Fallen walls of Jericho! How are they relevant to me today?

Walls have always fascinated me in a way that as a child I used to be so much in awe of this structure which actually divides but was not able to see it’s purpose then. A wall is a self protective barrier the ego puts in place for our defence.

Wall of Jericho was no different in terms of it’s purpose. It was the oldest known protective walls in the world. Massive stone walls surrounding an ancient neolithic settlement in Jericho. Walls of Jericho were 3.6 metres high, 1.8 meters wide at base and had watchtowers up to 28 feet tall. This wall was intended to protect settlement and it’s water supply. Around 1400 BC Jericho was the first city to be attacked by Israelites after crossing Jordon river and before entering Canaan. I wanted to briefly mention the dimensions of the wall in order to bring to our minds that it was not possible humanly to break in Jericho.

Firstly look at the reaction of Rahab who is mentioned as a lady of bad character but she’s also mentioned as an innkeeper. Tikva Frymer Kensky mentions Rahab as a smart, proactive, tricky and unafraid to disobey and deceive king.She’s also credited to be one of Israel’s early savior due to her allegiance to God and Israel. In new testament she is mentioned thrice. In Mathew 1:5 as an ancestor of Jesus.She was not a Israelite still God chose her due to her faith and actions. In James 2:25 her deeds are spoken as acts of faith. In Hebrew 11:31 her name is included in list of people who showed faith in God along with Noah ,Abraham and many others.

Joshua 2:9-12 verses talks about Rahab reaction after meeting the Israelite spies. Firstly acknowledging and accepting God’s promises as her own. Secondly she had knowledge of God’s faithfulness in past. Thirdly she says our heart’s sank and courage failed. Fourthly asking favor in boldness for her believing family along with her.Fifthly She was not afraid of law and the earthly lawmaker.

In chapter 5:13-15 we see that a man is standing with sword in his hand. Many say it was God himself just like he was with Daniel in lion’s den and God himself fought with Jacob. Joshua gets a supernatural visitation from commander of army of Lord. Joshua asks him whose side he belongs to? Joshua’s response is the one of reverence (he falls down to ground). He accepted himself as Lord’s servant and follows his instructions.

In chapter 6:1 talks about how difficult it was for any person to get inside the city of Jericho. The very next verse God declares that He has delivered Jericho into Joshua’s hands and the steps to be followed thereafter. What an astonishing fact is that God already had plans of delivering the great city unto Israelites but he was looking for Joshua’s response in a situation which looked so huge and enormous. Would he use his tiny human brainpower or submit to Lord’s set of instructions? We see Jericho city walls falling at hands of Israelites but actually it was God’s response to Joshua’s reverence and obedience.

I feel we can learn a lot from these two characters Rahab and Joshua both strikingly different in terms of origin, culture and upbringing even countries but had almost similar response to God’s voice that was to accept God’s authority over their lives and obey Lord no matter what your situation expects us to do.