FACING OUR JERICHO
Over the past three weeks, we have been studying the book of Joshua. We have found truths here that have given us great hope and comfort in the midst of our great pain. We have seen God’s hand at work, not only in the lives of the children of Israel, but we’ve seen His hand at work in ours as well.
We’ve witnessed God’s great power during these past few weeks. Power that has sustained us, comforted us, directed us and continues to do so. Three weeks ago, we talked about how God called His children to press on. Out of Joshua 1, He called his people to rise up and face the challenge, to cross the Jordan, even in the midst of their sorrow and grief.
Two weeks ago, we discussed HOW we would cross this Jordan. We claimed the promises of Joshua 3 and 4. We talked about how only through Christ can we cross. Only through Christ will we have the power. Only through Christ, will we have the strength. Not in our own power. NOT I, BUT CHRIST within us.
Last week, we discussed WHY we must cross this Jordan. We talked about God’s great plan for us. About how He has a brand new PROVISION for us, a brand new VISION for us, and a brand new ENCOUNTER with Him. Why must we cross this river? Because God is just on the other side, waiting with open arms, to give us the land of which he promised to us.
So, we’ve discussed WHAT we’re supposed to do. We’ve discussed HOW we’re supposed to do it. We discussed WHY we’re supposed to do it.
Today, we continue in Joshua and we ask the question WHEN? When must we carry on? When must we rise up? When must we get up and move forward? When does God expect us to fulfill His promise?
The answer is quite simple. The answer is, IN HIS TIMING. The answer is—When God Wants Us To!
All throughout scripture, both friends and foes of Jesus Christ made both good and evil requests of Jesus with the hopes of altering the timetable of God – but every single person left knowing that the timetable of God could not be altered.
In John Chapter 2, Mary, the mother of Jesus, wanted Jesus to perform a miracle without considering if Jesus had a better plan. Afterwards, she witnessed God’s plan and concluded that from now on, “Whatever HE says, do it.”
In John Chapter 7, the brothers of Jesus, wanted Jesus to go to the temple courts and prove himself to the crowd. But Jesus waited until the crowds were of just the right number in the temple so as to offer protection from those who wanted to kill him. Jesus had a better plan.
In John Chapter 8, many haters of Jesus wanted to prematurely kill Him by stoning Him, but He ‘hid himself’ and escaped from their presence. Jesus had a better plan.
In Matthew 4 and Luke 4, Satan himself offered to give Jesus a false sense of victory by offering to relinquish his influence on all the nations of the world if Jesus would only by-pass the cross and bow down to him. But Jesus had a better plan.
In John Chapter 17, the crowds wanted to make Jesus King. Though a noble request, Jesus responded, “I have a better plan.”
You see, God has a perfect plan for our lives. A plan that has perfect timing. God’s timing. So many times we try to follow God’s plan, we try to do what God wants us to do, BUT we try to do it in our own timing. And when we do, we rarely accomplish all that God wants us to accomplish.
And what is even more frightening, is that the more we do not trust God’s timing, the more we will begin to distrust God’s care for us!
It is an unfortunate reality that when our faith in God becomes weak, we will tend to question His care for our lives. Remember this spiritual principle: “Feeble Faith always makes us question His care for us!”
This is so clearly seen in Mark Chapter 4 when the Disciples found themselves in the middle of a storm together on a boat. Mark Chapter 4 verses 37-40 says:
37And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. 38And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? 39And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?
The Disciples were in the middle of a life situation that was common to fishermen – a storm at sea. But in this situation, this storm seemed to be a little more grave than they had ever experienced before. It was so “great” that it actually scared men of whom many of them were seasoned and skilled fisherman.
And where was Jesus during all of this? Verse 37 says that Jesus was sound asleep in the boat. He was not alarmed or distressed. He was calm and resting well.
Such tranquility may cause one to wondering, “How could Jesus be sleeping at a time like this!? Doesn’t He know that I don’t know what to do?!” In fact, that is exactly what his disciples said!
