Lately I’ve been studying out of the Book of Joshua. The other day I was in Joshua 6 and the Lord began to speak to me about some key strategies for breakthrough. I want to take the liberty to bring a parallel between the city of Jericho and our nation (the United States), pulling strategies for breakthrough and victory out of these passages.
In Joshua 6 the background is Israel preparing to overtake the city of Jericho. Israel has crossed over into the promised land, they have been enjoying the food of the land and now the Lord is giving them specific instructions for taking the city of Jericho.
And they ate of the produce of the land on the day after the Passover, unleavened bread and parched grain, on the very same day. Then the manna ceased on the day after they had eaten the produce of the land; and the children of Israel no longer had manna, but they ate the food of the land of Canaan that year.
Joshua 5:11-12
The people of Jericho’s hearts are already melted as they have heard about the hand of God that has enabled Israel to cross over into the promised land (Joshua 5:1). The city is tightly shut up, none are going out or into the city because of this overwhelming fear they are experiencing in respect of the inevitable Israelite invasion.
Now Jericho was straitly shut up because of the children of Israel:none went out, and none came in.
Joshua 6:1
Of course the Lord, in His most unpredictable way, has the children of Israel go through circumcision and then the process to be healed before attempting to take the city (Joshua 5:2). Then God’s specific instructions are given. In it the Lord says to take:
- Seven priests
- With seven trumpets
- With a plan for the people to shout after…
- They have encompassed the city seven times…
- On the seventh day
In the process the people are commanded not to say a word or make any noise until the 7th day and the Lord gives the commands that the people shout, for God has given them the city.
And the Lord said to Joshua:See! I have given Jericho into your hand, its king, and the mighty men of valor. You shall march around the city, all you men of war; you shall go all around the city once. This you shall do six days. And seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams horns before the ark. But the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. It shall come to pass, when they make a long blast with the rams horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, that all the people shall shout with a great shout; then the wall of the city will fall down flat. And the people shall go up every man straight before him.
Joshua 6:2
This pre-shout silence was key to the victory that was wrought in Jericho.
Now Joshua had commanded the people, saying, You shall not shout or make any noise with your voice, nor shall a word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I say to you, Shout! Then you shall shout.
Joshua 6:10
If you can see the picture of what is going on for 7 days until the shout there is an enormous revelation hidden in those silent seven days. There was only one sound that was being released during those seven days, it was the sound of the priests blowing the trumpets or the rams horns. Imagine this! You are walking around this city for seven days with only the sound of trumpets, rams horns blowing, without anyone saying a word.
So it was, when Joshua had spoken to the people, that the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams horns before the Lord advanced and blew the trumpets, and the ark of the covenant of the Lord followed them. The armed men went before the priests who blew the trumpets, and the rear guard came after the ark, while the priests continued blowing the trumpets.
Joshua 6:8
This priestly blowing of trumpets would create quite the other worldly experience, much like a sound from heaven being released in the earth. Along with that the people of Israel are being conditioned by the Lord through this trumpet sound upon their hearts also combined with their silence, while the hearts of those in Jericho are also fearing the reality of God’s Presence and certain victory.
This act of silence was building up for a huge release, a shout that would be a massive sound that God was depositing in the hearts of Israel. As the people engaged in this act of silence there was an inner work that God was performing so that when this shout was released the impact would completely annihilate the wall of Jericho. For seven days the people had been walking around the city absorbing the sound of heaven through these trumpets being blown by the priests.
And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the Lord. And seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams horns before the ark of the Lord went on continually, and blew with the trumpets: and the armed men went before them; but the rereward came after the ark of the Lord, the priests going on, and blowing with the trumpets.
Joshua 6:12
After seven days their hearts had been conditioned to this sound so that when it was time to shout, not only where they ready to shout by the mere fact that they have not been able to make any sound for seven days, but also the sound of the trumpets had been embedded in their spirit through continual blowing of the trumpets. All of this with an inner stirring, expectation and faith in their hearts they were made ready. Finally Joshua commanded the people to shout and the walls of Jericho fell down flat. It was a full, complete destruction of the walls.
After having studied this chapter I had noticed we are in the Hebrew year 5777. There is obviously a great personal application here that we can all glean from, but as well I believe there is a significance to this with the upcoming presidential election here in the United States. There is something about the withholding of wasteful words, a dedication to silence, that can cause a greater and more powerful release in our intercession decrees and prayers. There is a divine synergy of God’s power released when we carry the ark of God’s Presence, the power of a bridled tongue of wisdom ,the power of the trumpet blast and the anointed vocalized shout.
I want to encourage you as you seek the Lord for this upcoming election to somehow incorporate this key of silence with your intercession and prayers. God has good plans for our nation and our prayers make a huge difference. However, if our tongue is loose then we may be doing more harm than good. We should bridle out tongues, take times of silence and shout for God that He may establish righteousness in this nation, that His choice candidate would get the office and that He would also have His way in the hearts of our country’s political leaders on all levels.