Winning Big Victories: The Fall of Jericho
Joshua 5-6
I wrote a Wikipedia article on Edwin Winter Clark: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Winter_Clark. I had some significant help on this as there have been 500 follow up edits since I first wrote the original article. Edwin Clark is credited with being very significant in the gospel reaching the tribal headhunters of Nagaland. Today Nagaland is a Christian state and the highest concentration of Baptist the world.
I once mentioned Edwin Clark to a friend who told me that Edwin Clark is a model of how to do ministry in a new place. I had to laugh when they held up Edwin Clark as a model. Here is what we follow in the Edwin Clark model.
1. Find a tribe of savage headhunters.
2. Be forbidden to enter by the government.
3. Be urged against going by own sending board.
4. Forge ahead and establish a church among headhunters on first day.
Ha-ha, just try and follow that model. The Lord did the work. It was not about the model. Calling what happened a model seems unjustified. Instead let’s call it a miracle of God. What happened made no sense except for God’s unique instructions. It was foolish if God had not told him to go into those hills and proclaim the gospel to headhunters. But it was right if he was clearly hearing God’s voice.
The battle of Jericho is not a model of military genius. It was a miracle. God called his people to foolishness to demonstrate His great power. What happened in Nagaland was unique. What happened in Jericho was unique. But there is a best practice in both. That is, be prepared to be used by God. Be ready to move ahead by faith when hearing the voice of God.
What if Edwin Clark had been too absorbed in the worlds system to hear God’s voice? Imagine if Israel had not prepared to be obedient to God. Imagine if Joshua was not willing to fall on his face before the Lord. We can’t afford to miss what God wants to do with us.
What about the background to the fall of Jericho? We come to this battle on the heels of one of the greatest victories of the Old Testament. It follows a miracle on a par with Moses dividing the Red Sea. The Jordan at flood stage stops as soon as the priest sets foot in the river. The water stops and the whole nation crosses the river on dry ground.
Then they prepare themselves for what is ahead. Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do amazing things among you.” (Joshua 3:5) The people made themselves useable unto God.
There was further preparation after the Israelites crossed the Jordan River. What does God call his people to do after one of the greatest miracles? Are they to congratulate themselves and move on? No. They are called to deeper obedience.
What was enough obedience to use them yesterday is not enough for tomorrow. You may be walking with the Lord a long time before God puts his finger on some area or habit. If you want to go on and grow in your walk with the Lord, it will mean a new a deeper call to obedience. In the case of the Israelites, they were called to obedience in circumcision.
2 At that time the LORD said to Joshua, “Make flint knives and circumcise the Israelites again.” 3 So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the Israelites at Gibeath Haaraloth. 4 Now this is why he did so: All those who came out of Egypt—all the men of military age—died in the wilderness on the way after leaving Egypt. 5 All the people that came out had been circumcised, but all the people born in the wilderness during the journey from Egypt had not. (Joshua 5:2-5)
God had used them but for nearly 40 years in the wilderness no one was circumcised. God calls them to this. It was circumcision that was the sign of the covenant relationship between God and his people. God used them in their act of faith to cross the Jordan at flood stage, but they must do more to move forward.
God was requiring the outward sign of the covenant, circumcision to continue forward in their relationship. The New Testament sign of the covenant is not circumcision but baptism. It might be that God uses a new Christian mightily before convicting them that baptism is the command of obedience for a New Testament believer. At that point to go on in God’s blessing is to be obedient in baptism.
Now the Israelites were able to celebrate the Passover. In the Old Testament the families could not take the Passover with males in the house uncircumcised.
10 On the evening of the fourteenth day of the month, while camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, the Israelites celebrated the Passover. 11 The day after the Passover, that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land: unleavened bread and roasted grain. (Joshua 5:10-11)
There was another significant marker in this moment. No longer would mana fall from heaven. Now the people would work the land for food.
12 The manna stopped the day after they ate this food from the land; there was no longer any manna for the Israelites, but that year they ate the produce of Canaan. (Joshua 5:12)
There is a new call to obedience as they enter a new chapter in their lives. There is something else that was very significant before the battle of Jericho. There is a theological term that described what took place. The term is a Theophany. A Theophany is an appearance of God. A Theophany is a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus Christ.
This Theophany is a renewed call to leadership for Joshua. Here the Lord manifests himself as a man with a drawn sword. He is the captain of the Lord’s army. Joshua fell on his face before the Lord. Joshua took off his shoes because he was now in the presence of the Lord a holy place.
13 Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?” 14 “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 my Lord have for his servant?” 15 The commander of the LORD’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so. (Joshua 5:13-15)
We have a leader here in Joshua, willing to make spiritual priorities number one. When a football coach leads his team to a Super bowl championship, or a college football team wins the national championship the coach is carried on the shoulders of the team. Look at the difference with Joshua and his call to spiritual leadership.
After leading the Israelites into the promise land just right after taking the leadership. Following forty years of wondering in the wilderness where they were not even able to take the Passover Joshua is on his face before the Lord. Joshua is removing his shoes in humility to the holiness of God.
God was calling Israel to a deeper obedience. Moreover, God was calling their leader, Joshua to a deeper obedience. We have many instances in scriptures where we can be surprised how unfaithful the Lord’s people are. Not here. The response to the Lord is amazing.
God’s people went the extra mile and responded by faith. Their leader was in the right posture on his face before the Lord. This is what preceded the fall of Jericho.
The Lord’s people are ready for what God is going to do. They are to march around Jericho every day for six days. 3 March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. (Joshua 6:3)
On the seventh day march around the city seven times. 4 Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. (Joshua 6:4)
Have the whole army shout. Jericho is a heavily fortified city. It is he most strategic position to take the promised land. For the walls to simply fall at a shout will be a miracle of God.
When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have the whole army give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the army will go up, everyone straight in.” (Joshua 6:5)
The walls do fall and only the section with Rahab’s house is left. Israel is to go in and destroy everyone. The Lord fought for Israel. The Lord gave the victory. “but as commander of the army of the LORD I have now come.” (Joshua 5:14) It was God’s work.
When the trumpets sounded, the army shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the men gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so everyone charged straight in, and they took the city. (Joshua 6:20)
God uses ordinary people. He used Joshua and the people of Israel after he called them to a deeper commitment to himself. Will you be one of these people who will deepen your commitment to God? To succeed in the big victories we must trust God.
It is time for more of God’s power in our lives. It is time to take a new step of faith in obedience. It means when you have God’s instruction you obey by faith. You obey even when God’s way contradicts human wisdom. Have faith in God.
