Seizing a city is normally done by overpowering it. The Art of War advises a 20 to 1 advantage before you go to war. But Israel never knew this advantage because Egypt and Mesopotamia had far greater numbers and resources available to wage war. Thankfully for Israel God is not one to use conventional means or wisdom. Instead of using military might to bring down the walls he uses marching around Jericho for seven days to break down the walls. Israel never defeats an enemy in the old testament with overwhelming force, but instead uses tactics and unconventional weaponry. We see Gideon reflect this when he takes the 300 worst -able men for war and has breaking jars and lighting candles to send the enemy into a panic. Samson could be argued an exception, but he is still only one man. Besides how many people use a jawbone to fight. David shows us the ultimate example of mind over matter when he slays Goliath with a sling. This theme really starts with Jacob who tricks his stronger brother out of the inheritance and concludes with Solomon who uses economics to build the biggest of Israel’s empire. God’s unconventional approach is certainly a true product of the human condition. Thinking outside the box almost always leads us to better solutions than staying within. Perhaps the unconventional bent of Israel is one of the reasons they are still in existence today.
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