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The Siege of Jericho
v. 1. Now Jericho was straitly shut up, not only strongly fortified, but also guarded with all strictness, because of the children of Israel; none went" out and none came in. This remark is inserted by the historian by way of explanation, before he continues to describe the meeting between Joshua and the Prince of the heavenly host.
v. 2. And the Lord said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho and the king thereof and the mighty men of valor. This was the divine plan and intention, assuring the immediate help of God, the overthrow of the city and its staunch and mighty defenders by a miracle.
v. 3. And ye shall compass the city, surround it completely, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once, march completely around it. Thus shall thou do six days, on each of six successive days, which probably brought the time around once more to the eve of the Sabbath.
v. 4. And seven priests shall bear before the ark, which was thus conspicuous in the line of march, seven trumpets of rams' horns, very large instruments, with a deep-toned, terrifying sound, especially when the notes were sustained; and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets. The repetition on the several days of this procession about the city could only be intended to exercise Israel in unconditional faith and patient trust in the power and help of God, and to impress deeply upon the people the fact that it was the almighty power and faithfulness of Jehovah alone which gave into their hands this fortified city, one of the strongest in the land. The last day was surely the strongest test of their faith, for the besieged were probably not sparing in their jeering cries of contempt for a great host that ventured no attack, but continued on its endless procession around the city.
v. 5. and it shall come to pass that, when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, in a long-sustained, single note, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout, the cry of an army confident of victory; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, topple over and lie prostrate, and the people shall ascend up, the ranks turning to face the city, every man straight before him, in perfect order of attack, without turning either to the right or to the left. This was the order of the Prince of the angelic host as it was imparted to Joshua at that wonderful meeting.
v. 6. And Joshua, the son of Nun, having received this command from the Lord, called the priests and said unto them, Take up the Ark of the Covenant, to carry it in the intended procession, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the Lord.
v. 7. And he said unto the people, the army that was actively engaged in this siege. Pass on and compass the city, and let him that is armed pass on before the ark of the Lord, the host of the two and one half tribes probably passing on in review, to be followed afterward by the host of the other tribes.
v. 8. And it came to pass, when Joshua had spoken unto the people, that the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams' horns passed on before the Lord, before the Ark of the Covenant, which was the visible sign of God's presence among His people, and blew with the trumpets; and the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord followed them.
v. 9. And the armed men, that is, the first division of the army, went before the priests that blew with the trumpets, and the rearward, the last division of the army forming the rear-guard, came after the ark, probably in the same manner as on the march through the desert, the priests going on and blowing with the trumpets, sounding without intermission.
v. 10. And Joshua had commanded the people, saying, Ye shall not shout, nor make any noise with your voice, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I bid you shout; then shall ye shout. The grim and silent procession, moving forward without a sound but the tramping of marching feet and the blasts from the priests' horns, must have made the impression of unwavering determination.
v. 11. So the ark of the Lord, the most conspicuous feature in the procession, compassed the city, going about it once; and they came into the camp and lodged in the camp, they spent the night there.
v. 12. And Joshua rose early in the morning, on the second day, and the priests took up the ark of the Lord.
v. 13. And seven priests, bearing seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the Lord, went on continually and blew with the trumpets, without intermission; and the armed men went before them; but the rearward came after the ark of the Lord, the priests going on and blowing with the trumpets.
v. 14. And the second day they compassed the city once and returned into the camp; so they did six days, observing the same procedure every day. It was a strange siege and one which tested the faith of the children of Israel strongly. For it was against all human reason and prudence for the army to lay aside all weapons and, instead, to march around the city with the sound of trumpets. But they followed the command of the Lord strictly and literally. It is a mark of true faith for a person to set reason aside, simply believe the Word, and trust the Lord in everything.