Joshua 6 is a powerful chapter in the Bible that tells of an almost impossible situation! The Israelites had just completed their 40-year wandering in the desert! They were now ready to enter into the land that God had promised them. However, they faced an obstacle – the city of Jericho! Jericho was considered an invincible fortress. At some points along its defense perimeter, the walls were 25 feet tall and 20 feet thick! To the Israelites, the taking of Jericho must have seemed like an impossible task! The Canaanites who inhabited Jericho could stand on the wall and see for miles! The Canaanites believed they were invincible!
Jericho was a city to be conquered by Joshua and the Israelites. However, a ‘Jericho’ can also be something in our lives that appears to be invincible. What is your ‘Jericho’? A marriage that is in trouble? An addiction to drugs, alcohol, pornography or some other vice? A debt that seems almost impossible to be free of? A prodigal son or daughter who you miss so much but have given up on the possibility of reconciliation? Is your ‘Jericho’ the situation in which you live? Do you live in a country where, if you follow Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, you could be imprisoned, persecuted or possibly face death? We all have our ‘Jericho’.
God told Joshua that the people of Jericho were already defeated! There was only one thing that Joshua had to do – Trust in the Lord – and obey God’s explicit instructions on what to do! That’s all. You know that to Joshua, marching around the city and then blowing a horn seemed a little weak compared to the Jericho fortress! Today, God tells us that we too have an enemy and the enemy is satan. But, God also tells us that satan is already defeated! Jesus’ blood covered us when He died on the cross. Jesus rose from the dead and His resurrection is the mainstay of the Christian faith. Without the resurrection, there would be no Christianity! Joshua trusted the Lord to deliver Jericho to the people. Do we trust the Lord and believe that satan, who wants to hurt God through us, is already defeated? Do we claim the victory? We can because God assures us that we can overcome satan and all his attempts to make us miserable. We can overcome our ‘Jerichos’ by trusting God.
When the Israelites defeated the Canaanites at Jericho, God showed His power over the ‘gods’ that the Canaanites served. God can help you overcome the ‘gods’ you serve as well. When the Israelites took Jericho, God told them to destroy almost everything and almost everyone in Jericho. To us, that might seem a bit too much but why do you think God gave those instructions? When we battle our Jericho, should we take the same advice from God that Joshua received? YES!! The inhabitants of Jericho were rebellious against God. They practiced evil rituals and they worshiped many idols. If these things were left untouched, they would infect the Israelites! The Canaanites and their ways were a threat to the Israelites being affected like a cancer! God knew that these things must be destroyed. Is today any different? If your ‘Jericho’ is alcohol and you overcome this ‘Jericho’ do you think God would have you hang out in bars so that you could test your resolve? No. God would want you to separate yourself from situations where your ‘Jericho’ could possibly ‘infect’ you. If your ‘Jericho’ was pornography do you think God would want you to enter a strip club? No. God would want you to separate yourself from situations where your ‘Jericho’ could infect you.
When we trust the Lord to help us overcome our ‘Jericho’ - He will. But with that liberation, comes obeying God. We should trust and obey God now – while we can. There will come a time when God will ‘remove’ us from this earth and then it will be too late. It is extremely important to understand that God does not judge people on the basis of race, creed, sex, or national origin. If you are from the United States, India, United Arab Emirates, Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Japan, Aruba, Chile, Brazil, Australia, Pakistan, Africa, China, etc., it does not matter because God doesn’t see any of us as ‘different’. He only sees whether we trust and obey Him or if we ignore His will for us. Those who honestly attempt to trust and obey the Lord will be blessed. In contrast, those who ignore His call will have meaningless lives that blow away like dust in the wind. There are only two paths we can choose. One path is to overcome our ‘Jericho’ and trust the Lord. The other is to take the path of rebelliousness that leads to certain death. Be sure you choose God’s path as it leads to eternal life! Be blessed!
