Winning Big Victories: The Fall Of Jericho Series

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.