by: Kip McKean
“When the trumpets sounded, the people shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the people gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so every man charged straight in, and they took the city.” Joshua 6:20
“No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life” was the promise of God when Joshua was given the charge to conquer the Promised Land. (Joshua 1:5) After crossing the Jordan River, the seemingly impregnable city of Jericho was the next test of faith for the Israelites. Joshua had sent two spies to Jericho for reconnaissance. They were hidden by Rahab the prostitute. She made a deal with the spies to hide them, on the condition they would save her and her family when the Israelites captured the city. Then “Rahab let the spies down by a rope through the window, for the house she lived in was part of the city wall.” (Joshua 2:15) When the two spies were safely on the ground, they fled “to the hills.” (Joshua 2:22) Jericho was built on a mound, a “tell.” This gave the city the advantage of the high ground during an attack. Also, archeologists discovered that Jericho in 1400 BC had a double wall. At the base of the tell of Jericho was a stone retaining wall of 15 feet. Built on top of this was a mud-brick wall six feet thick and about 20-26 feet high. At the top of the embankment was another mud-brick wall that measured about 46 feet above ground level.
Normally, the only way a fortified city such as Jericho would be conquered was by a siege. That’s what Jericho was preparing for when they knew the Israelites were advancing. Joshua 6:1 records, “Now Jericho was tightly shut up because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in.” Yet a siege would have taken months maybe years, for Jericho had a fresh water spring inside the city walls and at the time of Joshua’s attack they had plenty of food since it was harvest time. (Joshua 3:15) Also at the end of the siege an effort would be made to “smash-in” a single, weak point of the wall for the soldiers to gain entrance.
God’s plan of course was quite different! Joshua and the Israelite army were to walk in a circle around the city one time for six days and seven times on the seventh day. When the seven priests, that were leading the ark at the forefront of the army, would sound their trumpets, the people would shout and God promised, “Then the wall of the city will collapse and the people will go up, every man straight in.” (Joshua 6:5)
So faithbuilding is archaeology’s confirmation of the Biblical account! During the Kenyon Team’s excavations of the 1950’s on the west wall as well as during the Italian Team’s excavations of 1997 on the south wall, researchers found that “fallen red bricks piled nearly to the top of the [retaining wall]” became a God-made ramp. This allowed the Israelites to get over the walls and into the city! In fact (as noted by our guide when Elena and I visited the ruins of Jericho in 1997), nowhere was the wall “smashed-in” at a weak spot, where soldiers would usually penetrate and overcome a city’s defenses. All of the walls collapsed outwardly, away from the city. Therefore since Israel had circled the city, every soldier from any direction could obey the Lord’s command and simply “go up every man straight in” using this God-made ramp!
Quite interestingly, the German Team of 1907 found from their excavations of the north wall that “a small section of the lower city wall did not collapse.” In my mind, there is a high probability that this was where Rahab lived. Afterall, the Scriptures tell us “her house was part of the city wall” and the spies escaped from there “to the hills.” The north side of the city was only a short distance from “the hills” of the Jordan wilderness. God is so faithful to those who are full of faith, like Rahab!
As the Lord fulfilled His promise to Joshua at Jericho “No one will be able to stand against you,” so His people should never be stopped by walls of any kind! “Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, [the apostles] never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ.” (Acts 5:42) In the first century, the gospel demolished the dividing walls of race, culture, language and nationalism. In the Apostle John’s vision, heaven is constantly celebrating Christ’s blood having “purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation…[making] them to be a kingdom!” (Revelation 5:9-10) However, even in the first century “walls of hostility” were created by the differences between the Jewish and Gentile Christians. Paul reminds disciples, “For [Christ] is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall hostility…through the cross.” (Ephesians 2:14-16) In reading this Scripture one must pause, reflect and meditate on ones walk with the Lord. Do we have any bitter feelings, anger or prejudices that separate us from other disciples that are different than us? The glory of the church is that people who are very different can be united “so the world will know [God] sent [Jesus].” (John 17:23)
In a speech at the Brandenburg Gate by the Berlin Wall in June 12, 1987, then President Ronald Reagan challenged General Secretary of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev, “If you seek peace…Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” By 1989 the Berlin Wall was torn down thus effectively uniting East and West Germany, who held very different ideologies. Today, I beg all true disciples of our Savior Jesus to tear down all walls of hostility. I am especially praying for those Christians who have gone to the unimaginable and unbiblical extreme of disfellowshipping a movement of disciples who are passionately pursuing Jesus’ dream to evangelize the nations in a generation. I plead with you, tear down this wall of hostility and worship with us!
Let us consider that God has “one kingdom,” perhaps with more than one movement. And when by His grace we dwell with God in heaven, I sincerely doubt that God will be okay with true disciples neither talking with each other nor worshipping Him on autonomous clouds! City of Angels Church, lets have the faith of Joshua. God has the power to tear down any obstacle to the truth…no matter how high or how wide. And as at Jericho, to God be the glory!
Kip McKean
World Missions Evangelist
Entries (RSS)