Introduction: A man was quiet a bit overweight, he had tried several ways to lose the weight, but had no success. Finally he decided to visit his minister and ask him if he had any solutions to his weight problem. The minister said he had just the solution. The man was to go home and wait for a knock on his door at 6:00 a.m. the next morning
The man did not understand his minister’s instructions but he trusted him went home and waited for the next day.
Sure enough at 6:00 there was a shapely blond in a jogging suit, she said to the man, your minister said if you catch me you can marry me me, and she took off running, the man began to chase her, but because he was overweight he soon gave up the chase and returned home.
The next morning at 6:00 the door bell rang – same woman, Catch me you can marry me, off she went angina the man took off running, but the same result he gave up the chase. This went on for weeks, the man began to lose the weight and each day the man continued to get a little closer to his prize. Finally the day came when he was just inches away from her, before he gave up. He knew the next day he would catch her and she would be his, but he was concerned that after he caught her he might regain the weight he had lost, so he went back to visit his minister and shared his concern. The minister said no problem; he would take care of it. So the man went home and waited for 6:00 a.m. to arrive. Sure enough at 6:00 the door bell rang and he rushed to the door and there stood an overweight woman, she said preacher said if I catch you I can marry you!
It can be difficult to do things you sometimes do not understand.
• Your employer makes a request
• Your parents make a demand
• And your first response is WHY?
What happens when God asks us to do something you do not understand? In my office I have a book titled – THE HARD SAYINGS OF JESUS, in the book, the author, F.F. Bruce records for us 70 different hard sayings that are difficult to understand.
Sayings regarding…
• Turning the other cheek when you have been offended
• Following Jesus requires hating one’s spouse, parents and children and taking up a cross
• Our forgiveness of sins is in direct correlation with us forgiving others
• Plucking out your eye, cutting off your hand or Loving your enemies
All of these sayings can be difficult to understand – yet the Lord calls us to a higher standard.
1500 years before the Lords called his followers to a higher standard he asked the Children of Israel to do something they would not understand.
Again, God’s people were in a tight spot!
HOW DID THEY END UP IN A TIGHT SPOT?
BACKGROUND
The Children of Israel had left the bondage of Egypt and wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. This wandering was a punishment from God because the people were faithless when it came to entering the Promise Land. God told Moses the People of Israel would wander in the wilderness until the faithless generation died. At that point a new generation would enter the promise land. But before they could conquer the promise land, they had to conquer the city of Jericho.
The Battle of Jericho is one of the more famous Battles in the Bible. The account is found in the 6th Chapter of Joshua.
• It is a captivating story of how the people of god followed God’s plan as a result they had a great victory.
• Woven in the text are some eternal principles for us to learn when discovering we are in a tight spot.
NOTE FIRST
1. The Impossible task Before Israel
Read Text
Now Jericho was tightly shut up because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in. Then the LORD said to Joshua, "See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. 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. 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." Joshua 6:1-5
A. Chapter 6 begins with a startling fact…
“Jericho was tightly shut”, the people of Jericho had stopped all the normal activity and were preparing for battle. The custom of the day was for the people to live outside of the city, they would come into the city for protection of trade.
Jericho offered the Canaanites great protection. Scholars tell us the city’s walls were massive. The walls were 45’ thick and 65 feet tall. The city seemed safe and secure for all enemies.
B. Jericho was more than a protective city
Jericho was the gateway into Canaan. From a military viewpoint, Jericho would have to be conquered it the Promise Land was to be subdued. One could not simply go around this city and attack the smaller villages. To leave Jericho standing was to leave one self open to an attack at a later time.
C. There was another reason Jericho had to be conquered.
Jericho was the center of worship for the “Moon God” God had spelled out in the 10 commandments there was to be no other God’s. It was not enough to conquer the people of Canaan, God wanted the Canaanite god’s to be conquered as well. The battle of Jericho was not simply a battle for land; it was battle for deity, The God of Israel versus the god of Jericho.
D. Jericho teaches us a lesson
Like the people of Israel we may find ourselves in faced with what seems like an impossible task. For Israel the impossible task was a city with wall that measured 45’ thick and stood 65’ high. Looking at Jericho on the horizon and knowing you would have to face the that city if you were going to conquer the Promise Land had to bring much anxiety to the Children of God
E. Question – What is on your horizon that seems to be impossible to handle?
• Some of you may be looking at financial burden that seems to be overwhelming.
• Some of you may be faced with a hostile environment at the workplace or school and you see no answer.
• Some of you may be dealing with an aging parent, a serious health condition or a rebellious child that is impacting your family, and you do not know what is going to happen next.
• Maybe your tight spot is not physical, but emotional; Depression, Loneliness and Stress are bearing down of you even as we speak.
• Maybe your impossible task is not on the horizon, maybe you are right in the middle of your battle or impossible task, and you are facing fear, anxiety and doubts.
