Joshua 6:15-27

15 On the seventh day they rose early, at the dawn of day, and marched around the city in the same manner seven times. It was only on that day that they marched around the city seven times. 16 And at the seventh time, when the priests had blown the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, “Shout, for the LORD has given you the city. 17 And the city and all that is within it shall be devoted to the LORD for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall live, because she hid the messengers whom we sent. 18 But you, keep yourselves from the things devoted to destruction, lest when you have devoted them you take any of the devoted things and make the camp of Israel a thing for destruction and bring trouble upon it. 19 But all silver and gold, and every vessel of bronze and iron, are holy to the LORD; they shall go into the treasury of the LORD.” 20 So the people shouted, and the trumpets were blown. As soon as the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they captured the city. 21 Then they devoted all in the city to destruction, both men and women, young and old, oxen, sheep, and donkeys, with the edge of the sword.

22 But to the two men who had spied out the land, Joshua said, “Go into the prostitute’s house and bring out from there the woman and all who belong to her, as you swore to her.” 23 So the young men who had been spies went in and brought out Rahab and her father and mother and brothers and all who belonged to her. And they brought all her relatives and put them outside the camp of Israel. 24 And they burned the city with fire, and everything in it. Only the silver and gold, and the vessels of bronze and of iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the LORD. 25 But Rahab the prostitute and her father’s household and all who belonged to her, Joshua saved alive. And she has lived in Israel to this day, because she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.

26 Joshua laid an oath on them at that time, saying, “Cursed before the LORD be the man who rises up and rebuilds this city, Jericho.

  “At the cost of his firstborn shall he
    lay its foundation,
  and at the cost of his youngest son
    shall he set up its gates.”

27 So the LORD was with Joshua, and his fame was in all the land.

(ESV)

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On the seventh and final day, Israel got up early and marched around Jericho in the same way, silent except for the seven priests blowing the rams’ horns and with the ark of the Lord between the front and rear guards, only this time they went around seven times. After the seventh circuit of the city, Joshua told them to shout because the Lord had given them the city. They all shouted and blew trumpets and the walls of Jericho miraculously came tumbling down, all except the portion where Rahab was staying with her family. Jericho was surrounded and every soldier advanced forward into the city from where he was standing. How did the walls of such a fortified city come tumbling down from just a shout? Because of Israel’s faithful obedience. Israel did what God told them to do trusting that God would do what He said He would do. Hebrews 11:30 tells us, “By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days.”

Joshua sent the two spies to go and fetch Rahab and her family and all their belongings. Rahab and her family were taking outside the camp of Israel. Because they were Gentiles, Rahab and her family would have to be ceremonially cleansed and the men likely circumcised before they could identify with the people of Israel. Rahab’s story is a beautiful picture of God’s grace. Despite her past, she and her family were saved by faith in God. Rahab even became part of the Messianic line (Mat 1:5).

This passage tells us that Jericho was devoted to the Lord for destruction. It is also referred to as being under the ban. The city and everything in it was given over to the Lord by totally destroying it. The people of Israel were to take nothing from the city at all. Everything was the Lord’s. All the people and animals were to be killed. Some of the spoils, the items of silver and gold, bronze and iron were to be put into the Lord’s treasury but everything else was destroyed. Why complete destruction? God has every right to bring judgement on people and nations in sin and Canaan’s sin was full. God also intended to bless Israel in the land and use Israel as a blessing to the world but that wouldn’t happen if they were infected by the idolatry and immorality of the Canaanites. When Rahab had been saved and the city completely demolished and burned to the ground, Joshua pronounced a curse on anyone who tried to rebuild the city. The city was occupied briefly a few times and then 500 years later under King Ahab, in a time of apostasy, Hiel of Bethel attempted to rebuild Jericho’s walls at the cost of his two sons (1 Kings 16:34).

Sin is highly contagious. At this time in history we have a fresh understanding of what contagious means. God knew that Israel couldn’t live amongst people steeped in sin like the Canaanites and not be seriously negatively affected. We can’t live in close relationship with those who reject God’s ways and not be affected. We have a hard enough time staying away from sin without others encouraging us and making it seem okay. Who or what do you have in your life that is influencing you to sin? It’s often better to cut it off completely than be continually dragged away from God.


Major Stories of the Bible Reading Plan

Complaints and Rebellion: Numbers 11-12