Thursday February 19, 2009 JUST WALK
Jericho was bolted and barred shut because the people were afraid of the Israelites. No one could enter or leave. The LORD said to Joshua, "I am about to hand Jericho, its king, and its warriors over to you. All the soldiers will march around the city once a day for six days. Seven priests will carry rams' horns ahead of the ark. But on the seventh day you must march around the city seven times while the priests blow their horns. When you hear a long blast on the horn, all the troops must shout very loudly. The wall around the city will collapse. Then the troops must charge straight ahead into the city." Joshua, son of Nun, summoned the priests. He said to them, "Pick up the ark of the promise, and have seven priests carry seven rams' horns ahead of the LORD's ark." He told the troops, "March around the city. Let the armed men march ahead of the LORD's ark." Joshua 6:1-7 Okay, these folks had heard about what God had done for the Israelites. Now instead of having reverent fear of God and allowing that to create a hunger to know Him, they feared the Israelites. Their eyes were not on God, their eyes were on people. Ouch! Knowing humanity, by the seventh day they were hissing at them and their fear turned to laughter. Yet, Joshua and his crew could not look at the people; they had to keep their eyes on God and His Presence through the Arc of the Covenant. Jericho was a fortified city; a walled city. In ancient warfare such cities were surrounded and the people then starved into submission, or they were taken by assault. Attackers might try to weaken the stone walls with fire or by tunneling, or they might simply heap up a mountain of earth to serve as a ramp. Each of these methods of assault took weeks or months, and the attacking force usually suffered heavy losses. However, these people shut themselves inside and stationed guards to watch out for the Israelites. They were totally afraid, yet they felt safe inside their little kingdom. Does that sound like us sometimes? Do we wall ourselves in our little comfort zones? I think so. God's command to Joshua - to have the people march silently around Jericho for six days, and then after seven circuits on the seventh day to shout - was strange indeed. Yet Joshua followed His instructions to the letter. When the people did finally shout, the massive fortifications crumbled, and Israel won an easy victory. The victory at Jericho was orchestrated to teach several lessons. Most important was that obedience, even when God's commands seem foolish, brings victory. The miraculous victory also confirmed Joshua's leadership. And it showed that God would surely fight for Israel in the battles ahead. Over and over God placed these people and/or their ancestors in a position where only God could deliver them; now they were finally one; there is no evidence of a protest against Joshua's word from the Lord. They simply obeyed. I cannot stress the importance of obedience to God. Through our obedience God will often reveal a new truth about Himself and His power in our lives. Having stood face to face with Jesus Joshua's only choice was to worship Him through the act of obedience and walk by faith. We all need a Jericho at times. But Jericho victories are won only when obedience is complete. Joshua probably had a plan for Jericho until he met the Lord and the Lord gave him a plan. Can you imagine the look of shock on the faces of his followers when he shared the plan with them? I can almost hear them saying, "Now, wait. We've never done it this way before." Are those words familiar to you? Father, I know that You have not changed. You keep revealing truths to us, but You do not change. You change us, but You do not change. Forgive me for questioning Your strategies in my life. If you want me to walk - I'll walk. If you want me to wait - I'll wait. Help me as I face my Jericho to trust You to deliver me. ******************************************* O. Addison Gethers e-mail address : [email protected] or [email protected] window live messenger: [email protected] aim: durangoadd64 skype: cowboys62 yahoo messenger: OADDISONGETHERS --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Deaf-Blind Inspirational Life Group" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/DBILG?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
