Jericho

<<city whose walls fell down>>

This strongly walled city west of the Jordan River (now in the Palestinian controlled West Bank), was the first city taken by the Israelites in their conquest of the Promised Land (Canaan) about 1451 BC.

God gave Joshua a strange tactic to capture the city: march around it once a day for six days in silence, except for seven priests blowing trumpets, then on the seventh day march around it seven times and when the signal is given all the people are to make a mighty shout and the walls will fall down

The walls of any ‘Jericho’ will tumble at the Lord’s command

(Josh 6:1-25)! The house of Rahab, who sheltered the two spies, was set into the city’s wall (Josh 2:1-15). Only she and her family were to be kept safe, all the other inhabitants and their possessions were to be destroyed. The miracle revealed God’s power as the people co-operated and obeyed. The people knew in advance the full strategy and the outcome. Faith was required on their behalf, yet it was not ‘blind faith’ as with Abraham who went out not knowing where he was going (Heb 11:8).

Joshua spoke a curse about the rebuilding of the city and this was fulfilled when the city was rebuilt some centuries later (Josh 6:26; 1Kgs 16:34). Later still, Herod the Great built a new Jericho south of the old city. Jesus passed through Jericho and it was mentioned in the parable of the Good Samaritan (Mk 10:46; Lk 10:30).

The conquest of Jericho has inspired the ‘prayer walk’ concept whereby Christians walk around an area and in often-silent prayer claim it in Jesus’ name.

See also: Joshua, Rahab, walls.