Faith Or Foolishness

Faith or Foolishness

Joshua chapter 6:15-20

Introduction-

Turn with me to Joshua 6:15-20.

The good news is, the Lord has allowed me to move out of Deuteronomy, the bad news it is only to the next book of Joshua. We continue to look at the exchange of leadership between Moses and Joshua. Moses has died Joshua is the leader of Israel. The nation is being blessed. They have seen some miraculous things and they get to the Jordan River. The promised land is across the river. (Over there) Anybody ever been there- you can see the promised land, you just cannot get there. God decides to redo the miracle of the Red Sea and put the ark of the Covenant and seven priest out front and as soon as they step in the river, the river banks up and they cross on dry land. After they cross and are headed for the promised land, they realize they have to take the sinful city of Jericho. Ever seen where you need to be and there is a big obstacle? Ever had some giants that kept you from getting there? Ever have large walls that seem like you could never scale? And God is telling you to move forward That is where the Israelites find themselves. Maybe that is where you are this morning- large obstacle, but God telling you to move forward and to trust Him.

Problem number 1 for Israel. Joshua is leading the people. 5:13- “Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked and saw a man standing in front of him with a sword drawn in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked “are you for us or for our enemies.” Neither, he replied, but as commander of the Army of the Lord I have now come Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence and asked him “what message does the Lord have for his servant:

I want you to see this Write this down.

When God shows up, He does not take sides. He takes over Whatever side He is on is the winning side Where ever He is, is the right way He tells Joshua to remove his sandles because he is standing in the holy presence of God. Here is where it gets interesting. 6:2-15, 13 verses God begins to lay out the plan that God has for the nation of Israel to conquer and take the fortified city of Jericho. (Their giant, their next obstacle) He tells them. Armed men (army of God) not all 2 million Jews should walk with the ark of the covenant and seven priest with horned trumpets around the city of Jericho for 6 days. On the seventh day, they are to go around the city seven times, and on the seventh and final time, at the command of Joshua, the priest are to blow the trumpets one long time and then the people are to shout in unison- “For the Lord has given you the city.” Here is the text this morning, so we would not read a complete chapter.

Joshua chapter 6:15-20. Even if Jericho was only 5 miles round, that last day they would have walked 35 miles. They would have started early and ended late. They would have been tired and exhausted. Any take over of the city would have been a God thing

To the Canaanites- fortified in their city, watching out as 2 miliion are on a hillside and their army walking around the city silent for 6 days would of seemed kind of funny and unusual.

To the Army of God- to be ordered to walk around the city, no weapons, no attempt to scale the wall, no attempt to rush the gate, had to be a little strange and unusual.To Joshua- to hear what God commanded him to do had to be a little strange and unusual. The Canaanites were Israel’s giants. Walls of Jericho was the visible battle ground. God was there to teach Israel a lesson.

Those walls are not coming down by force- they are coming down by faith.

Those walls are not coming down by man’s ingenious plan, they are coming down by God’s plan.

The power of God has the ability and strength to bring to pass what ever He pleases.

God can do whatever He chooses to do, in whatever manner He chooses to do it by, because He is a Sovereign God and the ruler of the universe. He does not have to ask anybody’s permission first. Here is the main point Write it down.

It is better to trust God than rely on our foolishness.(repeat)

God is to wise to be foolish and too powerful to be weak.

We do some foolish things;

living in sin- calling it a “meaningful relationship”