Glimpses of Israel - Jericho

Located 25kms west of Jerusalem in the Jordan valley, in view of the River Jordan, lies the city of Jericho.

Jericho is famous because it was the first city to fall when the children of Israel arrived in the Promised Land. Jericho, an impregnable city even by modern standards, literally fell into their hands.

Joshua led the nation of Israel on dry ground through the River Jordan and came from Gilgal, on the east, to attack Jericho. Israel marched around Jericho for seven days. On the seventh day they marched seven times, and then when the priests blew the trumpets, Jericho's walls collapsed and the city was taken.

Remarkably, the impregnable city fell without any technical man-power or man-devised strategy–it was a great miracle. This strategy, though 100% successful was not repeated on any other city, or in any other location during the period of time it took for Israel to possess the land.

The future of Jericho was sealed when its reconstruction was cursed by Joshua. ( Joshua 6:26 ) At that time, Jericho w as allocated to the tribe of Benjamin, and it appears to have survived as a small village, until the days of King Ahab, when "Hiel of Bethel built Jericho. He laid its foundation with Abiram his firstborn, and with his youngest son Segub he set up its gates, according to the word of the LORD, which he had spoken through Joshua the son of Nun." (1 Kings 16:34)

Jericho today is controlled by the Palestinian Authority. International pressure was applied to the State of Israel to exchange it and other Israeli cities for promises of peace and assurances from the Palestinian Authority to stop the violence against Israel. Israel complied, the Palestinian Authority has not.

Jericho will remain a hot issue until it is returned to its rightful owners–the people of Israel.

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