January 25

Joshua 6:1–7

1 Now Jericho was straitly shut up because of the children of Israel: none went out, and none came in.

2 And the Lord said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour.

3 And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days.

4 And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams’ horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets.

5 And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him.

6 And Joshua the son of Nun called the priests, and said unto 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 unto the people, Pass on, and compass the city, and let him that is armed pass on before the ark of the Lord.

Biblical Insight

Two words are used here to describe the trumpet: the Hebrew word yobel is translated as “ram’s horn” and the word shofar is translated as “trumpet.” Yobel is typically used as a descriptor of shofar, although it can be used on its own to refer to a wind instrument. Both terms are also found in Exodus 19:13, 16, where the sound of the shofar frightened the children of Israel at Sinai. Now the same sound served to frighten their enemies, the people of Jericho. In both instances the sound represented God’s power and presence and dominion over the situation.

Daily Devotion

Located in Orfield Laboratories in Minnesota is a room that is known to be the quietest place on earth. It is tortuously silent. In fact, according to a Smithsonian Museum writer, the longest anyone has been able to handle the room has been no more than forty-five minutes. God has a way of exercising His power in the capacity it is needed. He will get the attention of His children, and their enemies, however He needs to.

When the shofar was sounded, it could not be missed. Even in our quiet places— the ones we attempt to shut God out of—He is there. He may not always shout. He may not always roar, but He always makes sure He is heard in exactly the capacity He needs to be. Wherever you find yourself today, let Him sound the alarm to your enemies that He is in control.