After witnessing Jesus’ calm tranquility in the midst of the storm, His Disciples woke Jesus up and made a sad and regrettable assumption. They asked, “Jesus, don’t you care if we perish!?” They came to a conclusion that probably each one of us have concluded before when our faith in God has been weak.
Contrary to what they were thinking, Jesus not only demonstrated his care for his disciples but his awesome power over the storm. He stood up and rebuked the storm and said, “Peace. Be still!”
Did you notice the contrast? The Bible says that there was a “great storm,” Jesus simply spoke the word, and there was a “great calm.”
He, then, turned to His disciples and asked them a question that I believe God is asking each and every one of us today – “Where is YOUR FAITH?”
God is omniscient, all-knowing, thus, He knows the WHEN and we must put our full trust in His timing. The problem, though, is that most of the time, we don’t have the patience to wait on God. To wait on His perfect time.
Let’s look in Joshua chapter 6. Here we read the story of what the Lord told Joshua to do, and when to do it, with regards to Jericho. Here we read of three significant aspects of Joshua’s facing Jericho. First, the WALL, then the WAY, and finally, the WIN!
You’ll remember that last week, we talked about Joshua’s encounter with God in chapter 5. How God appeared to Joshua as he gazed upon the challenges that were ahead. This was a Christophany. Remember that these christophanies happened when God wanted to encourage His people to get ready for amazing things.
In this case, God appeared to Joshua. This Fresh Encounter was so important for Joshua because it gave him the strength, the encouragement, to carry on.
When God appeared, He came to give Joshua specific plans for defeating Jericho. God not only told Joshua that Jericho would be defeated, but He gave Joshua the strategy that would deliver it into the hands of the Israelites. A strategy that would take Joshua and the people of Israel to their victory. And oh how Joshua needed this encouragement. Joshua needed to be encouraged because this great challenge lay just ahead and without God’s great plan, defeat would be assured.
Here, Joshua was in a tight spot. You see, as Joshua faced Jericho, he was looking at a difficult task. Here was Jericho, the oldest inhabited city in the world. Around this city stood not one, but two massive walls. Walls that were constructed of stone and brick. The outer wall, built of stone stood as a sign to all those who approached that this city would not be conquered. The inner wall, built of brick, was yet another line of defense.
This city was known to be impenetrable. Joshua knew this. He knew this all too well. Joshua was facing THE WALL.
This sure sounds a lot like our lives, doesn’t it. We constantly are looking ahead to the challenges that face us. Challenges that seem to be so difficult, so daunting. Challenges that frighten us. Challenges that give us great uncertainty.
We look at that WALL ahead of us. We wonder, how in the world are we going to break through? How in the world are we going to conquer this wall? Is there a way through, a way over, a way around?
Joshua was thinking this exact same thing. As he paced in chapter 5, wondering how he was going to lead the children of Israel to defeat Jericho, that is when God appeared, the Commander of the Lord’s Army.
As Joshua faced that wall, God appeared and gave him everything he needed to conquer. Everything he needed to face this wall. Everything he needed to lead the nation of Israel to defeat the people of Jericho.
Let’s read in Joshua 6:1 Now Jericho was securely shut up because of the children of Israel; none went out, and none came in. 2 And the LORD said to Joshua: “See! I have given Jericho into your hand, its king, and the mighty men of valor. 3 You shall march around the city, all you men of war; you shall go all around the city once. This you shall do six days. 4 And seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark. But the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. 5 It shall come to pass, when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, that all the people shall shout with a great shout; then the wall of the city will fall down flat. And the people shall go up every man straight before him.
Here was God’s plan. Clearly delivered to Joshua. As Joshua wondered what was next. As he wondered how, as he wondered how to lead Israel against this formidable opponent, God appeared and gave him the plan.
But notice God’s plan. It wasn’t a plan that rushed right up to the walls of Jericho and started the battle. It wasn’t a plan that was going to happen right now. This was a plan that had a waiting game. Why do you think that is? Why do you think that God told Joshua to march around the city once a day for six days, then on the seventh day, to march around seven times?
