Walls of Jericho

00:00:00 Speaker 1: Previously on the Chosen people. 00:00:03 Speaker 2: Why did you help us? 00:00:04 Speaker 3: I heard of the miracles of your God, the parting of the Red Sea, the victories in Moab against impossible odds. Many here dismiss these stories as exaggerations, But. 00:00:15 Speaker 2: I know the truth. 00:00:17 Speaker 3: I believe your God is God of heaven above and earth below. I believe we will take this city and claim the land. 00:00:25 Speaker 4: Hang us scarlet cord in this window so we can keep our oath to protect your family when we enter the land. Bring all your family into your house. Anyone who leaves will be responsible for their own death. If anyone inside is harmed, we are at fault. But if you reveal our mission, the oath is void. And what of the walls, heyah, our men will find no such luck with these walls. 00:00:53 Speaker 5: There are two of going. The lower wall is over ten feet tall. Then there's a sloping rampart where their archers will surely strike us down from the watchdowns, and beyond it it's the upper wall, and that one is almost twenty feet tall and six feet thick. 00:01:13 Speaker 1: Joshua's hand instinctively reached for the blade on his left hip. He freed it from its scabbard, a half a second later, and whirled around to face the threat. A man stood on the bank before him, the sunrise silhouetting his frame. Metal armor gleamed in the pre dawn. He stood about twenty paces away and a great sword and shield. Dondee, charm, are you for us? 00:01:39 Speaker 6: For our enemies? 00:01:41 Speaker 7: I have come as commander of the Lord's army. 00:01:45 Speaker 1: Recognitions smacked Joshua in the face, though he did not understand fully. He dropped his weapon immediately and bowed low with his face to the ground in homage to him. 00:01:59 Speaker 6: Didn't want to see your. 00:02:00 Speaker 7: Servant to remove the sandals from your feet. From where you are standing is holy ground? 00:02:15 Speaker 8: What if the real battle isn't against walls of stone, but against our own disbelief? Shelloh, my friends, from here in the holy land of Israel, I'm l Extein with international Fellowship of Christians and Jews, and welcome to the Chosen People. Here Joshua stands, once again, facing the impossible. Behind him, the wilderness, the place where faith was forged, ahead of him, towering walls. This isn't the first time God has asked the Chosen People to trust him, and it won't be the last. And now now God is asking for something that makes even lessense. It's a moment where divine instruction seems to clash with human life. March, blow, trumpets, and weight. What do we do when Gods plan deifies everything we think we know? When he asks for obedience in the face of the absurd, What do we do when the only way forward is faith? 00:03:21 Speaker 1: The booming of forty thousand pairs of feet marching forward was punctuated by sharp spears hammering into the gravel, everything thrown to the rhythm of war drums. The sound reverberated in Joshua's ribcage, electrifying the atmosphere around him. 00:03:40 Speaker 2: The men were. 00:03:41 Speaker 1: Tightly wound with a contagious phrenetic energy. As the fame double walls of Jericho loomed larger and larger before them, Joshua's heart beat alongside the thunderous forward march of the lord's army. Joshua marched with the vanguard the tribe of Judah. When they were still a ways off the rear guards, still within the outer perimeter of their riverside camp, Joshua held up his fist. The deafening marching stopped his men, awaiting his command. The silence hung in the air like a thick morning fog. So confident in Israel's obedience, Joshua did not turn as he shouted into the now silence. The front lines of their force spread on either side of Joshua and immediately marched forward, Caleb at the helm. They marched until they kneared an archer's bow range from the city, and then halted and turned to face north. Now in the front lines behind Joshua, the seven priests Joshua had selected stepped forward ahead of the Ark of the Covenant, carried by Eliezer, Ithamar and Finnahas the unit of priests moved together, the seven priests at the front carrying shofars, the Ark of the Covenant and its priestly guardians crossed the plains of Jericho before the great army. They came to a halt a thousand yards behind the vanguard. The tribe of Judah created a wall of protection between the priests and the city. 00:05:20 Speaker 6: Tribes of Israel. 