What brought down the walls of Jericho?

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

In the eyes of man, God’s battle plan against Jericho was no battle plan.

His strategy was to rally a ragtag nation of nomads to circle the heavily fortified city with no weapons, no military training, no intimidation. 

Although Jericho was not a big city, it was no walk in the park to infiltrate.

The massive stone walls were thick enough to house inhabitants. Walking around those walls meant the Israelites endured the sting of heat and exhaustion and the yet sharper sting of Jericho’s scorn.

Were there complaints? Likely. These were the Israelites, “champions” of complaining in the desert. 

Was there doubt? Probably, especially amid the total absence of progress. Even some debris drifting from the wall would have provided some encouragement. 

Could there be squabbling in the camp? Possibly. Here were possibly 40,000 battle-ready men (Joshua 4:13) of different levels of faith, forced to walk together for an entire week in the heat, in exhaustion and in silence. 

But Israel pressed on. 

From the outside that was what the world saw: Israel walking together. The Bible calls them “an army”, one about to take on a city.

At the end of seven days – the final being the most gruelling, with seven continuous rounds around the wall – the army shouted and the wall collapsed. 

The pleasure of God

The walk did not bring down the wall. Walls do not crash with the pounding steps of man, not even 40,000 of them.

The shout did not bring down the wall. I have screamed in futility with all my heart and all my strength in prayer and some walls continued to stand tall and proud. 

So, what really brought down the wall of Jericho? The quick answer is faith.

The deeper answer is the pleasure of God.

The Bible says without faith, it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6).

The Greek word for “please” used in this verse is euaresteō – to gratify entirely by giving what is acceptable.

It was the same word used to express the pleasure of God over Enoch: “For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God.” (Hebrews 11:5)

Thankfully, the pleasure of God is not contingent on the perfection of our but on the diligence of faith (Hebrews 11:6).

This relief sculpture of the Fall of Jericho by Lorenzo Ghiberti is part of the Gate of Paradise in the Baptistry of San Giovanni, in Florence, Italy. Photo from Depositphotos.com.

It was the perfect pleasure of God at the collective faith of His people moving in sync that toppled the wall.

He snapped His fingers and Jericho was done.

Only together 

Could the faith of one man have brought down Jericho? Yes. God is God after all. 

But for the baby nation of Israel, it was a critical lesson, not just in the power of faith, but in unity. 

Genesis 11:6 reads: “The Lord said, ‘If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.'” 

Humankind can be terrifying when united for evil, but the greatest thing when united for good.

It was also the heavenly Father sharing with His children what gave Him ultimate delight – all His children moving together.

“How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity! For there the Lord bestows his blessing, even life forevermore,” Psalm 133:1, 3 tells us.

Unity is so close to the heart of God that only together will all the saints through the ages be perfected and receive the “something better” He has planned for us (Hebrews 11:40)

Like the Israelites, we are an army of God – called to the battlefield for souls. 

Some preach, some teach; some serve sermons, some serve coffee but everything we do converges in one purpose: The furtherance of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

There is no “my ministry”, “my cell group”, “my story”, “my project”, “my event”. 

There is only our – us and Jesus Christ. 

Can we succeed on our own? Maybe. There are people in the Kingdom with serious talent and real strength.

But can we bring down the walls of and conquer the Jerichos of this world like God did? No.

The battle of Jericho raises some heart questions: As labourers in the Kingdom, have we started to appropriate private ownership of ministries and projects? Are we taking on burdens as if they are ours alone?

Perhaps, it is time to step back and recommit to God the individual assignments He has given us for a purpose meant to be achieved as a Body. 

Because when the army of God marches in sync, God snaps His finger – and the walls come down.

Let us pray:

Dear God, we stand in awe of Your power and in wonder at Your pleasure over us. 

As the people of God, we repent of relying on our strength and our own wits. We acknowledge the calling of the Almighty God is for faith that walks in unity. We are not compartments of the Church; we are one Body of Christ called to do Your work, Your way – together. 

So today, we recommit ourselves to You and the assignments You have entrusted to each of us to be achieved as one body. Help us Lord to stay accountable to one another and to work together in love – for the sake of Your great Name. 

In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen!

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