CONQUERING MY JERICHO
Notes
Transcript
INTRO (Slides - 2 Maps)
INTRO (Slides - 2 Maps)
Under Joshua’s leadership, after Moses death, the People of Israel had just entered the Promise Land. After stopping in Gilgal, they came to Jericho;
The conquest of Jericho in the Chapter 6 of the Book of Joshua is a spectacular story. One of the favorites for Sunday School teachers, but it’s a true story!;
No battle is described, no warriors are mentioned and no heroes are involved. Even the role of Joshua, the head of the Israelite military operation, is marginalized;
It was God’s victory over the Canaanites. He did it with his agents upon earth, the priests.
To conquer Jericho, seven priests carried the Ark of the Covenant around the city walls throughout six days, blowing the ritual shofar horns. On the seventh day they marched around the city seven times and on the seventh circuit, the priests blew the horns. The crowd shouted and the walls came tumbling down.
MAIN TEXT
MAIN TEXT
Ahora, Jericó estaba cerrada, bien cerrada, a causa de los hijos de Israel; nadie entraba ni salía.Mas Jehová dijo a Josué: Mira, yo he entregado en tu mano a Jericó y a su rey, con sus varones de guerra.Rodearéis, pues, la ciudad todos los hombres de guerra, yendo alrededor de la ciudad una vez; y esto haréis durante seis días.Y siete sacerdotes llevarán siete bocinas de cuernos de carnero delante del arca; y al séptimo día daréis siete vueltas a la ciudad, y los sacerdotes tocarán las bocinas.Y cuando toquen prolongadamente el cuerno de carnero, así que oigáis el sonido de la bocina, todo el pueblo gritará a gran voz, y el muro de la ciudad caerá; entonces subirá el pueblo, cada uno derecho hacia adelante.
The LOCKDOWN we had last year was NOTHING compared to the lockdown in Jericho! It was a different siege!
Nevertheless, the walls fell at the feet of the Israelites!
There are 3 MAIN LESSONS we can learn from the Conquering of Jericho, and apply to our lives:
There are 3 MAIN LESSONS we can learn from the Conquering of Jericho, and apply to our lives:
1. LO QUE PARECE SER INSENSATO PARA EL HOMBRE, HACE TODO SENTIDO PARA DIOS
1. LO QUE PARECE SER INSENSATO PARA EL HOMBRE, HACE TODO SENTIDO PARA DIOS
(SLIDE HERE)
Jericho was a very, very fortified city, situated 4 miles west of the Jordan River, known as the oldest city in the world, and in Joshua's time, 1400 years BC, it was surrounded by a system of two massive stone walls.
THE WALLS OF JERICHO:
The outer wall was 6 ft. thick and about 20 ft. high. The inner wall was about 12 ft. thick and was 30 ft. high. Between the walls was a guarded walkway about 15 ft. wide.
To conquer Jericho was - from a human perspective, foolish and impossible... (3 more slides of the walls)
To conquer Jericho was - from a human perspective, foolish and impossible... (3 more slides of the walls)
Then the Lord tells them to circle the city...
Then the Lord tells them to circle the city...
Circle the city for 7 days in silence seemed very weird… but the Lord always know what He’s doing.
porque lo insensato de Dios es más sabio que los hombres, y lo débil de Dios es más fuerte que los hombres.
Jericho was a Canaanite city. The Canaanites were known for their giants and cruelty, they were pagan warriors, while the Israelites were slaves coming from 40 years in the desert with pretty much NO experience with wars!
The way they would conquer the city, though, which seemed weird for the people, it was received in faith by Joshua. Why was Joshua so confident?
The way they would conquer the city, though, which seemed weird for the people, it was received in faith by Joshua. Why was Joshua so confident?
Because the victory had already been promised to him by the Commander of the Lord’s Army!!
Because the victory had already been promised to him by the Commander of the Lord’s Army!!
Aconteció que estando Josué cerca de Jericó, alzó los ojos y vio a un hombre que estaba delante de él, con una espada desenvainada en su mano. Josué se le acercó y le dijo:
—¿Eres de los nuestros o de nuestros enemigos?
—No—respondió él—, sino que he venido como Príncipe del ejército de Jehová.
Entonces Josué, postrándose en tierra sobre su rostro, lo adoró y le dijo:
—¿Qué dice mi Señor a su siervo?
Pero Jehová dijo a Josué: «Mira, yo he entregado en tus manos a Jericó y a su rey, junto con sus hombres de guerra.
Hebrew “Natan” - I have given as a possession”
Hebrew “Natan” - I have given as a possession”
It was actually JESUS HIMSELF talking to Joshua (Joshua an experienced warrior and he was the General in Israel, but the One he was speaking with, was the Commander of the Armies of God!), that’s why He didn’t stop Joshua when he worshipped.
