Seemingly Absurd Faith

May 4th, 2026
by Lance Waldie

Hebrews 11:30-31 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days. 31 By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient, after she had welcomed the spies in peace.

Forty years after Moses led Israel out of Egyptian captivity he died and passed the torch to Joshua who then led Israel into the Promised Land—Canaan, or modern Israel-Palestine. The first city engaged in battle was Jericho which, like some cities, was heavily fortified and protected by a large wall (Josh. 6:1-21). Typically, these walls were massive, designed to protect against the strongest of enemy attacks. The walls of Babylon were said to be wide enough for two chariots to ride side-by-side, so it could take years for an invading army to infiltrate some cities. Yet God’s plan for Israel was not the traditional battle plan; it was simply for Israel march around the city of Jericho for seven days, then on the last day to blow trumpets. Like the Passover, this was a strange plan to Israel, but if they would obey, they would conquer.

Oftentimes God’s instructions seem illogical to us. But they are always perfect. Since Joshua was a godly man of faith like Moses, he did not question God’s plan; he obeyed it. Also, there is also no indication that this new generation of Israelites grumbled about God’s plan. It may have sounded absurd to them, but that generation had learned from the previous one about the consequences of grumbling against God. They were thus trained to obey God and wait for His plan to unfold. Of course what happened in seven days of marching around the city would have taken years to achieve by human means. But by God’s divine hand, the great walls of Jericho, on the seventh day of marching, collapsed. When they did, Israel took the city, killing its inhabitants as God had commanded. Once again, God’s power was displayed to Israel through their faith.

Only one person and her family are mentioned as having survived the Jericho massacre, and her name was Rahab. As a prostitute, she was a product of the corrupt Canaanite society. But she and her people had heard of God’s deliverance of Israel 40 years prior when they walked through the sea of reeds on dry ground. As a result, she feared Israel’s God without actually knowing Him. Her faith is evident in how she helped Israel by hiding the two spies when they came to stake out the city just prior to Israel crossing the Jordan (Josh. 2). Her faith was revealed in her willingness to put her own life at risk so as to help the nation whose God she feared. She is mentioned favorably in James 2:25 as one whose faith was evident in her actions. She later married an Israelite, Salmon (Matt. 1:5), and they had a son they named Boaz. Boaz was the great-grandfather of David, the ancestor of Jesus (Matt. 1:17)—the Messiah.

Notably, Rahab was a Canaanite, specifically an Amorite—a people God informed Abraham was marked for ruin (Gen. 15:16). She lived in a perverse society. The Canaanites were known to put living babies in jars and build them into the foundation of their cities and their walls as sacrifices to their pagan gods. Her conversion is therefore most unlikely. Yet she demonstrates how people living in the most corrupt of societies can be saved through faith. The fact that she is in the line of the Messiah proves that God calls people from all walks of life. She expressed her faith by welcoming Israel’s spies and giving them friendly hospitality in fear of God Almighty.

Food For Thought
It’s been said that God delights in slaying the pride of men. Imagine how foolish those Hebrew warriors felt walking around Jericho for seven days. So too does God sometimes humble us through our trials in order to break our pride and leave us nothing except to trust Him. It’s a risk to have faith, but true faith takes risks because it trusts God even when doing so makes us look silly. We all have a Jericho in our lives in order to develop our faith. Identify it, and trust.