Joshua 6:15

Joshua 6:15 says, And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they rose early about the dawning of the day, and compassed the city after the same manner seven times: only on that day they compassed the city seven times.  The seventh day was different.  The people of Israel once again arose early, but instead of circling Jericho once, they circled it seven times.  Again this was according to God's guidance.  When we are following God's guidance, some days more will be required of us physically than others, but the same thing is required spiritually, and that is that we obey God.  Verse sixteen states, 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.   There was another difference on this day as well.  Joshua told the people that when the priests blew the trumpets that they were to shout.  Joshua said they were to do ths because God had given them the city.  At this point, the walls were still up and it looked like nothing had changed, so the people had to act in faith.  Sometimes, when we are doing God's work, it may seem as though nothing changes, but if we are following God's guidance, we need to just shout in victory anyway, because God has given us the victory.  Verse seventeen adds, 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.  Joshua said that everyone in the city was to be accursed, except for Rahab and those of her family that were with her.  God was going to honor the promise made to Rahab because of what she did for the spies out of faith.  Even if the whole world around us falls apart, we as followers of Christ are assured of our deliverance because of our faith in Him.  Verse eighteen declares, 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.  Basically, the people of Israel were told to not attempt to profit materially from the fall of Jericho.  We today are not called to follow God so that we can profit materially, but so that we can profit spiritually.  Joshua said if they took the things that God had called accursed that they would make the people of Israel accursed.  When we begin to bring the values of the world into our life, we will end up causing our actions to be accursed by God.  We cannot serve both God and worldly things.  Verse nineteen adds, But all the silver, and gold, and vessels of brass and iron, are consecrated unto the LORD: they shall come into the treasury of the LORD.  All the gold, silver and vessels of brass were to be brought into God's storehouse.  God gave them the victory, and He didn't do it so they could be more successful materially.  We are saved by our faith in Jesus Christ, not so we can be more successful materially, but so that we can be more successful spiritually.  We owe it all to God, but how much are we willing to give back to Him materially?  Verse twenty declares, 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.  When the trumpet sounded and the people shouted the wall fell flat.  I have heard people try to explain why the wall fell, saying that harmonics of sound vibrated the walls causing them to fall.  They miss the whole point.  The trumpet and the shouting didn't cause the wall to fall, but God did.  The trumpet playing and the shouting were only ways for the peole of Israel to show their obedience to God.  God could have caused the wall to fall at anytime without the people of Israel doing anything.  When we are doing things for the Lord today and meet with success, we must always remember that He is the One Who brings victory.  God simply allows us to show our obedience by doing what He calls us to do.  Verse twenty-one declares, 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.  The people of Israel killed ever living thing in the city.  We might find this extreme, but God was establishing His people in the land that He had promised them.  I personally believe that no one who died had their spiritual destiny altered, but we are told by their actions concerning God and His people that the people of Jericho were never going to accept God.  They had several days to open the gates and surrender to God.  People today may die in what seems to be an unfair manner, but none will die without having an opportunity to come to God.  If they did, then God would be an unjust God, and He is not.