Scripture
12Joshua got up early the next morning, and the priests again carried the Ark of the Lord. 13The seven priests with the rams’ horns marched in front of the Ark of the Lord, blowing their horns. Again the armed men marched both in front of the priests with the horns and behind the Ark of the Lord. All this time the priests were blowing their horns. 14On the second day they again marched around the town once and returned to the camp. They followed this pattern for six days.
15On the seventh day the Israelites got up at dawn and marched around the town as they had done before. But this time they went around the town seven times. 16The seventh time around, as the priests sounded the long blast on their horns, Joshua commanded the people, “Shout! For the Lord has given you the town! 17Jericho and everything in it must be completely destroyed[1] as an offering to the Lord. Only Rahab the prostitute and the others in her house will be spared, for she protected our spies.
18“Do not take any of the things set apart for destruction, or you yourselves will be completely destroyed, and you will bring trouble on the camp of Israel. 19Everything made from silver, gold, bronze, or iron is sacred to the Lord and must be brought into his treasury.”
20When the people heard the sound of the rams’ horns, they shouted as loud as they could. Suddenly, the walls of Jericho collapsed, and the Israelites charged straight into the town and captured it. 21They completely destroyed everything in it with their swords—men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep, goats, and donkeys.
22Meanwhile, Joshua said to the two spies, “Keep your promise. Go to the prostitute’s house and bring her out, along with all her family.”
23The men who had been spies went in and brought out Rahab, her father, mother, brothers, and all the other relatives who were with her. They moved her whole family to a safe place near the camp of Israel.
24Then the Israelites burned the town and everything in it. Only the things made from silver, gold, bronze, or iron were kept for the treasury of the Lord’s house. 25So Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute and her relatives who were with her in the house, because she had hidden the spies Joshua sent to Jericho. And she lives among the Israelites to this day.
26At that time Joshua invoked this curse:
“May the curse of the Lord fall on anyone
who tries to rebuild the town of Jericho.
At the cost of his firstborn son,
he will lay its foundation.
At the cost of his youngest son,
he will set up its gates.”
27So the Lord was with Joshua, and his reputation spread throughout the land.
Translation notes (1)
- 6:17 The Hebrew term used here refers to the complete consecration of things or people to the Lord, either by destroying them or by giving them as an offering; similarly in 6:18, 21.
When the people heard the sound of the rams' horns, they shouted as loud as they could. Suddenly, the walls of Jericho collapsed, and the Israelites charged straight into the town and captured it. Joshua 6:20
The level of our faith in a person or object is directly related to the person or object of our faith. For example, If I see a chair with a broken leg, I will not have much faith that it will support me when I sit. On the other hand, if I see a chair that is intact, I will have faith it can support me and sit. The measure of our faith depends on the person or object in which we have placed our faith. Because of this truth, when it comes to our faith in God, we can have the utmost faith that He keeps His promises.
Joshua had faith in God, knowing that He keeps His promises. Because of this, He believed God when he instructed Him and the rest of the Israelites to take over the city of Jericho by marching around the city for seven days. He gathered the Israelites together in faith and told them what to do. They marched around the city for seven days in a row. Each day they marched, the priests marching blew horns. Other than the horns blowing, the Israelites marching were silent. Finally, on the seventh day, the Israelites marched around the city seven times, and on the seventh time, the priests blew their horns, and Joshua said, "Shout! For the Lord has given you the town!" (verse 16). When they shouted, "the walls of Jericho collapsed, and the Israelites charged straight into the town and captured it" (verse 20). Indeed, God kept His promise to the people of Israel.
Just like God kept His promises to Joshua and the Israelites in Joshua 6, He keeps His promises to you and me today. Psalm 145:13 says, “The Lord always keeps His promises; He is gracious in all He does” (verse 13). Because God is entirely faithful, He is worthy of every ounce of our faith. We can trust Him.
Moving toward action
Spend some time reading through Psalm 145. As you read, make a list of the promises from God in this passage of Scripture. When you are finished, spend time praying. Thank God that He is always faithful to keep His promises.
Going Deeper
Joshua 6:12-27
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