Joshua 5:13-6:27
I read an article recently in which there are some christian groups that have subverted the story of the walls of Jericho. These groups have changed the story to have the Walls be about a 7 day prayer schedule. Their idea is that it is “seen as a way of claiming the area for God and bringing about change through the power or prayer and positive energy’. I suppose the actual story is way too gruesome and needed to be made more palatable for the gullible. Consider that the Book of Joshua is largely concerned with invasion of Canaan and extermination of the people that lived there. There is, incidentally, from an archaelogical standpoint, questions about whether the conquest of Canaan is even a historical event of propaganda (See “The Bible Unearthed” by Finkelstein”)
At the supposed time of the trumpets blasting, the city walls had already collapsed, and Jericho had been abandoned, or was sparsely populated for over 200 years. But even if somehow this story was true, it is still advocating genocide and invasion.
Also, surely any thinking person that wants the government to put the 10 commandments in schools despite our constitution touting freedom of religion will find the ‘Thou shalt not murder” to be a contradiction in supposed values.
6 Now aJericho was securely shut up because of the children of Israel; none went out, and none came in. 2 And the Lord said to Joshua: “See! bI have given Jericho into your hand, its cking, and the mighty men of valor. 3 You shall march around the city, all you men of war; you shall go all around the city once. This you shall do six days. 4 And seven priests shall bear seven dtrumpets of rams’ horns before the ark. But the seventh day you shall march around the city eseven times, and fthe priests shall blow the trumpets. 5 It shall come to pass, when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, that all the people shall shout with a great shout; then the wall of the city will fall down flat. And the people shall go up every man straight before him.”
6 Then Joshua the son of Nun called the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the Lord.” 7 And he said to the people, “Proceed, and march around the city, and let him who is armed advance before the ark of the Lord.”
8 So it was, when Joshua had spoken to the people, that the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the Lord advanced and blew the trumpets, and the ark of the covenant of the Lord followed them. 9 The armed men went before the priests who blew the trumpets, gand the rear guard came after the ark, while the priests continued blowing the trumpets. 10 Now Joshua had commanded the people, saying, “You shall not shout or make any noise with your voice, nor shall a word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I say to you, ‘Shout!’ Then you shall shout.” 11 So he had hthe ark of the Lord circle the city, going around it once. Then they came into the camp and 1lodged in the camp.
12 And Joshua rose early in the morning, iand the priests took up the ark of the Lord. 13 Then seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the Lord went on continually and blew with the trumpets. And the armed men went before them. But the rear guard came after the ark of the Lord, while the priests continued blowing the trumpets. 14 And the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. So they did six days.
15 But it came to pass on the seventh day that they rose early, about the dawning of the day, and marched around the city seven times in the same manner. On that day only they marched around the city seven times. 16 And the seventh time it happened, when the priests blew the trumpets, that Joshua said to the people: “Shout, for the Lord has given you the city!
17 Now the city shall be jdoomed by the Lord to destruction, it and all who are in it. Only kRahab the harlot shall live, she and all who are with her in the house, because lshe hid the messengers that we sent. 18 And you, mby all means abstain from the accursed things, lest you become accursed when you take of the accursed things, and make the camp of Israel a curse, nand trouble it. 19 But all the silver and gold, and vessels of bronze and iron, are 2consecrated to the Lord; they 3shall come into the treasury of the Lord.”
20 So the people shouted when the priests blew the trumpets. And it happened when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that othe wall fell down flat. Then the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.
21 And they putterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, ox and sheep and donkey, with the edge of the sword.
god is certainly not prolife, now is he? In the name of war, of Joshua defeating Jericho, Joshua and his men “Utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, with the edge of the sword”, saving only a prostitute and her family because she protected Israelite spies. This is not a story of faith but of genocide.
There is nothing in this account that says anyone prayed.. at all. In fact, if you read the account, it is a war procedure, and after almost everyone was murdered, they burned the cityand took all the silver, gold and brass goods. Also put a curse on anyone that tried to rebuild the city.