It was actually JESUS HIMSELF talking to Joshua (Joshua an experienced warrior and he was the General in Israel, but the One he was speaking with, was the Commander of the Armies of God!), that’s why He didn’t stop Joshua when he worshipped.
It was a Theophany (God manifested in human form), the same kind that had happened with Abraham, when the destructions of Sodom and Gomorrah was announced.
It was a Theophany (God manifested in human form), the same kind that had happened with Abraham, when the destructions of Sodom and Gomorrah was announced.
There is a lesson here: “Public victories are the result of private visits from the Lord.”
Therefore, the conquer of Jericho was not a military effort, it was a matter of trust and faith in the “foolishness of God!”
Therefore, the conquer of Jericho was not a military effort, it was a matter of trust and faith in the “foolishness of God!”
2. EN EL TIEMPO DE DIOS, LAS COSAS PASARÁN, PERO YO TENGO QUE SEGUIR MARCHANDO
2. EN EL TIEMPO DE DIOS, LAS COSAS PASARÁN, PERO YO TENGO QUE SEGUIR MARCHANDO
We hear about this principle ALL THE TIME, but we don’t grasp it, because we are immediatist people. PERSEVERANCE AND PATIENCE were key here!
Someone once said: “What is the matter my friend?”
“The matter is that I am in a hurry, and God is not...”
The Lord sometimes WILL ASK WEIRD THINGS from you;
7 Priests with the ark of the Covenant in the middle, and the Army, had to circle the City 13 times! (6 times in 6 days - 1 lap each morning) and then 7 times on the 7th day;
God has something about the number 7, the number of perfection:
Naaman - 7 x in the river;
Elijah - 7 x seeking the sign of rain.
We can quote dozens of instances of the number 7 in the Bible...
Another component about the marching of the Israelites is that the way they were doing made them very vulnerable - By the second day, they were already “less feared”, the habitants could easily throw rocks, arrows and other things on them, from the walls.
MILITARILY, as well, the marching didn’t make sense, they were below, and the enemy was in high ground, and in a war, whoever is higher has a more privileged position!
In their march, the priests were at the center position (Worship had priority). Guards, priests with the ark, and then the military. The ark of God in the center.
NOTHING WAS MAKING SENSE!
We must remember: “not always what is theological, is humanly logical.”
There are situations and battles in our lives that we will circle, march against the difficulties, even thinking that we are not moving, that we are conquering nothing. But that’s a WRONG impression, when it comes to the Lord: He never sleeps, He never stops working, He never fails us.
There are situations and battles in our lives that we will circle, march against the difficulties, even thinking that we are not moving, that we are conquering nothing. But that’s a WRONG impression, when it comes to the Lord: He never sleeps, He never stops working, He never fails us.
WE CAN OBSERVE 2 VERY IMPORTANT PRINCIPLES AS FAR AS CIRCLING THE CITY 13 TIMES:
WE CAN OBSERVE 2 VERY IMPORTANT PRINCIPLES AS FAR AS CIRCLING THE CITY 13 TIMES:
1. Even if things are “apparently not happening”, you still must SHOW UP FOR BATTLE!!
1. Even if things are “apparently not happening”, you still must SHOW UP FOR BATTLE!!
We have a tendency to change our attitude if things are not “our way”;
God would do the job, but He wanted to see their willingness, their promptness to participate;
Every single morning, they had to show up!
2. THEY HAD TO MARCH SILENTLY, about 2 kilometers a day, not even a word spoken, until the last day! NO complaints, no argument with the Lord, no explanations, no sound! The moment of shouting would come at the Lord’s command!!
2. THEY HAD TO MARCH SILENTLY, about 2 kilometers a day, not even a word spoken, until the last day! NO complaints, no argument with the Lord, no explanations, no sound! The moment of shouting would come at the Lord’s command!!
Sometimes we are LOUD! For example: STOP publishing every step of your life on social media! Learn to be in silence!
That new generation knew that God had shown many times in the desert that He just hates complaining.
It reminds me of another time where their parents were also rescued by the Lord before crossing the Red Sea, 40 years before, and the Lord said:
Jehová peleará por vosotros, y vosotros estaréis tranquilos.
Remember: Perseverance in our walk with God is the key for our victory. I must keep marching!
Remember: Perseverance in our walk with God is the key for our victory. I must keep marching!
