Joshua 6:1-27 – Overcoming Obstacles
There is a story told of ancient times. Once upon a time, a king had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the king’s wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the king for not keeping the roads clear, but no one did anything about getting the big stone out of the way.
Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. On approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. As the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the king indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway.
The peasant learned what many others never understand. Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve one’s condition. Spiritual obstacles are in fact an opportunity to excel in faith.
The nation of Israel was faced with an obstacle. They had just crossed the Jordan River, a huge obstacle in itself. But now they were faced with a new thing. A great walled city called Jericho. Archaeology tells us that this city actually had 2 walls. The outer wall was 6’ thick, there was a 15’ space, and then the inner wall was 12’ thick. Both walls were about 30’ high. This was a real obstacle. Let’s read 6:1-27.
Now, from this angle, we can see the beginning of the thing and the end of the thing. We can see it in a way that the Israelites couldn’t: we see how it turned out. I hope that through this study, we will be able to grow in our confidence of God helping us with our obstacles, whatever they may be.
Maybe our obstacle is a sin, a habit that we know we shouldn’t have, but can’t seem to conquer. Maybe our obstacle is a family problem needing some divine intervention. Maybe our obstacle is financial. Maybe our obstacle is a sense of lostness, a speedbump in our journey of faith that keeps us from going very far for very long. Whatever the obstacle, I hope that God will help us through His word to overcome it.
The 1st truth about obstacles I see from this passage is: 1) Be prepared to fight. The Lord told His people to get ready to rumble. I’m sure they would rather have just ignored the city, or run from it, or pretended it didn’t exist. But God said there was a battle they needed to fight.
Many of the problems we face come from the battle we live in. Ephesians tells us we are in a battle, whether we choose to accept it or not. That’s why ministry families – well, any family – breaks up. That’s why churches split. That’s why families corrode. That’s why so much of what we do is like an uphill climb. It’s because we are in a battle. We are in a fight.
And God tells us to wear armor. Truth, righteousness, and peace are what we wear. Faith, prayer and the Word are what we fight with. But the point is, we have a battle to fight. And we need to be prepared. We need to recognize when Satan, the enemy, is trying to divert us from the main thing. We need to be aware of his schemes and tactics. So, when obstacles arrive at our doorsteps, we need to get prepared to work at them.
But, the 2nd truth about obstacles that I see in this passage is this: 2) Understand that the battle is in God’s hands. So, yes, the Israelites had a battle to fight. Yes, they were not passive-resistant in the process. They had a part to play. But, the good news is, the battle was not won with the army. It was won by the Lord. Joshua 4:13 says the Israelite army was 40,000 strong. That’s a decent-sized army. So, picture 20,000 in the front, followed by 7 priests blowing horns, followed by the priests carrying the ark. Then, add another 20,000 armed men. But the point is, the day was won not by the army, even though God told them to be prepared. God won the day.
I find that funny, actually. God told them to be prepared to fight, but in the end God won the fight. I think of the old hymn, “A Mighty Fortress is Our God,” which says, “Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing, were not the right man on our side, the Man of God’s own choosing.” That is, we can fight and fight, but if God didn’t help us, then all or fighting wouldn’t lead to victory. If it were not for God’s intervention, none of us would stand a chance of winning.
So He tells us to fight. He tells us to stand against the obstacles that come against us. But we need to remember: the battle belongs to the Lord. And the 3rd truth about obstacles I see is this: 3) You have to fight on God’s terms. If you look at how God set the stage, you’ll see that He didn’t offer a lot of chances for alternative methods of victory. He said how it was to be done, and that was it. He didn’t let them storm the city with all their might – they would have lost. He didn’t let them brainstorm all the ways they could break in. No, God had specific directions for how to do it. Get the army, get the priests, get the ark, do some walking and make some noise. And I’ll give you the city.
