Joshua 6:1-27 | "Then You Shall Shout" [Live Stream Edition]

I. Reading of Scripture

Joshua 6:10 ESV

10 But Joshua commanded the people, “You shall not shout or make your voice heard, neither shall any word go out of your mouth, until the day I tell you to shout. Then you shall shout.”

This is God’s Word, Amen!

Pray

II. Introduction

A. Introduction to Theme

“Then you shall shout.”

In the book of Joshua, this word “shout” appears only here in Chapter 6.

But in Chapter 6, the word “shout” appears 7 times!

This is a shouting chapter!

The word “shout” means in this context, to: "shout a war-cry, or alarm of battle”

The battle for Jericho is at hand, and Jericho will be taken with a shout!

B. Introduction to Text

Jericho is a city surrounded by walls.

Joshua 6:1 ESV

1 Now Jericho was shut up inside and outside because of the people of Israel. None went out, and none came in.

The city is on lock-down! It is placed under travel-restrictions. A mandatory city-wide “stay at home” order has been issued. The city is under a state of emergency!

Not in fear of a pandemic, but because of the people of Israel and a fear of Israel’s God!

And how will Israel defeat such a walled-in, closed up city?

Joshua 6 tells us that they will not be scaling walls, or ramming walls, or tearing down walls.

They will win the battle with a shout!

Joshua 6:10 ESV

10 But Joshua commanded the people, “You shall not shout or make your voice heard, neither shall any word go out of your mouth, until the day I tell you to shout. Then you shall shout.”

III. Exposition

God will have Israel fight this battle in a way that is different from other battles.

The phrase “Then you shall shout” is instructive.

The text doesn’t say “WHEN you shall shout” but “THEN you shall shout.”

If the text said “WHEN you shall shout,” that would mean Israel controls the battle.

Instead, the text says “THEN you shall shout. This means the battle is controlled by someone else!”

There is a strategy, a process, a sequence of events a plan - and the shouting that normally precedes the battle, in this battle - is delayed.

“THEN you shall shout” means their shouting will be delayed.

Israel will wait silently, so that their voices are not heard, to the point that no word comes out of their mouth until Joshua tells them to shout. Then they shall shout!

Why the delay? The placement of the shout matters! Joshua 6:10 goes to great lengths to say that the people are to be quiet, and shout only AFTER they are told to shout! Why the delay?

I want to suggest that if they shouted on the front-end, victory is uncertain. They would be fighting in their own strength. Their shout would be the sound of a war-cry!

But if they shout on the back-end, on a delay, then something else has taken place first. Victory is guaranteed. They would not be fighting a battle, but claiming the spoils of what God has already won for them!

Front-end shouts are war-cries! Back-end shouts are PRAISE!

When Israel shouts, it will not be a war-cry. When Israel shouts, it will be AFTER God has already made a way, and they will be entering in to claim the spoils of God’s victory!

THEN YOU SHALL SHOUT! — It is not a CRY FOR WAR!

THEN YOU SHALL SHOUT! — It is a CALL TO WORSHIP! It is a command to PRAISE!!

This battle for Jericho was won before it was begun! And this working of God on behalf of His people changes the meaning of this shout!

My children shout. They make loud noises. What do these loud noises mean?

The kind of loud noise that proceeds from their mouth tells me what motivates their shout.

On the one hand, they may shout frustration. “That was my toy.” “I wanted that show.” “It’s my turn!”

These are shouts of a war-cry in our home! These are shouts of young children preparing for battle. These are shouts where parents intervene before someone gets hurt as they fight in their own strength to secure what they want!

On the other hand, they may shout with joy!

We just celebrated my daughter’s birthday. We got her a bicycle. I wrapped an empty box so that she would think I would have to put it together.

She unwrapped the box, and she saw the picture I taped on the outside, and knew it was a bike, but the box was empty and she was happy but confused.

Then, I wheel the bike out of hiding, already assembled, streamers flowing on the handlebars — and she shouts — shouts of joy! These are shouts of praise! She did not secure this gift on her own, it was given to her. All she has to do, is enjoy it, and ride it!

