Joshua's Military Prowess
“Now Jericho was shut up inside and outside because of the people of Israel. None went out, and none came in. And the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and mighty men of valor. You shall march around the city, all the men of war going around the city once. Thus shall you do for six days. Seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark. On the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. And when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, when you hear the sound of the trumpet, then all the people shall shout with a great shout, and the wall of the city will fall down flat, and the people shall go up, everyone straight before him.” So Joshua the son of Nun called the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the Lord.” And he said to the people, “Go forward. March around the city and let the armed men pass on before the ark of the Lord.”
And just as Joshua had commanded the people, the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the Lord went forward, blowing the trumpets, with the ark of the covenant of the Lord following them.”
This is a well known scene from the Bible. It is so well known that there is a popular song, “Joshua Fit The Battle Of Jericho” that started as an African American spiritual and is still covered and sung today by many musicians.
So, Joshua is entering the promised land, and the way they are to overtake this city is quite extraordinary. They were not to use their strength or their ingenuity in the initial attack. They were not to use some clever military scheme like the Trojan horse or fain a false retreat to lure out the other side. No. They were to begin this battle by marching around the city once a day for six days while the priests blew the rams' horns, and then seven times on the last day blowing the horns and then ending the march with a loud shout from the people. This tactic was going to breach the walls of the great city.
Nothing about this plan strikes us as a stroke of great military genius. It can seem a bit silly, actually. Walk your army around the city. Don’t talk, sing, or shout. No taunting or anything. Just march. And as you march, display the symbol of your God (in their case, the ark of the covenant) and have the priests (who are not your warriors) blow horns. Yep. That is shaping up as a Tom Clancy thriller for sure!
The point is that they were to do this great feat, not in their own strength but by the power and direction of the Lord. God had given Joshua this plan. Just as he had given Moses the grand plan of trapping everyone between the Red Sea and Pharaoh's army to bring about that military victory. Just as He will tell Gideon to shave down his numbers to 300 and carry torches under pots and then smash the pots and yell at the designated time. Just as He would send Jesus to be crucified and murdered by men to bring a victory over all sin and rebellion.
The kingdom of God doesn’t advance the way we often think. It advances through times of weakness, humility, prayer, and obedience to sometimes the oddest leadings. Think of Elijah, who challenges hundreds of pagan priests to a prayer and worship battle on the top of a mountain! Quite the tactic for routing the enemies of God.
God’s victory is not established by what God’s people do for God but by how His presence and power moves through His people. Joshua is dependent on God’s plan. Without it, he would have to put his hope in the wisdom of man. And when we work in our strength, who knows what the outcome will be? It would be much like Moses, I assume. He grew up and saw the treatment of his people. He knew it was wrong and he wanted what God wanted, to deliver them. So, he planned to rise up and kill the Egyptian who was hitting his fellow Hebrew and bury the body. The result? The Hebrews were afraid and not trusting of him, the Egyptian wasn’t even buried properly, the body was discovered, and instead of being an advocate of justice, he became an outcast and murderer!
This is the story of our salvation and Christian life. We depend on Christ alone, by faith alone, and by his grace alone. We need Him for everything in life if we are to live life as God intended for us to. And when we follow God, even in times when it may not make a lot of sense, we see that He does miraculous things in us, and in our lives, but more importantly, He does what He does in relationship with us!
