The city of Jericho is one of the oldest cities that we currently have records of. Jericho was a big strong city for its time and had a large stone wall surrounding it.
Joshua, Moses' replacement, sent two men to go and spy out Jericho. A prostitute who believed in the Lord God of Israel hid them from the King of Jericho. The men promised her that when God destroyed the city she and her household would be saved.
After this the Lord parted the Jordan river so that the Israelites were able to pass through on dry land. When on the other side, they camped on the plains just outside the walls of Jericho and kept the feast of Passover. As they celebrated the feast of unleavened bread the Lord stopped supplying them with manna, which He had been giving them for the last forty years.
After this a man came up to Joshua with his sword drawn. Joshua asked him if he was for the Israelites or for their adversaries. The man replied, “I am the Commander of the Lord's army. Joshua realized it was God and kneeled down and worshipped him. The Commander told Joshua to take off his sandals for that place was Holy. The Lord then promised that the city of Jericho would be delivered into their hands. The Lord gave him instructions on what to do.
Joshua and the people obeyed the Lord’s commands. They circled the walls of Jericho with the Levites carrying the ark of God while seven Levites walked in front of it blowing shofars, and the army walked in front of them. When they finished walking around the city once they returned to their camp. They did this every day for six days. This must have been a strange sight to the people of Jericho who were inside the walls terrified of the Israelites. On the seventh day they marched around the walls seven times. On the seventh time Joshua gave them the command to shout. The Levites blew their shofars and the people began shouting. As they were shouting the Lord caused the mighty walls of Jericho to fall flat before them. The Israelites rushed in and destroyed the city except for Rahab the prostitute and her relatives.
Today if you travel to the place where Jericho was you can see the ruins of the walls that God caused to fall flat. No wall can block God's plan for us if we are exercising the faith HE has given to us. Rahab the prostitute became a spiritual Israelite after she repented and believed in the Lord. Rahab is recorded as being an ancestor of King David as well as of the Messiah.
Picture originally found here
