Read or hear the story in Joshua 6:15-21

    Joshua fit de battle of Jericho, Jericho, Jericho
    Joshua fit de battle of Jericho,
    And the walls came a tumblin' down

You may talk about the man of Gideon,
You may talk about the man of Saul,
There's none like good ole Joshua, and the battle of Jericho.

Up to the walls of Jericho
He marched with spear in hand;
"Go blow them ram horns," Joshua cried, "for the battle is in my hand."

Listen to the Music

We’re guessing that most of us know the song,
but that most of us haven’t read or heard the biblical story which inspired it.

Joshua Fit de Battle is one of the best known examples of "Negro Spiritual" music.
These were songs created by an enslaved people
--African Americans who lived in this land for over 300 years
--just about the same length of time that the Hebrew people were enslaved in Egypt.

American slaves were forbidden to read or write or to gather in groups. Their oppressors used Christianity to justify their enslavement and "keep them in their place" with "pie in the sky" religion. For information on contemporary anti-slavery groups, see Anti-Slavery International. (note*)

But the stories of Israel told in Exodus and Joshua spoke to the slaves about:

God's love for them

God's will for their freedom

God's power to make it happen

        If not now in the flesh, then now in the spirit;

        If not now in the present, then someday in the future.

In Latin America, these same dynamics are present today. (read Joshua and the Land, p. 70)

On the other hand...
the story of the conquest of Jericho has also been interpreted literally and used to justify "wars of extermination" or expelling people from their homeland. (read Joshua and the Land, p. 71)

The Crusades in the Middle Ages
Native Americans on both continents
Afrikaners and the Great Trek
Zionist ideology

Jericho is one of the oldest cities in the world. Located on the Jordan river, one of the few sources of water in a hot dry land, and on major trade routes, it has been battled over many, many times. If you go to Jericho today you find a barren, high hill overlooking the modern city. This hill, or "tell" is a human, not a natural, landmark. It was created by successive destructions and rebuildings of the city.

But as many times as Jericho was conquered, destroyed, and rebuilt, there is no archeological evidence that this happened in the days of Joshua.

On the other hand...
Some people argue that there is archeological evidence for Joshua's razing of Jericho. (note*)

If the purpose of the story of Joshua Fit de Battle was something other than to teach a history lesson, why was it written? Below is a range of possible reasons. As you read the Book of Joshua and the study book Joshua and the Land, which of the following seem to be the most likely answers?
            a) remember divine power
            b) empower hurting people
            c) cover up Joshua's disobedience of divine intent, which was non-violent
                  (the Joshua website at CyberFaith presents this interpretation) (note*)
            d) emphasize the importance of following God's directions
            e) describe the benefits of ritual action
            f) bring hope to a hopeless situation

Why do you think Joshua was written?
Click here to add your response and/or read others' responses.

Or maybe it was to wind up the story about Rahab and explain why her family lives in Israel.

One thing is for certain, the Jews of Jesus’ day remembered Jericho as the site of a great victory by their people, and hoped Jesus would overcome the Romans just like Joshua overcame the Canaanite kings. Those who became Christians saw in Jesus the same divine power to conquer suffering and evil, just as thoroughly as Joshua conquered Jericho. To get a feel for their belief about that, read the story of the healing of the blind beggar in Jericho (Mark 10:46-52)

Which of these responses comes closest to yours?
Click here to add your response and/or read others' responses.

When you imagine what God is like, do you ever think of a warrior?
There might be times when you would like a warrior like this to go into battle for you.
What battle would you like God to win for you?
Express yourself:
write a journal entry
compose a song or poem
draw a picture

In what ways are massacres in modern history similar to and different from the understanding of "the ban" and God as Divine warrier in Joshua?
Click here to add your response and/or read others' responses.

For links to information about some modern massacres, see:
Rwanda
Wounded Knee
Trail of Tears