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How can the Israelite soldiers march around the city of Jericho and defeat it?
This Week’s Story relives American history and the Bible through brief inspiring stories presented on mp3 audio recordings and text for reading.
Joshua: And the walls came
a-tumbling down! part six
The sun was rising with the promise of a hot day. Today’s heat would sizzle spit. Nobody was going inside or outside of Jericho. Dogs cowered in corners; people were unseen; and the air trembled with fear. When would the Israelites attack?
Outside the city Israelite soldiers prepared to march around the city of Jericho seven times. For six days they had marched around the city once each day.
In one Israeli tent a young teenager named Jonathan awoke. He stretched and watched his brother. “Eliab, I want to go with you.”
“Boy, you do not know what you are asking.”
“I know Joshua ordered all our soldiers to march around the city. The Ark of the Covenant and the priests will be with you. From what I know, that means you need to follow God’s directions!”
“You got that right, Jonathan.”
Jonathan watched as Eliab joined the formation of soldiers from all the tribes of Judah. He heard the murmur of soldiers’ voices. They had been ordered by Joshua to keep quiet as they marched. How eerie for thousands of soldiers to march quietly to the sound of blaring trumpets!
Were soldiers of Jericho going to shoot arrows at the Israelites? What weapons would be used?
Jonathan was used to listening to soldiers. He thought: Our soldiers have few weapons with them, just spears, swords, and bows and arrows. They have no ladders for climbing up and over the city walls. No one is talking about using axes and hammers to break through the walls. Suicidal! I doubt there is any tunneling under the city walls. Could trickery or some incredible surprise be planned? What is going to happen? What does Joshua know that the soldiers do not know? What has God told him?
While Jonathan wondered, Joshua gave orders to the commanders of the soldiers, “The Lord’s directions are: When you have marched around the city seven times, the priests will give a long loud blast with the trumpets. Then the marchers will shout mightily. Know that the Lord has given you this city. It is cursed. Only Rahab and all her family shall live, because she hid the spies we sent.
“Take nothing. There will be no looting. You can take vessels made of gold, silver, brass, and iron, but they are to be placed in the Lord’s tabernacle. They will be used for worshipping Him. If anything which belongs to the Lord, is taken; trouble will come to Israel.”
The commanders prepared the people. Soldiers and priests surrounded the city and the people of Jericho shuddered. Hours passed. Then came the blast of trumpets followed by the combined shout of all of Israel’s army.
With no warning the walls of the city collapsed. The Israelite army entered the city and destroyed it. Rahab and her family were saved. Did God use an earthquake? Did the waters of the large spring in Jericho penetrate the city’s mudbrick walls and cause crumbling? Hebrews 11:30 of the Bible states, “By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days.”
Faith and victory were often the heart of Jewish successes.
This is Barbara Steiner with the conclusion of a story that continues in the Bible.
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