WHEN THE SAINTS GO MARCHING ROUND (JOSH 5:13-6:5, HEB 11:30)
More than twenty years ago I heard a lively old Negro spiritual recorded by Elvis Presley in one of his gospel collections. The title of the song was “Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho,” and the words to the chorus were:
Joshua fought the battle of Jericho, Jericho, Jericho;
Joshua fought the battle of Jericho
And the walls came tumbling down.
The truth about the battle at Jericho was that Joshua did not even lift a finger, have a strategy, or lose a soldier. At Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a sword in his hand, anintensity on his face, and an ultimatum from his mouth. Jericho was Joshua’ first real battle since his appointment as the leader of the next generation of Israelites. So far, he had successfully commanded all tribes to enlist for battle (Josh 1:10-12), obtained a convincing spy report on Jericho, and led Israel safely across Jordan River. Now the general was up against a wall, literally. As long as the gates were shut, no battle was possible. What should he command his army to do? Storm the gates, scale the walls, or severe the supplies?
What message did the Lord send to Joshua by visiting him at the brink of war, guaranteeing him victory in the fight, and safeguarding the lives of all the Israelites?
God is the Rightful Commander
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.
One of the most renowned Chinese fables is the story of the fox’s impersonation of a tiger’s might. One day a hungry tiger caught a fox for lunch in the forest, but the fox howled, “You cannot eat me. Heaven has appointed me the king of the jungle. If you don’t believe me, follow me around and see how the jungle creatures fear my presence.”
The tiger took the fox’s challenge and followed closely the fox that was leading the way to observe the animals’ movements in the presence of the fox. Of course the animals scampered for their lives upon seeing the tiger. Seeing the dramatic reaction of the creatures indeed surprised the tiger who did not realize that his presence was the cause of the commotion.
The fox spoke in glee: “Didn’t I tell you they fear me?” The tiger acknowledged, “You truly have influence in the forest. Everyone fled at your presence!” The tiger then stuck to his agreement and let the fox go, not wanting to harm such a popular and central forest figure.
Like people God had chosen for a task, so far – Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Moses, Joshua’s understanding of God was inadequate, incomplete and imperfect. He had a warrior mentality, a hero complex, and a general’s bravado. His thoughts were fixated on clearing all obstacles, crushing the opposition, and advancing his troops. The problem with this state of mind and way of thinking was that he couldn’t recognize friend from enemy. He did not know a man from his camp, from the opposite camp, or the heavenly camp. It did not occur to him that an enemy would have already attacked him instead of answering questions, that God made the first move to approach him even though it seemed like Joshua came near, and that he was to speak only when he was spoken to.
Joshua asked two questions. Instead of correctly asking, “Who are you?” Joshua rudely asked, “Who are you for?” Joshua did not seek the identity of the armed swordsman, did not wonder why the two were left alone, or give the visitor much of an option. On whether the stranger was on the side of Israel or her enemies, the visitor corrected: “Neither, but as commander of the army of the LORD I have now come.” Joshua had an unhealthy and confrontational us-against-them, win or lose, and yes or no mentality. Like many mindless warriors in their empty campaigns, their futile quests and their senseless fights, Joshua had hardened himself for battle, the war had become personal, and his motives were mixed. However, the visitor did not come to fight, ask or mention about fighting.
Knowing his mistaken role and myopic vision, Joshua fell on his face and asked a broader question: “What message does my Lord have for his servant?” The commander of the Lord’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” The heavenly visitor did not come to offer, solicit, or discuss warfare strategy. Talk was cheap, secondary and minor. The commander of the army of the Lord had come with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua’s job was to get out of the way, get down on the knees, and get back into line. He was never in charge of things or on top of things; The Lord was.
Have you asked the Lord to sanctify you for His use? Have you asked Him to search your heart and check your motives in serving Him?
God is the Righteous Commissioner
6:1 Now Jericho was tightly shut up because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in.
God’s biggest beef with the nations Israel dispossessed was with their idolatrous, sinful, and evil ways and practices.
In Deuteronomy 9:5-6 the Lord reminded the Israelites of His goodness in expelling the nations, the wickedness of the dispossessed nations, and the unworthiness of the Israelites: “It is not because of your righteousness or your integrity that you are going in to take possession of their land; but on account of the wickedness of these nations, the LORD your God will drive them out before you, to accomplish what he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Understand, then, that it is not because of your righteousness that the LORD your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are a stiff-necked people” (Deut 9:5-6).
