Joshua 6:9
And the armed men went before the priests that blew with the trumpets, and the rereward came after the ark, the priests going on, and blowing with the trumpets. And the armed men went before the priests that blew with the trumpets, and the rereward came after the ark, the priests going on, and blowing with the trumpets.
The march at Jericho moved in strict order with chosen armed men in front, then seven priests continually blowing rams-horn trumpets, then priests bearing the ark surrounded by divine glory, followed by the rear guard and the whole host tribe by tribe under its standards in perfect order and solemn silence. This was the plan Christ Himself as Captain of the Lord's host gave to Joshua when He met him alone in meditation near Gilgal with drawn sword, received his worship, and promised Jericho with its king and mighty men into his hand as the first step in taking Canaan. No human hand threw down the massive walls and no human general devised the victory, for God Himself directed the battle and Christ with heavenly angels accomplished it through a simple trumpet blast and shout after six days of one circuit and seven circuits on the seventh day. The ark in the midst was the token and representative of God's presence and of His law, and Israel's strength lay not in treating it as a charm but in obeying the covenant conditions it contained while the Captain went before it. The Lord wrought mightily because the people then walked in believing obedience and gave Him room to work in His own way, and on that same condition of doing exactly as He commands and letting Him do the rest He still gives victory not by might nor by power but by His Spirit against foes more formidable than walled cities.
Setting and Order
The verse gives part of Christ's instructions to Joshua for capturing Jericho, spoken when Joshua had withdrawn from the camp at Gilgal to meditate and pray for guidance because reducing Jericho was the first step in the conquest of Canaan. There Christ met him as an armed warrior of lofty stature with drawn sword, declared Himself Captain of the host of the Lord, received his worship, and assured him that Jericho with its king and mighty men of valor was given into his hand, together with directions for taking the city.
The march it describes went out from Gilgal to overthrow Jericho nearly forty years after the earlier failure, under the Lord's direction and promise to go with Israel. The ark containing His law was borne before their armies as the token of His presence, and His appointed leaders directed their movements under divine supervision, so that with such guidance no harm could come to them.
The order of march was armed chosen warriors first, then seven priests with seven rams-horn trumpets, then the ark of the covenant of the Lord borne by priests in sacred dress and surrounded by a halo of divine glory, followed by the rear guard and the vast army of Israel in perfect order tribe by tribe under its standards, with the priests continually going and blowing. After Joshua spoke to the people, the seven priests carrying the seven rams-horn trumpets went before the Lord and blew, the ark followed them, the armed men went ahead of the trumpet-blowing priests, and the rear guard came behind the ark. The arrangement was a solemn, ordered act carried out in obedience to God's command.
In obedience to the command to make the circuit with the ark and trumpets and make no assault, Israel compassed the city once a day for six days and seven times on the seventh day, keeping solemn silence until ordered to shout. No sound was heard except the tread of the host and the solemn peal of the trumpets echoing among the hills and through the streets of Jericho, and when the circuit was completed the army returned in silence to their tents and the ark was restored to its place in the tabernacle. Israel carried the ark around Jericho for seven days in solemn silence, then the trumpets sounded and the people shouted, and the city's walls fell.
Divine Victory Through Obedience
The armed men who went first did not march to conquer by military skill and prowess but to believe and obey God's directions in a solemn, ordered act, compassing the city in silence broken only by the tread of the host and the peal of the trumpets. Chosen warriors led the way, then seven priests with rams-horn trumpets, then the ark borne by priests in sacred dress and surrounded by a halo of divine glory, followed by the rear guard and the vast army tribe by tribe under its standards, with the priests continually going and blowing. The march was carried out in obedience to the command to make the circuit with the ark and trumpets and make no assault, displaying obedience rather than Israel's strength.
The fall of Jericho came by God's power rather than Israel's strength or military skill, accomplished by Christ Himself and by the armies of the Lord's host and heavenly angels under their heavenly General, with God directing the battle and joining heavenly and human agents as humans carried out their appointed parts. Victory came through God's help working with human effort rather than human military skill alone, and was arranged so that no human hand could claim credit for bringing down the walls, but glory belonged to God alone. Victory comes when men move in accordance with God's will and obey their great Captain and give Him a chance to work in His own way, and the same heavenly host will still act for God's people on that condition.
No human hand touched or brought down the city's massive walls, and no human general devised the plan, for the mighty General of armies Himself planned the battle in such simplicity that no one could take glory to himself and God alone would be magnified. The work belonged in the hands of the great I AM, who in His own way plans how the work shall be done, instructs His servants, and works through whom He will, making a simple trumpet blast effective to overthrow His enemies. He can accomplish great things through weak and unpromising means when they are appointed by Him and carried out with humility and faith, and He did wondrously in casting down the walls by the most simple means so His name would receive all the glory.
The ark in the procession was the symbol, token, repository, and representative of God's presence and His law, borne by holy men according to His express command and going before the hosts entering the promised land with the Captain of the Lord's host before it. Its sacredness rested on the law it contained, and Israel's strength lay in obeying that law and the covenant's conditions, since the divine presence and blessing came from God alone and not from treating the ark as a charm that by itself guaranteed victory. The ark was borne by priests clad in dress denoting their sacred office and surrounded by a halo of glory, and with such guidance under divine supervision and appointed leaders no harm could come to them, unlike going into battle without the ark and without God's appointed leader.
The Lord wrought mightily because Israel was then an obedient and believing people walking in obedience and trusting His promise to give the land, as He had delivered them from Egypt, opened a path through the sea, and destroyed Pharaoh's army. The capture was not to depend solely on military strength but on trust in Him to fulfill His word, for trust in God and obedience to His will are essential. That obedient condition stands in contrast to later misunderstanding that merely bringing the ark into battle would give triumph, and to a later state of following own plans in opposition to divine counsel and authority when the ark was borne by sons of Belial doomed to destruction and the law under the mercy-seat condemned its bearers to defeat, disaster, and death.
Jericho's overthrow is to be kept fresh in memory and retold to children as a display of God's power accomplished by the Lord's command and the heavenly army, showing that the Lord gives the victory and human agents are not to claim the glory or exalt themselves. Its lesson today is that God's people are to do as He tells them and let God do the rest without exalting themselves, and the Lord alone is to be magnified. The march calls for faithful Calebs now who have Jesus the Captain present and follow His directions by faith, for the same God still works not by might nor by power but by His Spirit in war with unseen foes more formidable than giants, where the devil is overcome with no weapon except the sword of the Spirit.