3. SIEMPRE HABRÁ ALGUIEN QUE PUEDE SER SALVO EN MI BATALLA
3. SIEMPRE HABRÁ ALGUIEN QUE PUEDE SER SALVO EN MI BATALLA
The two spies and Rahab
The two spies and Rahab
Rahab was an incredible woman living in the walls of Jericho, who decided to believe in God, because of all she had heard the Lord did since the Israelites left Egypt. The people within the city were petrified with fear, but she decided to step out in faith, and she hid and sheltered the 2 spies sent by Joshua, and because of that, she and her whole family was spared and her name ended up in the Hall of Faith of the Bible, and also in the very genealogy of the Lord Jesus Christ, because she married Nahshon, the main leader of the Tribe of Judah. What a story!!
Por la fe Rahab la ramera no pereció juntamente con los desobedientes, habiendo recibido a los espías en paz.
Rahab in Jericho, Lot and Sodoma and Jesus and the Samaritan woman show us that in every major event of Scripture, God finds a way to intervene with salvation.
Whatever is happening at your Jericho, the Lord may use you to save someone, just pay attention if the “Red Sign” will be there.
AND NOW WE COME TO THE SEVENTH DAY, AFTER THE SEVENTH LAP...
AND NOW WE COME TO THE SEVENTH DAY, AFTER THE SEVENTH LAP...
ALL THE WAITING MADE SENSE!!!
ALL THE WEIRD MARCHING PAID OFF!!!
THE IMPENETRABLE WALLS OF JERICHO FINALLY CAME DOWN!!!
El séptimo día se levantaron al despuntar el alba, y dieron la vuelta a la ciudad, de la misma manera, siete veces—solamente este día dieron siete veces la vuelta alrededor de ella—. Y cuando los sacerdotes tocaron las bocinas la séptima vez, Josué dijo al pueblo: «¡Gritad, porque Jehová os ha entregado la ciudad! La ciudad será como anatema a Jehová, con todas las cosas que están en ella; solamente Rahab, la ramera, vivirá, así como todos los que estén con ella en su casa, por cuanto escondió a los mensajeros que enviamos. Pero vosotros guardaos del anatema; no toquéis ni toméis cosa alguna del anatema, no sea que hagáis caer la maldición sobre el campamento de Israel y le traigáis la desgracia. Pero toda la plata y el oro, y los utensilios de bronce y de hierro, sean consagrados a Jehová y entren en el tesoro de Jehová».
Entonces el pueblo gritó, y los sacerdotes tocaron las bocinas. Y aconteció que cuando el pueblo escuchó el sonido de la bocina, gritó con un gran vocerío y el muro se derrumbó. El pueblo asaltó luego la ciudad, cada uno derecho hacia delante, y la tomaron.
The promise of God had been fulfilled!!
Rahab’s house found
Rahab’s house found
Do you want to know a cool thing?
Do you want to know a cool thing?
When the archeologists did excavation on Jericho, there was a part of the wall on the north side, that did NOT COME DOWN. That was Rahab’s home!!
AFTER THE VICTORY...
AFTER THE VICTORY...
THE FIRST FRUITS PRINCIPLE IS ESTABLISHED
THE FIRST FRUITS PRINCIPLE IS ESTABLISHED
Pero toda la plata y el oro, y los utensilios de bronce y de hierro, sean consagrados a Jehová y entren en el tesoro de Jehová».
Jericho was THE FIRST CONQUEST, the firstfruits of the Promise Land, everything would be for God this time, it was the first of many cities to be conquered.
The lesson here is: God gets the first, it’s a Kingdom principle;
NEVER TO BE BUILT AGAIN!
NEVER TO BE BUILT AGAIN!
Joshua’s prophecy over Jericho:
Joshua’s prophecy over Jericho:
En aquel tiempo hizo Josué este juramento: «Maldito delante de Jehová el hombre que se levante y reedifique esta ciudad de Jericó. Sobre su primogénito eche los cimientos de ella, y sobre su hijo menor asiente sus puertas».
The fulfilment of the prophecy 500 years later:
The fulfilment of the prophecy 500 years later:
En tiempos de Acab, Hiel, el de Bet-el, reedificó a Jericó. Al precio de la vida de Abiram, su primogénito, echó el cimiento, y al precio de la vida de Segub, su hijo menor, puso sus puertas, conforme a la palabra que Jehová le había anunciado por medio de Josué hijo de Nun.
Lesson: When you get your victory over Jericho, don’t ever try to rebuild it again!
Lesson: When you get your victory over Jericho, don’t ever try to rebuild it again!
FINAL APPLICATIONS
FINAL APPLICATIONS
Everybody has its own Jericho and its walls:
Everybody has its own Jericho and its walls:
Aunque andamos en la carne, no militamos según la carne, porque las armas de nuestra milicia no son carnales, sino poderosas en Dios para la destrucción de fortalezas,
Trust the Lord, even when His ways seem strange and weird, His ways are higher than ours, He is at work and knows what He is doing;
Keep your perseverance, marching in silence and showing up for the work of God until the Lord commands your shout of victory;
Let the Lord bless someone else through you when you get your victory.
