Daily Devotional · Joshua 6:1–5, 20
Walls Come Down
Reflection
Jericho was bolted shut. No one went out; no one came in. Militarily, it was an impregnable fortress guarding the entrance to Canaan. Israel had no siege equipment, no engineers, no catapults. God's instructions to Joshua were militarily absurd: march around the city once a day for six days. Seven priests carry seven trumpets before the ark. On the seventh day, march around seven times. Then when the priests sound the trumpet, have everyone shout — and the wall will fall down flat. There was no human mechanism by which marching and shouting would bring down a city wall. God designed it that way deliberately — so that when the walls fell, no military strategist could take credit. The victory would be unmistakably divine. The Israelites obeyed. For six days, they marched in silence. The silence itself must have felt foolish. Seven times on the seventh day. Then Joshua commanded: shout, for the Lord has given you the city! And they shouted. And the walls fell. Rahab's house — built into the wall, marked with the scarlet cord — stood firm while everything around it collapsed. Faith sometimes looks like marching in circles while the world wonders what you're doing. The point is not the strategy — it is the obedience.
Background
Archaeological excavations at Jericho (Tell es-Sultan) have found evidence of collapsed mudbrick walls. While dating is debated, the site shows destruction layers consistent with the biblical account. The seven-day structure echoes creation: six days of preparation, the seventh of climactic action — God restoring order where chaos reigned.
Truth
Some walls God intends to bring down by methods that make no human sense. The strategy He gives you is not always the one that would appear in a textbook. The question is not whether the method is impressive — it is whether you will trust Him enough to obey it.
Application
What "Jericho" are you facing — a situation that has been shut tight against breakthrough? Ask God what His strategy is, even if it seems unusual. Then obey it faithfully, even through the days of silence when nothing seems to be happening.