I found a list of labels on products. These are actual warning labels on actual products. 7 Up: Contents under pressure. Cap may blow off causing eye or other serious injury. Point away from face and people, especially when opening. Vicks Ny-Quil Gel Caps: Use of this product in conjunction with alcohol or sedatives may cause drowsiness. Jonsreds Chainsaw: Do not attempt to stop chain with hands. McDonald’s Coffee: Warning - Contents may be hot. Bayer Aspirin: Do not take if allergic to aspirin. Miller Lite: Consumption of alcoholic beverages impairs your ability to drive a car or operate machinery, and may cause health problems. Komatsu Floodlight: This floodlight is capable of illuminating large areas, even in the dark. Energizer AAA 4 Pack: If swallowed, promptly see doctor. Boot’s Childrens Cough Medicine: Do not drive a car or run machinery. Craftsman Push Mower: Warning: Do not attempt to remove blade while lawnmower is running or plugged into an outlet. Sainsbury Peanuts: Warning: This product contains nuts.
Some of these warnings are foolish. Anyone with a lick of common sense would know enough not to check a lawnmower while it’s going. But you know, sometimes God’s plans go beyond common sense. I’m not saying that He always defies logic. There are times that His commands make perfect sense. Like circumcision. It was partly an obedience thing, but it was partly a hygiene thing too. Same with pork products. It was partly a display that one day God would accept all oddballs and misfits, but it too was a hygiene thing. Sometimes God’s commands seem to make perfect sense.
Other times they don’t. It doesn’t make sense to conquer a city just by walking around it. It doesn’t make sense to turn the other cheek when someone is bullying you. It doesn’t make sense to humble yourself so that God can lift you up. It doesn’t make sense that if you try to save your life you’ll lose it, but if you give up your life for His sake you’ll find it. It doesn’t make sense that the all-powerful God would undergo torture and death. And it doesn’t make sense that God would then turn around and trust frail, weak, half-hearted humans to share the message that determines a future in heaven or hell.
Sometimes God doesn’t make sense. I guess that’s why Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 1, “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” And I’ll tell you, if you wait for God to make sense when you are facing your obstacles, you could be waiting a long time. If you wait until you figure out what God is doing before you move, you may never move. The very next verse in that passage says, “The intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.” Let me tell you, God doesn’t particularly care if you figure Him out. And as long as you use your intelligence to try to do it, you will be frustrated.
Look at God’s instructions here. They seemed presumptuous. God said, “I have delivered Jericho into your hands.” Oh really? How come we don’t have it yet, then, if you’ve already done it? Why do we need to do anything, if you’ve already done it?
They seemed silly. I mean, whoever heard of conquering a city just by walking around it and yelling? And, they seemed like a waste of time and resources. Get the army just to march for a week. Bring in the priests. Use the ark. I mean, couldn’t you use those people for other purposes? Isn’t there a more logical way to do this?
Sometimes God’s commands to us feel the same. They feel presumptuous. I mean, the Bible says we have the victory. How come we lose so often then? They feel silly. “You’re telling me that the only thing I can do is pray – in fact, it’s actually the best thing I can do?” Sometimes, though not always, all God wants us to do, despite how maddening it feels, is pray.
And sometimes God’s commands feel like a waste of time or resources. We could be off doing great things, and God wants us here. Or, we could be here doing great things, and God wants us somewhere else. We think we know how to spend or money or time, but God’s plans contradict that, and they seem kinda silly.
Nonetheless, they are what they are. They may seem presumptuous, or silly, or wasteful. But God doesn’t see things as we do. God is outside of time, so He’s not limited to only what we see. He’s unlimited in power, so that isn’t a problem. And He has all the money in the world, so that isn’t an issue either. Folks, God can do what we cannot. God can move what we cannot. God can see what we cannot. And when it comes to obstacles, we have to trust in His wisdom and His word.
So what obstacles do you have? Are they as big a problem as Jericho was to the Israelites? I don’t know what God is saying to you about them. But I’ll bet He’s telling you to do your best to prepare. But He’s also telling you the battle is His. But you have to obey Him and trust Him, no matter what. Whatever your own personal Jericho is, don’t run away. Don’t ignore it. Trust in God’s wisdom, even if it sounds a little weird. Trust Him with your obstacles.
