History of Israel: The Battles for Jericho and Ai

The battles for Jericho and Ai start the conquest of the Promised Land for Israel. How did they capture a fortress with gigantic walls? Why did God let them get defeated by the army in Ai? Why did they march around Jericho so many times? This and other questions are answered in this episode of Bible Backdrop.

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Transcript

These Israelites were crazy, the soldier thought to himself. For 6 days, they had gathered together and marched around the city while carrying a golden box. After they were done, they blew a horn...and left.

He had to admit that things were tense in Jericho. They’d heard the stories about what happened in Egypt and then to the Amorites. There was a faction of people that wanted to leave the city. Abandon it and move somewhere else. It wasn’t like Jericho was anything great. Mostly troops, a few families, and a brothel or two. They could always build elsewhere. But the king was stubborn. They had food and water. The walls were impenetrable. They could hold out against any siege. Besides, they had been doing all the right sacrifices to the gods. Baal would certainly protect them.

The soldier looked out again and saw the Israelite army start their formation again. They could have easily run and abandoned the city. But it was too late. They were all now shut in together.

Just like the last 6 days, the Israelites started to march around the city. The man sighed. This was getting boring. A few soldiers jeered and made cat calls, but nobody responded. Then, someone pointed and shouted: “They’re doing it again!” The soldier looked out. Sure enough, they started marching again. That was odd. They had never done that before.

Then it happened a 3rd time...and 4th time...and a 5th time. The soldier was confused and a little panicked. What were they doing? After the 6th time, the soldiers were ready to turn and run. They couldn’t explain why; it was just all so strange.

After they had gone around a 7th time, they suddenly stopped. Several men stepped out of their ranks and put a horn to their lips. Then a long, loud blast sounded over the hilltop fortress. Above the sound, he heard a voice as clear as day: “Shout! For the Lord has given you the city!” Then a deafening roar that he had never heard before came out from the Israelite ranks and they ran towards the walls.

This was madness, the soldier thought. Then, all of a sudden, he felt a rumbling beneath his feet. He looked over to his comrades and saw them disappear as the part of the wall they were standing on turned to rubble. Then another part. He was about to jump back but it was too late. His section of the wall suddenly collapsed and he started sliding down with it. As the wall collapsed, it provided an easy walkway for the Israelites to climb up. The soldier made it to the bottom covered in dust and debris. He was in no shape to fight and it wouldn’t have mattered anyway. He was surrounded by Israelites as he lay on the ground. One noticed and ran over to him as he tried to get up. The last thing he saw was the mans face and a sword. Then a sharp pain through his chest told him the end was near.

Hello again everyone and welcome to another episode of Bible Backdrop. Today we’re continuing with the conquest of the Promised Land, starting with the early battles against Jericho and Ai. When we left off last time, the Israelites had crossed the Jordan, celebrated Passover, and then the males were circumcised...well, those that hadn’t already been anyway. In re-reading a commentary on the circumcision event, they mentioned that it took great faith because as the men were healing they were very vulnerable. It helped that not all the men needed to be circumcised but it was likely the majority.

So now that this is all behind them...let the conquest begin. First up is the city of Jericho. We described the city in the last episode, but as a quick recap: The entire city was about 9 acres big and may have had up to 2,000 people living there although some estimates think it could have been a lot less. It had a double set of walls that reached up to a total of 40 feet high and were extremely thick. Rahab, who had helped the spies, lived on the lower wall and very near the edge which helped them to escape. The city had grain reserves and a spring for water, so they were ready to outlast any siege. The Israelites had to be wondering what they were going to have to do to take the city.

On the way, Joshua meets a man with a drawn sword. It is obvious to him that this is no mere man, so he asks if he is for Israel or for their adversaries? Interestingly, the man says “neither.” He is the Commander of the army of the Lord and it appears to be a Christophany; a physical manifestation of Jesus before his incarnation thousands of years later. This is believed to be the view in that Joshua bows down in worship and the person does not refuse it. Angels in scripture normally tell men to now worship them but to worship God. Another piece of evidence is he tells Joshua to remove his sandals as he is on holy ground. The man is given the same honor that God was given at the burning bush from Moses. Together, this appears to be enough evidence to show that this is a physical embodiment of Jesus Christ.

