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I. THE CITY WHICH WAS TO BE TAKEN. How vainly they reckon who leave God out of their calculations! When He is with us no opposing host can harm us; but when He is against us no earthly walls can protect us.

II. THE MEANS BY WHICH IT WAS TAKEN. These were very peculiar.

1. There was no natural fitness in the means to produce the end designed.

2. The means employed were such as would provoke the ridicule of the besieged.

3. The means employed produced no effect whatever for six days, nor even on the seventh, until the shout was raised at the last.

III. THE DISPOSITION THAT WAS TO BE MADE OF THE CITY. It Was to be accursed or devoted to God. The Israelites in destroying the inhabitants of Jericho and the Canaanites generally were but the instruments in God's hand of carrying out His sentence. Lessons:

1. Retribution, though long delayed, comes at last. God's judgments have leaden feet, and so they come slowly; but they have iron hands, and so they strike deadly when they come.

2. Faith does what God says, and asks no questions.

3. At the sound of the trumpets of the priests the walls of Jericho fell down. By the preaching of the gospel the strong holds of sin and Satan are to be overthrown.

4. Let us not be impatient of results when we are doing God's commands.

5. Success in our working for God is His doing, not ours, and so the whole glory of it should be given to Him.

(W. M. Taylor, D. D.)

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KJV: And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the LORD.

WEB: Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of Yahweh.