“By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days,” Hebs 11:30.

We come to another of the incidents encountered by Israel, which are very illustrative of the experiences of the Christian on the pilgrimage to heaven. This is the third incident. They have crossed the Jordan and are confronted with the walled city of Jericho.

1. The trials and difficulties of the wilderness are over but there are still battles to be fought! 

Battle are part of the life of the Christian, a soldier of Christ. This was a most formidable city. “Now Jericho was straitly shut up because of the children of Israel: none went out, and none came in,” Joshua 6:1. It was defiantly resisting Israel even though it had heard what the Lord had done and was in terror of the Lord, knowing that He had given Israel the land of Canaan, 2:9-11. Knowing this they still resisted! Such is the stubborn heart of the sinner! Men know to some degree waht awaits the disobedient sinner when they die BUT still they reject the gospel!

2. The special instructions on how to capture the city. 

It was ‘by faith’ the victory would come about. They must believingly obey God. Josh 6:2-5. How strange a way was this to wage war and defeat an enemy! God’s ways are strange unto men! “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts,” Isaiah 55:8-9. “And they were all amazed, and they glorified God, and were filled with fear, saying, We have seen strange things to day (healing of palsied man),” Luke 5:26.

3. Yet simply obedient faith brought them a wonderful victory that day. 

Joshua 6:20-21. They obeyed, they shouted and they claimed the prize! That is what the Lord does for a believing people. Josh 6:24, 26. From BC 1451 until BC 930, 521 years,  Jericho lay in ruins. Then in a day of rebellion against God, it was rebuilt, 1 Kings 16:29-34.  That is what we are seeing today, boys and girls! There are things which God in the past cast down and forbad our fathers to rebuild but today, as men forsake God’s Word, there are things being rebuilt and indulged in that are contrary to God’s will and it will bring death upon those defying God!