It was I, one of about 40,000 soldiers prepared for war, who will reflect on the conquest of Jericho.
I will share with you what I thought, saw and heard when I walked around Jericho six straight days, and encircled the city seven times the seventh day.
It’s MONDAY. Jericho was straightly shut up. None went out. None came in. We beheld the tall wall. We saw the thick wall. We knew about the king. We knew about his mighty men of valour. We saw all the soldiers peering down on us from that tall and thick wall. But we were not to speak of what we saw. Joshua son of Nun told us not to shout. Joshua told us not to make any noise with our voice. No word proceeded out of our mouths, until the day Joshua told us to shout. That was when we were to shout. So we walked around Jericho holding our swords, spears and shields. Seven priests bore the Ark of the Covenant. Seven trumpeters blew long blast with rams horns. I looked up at the enemy. The armed mighty men of Jericho stood atop the wall. They looked down on us. They seemed to have more experience than us. We returned to camp that first day.
It’s TUESDAY. Jericho was on lockdown. Nobody came out. Nobody came in. We arose early in the morning. We ate. We departed camp. We walked toward Jericho. We silently walked around the city. I looked up at them. The soldiers of Jericho came on the wall. They looked down on us. Joshua imposed a gag order. No talking. No whispering. No singing. No whistling. No nothing. No noise proceeded from our mouths. The only noise that came from us was the seven trumpeters blowing rams horns and the silent sound of us breathing as we encircled the city. Soldiers on the wall looked down upon us clasping swords, carrying spears and clenching shields. Some scowled at us. We returned to camp that second day.
It’s WEDNESDAY. Jericho was shut down. No one exited the city. No one entered it. We got up early in the morning. We ate breakfast. We walked toward Jericho. We walked around it. We looked up. We saw the intimidating troops on the wall stationed at their respective posts. They didn’t appear to be as vigilant as before. Consequently they were relaxed. We heard our individual inhaling and exhaling. We heard our collective marching and trudging. We heard the sound of our swords, spears and shields as we marched around that large fortified city. We heard the seven trumpeters blowing their rams horns. We returned to camp that third day.
It’s THURSDAY. Jericho’s gates remained closed. No one departed from it. No one arrived to it. We awoke, got up and broke the fast. Ah, the food was particularly good that day. After we ate we walked toward Jericho again. We walked around it. The soldiers expected us to come. The soldiers expected to hear seven trumpeters blowing their rams horns. No statements made nor questions asked nor unbelief expressed came forth from our mouths. Our mouths were closed. Consequently we were silent. We were fully-armed and highly-disciplined. But we could tell by their body language that the Jericho soldiers were even more relaxed. Some of them had put down their swords, spears and shields while we brandished our swords, spears and shields. We returned to camp that fourth day.
It’s FRIDAY. Jericho’s gates were closed. No one escaped from the city. No one tried to seek sanctuary within it. After we awoke, we ate. After we ate, we departed. After we arrived, we walked toward Jericho as we had done four previous days, and will have to do so three ensuing days. Upon arriving there we got into formation to compass the walled city. We could tell, by their relaxed demeanor, that the soldiers armed from MONDAY through THURSDAY were disarmed on this FRIDAY. They pointed to us. We knew they talked about us. We even heard, over the long blast of the rams horns, that some of them laughed at us. Others even scoffed at us. Jericho citizens, whose houses were built into the wall, also laughed and scoffed at us. But we didn’t retaliate at the citizens. We weren’t intimidated by the soldiers. We didn’t complain. We didn’t grumble. We certainly didn’t mumble. We heard, listened and obeyed Joshua, our military commander. Joshua told us to remain silent. We did. We returned to camp that fifth day.
It’s SATURDAY. Jericho was on lockdown. Nobody came out. Nobody came in. We ate food. We grabbed our swords, spears and shields. We departed camp. We walked to Jericho. Once we arrived there the intimidating soldiers of Jericho didn’t seem to be as intimidating as we initially eyed them. “We’re safe atop this wall,” some must have said. “What harm could we do to them,” others probably asked. They became accustomed hearing the rams horns. They got used to seeing us encircle Jericho. We became accustomed spotting them. We got used to not being intimidated by them. The men looked like regular men, not the vaunted mighty men of valour we heard our spies describe them. We returned to camp that sixth day.
It’s SUNDAY. Jericho was still straightly shut up that seventh day. None went out and quite naturally none came in. We arose early in the morning. Some ate a light breakfast. Others refused to eat. But all of us armed ourselves. Marching round Jericho the previous six days emboldened us. We walked toward the city.
“When the 12 men returned to camp from spying Canaan, ten of them brought back an evil report. Only Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh assured Moses son of Aram and Jochebed that we, the sons and daughters of God, could take Canaan, from the sons and daughters of Satan.”
We compassed Jericho THE FIRST TIME ON THAT SEVENTH DAY. The Jericho soldiers were relaxed. They were unaffected seeing us this seventh day. They expected to behold the seven priests bearing the Ark of the Covenant and hearing the seven trumpeters blowing long blast with rams horns and hearing us walk silently around just once and all return to camp. But no, no, no —not on this Sunday! On this Sunday we walked around Jericho six additional times.
We compassed Jericho THE SECOND TIME ON THAT SEVENTH DAY. No talking. No whispering. No singing. No whistling. We still silently marched. The soldiers looked at us. They were surprised we didn’t leave. Other people, who had been watching us the previous six days, jeered at us from that wall. They laughed at us from that wall. But we remained silent as we walked around that wall as the seven trumpeters blew the rams horns. We didn’t walk back to camp.
