Topical Bible: Faith: Conquest of Jericho

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The conquest of Jericho is a pivotal event in the biblical narrative, illustrating the power of faith and obedience to God's commands. This event is recorded in the Book of Joshua, chapters 5 and 6, and serves as a testament to the Israelites' trust in God's promises as they entered the Promised Land.

Background and Context

After the death of Moses, Joshua assumed leadership of the Israelites. God commanded Joshua to lead the people across the Jordan River into Canaan, the land promised to their ancestors. Jericho, a fortified city with formidable walls, was the first major obstacle in their path. The conquest of Jericho was not only a military campaign but also a spiritual test of faith and reliance on divine guidance.

Divine Strategy and Obedience

God provided Joshua with specific instructions for the conquest of Jericho, which required unwavering faith and obedience. The strategy was unconventional by human standards, emphasizing the spiritual over the military. The Israelites were to march around the city once a day for six days, with the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant and blowing trumpets made of ram's horns. On the seventh day, they were to march around the city seven times, and at Joshua's command, the people were to shout loudly.

Joshua 6:2-5 records God's instructions: "Then the LORD said to Joshua, 'Behold, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its mighty men of valor. March around the city with all the men of war, circling the city one time. Do this for six days. Have seven priests carry seven ram’s horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, while the priests blow the horns. And when there is a long blast of the ram’s horn and you hear its sound, have all the people give a mighty shout. Then the wall of the city will collapse, and the people will go up, each man straight ahead.'"

The Role of Faith

The Israelites' compliance with God's instructions demonstrated their faith. Despite the seemingly illogical nature of the plan, they trusted in God's promise of victory. Hebrews 11:30 highlights this faith: "By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days."

The fall of Jericho's walls was a miraculous event, underscoring the belief that faith in God can overcome insurmountable obstacles. The Israelites' victory was not due to their military prowess but to their faith in God's power and promises.

Rahab's Faith

An integral part of the Jericho narrative is the faith of Rahab, a Canaanite woman who hid the Israelite spies sent by Joshua. Her actions demonstrated her belief in the God of Israel, and she sought protection for herself and her family. Joshua 6:25 notes her deliverance: "But Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her family and all who belonged to her, because she had hidden the men Joshua had sent as spies to Jericho, and she lives among the Israelites to this day."

Rahab's faith and subsequent inclusion in the lineage of Jesus (Matthew 1:5) exemplify the transformative power of faith and God's grace extended to all who believe.

Significance in Biblical Theology

The conquest of Jericho is a profound example of faith in action. It illustrates the principle that faith requires obedience and trust in God's timing and methods. The event foreshadows the spiritual battles believers face, where faith in God's promises leads to victory over seemingly insurmountable challenges. The narrative encourages believers to trust in God's power and to act in faith, even when His plans defy human logic.

Nave's Topical Index

Joshua 6:1
Now Jericho was straightly shut up because of the children of Israel: none went out, and none came in.
Nave's Topical Index

Library

Joshua.
... Taken from Joshua, the leading character, who may be described as a man of faith,
courage, enthusiasm, fidelity to duty, and ... 3. Conquest of Jericho, Chs.5-6 ...
/.../gerberding/the way of salvation in the lutheran church/chapter vi joshua.htm

Joshua's Conquest.
... to all the future ages because by it a true faith and a ... (4) The providential conditions
favorable to the conquest just at ... 10) The story of the fall of Jericho. ...
/.../tidwell/the bible period by period/chapter viii joshuas conquest.htm

Joshua
... To him the conquest was really complete in the generation ... The capture of Jericho,
eg, may well have been ... which was an inspiration alike to faith and patriotism ...
//christianbookshelf.org/mcfadyen/introduction to the old testament/joshua.htm

A Cloud of Witnesses.
... "By faith the walls of Jericho fell down ... saw the hand of the God of heaven in the
conquest of the ... This was a greater faith than that of her daughter-in-law, Ruth ...
/.../the expositors bible the epistle to the hebrews/chapter xiii a cloud of.htm

Rahab
... own people and her father's house.' But her conquest of her ... true deliverance is
infallibly ours, if by faith we have ... fall of a worse city than Jericho, in that ...
//christianbookshelf.org/maclaren/expositions of holy scripture f/rahab.htm

Achan's Sin, Israel's Defeat
... The commander's faith and courage were contagious, and the spies ... of wild wadys and
bare hills that rise behind Jericho. ... The whole conquest hung in the balance. ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture f/achans sin israels defeat.htm

A Nation's Struggle for a Home and Freedom.
... a much later From the plain of Jericho two or ... at two or three great crises, this
conquest appears to ... scattered Hebrew tribes together was their faith in Jehovah ...
/.../kent/the making of a nation/study xii a nations struggle.htm

Stones Crying Out
... we may learn to trace them in faith, when centuries ... point of crossing, and a still
shorter from Jericho. ... so powerfully contributed to their conquest of Canaan ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture f/stones crying out.htm

Index of Subjects.
... 801]178; and other good books, [802]180; the record of faith, [803]206 ... the Exodus,
[911]192; in the wilderness, [912]193; the conquest of Jericho, [913]193 ...
/.../writings in connection with the donatist controversy /index of subjects.htm

The Last Agony
... Its conquest was but a drop in the bucket of his ... long enough start of his pursuers
to get to Jericho. ... had seen Israel's first triumph, when 'by faith the walls ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture h/the last agony.htm