00:05:24 Speaker 1: With that, the rest of Israel's army marched forward until they were a thousand yards away from the Ark. It was the same distance they had given the Ark when they crossed Jordan. It marked not only the reverends they held for their God, but it would also create a spectacular aerial view of the presence of God from above. All of Jericho would know where Israel's true power came from. All of Israel's enemies needed to know who their real adversary was. It wasn't Joshua, nor was it the armies under his command. The Lord who challenged them. It was the Lord who marched. It was the Lord who would carry out his plans for his chosen people. The children of Israel, much like the citizens of Jericho, would be mere spectators to the glory of God Most High. The rest of the tribes filled in the space to the south and the north of the priests, curving around them to complete a gigantic circle of protection, with the tribe of Judah as the defenders of the front lines. Joshua walked among them as they moved into place, They turned north and halted to await his next order. The entire company was still out of arrow range, but undoubtedly visible to the enemy soldiers above. Joshua smiled as he continued to walk among his men, standing at attention and imagine what an intimidating sight. They were for the people of Jericho, no doubt, they were shaking. 00:06:56 Speaker 7: Behind their walls. 00:06:57 Speaker 1: Good let them see what would next. Joshua had received his orders hours earlier from the commander of the Lord's armies. Joshua had been told the city was theirs. Victory was within grasp. They needed only to follow the Lord's commands. Victory was assured, but the method, well, that was to be at another trial of their faith. Joshua found himself at the furthest northern edge of the army. Jericho was on Israel's left. He shouted so that the priests and the vanguard could all hear him. 00:07:33 Speaker 6: Remember Rotheras, do not shout to let your voice be heard. Don't let one word come out of your mouth until I say shout. Then you are to shout. You shout with every fiber of your being, every ounce of strengthen your soul, until then the fire within you will be tamed. 00:07:52 Speaker 4: Do you understand? 00:07:54 Speaker 1: Joshua felt their obedience. The entire army of Israel nodded as one to confirm that they remembered his orders from that morning. Half a second later, the seven priests began sounding their shofars and strode forward. The ark was in their wake. As they began to march around the city's walls, they blew short percussive blasts, unrelenting and bold. The armed men on either side the front and the rear guards kept in stride so that the presence of the Lord was protected. As they marched, the shofar blasts reverberated off the distant city and rattled the Canaanite men's armor and steel. Joshua imagined the piercing, persistent sound was only enhanced as it echoed against the foothills of the distant twin peaks of Mount Obal and Gerizom. As they marched and the short blasts sounded all around them, a distant memory tugged at Joshua's mind and brought a sad smile to his lips. 00:08:58 Speaker 2: When the army goes to that, the priests will sound short blasts of the trumpets. Can you tell me why. 00:09:06 Speaker 7: Yes, it's so we will be remembered before the Lord that he will save us from our enemies. It's a reminder that the Lord goes before us and fights our battles. Short blast for war, long blast for gathering the assembly together. 00:09:19 Speaker 2: Ah, well done, my son. You've certainly paid careful attention when I instructed Aaron. 00:09:27 Speaker 1: In his sons. 00:09:28 Speaker 7: Oh, yes, Moses, I try my best to understand the duties of the priests, the army and the civil leaders want to serve you us best. I can you carry so much? 00:09:38 Speaker 2: Yet, it is very wise of you to understand how leading the people and the army is interconnected with the spiritual leadership of the people. Never forget to keep the Lord at the forefront, and never, I mean never mistake your leadership for his. 00:09:59 Speaker 7: Do you understand? And me and my son, yes, yes, I do. 00:10:04 Speaker 1: Joshua was hard simultaneously panned with grief and swelled with pride at the memory of his beloved mentor and friend. Joshua longed for Moses to march at his side. As Israel entered its first battle for the Promised Land. Lost in memories and complicated emotions, Joshua realized they were rounding the last bend of the city of Jericho. The city stood on about eight acres of land, and one lap around the city took about half an hour. Joshua looked around, Priests and soldiers alike still stood straight and tall, their feet pounding the ground in time to the shofars. At the last turn, the vanguard led the men back toward their camp instead of continuing to circle the city. The shofars didn't let up until the priests crossed the threshold of the tabernacle and the ark of the Covenant was safely back inside the most holy place. For this was all Israel was required to do. On this first day, Joshua was sure there was confusion on the other side of the heavily fortified walls of Jericho. Jericho did not know that tomorrow would hold the same for them, and the next five days after that. Each day would break their spirit a little more, but each day the faith of Israel would be on display, growing little by little each day as their God went before them. Finally, the seventh morning dawned, Joshua