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The Book of Joshua Like You_ve Never Seen Before · truthunedited

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Speaker 1: A generation born in slavery about to inherit the world's
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most strategic real estate. The Book of Joshua is God's
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master class in keeping impossible promises. Four centuries after telling Abraham,
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I'll give you this land, God finally delivers with supernatural
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warfare that rewrites military history. Rivers stop flowing, Fortified cities
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crumble without siege engines, hailstones become divine artillery. Time itself
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freezes mid battle. This isn't mythology, it's the documented conquest
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that shaped civilization. Joshua transforms trembling ex slaves into an
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unstoppable force, proving that when the Almighty fights for you,
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victory isn't just probable, it's inevitable. Every page reveals strategic brilliance,
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supernatural intervention, and covenant faithfulness that echoes through eternity. This
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book connects Abraham's faith to David's throne law to Christ's kingdom.
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Get ready for the most spectacular display of divine power
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in human history. The story begins right after Moses died. Joshua,
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who had been Moses' assistant for forty years, suddenly found
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himself in charge of over two million people. Can you
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imagine that pressure. As we read in Chapter one, verses
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one to two. After the death of Moses, the servant
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of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua, son of Nune,
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Moses's aid, Moses, my servant is dead. Now, then you
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and all these people get ready to cross the Jordan
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River into the land I'm about to give to them
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to the Israelites. God didn't waste time. He immediately told
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Joshua what needed to happen next. But God knew Joshua
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was scared. Leading people is hard enough, but leading them
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into war against giants and fortified cities, that's terrifying. So
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God did something amazing three times in this car conversation.
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He told Joshua to be strong and brave. First, in
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verse six, be strong and courageous, because you will lead
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these people to inherit the land I swore to their
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ancestors to give them. Then in verse seven, be strong
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and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law
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my servant Moses gave you. Do not turn from it
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to the right or to the left, that you may
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be successful wherever you go. And finally, in verse nine,
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have I not commanded you be strong and courageous, Do
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not be afraid, do not be discouraged. For the Lord
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your God will be with you wherever you go. Three
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times God repeated himself because he knew Joshua needed to
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hear it. When God repeats something, pay attention. Joshua wasn't
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just getting a pep talk. God was making a promise.
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Success would come through following his laws, not through military
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genius or superior weapons. God told him in verse eight,
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keep this book of the Law always on your lips.
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Meditate on it day and night, so that you may
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be careful to do everything written in it. Then you
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will be prosperous and successful. The secret weapon wasn't swords
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or shields, It was God's word. Joshua immediately got to work.
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He called his officers and gave them orders to prepare
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the people for battle. But there was a problem. Three tribes, Reuben,
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Gad and half of Manasseh, had already received their land
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on the east side of the Jordan River. They were
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comfortable and settled with their families, cattle, and property. Would
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they really leave everything to help their brothers fight. Joshua
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didn't beat around the bush. In chapter one, verses thirteen
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to fifteen. He reminded them of their promise to Moses.
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Remember the command that Moses, the servant of the Lord,
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gave you after he said, the Lord your God will
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give you rest by giving you this land. Your wives,
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your children, and your livestock may stay in the land
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that Moses gave you east of the Jordan, but all
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your fighting men ready for battle must cross over ahead
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of your fellow Israelites. You are to help them until
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the Lord gives them rest as he has done for you,
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and until they too have taken possession of the land
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the Lord your God is giving them, then you may
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go back and occupy your own land, which Moses, the
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servant of the Lord, gave you east of the Jordan,
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toward the sunrise. Their response was immediate and powerful. These
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weren't reluctant soldiers being forced into service. Verse sixteen records
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their enthusiastic answer, whatever you have commanded us, we will do,
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and wherever you send us, we will go. They didn't hesitate,
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they didn't make excuses, they didn't negotiate. They understood that
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God's people succeed together or fail together. But they added
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something that shows real wisdom and spiritual maturity. In verses
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seventeen eighteen. They said, just as we fully obeyed Moses,
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so we will obey you. Only. May the Lord your
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God be with you as he was with Moses. Whoever
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rebels against your word and does not obey it. Whatever
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you may command them, will be put to death. Only
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be strong and courageous. Even they told Joshua to be brave.
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Sometimes encouragement comes from unexpected places. These warriors recognized that
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strong leadership was essential for victory. Before crossing the Jordan,
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Joshua needed intelligence. Jericho sat right in their path, a massive,
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fortified city that controlled access to the heart of the
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promised land. So Joshua made a smart military decision. Chapter two,
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verse one tells us. Then Joshua, son of Nune, secretly
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sent two from Shittim go look over the land. He said,
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especially Jericho. So they went and entered the house of
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a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there. These spies found
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themselves in serious trouble when the King of Jericho heard
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about them. Someone had spotted these foreign men and reported
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them to the authorities, But Rahab did something nobody expected.
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Instead of turning them in for a reward, she hid
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them on her roof under stalks of flax. When the
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King's men came searching her house, she boldly lied to
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protect them, telling them in verses four to five, Yes,
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the men came to me, but I did not know
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where they had come from. At dusk, when it was
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time to close the city gate, they left. I don't
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know which way they went. Go after them quickly, you
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may catch up with them. Why would a Canaanite woman
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risk her life for Israeli spies. This wasn't just random kindness.
