Joshua charged them with an oath at that time, saying, Cursed be the man before Yahweh, that rises up and builds this city Jericho: with the loss of his firstborn shall he lay the foundation of it, and with the loss of his youngest son shall he set up the gates of it.
All the aspects of the battle at Jericho strengthened Israel’s faith in Yahweh. God’s people learned His strength and ability to overcome all their obstacles by personal experience here. They acted in faith, obeying His Word and trusting in the outcome He had promised. This day Israel reached a high water mark in her spiritual history. We should learn the same things from this record, as well as from the supernatural victories God has given each of us. Israel also became a nation among nations in the ancient Near East with this victory. [Note: See Eugene H. Merrill, "The Late Bronze/Early Iron Age Transition and the Emergence of Israel," Bibliotheca Sacra 152:606 (April-June 1995):145-62.] 