Joshua 6:15, commentary and pictures

On the seventh day Israel rose early about the dawning of the day and compassed Jericho seven times in the same manner as before, after a single circuit on each of the six days before, in the course the Lord had appointed for taking the city. They marched in perfect order with armed men first, then seven priests with trumpets, then the ark of God borne by priests, then the host tribe by tribe, keeping solemn silence with no sound but the tread and the trumpets, while the guarded city watched in terror and wonder. After the seventh circuit the priests sounded a longer blast and at command the people shouted because God had given them the city, and the wall fell flat so Israel took it. The fall was God's work by the Captain of the Lord's host with Christ and angels, with no human hand touching the walls and no human plan devising it, wrought by a simple act of marching and blowing made mighty by His Spirit rather than by military strength. He wrought thus because Israel then walked as an obedient and believing people bearing the ark in His appointed way, for their strength was not in carrying the ark itself but in obedience to the law it contained and the God it represented, that no flesh should glory but His name alone be exalted.

The Seventh-Day Circuit

On the seventh day Israel rose early about the dawning of the day and compassed Jericho seven times after the same manner as before, unlike the single circuit on each of the preceding six days, following the course the Lord had instructed for taking the city. The rising was at the first dawn of light, with Joshua marshaling the armies for the sevenfold compassing that completed the commanded circuit before the fall.

The march went in perfect order with Joshua at the head, first a select body of armed men appointed not to fight but to believe and obey, then seven priests with trumpets, then the ark of God glittering with gold with a halo of glory over it borne by priests in sacred dress, then the vast army of Israel tribe by tribe under its standards. The ark, priests, and warriors moved in solemn procession while the walls still stood.

The people kept solemn silence for the seven days, with no sound but the tread of the host and the solemn trumpets echoing from the hills through Jericho. The silence held through the ordered procession of the earlier days and through the seventh day until the signal for the shout.

The watchmen of the doomed city watched every move in wonder and alarm, with the gates kept closely shut and guarded by mighty warriors. Its leaders were struck with terror at the mystery and majesty of the procession, and they were too terrified to sport. Some ridiculed and others were awed by the ark and priests and host, remembering the parting of the Red Sea forty years before and the passage just prepared through the Jordan.

After the seven circuits on that day the procession halted, the priests made a longer trumpet blast as the signal, and at Joshua's command the people shouted with a loud voice because God had given them the city. Then the wall fell flat and Israel took the city. The halt, the sounding of the trumpets, and the shout followed the seventh circuit in that order.

The march set out from Gilgal, which was the place from which Israel went forth for the conquest of Jericho and Ai. The circuit of the ark was attended by Christ and heavenly angels, with Jesus the Son of God followed by heavenly angels present with the ark around Jericho. Four heavenly angels always accompanied the ark in all its journeyings to guard it from danger and to fulfill missions connected with it.

God's Power Through Obedience

The fall of the walls and the taking of Jericho were God's work through the Lord's power and by His host, not a conquest to be credited to Israel or gained by Israel's own strength. Possession of Canaan depended on trusting God to fulfill His promise, not solely on military strength. This miracle displayed God's power, strengthened Israel's faith, and rebuked their earlier unbelief.

No human hand touched the massive walls and no human general devised the plan for taking the city. The city was compassed and taken by the armies of the Lord's host under their heavenly General, with the Captain of the Lord's host giving His orders to the heavenly army until down came the walls. Christ and His angels cast down the walls and delivered Jericho into Israel's hands, for Jesus the Son of God followed by heavenly angels was present with the ark in its circuit around Jericho. Four heavenly angels always accompanied the ark in all its journeyings to guard it from danger and to fulfill missions connected with it. It was a work accomplished by Christ rather than by Joshua alone.

God cast down the walls by the most simple means, a simple divinely appointed act of marching and a trumpet blast made effective through God's power. The victory was achieved through God's direction rather than ordinary military methods, and through simple means rather than human talent or influence. Victory comes not by might nor by power but by His Spirit, proving that trust in God and obedience to His will are essential in spiritual warfare. Success comes through God's help working with human effort, and His commands must be obeyed in faith rather than judged by worldly standards.

The Lord wrought mightily because Israel was then walking as an obedient and believing people. The ark, which was but a symbol of the divine presence, was then borne by holy men in accordance with His express command, and the Captain of the Lord's host went before the repository of His law, and His arm brought deliverance for them. That obedient condition stands in wide contrast to a disobedient people following their own plans in opposition to divine counsel and authority, looking confidently to the ark itself for those blessings which God alone could bestow. Israel's strength was in obedience to the law contained in the ark, which represented God Himself, so the victory did not come from merely carrying the ark. The ark was not a charm or substitute for obedience to God's law and the covenant's conditions.

Israel later remembered the easy conquest gained while bearing the ark, together with the passage over Jordan when bearing the ark, and wrongly concluded that bringing the ark to battle alone would guarantee triumph over enemies. The capture had been meant as an exhibition of God's power to be kept fresh in memory and repeated to the children, along with the deliverance from Egypt, the water provided from the rock, the bread sent from heaven, and the commandments of God. God planned the work in such simplicity that no human being could take glory to himself, with the people only having to do as told by rising early and compassing the city seven times on the seventh day while He did the rest. The battle plan united heavenly and human agents, yet was arranged so that no human hand touched the city walls and no person could claim the credit, lest man take to himself the glory of the victory. The victory was planned in such a simple way that Israel could not claim its own strength for bringing down the walls, so that no human being would be exalted and His name alone would receive all the glory.

The same God is still willing to work wondrously in this way by whom He will, and those heavenly armies will do many things for His people now if they give God a chance to work. Jesus the Captain of the Lord's host is with His workers against unseen foes more formidable than giants, since the devil can be overcome with no weapon save the sword of the Spirit. Human workers must therefore depend on God and carry out their part, follow His directions and have faith in Him, and move in accordance with His will in obedience to their great Captain. Human beings must not desire power and control or attempt to manage the work that belongs in the hands of the great I AM, for God is the Instructor of His servants, the Lord alone is to be magnified, and the Lord God of Israel is to be exalted.