emerged from his tent. The animal's skin flapped, spraying him with morning dew. As he thrust it aside. The cool flecks of moisture striking his cheek were electriflying. He felt alive with anticipation. He strode to the edge of camp to look out across the divide between their camp and at the mighty walls of Jericho, the battle ground marked by faith, not blood. The ground gained invisible. The fighting take place not in the muck and mire of heated battle, but in the minds and hearts of warrior and priest alike. Israel had received her orders from Joshua every morning, and every morning she had obeyed. March short blasts of the shofars around the city back to camp. Not a man uttered a sound, not that it could be heard over the cacophony of ringing made by the rams horns. But Joshua knew that the men's obedience to the word of the Lord was of the utmost importance. He doubted the Lord would grant them victory if anyone had disobeyed his instructions had been so clear victory would come. The price was their faithfulness. Joshua squinted over at the city. It was too far to make out the details at this distance, but on their marches of the previous six days, Joshua hadn't seen a soul on the walls or in the watch towers. It was as if the sound of the horns had beaten the soldier's back and they were cowering behind their walls and boarded up gates and windows along the walls. Though he could not see them, he knew they were there. They hadn't seen anyone leave the city, nor were travelers or saviors on the horizon. Jericho's final hour crept closer and closer, and there would be no rescue. Joshua's fingers curled around the sword at his left hip and side. It was time. He turned on his heel and made his way over to where the soldiers and priests were gathered to await the day's orders. They had faithfully listened to the same orders each day on those days. Joshua warned the troops daily to not shout or let their voices be heard. He remind them that when he told them to shout, they would let up a roar the likes of which Canaan had never heard before. Joshua stood before Israel that morning as if the entire world stood still. Today felt different from the days before. They could all sense it, the stillness that comes with pent up energy, a spring coiled and ready to be released. Electric anticipation hung in the air Israel. 00:14:29 Speaker 6: Today we march around the city as we've done these six before, but today You will not stop at one time around. No, we will march around the walls of Jericho seven times. Today is the day I ask you to shout. You will shout, for today is the day the Lord will give us the city. Today you will again see the wonders of the Lord. Mighty walls of Jericho will fall before you. Make no mistake, Brothers and sisters, you do not shout for victory. You aren't conjuring some spirit to destroy your enemies, nor are you summoning power for yourselves. 00:15:10 Speaker 7: The Lord is already marching. We shout, for he. 00:15:14 Speaker 6: Has already won. 00:15:16 Speaker 7: Emen. 00:15:17 Speaker 6: The city and everything in it are set apart for the Lord. Only Rahab and everyone in her house will live. Because she hid the spies. 00:15:26 Speaker 7: We sent him to the city. You'll know her house with a scarlet cord hanging in the window. What pass by and let them live again. 00:15:35 Speaker 6: I tell you keep yourself from the things set apart with You will be set apart for destruction. If you take any of those things, you will set apart the camp of Israel for destruction, and make trouble for it. All the silver and gold, and the articles of bronze and silver are dedicated to the Lord, and must go into the Lord's treasury. 00:16:00 Speaker 7: Our brothers, sun is rising. 00:16:02 Speaker 6: Let us march on the wall of Jericho for a final time, and when I tell you the shout, you will know what to do. Rock shazakh a mats, be strong and courageous. 00:16:17 Speaker 1: With a final war cry from the men, they again fell silent. As they fell into line, the march began. The vanguard led the way, then the priests, blowing their rams horns, then the ark, and then the rear guard. The sound of horns pierced the silent morning. The Israelites made their way around the length of the city. They circled it once twice, three times, four times, five times, six times, seven times. The priests held a prolonged note as the last soldier completed his circuit. It was a stark difference from the relentless staccato of the short blasts. There was a half heartbeat of silence when the prolonged note ended. It was a most welcome balm to Joshua's ears, and he could almost feel the sigh of relief of their enemies behind the wall. But he didn't let the moment last. 00:17:13 Speaker 2: Long shouts, the Lord has giving. 