Do the crazy thing!

Prayer

I have a title for todays lesson. And things my get a little weird up in here. The titile is “Do the crazy thing”! Has anyone here, ever been asked or told to do something that made absolutely no sense at all? Did you do it? Do you think God would ever tell you to do something that sounds crazy to you? EVen if he did, would you trust him?

Story time!! Has anyone here ever heard of a guy in the Bible named Joshua?

Joshua was the guy after Moses who was to lead the Israelites into the promise land. But they had a long ways to go before they got there. They had to fight different towns, go to battle, but they went where God led them. Now, they came to a place called Jericho. The walls of this town were so high and heavily guarded. So much so it was intimidating. The commander of the Lords army from heaven appeared to Joshua, told him to take off his sandals cause its holy ground, and this was the message the commander was sent with from the Lord...

Joshua 6:2–5 NLT

But the Lord said to Joshua, “I have given you Jericho, its king, and all its strong warriors. You and your fighting men should march around the town once a day for six days. Seven 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. When you hear the priests give one long blast on the rams’ horns, have all the people shout as loud as they can. Then the walls of the town will collapse, and the people can charge straight into the town.”

Now lets get that straight....God wants Joshua and the Israelite nation to march around Jericho once a day for six days....have seven priests carry trumpets on the seventh day. Then when the trumpets blow have everyone yell at the walls and theyll just come down.

Does that make any sense to you guys? Do you think maybe they thought that was crazy?

And so, they went forth with the plan!! Joshua 6:6-7

Joshua 6:6–7 NLT

So Joshua called together the priests and said, “Take up the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant, and assign seven priests to walk in front of it, each carrying a ram’s horn.” Then he gave orders to the people: “March around the town, and the armed men will lead the way in front of the Ark of the Lord.”

And then!

Joshua 6:8–11 NLT

After Joshua spoke to the people, the seven priests with the rams’ horns started marching in the presence of the Lord, blowing the horns as they marched. And the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant followed behind them. Some of the armed men marched in front of the priests with the horns and some behind the Ark, with the priests continually blowing the horns. “Do not shout; do not even talk,” Joshua commanded. “Not a single word from any of you until I tell you to shout. Then shout!” So the Ark of the Lord was carried around the town once that day, and then everyone returned to spend the night in the camp.

So off they went! Not a word said for six days marching around the city!!! Until the seventh day came, Joshua commanded the army

Joshua 6:15–16 NLT

On 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. The 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!

Joshua gave some commands to the people what to do with certain things and there was a person and people with her in the city who was good to them.....thats another story for another time…and she was spared.

So finally Joshua 6:20-21

Joshua 6:20–21 NLT

When the people heard the sound of the rams’ horns, they shouted as loud as they could. Suddenly, the walls of Jericho collapsed, and the Israelites charged straight into the town and captured it. They completely destroyed everything in it with their swords—men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep, goats, and donkeys.

It worked.

Now, sometimes what God tells us to do does not make sense. We do not see the bigger picture. But if we trust in him great things will happen and he will prevail! So what do we need to do? (Trust God even when it sounds crazy) How do we know if God is telling us something? Through prayer and reading our Bible.

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