Our world
opposes God.
The theory
of evolution attempts to explain our existence apart from God. Science cannot explain many things, and our
world is okay with that as long as the explanation does not involve God. This is true when we try to explain
consciousness, our thoughts and whether we have a soul. This is true when we try to understand what
life is. It is glaringly obvious when we
try to discuss origins and how to teach origins in our public schools.
This is not
new. Thousands of years ago, the
Psalmist wrote:
1Why are the
nations so angry? Why do they waste
their time with futile plans? 2The
kings of the earth prepare for battle; the rulers plot together against the
LORD and against his anointed one.
(Psalm 2:1-2)[i]
What
happens in the public arena also happens in our private lives. There are people and situations that oppose
the knowledge of God in our lives. There
are attitudes and habits within us that oppose the knowledge of God in our
lives. 2 Corinthians 10:5 speaks of this
battle saying, “We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the
knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.” (ESV)
There are arguments and opinions raised against the knowledge of
God. These arguments and opinions exist
within our hearts even as believers.
Today we
are going to consider how we are to face and overcome these arguments and
opinions using the walls of Jericho as a metaphor for the battle that must
happen.
The
Israelites crossed the Jordan River to take possession of a land promised by
God to their ancestor Abraham. The
inhabitants of this Promised Land were not willing to give it up. The first thing the Israelites faced when they
crossed the Jordan River was the walled city of Jericho. Jericho represented all the opposition they
would face. This was to be a decisive
battle. Defeat would mean annihilation
for the Israelites. Jericho had strong
impenetrable walls. As we look at how
God led the Israelites to overcome Jericho’s defenses, we will learn how to
overcome the obstacles to the knowledge of God in our own lives.
Joshua 6:1
says:
1Now the
gates of Jericho were tightly shut because the people were afraid of the
Israelites. No one was allowed to go out
or in.
“The gates
of Jericho were tightly shut.”
The city
was ready for a siege. It had a secure
supply of water, which still exists to this day. Joshua 3:15 tells us it was the harvest
season so we can assume they had a ready supply of food. Archaeological research has borne this out.[ii] Grain, which normally would have been used by
the conquerors, is found in abundance by modern archaeologists. This picture is some of the grain stored in
jars that was left behind when the Israelites burned Jericho.
The gates
were shut tight and they were set to last years against the Israelites. The walls were massive. Here is an artist’s conception of how the
wall was built.
The wall
was secure. People lived in the area
between the inner and outer wall with little fear of any attacker being able to
get past the outer wall.
To be sure,
Joshua’s army far outnumbered the residents of Jericho. However, their defenses were solid. Success was critical for Joshua. There were no secure homes or places to fall
back to for the Israelites. Their
options were victory or annihilation.
This is
true for us today. The defiance of the
world is represented by the tightly shut gates.
Our beliefs and confession of Jesus Christ as Lord are foolishness to
the world. However, our lives are the
issue. We choose to live in the camp of
God with Israel rather than behind the seemingly secure walls of Jericho.
As Joshua
approaches this fortress, He sees a man standing in the way with a sword. Joshua 5:13-14 says:
13When Joshua
was near the town of Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of
him with sword in hand. Joshua went up
to him and demanded, “Are you friend or foe?”
14“Neither
one,” he replied. “I am the commander of
the LORD’s army.”
Chapter 6
of Joshua and the conquest of Jericho rest upon this foundation. “I am the commander of the LORD’s army.”
God is our Lord.
Many, many
years after Joshua, there was a governor of the land of Judah named Zerubbabel
who was charged with rebuilding the temple of God. It was an impossible task. At that time, God said to Zerubbabel, “It is
not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of Heaven’s
Armies.” (Zechariah 4:6)
This is the
meaning of the man that Joshua met in the way.
Joshua
naturally wanted to know if this was friend or foe. More accurately put, he said, “Are you for
us, or for our adversaries?” (ESV)[v]
The answer
he got was “Neither.”
This is the
first lesson we must learn about our walls.
The battle is not ours it is the Lord’s.
He is our Lord. This means He is
our master. Therefore, we must bow to
Him. Joshua did this quite
literally. Joshua 5:14-15 says:
14“Neither
one,” he replied. “I am the commander of
the LORD’s army.”
At this, Joshua fell with his face
to the ground in reverence. “I am at
your command,” Joshua said. “What do you
want your servant to do?”
15The
commander of the LORD’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place
where you are standing is holy.” And
Joshua did as he was told.
Joshua puts
himself at the Lord’s disposal. “I am at
your command.” What do you want your
servant to do?”
The first
command Joshua received was to take off his sandals. He was instructed to show proper reverence to
God.
Please
follow me here, because I am going to make a jump. However, it is connected. When I think of showing proper reverence to
God, the first thing I realize is that God does not want us to conquer all
walls and barriers.
Jesus could
have called ten thousand angels so that He would not die on the cross, but it
was God’s will for Him to suffer.