G. I want you to see how Joshua handled this impossible task
Look at the previous chapter – Joshua 5:13 -15
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?" "Neither," he replied, "but as facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, "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." And Joshua did so.
With Jericho on the horizon he sought God first! "What message does my Lord have for his servant?"
Joshua did not develop a plan, he did not ask his advisors, he did not throw his hands up in despair - He sought God FIRST!
Is that how you handle an impossible task? When you are in a tight spot do you seek God first? Jesus told His disciples that is exactly what they were supposed to do – Matthew 6, Seek first the His Kingdom!
Maybe we need to remember the words God spoke to the 89-year-old Sarah, when he foretold she would give birth to a son 1 year later. In her doubt god asked her “Is anything too hard for the Lord?”
Ephesians 3:20 God is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine
When we are faced with a tight spot, Let us seek God first! HOW
• Let us seek him in His word 2 Timothy 3:15, Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God’s way. Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us.
• Let us seek him through life experiences – God is faithful, the Hebrew writer says Jesus is the same yesterday Today and forever
• Let us seek him by being sensitive to His Spirit, Romans 8:9, But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you.
Tight Spots demand we look to God first.
Not only was an impossible task before them…
2. Instructions were given to them.
A. A Promise is made.
God tells Joshua, Jericho is his for the taking, yet Joshua would still have to act. The captain of the Lord’s Host gives detailed instructions. No trenches are to be dug, no towers erected, no battering rams are to be used, no military preparations are to be made. BUT – The Ark of the Covenant must be carried by the priest around the city for six days, and seven times on the seventh day, following the priest there were the men of war, marching in silence. On the seventh day, after you march 7 time blow the trumpet and have all the people shout. Then the wall of the city will collapse.
B. If Joshua had met with his advisors; no one would have come up with such a plan. Walls don’t fall because you shout at them!
The custom of battle in that day was for the opposing armies to meet in a valley of field, there they would do battle with the winner taking all the possessions of those who were defeated.
C. The Lord’s plan reminds us of the principle found in Isaiah 55:8-9 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
D. God’s plan for deliverance is never a plan man would design.
Think about it…
• God used a floating Zoo called the Ark to rescue mankind
• He used a teenage shepherd to kill a giant
• He uses preaching to save the world
• A baby in a manger is how he comes to earth
• 12 ordinary men to turn the world upsidedown
• A cross, an instrument of death has come to symbolize life
E. The underlying lesson of Jericho, are we willing to trust what God even when we do not understand?
D.L. Moody, Trust in yourself and you are doomed to disappointment, trust in friends and they will die and leave you. Trust in money and it will be taken from you. Trust in your reputation and you may be slandered. BUT TRUST IN THE LORD AND YOU WILL NEVER BE DISSAPPOINTED.
F. God’s word is full of instructions on a numerous subjects
From Finances to faith
From Relationships to Repentance
How to handle Life and How to prepare for Death
While we may not always understand his ways; we can take comfort in this promise from Jeremiah. I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for. "When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I’ll listen. – God
• Plans to take care of you
• Not to abandon you
• When you pray – I will listen
Finally Note…
3. The Impact that was made on others
A. The City did fall, just as the Lord had promised. The children of Israel experienced a mighty victory. Not only was there a victory for God’s people, Several people were impacted by the victory of God’s people .
B. Joshua showed kindness to Rahab.
• Before the Battle Joshua had sent 2 spies into the land.
• Rahab hid the spies in her home. Listen to her testimony just days before the battle. "I know the LORD has given you this land," she told them. "We are all afraid of you. Everyone is living in terror. For we have heard how the LORD made a dry path for you through the Red Sea when you left Egypt. And we know what you did to Sihon and Og, the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan River, whose people you completely destroyed. No wonder our hearts have melted in fear! No one has the courage to fight after hearing such things. Joshua 2:9-10, Now note verse 11 For the LORD your God is the supreme God of the heavens above and the earth below. Joshua 2:11
• She then made a request to save her family – THE RED CORD OF SALVATION
• Joshua fulfils the request.
C. Her faithfulness resulted in a reward
She received physical salvation – her family was spared, but she also received spiritual salvation. Verse 25, she lived with the Children of Israel all the days of her life. . When we are first introduced to Rahab, we discover she is a prostitute, but the NT does not remember her past, the NT focuses on her faith.
• Hebrews 11 mentions Rahab as a woman of Faith
• James 2 tells us her faith led her to act upon her beliefs
• The greatest impact of Rahab is found in the first chapter of Matthew. In verse 5 we discover she is listed in the lineage of Jesus Christ; that is right she is an ancestor of our savior.
D. An impact was also made on the life of Joshua.
Verse 27 reads, So the Lord was with Joshua, and his fame spread through out the land.
From that day on Joshua experienced a ministry of significance. The first 40 years of his life, Joshua was known as the servant of Moses, but after Jericho, he became a man of conquest. Leading Israel into the Promise Land and bringing them to a place of rest. Joshua faithfully carried out the Lord’s instructions and he was rewarded fro his faithfulness.
