Faith's Two Stages: The Trial and the Triumph

Israel's march around Jericho reveals a profound truth about faith that Hebrews 11:30 captures perfectly: 'By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they were compassed about seven days.' Yet Maclaren observes that this faith operated in two distinct stages, each demanding complete trust.

For six days, Israel performed what appeared utterly useless—a silent, circular procession around an impregnable fortress. No explanation was given. No strategy revealed. The soldiers' grim silence emphasized the strangeness of the command. Had Moses demanded such obedience in the wilderness, murmuring would have erupted. But Joshua's people obeyed without recorded complaint.

The crucial detail: they were not told what would happen. Only on the seventh morning came the announcement of the victory. This means faith's first stage was obedience to an apparently meaningless command. They circled those walls not knowing if collapse would follow—or if they would circle them eternally.

Maclaren emphasizes the procession's theological center: the Ark of the covenant, God's visible symbol, marched at the heart of Israel's ranks. This was no mere military maneuver but a solemn proclamation—'Here is the Lord of the whole earth, weaving His invisible cordon around the doomed city.' The ram's horn trumpets, used in Jewish feasts to announce God's presence, underscored this truth.