The Walls Came Down

Jericho

Just a quick recap

We have looked at the definition of Faith which is to trust God not knowing the outcome or consequences of trusting God because He knows what tomorrow will hold with a sacrificial for us and with the goal to bring Himself glory.

We have talked about the fact that we can have a confident and courageous faith because the object of our faith is Christ who is pure without blemish.

We looked at Abels offering to God and the pure offering that it was and God was pleased with his sacrifice.

we looked at Enoch who communed with God for 300 years. It was known abroad that God was please with Enoch.

Then in vs. 6 it says that without faith it is impossible to please God. For he who draws near to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

Then by faith Noah prepared the ark because God told him to and warned him of the flood to come even though Noah had not seen rain. He preached God in the midst of a wicked generation. It was so wicked that God used them as the warning for the end times. Like it was in the days of Noah so it will be in the end times.

We then looked at Abraham and looked at his obedience to God. We saw the promise that God gave Abraham and Sarah that even though Sarah was barren the people of God would come through Abraham and Sarah. Sarah laughed at God. Let me just say right here that God is a big God and He is big enough to handle your doubting. It took 25 years, but God fulfilled His promise and He was right on time.

Then Isaac was born and God told Abraham to go sacrifice his soon and Abrahams faith was at such a point that he didn’t argue or talk back, but the Bible says Abraham got up early and took his son to sacrifice him. By Faith Abraham believed God’s promise and could raise his son from the dead to fulfill his promise.

We then looked at Jacob and the Bible says that “as he was dying he blessed the sons of Joseph and worshiped leaning on the top of his staff

Jacob looked back through his life and worshiped God as he remembered all that God had done to get him to where he was in Egypt in the kings palace where his son Joseph was the number 2 man in all of Egypt.

I can help but think that he was thinking through all the mistakes that he made in his life, and seeing the grace and mercy of God in his life. He still dealt with the consequences of his decisions as he limped the rest of his life, but he saw how the limp was his saving grace with his brother Esau.

I can’t help but think that when it says he blessed his grandsons. The last time he was in a similar situation was when he stole the blessing that was meant for Esau. As he was doing the very thing that he stole he was worshiping God for taking someone who was so messed up and a sinner and changing his life for the glory of God.

last week we looked at Moses and how the Lord divinely orchestrated the events and life of Moses to set His people free.

The common them among all of these so far is that these people had faith in God and every time God did exactly what He said. Every time He mad a promise it came true.

Hebrews 11:30 CSB

By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after being marched around by the Israelites for seven days.

Just a little background - Jericho was fortified by a double rig of walls, the outer was 6ft. thick and the inner was 12 ft. Timbers were laid across these supporting houses on the walls. Since Jericho was built on a hill, it could be taken only by mounting a steep incline which put the Israelites at a great disadvantage. Attackers of such a fortress often used a siege of several months to force surrender through starvation.

Joshua 6:1–5 CSB

Now Jericho was strongly fortified because of the Israelites—no one leaving or entering. The Lord said to Joshua, “Look, I have handed Jericho, its king, and its best soldiers over to you. March around the city with all the men of war, circling the city one time. Do this for six days. Have seven priests carry seven ram’s-horn trumpets in front of the ark. But on the seventh day, march around the city seven times, while the priests blow the rams’ horns. When there is a prolonged blast of the horn and you hear its sound, have all the troops give a mighty shout. Then the city wall will collapse, and the troops will advance, each man straight ahead.”

Verse 2 is the Promise of God to Joshua

Verses 3-5 is the Command of God to Joshua

Verse 5b is God’s Victory

God laid it out to Joshua, All Joshua had to do was simply obey what God said.

Could God have just knocked the walls down without the Israelites doing anything? Of course, but God set it up in such a way that the Israelites would know that only God could do it and only God gets the glory.

I. The Promise of God to Joshua. V.2

The Tony Evans Bible Commentary A. Victory at Jericho (5:13–6:27)

This meant that though the battle hadn’t even occurred yet, Jericho had already lost according to God. Though it had not yet happened in history, the victory had been declared in eternity. God wanted Joshua to be assured of this because he was about to give him a battle plan that wouldn’t make sense.