So why did He answer Joshua’s question about which side he was on with “neither?” The expectation is that he would be on Israel’s side, of course. I think neither is the correct answer as Joshua asked the wrong question. It is not what side is God on, but is Israel on God’s side? Will they execute his plan or will they falter? That remains to be seen.

Joshua is now given final instructions for the taking of Jericho. The army is to march around the city one time per day for 6 days. They are to have a vanguard, then the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant, and then a rear guard. Also included were 7 priests, each with a rams horn. They would march in front of the ark, blowing on them as they went. The rest of the army would be silent. This had to take great faith on the part of the Israelites. Not only were they vulnerable during this daily march, but they were certainly subjected to the jeers and catcalls from the soldiers on the wall. And they had to do it each day for 6 days with no results. The walls of Jericho still standing just as tall and thick as the day they got there. So why would God do this? I think it was for 2 reasons: First, this was a test to make sure Israel would follow His instructions even though they may not have made sense at the time. Second, it gave the people and king of Jericho an opportunity to repent and either assimilate with the Israelites or abandon the city. God was not out for blood. If they wanted to leave, that was fine. It was the Canaanite culture and their horrid idol worship that God wanted out of the Promised Land.

Back to the story. The Israelites march around the city for 6 days, once per day. But on the 7th day, it all changes. They are instructed to march around the city 7 times. For the people and soldiers inside the wall, this had to be maddening. They know something is going to happen and this change in routine is the sign. This may have had a psychological toll on the inhabitants. Not that any of that mattered. After the 7th time, the priests with the horns blew on them a long, loud note and that was the signal. Joshua told the people: “Shout, for the Lord has given you the city!” The army shouted and then, as has happened throughout Israel’s journey to this point, a miracle happened. God caused the walls to collapse down. Since the walls were in two tiers, their collapse would basically make runways for the Israelites to run up into the city with relative ease. 

Well, not all the wall. The area around Rahab’s house must have been left intact as Joshua orders that she be spared. She and her family are taken out and placed at the outside of the camp. This may have been a set time similar to the law for when an Israelite takes a wife from the people they have captured. The rest of the city and the people were utterly destroyed. God also stated that all the booty...the gold and silver along with vessels of bronze and iron...all of it would go into the Lord’s treasury. This would cause problems later on.

With the battle over, the city is then burned to the ground. Joshua then cursed the city saying that if anyone rebuilt Jericho “he shall lay it’s foundation with his firstborn, and with his youngest he shall set his gates.” As the first city in the conquest, it was to be specially dedicated to the Lord and not rebuilt as a fortress. This curse would eventually come true later in the book of Kings under King Ahab.

After this, the next city on the list is Ai. Spelled A I, the city is located 10-14 miles west-northwest of Jericho in the hills of Samaria. So Jericho is obviously up on a hill and Ai is in a hill area. Looking at maps, there appears to be a level plain between the two. Joshua sends out spies to get an idea of the force needed and they report back that only 3,000 are needed as it’s small and weakly defended.

Except there’s one little problem…

As I mentioned earlier, the wealth of Jericho was to be given to the Lord. Unfortunately, some people couldn’t resist. A man by the name of Achan from the tribe of Judah stole some of the sacred things and, as a result, the Lord’s favor was removed from Israel. Joshua doesn’t consult God before making his move on Ai and he listens to his spies. This will become a recurring problem for Joshua as we’ll see in a future episode. The spies see the city and think it’ll be easy pickings. Joshua sends the smaller army against the city...and they’re defeated. It’s likely that their overconfidence after Jericho and bad reconnaissance made them think that Ai was smaller and less defended than it really was. It is also likely that God gave them over to these thoughts as punishment for Achan’s sin. 