00:17:16 Speaker 1: You the same, the troops gave a great shout. The full throated roar of forty thousand shook the ground like an earthquake. Joshua fought the urge to look down to see if it were so. Instead, he kept his eyes fixed on the great walls. Before them, Cracks began falling in the solid rock the inner and out of walls. They spider wept out in response to the trembling of the foundation, shaking the earth deep into its corner. The cracks rippled through the length of the walls, wrapping around edges and out of sight. The tiles of the watch towers fell. First, they rattled against one another, and the first one fell and shattered on the gravel far below, as if the first one had given permission. More followed, and soon the rules slid off entirely. Then the walls started to crumble before their very eyes. Larger and larger portions collapsed in on themselves, revealing panicking soldiers scrambling to grab hold of the walls and ledges, but they found no purchase. Their cries drowned in the sound and chaos of the falling stones, bricks, and mud. The inner wall deteriorated first the day breed tumbled down the corridor between the two city walls and into the sloped rampart, and then collided spectacularly with the outer wall. The force of the rubble hitting the base brought down the already crumbling, top heavy walls with an enormous crash. Then all went silent. A plume of dust shot toward the sky and rained down. The wave of dust that swept across the plains had an air of finality to it, and as it dissipated, Joshua released a final roar. 00:19:08 Speaker 6: Josh axious are commands, pasdraw and corigos. 00:19:14 Speaker 1: With another mighty shout, Israelites stormed forward to take the city. They sprang over the rubble and the collapsed mangled gates, and said to their destruction. As commanded. Joshua charged in first, leaping with the veracity of a man half his age. His first downward swide met the shoulder of a guard. The second swing went sideways to block a spearman thrusting forward. 00:19:42 Speaker 7: Caleb finished the. 00:19:43 Speaker 1: Job with a decisive blow with an axe. 00:19:46 Speaker 6: Safe some for me, then you to keep up of man what. 00:19:52 Speaker 1: S The elder warriors of Israel pressed in with an other worldly fierceness. Every the soldier fell before them. The children of Israel pressed forward. The spoilers of the city would go to the Lord, and no man was to take plunder nor prisoner. The corruption of the city was not permitted to grow. Instead, it would be ripped out wheat and stem. In a matter of hours, the Battle of Jericho was won, and no one was spared save the woman with remarkable faith in the God of Israel who lived in the house marked by the scarlet's cord. Raehab trembled from head to toe, but forced herself to stay crouched and hidden. Her limbs were tight and stiff, barking at her to move and stretch, but her fear would allow no such thing. The screaming of her neighbors had died away some time ago, and they had not heard the crunch of soldiers footsteps. 00:20:59 Speaker 4: In a way. 00:21:00 Speaker 1: Her family was huddled around her tentatively. Her father and siblings peered up at her, their fearful eyes, asking the question will we survive? In response, Rahab summoned her courage to stand. She would need to get a handle on her surroundings to decide their next move, but that would involve leaving their hiding place. She bawled her fists and willed herself not to shake as she crept quietly to the window and peered out. Despite hearing the commotion, nothing could have prepared her for what she saw outside. The walls were nothing but shattered debris and rubble. Defenders of Jericho lay dead and sprawled along broken walls or crushed beneath the stones. Rahab gaped as she realized that only her house still stood. The wall her family was huddled against made up part of the inner wall of Jericho. It defied ye all logic. Rahab didn't need to look further into the city to know that every one within the wall was dead. She had heard enough of the butchering to know the truth. They had gone to every house, none were left, but they did not come there to her home. Her heart knew the truth. She and her family were the only survivors in Jericho. Rahab looked back at her family and shook her head. Silence hung between them, and she was not sure what would happen next. She looked up toward the front of her house, where the scarlet cord hung in the window. She slumped down the wall and held her young siblings close as they cried softly into her shoulder. She took comfort in watching the cords sway in the breeze. For a time, no one spoke a word to one another. Rayhab jolted upright. There were footsteps on the stairs below the hallway where she hid with her family. Steps grew undeniably closer and closer. She felt her family tense, preparing themselves for fight or flight. Rahab rolled her shoulders back, prepared for whatever thread burst through the door. The footsteps grew louder and louder, until finally the door swung open. Rahab jumped, and then she sobbed a cry of relief. Salmon entered with a warm look of concern. He looked as relieved as she did to see that everyone had survived. Salmon hurried towards her and knelt down to her. She was still trembling. His large, strong hands gripped her shoulders as she swayed with relief. 