Jericho

Jericho might be the Israelites’ finest moment in the Old Testament. But let’s first set the stage.

God had promised to give the land of Canaan to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. After about 400 years in Egypt, it seemed the time had finally come. God had brought the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, given them His law at Mount Sinai, and led them to the brink of the promised land. The twelve spies who scouted Canaan said that it was a rich land, “flowing with milk and honey.” (Numbers 13:25-27)

Yet in a moment everything changed. According to Numbers 14:1-4, when the spies reported that the Canaanites were powerful and that Canaan was well defended, the Israelites despaired and actually discussed returning to Egypt. According to Numbers 14:22, this was the tenth time the Israelites had put God to the test.

What were the other nine? The Bible does not explicitly tell us, but here’s what I think they were:

1.       Exodus 5:20-21 – The Israelites blamed Moses—and indirectly God—when Pharaoh made their labor more burdensome.

2.      Exodus 6:9 – The people refused to believe Moses when he said God would deliver them from bondage in Egypt and bring them into the land promised to their ancestors.

3.      Exodus 14:10-12 – The people lost faith when Pharaoh pursued them and trapped them against the Sea of Reeds.

4.      Exodus 15:22-24 – The people grumbled after three days in the Sinai Peninsula without water.

5.       Exodus 16:1-3 – The people griped about being hungry forty-five days into their journey out of Egypt.

6.       Exodus 17:1-2 – At Rephidim the people complained about a lack of water to drink.

7.       Exodus 32:1-4 – Wihen Moses was on Mount Sinai, the people persuaded Aaron to make an idol—a “molten calf”—for them to worship.

8.      Numbers 11:1-2 – The people angered the Lord by being “like those who complain of adversity.”

9.      Numbers 11:4-6 – The people grumbled about the lack of meat: “There is nothing at all to look at except this manna.”

In each case the people looked at their circumstances instead of trusting God. As a result, God condemned them to remain in the wilderness for forty years, until all males twenty and over had died off—except Joshua and Caleb, the two spies who had confidently urged the people to trust God and enter the promised land.

Now contrast those people’s behavior with that of the next generation.

When Joshua told them to cross the Jordan River, they did not question, fuss, or hesitate, and even though Joshua 3:15 tells us that the river was then at flood stage, they simply obeyed. The Jordan River stopped upstream as soon as the priests’ feet touched the water, allowing the people to cross safely.

Then God told them to do something crazy. According to Joshua 6:1-6, God told them to march around the city of Jericho, circling the city once a day for six consecutive days. Joshua added that they were not to say a word (Joshua 6:10). And they did it.

Then on the seventh day, God instructed them to march around the city seven more times, and on cue everyone was supposed to yell. They did that, too.

Unlike their parents, they didn’t complain or talk back. They didn’t question God or Joshua. They simply obeyed. They trusted God. And the walls of Jericho fell.

I believe trusting God is one of the key lessons of the Old Testament. Adam and Eve fell from grace because they trusted the serpent instead of God. Abraham received God’s favor and promises because he trusted and obeyed God.

The Israelites who came out of Egypt lost their chance to enter the promised land because they failed to trust God. Their descendants entered the promised land and conquered it because they trusted God and did what He told them to do.

The lesson for us is to trust God and obey Him.