Passage: Joshua 6

The Big Idea

Surrender comes first. Then, with surrendered hearts, we march forward by faith. How did Israel take Jericho? They kept walking, eyes on the Ark, until God brought the walls down. The victory was all God’s, but He invited them to walk in it with Him.

Shut Up Tight (Joshua 6:1)

Jericho was shut up tight. No one went out and no one came in. Archaeologists describe Jericho’s defenses as a stone retaining wall topped by a mud-brick wall, rising high above the surrounding ground.

It’s impossible. You’re not getting in.

“See!” (Joshua 6:2)

“And the Lord said to Joshua, ‘See!'”

Take a long look. Don’t ignore the problem. Look right at it. You don’t need to comment on it or complain about it. Avoiding problems is a very fleshly way to live, and it takes no courage. It takes courage and faith to look at the problem right in front of you and not run away screaming, but wait on the Lord.

“I have given”

God tells Joshua He has given Jericho into his hand, along with its king and its warriors (Joshua 6:2).

Every problem is an opportunity for God to give grace:

Every need is for God to supply.
Every sickness is for God to touch.
Every broken heart is one God will hold and love back to health.

How does He do it? By making promises and then fulfilling them by His power. “I have given.” It may look like a big battle in front of you, but from God’s perspective it’s already over. And where do we find His promises? In His Word.

The Plan: Walk (Joshua 6:3-5)

March around the city once a day for six days. Seven priests carry seven ram’s-horn trumpets in front of the Ark. On the seventh day, march around seven times, the priests blow the trumpets, the people shout, and the wall falls down flat.

This makes no sense to the human mind. It’s not clever or strategic. It looks passive. That’s what mockers always say about living by faith: “You’re just sitting there taking no responsibility.”

But is it passive? It’s walking. Walking by faith.

We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them (Ephesians 2:10).

This battle is really about you: how you walk, by faith or by the flesh. How we live matters. It should be good. But how? By walking in faith in what Jesus does and creates in us. We are new creations, born again, with a new life inside: Jesus Himself.

We walk by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). You can’t see Jesus right now, but you can trust Him. How do you trust someone you can’t see? By knowing their character. And His character is revealed in His Word. That’s why we study it. Not as religious work, but as a real relationship. God says things, and we either believe Him or go our own way, trusting our own wisdom instead of our Father.

God includes us

The walls will fall, and the people will go straight in. It’s all God’s victory. But God gives them something to do by faith so they can share in it. Their job: walk.

God could have done it without them. But He wanted them to be part of His work, just as He wants us to be part of His work today.

Eyes on the Ark (Joshua 6:6-14)

Joshua tells the priests, “Take up the Ark of the Covenant.” The Ark represents Jesus. They were to keep Him in front of them the whole time, focusing their hearts on the Lord who was present with them instead of on the size of the task.

And they were told not to say a word until the day Joshua said, “Shout!” Just walk, keep your eyes on the Ark, don’t talk, and listen to the music of the trumpets.

How much clearer could God be that they weren’t the source of victory?

What would it have been like?

About half a mile around each lap, in full view of the enemy.
It took courage. They could be attacked at any moment. (Or, as one comedy movie taught me, watch out for flying cows.)
It took endurance. They had to keep believing and obeying even though it made no sense.
It took humility. Day after day staring at those walls, they became more and more convinced of their utter inability to conquer the city.

We have to get helpless before we can get help.

Rahab and the Accursed Things (Joshua 6:17-19)

The city was devoted to the Lord for destruction. Only Rahab and her household would live, because she hid the spies. And Israel was to stay completely away from the “accursed things,” or they would bring a curse on the camp. The silver, gold, bronze and iron belonged to the Lord’s treasury.

Rahab was a Gentile and a prostitute, spared because of her faith. Her inclusion foreshadows the grace offered to every nation in Christ. Salvation is by faith and open to everyone, regardless of their past.

The accursed things were the idols and objects tied to the depraved, occult worship of Canaan.

The severe judgment on Canaan didn’t come because these people were simply in Israel’s way. It came because they were in total rebellion against God, deeply involved in the occult and even child sacrifice. God had been patient with them for centuries (Genesis 15:16).

The Walls Fall (Joshua 6:20-21)

The trumpets sounded, the people shouted, and the wall fell down flat. The people went straight in and took the city.

Do you think they were surprised? God always keeps His promises.

Why such complete destruction? Ancient war accounts often used sweeping language to describe total victory. And God was removing a culture of abomination. Deuteronomy 18:9-14 lists what the Canaanites practiced: making children pass through fire, witchcraft, omens, sorcery, spells, mediums, contacting the dead. God wanted His people to get their life, direction and passion from Him, not from the garbage of this world, and especially not from the evil of the spiritual world. He was jealous for their hearts.

Rahab Saved (Joshua 6:22-25)

Joshua sends the two spies to bring out Rahab and all her family, just as they promised. Then the city is burned.

Fire on one side, salvation on the other. Behind the scarlet cord, there was safety.

A Curse Fulfilled (Joshua 6:26-27)

Joshua pronounced a curse on anyone who rebuilt Jericho: he would lay its foundation at the cost of his firstborn and set up its gates at the cost of his youngest. Centuries later, a man named Hiel rebuilt Jericho, and exactly that happened (1 Kings 16:34). God’s Word always comes to pass.

And the Lord was with Joshua.

How Do We Keep Walking?

Faith: trust God.
Humility: don’t hide or run from the problem.
Rest in God’s work. Instead of normal battle preparations, Israel simply obeyed and waited on God. Grace teaches us to rest in Christ’s finished work, relying on Him instead of striving. He fights for us and through us.

If Joshua had given them complete rest, God wouldn’t have spoken later of another day. There remains a rest for the people of God. Whoever enters His rest has ceased from his own works, as God did from His (Hebrews 4:8-10).

Grace Takeaway

Look right at your Jericho, and then look at the Ark. God has already given you the victory. Your part isn’t to tear down walls; it’s to keep walking by faith with your eyes on Jesus. When He says shout, the walls will fall.

← The Battle of Surrender Before the Battle for Victory | All Joshua notes | Defeat at Ai →