Student Devotional Week 22: Joshua: The Fall of Jericho

Key Verse: Hebrews 11:30, "By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days."

The promised Land consisted of groups of small city-states; each was governed and ruled by a separate king. As the Hebrews' prepared to take the land, they had to fight not just one army but many armies.

Remember the Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, the battle of Helm's Deep and the huge fortified wall that protected the people of Rohirrim? They believed that no army could penetrate their walls and gates, but they were wrong and so were the people of Jericho.

The first battle took place at the city of Jericho, a city fortified by huge walls and gates. The prostitute Rahab hid the two Hebrew spies who sneaked into the city before the attack. Rather than scaling the walls of the city or attacking the doors with battering rams, God told his people to march around the city walls. So once a day for six days and then seven times on the seventh day the Hebrew soldiers marched around Jericho. No doubt that sounded like a strange military plan to the Israelites. But Joshua had learned the importance of trusting God and obeying him without question. He led the people to follow God's instructions to the letter.

Once the walls came down and Jericho was conquered, the battle moved to the city of Ai. Here the Israelites were soundly defeated. Why? This setback was due to the disobedience of just one person. God was continuing to teach his people how to obey him completely. After a time of repentance, a second confrontation with the people of Ai ended in victory for the Israelites.

Joshua lived the rest of his life as leader of the Israelites. When he passed away at the age of 110, there was a void in the leadership of Israel. The people had learned to trust God through Joshua, but now they were going to have to learn to trust God-period. The era of the judges was about to begin, and some very dark days were ahead for the children of Israel.