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Monday, October 4, 2021

The Walls of Jericho Tumble Down, Junior - I, Lesson - 12

JUNIOR

AGE: 10 - 11 YEARS

STANDARD/GRADE: V & VI

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LESSON – 12

THE WALLS OF JERICHO TUMBLE DOWN

In the previous lessons we learnt about the Israelites long journey towards Canaan, led by Moses, after their deliverance from the Egyptian slavery. The leader of the Israelites Moses passed away at the age of 120 years, before they entered Canaan. After the death of Moses, Joshua led the Israelites towards Canaan. The Israelites had to cross the overflowing Jordan River before they could enter Canaan. God did a miracle and made the Jordan River to turn back and the Israelites walked across the dry river. Even though the Israelites had entered the land of Canaan, they had to capture the Canaanite cities from various Canaanite tribes, before they could make it their homeland. 

The first Canaanite city the Israelites came across was the city of Jericho. Jericho was a walled city, which means it was surrounded and protected by a huge wall. The people of Jericho had heard about the Israelites and so they had tightly shut the city, none came out and none came inside the city. 

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Unlike modern days, sophisticated battle weapons were not available to capture a tightly shut walled city. They had to climb the wall using ladders and ropes or they had to dig a tunnel beneath the wall or they had to make a breach in the wall by breaking it or they had to lay siege to the city until the people in the city are forced to surrender after their supplies ran out. But God spoke to Joshua and gave him a different battle plan to destroy the wall of Jericho and to capture the city.

                God promised Joshua that he would hand over Jericho into their hands, but they had to follow His instructions. All the Israelite men of war had to go around the city of Jericho once a day for six days with the priests carrying the ark of the covenant with them. On the seventh day they had to circle the city seven times. When they circle the city for the seventh time on the seventh day, the priests had to blow the trumpets (Refer to teacher’s notes below) and the people had to shout with a great shout, then the wall of the city would fall down flat. This battle plan was unheard of and unlike anything that an army would normally use in a similar situation. How can a walled city tightly shut be captured by marching in circles and shouting loudly? Anyone without faith in the Lord would have thought the battle plan was absurd, but not Joshua who had assisted Moses and seen God’s miraculous deliverance throughout their journey. 

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Early the next morning, Joshua got his men ready to go around the city. The priests carried the ark of the covenant with them as they marched around the city walls of Jericho. There were also seven priests blowing trumpets and marching ahead of the priests who carried the Ark of God. 

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There were armed men marching in front of them and behind them. All this time the trumpets (Refer to teacher's notes below) were sounding. But Joshua had commanded the army not to give a war cry or raise their voices, or say a word until the seventh day. (A war cry is a yell or chant used by the warriors in the army during a battle to encourage each other). The army and the priests circled the city and returned to camp and spent the night there. They marched around the city in a similar way, once a day for six days.    

The trumpet (shophar / ram's horn) blown by the priests   

Then on the seventh day, the armed men and the priests circled the city seven times. When they circled the city for the seventh time on the seventh day, the priests blew the trumpets.

                                   

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Joshua commanded the army saying, “Shout! For the Lord has given you the city! Joshua also said that the city and all that is in it are doomed by the Lord for destruction. Hence, they should not take any cursed materials from Jericho to their homes. All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron (all the articles that could be purified by fire) are sacred to the Lord and must would go into the Lord’s treasury. When the trumpets sounded, the men gave a loud shout, and the wall of Jericho collapsed and came tumbling down. The men marched straight in through the collapsed wall and captured the city. 

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Excavated remains of the walls of Jericho (1)

Teachers’ Notes:  The trumpets used in the battle of Jericho are the shophar or the ram’s horns. In the Holy Bible, two types of trumpets are mentioned.

1.    Trumpets made of silver (Numbers 10:1-10) called as “chatzotzra” in Hebrew. They can be used only by the priests.

2.   Trumpets made of ram’s horn also called as Jubilee trumpets or jubilee horn called as “shophar” (Joshua 6:5) or “jobel” (Exodus 19:13) in Hebrew. (1) 

Reference:

1)   Case, D. (2016, September 19). Walls of Jericho. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/image/5690/walls-of-jericho/

2)  Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament, by Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch [1857-78]. Text Courtesy of Internet Sacred Texts Archive. 

Bible Reference: Joshua 6

Memory Verse: By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the army had marched around them for seven days. (Hebrews 11:30)

ASSESSMENT ACTIVITIES

Fill in the blanks:

1. The first Canaanite city the Israelites came across was the city of …………………….

2. The priests carried the ……………………… as they marched around Jericho.

3. When they circled the city of Jericho, the priests blew the ……………..

4. On the …………………… day, the armed men and the priests circled the city seven times.   

Give short answers:

1. Why did the people of Jericho tightly shut their city?

 

 

2. What did the army and the priests do on the first day of marching?

 

 

3. What articles taken from Jericho were added to the Lord’s treasury?

 

 

4. What made the Jericho walls to collapse? 

 

 

Answer in brief:

1. What was the battle plan given by God to capture Jericho? 

 

 

 

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