God at Work in History — 4: When God Brings the Walls Down: Joshua 6

And the Wallis came tumbling down.

After Israel crossed the Jordan River and renewed their covenant commitment at Gilgal, they stood before their first great obstacle in the land of promise: Jericho.

Jericho was not merely a city. It was a fortified stronghold. Its walls represented strength, intimidation, and human confidence. From a military standpoint, Jericho was a serious challenge. But from God’s standpoint, it was already settled.

The Lord said to Joshua:

“See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and mighty men of valor.”— Joshua 6:2

Before Israel ever marched around the city, before the trumpets sounded, before the walls collapsed, God declared the victory. The battle belonged to Him.

Joshua 6 reminds us that when God is at work in history, He often calls His people to trust Him in ways that seem unusual, even unreasonable.

Jericho did not fall because Israel had superior weapons or strategy. Jericho fell because God’s people obeyed God’s word.

A Strange Strategy

God’s instructions to Joshua were unlike any normal military plan.

The armed men were to march around the city once each day for six days. Seven priests were to carry seven trumpets before the ark of the covenant.

On the seventh day, they were to march around the city seven times. Then the priests would blow the trumpets, the people would shout, and the wall of the city would fall down.

Humanly speaking, this plan made little sense. Marching is not siege warfare. Trumpets do not break stone walls. Silence does not frighten fortified cities into surrender.

But God was teaching Israel something from the very beginning of their life in the land: their success would not depend on human strength, but on obedient faith.

They had to learn that victory came from the Lord.

This was not the first time God had worked this way.

At the Red Sea, Israel did not save themselves by military power. God opened the waters. At the Jordan River, Israel did not build a bridge. God stopped the flow.

Now at Jericho, they would not break through the walls by force. God would bring them down.

The Ark at the Center

One of the most important details in Joshua 6 is the central place of the ark of the covenant.

The ark represented the presence of God among His people. As Israel marched, the ark was in the procession.

The priests, the trumpets, the silence, and the march all pointed to one truth: God Himself was leading the conquest.

This was not simply Israel’s war. It was the Lord’s work.

That is why worship and obedience were at the heart of the battle.

The people were not called first to attack, but to follow. They were not called to boast, but to trust. They were not called to explain God’s method, but to obey God’s command.

There is an important lesson here for us. We often want God to bless our plans. But Joshua 6 teaches us something better: we are called to align ourselves with God’s presence and God’s purposes.

The question is not merely, “Will God help me accomplish what I want?” The deeper question is, “Am I following where God is leading?”

Faith That Waits

For six days, Israel marched around Jericho once each day. Nothing visible happened.

The walls still stood. The gates remained shut. The city looked just as strong after the first day as it had before.

The same was true after the second day, the third day, and the sixth day.

That must have tested their faith.

It is one thing to obey when the results come immediately. It is another thing to obey when nothing appears to change.

But faith does not measure God’s faithfulness by what is visible in the moment. Faith listens to God’s word and keeps walking.

Many times, God works in our lives this way. We pray, obey, serve, forgive, wait, and trust — yet the “walls” still seem to stand. The situation may look unchanged. The breakthrough may not come on our timetable.

Joshua 6 reminds us that delay is not denial. Silence is not absence. God may be doing something deeper than we can see.

The walls of Jericho did not fall on the first day, but every step of obedience mattered.

The Shout of Victory

On the seventh day, Israel rose early and marched around the city seven times. Then, at Joshua’s command, the priests blew the trumpets and the people shouted.

Joshua said:

“Shout, for the Lord has given you the city.”— Joshua 6:16

Notice again the certainty of the promise. Joshua did not say, “Shout, and maybe the Lord will give you the city.” He said, “The Lord has given you the city.”

The shout was not an attempt to create victory. It was a response of faith to the victory God had already promised.

Then the walls fell.

What no human army could accomplish by marching, God accomplished by His power. The city that looked impossible to conquer was suddenly opened before them.

Jericho teaches us that no wall is too strong for God. No opposition is too great. No fortified obstacle can stand when the Lord determines to act.

But the timing, method, and glory belong to Him.

God’s Mercy in the Midst of Judgment

Joshua 6 is a chapter of victory, but it is also a chapter of judgment. Jericho was placed under destruction because of its wickedness. God’s patience with the peoples of Canaan had been long, but His judgment was now being carried out.

Yet even in judgment, we see mercy.

Rahab and her household were spared.

Rahab had believed the reports of what God had done. She confessed that the Lord was God in heaven above and on earth beneath. She hid the Israelite spies and asked for mercy. When Jericho fell, she was rescued.