I believe the answer lies in these simple words. That God’s plan for WHEN always involves a time of preparation and a time of sanctification. Here, God told Joshua to have the priests to carry the Ark of the Covenant, the symbol of God’s presence. He said for the armed men to go before it and to follow it. He wanted them to showcase that ark to the people of Jericho. Why? So that all would see that this was the Lord’s army. We talked about the WALL that Joshua faced, now we talk about the WAY that God would bring them through.
What is the way? We just read God’s way. We read about how God wanted to bring them the victory. Was it rushed? No. Was it fast? No. Did it take hard work and a commitment? Yes. Was the victory assured? Absolutely.
I think there are a couple of reasons why God gave Joshua the WAY to victory that involved the tedious, laborious task of walking around the walls for seven days.
First, I believe God wanted the Israelites to see that God’s victories come from continually doing God’s will on a daily basis. You see, it would have been easy for God to tell Joshua to walk right up to those walls and shout and the walls fall. But God wanted the Israelites to see that faithfulness to God’s plan, while it may not be in our timing, always delivers God’s result.
Second, I believe that God wanted to give the Israelites a lesson in waiting on God. You see, I’m sure that the first day they marched up to Jericho and began that procession around the city, the people of Jericho were frightened. In verse 1, we already read how Jericho was shut down, boarded up, because Israel was near. So I’m sure that the people of Jericho were concerned when they saw the people of Israel approaching. But then, instead of attacking, they simply marched around the city.
Then, the second day came, the same thing all over again. Maybe Jericho was frightened at the beginning of this day, but still no attack. The third day, the same thing. The fourth, again the same thing.
Here, I think, is when God wanted to show Israel the importance of waiting on God. You see now, I’m sure that Jericho began mocking Israel. Now, Jericho has nothing to be afraid of. Here, they’re just marching around the walls. What’s so scary about that? Now, they’re laughing at Joshua and the people of Israel. They’re making fun of them.
This happens every day in our world. Every day, the world mocks the church, mocks Christianity. As we continue to march forward in God’s plan, the world looks at us and laughs at us, says we’re nuts, calls us names, makes fun of us. They think that we are intellectually challenged, how could we actually believe this book is the word of God? How could we believe that there is a God who created all that there is in six days? How could we be so arrogant to suggest that people living in sin will be punished?
Every day, they were laughed at. Every day they were mocked. Every day, Jericho looked out at this parade and thought, we’ve got nothing to worry about. The fourth day. The fifth day. The sixth day.
But, unfortunately for Jericho, there was a seventh. We looked at the WALL, we read the WAY, now we see the WIN!
Josh. 6:15 But it came to pass on the seventh day that they rose early, about the dawning of the day, and marched around the city seven times in the same manner. On that day only they marched around the city seven times. 16 And the seventh time it happened, when the priests blew the trumpets, that Joshua said to the people: “Shout, for the LORD has given you the city!
What happened when they waited for God’s plan and God’s timing? What happened when they faced the WALL, following the WAY? God gave them the win.
Look at verse 20. So the people shouted when the priests blew the trumpets. And it happened when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat. Then the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.
The people of Jericho saw God’s power in that instant. The people of Jericho now knew that there was a God, that He would deliver His people and the walls came tumbling down. Psalm 37 captures exactly how God will protect his own, while, at the same time, describe what kind of faith is incumbent upon every child of God:
Psalm 37:7-9 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. 8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil. 9 For evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.
Oh what a great promise. What a great story for all of God’s children. Not only those who actually marched around that city, but for those of today who continue to face the WALLS in our lives. The walls that keep us from experiencing all that God has in store for us. The walls that frighten us, the walls that stop us from moving forward with God to capture the victory He has for us.
In the book of Joshua, we’ve seen so many things that we can cling to in our lives. So many things that we can grab hold of to help us as we face the daily challenges in our lives. And my, don’t we face challenges. Don’t we have problems to face? Don’t we have walls that we must conquer?