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Raehab had been thinking about Israel's guard for years. She
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explained her reasoning in verses nine eleven. I know that
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the Lord has given you this land, and that a
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great fear of you has fallen on us, so that
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all who live in this country are melting in fear
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because of you. We have heard how the Lord dried
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up the water of the Red Sea for you when
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you came out of Egypt, and what you did to
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Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east
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of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed. When we heard
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of it, our hearts melted in fear, and every one's
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courage failed because of you. A three and from them
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that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before
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the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord, when it
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crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off.
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These stones are to be a memorial to the people
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of Israel forever. While the twelve men gathered stones from
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the river bed, Joshua also set up twelve stones right
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where the priests were standing in the middle of the Jordan.
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These would remain under water as a hidden monument. Than
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he commanded the priests to come up out of the river.
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Verse eighteen records what happened the moment they stepped on
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to dry ground, and the priests came up out of
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the river carrying the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord.
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No sooner had they set their feet on the dry
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ground than the waters of the Jordan's people going back
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to Abraham. Without it, they weren't truly part of God's
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covenant community. Chapter five, verse two records God's command at
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that time. The Lord said to Joshua, make flint knives
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and circumcise the Israelites. Again, this was an enormous risk
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from a military standpoint. Circumcising an entire army would leave
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them vulnerable and unable to fight for several days while
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they healed. Any enemy could easily attack and destroy them,
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but obedience to God came first, even when it didn't
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make tactical sense. Joshua followed God's command exactly. Verse eight
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tells us, and after the whole nation had been circumcised,
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they remained where they were in camp until they were healed.
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After the men had healed, they celebrated passover the first
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time they had observed this feast in the Promised Land.
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Verse ten tells us. On the evening of the fourteenth
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day of the month, while camped at Gilgal on the
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plains of Jericho, the Israelites celebrated the passover. Something amazing
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happened the very next day. For forty years, God had
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provided manna every single morning. This supernatural bread had kept
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them alive in the desert, But now that they were
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in the Promised Land, the manner stopped. Verse twelve says
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the manner stopped. The day after they ate this food
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from the land, there was no longer any manner for
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the Israelites, But that year they ate the produce of
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canaan the wilderness. This period was officially over then Joshua
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had an encounter that changed everything. While he was near Jericho,
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probably planning the attack, he looked up and saw a
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man standing in front of him with a drawn sword
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in his hand. This wasn't one of his soldiers. Joshua
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didn't know if this was friend or enemy, so he
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challenged him directly. The man's answer in verse fourteen was shocking. Neither,
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but as commander of the army of the Lord, I
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have now come. This wasn't just an angel. This was
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God himself appearing as a warrior. Joshua immediately understood. He
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fell face down in reverence and asked, what message does
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my Lord have for his servant. The divine commander told
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Joshua in verse fifteen, take off your sandals, for the
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place where you are standing is holy. Just like Moses
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at the burning bush, Joshua was standing on holy ground
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in the presence of the Almighty. Now came the moment
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everyone had been waiting for the attack on Jericho. This
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massive city controlled the entrance to Canaan. Its walls were
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so thick that houses were built on top of them.
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It seemed impossible to capture, but God had an unusual
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battle plan that would demonstrate his power to both Israel
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and there enemies. Chapter six, verses two to five record
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his detailed instructions. Then the Lord said to Joshua, see,
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I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its
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king and its fighting men. March around the city once
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with all the armed men. Do this for six days.
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Have seven priests carried trumpets of Ram's horns in front
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of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the
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city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. When
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you hear them, sound a long blast on the trumpets.
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Have the whole army give a loud shout. Then the
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wall of the city will collapse and the army will
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go up every one straight in This made absolutely no
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military sense. Armies don't capture fortified cities by walking around
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them and playing music. Where were the siege engines, the
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battering rams, the ladders for scaling walls. But God's ways
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are not human ways. His strategy would demonstrate that victory
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comes through faith and obedience, not military technology. Joshua gathered
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the priests and army commanders and explained the plan exactly
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as God had given it. In verse ten, he gave
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them one crucial instruction that required incredible discipline. Do not
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give a war cry, do not raise your voices, do
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not say a word until the day I tell you
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to shout, Then shout. Imagine thousands of warriors marching in
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complete silence while their enemies watched from the walls. For
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six days, they followed God's plan to the letter. Every morning,
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the armed men led the procession, followed by seven priests
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blowing rams horn trumpets in front of the ark of
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the Covenant, with more armed men bringing up the rear.
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They marched around Jericho once each day in total silence
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except for the sound of the trumpets. The people of
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Jericho watched from their walls, probably laughing at this strange parade.
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They had never seen anything like it. But something was building.
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God was preparing for a miracle that would shake the
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ancient world. On the seventh day, everything changed. They got
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up at dawn and began their march, but this time
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they didn't stop after one lap. Verse fifteen tells us
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on the seventh day, they got up at daybreak and
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marched around the city seven times in the same manner,
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except that on that day they circled the city seven times.
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Can you imagine the tension building with each lap. The
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priests kept blowing their trumpets, the people kept their silence,
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the army kept marching. After six days of this strange ritual,
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every one knew something big was about to happen. The
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people of Jericho were probably getting nervous. What were these
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Israelites planning