Paul prayed
3 times for his thorn in the flesh to be removed, but God said no. It was God’s will for him to suffer the
weakness Paul called a thorn.
We have
goals. When our goals are blocked, we
get angry. We get frustrated. When our goals are blocked, we can even go
nuclear in hopes of clearing out the wall that is before us. However, just because it is my goal does not
mean it is God’s goal. If even the Son
of God had to pray, “Not my will but Thine be done,” how much more do I need to
pray the same way?
We must bow
to our Lord. We must stop trying to
recruit God for our side. He is the
Lord. He is the master. Some obstacles, walls or barriers are there
because He has put them there. We must
learn the difference.
As Joshua
took off his sandals and worshiped, he was then ready to face the tightly
closed gates of Jericho. He knew God
wanted him to take Jericho.
God gave
Joshua specific instructions. Joshua
6:3-4 say: (Slide 10)
3You and
your fighting men should march around the town once a day for six days. 4Seven priests will walk ahead of
the Ark, each carrying a ram’s horn. On
the seventh day you are to march around the town seven times, with the priests
blowing the horns.
With 2
million people, each person could carry a stone and stacking it up against the
wall build a siege ramp. If they built
ladders, they could simply overwhelm the city with numbers
Here is a
picture of the ruins of ancient Jericho.
(Slide 11)
If archaeologists
are accurate, there would have been several thousand people in Jericho at the
time. While the walls were impressive,
two million people should have been enough to figure out a way to get over the
walls.
However,
their orders were clear, “March around the town.” This is the second lesson we learn. God is our Lord. We must bow before Him and then second we
must wait upon God.
Wait upon
God.
They did
not sit in their tents to wait upon God.
They engaged in the pointless activity of walking around the city.
How do we
wait upon God?
I use the
word wait because of Isaiah 40:31 that says: (Slide 12)
But they that wait upon the LORD
shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they
shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. (KJV)
The idea in
the passage is to look eagerly for a thing.
This waiting implies anticipation and expectancy. While it implies trust, it does not imply
passivity. The Israelites took
action. Theirs was action taken in
obedience. It made no sense, but it was
obedience.
This
requires faith. Hebrews 11:6 teaches us
that without faith it is impossible to please God and that He rewards those
that seek Him.
When we
face walls in our lives we must first seek the Lord, and we must obey the Lord. Some of the things we are told to do may seem
pointless like walking around a wall.
And, some things may seem trivial.
God says
not to lie, but do we tolerate little untruths in our lives?
God says
not to have even a hint of immorality among us, but do we allow our eyes to
look at a woman to lust after her?
God says to
forgive others, but do we harbor resentment?
A struggle
with a lack of faith or with doubt might be more about obedience than about the
believability of the gospel. The
skeptic’s argument against Christianity may be more about morality and
questions of integrity than about the truth of God’s existence.
Decisions
are more about the heart than the brain.
In other words, decisions are emotional.
This is why God addresses the heart and the desires. Waiting on the Lord, means setting our hearts
on things above. If Israel had not had
their hearts set on God, they could have stormed the city, looted it and gone
on, but at what cost?
The walls
in our lives can be overcome by first recognizing that God is our Lord, bowing
to Him, waiting on Him and then speaking for Him.
Joshua
6:15-16 says:
15On the seventh day the Israelites
got up at dawn and marched around the town as they had done before. But this time they went around the town seven
times. 16The seventh time
around, as the priests sounded the long blast on their horns, Joshua commanded
the people, “Shout! For the LORD has
given you the town!
The final
day in the conquest of Jericho started with a long march. They walked around the city 7 times. Then they shouted. This was the shout of victory. It announced to the inhabitants of Jericho
that their time was up. It announced to
the world that God was conqueror.
Romans
10:17 tells us “faith comes from hearing and hearing through the word of
Christ.” (ESV) In Colossians 1:28 Paul says, “So we tell
others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom
God has given us.”
The battle
is not joined until words are spoken.
Romans 10:10 says, “For it is by believing in your heart that you are
made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are
saved.” The mouth speaks out of what
fills the heart and our mouths are an important part of the battle. With the words of our mouth, we commit
ourselves to the Lord and His way. I do
not think there is any magic in this. It
only follows from God being Lord. We bow
to Him. We wait on Him. If we wait expectantly for Him, it follows
that we will have His word in our hearts.
When the time comes, we will know what words to speak. Eventually, every knee will have to bow to
the confession that Jesus Christ is Lord.
Whether we speak to ourselves or to our neighbors, we must speak the
truth of God’s word.
[i]
Unless otherwise noted Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New
Living Translation. Copyright © 1996,
2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Steam,
Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
[ii]
http://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2008/06/The-Walls-of-Jericho.aspx
[iii]
ibid
[iv]
ibid
[v]
Scripture quotations marked ESV are from The ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English
Standard Version) copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good
News Publishers. Used by
permission. All rights reserved.
[vi]
http://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2008/06/The-Walls-of-Jericho.aspx
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please Share thoughts comments or questions.