00:23:44 Speaker 2: Ah, Rahab, you're safe now, no one will harm you. 00:23:49 Speaker 1: Rayhab found herself still clinging to Salmon's arms. She was not ready to let go, not just yet. Luckily, he didn't seem to mind. Oh, oh, you came back, Salmon nodded. His eyes had not left hers as he helped her to her feet. She found herself similarly unwilling to break his gaze. 00:24:13 Speaker 3: Ha Ah, my family and I are in your debt. Thank you. Thank you for sparing our lives. 00:24:21 Speaker 2: You help us when you could have easily gave us away. You remained faithful and stayed in your homes when you could have run. You're an Israelite now. 00:24:32 Speaker 3: Ah, thank you, thank you. 00:24:36 Speaker 2: Come, come, your family will be safe with me. 00:24:39 Speaker 1: Salmon led Rahab down the stairs, out of the house and over the rubble of the fallen walls. He held her hand all the while. Rayhab kept her gaze on the uneven terrain before her when necessary, or fixed on the back of her rescuer. Salmon did not drop her hand until she stood before the leader of the Israelites, and she flung herself on the ground before him in gratitude. She heard her family do the same around. 00:25:09 Speaker 3: Her, Your highness, King of Israel, follower of the One True God. I cannot express my gratitude enough. Thank you for sparing our lives. Thank you for honoring your oath and sending your servants Caleb and Salmon to rescue us. 00:25:26 Speaker 1: The leader bent and kindly pulled Rehab back to her feet. There was a steadiness to him, an unwavering air of integrity. 00:25:36 Speaker 7: My dear, no, I'm not a king. Israel has no king. Really, it's I who should be falling at your feet. And thanks. Salmon here tells me you showed courage. Your faith has not only spared your life, but has also made a way for us to have victory today. As a very wise man once told me, it is our faith that defines us, not our lineage. You're our past. You can choose your faith. Because of that, you can have a new family. 00:26:06 Speaker 1: Rayhab followed the Israelite leader's gaze back to where Salmon was standing. He was staring steadily back at her. 00:26:13 Speaker 9: Come, Rehab, I will tell you all about our God and his ways. You and your family will live in peace among us, and the legacy of your faith will be passed down through our history from this day on. 00:26:27 Speaker 1: Rahab followed Joshua and Salmon away from the wreckage. Plumes of smoke and dust covered the city. Raehab stole one last glance at her home. She was happy to be rid of it, and hopeful for what the future held. She glanced forward at Salmon and allowed herself to smile. The future looked bright. 00:26:54 Speaker 8: This story catches us off guard. We expected almighty power, brilliant military strategy, something decisive, but instead we got marching, trumpets and silence, day after day, circling the city, doing the same thing over and over. If we're honest, it doesn't seem to make sense. But that's what makes the story so profound. God's work isn't bound by our understanding or expectations. The walls of Jericho didn't fall because of military strength. They didn't fall because of anything logical at all. The walls of Jericho fell because of faith and obedience. Sometimes trusting God means walking in circles. Sometimes it means doing things that makes no sense at all, simply because God asked us to. And so why did God ask the chosen people to march around those walls? Why blow trumpets? Why go through all these motions day after day? Was there some hidden power in these actions? Did marching around a city or blowing horns unlack some divine force? Of course not. The power didn't come from the march. It didn't come from the trumpets. It came from God. The act of marching wasn't about military strategy. It was about obedience. It makes me think about when my children were little. They would often question my instructions Ema, which is Hebrew for mother. They would say, why do I have to do that? It doesn't make sense to them. The things I asked them to do seemed pointless, maybe even unreasonable. They couldn't see what I saw. They didn't see the bigger picture. But as their mother, I knew why I asked them to follow my instructions. Why it was important for them to pick up their clothes off the floor and hang them up. Why I wanted them to brush their teeth every morning and every night. Why I wanted them to say their prayers before they went to sleep, even if they were exhausted. I made them do these things even when they didn't understand, because it was about teaching them trust and about knowing that I had their best interests at heart. 