Every Christian experiences
Jericho soon or later since they have begun a new life in Christ Jesus through
the rebirth by the power of the Holy Spirit. Jericho stands for something
impossible to do with whatever resources they might have. The city was well
secured and protected from any attack by being encircled with the high and
thick walls. Joshua and his people must destroy the city to advance and possess
the whole land. They must go through the city of Jericho, no other alternatives.
They must face it. For example, every Christian must face how to handle sex
life. For the unmarried and the married alike, the pornography movies and media
tempt them strongly and persistently including the pastors and ministers. Many
a young Christians is being tempted and succumbed by premarital sex called
fornication and they do commit the God forbidden sex. Many married people
commit the extramarital affairs which causes to divorce and separation, let
alone the hurt of their children and others. Another example may be money, how
to handle material temptations and pressures. This is our Jericho to go
through. God knows and understands our pressures and temptations, so does he
provide and give us a way out.
“Now the gates of Jericho were
securely barred because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in. Then
the Lord said to Joshua, ‘See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along
with its king and its fighting men. March around the city once with all the
armed men. Do this for six days. Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams’
horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven
times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. When you hear them sound a long
blast on the trumpets, have the whole army give a loud shout; then the wall of
the city will collapse and the army will go up, everyone straight in.’” (Joshua
6:1-5)
What God gave Joshua doesn’t
seem like a military offensive order at all. Why did God give such a strange command
to Joshua? He wasn’t heard anything like that the wall of the city would
collapse when they marched seven days. Is it because God was not able to
destroy Jericho the first day? No, God wanted to plant the faith in the hearts
of people while they’re marching seven days. After the first march on the first
day, nothing happened. The wall of Jericho might look higher and immovable. After
the second day, nothing happened, and went on and on until the seventh march on
the seventh day. While they were marching, they were thinking of what God had
done for them. God opened the Sea and the River so that they walked on the dry
land. God opened the Rock so that they drank. God opened the heaven so that
they ate manna forty years. Number seven signifies in the Scriptures the
perfection of God. In this way, God was drawing his people to come to the point
where they could believe that God would collapse the invincible wall of the
city.
“So Joshua son of Nun called the
priests and said to them, ‘Take up the ark of the covenant of the Lord and have
seven priests carry trumpets in front of it.’ And he ordered the army, ‘Advance!
March around the city, with an armed guard going ahead of the ark of the Lord.’
When Joshua had spoken to the people, the seven priests carrying the seven
trumpets before the Lord went forward, blowing their trumpets, and the ark of
the Lord’s covenant followed them. The armed guard marched ahead of the priests
who blew the trumpets, and the rear guard followed the ark. All this time the
trumpets were sounding. But Joshua had commanded the army, ‘Do not give a war
cry, do not raise your voices, do not say a word until the day I tell you to
shout. Then shout!’” (Joshua 6:6-10)
Joshua obeyed the Lord just as
he was told to do. The seven priests carrying the seven trumpets marched before
the Lord went forward, blowing their trumpets, and the ark of the Lord’s
covenant followed. The sound of trumpet in the Scriptures signifies the coming
of the Lord as Jesus says that when the Son of Man appears on the clouds of
heaven with power and great glory he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call
(Matthew 24:30-31). Apostle Paul also says that we will all be changed in a
flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet (1 Corinthians 15:51-52).
The ark of the Lord followed the seven priests who blew the trumpets. The ark
of the Lord’s covenant indicates the presence of the Lord God in the midst.
The armed guard marched ahead of
the priests and the rear guard followed the ark. The armed guard signifies the mighty
protection of God. All this time while marching around the city of Jericho, the
trumpets were sounding. But the army were not allowed to give a war cry, raise
their voices, and say a word until the day Joshua told them to shout. It indicates
that the Lord wanted the army of Israel to listen to the sound of trumpet,
fixing their eyes on the Lord through the sound of trumpet. This we shall do in
our daily lives, says the author of Hebrews.