E. I believe this is the true message of Joshua and the battle of Jericho.
• Yes the victory was great – the walls did come down.
• Israel was obedient to God’s plan – they did just as he commanded.
But the lesson of Jericho is the impact God makes in the life of people when they are obedient to His will.
Today you might be in a tight spot and God is asking you to do something you do not understand. But it is in your tight spot where God impacts others through you, note the example of Beth Moore, Beth is an outstanding Bible teacher, writer of Bible studies, and is a married mother of two daughters. This is one of her tight spot experiences: Waiting to board the plane, I had the Bible on my lap and was very intent in study. I’d had a marvelous time of study But my private time with God was about to be interrupted in a very public way.
I tried to keep from staring, but he was such a strange sight. Humped over in a wheelchair, he was skin and bones, his knees protruded from his trousers, and his shoulders looked like the coat hanger was still in his shirt.
The strangest part of him was his hair. Stringy gray hair hung well over his shoulders and down part of his back. I looked down at my Bible as fast as I could, not wanting to make contact.
There I sat, trying to concentrate on the Bible and not be concerned about an old man in a wheelchair only a few seats from me. I was awash with aching emotion for this bizarre-looking old man. I’ve learned that when I begin to feel what God feels, something so contrary to my natural feelings, something dramatic is bound to happen. And it may be embarrassing. I immediately began to resist because I could feel God working on my spirit and I started arguing with God in my mind. “Oh, no, God, please, no. Don’t make me witness to this man. Not right here and now. Please. I’ll do anything. Put me on the same plane, but don’t make me get up here and witness to this man in front of this gawking audience. Please, Lord!” Then I heard it… ”I don’t want you to witness to him. I want you to brush his hair.”
“God, as I live and breathe, I want you to know I am ready to witness to this man. Again, as clearly as I’ve ever heard an audible word, God seemed to write this statement across the wall of my mind. “That is not what I said, Beth. I don’t want you to witness to him. I want you to go brush his hair.” I looked up at God and quipped, “I don’t have a hairbrush. It’s in my suitcase on the plane. How am I supposed to brush his hair without a hairbrush?”
God was so insistent that I almost involuntarily began to walk toward him as these thoughts came to me from God’s word: “I will thoroughly furnish you for all good works.” 2 Timothy 3:17.
I knelt down in front of the man and asked as shyly as possible, “Sir, May I have the pleasure of brushing your hair?” He looked back at me and said, “What did you say?” “May I have the pleasure of brushing your hair?” To which he responded in volume ten, “Little lady, if you expect me to hear you, you’re going to have to talk louder than that.” At this point, I took a deep breath and blurted out, “SIR, MAY I HAVE THE PLEASURE OF BRUSHING YOUR HAIR?”
At which point every eye in the place stared right at me. I was the only thing in the room looking stranger than the old man.
He looked at me and said, “If you really want to.”
Are you kidding? Of course I didn’t want to. But God didn’t seem interested in my personal preference right about then. I looked at him and replied, “Yes, sir, I would be pleased. But I have one little problem. I don’t have a hairbrush.”
“I have one in my bag,” he responded. I went around to the back of the wheelchair, and I got on my hands and knees and unzipped the stranger’s old carry-on, FOUND THE HAIR BRUSH and began brushing the old man’s hair.
A miraculous thing happened to me as I started brushing that old man’s hair. Everybody else in the room disappeared. There was no one alive for those moments except that old man and me. I brushed and I brushed and I brushed until every tangle was out of that hair. I slipped the brush back in the bag, went around the chair to face him.
I got back down on my knees, put my hands on his knees, and said, “Sir, do you know my Jesus?” He said, “Yes, I do.” He explained, “I’ve known Him since I married my bride. She wouldn’t marry me until I got to know the Savior.” He said, “But I haven’t seen my bride in months. I’ve had open-heart surgery, and she’s been too ill to come see me. I was sitting here thinking to myself, what a mess I must be for my bride.”
Only God knows how often He allows us to be part of a divine moment when we’re completely unaware of the significance. This, on the other hand, was one of those rare encounters when I knew God had intervened in details only He could have known. It was a God moment, and I’ll never forget it. Our time came to board, and we were not on the same plane. I was deeply ashamed of how I’d acted earlier and would have been so proud to have accompanied him on that aircraft.
I still had a few minutes, and as I gathered my things to board, the airline hostess returned from the corridor, tears streaming down her cheeks. She said, “That old man’s sitting on the plane, sobbing. What made you brush his hair?”
I said, “Do you know Jesus? And with that we got to share.
Friends when are in a tight spot, it is not time to have an pity party, not time to rationalize excuses, It is time to obey God, even when he asks us to do something we do not understand. And if we do we will make an impact on others – Just ask Beth Moore
