Eld Chew Chong Kiat

The Conquest of Jericho

The people of Israel were encamped in the plains of Jericho and the Son of God came to Joshua in Joshua chapter 6 to give him instructions to fight against Jericho.

You would recall that when Moses sent the twelve to spy out the land, ten of the twelve spies came back with words that discouraged the people, “The people is greater and taller than we; the cities are great and walled up to heaven...” (De 1:28).

Jericho was such a walled-up city.

Archeologists described the structure of the wall of Jericho as an earthen embankment which ran from ground level upwards on an incline to a stone wall of 4-5 m height followed by a 6-8m tall mud-brick wall, 2m thick, followed by another inclined earthen embankment and another mud-brick wall and another stone wall. The total structure stands nearly ten storeys in height from ground level.

Besides this, it was just after the harvest (Jos 3:15) and the city was stocked with food and a spring located within the walls of Jericho provided ample water for the entire population.

In short, Jericho was an impregnable fortress, with plenty of resources and supplies within the city walls.

Jos 6:1“Now Jericho was straitly shut up because of the children of Israel: none went out, and none came in.”

The military strategy of Jericho was clear - sit tight. They believed that they were very safe.

But “the LORD said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour.” (v2)And the LORD revealed the strategy, something unheard of and completely contrary to human logic (v3-5). But they were not the words of man, but of God most wise and almighty.

God’s ways are higher than man’s ways (Isa 55:9). God’s ways magnify His glory and His name. They are not for the proud. A proud man will say “Shall the wall come down by walking around it and by a blast of horn and a great shout?” But the meek and humble will do accordingly and be blessed. This was the experience of Naaman, the mighty general of Syria. Only when he humbled himself to dip seven times in the river Jordan was he healed of his leprosy and more importantly his soul (2Kings 5). We can never be useful to God if we do not humble ourselves and acknowledge the higher ways of God.

God is not bound by the laws of nature. God the Creator is the One who sets the laws of nature in motion. He can both use and set aside these laws of nature to accomplish His will. It is nothing for Him to do so.

At His word the Red Sea parted, so did the river Jordan. He stopped the mouths of the hungry lions for Daniel and prevented the fire from hurting the three friends of Daniel. Nothing can hinder God from doing His will, nothing is impossible with God.

Faith in God and His Word overcomes obstacles and difficulties. Unbelief will cause you to stare up the walls and say that the city is walled up into heaven and you are like grasshoppers. Faith overcomes fear and sees the greatness of God. If God has promised, that settles it- believe and doubt not. The wall, the Red sea, Goliath and the armies that are as the sand on the seashore are nothing to God. Trust in God; be not anxious and thus lose sleep and hope. Troubles are sent of God to train us to trust Him more and to glorify Him by our faith.

Heb 11:30 “By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days.”

We may make five observations concerning faith:

1. THE COURAGE OF FAITH. It took courage to take God at His word, and to march round the wall. They could be shot at or stoned or laughed to scorn. But they obeyed. Timidity is contrary to faith. Faith gives boldness in God. Few today are willing to risk anything in the service of God. We see so much courage in many characters in the Bible but we remain timid and trembling and adopt a ‘kiasu’ and ‘kiasi’ attitude. William Carey, the pioneer missionary to India has this motto, “Ask great things of God, expect great things from God and attempt great things for God.” AW Pink says, “It is well to look before we leap, but many look so long that they never leap at all!” How can we attempt great things for God if we do not take the leap of faith? A call came to you to serve and you hesitate. Yes, you need to wait upon the Lord in prayer for His will, but do you take so long to look that you never take the leap of faith to find out more and to get a little involved so as to confirm the Lord’s calling? There is truth in the saying, “Nothing ventured, nothing gain.” So long as you are guided by the clear command of Scripture, take the venture.

2. THE OBEDIENCE OF FAITH. The command of God may sound ridiculous to human logic, but they obeyed without question and murmuring. They learned that the ways of God are not like their ways.There is an old pun in the army, “Ours is not to ask why, but to do and die”. That is essentially the role of a soldier at war- to obey orders even to death. Now our commanders may be greatly mistaken because of wrong intel or may not have a righteous motive in the orders. But God is never wrong. He is always right and all wise and righteous and powerful in all His providence. Surely this adage from the army is true with reference to the commands of God. Even if we have to die because of our obedience, let us be willing to lay it down. Surely he will not sacrifice us whom He has redeemed if it does not conduce to greater good.
   
   The Israelites obeyed every jot and tittle of the instructions given and did not add or adapt or subtract any. This is the hallmark of obedience. It is not good enough to obey nine out of ten of the instructions, or even to modify one of them. It is also not good enough to do eleven out of ten that God said. They indicate a lack of respect and faith in God’s instructions as if God does not know better than you.

3. DISCIPLINE OF FAITH. “And Joshua had commanded the people, saying, Ye shall not shout, nor make any noise with your voice, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I bid you shout; then shall ye shout.” (Jos 6:10) To do this, they required great discipline, the discipline that stems from faith. This discipline enables us to be still and to wait upon the LORD and not to fret and murmur, especially when the going is tough.

4. PATIENCE OF FAITH. The walls did not fall on the first day, neither on the second nor the third, but on the seventh, and that after being encompassed seven times. What is the test? Is it not one of patience? God did not gratify them instantly but proved their obedience and their faith. They were taught the need of patience to see the fulfillment of God’s promises. This was the start of the long conquest. God would teach them this early lesson of faith for future conquests. God will deliver His promises in His own time. Ps 37:7a Rest in the LORD, and wait patientlyfor him…” Hab 2:3 “For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.” How we need patience in our walk with God! How easily we become discouraged when our first attempt fails and the second as well. We need to know that not only is grace and mercy OF God but the timing is OF God. Abraham grew impatient and so did Sarah and they “helped” God. Moses grew impatient with the Israelites and smote the rock. Patience is a great virtue.

5. REWARDS OF FAITH. Their faith was rewarded. Heb 11:2 “For by it [faith] the elders obtained a good report.…6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. ”The walls fell flat and they were able to ascend straight into the city on every side without having to batter down the wall or to climb over it. We will surely reap if we faint not.