After the defeat, Joshua tears his clothes and falls before the ark and puts dust on his head; all signs of great mourning and loss. Joshua, like Moses, is concerned with God’s reputation and knows that these defeats will give their enemies confidence and make God seem less than who He is. Then God says something I don’t expect...similar to when Moses was at the Red Sea: “Get up! Why do you lie on your face? Israel has sinned, and they have transgressed My covenant which I commanded them. For they have taken some of the accursed things and have both stolen and deceived; and they have also put it among their own possessions.” In the past, I never understood why God was so sharp with Joshua, but I think I have a better understanding now. Joshua, as the leader, needs to know that he should only act with support from God. The attack on Ai went ahead without asking God if they should go up and attack or what the strategy should be. He relied on his people and they were routed due to the faulty intelligence that may have been a result of Achan’s sin. Had Joshua consulted God first, he may have found out about it ahead of time and 36 families would not have lost their loved ones.

To find the sinner, the people are called out by each tribe. It is likely that this was done with the Urim and Thumim which were lots carried by the high priest to determine God’s will. Then it went from tribe to clan to family all the way down to Achan. At this point, he confesses and tells them where he hid the treasures. Joshua sends some people to look and they find it. Since he has broken the covenant and caused Israel to sin, Achan is given the death penalty. Reading in this part of Joshua, it’s hard to tell if it was just Achan or his whole family that suffered the death penalty. They certainly knew that he had the treasure, but the usage of the singular makes us think that Achan was the only one that suffered. His family, if they weren’t killed, probably suffered shame after this so even if they escaped the ultimate penalty, they were probably shunned for many years.

Having dealt with the sin in their midst, God now promises to be with Joshua for the campaign against Ai. They’ve learned that the host is probably bigger than originally believed, so now 30,000 are going up against it. God instructs Joshua to set an ambush behind the city, so he sends a large part of the army west between Bethel and Ai to wait. The rest of the army would march against Ai. When the attackers would come out, the smaller force would fall back as if they were retreating, given the attackers great confidence. Everything goes according to plan and when the army from Ai attacks the smaller Israel force, they fall back. Then God tells Joshua to hold out his spear toward the city. When the ambushing party sees him do this, they rush the city that is now undefended and set it on fire. The army from Ai see the city on fire and now they’re caught between the hammer of the ambush and the anvil of Joshua’s army that has now stopped and gone on the attack. The force from Ai is wiped out and the city is destroyed. This time, God allows the Israelites to keep all the spoils of war from the city. This makes Achan’s sin even worse. Had he been patient and loyal, he could have lived and enjoyed the spoils from Ai.

After the battle, the Bible says that the city is put to the sword and Ai’s king was hung on a tree until the sun went down. Again, God’s judgment is coming down on the Canaanites for their barbaric practices. They know what’s coming, but they refuse to relent or do anything about it. 

After the win at Ai, the people move north. In obedience to Moses’ instructions in Deuteronomy, the law is to be read to the nation. The blessings with half the tribes in front of Mount Gerizim while the curses with the other half in front of Mount Ebal and the Ark of the Covenant between the two. Now this is a massive area, but it acts as a natural amphitheater so that people could hear what was being said. There’s also something else about this place that the Bible doesn’t mention. Between these two mountains is the city of Shechem. There’s no record of a battle being fought here and this part of Joshua says that the entire nation turned out, even the strangers. Was this the people of Shechem? Had they surrendered to the Israelites and chose to follow Yahweh and renounce their culture and their idols? Or had they simply surrendered the city and walked away? The Hebrew word here for stranger is translated into Greek as ‘proselutos’ from which we get the word proselyte, meaning a genuine convert to a faith. So there are strangers here who have converted to Judaism and are genuine follows of the God of Israel.

This is interesting in that what people talk about as a bloodthirsty genocide is anything but that. The people have a chance to surrender and assimilate or leave the country. Apparently, some have decided to assimilate and are counted with the nation. 

One more thing before we close. Moving to this area pulls Israel away from the edges of Canaan into the heart of the land. This will be the perfect spot to launch the campaigns to the north and south that will complete their conquest.

On that note, I think we’ll end here for now. In the next episode, we’ll talk about the Gibeonite deception and the fallout from that. If you are enjoying Bible Backdrop, please subscribe and leave a 5 star rating and review. If you want to get in touch with the show, you can e-mail me at BibleBackdrop@gmail.com. Word of mouth is still the best way for this show to get around, so tell a friend and have them subscribe. You can find Bible Backdrop on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or anywhere podcasts are found. Thank you again for listening and have a great week!