The Fall of Jericho

Joshua 5:13-7:26

            Before the battle with Jericho is joined, Joshua has a strange vision of a man with a sword. Joshua recognizes a divine emissary and asks whose side the man is on. The man significantly changes the question. It’s not a question of whether God is on our side or not; it’s a question of whether we are on God’s side…

            Joshua shows himself on God’s side and follows His orders. No war cried, no siege engines; just a parade around the city six days in a row, replete with trumpet blasts, but nothing else. Finally, on the seventh day, seven times around, and, to quote the old Sunday school song, “the walls come a-tumbling down!”

            Several weeks ago, I commented in regard to Numbers 31 about the practice of herem, total dedication to the Lord. It is difficult for us to understand. In the case of Jericho, herem meant the extermination of every living thing: “men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep, and donkeys” (6:21). As I commented then, in the case of animals it seems wasteful and in the case of humans it seems vicious. In order to understand it at all, we have to think of Jericho as a fortress specifically at the entry point of the promised land. While it wasn’t built consciously to keep the Israelites out (there were other enemies to worry about), it was the fortress that was standing in the way of the Lord bringing His people in. So, it had to go—completely, never to be rebuilt.

            If only Achan had gotten the memo…