Here are some keys from the book of Joshua that we need to know in order to face our walls and win. This is the WAY that God has provided for us.
Step out by faith (Joshua 1:3) "every place the sole of your foot walks upon"
Meditate on God’s Word (Joshua 1:8) "meditate therein day and night"
Don’t be afraid (Joshua 1:9) "be strong and of good courage; be not afraid...God is with you."
Put God first (Joshua 3:3) "ark of the covenant...go after it" (Note: The ark symbolized God’s presence among His people. It was the most important thing in their possession.
Dedicate yourselves and your children (Joshua 5:9) "circumcise again the children of Israel"
Have a fresh encounter with Christ (Joshua 5:14) "Joshua fell on his face and did worship"
Trust God for a miracle (Joshua 6:5) "shout with a great shout and the wall of the city will fall down flat"
These are things that we’ve talked about over the past few weeks that we must all take to heart. We must plant these phrases firmly into our hearts and our minds so that we can face the challenges ahead.
And I can assure you, there are challenges ahead. There are challenges ahead that will test us like we’ve never been tested. We will face enemies ahead that will challenge everything we believe in, they will challenge us at every turn. There will be struggles, WALLS, that we will face that we must claim God’s timing and God’s plan if we are to come out victorious.
As we read on into the book of Joshua, we read about how after they conquered Jericho, which was an easy win considering all they had to do was march around the city 13 times in 7 days, that Joshua and the people of Israel then faced 30 more cities that needed to be conquered. And notice, none of those victories came easily. None of these victories were won simply by marching around.
They were hard fought victories, and many lives were lost. Why? Because while God had given them a miraculous victory at Jericho, they had to continue to serve God, work for God, and follow His will, no matter the cost.
That is our challenge today. We face many WALLS in our lives. We face many walls as a church. And over these 51 years of ministry, God has given us miracle after miracle. God has given us so many victories, so many miraculous wins. But the work remains, the challenge persists, the walls are ahead, and we must continue the fight, no matter the cost.
As I stand here today, as your new pastor, I can assure you that I personally face many walls. I look ahead, just as Joshua did, and see so many challenges that I personally will face in serving as your pastor. And I know that there is no possible way I can face those challenges, to face those walls, without knowing that God has a WAY. And only when following His way, will we experience the WIN!
Today, we still claim God’s promises for a miracle at this church. I must also claim God’s promises for a miracle in my life as I step into this pastoral role. And you must claim God’s promises for a miracle to bring you through as well.
You may be here today and facing a challenge that is insurmountable. I know that there are some of you here today wondering what to do next. How you will make it. How you will be victorious knowing what you have to face.
I want to tell you today, that the same God who delivered Jericho and those 30 other cities into the hands of Joshua and the people of Israel is still at work today, and he is just as interested in your WALLS as he was the WALLS of Jericho. He is just as interested in delivering you as he was in delivering Joshua.
Today, I ask you the question. Are you facing a WALL ahead that challenges you? If so, are you trusting in God’s WAY of deliverance? Are you trusting Him for the WIN? And are you trusting God’s timing for your victory?
Are you willing to continue marching ahead, even if God doesn’t deliver you today, or tomorrow, or the next? God delivered Jericho into Joshua’s hands on the seventh day, after marching around those walls 13 times, are you willing to wait on God’s timing to deliver you?
If you have never really accepted Jesus as your personal Savior, would you do it right now? Do not delay or put it off. If you would like to receive Christ by faith, pray this simple prayer in your heart:
Dear Lord, I acknowledge that I am a sinner. I believe Jesus died for my sins on the cross, and rose again the third day. I repent of my sins. By faith I receive the Lord Jesus as my Savior. You promised to save me, and I believe You, because You are God and cannot lie. I believe right now that the Lord Jesus is my personal Savior, and that all my sins are forgiven through His precious blood. I thank You, dear Lord, for saving me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
If you prayed that prayer, God heard you and saved you. I personally want to welcome you to the family of God.
