Get Out Of Jericho!

Get Out of Jericho!

Sunday, August 14, 2011 AM

By Pastor James May

Joshua 6:1 Now Jericho was straitly shut up because of the children of Israel: none went out, and none came in.

Joshua 6:2 And the LORD said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valor.

Joshua 6:3 And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days.

Joshua 6:4 And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams' horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets.

Joshua 6:5 And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him.

This morning I want to bring you a message for these last days that the Spirit has shown me through this Old Testament story of Jericho.

Jericho stood as a barrier to the Promised Land. It was the first great stronghold of the enemy that was intent on keeping God’s people from obtaining the promises of God. It’s walls were built to withstand anything that an enemy could throw against them. If you will notice the graphic that is displayed you will see that the wall was actually a double-walled construction. The outer wall was made of a retaining wall that kept the earthen fill in place and created a wide area of ground. It was on this area that many of the homes were built including that of Rahab.

The outer edge of brick extended above the retaining wall and all of it together measured from 32 to 41 feet in height. Then, after crossing the ground there was a secondary wall which was far greater and a more formidable obstacle than the outer wall. This wall was made of brick, stone and mortar and at its base, it was 46 feet above ground level, then extended upward from there. It was at 6 feet thick and even more in some places. The people of Jericho had built their city to stand forever.

Those who lived inside these walls were steeped in idolatry; living in constant fear of attack, but for many years had felt safe and invincible behind their great walls. The city remained well stocked with food and water and was prepared for long sieges if an enemy were to threaten.

The important thing to notice here is that in spite of their great walls of protection and in spite of their great number of mighty men of valor, the people of Jericho were cowering in fear, shut up inside their own city and afraid to venture forth. They had heard of the great and awesome power of the God of Israel. Word had spread far and wide about the God of Israel that dried up the waters of the Red Sea; destroyed the entire war machine of the Egyptian Empire in a single battle; led the Jews through the wilderness by a cloud and pillar of fire; had brought earthquakes, fire and caused thunder and lightning upon the mountains to signify his presence.

Now came the news that these Israelites had crossed over Jordan on dry land and were now bearing down on the city of Jericho.

No matter how many men of valor, or how thick their walls, the people of Jericho were afraid. Who can fight against God? Who can defeat the God who rains down fire from Heaven, feeds 3 million people for over 40 years in the wilderness, destroys the power of Pharaoh and then sets his sights on your city?

This was a dark time in Jericho. There simply was no way out! Defeat, death and destruction of their great city was imminent, and though they would fight to the last man to defend it; defeat was inevitable. It was also a time of literal darkness for the gates were shut up so that none could get in or out of the city. On the inside of the gates there was a brass bar holding the gates closed.

Brass is a representation of judgment and certainly the time of judgment had come to Jericho. They were about to be called into account for all of the sin of idolatry and their blocking of God’s plan for his people.

I was thinking about this and the thought came to me that Jericho’s predicament is much like that of the world today. The whole world is caught up in a time of gross darkness. There is a spiritual darkness that keeps the minds of men from seeing the light of the Truth. There is a feeling of dark hopelessness as mankind watches the things that are coming upon the earth over which he has no power to control. Not only does it seem that nature has gone wild, but the nations are in great perplexity over their economic woes and fear the full collapse of their governments. It doesn’t take a whole lot of understanding to see that mankind is on the very edge of some very great calamities. The whole world cowers in fear, trying to find a place of peace and safety from the coming storms, yet knowing that because of our own sinful nature, there are no long term answers.