Papa Joe Mac's Commentary:
Joshua 6 is a powerful chapter in the Bible that tells of an almost impossible situation! The Israelites had just completed their 40-year wandering in the desert! They were now ready to enter into the land that God had promised them. However, they faced an obstacle – the city of Jericho! Jericho was considered an invincible fortress. At some points along its defense perimeter, the walls were 25 feet tall and 20 feet thick! To the Israelites, the taking of Jericho must have seemed like an impossible task! The Canaanites who inhabited Jericho could stand on the wall and see for miles! The Canaanites believed they were invincible!
Jericho was a city to be conquered by Joshua and the Israelites. However, a ‘Jericho’ can also be something in our lives that appears to be invincible. What is your ‘Jericho’? A marriage that is in trouble? An addiction to drugs, alcohol, pornography or some other vice? A debt that seems almost impossible to be free of? A prodigal son or daughter who you miss so much but have given up on the possibility of reconciliation? Is your ‘Jericho’ the situation in which you live? Do you live in a country where, if you follow Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, you could be imprisoned, persecuted or possibly face death? We all have our ‘Jericho’.
God told Joshua that the people of Jericho were already defeated! There was only one thing that Joshua had to do – Trust in the Lord – and obey God’s explicit instructions on what to do! That’s all. You know that to Joshua, marching around the city and then blowing a horn seemed a little weak compared to the Jericho fortress! Today, God tells us that we too have an enemy and the enemy is satan. But, God also tells us that satan is already defeated! Jesus’ blood covered us when He died on the cross. Jesus rose from the dead and His resurrection is the mainstay of the Christian faith. Without the resurrection, there would be no Christianity! Joshua trusted the Lord to deliver Jericho to the people. Do we trust the Lord and believe that satan, who wants to hurt God through us, is already defeated? Do we claim the victory? We can because God assures us that we can overcome satan and all his attempts to make us miserable. We can overcome our ‘Jerichos’ by trusting God.
When the Israelites defeated the Canaanites at Jericho, God showed His power over the ‘gods’ that the Canaanites served. God can help you overcome the ‘gods’ you serve as well. When the Israelites took Jericho, God told them to destroy almost everything and almost everyone in Jericho. To us, that might seem a bit too much but why do you think God gave those instructions? When we battle our Jericho, should we take the same advice from God that Joshua received? YES!! The inhabitants of Jericho were rebellious against God. They practiced evil rituals and they worshiped many idols. If these things were left untouched, they would infect the Israelites! The Canaanites and their ways were a threat to the Israelites being affected like a cancer! God knew that these things must be destroyed. Is today any different? If your ‘Jericho’ is alcohol and you overcome this ‘Jericho’ do you think God would have you hang out in bars so that you could test your resolve? No. God would want you to separate yourself from situations where your ‘Jericho’ could possibly ‘infect’ you. If your ‘Jericho’ was pornography do you think God would want you to enter a strip club? No. God would want you to separate yourself from situations where your ‘Jericho’ could infect you.
When we trust the Lord to help us overcome our ‘Jericho’ - He will. But with that liberation, comes obeying God. We should trust and obey God now – while we can. There will come a time when God will ‘remove’ us from this earth and then it will be too late. It is extremely important to understand that God does not judge people on the basis of race, creed, sex, or national origin. If you are from the United States, India, United Arab Emirates, Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Japan, Aruba, Chile, Brazil, Australia, Pakistan, Africa, China, etc., it does not matter because God doesn’t see any of us as ‘different’. He only sees whether we trust and obey Him or if we ignore His will for us. Those who honestly attempt to trust and obey the Lord will be blessed. In contrast, those who ignore His call will have meaningless lives that blow away like dust in the wind. There are only two paths we can choose. One path is to overcome our ‘Jericho’ and trust the Lord. The other is to take the path of rebelliousness that leads to certain death. Be sure you choose God’s path as it leads to eternal life! Be blessed!