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Joshua 6
.... 7And he said unto the people, Pass on, and compass the city, and let him that is armed pass on before the ark of the LORD.
8And it came to pass, when Joshua had spoken unto the people, that the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams' horns passed on before the LORD, and blew with the trumpets: and the ark of the covenant of the LORD followed them.
9And the armed men went before the priests that blew with the trumpets, and the rereward came after the ark, the priests going on, and blowing with the trumpets.
10And Joshua had commanded the people, saying, Ye shall not shout, nor make any noise with your voice, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I bid you shout; then shall ye shout.
11So the ark of the LORD compassed the city, going about it once: and they came into the camp, and lodged in the camp.
12And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the LORD.
13And seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the LORD went on continually, and blew with the trumpets: and the armed men went before them; but the rereward came after the ark of the LORD, the priests going on, and blowing with the trumpets.
14And the second day they compassed the city once, and returned into the camp: so they did six days.
15And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they rose early about the dawning of the day, and compassed the city after the same manner seven times: only on that day they compassed the city seven times.
16And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said unto the people, Shout; for the LORD hath given you the city.
17And the city shall be accursed, even it, and all that are therein, to the LORD: only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent.
18And ye, in any wise keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed, when ye take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it.
19But all the silver, and gold, and vessels of brass and iron, are consecrated unto the LORD: they shall come into the treasury of the LORD.
20So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.
21And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword.
.... - KJV
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Papa JoeMac's Corner Commentary - #26
Trust in the Lord
(What is Your Wall of Jericho?)
Joshua 6
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Giving, abstaining, and praying are things that clearly show the condition of our hearts. When you give from your heart, abstain in order to get closer to God, and pray from your heart, God draws you closer. These are things that are dear to His heart when done with the proper motive. We can give, abstain, and pray and it will get us absolutely nowhere. Sound wrong? Read on!
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! - - - Mr. Joseph Mcklemurry received his Masters in Biblical Studies with Trinity Seminary in Newburgh, Indiana and is an ordained minister serving as a praise and worship leader with Beautiful Feet Church in Fort Worth, Texas. |
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