⚔️ Joshua 6 — Key Summary: ๐ The March That Announces the Presence of God
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At the end of chapter 5, there was a man whom Joshua saw:
He had a sword drawn in his hand;
he was the commander of the army of the LORD;
he had just arrived;
and the place where he was standing was holy, so Joshua had to take off his sandals.
In the previous summary, I understood this scene as showing both an indication of God’s presence and, through the commander holding a drawn sword, a state of readiness for battle.
⚔️ Key Summary of Joshua 6
Joshua 6 is a very interesting and fascinating chapter.
At first, it appears to be simply a story about the war to capture Jericho. However, the commands of God and the sequence of events seem less like an ordinary military battle and more like a holy procession revealing the presence of God.
The first verse of Joshua 6 describes the wartime situation: Jericho was tightly shut, and no one was going in or coming out.
① The LORD’s declaration and command: Jericho has been handed over to Joshua
The LORD tells Joshua that Jericho, its king, and its mighty warriors have already been delivered into his hand. Then He gives a very special command:
→ All the armed men are to march around the city once a day for six days.
→ On the seventh day, they are to march around the city seven times.
→ Seven priests are to carry seven trumpets made of rams’ horns and blow them before the ark of the covenant of the LORD.
→ When the long blast of the trumpets sounds on the seventh day, all the people are to shout with a great shout. Then the wall of the city will collapse.
๐ What is important here is that the LORD says He has “given Jericho into your hand.”
Of course, this was a victory given to all Israel, but God places Joshua at the forefront of the people and further establishes his authority as their leader.
๐ Another thing that stands out is that on the seventh day, all the people were to shout together.
The victory had already been declared by God, but He allowed the entire people to participate in the work through which He would bring that victory about.
② The order and situation of the LORD’s army marching around Jericho for six days
All the people of Israel — from the priests to the army and the rest of the people — obey Joshua’s command.
The armed army of the LORD, as the vanguard;
the seven priests carrying the trumpets and marching while blowing them;
the ark of the LORD and those carrying it;
and the army of the LORD bringing up the rear.
→ Joshua commanded the people not to let any sound come from their mouths and not to say a word, and they marched like this for six days.
๐ When they marched around Jericho for six days according to Joshua’s command, the text records that the only sound during the march was the sound of the rams’ horn trumpets blown by the priests.
③ The seventh day, the day Jericho fell
On the seventh day, they arose and marched in the same manner as before, but this time they went around the city seven times.
On the seventh time, together with the sound of the trumpets, Joshua commanded the people to shout.
At that moment, the walls collapsed.
Israel captured the city, and everything in it was devoted completely to destruction.
๐ The destruction of Jericho was not a command that suddenly appeared at this point.
From after the Exodus until just before entering Canaan, God had repeatedly commanded that the peoples of Canaan be destroyed.
๐ Therefore, the destruction of all the people and livestock of Jericho was not an event that occurred without warning. Rather, it can be understood as the execution of a judgment that God had announced repeatedly long before, while also explaining its reasons.
④ The salvation of Rahab and her family
Joshua commanded the two men who had spied out the land to bring out Rahab and everyone belonging to her.
The two spies obeyed the command and spared Rahab, her father, her family, and everything that belonged to her.
The text records that they lived among Israel to this day.
⑤ Joshua’s curse
Joshua declared that anyone who rebuilt Jericho would come under the LORD’s curse, losing his firstborn when he laid its foundation and his youngest son when he set up its gates.
→ Because of this, Joshua’s fame spread throughout the land.
→ The text says this was because the LORD was with Joshua.
Conclusion – 1
Joshua 6 is a very interesting and fascinating chapter.
The scene of marching around Jericho reminds me of several scenes that existed long ago in Korea.
During the Joseon Dynasty, when someone passed the national examination and came first in the rankings, there was a procession with drums and traditional instruments, while the successful candidate rode behind in a palanquin.
It also resembles, in some ways, the procession of a bridegroom before a wedding.
The difference is that those processions were very noisy! ๐
✔️ Thinking about those scenes, the procession around Jericho, as I see it, looks less like a march for battle and more like a procession symbolizing the presence of God.
The rams’ horn trumpets seem to announce to the whole land that God was present in this battle and was fighting alongside Israel.
And perhaps the reason the people had to remain silent was to mean that human voices were to cease before the holy presence of God. ๐
๐ The battle between God and His enemies — that is, between God and mankind — had already been decided before the battle even began.
This seems to be shown right at the beginning of chapter 6:
→ “I have given Jericho into your hand.”
I think this statement proves exactly that. ๐
Conclusion – 2
Joshua 6 records a military operation that continued for seven days.
I began wondering how the Sabbath regulations of the Law applied in such a special wartime situation. After all, not only the priests but also the army of Israel left their camps and marched around Jericho for seven days.
The march around Jericho was a military operation directly commanded by God.
Although the text does not give a separate explanation concerning the Sabbath, this passage makes us think about how the Sabbath regulations were applied in an exceptional situation such as a war directly commanded by God. ๐
๐ Jericho did not fall because of Israel’s military strength, but because of the presence of God.
The record of chapter 6 shows from beginning to end that the true author of the victory was not man, but God.
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