Joshua 6:1-21

Disclaimer:

When reading scripture, it's easy to focus on the main characters in the stories along the way. Whether it's Daniel getting thrown into the lions' den, David slaying Goliath, or any other major Bible story, it seems that we get caught up in the main character and their journey. Regarding this, today's Saturday Scripture will be about a major Bible story, but looking at it from minor characters' perspectives.

Feel free to read this in your own Bible!

Scripture:

Now Jericho was shut up inside and outside because of the people of Israel. None went out, and none came in. ² And the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and mighty men of valor. ³ You shall march around the city, all the men of war going around the city once. Thus shall you do for six days. ⁴ Seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark. On the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. ⁵ And when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, when you hear the sound of the trumpet, then all the people shall shout with a great shout, and the wall of the city will fall down flat, and the people shall go up, everyone straight before him.” ⁶ So Joshua the son of Nun 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.” ⁷ And he said to the people, “Go forward. March around the city and let the armed men pass on before the ark of the Lord.” ⁸ And just as Joshua had commanded the people, the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams' horns before the Lord went forward, blowing the trumpets, with the ark of the covenant of the Lord following them. ⁹ The armed men were walking before the priests who were blowing the trumpets, and the rear guard was walking after the ark, while the trumpets blew continually. ¹⁰ But Joshua commanded the people, “You shall not shout or make your voice heard, neither shall any word go out of your mouth, until the day I tell you to shout. Then you shall shout.” ¹¹ So he caused the ark of the Lord to circle the city, going about it once. And they came into the camp and spent the night in the camp. ¹² Then Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the Lord. ¹³ And the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the Lord walked on, and they blew the trumpets continually. And the armed men were walking before them, and the rear guard was walking after the ark of the Lord, while the trumpets blew continually. ¹⁴ And the second day they marched around the city once, and returned into the camp. So they did for six days. ¹⁵ On the seventh day they rose early, at the dawn of day, and marched around the city in the same manner seven times. It was only on that day that they marched around the city seven times. ¹⁶ And at the seventh time, when the priests had blown the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, “Shout, for the Lord has given you the city. ¹⁷ And the city and all that is within it shall be devoted to the Lord for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall live, because she hid the messengers whom we sent. ¹⁸ But you, keep yourselves from the things devoted to destruction, lest when you have devoted them you take any of the devoted things and make the camp of Israel a thing for destruction and bring trouble upon it. ¹⁹ But all silver and gold, and every vessel of bronze and iron, are holy to the Lord; they shall go into the treasury of the Lord.” ²⁰ So the people shouted, and the trumpets were blown. As soon as the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they captured the city. ²¹ Then they devoted all in the city to destruction, both men and women, young and old, oxen, sheep, and donkeys, with the edge of the sword.

What Happened:

This story is pretty familiar, but putting it in our own words can help us to see the narrative of it. We can't glean doctrine or theology from our own words though, so we have to be careful to only use this for understanding the events that took place and not what they mean for our lives.

At the end of chapter 5, Joshua is approached by a man and the Lord speaks through him. This is who is physically speaking at the beginning of chapter 6. The man of God tells Joshua that there will be no fighting for the city of Jericho, that they will simply take the city by marching around it with blowing trumpets and then on the last trip around, with loud shouts for the Lord. Joshua says okay, and has the Israelites do just that.

At the final blow of the trumpets and when the people shout to the Lord, the wall surrounding Jericho falls flat, allowing them to move into the city to capture it.

What it Means:

This scripture can take on a few different meanings depending on the perspective from which we read it. If we read it from Joshua's perspective, we can see that just because Joshua was a great warrior, God had a different plan for him at this moment and that we should always be open to God's plans, even if they're different than what He normally has for us.

However, if we read this from the more minor characters' perspectives, we get a different lesson from God's word.

The people following Joshua were used to fighting battles, so when they approached Jericho, I'm sure they were assuming they'd have to fight a battle like always. When they got there, Joshua gave orders for no fighting at all. If I were among the ranks there, I'd have definitely been confused. The man who has led us against countless enemies wants us to... walk? We can't talk? The priests are leading the way, just blowing trumpets? The soldiers were most likely very worried that they w0uld be decimated by the people of Jericho, but thankfully we have the whole story and know that it works out for them in the end.

The soldiers there had a leader, someone they trusted. They had an expectation for what was going to happen when they followed him. When they got to Jericho, those expectations were not met. You may say, this is the same lesson that we learned from Joshua, to always trust God even if His plans are different than before. In reality though, the picture painted of Joshua and the "Battle" of Jericho, is a picture of Jesus.

The disciples and many other Jews at the time expected the Messiah to come into the picture and lead armies against Rome and take over the world, pretty much. They were ready to do so. They were tired of being oppressed and being thrown around, much like their ancestors, the Israelites. When Jesus came, though, He threw those ideas and plans into the dirt. His way was one of sacrifice and love. One of leading by example to show us how to live. Just like Joshua coming into Jericho, Jesus didn't come to fight.

The Ark of the Covenant was carried around Jericho every time they walked. The trumpets were played in worship. Lifting up the presence of God was what God wanted the Israelites to do. Jesus came to set captives free and to be the light of the world. Joshua and the "Battle" of Jericho was a symbol of this.

How We Should Respond:

This is a difficult text to respond to. We could respond to the lesson we learned from Joshua's point of view, which would be to trust in God even when His plans seem to change because it will work out for His glory.

But if we truly want to respond to the story of the "Battle" of Jericho, we have to look to the cross and realize that Jesus didn't come to fight God's chosen nation's enemies. He didn't come to bring death or hurt to people, but to bring life.

The response to this text is letting Jesus do for us what He did for the disciples: Being their teacher, friend, and Savior. This meant that Jesus showed them how to live life day to day, and showed them what love truly was. The disciples had a certain idea about what the Messiah would look like and how He would change life as they knew it. This was all thrown off by Jesus. The Israelites had an expectation to fight the people of Jericho, until Joshua told them that they wouldn't be fighting.

We should always be looking to Jesus in scripture to show us how our actions differ from how He would act. If Joshua and the Israelites can change their method of operation because God told them to, then we can too.