Sermon October 18, 2020

Introduction

Today we return to the story of Israel and their entry into the promised land. God told them for 4 decades that they would receive a new home in a new land. Now they are finally showing up. It’s like anticipating the end of a long road trip and finally seeing the end in sight. Only this is that times a hundred.

A few weeks ago we watched as God literally stopped a river to bring His people to their new home. In an awesome display of God’s authority over the rules of nature Israel passed over a river the size of the Wabash as if walking on dry ground.

After the crazy crossing all Israel stopped to remember and dedicate themselves to God. The men circumcized themselves in painful obedience to God. The country celebrated the Passover meal remembering God’s salvation past and present.

Two weeks ago we were surprised with Joshua seeing an angel appear and call Joshua to proper reverence.

Now God gives clear directions about what to do next.

God lays out the plan

Joshua 6:1–5 ESV

1 Now Jericho was shut up inside and outside because of the people of Israel. None went out, and none came in. 2 And the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and mighty men of valor. 3 You shall march around the city, all the men of war going around the city once. Thus shall you do for six days. 4 Seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark. On the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. 5 And when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, when you hear the sound of the trumpet, then all the people shall shout with a great shout, and the wall of the city will fall down flat, and the people shall go up, everyone straight before him.”

God wants Joshua and the people to know that this is His doing and what they are about to accomplish is a gift worked by His hand. So God hands Joshua a strategy which had to have looked absurd from the outset.

Don’t you see the problem that God was saving them from?

If he gave them a military strategy they would have destroyed the city and come out the other side overly confident in their abilities. They would have started to see themselves as a soldier people and not a people who follows God.

Yet, by God saving them through a miraculous act he kept them humble. He kept the attention on what He could do through them.

Where in your life has God kept you humble? Where in your life has God worked in ways that you can only give credit to Him? God wants us to love Him with our heart, soul, and mind and to love our neighbor as ourselves. It maybe that the weaknesses and inabilities God allows in our lives serve the great purpose of keeping us humble and dependent on God.

God wants us to humbly live fully and accepts the gifts he gives us and works through us with gratitude.

The people follow God’s plan

Surprisingly we don’t have any record of the people pushing back against the plan that God lays out. We only see obedience.

Joshua 6:6–19 ESV

6 So Joshua the son of Nun called the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the Lord.” 7 And he said to the people, “Go forward. March around the city and let the armed men pass on before the ark of the Lord.” 8 And just as Joshua had commanded the people, the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the Lord went forward, blowing the trumpets, with the ark of the covenant of the Lord following them. 9 The armed men were walking before the priests who were blowing the trumpets, and the rear guard was walking after the ark, while the trumpets blew continually. 10 But Joshua commanded the people, “You shall not shout or make your voice heard, neither shall any word go out of your mouth, until the day I tell you to shout. Then you shall shout.” 11 So he caused the ark of the Lord to circle the city, going about it once. And they came into the camp and spent the night in the camp. 12 Then Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the Lord. 13 And the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the Lord walked on, and they blew the trumpets continually. And the armed men were walking before them, and the rear guard was walking after the ark of the Lord, while the trumpets blew continually. 14 And the second day they marched around the city once, and returned into the camp. So they did for six days. 15 On the seventh day they rose early, at the dawn of day, and marched around the city in the same manner seven times. It was only on that day that they marched around the city seven times. 16 And at the seventh time, when the priests had blown the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, “Shout, for the Lord has given you the city. 17 And the city and all that is within it shall be devoted to the Lord for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall live, because she hid the messengers whom we sent. 18 But you, keep yourselves from the things devoted to destruction, lest when you have devoted them you take any of the devoted things and make the camp of Israel a thing for destruction and bring trouble upon it. 19 But all silver and gold, and every vessel of bronze and iron, are holy to the Lord; they shall go into the treasury of the Lord.”

what was it that brought the people to willingly follow Joshua in obedience to God in walking 7 times around the city?

Was it the crossing of the Jordan river which miraculously stopped flowing?

Was it the remembrance of the passover and the pain of circumcision?

We don’t know exactly what led the nation to step out in faith and obedience but we do see how God had been working, shaping and molding the people.

Opening Up Joshua The People Comply (vv. 6–19)

‘Faith is not an irresponsible step into the unknown, but a reasonable obedience to the will and word of a sovereign, almighty God.’

If you will slow down and pay attention to see God working you will see God shaping you into a person who will see walls fall.

The Walls Fall Down

Joshua 6:20–21 ESV

20 So the people shouted, and the trumpets were blown. As soon as the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they captured the city. 21 Then they devoted all in the city to destruction, both men and women, young and old, oxen, sheep, and donkeys, with the edge of the sword.

And so with a crazy strategy a transient people conquer a fortified city!

The history of the church has many examples of God working through and despite human weaknesses to accomplish great things.

What Can we learn From this?

God works through ineffective means

Opening Up Joshua Seemingly Ineffective Means

God delights in using strange methods to achieve great things.

God loves working in strange ways to save the world.

God enabled Samson to win a battle with the Philistines using the Jawbone of a donkey.

God enabled little David to slay battle hardened Goliath with a sling and a stone.

God chose an ordinary Jewish girl to bring His Son into the world.

God chose a tiny village of Bethlehem to bring his son into the world.

God used a Jewish Rabbi dying on a roman cross to save the world.

The cross proved to be a stumbling block to the Jews and the Greeks mocked it....but for us it is reveals the power and wisdom of God.

1 Corinthians 1:18–25 ESV

18 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.” 20 Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. 22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

God works through prayer.

God works through you sharing 2000 year old scripture verses you’ve known your whole life with your friend.

God works through our imperfect, ineffective attempts.

In fact throughout Scripture and much of life the greater determining factor in God doing great things has more to do with people’s willingness to walk with him than in their capacity or skill. God blesses those who obey Him.

God overcomes insurmountable obstacles

The walls in many men and women’s lives against God’s love are as great as the mighty walls of Jericho. And yet God is still in the business of crumbling walls. God is still in the business of solving unsolvable problems.

The greatest need in the church today isn’t to solve COVID-19, Race struggles, or the election drama. The greatest need is to trust and believe that God knows what is best.

God calls us to be men and women that pray hard and look regularly to HIm.

God call us to preach God’s Words at all times trusting in His power.

Romans 1:16 ESV

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

Conclusion

God calls us to live trusting in him not following a predictable and expected script. Where is He calling you to follow and trust Him today?

We face insurmountable obstacles in our lives that God is calling us to trust Him to overcome. Will you trust Him today?