This is a beautiful reminder that God’s work in history is never merely about nations, cities, and armies. God sees individuals. He responds to faith.

Rahab’s past did not disqualify her from mercy. Her faith brought her under the protection of the God of Israel.

In a chapter about collapsing walls, Rahab’s story stands as a testimony of grace.

God judges sin, but He saves those who turn to Him in faith.

The Danger of Taking What Belongs to God

God gave clear instructions that Jericho was to be devoted to Him. The silver, gold, bronze, and iron were to go into the treasury of the Lord. The people were warned not to take what had been set apart.

This detail prepares us for what happens in Joshua 7 with Achan. The victory at Jericho would be followed by defeat at Ai because of hidden sin in the camp.

That contrast matters.

Jericho shows us the power of obedience. Ai shows us the danger of compromise.

God’s people could not treat His holiness lightly. They could not celebrate His promises while ignoring His commands. Victory was not permission for selfishness. The spoils of Jericho belonged to the Lord.

This is still a needed warning. Spiritual victory can be followed by spiritual carelessness. After a breakthrough, we may become vulnerable to pride, greed, or hidden compromise.

God calls His people not only to faith, but to holiness.

Lessons from Jericho

Joshua 6 gives us several important lessons for our own walk with God.

1. First, God’s promises are sure even before the evidence appears. God told Joshua that Jericho had been given into his hand before the walls fell. Faith rests on God’s word, not on visible circumstances.

2. Second, God’s methods may not match human expectations. Israel’s battle plan seemed strange, but it was God’s plan. We must be careful not to reject obedience simply because God’s way does not make immediate sense to us.

3. Third, worship belongs at the center of our battles. The ark of the covenant reminded Israel that God’s presence was central. We do not face our struggles alone, and we must not attempt to fight them apart from Him.

4. Fourth, obedience may require patience. Israel marched for days before anything changed. Faithfulness in the waiting is part of faith.

5. Fifth, God is both holy and merciful. Jericho fell under judgment, but Rahab was saved by faith. God’s justice is real, and so is His grace.

   
   

When You Are Facing a Wall

Most of us know what it is like to stand before a wall.

It may be a wall of fear, grief, uncertainty, temptation, conflict, or discouragement. It may be a problem that seems immovable. It may be a burden that has stood for years.

Joshua 6 does not teach us to manipulate God into doing what we want. It teaches us to listen, trust, obey, and wait for Him.

The question is not, “How can I make the wall fall?” The question is, “What has God called me to do while I stand before it?”

Sometimes He calls us to pray.

Sometimes He calls us to wait.

Sometimes He calls us to take a step of obedience that seems small or strange.

Sometimes He calls us to remain silent when we would rather speak.

Sometimes He calls us to shout in faith when He says the time has come.

But always, He calls us to trust Him.

The walls of Jericho fell because God brought them down. Israel’s part was obedience. God’s part was victory.

That is still how faith works.

Conclusion

Jericho was Israel’s first great victory in the promised land, but the story was never meant to glorify Israel. It was meant to glorify God.

The Lord prepared His people, led His people, instructed His people, and gave victory to His people. He showed them from the beginning that the land would not be taken by human power alone. It would be received by faith and obedience.

God is still at work in history. He still leads His people. He still calls for trust when His ways seem unusual. He still brings down walls no human strength can move. And He still receives those, like Rahab, who turn to Him in faith.

When we face our own Jerichos, may we remember this: the battle belongs to the Lord, and no wall can stand against Him.

******************************Lord Jesus, thank You for being my Captain and leading the charge against the enemy of my soul and for standing with me in my physical struggles. Fill me with fullness of Your love and strengthen my faith. Thank you for being with me today and leading me in the way that i should go. i love you, Lord. Thanks for loving me. Ken

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Joshua fought the battle of Jericho, Jericho, Jericho

Joshua fought the battle of Jericho

and the walls came a-tumbling down

You may talk about your men of Gideon

You may talk about the men of Saul

But there's none like good old Joshua

at the battle of Jericho (that mornin')

Up to the walls of Jericho

They marched with spears in hand

"Come blow them ram horns," Joshua said

"'Cause the battle is in our hands"

Then the lamb ram sheep horns began to blow

The trumpets began to sound

Joshua commanded the children to shout

and the walls came a-tumblin' down (that mornin')

Joshua fought the battle of Jericho, Jericho, Jericho

Joshua fought the battle of Jericho

and the walls came a-tumbling down

Lyrics from a song in Public Domain