Israel is to shout, but they would shout from a position of strength, the victory having already been assured to them. All they had to do was to claim what was already theirs!

There is little attention given to Jericho by name in Joshua Chapter 6.

Jericho is mentioned only 4 times by name.

The LORD is mentioned 16 times.

Joshua is mentioned 11 times.

Jericho is introduced by name in the first two verses and in both verses it is from a position of weakness:

Joshua 6:1–2 ESV

1 Now Jericho was shut up inside and outside because of the people of Israel. None went out, and none came in. 2 And the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and mighty men of valor.

From then on, Jericho is not mentioned by name, but only referred to as “the city” until the very end of the chapter when it is remembered and cursed!

Why?

It could be to avoid redundancy after Jericho has already been introduced.

It could be a literary means of shifting the focus of Jericho to the background of this narrative.

But it could also be a way of solidifying that when God declares victory, VICTORY IS SO!

Joshua 6:2 ESV

2 And the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and mighty men of valor.

After God says “I have given Jericho into your hand,” Jericho moves to the background. It’s done! And the RIGHT focus of this text remains in the foreground: The LORD!

This is what the LORD told Joshua to do:

Joshua 6:3–7 ESV

3 You shall march around the city, all the men of war going around the city once. Thus shall you do for six days. 4 Seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark. On the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. 5 And when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, when you hear the sound of the trumpet, then all the people shall shout with a great shout, and the wall of the city will fall down flat, and the people shall go up, everyone straight before him.” 6 So 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, “Go forward. March around the city and let the armed men pass on before the ark of the Lord.”

The numbers matter. Six Days and the Seventh Day.

This brings to mind Creation, which was also God’s work. It was at Creation where God spoke, and things were made. And in the same way what God is doing here at Jericho, as Ken Mathews suggests, is a “NEW BEGINNING” for Israel!

The numbers six and seven also represent as Warren Wiersbe says - that God has the ability to finish what He started!

For in six days God created, and on the seventh day God rested because he had finished His work of Creation.

As God was preparing to tear down walls, God was simultaneously building the people’s faith!

Every lap around Jericho, for six days, was a reminder that God would finish what He started!

Notice also the repeated mention of the ark. The ark of the covenant represented the presence of God with His people through the word of God, the power of God and the provision of God all by the mercy of God.

And the ark is at the center of the activity of Israel in taking Jericho.

Joshua 6:8–11 ESV

8 And just as Joshua had commanded the people, the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the Lord went forward, blowing the trumpets, with the ark of the covenant of the Lord following them. 9 The armed men were walking before the priests who were blowing the trumpets, and the rear guard was walking after the ark, while the trumpets blew continually. 10 But Joshua commanded the people, “You shall not shout or make your voice heard, neither shall any word go out of your mouth, until the day I tell you to shout. Then you shall shout.” 11 So he caused the ark of the Lord to circle the city, going about it once. And they came into the camp and spent the night in the camp.

The ark is at the center of Israel’s activity, meaning God is at the center of what is happening.

When Israel crossed the Jordan River, the ark was in front of them going into the Jordan ahead of them.

But the placement of the ark is different in this text.

The soldiers (the men of war) go first, followed by the priests with trumpets, then the ark, then the rear guard, and at last the people (KM).

This puts the ark at the center, and it puts God at the center, right in the middle of them.

God is at the center of this text, meaning the victory at Jericho is a work by God and for God! (KM).

It also means that it is a work God is doing through the obedience of His people!

The ark’s location at the center served as a powerful reminder of the PLACE God requires at the center of life. At the center of worship. At the center of obedience.

It is as powerful of an image to Israel’s enemies too - as the people of Jericho witness this group marching around the city, they see this ark at the center of this procession and the message is unmistakable — this is being done in the power of Israel’s God!

It was a testimony, a witness to the power of God at the center of the people’s obedience!

The centrality of God is instructive for the way we view God and how we understand his place in our lives.

Do we see the world through the lens of God being central to our lives? Or do we view God through the lens of the world, with the world and its difficulties being central to our lives?

We are faced with a constant temptation to view God in light of our difficulties, when we should view our difficulties in light of God!

The centrality of God helps us to keep a right perspective.

