Faith alone can tear down walls

Joshua at Jericho

Welcome to the Daily Bible Chapter. My name is James Leroy Wilson and I invite you to join me as I attempt to read the Bible with fresh eyes, as if I don’t know anything about it, and without consulting experts on what it “really” means. Let’s see where this takes us!

Joshua 6

I’m reading Young’s Literal Translation (YLT) and the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV).

The question must be asked: What did Jericho (or the King or leaders of Jericho) ever do to the Israelites to warrant their extermination?

It’s a fair question. The LORD seems to be a genocidal God and Joshua is a genocidal general. No wonder so many people have rejected the Bible, especially when monotheistic religious leaders insist that the Bible is history and should be taken literally.

But what if the crumbling of Jericho’s walls isn’t history at all? What if it’s allegory?

What we see in this chapter is that faith alone, as represented in Joshua, can make walls crumble. Faith alone places your enemies (whatever your enemies are) in your hands. Faith alone will give you riches (represented by gold, silver, and other metals) that you didn’t work to earn. And by faith alone can you give that wealth away.

James Leroy Wilson writes Daily Miracles, The Daily Bible Chapter, JL Cells, and The MVP Chase. Thanks for your subscriptions and support! You may contact James for your writing, editing, and research needs: jamesleroywilson-at-gmail.com.

(Photo credit: TyshkunVictor)