The Walls Come Down
Notes
Transcript
The Battle of Jericho
The Battle of Jericho
The Main Idea: You see when you see God’s miracles you begin to act on God’s words.
Me: Have you ever had all the chips against you? Like you were going to face an unmoveable foe?
In college I played basketball on the JV squad— I still got a scholarship but it was tiny.
So anyway—
We were set to play The Burlington Red Hawks— They were a junior college team, as in a two year college team.
They had won many championships.
Only last like 5 games.
They were legit.
But you know what… we came out hot!
We hit 3- 3s It was like 9-4 and we were like heck yes!
Then they actually started playing.
We would lose this game 115-49
To give you an idea of how good they were:
They were not only throwing lob passes like crazy but one dude threw it off the glass and windmill dunked it.
Then before half time— I threw a pass to a teammate and it was stolen— I busted to get back on Defense—
I beat him down the court— i set up to take a charge.
And the next thing I knew was that the guy jumped over me!
He spread his legs and jumped over me.
I am not a small dude but he jumped over me.
And then to add to the insult— the ref called a foul on me.
He cleared me and then I got a foul called on me.
To which I went to the ref and said— hey I never touched him not did he touch me— How is that a foul?
The ref looked at me and said “I can’t believe that you let him do that to you.”
What jump over me!
I didn’t know that was possible!
We played against a powerhouse team and we got smoked.
We knew going in that we were going to be blasted.
We: Have you ever been met with unmoveable obstacle?
Like it could be an undefeated sports team, a goal that seems impossible, a challenge that you will never win.
Like all the chips were stacked against you?
Like we are trying to run up a hill made of sand.
Its not easy and if it get too steep it is impossible to get to the top.
No matter how hard you try you can never gain traction.
It the underdog story.
Everyone loses a good underdog story?
We love it when The rebels in Star War crushes the Empire.
We cheer when the Hobbit Frodo throws the ring into Mount Doom to destroy Saruman.
We leap out of our seats when Rocky defeats Apollo.
So often we see underdogs in sports but it is can be the same when it comes to a battle as well.
At the battle of Helm’s Deep in Lord of the Rings the Two Towers it looked bleck.
But the heart of men did not fail.
Or when David grabs those 5 smooth stones to go up against the Giant Goliath— things did not look good.
But With only one stone David defeated Goliath.
God’s people sometimes are put into situations where they looked outmatch, outnumbers, and totally overwhelmed.
But in those situation it almost seems like that is when God shows up the most.
It is when all the chips are down and we have no chance to win, or overcome that God steps in and makes a way.
In our weakness God uses us to move forward.
Humility brings blessing— while pride goes just before the fall.
God: Tonight we are going to look at the story of Joshua and the battle of Jericho.
You may be familiar with this story.
The Israelite's had just made it into the promise land and Moses and his whole generation is dead.
And as they came into the land of Cannon God gave them the land but they had to fight for the land.
Sometime God is going to make blessings come really easy and other times you are going to have to work for them.
And Sometime you are going to come up to an immoveable force.
That is the case for the Israelites.
They set out to concur the land, that God had for them.
The promise land that was promised all the back to Abraham.
Remember Abraham?
This is the fulfillment of that promise made all the back in Genesis 12.
Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.
This is that land.
And as they come into the land they are met with a giant walled city.
The Israelites did not have homes, but tents still.
But they were commanded to move the inhabitants of this land out of the land.
And they didn’t have any battles yet, and the first battle they come too is Jericho.
Let’s read a bit here in Joshua.
Now Jericho was shut up inside and outside because of the people of Israel. None went out, and none came in.
So Jericho was shut up, and if you remember the story, Joshua had sent some spies into Jericho, so they could get the lay of the land.
They meet Rahab there who protected the spies.
And they escaped before the city was going to be shut up.
locked up— no one in or out.
So Jericho had already heard about Isreal and their God and they were nervous, they were worried and really preparing for battle.
Now if you walked up to the this city with their gates and their walls- you may be thinking, “hmmm that is a huge city--- Maybe we should just go around it.