Not only was Israel not right (zheng) within, they were not straight (zhi) outside (Deut 9:5). The word “integrity” describes shape, form and build, meaning straight or even or upright. They were not righteous or upright. The “stiff-necked” condition the Lord attributed to (Deut 9:6) is even more powerful. The Israelites were a constant and chronic pain in the neck, with a mental condition that was not about to leave or lessen in a day or two or week. They suffer not from the soreness of the neck due to the stiffness that results from a poor night of sleep, an abrupt jerk of the muscles, or a love affair with the computer, but a hardened spine and a stubborn spirit. God did not want them to be smug, feel superior or act self-righteous when they enter the Promised Land.
Israel did not do anything to deserve or secure God’s favor. It was not a fetch or an exaggeration to say that the Israelites were fairly uninterested, uncooperative and unpleasant along the way.
The nations were displaced from the land due their wickedness. God detested and opposed Israel’s enemies for their carnal idolatry, their profane sacrifices, and their bloodthirsty ways. Jericho was as wicked as any city in the land, but unlike other weaker nations, Jericho was a fortified city with walls to dissuade their enemies and to protect her citizens as well as to isolate them from attacks. Not only were they isolated, citizens were also prevented from leaving, defecting or surrendering. The city was tightly shut up, no one went in or out, and the king and his fighting men were so complacent, unguarded, and incredulous that when the walls collapsed, the Israelites walked right in. Jericho’s king and fighting men had provided little or no resistance to the Israelites, protection for the residents, or preparedness training or plan B. The words “tightly” and “shut up” were two words from the same root, of the same meaning, emphasizing the arrogance of the king, the confidence in the walls, and a strong deterrent of a siege or a desertion.
God is the Reliable Conqueror
2 Then the LORD said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. 3 March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. 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. 5 When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have all the people give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the people will go up, every man straight in.”
A month after I purchased my first mini-roses for my barren garden I read of its origins from the home/garden edition of a newspaper. Incredibly, the 200 more species of mini-roses were the work of a single person, Ralph Moore, the 98-year-old founder of Sequoia Nursery in Visalia, California, who registered with the American Rose Society the hundreds of miniatures and hybrids he produced his first rose hybrid in 1928. Marilyn Wellan, president of the American Rose Society, seconds this and adds, “I believe he is one of the greatest rosarians of all time.”
Moore has not stopped trying to come up with the perfect mini-rose that has it all. At 72, the horticulturist dreams of the a rose perfect with the perfect shape and form, good flower and good foliage, one that could also withstand inclement weather, intrusive insects, and outdoor conditions.
For all the accolades and tributes he has received as America’s foremost rose breeder, Moore, a creationist, is adamant about his place in history. Refusing to take credit for his own creations, the king of the three-feet rose says, “I never took a course in business, I never took a course in botany, I never took a course in genetics…It is so easy to say, ’I did this,’ “ when in reality it would be more honest to say, ’I was there when it happened.’“ (Los Angeles Times 4/21/2005 “The giant of miniatures”)
Jericho was one of those greater and stronger nations across the Jordan with large cities that have walls up to the sky (Deut 9:1). The ten spies Moses had sent were right. The men were fierce and their cities were fortified and very large (Num 13:28), but the Lord called the battle a walkover, a knockout, a capitulation before it began.
However, the Lord promised Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men” (Josh 6:2). What a special delivery it was to Joshua’s front door! Joshua won the fight without any of the king’s horses and all the king’s men. Israel’s toughest and ablest general was a surplus to requirement; their skills, experience, and leadership were unnecessary. The strategy was laughable, irrational, and pathetic. They did not carry swords or spears, but trumpets and horns, in their hands. The plan did not include intimidating or frightening the enemies from the start. The long and roundabout march was boring, uninspiring, and belittling to the untrained eye and the godless mind.
Hebrews 11 tells us how the victory was secured. The faith of those who are in the Hall of Faith in Hebrews 11, from Abel to Rahab, including Moses’ parents and the Israelites who passed through the Red Sea, was acknowledge. All the heroes of the faith had their names and acts noted immediately after the key phrase “by faith,” with the exception of Joshua. Instead, Hebrews 11:30 says, “By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days.” Of all Joshua’s heroic acts, from uniting the nation to leading them across the Jordan, the collapse of Jericho’s walls was singled out to show the least effort on Joshua’ part. It was all faith in God’s promise and His power.
Conclusion: Man’s zealousness, feud, and interest oftentimes compromise the plan of God. Eph 2:8-9 says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- not by works, so that no one can boast.” God has shown Abram and all God’s children the only way to live a life pleasing to Him: “The righteous will live by faith.” (Rom 1:17, Gal 3:11) We live by faith, not by sight (2 Cor 5:7). Our faith does not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power (1 Cor 2:5, Col 2:11), and we are justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law (Gal 2:16).
Victor Yap
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