00:29:12 Speaker 2: Well. 00:29:12 Speaker 8: God's instructions to Joshua and this story were the same. It wasn't the noise or the motion that brought down the walls. It was the obedience of the chosen people. It was their willingness to trust God even when the plan seemed ridiculous, and God waited to unleash his miraculous power until he knew that he had their trust. Because this story is also about God's miracles, the conquest of Jericho, the first battle for the Promised Land, was completely miraculous. God commanded Joshua to have the kohanim the priests, and circle the city for seven days while blowing the schoffar the ramshorn. But why every year in Russia Shana, the Jewish New Year, the Jewish people blow the shofar the ramshorn. We still do this today. Rosha Shanna, the Jewish New Year, is a day of soul searching and repentance, and the piercing sound of the choffar is a kind of wake up call for our soul. It's supposed to stir everyone to hear this noise and repent for our sins, to come closer to God. And that was the case in Jericho. God wanted the people to understand that in this very first battle for their homeland, it was God who would bring them victory as long as they came closer to Him. So in the battle for Jericho, and only the battle for Jericho. There was no fighting. The Israelites heard the stirring sounds of the shofar. Their faith was raised to a very high level, and the city's walls sunk to the ground, and the Chosen People were victorious. Although the same miracle never happened again in the following battles for the Promised Land, everyone knew from the example of Jericho that victory comes from dedication to God and his word. So what does the Bible story of the Walls of Jericho mean for us today. It's easy to look at this story and think it's distant and ancient, but the truth is we all face our own walls, not walls made of stone, necessarily, but each one of us faces obstacles that seem immovable, broken relationships, financial struggles, a health crisis, or just the overwhelming uncertainty of life. We stand before these walls and we want to clear logical path forward. We want to fight, to strategize, and to fix things ourselves. But often God's way requires something far less glamorous. It requires faith. There's obedience and the small things. It requires trust. Even when it feels like we're walking in circles doing the same thing day after day, not knowing if it will lead to anything. Joshua and the Israelites had to march for seven days. Can you imagine the doubt that might have crept in after day four when nothing changed, after day six, when the city walls stood still. But faith isn't just believing when it makes sense. Faith is believing when it doesn't make sense. God asked for the Chosen people's obedience before he showed them his power. He asked for their trust before he brought them victory. And maybe that's where you are right now, standing before a wall, wondering why God isn't moving, wondering if you're walking in circles for nothing. But here's the truth. God's power never in question. The question is always about us. Are we willing to trust him? We all want walls in our lives to come down, we want to see results. But faith requires something more than just wanting. It requires us to trust God's timing and follow his lead even when it doesn't make sense. Maybe you're in a season where God is asking you to march, to blow your trumpet, to keep going, even though the walls haven't moved. It feels pointless. It feels absurd, but that's where faith comes in. Faith isn't about a moment. It's about persistence. It's about trusting that God sees the bigger picture even when we can't. Today, if you feel like you're walking in circles, take heart. The walls will fall, but not because of anything that you do. They will fall because of faith, and they will fall in His perfect time. You just need to continue to hold on. Shallo, my friends from here in Israel I pray that you will keep marching, keep trusting, and to know that eventually the walls will come down. 00:34:20 Speaker 1: You can listen to The Chosen People with Isle Eckstein ad free by downloading and subscribing to the Prey dot Com app today. This Prey dog comproduction is only made possible by our dedicated team of creative talents. Steve Katina, Max Bard, Zach Shellabager and Ben Gammon are the executive producers of The Chosen People with Yile Eckstein, Edited by Alberto Avilla, narrated by Paul Caltefianu. Characters are voiced by Jonathan Cotton, Aaron Salvato, Sarah Seltz, Mike Reagan, Stephen Ringwold Sylvia Zaradoc, Thomas Copeland Junior, Rosanna Pilcher, and the O opening Prayer is voiced by John Moore. Music by Andrew Morgan Smith, written by Aaron Salvado, bre Rosalie and Chris Baig. Special thanks to Bishop Paul Lanier, Robin van Ettin, Kayler Burrows, Jocelyn Fuller, and the team at International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. You can hear more Prey dot com productions on the Prey dot Com app, available on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. If you enjoyed The Chosen People with Yil Eckstein, please rate and leave a review,