With God at the center, we will learn NOT to ask “CAN this difficulty be overcome by God” or even “WILL this difficulty be overcome by God” but instead we ask “can God BE overcome by this difficulty”? He’s at the center!

And the answer, ALWAYS AND FOREVER is NO! God CANNOT and God WILL NOT be overcome by any difficulty, for there is nothing too difficult for God! Nothing is impossible with God!

If you take Joshua Chapter 6 by itself, you will summarize it as “The Fall of Jericho” with Jericho as the focus.

You will view this true story as yet another story about overcoming difficulty — with the focus on the difficulty.

And that’s what we all want, right? How do I solve my difficulty?

But if you view God in this way, with the focus of your life always on your difficulties, then your faith in God will be determined by whether or not he delivers you from your difficulty.

But WHAT then do you believe about God when he doesn’t spare you from that car wreck, when he doesn’t heal you from that illness, when he doesn’t help you sell your house, when he doesn’t fix your relationship with your spouse or child, when you don’t like a decision that is made — you give up! And you blame God because your difficulty wasn’t resolved in the way you thought God should have done it.

This reveals that God was never central to your focus, your difficulty was. And the SHOUT that you thought would be the means of your deliverance was the SHOUT of a battle cry for a battle God wasn’t fighting. You were.

But if you take Joshua Chapter 6 in context of the five chapters that proceeded it, in context of what God has already spoken, his assurances, his faithfulness, his preparing his people through consecration and removing the reproach of Egypt from them — you won’t summarize it as “The Fall of Jericho” but you’ll summarize it as “Another Victory of the Living God.”

The focus will not be on Jericho, but the focus will be on God!

And in the same way, if you view life with God at the center, it puts all of life in perspective.

Then when God doesn’t spare you from that car wreck, when he doesn’t heal you from that illness, when he doesn’t help you sell your house, when he doesn’t fix your relationship with your spouse or child, when you don’t like a decision that is made — you don’t give up, you GIVE IN! You Give In to God by Faith!

You don’t blame God, you trust God. It doesn’t matter if your difficulty wasn’t resolved in the way you thought God should have done it, because God was always central to your focus, not your difficulty.

God was always central to your focus, not YOURSELF!

And the SHOUT that you thought would be the means of your deliverance was the SHOUT of PRAISE for a battle God is fighting, not you!

Side Note: This is yet another reason why we GIVE to God financially in tithes and offerings. It is an act of affirming in faith that God is at the center of our lives, not money, not ourselves!

**

For six days the people march around the city once in this order, with the priests blowing the trumpets and the people remaining silent. (Joshua 6:12-14).

Joshua 6:15–16 ESV

15 On the seventh day they rose early, at the dawn of day, and marched around the city in the same manner seven times. It was only on that day that they marched around the city seven times. 16 And at the seventh time, when the priests had blown the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, “Shout, for the Lord has given you the city.

The command to shout is finally given!

But with the command, Joshua also gives the people additional instructions — and this puts the shout in context! This gives meaning to the shout!

Joshua 6:17–19 ESV

17 And the city and all that is within it shall be devoted to the Lord for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall live, because she hid the messengers whom we sent. 18 But you, keep yourselves from the things devoted to destruction, lest when you have devoted them you take any of the devoted things and make the camp of Israel a thing for destruction and bring trouble upon it. 19 But all silver and gold, and every vessel of bronze and iron, are holy to the Lord; they shall go into the treasury of the Lord.”

Notice the repeated word “devoted,” and the word “holy” and “treasury.” These are used to describe things that belong to God!

Jericho is to be “devoted to the LORD for destruction.” Meaning this act of destruction was an act unto the LORD, and devoted to the LORD. It was an offering to the LORD!

(Is this the best way to say this?) In this way taking Jericho was an act of worshiping God, entering by faith, in obedience to God’s Word, with God’s presence, into what God is now doing, based on what God has already done, for God’s glory!

Isn’t this a good definition of our worship?

Entering by faith, in obedience to God’s Word, with God’s presence, into what God is now doing, based on what God has already done, for God’s glory!

