The two spies had searched the city of Jericho, narrowly escaped a manhunt by the soldiers, and had promised a woman named Rahab safety for helping them out of the city.
Joshua 3:1-3- And Joshua rose early in the morning; and they removed from Shittim, and came to Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over. And it came to pass after three days, that the officers went through the host; And they commanded the people, saying, When ye see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from your place, and go after it.
Joshua was expecting God to part the Jordan River like he had parted the Red Sea for Moses. The Levite priests were going to carry the ark of the covenant, a special piece of the temple that they used for worship. The people were to follow the priests into the Jordan River.
Joshua 3:7-8, 15-17- And the LORD said unto Joshua, This day will I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee. And thou shalt command the priests that bear the ark of the covenant, saying, When ye are come to the brink of the water of Jordan, ye shall stand still in Jordan. And as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest,) That the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho. And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan.
So, the priests step into Jordan, and the waters part to create a pathway for the Israelites to cross. The Hebrew children crossed so close to the city of Jericho that anyone on the huge wall could see what was going on.
Joshua 4:4-5, 8-9- Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man: And Joshua said unto them, Pass over before the ark of the LORD your God into the midst of Jordan, and take ye up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according unto the number of the tribes of the children of Israel: And the children of Israel did so as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the midst of Jordan, as the LORD spake unto Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, and carried them over with them unto the place where they lodged, and laid them down there. And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests which bare the ark of the covenant stood: and they are there unto this day.
Joshua had 12 men take a stone each from the center of Jordan so that he could build a memorial for the children of Israel. They could see the pillar that Joshua built and remember how the Lord worked a miracle.
Joshua 5:1- And it came to pass, when all the kings of the Amorites, which were on the side of Jordan westward, and all the kings of the Canaanites, which were by the sea, heard that the LORD had dried up the waters of Jordan from before the children of Israel, until we were passed over, that their heart melted, neither was there spirit in them any more, because of the children of Israel.
The tale of the Israelites crossing quickly spread throughout the promised land. Every person that heard if feared the battle that was coming, for they knew they couldn't win against an army with a God as powerful as that!
Joshua 5:10-12- And the children of Israel encamped in Gilgal, and kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the month at even in the plains of Jericho. And they did eat of the old corn of the land on the morrow after the passover, unleavened cakes, and parched corn in the selfsame day. And the manna ceased on the morrow after they had eaten of the old corn of the land; neither had the children of Israel manna any more; but they did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year.
Now that the Hebrew children were in the promised land, God stopped sending them manna. They were in Canaan, the land of milk and honey. There was plenty of food to eat, and lots of clean water to drink. God didn't need to send angel's food anymore, because He had sent them to a land where He had made all they needed abundant.
Joshua 5:13-15- And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries? And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant? And the captain of the LORD'S host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so.
God met with Joshua. He told Joshua exactly what battle plan to use to conquer Jericho. This was Joshua's first test as leader. Would he follow what God said to do even if it didn't sound like it would work?
Joshua 6:1-5- Now Jericho was straitly shut up because of the children of Israel: none went out, and none came in. And the LORD said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour. And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days. And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams' horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets. And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him.
The plan was for the entire army to walk around Jericho once a day for six days. The priests would carry the ark, and some of them would be blowing on trumpets. No one would talk, or make a sound. And then they would go back to their camp.
On the seventh day, they would walk around the city the same way, only they'd do it 7 times. And then the priests would blow a long sound on the trumpet and everyone would shout. Then the walls would simply fall down and they could enter.
Do you think some of the people wondered about this plan? If anyone questioned Joshua's strategy, no one said anything.
So, the people followed Joshua's instructions.
Joshua 6:16-18- And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said unto the people, Shout; for the LORD hath given you the city. And the city shall be accursed, even it, and all that are therein, to the LORD: only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent. And ye, in any wise keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed, when ye take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it.
Joshua kept the promise that was made to Rahab. He told the Hebrew children that everything in the city was cursed, and was to be destroyed. The only thing that could live was whoever was in Rahab's house.
He also warned that if anyone took anything from the city that they would become cursed. Only the things that would be dedicated to the Lord wouldn't have a curse on them.
Joshua 6:20-24- So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city. And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword. But Joshua had said unto the two men that had spied out the country, Go into the harlot's house, and bring out thence the woman, and all that she hath, as ye sware unto her. And the young men that were spies went in, and brought out Rahab, and her father, and her mother, and her brethren, and all that she had; and they brought out all her kindred, and left them without the camp of Israel. And they burnt the city with fire, and all that was therein: only the silver, and the gold, and the vessels of brass and of iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the LORD.
