Faith and the Battle of Jericho: Hebrews 11:30-31
“30) By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days. 31) By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient, after she had welcomed the spies in peace.” Hebrews 11:30-31
In these verses, the faith legacy continues, but the writer moves from Moses and the Exodus to Joshua and the conquest of the Promised Land. In doing so, he skipped many more examples of faith like the Children of Israel crossing the Jordan on dry ground.
His next example of faith relates to the walls of Jericho falling down. The story began in Joshua 5:13-15 with Joshua meeting the Captain of the Host of the Lord. Like Moses at the burning bush, he removed his sandals from his feet for he was on holy ground. Faith always starts with a God encounter.
As the story continues, they were commanded to March around the city for seven days. But ironically, on the seventh day instead of resting on the Sabbath, they were commanded to march around the city seven times, and then blow the trumpets.
Some look at this as an extended worship service. When the priests finally blew the trumpets and the people shouted, the walls fell down and the people of Jericho were defeated. Faith and obedience to God brought the walls of the enemy down.
But Rahab and her family were spared. Faith in God saved her. She ended up being in the very linage of Jesus. (Read Matthew 1:5) She married a man named Salmon and they gave birth to Boaz who was featured in the book of Ruth.
The common denominator in all these stories of faith scattered throughout the Old Testament was trust in God and obedience to Him. Belief became action. Faith spilled over into works. They acted out what they believed. They fixed their compass on God. Throughout the Old Testament, the just were saved by faith.
I wonder if you have walls or strongholds in your life that need to be pulled down. 2 Corinthians 10:3-6 gives us our marching orders to pull down sinful walls through obedience to Christ. Maybe you have been immoral like Rahab and need forgiveness and a new life. Only faith in Jesus Christ can give you a new path in life. Salvation starts with faith.
Daily Bible Commentary By Terry Baxter: Cofounder of GoServ Global
