Hebrews 11:30: By Faith the Walls of Jericho Fell Down
2023-09-23
Hebrews 11:30
By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days. (Hebrews 11:30)
This is the next generation of Israel from the previous verse. They entered the promised land and were generally more faithful than their fathers. Their fathers, who spied Canaan from Kadesh Barnea, were afraid of the land’s inhabitants, and here is one specific concern of theirs: “Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there” (Numbers 13:28). Here we see that one concern was the walled cities.
Consider now Joshua 6:1-16, 20. Their children learned from their fathers’ mistake. They heard the commandment of the Lord, they walked around the city for seven days, and on the seventh day they walked the perimeter seven times. They trusted God’s strategy for battle and followed the specific instructions, and the Lord knocked the walls of the city down. They believed and obeyed the command, and the Lord demonstrated His power.
Why did the Lord do it this way? He did it to demonstrate that it was His power doing it. Walking and blowing trumpets do not knock down walls. They were demonstrating it was the Lord’s battle. Trumpets were used to communicate during battle and a sign of trusting God to deliver them. “And if ye go to war in your land against the enemy that oppresseth you, then ye shall blow an alarm with the trumpets; and ye shall be remembered before the LORD your God, and ye shall be saved from your enemies” (Numbers 10:9). These signs demonstrated the power of the Lord to both Israel and the enemy. They believed and the Lord delivered.