When the Walls Fell

Scripture: Joshua 6:15-27

¹⁵ On the seventh day they rose early, at dawn, and marched around the city in the same manner seven times. It was only on that day that they marched around the city seven times. ¹⁶ And at the seventh time, when the priests had blown the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, “Shout! For the Lord has given you the city. ¹⁷ The city and all that is in it shall be devoted to the Lord for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall live because she hid the messengers we sent. ¹⁸ As for you, keep away from the things devoted to destruction, so as not to covet and take any of the devoted things and make the camp of Israel an object for destruction, bringing trouble upon it. ¹⁹ But all silver and gold and vessels of bronze and iron are sacred to the Lord; they shall go into the treasury of the Lord.” ²⁰ So the people shouted, and the trumpets were blown. As soon as the people heard the sound of the trumpets, they raised a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so the people charged straight ahead into the city and captured it. ²¹ Then they devoted to destruction by the edge of the sword all in the city, both men and women, young and old, oxen, sheep, and donkeys.

²² But to the two men who had spied out the land, Joshua said, “Go into the prostitute’s house, and bring the woman out of it and all who belong to her, as you swore to her.” ²³ So the young men who had been spies went in and brought Rahab out, along with her father, her mother, her brothers, and all who belonged to her—they brought all her kindred out—and set them outside the camp of Israel. ²⁴ They burned down the city and everything in it; only the silver and gold and the vessels of bronze and iron they put into the treasury of the house of the Lord. ²⁵ But Rahab the prostitute, with her family and all who belonged to her, Joshua spared. Her family has lived in Israel ever since. For she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.

²⁶ Joshua then pronounced this oath, saying,

“Cursed before the Lord be anyone who tries
    to build this city, Jericho!
At the cost of his firstborn he shall lay its foundation,
    and at the cost of his youngest he shall set up its gates!”

²⁷ So the Lord was with Joshua, and his fame was in all the land.

Questions

1. Why does the story spend so much time focused on the people marching around the city and so little time on the actual conquest of the city?
2. Why is Rahab so prominent in this chapter, why is Israel praised and not criticized for making a treaty with her when there are verses that supposedly condemn any treaty with any inhabitant of the land?

Background

Related Scriptures: Psalm 37; 2 Corinthians 10:3–5; Galatians 5:22-23, 6:9

Jericho’s walls represent an insurmountable barrier to Israel’s taking the Promised land, their collapse demonstrates Israel can overcome any obstacle when they are obedient.

Rahab is meant to show us that the prohibition against making treaties was about not conforming to the systems of the people of the land but Israel was supposed to reach out and include the people if they would worship God.

Reflection

The Old Testament often uses very black and white language. Such language can create difficulties. For instance, Exodus tells us that when Israel conquered the land they were not supposed to make treaties with the residents (Exodus 34:12). But at conquest of Jericho the first thing Israel does is make a treaty with one specific family. And far from being condemned this treaty is praised. This tension within the text is meant to help us think through the story more fully. We are supposed to notice that Israel was not to make treaties with the people of the land yet they did make a treaty. We are supposed to wonder why is this treaty blessed, why is Israel not cursed the way they are for Achan’s sin in chapter 7. Why is taking precious metal from Jericho considered a sin while making a treaty with Rahab is not? Further, the entire chapter focuses our attention on obedience to God. Significantly more room is used to describe how people of Israel obeyed God’s instructions marching around the city than to the conquest of the city. We are meant to focus on how Israel listened to God and did what was right and in doing this opened the door for God’s power to work.

Most of Joshua 6 is God detailing the plan for Israel to capture Jericho and then a repetitious description of Israel doing exactly that. And once the city wall falls the emphasis is not on wining the battle against the inhabitants of the city but the destruction of the physical city and the dedication of the contents of the city to God. The only interruption is the description of the salvation of Rahab and her family. But as I said this seems out of place if we take Exodus 34:12 at face value. It would seem like the treaty with Rahab prevents Israel from carrying out God’s commands.

However, when we dig deeper into the this idea and the Old Testament as a whole we notice that God’s plan is far more nuanced than at first glance. Israel is meant to be a blessing to the nations around them and to be the people through whom God will bless the world. This means they need to have some type of relationship with the people around them. God cannot bless Israel’s neighbors if Israel does not have neighbors. Further when we consider the passages about making treaties with the people of the land the prohibition is based on the people of the land leading Israel into idolatry. Basically, the prohibitions are meant to prevent Israel from simply moving into the land and assimilating with the current residents. God wanted Israel to be distinct and the community of blessing that people wanted to be joined with. Rahab is the model for Israel, she renounces the idolatry of her city and joins not just with Israel but Israel’s God. The reason the treaty with Rabah is praised is that was Israel’s goal, to be so faithful to God that others would want to yoke themselves to God. Israel was never supposed to be rigidly ethnically homogeneous, they were supposed to be a light to the nations that drew others toward God. Rahab is this model and provides a template so that all believers will think through what it means to be obedient.

Obedience is not simply to the law because laws are only to govern the breakdown of love. If love is perfect then laws are not necessary (Galatians 5:22-23). This is why Israel is praised for making a covenant with Rahab, because this covenant was one of salvation for a person who wanted to follow God. Israel was called to destroy the physical city of Jericho and dedicate the possessions to God as a symbol that the land was God’s to give them. They were ceremonially cleansing the land and making it ready for a people dedicated to God. This is why making a treaty with Rahab works, they are bringing her into the covenant when she was an outsider. Israel was showing Rahab grace to become what God had made her to be. Had Israel listened to the letter of the law and wiped out Rahab and her family their entire nation would have been harmed. Rahab’s legacy was to be so incorporated into Israel’s family that she was ultimately in the line of David their great king. This is another reminder of how showing God’s grace to others can have lasting and powerful results.