Jericho would be set apart for the LORD in its destruction, meaning everything would be completely destroyed except certain exceptions that belonged to God.

Silver, gold, vessels of bronze and iron are holy to the LORD.

And Rahab, and her family, who had faith, who tied the scarlet cord in the window, who hid the spies — these were saved by their faith which belongs to the Lord!

Joshua 6:20–21 ESV

20 So the people shouted, and the trumpets were blown. As soon as the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they captured the city. 21 Then they devoted all in the city to destruction, both men and women, young and old, oxen, sheep, and donkeys, with the edge of the sword.

These shouts were not war-cries, these shouts were praise!

Because these shouts were expressions of faith in the centrality of God, having worked, and continuing to work through their obedience for His glory!

Psalm 95:1 ESV

1 Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!

That word “joyful noise” is the same word for “shout”!

Psalm 95:2 ESV

2 Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!

That word “joyful noise” is the same word for “shout”!

Psalm 98:4 ESV

4 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises!

Shout!

Psalm 100:1 ESV

1 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!

Shout!

Joshua 6:20 ESV

20 So the people shouted, and the trumpets were blown. As soon as the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they captured the city.

This victory of God at Jericho takes on new meaning when you think of the wall falling down not at the sound of battle cries - but at the sound of great PRAISE!

This is an unusual way to fight a battle, is it not?

If we never read God’s Word, we’ll think God’s thoughts and God’s ways are like our thoughts and our ways.

But if we ever read God’s Word, we’ll know that God’s thoughts are NOT our thoughts, and God’s ways are not our ways” (see Is.55:8).

Once again, God’s Word reminds us that God is God and we are not!

IV. Conclusion

Only God can turn circumstances of war into a lesson of God’s centrality of worship! And that is what this story of Joshua 6 teaches us!

And at the center of our worship is Jesus Christ!

Who centered all of worship upon Himself when he said to a woman at a well in Samaria at the sixth hour of the day (John 4):

John 4:23–26 ESV

23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” 25 The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.”

We entering by faith, in obedience to God’s Word, with God’s presence, into what God is now doing, based on what God has already done, for God’s glory — all because of Jesus!

This is what Jericho points us to!

Jericho does NOT point us to the walls in our life, the difficulties and challenges we face. Jericho points us to Jesus — the Living Word, present with us through the Holy Spirit, who is working through HIs people, the Church NOW, based on HIS WORK already accomplished in his life, death, burial and resurrection, for God’s glory!

In this way Jericho is not the focus, Jericho is the focus-or.

Jericho is yet one more victory of God that anticipates the Victory of all Victories! When God moved stone - AGAIN!

NOT when God turned stones from a wall and turned them into pavement to let His people IN to a sealed-up city — but when God rolled away a stone to let His Son OUT of a sealed-up tomb, so that all who believe in Him might have everlasting life and enter into a heavenly city - the city of God!

A. Gospel Proclamation

God won the victory over sin, death, and the grave!

He did this in Jesus, who became sin for us, who died in our place, who was buried in the grave and was raised in power never to die again!

And the Gospel Proclamation of Joshua 6 is that in Jesus, we will face challenges — but not from a position of defeat, but from a position of victory already won! And that ultimate victory, over sin, death, and the grave, is assured when Jesus Christ is at the center of our lives by faith!

Romans 8:31–39 ESV

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Jericho is a battle, but it foreshadows another battle, on the darkest day of human history. The battle that was taking place on a mountain called Calvary.

There on the cross, at the ninth hour, Jesus cried out — Jesus shouted. “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Jesus was forsaken so that we might be forgiven --- so that we might shout a different shout - shouts of praise!

B. Application

Hebrews 11:30 ESV

30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days.

And the application for us is to live by faith as well as children of God by faith in Jesus Christ.

1 John 5:4 ESV

4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.

And for those that live by faith, we look forward to a day when we will hear those sounds from Jericho again.

The sound of a trumpet and a shout:

1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 ESV

13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.

The Gospel in Jesus Christ says that a day is coming, when Jesus is coming again, and he shall appear with the sound of a trumpet and a shout.

Then We Shall Shout!

Psalm 115:1 ESV

1 Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!

Amen!