We compassed Jericho THE THIRD TIME ON THAT SEVENTH DAY. We heard, when we were children, about what happened 40 years earlier. Moses, the Servant of the LORD, dispatched Joshua and 11 other leaders of Israel on a 40-day reconnaissance mission. When the 12 men returned to camp from spying Canaan, ten of them brought back an evil report. Only Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh assured Moses son of Aram and Jochebed that we, the sons and daughters of God, could take Canaan, from the sons and daughters of Satan. Unfortunately, God’s chosen people listened to the ten in the majority, rather than have faith in the words of the two in the minority. As a result of the Israelites’ fear the LORD prohibited that generation from ever conquering Canaan. Consequently they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. This was when my generation was born.
We compassed Jericho THE FOURTH TIME ON THAT SEVENTH DAY. We heard, when we were teenagers, the miraculous plagues the LORD performed for our forefathers and foremothers. The LORD contaminated the Nile River and Egyptian water supply with blood. God infested Egypt’s streams, rivers and ponds with frogs. The LORD converted dirt into lice, which tormented men, women, boys, girls and animals. The LORD hatched millions of flies and dispatched them to afflict the Egyptian people.
We compassed Jericho THE FIFTH TIME ON THAT SEVENTH DAY. We heard when we were young adults, how God plagued horses, donkeys, camels, cattle, sheep and goats. Our elders told us about the boils He put on men, on women, on their children and on beasts. As kids we heard from storytellers. These storytellers told us how the LORD rained hail on Egyptian territory. God blanketed locust on ground. He enveloped darkness in Egypt for three days! Goshen, where they lived, did not experience any of these plagues! The LORD protected His people from the punishment He inflicted on the Egyptians.
We compassed Jericho THE SIXTH TIME ON THAT SEVENTH DAY. We heard throughout the years how the LORD killed Egypt’s firstborn —from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the prisoners who were held captive in his dungeon. The LORD killed Egypt’s firstborn cattle, too. Quite naturally, we heard about the Red Sea. We were told how the LORD drowned 200,000 Egyptian foot soldiers, downed 50,000 Egyptian cavalrymen, and disappeared 600 Egyptian charioteers in the Red Sea. We weren’t the only ones who heard what the LORD did for our parents and grandparents. A Jericho woman named Rahab also heard of God’s exploits. Rahab wanted to be on our side —the righteous and winning side! Rahab knew the LORD had already given us the land. Rahab heard that all of the inhabitants of the land fainted because of us. Rahab said everyone heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea for us. Rahab knew what we did unto the two towering kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side of Jordan. Their names were Sihon and Og. Yeah, that was their names. Rahab knew how we utterly destroyed those two giants. Rahab heard and knew and was convinced that we had already won the war, so she provided invaluable information to our spies. So we learned about all of the miraculous things the LORD performed for His people then. It was time for the LORD to perform a miracle for us now!
We compassed Jericho THE SEVENTH TIME ON THE SEVENTH DAY. At that seventh time, when the seven priests bearing the Ark of the Covenant and the seven trumpeters blowing the rams horns, Joshua said, “Shout; for the LORD hath given you the city!” So we shouted! Thousands of us sword-clasping, spear-carrying, and shield-clenching soldiers SHOUTED! We heard rumbling. We felt quaking. We saw the wall fell down flat. Every man went up into the city. We climbed over boulders and clambered over debris and we conquered Jericho! We utterly destroyed all that were in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword. The spies brought out Rahab. They also brought out her father, her mother, her family, and all that she had. We burnt the city with fire, and all that were therein, as we were commanded. We retrieved the silver, gold, vessels of brass and iron. We put those precious metals into the treasury of the House of the LORD. Wow, what a day! What a victorious day! The LORD performed a miracle for us that day, just like the LORD performed many miracles for our forefathers and foremothers years earlier.
The Jericho conquest was the first of many victories with our leader Joshua, who had been Moses’ trustful aide for about 40 years.
Joshua spoke to the sun to stand still upon Gibeon, and the moon in the Valley of Ajalon. We saw the sun stop in the middle of the sky. The sun did not go down for about a full day. Joshua also told the moon to stand still. No other man displayed such astounding faith to command two celestial bodies to stand still. The LORD fought for us that day! In addition to that astounding miracle the LORD even rained down boulders on the Amorites in that historic battle. More Amorites died from hailstones in that battle than we killed by sword.
Joshua was the most successful warrior. Just look at the list of 31 kings Joshua conquered in the 12th Chapter of the book which bears his name. Just look at the territory we amassed under his leadership, chronicled from the 14th to the 19th Chapters.
It was I, one of about 40,000 soldiers prepared for war, who attests that all of Joshua’s victories and all of our territorial conquests started with us silently walking around Jericho once for six straight days, encircling the city silently six times on the seventh day, and loudly shouting “the LORD hath given you the city!” during the seventh time on that final day.
(Author’s Note: This blog is based on the Book of Joshua, principally Chapter 6. For additional reading the man Joshua served, click/touch on Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4 to learn more about Moses, the Servant of the LORD. To augment your reading on this blog, click/touch The Testament Spectator’s Special Joshuaic Edition.)
Part 1 https://ronaldfowensjr.com/moses-the-servant-of-the-lord-liberator-leader-and-lawgiver-part-1/
Part 2 https://ronaldfowensjr.com/moses-the-servant-of-the-lord-liberator-leader-and-lawgiver-part-2/
Part 3 https://ronaldfowensjr.com/moses-the-servant-of-the-lord-liberator-leader-and-lawgiver-part-3/
Part 4 https://ronaldfowensjr.com/moses-the-servant-of-the-lord-liberator-leader-and-lawgiver-part-4/
Special Joshuaic Edition https://ronaldfowensjr.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Joshua.pdf