would protect them.

God’s Strange Battle Plan

Now Jericho was securely shut up because of the children of Israel; none went out, and none came in. And the Lord said to Joshua: “See! I have given Jericho into your hand, its king, and the mighty men of valor. You shall march around the city, all you men of war; you shall go all around the city once. This you shall do six days. And seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark. But the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. It shall come to pass, when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, that all the people shall shout with a great shout; then the wall of the city will fall down flat, and the people shall go up every man straight before him.”

What a strange battle plan! No siege engines, no battering rams, no scaling ladders - just marching, trumpet blowing, and shouting. Any military expert would have laughed at such a strategy.

But Joshua had learned to trust in God’s wisdom rather than human reasoning. He called the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the Lord.”

The First Day’s March

So Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the Lord. Then 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 rear guard came after the ark of the Lord, while the priests continued blowing with the trumpets.

The procession was impressive and orderly:

• Armed soldiers in front
• Seven priests blowing rams’ horn trumpets
• More priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant
• The rear guard bringing up the end

And Joshua commanded the people, saying, “You shall not shout or make any noise with your voice, nor shall a word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I say to you, ‘Shout!’ Then you shall shout.”

The silence was eerie. Except for the blast of the trumpets and the sound of marching feet, the great multitude moved without a word. They marched around the city once and returned to camp.

Days Two Through Six

Each day the same ritual was repeated. Every morning, the Israelites would form their procession and march around Jericho once, with the trumpets blowing and the people maintaining their silence.

On the walls of Jericho, the defenders watched with growing unease. What were these Israelites doing? Was this some kind of psychological warfare? Were they performing magic rituals? Why didn’t they attack like a normal army?

Some of the people of Jericho began to mock the strange procession. “Look at them marching around our city like they’re in some religious parade! Do they think they can bring down our walls by walking in circles?”

But others felt a growing dread. They had heard about the God of Israel who had parted the Red Sea and defeated mighty armies. If this same God was directing this strange siege, perhaps they should be very afraid indeed.

Day after day, the Israelites marched, and day after day, the walls of Jericho stood firm. But something was building - a sense of anticipation, of divine purpose working itself out according to God’s perfect timing.

The Seventh Day

But it came to pass on the seventh day that they rose early, about the dawning of the day, and marched around the city seven times in the same manner. On that day only they marched around the city seven times.

This day was different from the beginning. Instead of marching around once and returning to camp, they kept going. Around and around the city they marched - once, twice, three times, four, five, six times.

The people on the walls grew more and more nervous with each circuit. What was happening? Why were they marching so many times today? The constant sound of the trumpets and the sight of the Ark of the Covenant was unnerving.

Rahab watched from her window, the scarlet cord hanging out as a sign to the Israelite army. Her heart pounded with anticipation and fear. She had hidden the spies and trusted in their God - would He really save her family as they had promised?

The Walls Fall Down

And the seventh time it happened, when the priests blew the trumpets, that Joshua said to the people: “Shout, for the Lord has given you the city!”

What a moment that must have been! After six days of silent marching and seven circuits of the city on the seventh day, Joshua’s voice rang out with the command they had all been waiting for.

“Shout, for the Lord has given you the city!”

So the people shouted when the priests blew the trumpets. And it happened when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.

The sound was incredible - hundreds of thousands of voices raised in one mighty shout of faith and victory, combined with the blast of seven trumpets. But it wasn’t the noise itself that brought down the walls - it was the power of God responding to His people’s faith and obedience.

The massive walls of Jericho didn’t crack or crumble gradually. They fell down flat, completely and instantaneously. Where moments before there had been towering stone barriers, now there were only piles of rubble. Every man could go straight before him into the city.

The Conquest and Rahab’s Salvation

And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, ox and sheep and donkey, with the edge of the sword.

But Joshua had said to the two men who had spied out the country, “Go into the harlot’s house, and from there bring out the woman and all that she has, as you swore to her.”

And the young men who had been spies went in and brought out Rahab, her father, her mother, her brothers, and all that she had. So they brought out all her relatives and left them outside the camp of Israel.

Rahab and her family were the only inhabitants of Jericho who survived, because she had hidden the spies and shown faith in the God of Israel. Her scarlet cord had marked her house for salvation, just as the blood on the doorposts had saved the Israelites in Egypt.

The Curse and the Treasure

Then Joshua charged them at that time, saying, “Cursed be the man before the Lord who rises up and builds this city Jericho; he shall lay its foundation with his firstborn, and with his youngest he shall set up its gates.”

And they burned the city and all that was in it with fire. Only the silver and gold, and the vessels of bronze and iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the Lord.

The city was completely destroyed and devoted to God. All the precious metals went into the Lord’s treasury, but everything else was burned with fire.

Joshua’s Fame Spreads

So the Lord was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout all the country.

The news of Jericho’s fall spread like wildfire throughout the land of Canaan. The supposedly impregnable fortress had fallen without the Israelites even building a siege ramp or bringing up battering rams. The God of Israel had done what seemed impossible.

This victory established Joshua’s reputation as Moses’ true successor and showed all the nations that the Lord was with Israel. It was the first step in the conquest of the Promised Land.

Lessons from Jericho

The battle of Jericho teaches us many important truths:

God’s ways are not our ways. His strategy for taking Jericho seemed foolish by human standards, but it accomplished His purpose perfectly.

Faith requires obedience. The Israelites had to march in faith for seven days before seeing the victory God had promised.

Victory belongs to the Lord. The walls fell by God’s power, not by human might or strategy.

God honors those who help His people. Rahab’s faith and assistance to the spies saved her entire family.

Complete obedience brings complete victory. Because Israel followed God’s instructions exactly, they won a total victory without losing a single soldier.

The story of Jericho became a song that Israelite children would sing for generations: “Joshua fought the battle of Jericho, and the walls came tumbling down!” It reminded them that no obstacle is too great when God fights for His people.