“Joshua fought the battle of Jericho,
Jericho, Jericho,
Joshua fought the battle of Jericho,
And the walls came tumbling down!”

This catchy tune that tells the following story of how God brought down the tightly secured walls of Jerico.  This song is not easily forgotten from our childhood if you grew up going to Sunday School in the southern states. In fact, as I write this, the song is now stuck in my head as the above lyrics were sung as I typed them!  The lyrics allude to the biblical story of the Battle of Jericho, in which Joshua led the Israelites against Canaan—our passage for today!

Like those of many other spirituals, the song’s words may also be alluding to eventual escape from slavery – in the case of this song, “And the walls came tumblin’ down.” The lively melody and rhythm also provided energy and inspiration as we remember how miraculously God works and how in the most daunting situations; God intervenes and turns our fears into victories! 

Think about it…God brings down the “walls” in more situations that we can possible count!  As you hum the infectious melody, read carefully and prayerfully how God, through Joshua and God’s people, brought those walls down. Imagine thousands of God’s Chosen marching around the city walls—obeying exactly what God said to do!  Their obedience led to God’s miracle made complete.  God does His part as we join him in doing our part.  God will always use the obedient in His work.  That’s how He works!

Joshua 6

Now the gates of Jericho were securely barred because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in.

² Then the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. ³ March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. ⁴ Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. ⁵ When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have the whole army give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the army will go up, everyone straight in.”

⁶ So Joshua son of Nun called the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant of the Lord and have seven priests carry trumpets in front of it.” ⁷ And he ordered the army, “Advance! March around the city, with an armed guard going ahead of the ark of the Lord.”

⁸ When Joshua had spoken to the people, the seven priests carrying the seven trumpets before the Lord went forward, blowing their trumpets, and the ark of the Lord’s covenant followed them. ⁹ The armed guard marched ahead of the priests who blew the trumpets, and the rear guard followed the ark. All this time the trumpets were sounding. ¹⁰ But Joshua had commanded the army, “Do not give a war cry, do not raise your voices, do not say a word until the day I tell you to shout. Then shout!” ¹¹ So he had the ark of the Lord carried around the city, circling it once. Then the army returned to camp and spent the night there.

¹² Joshua got up early the next morning and the priests took up the ark of the Lord. ¹³ The seven priests carrying the seven trumpets went forward, marching before the ark of the Lord and blowing the trumpets. The armed men went ahead of them and the rear guard followed the ark of the Lord, while the trumpets kept sounding. ¹⁴ So on the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. They did this for six days.

¹⁵ On the seventh day, they got up at daybreak and marched around the city seven times in the same manner, except that on that day they circled the city seven times. ¹⁶ The seventh time around, when the priests sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the army, “Shout! For the Lord has given you the city! ¹⁷ The city and all that is in it are to be devoted to the Lord. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall be spared, because she hid the spies we sent. ¹⁸ But keep away from the devoted things, so that you will not bring about your own destruction by taking any of them. Otherwise you will make the camp of Israel liable to destruction and bring trouble on it. ¹⁹ All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron are sacred to the Lord and must go into his treasury.”

²⁰ When the trumpets sounded, the army shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the men gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so everyone charged straight in, and they took the city. ²¹ They devoted the city to the Lord and destroyed with the sword every living thing in it—men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep and donkeys.

²² Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, “Go into the prostitute’s house and bring her out and all who belong to her, in accordance with your oath to her.” ²³ So the young men who had done the spying went in and brought out Rahab, her father and mother, her brothers and sisters and all who belonged to her. They brought out her entire family and put them in a place outside the camp of Israel.

²⁴ Then they burned the whole city and everything in it, but they put the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron into the treasury of the Lord’s house. ²⁵ But Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her family and all who belonged to her, because she hid the men Joshua had sent as spies to Jericho—and she lives among the Israelites to this day.

²⁶ At that time Joshua pronounced this solemn oath: “Cursed before the Lord is the one who undertakes to rebuild this city, Jericho:

“At the cost of his firstborn son
    he will lay its foundations;
at the cost of his youngest
    he will set up its gates.”

²⁷ So the Lord was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout the land.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

There are many walls erected by humanity for many reasons. Physical walls are meant to keep out what we do not want in.  Mental and emotional walls are erected to protect ourselves from those who have hurt us in irrevocable ways.  Some walls meant to protect us serve to isolate us.  When a wall is put up between God and ourselves; we are in real trouble. Do we really think, after this story, that God cannot and will not eventually penetrate our walls?

God does not want separation between mankind and Himself.  God desires to walk freely among us.  God loves to go before us, stand with us, and follow behind us as needed to protect us.  God is grieved over the walls we erect to keep Him out.  God sees over our erected walls and knows the condition of our hearts. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” declares Paul—the glory of God in our lives who we so desperately need!  (Romans 3:23)

God had a Plan to bring down our human walls.  That plan was, of course Jesus, who disarmed the fearfully walled people with His compassionate love.  For those deemed undesirable, unclean, and un approachable by the “walled” religious leaders and others who oppressed them; Jesus offered forgiveness and healing.  Jesus was sent to earth “to seek and to save the lost,” many of whom had been shut out, sent outside the walls to be forgotten.  Jesus came to give Life to all who would love Him back with trusting hearts.  Jesus was the Light of the world living in darkness.  Those who clung to their sin, separated from God who loved them, lived behind their own erected walls of delusion and darkness.  Walls, when built high enough, have a way of casting a long dark shadow.  

But God does not give up on His created humans!  The final act of God’s kindness that would redeem mankind and bring down the spiritual walls of separation was Jesus.  Jesus, who knew no sin and erected no walls, was sent to bring down the wall of evil!  By His willing obedience to God’s Plan to save us; the walls of evil come a tumbling down!  “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3;16-17

And the walls come a tumbling down…

Paul tells the church of evil walls to avoid building of “sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.” These walls of our own making are brought down by Jesus who sets us free through His forgiveness.  The forgiven are transformed daily to be more like Jesus. Our walled up behaviors are brought down by the love of God in us!  We go beyond rubble of the walls to live in the “wide open places” of His mercy and grace! 

No more walls that keep people out; instead we invite them to know Jesus for themselves!  Truth:  God’s Holy Spirit changes our thinking and behaving! Without walls we live in step with the Spirit while becoming more and more like Jesus who set us free!  His “likeness characteristics” behaviors are also mentioned in Galatians 5: “…love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”

Walls of hate or Love without walls? Our choice.  Hint: One is much healthier than the other.

The fall of Jericho is an encouragement to God’s people to trust the Lord’s promises and obey His instructions, no matter how impossible the situation may appear to be. You and I may not capture a city as Joshua did; but in our everyday lives we face enemies and obstacles that challenge us, too. We must prayerfully hand over seek God’s plan and wait for His timing when dealing with the enemies that come against us.

With God, there are no walls. There is nothing you or I have done that God will not forgive in Jesus Name.  “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9

Lord,

Thank you for the truth expressed to us today—You bring down the walls of darkness and set us free to live in the wide-open spaces of your love, mercy, and grace. May we never forget your kindness that led to our redemption.  By your power working in us, stop us from any act that erects walls that keep humanity from seeing You. Cleanse our hearts, renew our minds, refresh our souls, and restore the joy of your salvation at work within us.

In Jesus Name, Amen