“Therefore, since we are
surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that
hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance
the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter
of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame,
and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1-2)
In order to run the race marked
out for us even before the creation of the world, first of all we must throw
off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And then we
can fix our eyes on Jesus who endured the suffering and shame and sat down at
the right hand of the throne of God. Unbelief and disobedience hinder us to
follow our Lord Jesus. Worries of life and deceitfulness of wealth so easily
entangle and choke us. Unless we throw off those wicked and evil things we
cannot fix our eyes on the Lord Jesus. Our God never demands to throw off the
sin without telling why and how. No one can inherit the kingdom of God unless
they throw off the sin, says Apostle Paul.
“But among you there must not be
even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed,
because these are improper for God’s holy people. Nor should there be
obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather
thanksgiving. For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy
person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of
Christ and of God.” (Ephesians 5:3-5)
Living in Canaan represents the
resurrection life in Christ Jesus. We no longer live by the flesh but live by
the Spirit because we died to sin with Christ and rose again from the dead with
the Lord. So, we can throw off the sin in Christ because God has done a mighty
thing in us through the blood of Christ. We’ve made alive in Christ by the
redeeming grace and mercy of the Father. We were all dead in our transgressions
and sins and followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of
the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. We were
all by nature deserving of God’s wrath. However, in love God made us alive with
Christ even when we were dead in transgressions (Ephesians 2:1-4). That’s how
we can throw off the sin that so easily entangles and chokes by remembering the
marvelously powerful redeeming grace of the Father in the Son Jesus Christ.
“But because of his great love
for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were
dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up
with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in
order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his
grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 2:4-7)
Joshua obeyed exactly what the
Lord had told him to do for six days. The Israelites got up very early in the
morning and marched around the city, silently listening to the sound of
trumpets and following the ark of the Lord’s covenant. On the seventh day, they
got at daybreak and marched around the city seven times in the same manner,
except that on that day they circled the city seven times (Joshua 6:15).
“The seventh time around, when
the priests sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the army, ‘Shout! For
the Lord has given you the city!’” (Joshua 6:16)
Just as instructed by the
commander of the army of the Lord, when the Lord priests sounded the trumpet
blast, Joshua commanded the army, “Shout! For the Lord has given you the city!”
This is the shout of victory, saying “Amen” to the Lord. They were told to
shout before the city was destroyed by the angels of the Lord. It was not after
they saw the destruction of the city for them to shout but before. The men gave
a loud shout when they heard the loud trumpet blast, and the wall collapsed. Joshua
also commanded the army, “The city and all that is in it are to be devoted to
the Lord.”
“The city and all that is in it
are to be devoted to the Lord. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with
her in her house shall be spared, because she hid the spies we sent. But keep
away from the devoted things, so that you will not bring about your own
destruction by taking any of them. Otherwise you will make the camp of Israel
liable to destruction and bring trouble on it. All the silver and gold and the
articles of bronze and iron are sacred to the Lord and must go into his
treasury.” (Joshua 6:17-19)
It’s God’s holy war, so the city
and everything in it belonged to the Lord. God only deserved for credit but no
credit at all for Joshua and the people. God is worthy of praise, honor, power,
glory, wealth, wisdom and praise.
“For it is by grace you have
been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of
God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created
in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
(Ephesians 2:8-10)
They destroyed with the sword
every living it—men and women, young and old, cattle and donkeys. But Joshua
ordered to spare Rahab the prostitute and all who were with her in her house
because she hid the spies they sent.
Prayer: Thank you once again Father
for your unfailing love and faithfulness to keep the promise given the
forefathers even after four hundred years. Thank you for Jesus Christ the way
out whenever we encounter the impossible things in our lives in this world. Thank
you Lord for the assurance of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ who died in our
place in order to raise us from the dead with him and seat us at the right hand
of God with him in the heavenly realms. May God help us to throw off the sin
that so easily entangles and run the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on
Jesus Christ the Lord. In Christ’s name. Amen.
March 14, 2016
© 2015-2016 David
Lee Ministries – All Rights Reserved.
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