“The city and all that is in it are to be devoted to the LORD. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall be spared, because she hid the spies we sent. But keep away from the devoted things, so that you will not bring about your own destruction by taking any of them. Otherwise you will make the camp of Israel liable to destruction and bring trouble on it. All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron are sacred to the LORD and must go into his treasury.”
When the trumpets sounded, the army shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the men gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so everyone charged straight in, and they took the city.” Joshua 6:17-20
The shout goes up—and the walls collapse. No battering rams. No human force. And absolutely ZERO confusion about the source of victory.
It was the Lord God who had given them the city in their obedience.
Jericho falls in a way that leaves no room for boasting. Israel walks straight into the city God has already given them. What could not be conquered through strength is received through their surrender in faith.
“Have you been asking God what He is going to do? He will never tell you. God does not tell you what He is going to do He reveals to you who He is. Do you believe in a miracle working God, and will you “go out” in complete surrender to Him until you are not surprised one iota by anything He does?”Oswald Chambers
God’s victories are unmistakable. They remind us that we need Him and that He is Lord of All. This builds our faith.
The story ends not with Israel’s triumph, but with God’s faithfulness.
Something to prayerfully ponder: How has God shown you that surrender, not strategy, is the pathway to true victory? Brother or sister – be encouraged!
“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.” Hebrews 10:23
