Breaking Barriers: God's Way vs Man's Way

Intro

We are continuing our series Breaking Barriers. Last week we started with identifying the barrier. Is the barrier I am sensing put there by God to protect us from something that could harm us, or is this barrier set up by our spiritual enemy trying to keep us from the good things God has in store for us?

The other aspect of barriers is really getting to the heart of the issue. When we looked at the story in Numbers, it appeared that the barrier was the strength of the people that Israel was coming up against. But in reality, the barrier that prevented them from taking the land was their own fear and doubt in God’s ability to provide. In our own life, sometimes what appears to be the barrier is actually a symptom of something else that is going on, and we need to identify what the real barrier is.

Which brings us to this morning’s message. Once we’ve identified the barrier, and we’ve decided to take it on, how are we going to conquer it? What is the path that is going to get us where we need to be?

Question #1: What are some challenges you have overcome in life?

this is you opportunity to brag. What are some difficult things you’ve had to overcome? Have you beat addiction? Have you overcome fear? More often then not, when we conquer a barrier in life, it opens things up for more opportunities and freedom in life.

But if you are in a season of life where there is barrier, and you want to take it on, but you’re just not sure how, then I know that this morning will help.

We will be in Joshua chapter 6 this morning, but before we get there, we need to set the stage. If you grew up in church or watched Veggie Tales, you probably have a general idea of how the story goes. However, there is quite a bit of background and history around this story that I hope will bring new light to an old story.

So here is the setup. Since the story in Numbers, Israel has wondered around the desert for 40 years, waiting for the old generation to pass away and the next generation to take their place and take over the promised land. Everyone from the original generatoin except Joshua and Caleb have passed away.

However, Israel has not been completely aimless in their wondering. In the 40 year transition, they have conquered nations on the east side of the Jordan. In fact, they have so soundly conquered these nations that some of the tribe elect to stay on the east side of the Jordan river and settle with their flocks.

So after a couple of military victories, they cross the Jordan river and they have a little momentum on their side. Just five miles away from the Jordan River is their first target: Jericho.

Now Jericho is no slouch of a city. God didn’t pick a warm up city for them. The nations they’ve already conquered were the warm up because Jericho is no joke. Some historians have said that Jericho may have been the strongest fortress in all of Canaan. It was the first city between the Jordan River and the main road that took people straight to the centre of the hill country. Some have even said this road was the spine for all of Canaan.

Archealogists have studied Jericho, and were some walls were around smaller communities to wild animals out, there was no doubt that the walls of Jericho were built for military purposes. The initial wall stood 15 feet high, with a mudwall on top of that which stood another 26 feet high and was 6 feet wide. Behind that was a hill, and on top of the hill was another mudwall, standing another 26 feet and 6 feet thick. In all, the wall that Israel would have been looking at was 67 feet high.

This was an absolute stronghold, and no matter how confident Israel may have felt after their initial victories, this would have looked intimidating.

So what is the plan? How are they going to take down this super structure?

Scripture:

Joshua 6:1–5 ESV

Now Jericho was shut up inside and outside because of the people of Israel. None went out, and none came in. And the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and mighty men of valor. You shall march around the city, all the men of war going around the city once. Thus shall you do for six days. 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. 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.”

props to the people of Israel. Jericho has seen the army, and they are scared enough that no one is going into the city and no one is going out.

However, what is the deal with this plan? You are going to march around the city once a day for 6 days, and on the seventh day you are going to make 7 laps, scream as loud as you can, and the walls will fall down. OK.... is there a plan b?

Well, in fact there would have been a plan b. Plan B was to attack the city with a traditional siege warfare. Siege warfare basically meant the army would surround the city and wait. The hope of siege warfare was some kind of negotitations. If that didn’t happen, the battle was not decided by fighting, but it was decided by which side was weakened by thirst, hunger, or disease to point of giving up.

Now you would think that the group trapped in the walls would give up first, but not always. Some cities would have tunnels and deep wells that would enable the city to outlast the attacking army. Depending on the size of the attacking army, they could use up resources quickly in the surrounding area.

Plus, if a walled city had close allies, they could get word out to an ally, and while the enemy set up camp and got comfortable, an ally could pinch the enemy between the walls and defeat them easily.

The major drawback of siege warfare is the length of time it requires. A siege could last months or even years, depending on access of resources. Morale becomes a problem at a certain point in time.

So here is the dilemna. Israel can do things God’s way, which seems odd and counter intuitive. Effecient, but it just seems weird. No doubt the people of Jericho would be calling down insults as this massive group of people silently marched around city. It is an unproven method with no idea if it will actually work

Or do things man’s way. It is a tried and true method. The process is known, and the risks are known as well. Israel knows exactly what they are getting themselves into with siege warfare.

Question #2: Do you find that God’s way of doing things is radically different from man’s way? Why is that?

Sometimes God asks his people to play the long game, when doing things the world’s way will get the same results way quicker. Or sometimes God’s way almost seems too easy, and so we default to the way things have always been done.

The follow up question would be; are the results in fact the same? Does God’s way produce the same result as the world’s way, or does it accomplish something not quite so obvious.

Bridge the Gap:

So whay happens? Israel commits to God’s way. For six days, the people of Israel walk around the city in complete silence. The seventh day, they march around 7 times and on the seventh time, the trumpets sound, the people yell, and down comes the wall. The army storms straight into the city, and everyone and everything in the city is destroyed. You can go back and read all about it in the rest of chapter 6.

But here is the thing about doing things God’s way. Jericho, one of the strongest fortresses in all of Canaan, falls in 7 days. Even if the details don’t get around, the length of time does. It puts the entire land on high alert. The Israelites have arrived and they mean business. For the most part, many of the fights are already won because the cities and their kings are now afraid.

In fact, the victory was so impressive, soldiers sent word to Pharaoh about the fall of Jericho at the hands of Israel.

Not only did Jericho fall in seven days, most of the land was conquered by Israel in 5 years, give or take. 5 years and most of the kings and nations had been conquered or put into forced labor.

If they would done siege route, the campaign would’ve been way longer, and who knows if they would’ve even completed it.

Unfortunately, we read in Judges that Israel doesn’t finish the job, but that is a sermon for another day.

The fall of Jericho was huge, not only for Israel’s reptutation, but it also reminded them that they could trust God with everything moving forward. All of God’s commands and statutes were better because God came through for the nation in this moment.

It told the other nations that not only was Israel here and they were a force, their God fights there battles and goes before them in all that they do.

Which brings us to today. Have you identified what the barrier is in your life? What is standing between where you are now and where God wants you to be?

After you’ve identified the barrier, are you ready to do things God’s way? It might require some extra time on your knees, listening for the voice of the Lord.It might require some extra time in God’s word, learning what God’s ways and his heart is. It might be consulting with your spiritual leaders and seeing if they see something that you are missing.

God’s ways are not our ways and his thoughts are not our thoughts. They might seem odd to us, and they might draw unwanted attention and ridicule from those that don’t understand.

However, the results of doing things God’s way will always outweigh any results from using the world’s methods. Their may be internal growth that comes as a result, or you may make an impact in the life of someone that you wouldn’t any other way. In fact, doing things God’s way may result in failure from our perspective, but a victory in so many other ways.

Question #3: So, are you willing to trust God’s methods above your own?

Let’s Pray!