Even though they didn’t have to use weapons to destroy the walls of Jericho, (only after, already inside the city) they were ready to use them. Every battle is different, we have to be prepared.
Even though they didn’t have to use weapons to destroy the walls of Jericho, (only after, already inside the city) they were ready to use them. Every battle is different, we have to be prepared.
And that’s why...
And that’s why...
We will go to our Jericho TODAY, and our Altar Call will be a little different, we will do it in 2 parts:
We will go to our Jericho TODAY, and our Altar Call will be a little different, we will do it in 2 parts:
ALTAR CALL 1: (standing/pews)
ALTAR CALL 1: (standing/pews)
SONG “THIS IS HOW I FIGHT MY BATTLES”
SONG “THIS IS HOW I FIGHT MY BATTLES”
After the song...
Now I want to invite you all to come to the altar...
Now I want to invite you all to come to the altar...
ALTAR CALL 2: (standing/front of the church)
ALTAR CALL 2: (standing/front of the church)
TRUMPETS WERE USED IN MANY OCCASIONS IN THE BIBLE, ESPECIALLY IN TIMES OF WAR...
AND TODAY… LIKE THE ISRAELITES IN JERICHO...
WE WILL ALSO SHOUT AT THE SOUND OF THE SHOFAR (TRUMPETS) TO SEE OUR WALLS FALL!
WE WILL ALSO SHOUT AT THE SOUND OF THE SHOFAR (TRUMPETS) TO SEE OUR WALLS FALL!
This may sound ridiculous or strange for you, but it will be a symbolic act of God tumbling down your walls! If it worked 3400 years ago, if God Himself commanded once, why not today? SO, LET’S PREPARE OUR HEARTS TO THE SOUND OF THE SHOFAR...
(BECAUSE IT IS ALSO WITH THE SOUND OF THE TRUMPET THAT THE LORD WILL CALL US TO HEAVEN!!…)
FOR NOW, DON’T DO ANYTHING YET...
FOR NOW, DON’T DO ANYTHING YET...
1. I want you to think about the walls you want the Lord to destroy today: (addiction, depression, sadness, lies, fear, divorce, unforgiveness, sickness, hatred, lust and pornography, financial instabilities, fights at home, envy, greed, love of money, lack of love, prayerless life, lukewarmness, lack of commitment with the Kingdom, unfaithfulness with tithes and offerings, suicidal thoughts, rebellion, anxiety, unemployment), YOU NAME IT!...
1. I want you to think about the walls you want the Lord to destroy today: (addiction, depression, sadness, lies, fear, divorce, unforgiveness, sickness, hatred, lust and pornography, financial instabilities, fights at home, envy, greed, love of money, lack of love, prayerless life, lukewarmness, lack of commitment with the Kingdom, unfaithfulness with tithes and offerings, suicidal thoughts, rebellion, anxiety, unemployment), YOU NAME IT!...
(The priests inJericho blew the trumpets continually, but we will do it for some time only, and at my instruction, we will shout!)
This is a battle where you won’t fight with weapons, you will just have to shout out your victory!!
This is a battle where you won’t fight with weapons, you will just have to shout out your victory!!
2. SHOFAR SOUND WILL START PLAYING NOW… (ALI), AND THIS IS A VERY SOLEMN MOMENT!
2. SHOFAR SOUND WILL START PLAYING NOW… (ALI), AND THIS IS A VERY SOLEMN MOMENT!
3. KEEP SILENT FIRST AND START MARCHING AT YOUR PLACE LIKE IF YOU WERE CIRCLING YOUR JERICHO (STILL NO WORDS, JUST PRAYING IN YOUR MIND)… YOUR ENEMY IS ABOUT TO FALL BEFORE YOUR EYES...
3. KEEP SILENT FIRST AND START MARCHING AT YOUR PLACE LIKE IF YOU WERE CIRCLING YOUR JERICHO (STILL NO WORDS, JUST PRAYING IN YOUR MIND)… YOUR ENEMY IS ABOUT TO FALL BEFORE YOUR EYES...
Let’s continue listening to the trumpet, keep praying...
Let’s continue listening to the trumpet, keep praying...
ON THE COUNT OF 3, WE WILL SHOUT TOGETHER… 1, 2, 3...
ON THE COUNT OF 3, WE WILL SHOUT TOGETHER… 1, 2, 3...
SHOUT!!!!
SHOUT!!!!
Let’s pray!
Let’s pray!