I believe the promise of God in v.2 is just reminding Joshua that God made a promise to bring you to the promised land and that this stop at Jericho is just a challenge along the way.

God’s promise to Joshua also reminds him who is in charge of all this. Who is leading this. Joshua may be the leader to the people, but God is the leader of Joshua and without God they couldn’t take another step. God said ,”See, I have delivered”

It wouldn’t have mattered how much the Israelites fought the people of Jericho. If God had not said “See, I have delivered” it would not have been won.

The Promise of God was necessary for the Victory to have been won.

There is too many people claiming this and that, that God did not promise.

I saw a post on Facebook from a friend in south Texas where I used to live. He was talking about Governor Abbot of Texas who has been in a wheel chair since his late teens early twenties. My friend said on Facebook that he is praying for Governor Abbot to walk because no one should have to live like this. This is not God’s will for anyone.

The problem with that is what if it was God’s will. What if Governor Abbot living for the Lord and doing what the Lord has called him to do to in the wheel chair is God’s design and God’s way of getting the glory through it all.

Just because we pray for something, believe for it or claim it with all good intensions, If its not the promise of God, the will of God, or what God has said then it will not work.

We just had the funeral yesterday of Jack Ferguson. How many prayed for him? There was many who prayed for him to come home. God sure answered that prayer but maybe not like we hoped.

It starts with the promise of God and faith in God and His promise. Then the obedience of God

II. The Command of God to Joshua v3-5

Go gave very specific instructions to Joshua

The ark went first - picture for the Israelites and for us that the Lord goes before us. It is a representation of what Psalms 23:3 says

Psalm 23:3 CSB

he leads me along the right paths for his name’s sake.

Let me just remind us today that part of the role of being a christian is to FOLLOW the Lord. To let the Holy Spirit guide us. If Joshua had decided to ignore the Lord and do it his own way, Jericho would not have been defeated. The only way for the promise of God to be fulfilled in our lives is if we are obedient to God’s command and follow His lead.

I was able to go to Israel back in 2013. We went to the town of Jericho. It is a beautiful town that is lush and green with fresh fruit that is grown there. It was wonderful. While we there we were stepping on some big rocks and we were told that it was part of the wall that fell from this story. I don’t know if we were told the truth or not but what I can say is there is no wall around the city of Jericho.

Then God gave the instructions of how they should march around the city.

Again God was very specific. If Joshua was anything like me, I need specifics. I need full expectation and details about what you want done and how you want it down. When I was in the process of coming here, Pastor Justin and I would talk for hours about expectation and requirements to do this job. I can’t tell you how much I appreciated that. Unsaid expectations are no better than no expectations.

God was specific with the details to Joshua.

God said everyday for 6 days march around the city once. In Joshua 6:10

Joshua 6:10 CSB

But Joshua had commanded the troops, “Do not shout or let your voice be heard. Don’t let one word come out of your mouth until the time I say, ‘Shout!’ Then you are to shout.”

Joshua took it a step further with the command that as you are marching, do not make a sound.

These must have been Baptists

I believe that was so that the men would not complain about the so called plan of attack.

He didn’t want them grumbling and complaining about what God told them to do. Sometimes it is better to just keep our mouth shut.

Then on the 7th day march around 7 times and on the 7th time the horns will blow and you shout.

What number do you notice here?

The number 7 in Hebrew meanings completion, wholeness. and holiness

“So in these instructions God was emphasizing to Joshua that he must follow the instructions completely if he wanted God to bring down his problem supernaturally.” - Tony Evans

III. God’s Victory

V.5b

God told them what would happen if they did what God commanded them to do.

History tells us that when the walls collapsed they did in such a way that they became a ramp for the solders going into the city.

The Israelites had to learn somethings through this.

1. If we are being obedient to the Lord, the battle and the victory will always be His.

2. God’s way usually doesn’t make sense, but He will always keep His word.

Sometimes Faith in God means trusting Him even though the plan He has laid out makes no sense at all.

3. Faith in God is for our benefit but His Glory

It happened just as God said

Joshua 6:20 CSB

So the troops shouted, and the rams’ horns sounded. When they heard the blast of the trumpets, the troops gave a great shout, and the wall collapsed. The troops advanced into the city, each man straight ahead, and they captured the city.