Tag: Joshua 6

Keep Walking

OT – Joshua 5-6

Poetry – Psalm 47

NT – 1 Corinthians 2

Keep walking, but you won’t knock down our wall. 

Keep walking, but she isn’t gonna fall! 

It’s plain to see your brains are very small 

to think walking will be knocking down our wall.

– the Pea soldiers, from Veggie Tales “Josh and the Big Wall”

I’ve never been in the military (even preschool gymnastics was beyond my capabilities, and let’s just say I was usually a last pick in gym class), but even I can imagine that the mighty Israelite soldiers felt mighty silly walking around the city once a day for six days. Just walking behind the ark. And blowing some trumpets. Wow, fierce. I wonder if they wondered what God was thinking? Had they accidentally signed up for the (mostly-silent) marching band instead of the military? But on the seventh day – seven is the biblical number of completion – they marched around the city seven times, and then, a different kind of trumpet blast sounded, and Joshua ordered everyone to shout. And then, the wall collapsed. The mighty, impenetrable wall of the great city of Jericho, along with everything inside (save Rahab and her family), became a pile of rubble. Yet again, the people obeyed what seemed like ridiculous commands for an impossible task, and God worked through it all. I don’t know why God chose to take over Jericho in such a strange way, but I bet part of the reason was to display His awesome power and make sure everyone knew that He was the One True God. 

Psalm 47 even sounds like a song of praise that might have been shared after conquering Jericho: “He subdued the nations under us… He chose our inheritance for us… God has ascended amid shouts of joy, the LORD amid the sounding of trumpets…”

All of our lives should reflect back to the power of God. In our New Testament reading today, Paul also says, “My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might rest not on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power” (I Cor 2:4-5) Just like when God made it clear that it was only by His power – not the marches and shouts – that the walls fell down, God likes to use ordinary, untrained people to do His biggest work, so His might is evident through their humility. 


God displays His power by working in big ways through us. He doesn’t NEED us; after all, God created the whole world without any input from mankind! But He wants to use us as part of HisStory, to help tell the world the greater message of His saving power. Will you join in the Greatest Mission of all time? 

-Rachel Cain

Reflection Questions

  1. How will you join in the Greatest Mission of all time?
  2. How/when have you seen God at work doing what seemed impossible in a way that you wouldn’t have expected? Who did He use in the mission?

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Do we learn from our past mistakes?

Joshua 6

February 24

The Israelites’ failures in the desert can be summarized simply down to disobedience. Even though God was leading the way, they stubbornly chose their own. Will the new generation do the same? 

Once they have crossed the Jordan, the people have dedicated themselves to follow and obey. God quickly puts that to the test. He promises them Jericho but he tells them to take it in the most unorthodox way. He is going to show them that it will all be done by his power and not theirs. 

Imagine being excited to fight for God! He has proven he is with you. You are ready to go out on his behalf and the order comes down the command chain that we are not fighting but instead we are marching. Talk about a let down. You get to come back to camp and tell everyone of your great triumphs – err, a few miles walk around a city wall. And it gets worse. They have to do it for 6 days without seeing any results. 

I’m sure there was plenty of confusion and likely complaining. But on day 7, it was different. They got to walk around 7 times and wait for it, SHOUT! Talk about a warrior’s perfect picture of their first battle. I’m sure this tugged on all their desires to take this in their own hands and do what they were trained to do – fight. 

They were faithful – and after the 7th trip on the 7th day, they let out a shout and the wall collapsed and they finally got to fight. Although they did not understand God’s way in the beginning or during the process, it made sense in the end. They were able to go in and take the city without loss. Had they tried any other way, this level of success was unattainable. 

Most had learned that following God’s way (even when you don’t fully understand) was the best path. If interested in finding out again what happens when they disobey, you don’t have to look far, just read the next chapter. 

-John Wincapaw

Questions for Reflection and Discussion

  1. When would God have you be silent? How well do you do this? When would God want you to SHOUT? How well do you do this?
  2. In what ways does God’s battle plans today seem crazy to a world that does not follow and obey God?
  3. Why was Rahab and her family spared (see Joshua chapter 2)? How can we be involved in saving lives from the coming destruction?
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