Now Jericho was tightly shut up because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in. – Joshua 6:1

Today’s Scripture Reading (October 10, 2012): Joshua 6

There was once a young boy. All he wanted was for his father to come and take him out on a fishing trip. The thought of spending some quality time with dad was something that he really wanted. But the time never came. One day his dad promised him that today was the day. Mom and dad had long since divorced, but dad promised that on this day he would come – on this day they would finally spend that day fishing that they had always planned. So the boy got up early and got ready for dad. For a while he stood by the window, and then he sat on the step. Later he could be found down on the side walk in front of his house. But dad did not come.

Have you ever anticipated something that did not happen? It is the surprise birthday party that you are sure your friends are planning that never arrives, or maybe the anticipated visit of friends that gets cancelled at the last minute. The scene of a boy waiting patiently for an estranged father – the picture of the boy standing on the edges of his world - is one that we all seem to know emotionally all too well.

The people of Jericho knew the experience. They had heard about the coming of the armies of Israel. It would be a terrible army. And so the city did what it would do whenever an army marched for the city walls. They stocked the city with all of the supplies that they could get and then they closed the gates of the city. The hope was that the invading army would not have the strength to bring down the walls and that the city could simply out wait the invading army.

And so with the gates closed the army gathered on the walls of the closed city. It must have been quite a sight to see the soldiers of a nation simply march around the closed walls and then retreat. One of the theories on what happened on that fateful seventh day was as the army and the priests marched around the city, too many people gathered on the walls of the closed city, trying to get a look at the mighty army that only seemed to know how to march. The weight of the gathered people was more than the walls could sustain - and the walls just fell down. But whatever the reason, the closed walls of the city fell without Israel needing to fire a shot. What was the cities strongest feature fell before a nation that was willing to follow the absurd instructions of an all powerful God.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Joshua 7