The Battle of Jericho - Joshua 5:13 - 6:27
Now the time had come for the Israelites to start to take the land. They were going to have to do battle, but this type of battle was different from normal battles. Can you imagine a battle where priests were circling a city? God had instructed Joshua, through the commander of the army of heaven, the strategy for the battle plan. God was showing Joshua and the Israelites that the battle really belonged to the Lord. God was showing Himself to Joshua in a similar way as He did to Moses at the burning bush.
It was important for the Israelites to follow the instructions God gave to Joshua. What the fighting men were supposed to do was to march around the city every day. They were led by the priests who were carrying the ark of the covenant. Remember that the people in Jericho were terrified of the Israelites because they had heard what God did for them while they were living in Egypt. So the Israelites marched around the city for six days. Nothing else happened then, well not until the seventh day.
On the seventh day, God gave Israel the victory. This time, the soldiers marched seven times around the city. After they were finished, the priests blew their trumpets and the men gave a loud cry. The walls of the city came down! God had worked on behalf of Israel and now they destroyed the city of Jericho. They could now enter the city. God showed His mighty power to the Israelites and to the people who lived in Jericho. Everyone who lived in Jericho was put to death except one family. Rahab was spared from being killed because she followed the instructions of the spies and put a red cord to hang out of the window of where she lived. The Israelite soldiers did not put Rahab or anyone in her family to death. God had been merciful to Rahab because she trusted in Him.
All this took place around 1406 B.C.
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