WHAT THE LORD PROMISES HE DELIVERS NOTWITHSTANDING ENEMIES FROM WITHOUT
“Fear must not win” reverberated across America this week as Christian ministers of all denominations voiced outrage, yes, but also courage in the name of the Lord, and on behalf of their congregations, in response to the heartbreaking tragedy that befell innocent victims of a gunman’s insanity while they engaged in worship and Bible study at the historic Emanuel AME Church in Charleston.
Justice must and will be done in this and all other cases of violence that are carried out by enemies of God and His people - regardless of race, creed, color, nationality or any other worldly distinction concocted by Satan and his cohorts to disrupt, devastate and eventually destroy God’s plan for bringing all mankind into the realm of His kingdom of peace over which Christ shall reign forever and ever.
Enemies of God have existed since the fall from favor with God of the evil one, and the subsequent fall from God’s presence of sinful humanity; it happened when God’s prized possessions succumbed to the deceit of Satan, bringing upon themselves shame and upon the human race disgrace in need of God’s grace.
Because of His love, God took initiative to repossess and restore His own . . . to dispossess and disinherit enemies of His plan. BUT, insane individuals, criminal gangs, disrupters of the peace, rulers of darkness, religious fanatics, and wolves in sheep’s’ clothing, not to mention other powerful foes are hell bent on destruction of God’s plan via intimidation if not annihilation of God’s own . . . !
Plain and simple: Get on board with God’s plan to repossess and restore (receive God’s reward) or suffer consequences of dispossession and disinheritance (reap what you sow) – both the receiving and the reaping promised by the Lord God – Maker, Father, Redeemer and Judge of all mankind!
Even though we find it troublesome, the command given to Joshua’s army to dispossess Jericho and to spare none but Rahab and her family should not be shocking to us - given the fact that the Canaanites had been warned time and time again, and had been given four generations to accept the one and only LORD God, thereby doing away with idol worship and atrocities associated with idolatry.
But no! Repeatedly God’s enemy sought to do away with the people of God which, in the enemy’s thinking, would do away with the plan of God --- the most naïve miscalculation in biblical history after the fall! Attempt to do away with the plan of God by doing away with His people, and find yourself in trouble – big time! Enemies of God will get what’s coming to them! The Canaanites had established themselves as enemies of God. God declared war against them; and when God declares war, victory is certain – Joshua 6:1-5 . . .
Jericho was a fortified city – with not one but two walls – the outer wall, six feet thick, and the inner wall, twelve feet thick. Wow! That, to me, is like saying, “If it’s not one thing, it’s another!” Sort of like life, right? Enemies to be fought and walls to be torn down!
The key words in this charge to Joshua are “See, I have.” The root word is “envision”. How much faith does it take for you to envision God’s victory over evil - as did Joshua and Caleb . . . Moses . . . Winston Churchill . . . Martin Luther King? All these servants of God lived and breathed the vision of peace God gave them.
Do you have a vision of peace? Of course you do! “The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight” O Little Town of Bethlehem. Your hope has come, your vision of peace, with no more battles to fight, no more heavy burdens to bear, has become a reality – in Christ Jesus Prince of Peace - if you trust and obey.
“I have delivered Jericho” and thus the Promised Land “into your hands,” O People of Israel. Your time has come. With God in charge, how can you lose? Forget God, and there will be consequences to bear. Remember and reverence Him who delivered you from bondage, and you’ll be glad you did.
“As it is written,” O People of God yesterday, today and forever, “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, nor mind conceived, all that God has prepared for those who love Him!” Keep on loving God . . . all people for whom Christ died . . . living for Jesus. Great is your reward in heaven!
“Fortified” matters not when the LORD God is in command - as He must be if God’s people are to go on to victory without further delay – Joshua 6:12-16 . . .
Don’t you suppose they got tired of all that marching? Six days - once around each day - but on the seventh day, seven times in one day! “God’s ways” are definitely not “our ways”. Some folks would have given up long before the seventh day and would have done what many folks do best – gripe, get upset, go bananas, second-guess God, grow impatient, wonder if it will be worth it all.
Victory is ours if we do not quit! The ultimate victory is assured but there are so many of those bothersome “mosquito bites” along the way, like those the Israelites had to put up with . . . ! Ever hear anyone say out loud, “Dad gummite, I wish these dad blamed gnats would leave me alone!” What are some of the “gnats” you contend with? How patiently do you contend with them? (Scale 1-10)
Our best strategy for dealing with impatience may be: “Wait on the Lord” - i.e. at times, remain silent, as Joshua commanded the people to do (v. 10) . . . until there is a word of instruction . . . inspiration . . . direction from the Lord.
“The LORD will fight for you, so you should hold your peace” had been Moses’ advice, perhaps recalling inspirational words by the psalmist: “Be still and know that I am God, I will be exalted among the nations; I will be exalted in the earth.” (Psalm 46:10-11). Contrary to the belief of some, “waiting patiently” is not an exercise in futility! It is an exercise in readiness!
In every generation, there are those who get the notion that “all this” is futile. We become weary - even in well-doing - contrary to Jesus’ expectation of us.
Impatience cries out, “How long, O Lord, how long?” We might even find ourselves on the verge of giving up, or giving in. BUT, as someone once pointed out: “Man’s extremity is God’s opportunity!”
With God, there are no impregnable walls – Joshua 6:20 . . . Don’t you love it? They went “straight in” – no more walls . . . hindrances . . . distractions . . . harsh words of agitation . . . aggravations - detours, delays, disgruntled campers. They “charged in”, “took the city”, and “devoted it to the Lord”. Folks, that’s the way to go! Get with the program!
Joshua remembered who gave him the command to see . . . seize . . . shout! The “Commander of the Lord’s Army” had appeared to him a day before the march began, and informed him that the time for battle had come. Joshua responded in faith, looking unto the LORD for going up against the enemy of God!
Joshua was convinced that the battle was of the Lord . . . the time had come to trust God and go all the way with Him to victory.
Perhaps you read about the hero or saw the movie made about him. Alvin York was the least likely, yet most famous hero of World War I. His devout religious faith instilled in him the principle that it was wrong for a Christian to fight and kill.
After being drafted, York’s Captain, himself a devoted Christian, asked the then Corporal to reconsider by recalling, as one of his persuasive arguments, Joshua’s encounter with God’s messenger who held “a drawn sword in his hand”, whereupon the heavenly visitor instructed Joshua to prepare to take the city as soon as the walls fell down flat.
York was given a 10-day leave to go home and give it some prayerful thought . . . Years later York recounted his ordeal of wrestling with God: “As I prayed there alone, I knew God was there. He understood I didn’t want to be a fighter or a killing man. He took pity on me and gave me the assurance I needed. It was His Will, and that was enough for me.”
Sergeant York had to win the battle in his own heart before he could fight the battle for God-given freedom . . . God-directed protection of free people from atrocities being committed by pagans . . . preserving a God-given right of God’s People to live in peace and to fear no evil!
May the LORD reveal to you His Will and His Way so that you also may win the battles in your heart - whatever they may be - and go on to Victory! Amen.