But God comes to Joshua and gives hims some encouragement and also some instructions.
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.”
The battle plan was— they are going to march in a circle around the city and then shout on the 7th day we march and then shout.
That may be the most battle strategy ever.
You would never do this plan.
I would never do this plan.
It sounds crazy.
And Jericho was shut up— they had everything they needed including water- they were right next to an abundant water supply.
The walls were think and the people were prepared to survive they were ready to battle if it came to that.
And God’s plan was not to go toe to toe in battle but to march and then shout.
While I may have second guessed the plan to God, look at how Joshua responded.
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.” 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.”
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. 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. 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.” 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.
Then Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the Lord. 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. And the second day they marched around the city once, and returned into the camp. So they did for six days.
Joshua just goes for it.
You see when you see God’s miracles you begin to act on God’s words.
I know we should just take God for his word right.
But think about this.
You may have trusted someone with their words to only have their actions fail.
I don’t think Joshua takes God’s words to heart, if he hadn’t see God spilt the sea into two.
He saw a pillar of smoke and a pillar of fire everyday as it was God’s presence.
He saw God bring manna and water from rocks
Or see the snake’s poison not kill the people as Trone talked about last week.
So when God says— just march around the city and the walls will come down.
The only logical response from Joshua is like okay!
Let me tell the people.
He didn’t even think twice about it.
He just went for it!
And they did this for 6 days.
They marched was about 650 yds everyday.
Now lets read about the 7th day.
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. 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. 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. 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. 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.” 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. 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.
God kept His word.
God handed the city of Jericho over to the Israelites.
And they went in and destroyed what was left.
When it came to military matters, they belonged to God.
While this story sounds like God destroying a city, think there is more to it.
By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days.
It took the Israelites faith in God to see the walls come down.
God still had to show up and God is never going to let you down, we know that.
But it took the people getting up for a week and walking around an armored city.
It took they trusting that God was going to see this through.
This same nation who was complaining about going back to Egypt— and never being satisfied with anything ever.
They listened to the orders of Joshua.
And Joshua listened to God and believed that God would do what he said he would do.
You: What does this mean for you?
Have you ever had a time in your life where God was tell you to do something?
How did that go?
Did you do it?
Or did you not?
You see you may pray that God takes away sin, or you pray for God to move and act.
And God may come back with a solution to your request, but it may involve you walking around a city.
Or it may involve you going to someone and sharing the good news of Jesus.
It may involve you going toe to toe with an immoveable object.
And for many of us you see a mountain that can’t be climbed and you freak out and say this is too hard, God hates me— and you give up.
That is what the Israelites could have done.
But they didn’t— and out of their faith in God they walked.
One step at a time around that city.
You can throw in the towel of your faith anytime you want, when life gets hard you can turn to other things and you can forget about God.
But what if you didn’t.
What if you listened to God and acted in what He is calling you to do.
And in faith you trust Him and you lean on Him?
I mean this is the same God who saw you in your sin and sent His son to the world to save it.
God does all the heavy lifting in your relationship.
You can’t save yourself despite your best efforts.
You can’t.
But God can save you.
And He did— through the blood of Jesus.
So what does this mean for us?
We: What does this mean for us?
It is a call to live more faithfully to God.
It is a call for us to trust in God.
With the big things.
Notice how Joshua doesn’t tell God that his plan sucks or that he wants to argue with his plan.
ROSEY does this to me:
And when we go to God about that immovable thing in our life, be prepared for God to tell you to act.
He isn’t going to just take it out of your way— no you may have to walk around it.
You may have to go to battle against it.
You may have to destroy it.
And if we are faithful to what he tells us to do, then He will be faithful to keep his promises.
What is the Jericho in your life?
What is weighing on you?
What is something that needs to be gotten rid of for God to bless you with his promises.
The Israelites were in the promise land but even when you reach your destination God is going to ask you to keep trusting him.
It would be easy for us to get complacent in our faith, don’t fall into that trap, keep believing and keep trusting in God.
And those walls— they will come crumbling down.
Pray