Joshua
Lesson 5Joshua 6:1-27
In our last lesson, we looked at Joshua Chapters 4 and 5. We observed that in God’s perfect timing, He brought the children of Israel across the Jordan River and into the camp at Gilgal, exactly forty years to the day from their departure out of Egypt. Celebrating their first Passover in the Promised Land, it must have been a time of great anticipation as they waited to see how God would lead them to capture Jericho and begin inhabiting the land.
In this lesson, we will study that attack of Jericho in Joshua Chapter 6, and once again see that God’s ways are not our ways. We will experience first-hand what it’s like to live a life by faith. I pray that God will greatly grow your faith as you witness His power in the victory at Jericho.
Let’s begin our study by reading Chapter 6 and then considering the following:
- As the children of Israel camped in Gilgal, just two miles from the towering walls of Jericho, what was the situation like in Jericho? (Compare Joshua 6:1 and 5:1)
- How large would you estimate the population of the Israelites camped at Gilgal to have been? (see Numbers 26:2 and 26:51) Remember that 2 and 1/2 half tribes remained on the other side of the Jordan. How large was the army that crossed the Jordan? (see Joshua 4:13)
- What did God tell Joshua before He told Joshua what the plan of attack was? (see Joshua 6:2)
- In Joshua 6:3-5, God laid out the battle plan. List each specific action that the Israelites were instructed to take, including specifically who was to take it, and the period of time (or day) that it was to be performed.
- If you were going to attack a city fortified with guards, gates, and 40-50 feet high walls that were up to forty feet thick, what are some of the dangers you would want to protect yourself against as you attacked the city?
- What are some of the equipment/weapons that you would have needed in order to successfully execute such an attack in those days?
- Did they have the element of surprise?
- Given the various dangers, the lack of any ramming apparatus, catapults (which hadn’t been invented yet), climbing ladders, lack of surprise, and little combat training, what was the Israelites’ reaction to God’s plan when Joshua conveyed it to them?
- The city of Jericho in those days was relatively small in size as cities go, approximately six to ten acres, with walls that were probably forty to fifty feet high surrounding the entire city. It would have taken approximately thirty minutes for Joshua’s army to make the procession around the city one time. This means that each day, they would arise early so that, just after dawn, they could march to the city and follow God’s orders. Then they would return to camp and spend the majority of the day waiting and preparing for the next day. Do you think that "waiting" required as much faith as the marching? Would it have been frustrating for you to want the walls to come down, while all God wanted you to do was wait? Do we sometimes believe that because we’re waiting on God, we’re wasting time, because we really should be out "doing" something?
- On Day 7, "D-Day", the Israelites follow God’s orders to the letter. Do you recall how large the army was that Joshua led around the city? (From our study of earlier verses, we estimated that it was approximately 40,000.) Can you imagine a group of people of that size being absolutely quiet for the three hours that it would have taken to make the seven trips, and then in perfect sync all of them shouting at one time? What does this indicate to us about the importance of working together when we are doing God’s work?
- What does your version of the Bible specifically say that actually happened to the walls? (see Joshua 6:20)
- And what did God specifically tell Joshua would happen to the walls, as recounted in Joshua 6:5?
- Did Joshua’s army have any obstacles to overcome as they captured the city? Was it difficult for them to climb over large piles of debris? Were manmade obstacles put in their path? Did the debris from the collapsing walls hurt or kill any of them? How many of the citizens of Jericho escaped out of the back of the city? (see Joshua 6:20-21)
- Who actually rescued Rahab and her family? Why? (see Josh. 6:22-25)
Can you imagine such a challenge as Jericho, and such a victory? Probably over two million people cross a swollen Jordan River, which is normally impassable; then they camp two miles from the city and six days later begin an attack by marching around in a circle for the next seven days. Does this sound like a conventional way to battle and defeat an entrenched enemy?
In the end however, because of the way God did it, there is no doubt who got the victory that day – God! Not man’s clever schemes, talents, wealth, and training; no, it was nothing but God’s great power that defeated Jericho. Joshua’s army got the victory by living in faith and in following God’s instructions to the letter.
Somehow I think that there is a Sunday School lesson in this for us today as well. What do you think? Have you faced, or are you facing, your own personal Jericho? There is much here that we can learn for use in our daily lives. I pray that God will reveal it to you this week.
May God richly bless you and greatly increase your faith as you continue in the study of His Holy Word.
Yours in Christ,
Wes
[2003]