Josua Defeats Jericho: They Never Saw it Coming

 

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 commander of the army of the LORD I have now come.”  Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked, “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.

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 5:13-6:5

            It is probably safe to assume that Joshua had a plan for how he was going to approach Jericho.  It is also probably safe to assume his plan looked nothing like the plan the Lord gave him after his meeting with Jesus (the commander of the army of the LORD [5:14]).  There is no way Joshua would have ever come up with the plan the Lord gave him on his own.  There is no way Joshua could have even conceived of something like that being an option.

            As crazy as God’s plan must have seemed to Joshua and the Israelites, Joshua didn’t hesitate.  He gave the command and instructed everyone what they were to do.  He carried out God’s plan exactly as God gave it to him, and because Joshua and the Israelites completely submitted to God’s plan, they experienced a total victory.  The walls came crashing down.  The Israelites completely slaughtered all the inhabitants of Jericho, except for Rahab and her family.  They burned the whole city and “put the silver, gold, and articles of bronze and iron into the LORD’S treasury.”

            It is only God who can defy the odds.  It is only God who knows what his plans are and how they are going to be realized in our world.  God’s plans usually do not make sense to us.  If they did, we would not need faith to submit to them and carry out his directives.  Like Joshua, our responsibility is to make plans and get moving.  Then, when God intervenes to give us a new direction or adjustment it is our job to listen and do what he is telling us.  Unfortunately, God does not speak to us directly like he did with Joshua.  He speaks through people.  This is why it is so important to respect and submit to the guidance of the people God has placed in our lives to give us wise council.  This is why taking a contrary approach to everything, and everybody, is actually a sinful act of defiance against the Lord. 

If we have called men as God’s representatives to give our churches spiritual guidance, why do so many of our members refuse to trust them and listen to them?  It is okay to disagree with called workers and give them push back.  It is not okay for that to be the default mode and automatic attitude of a congregation.  When Joshua revealed the Lord’s plan to the rest of the leaders and community, people just accepted what he said.  We are not told that anyone questioned Joshua or God about this plan.  That attitude displays unity and trust.  The Israelites trusted God and Joshua, so they were united in their common belief (faith).  Too many of our churches today are divided because of a lack of trust, both in God and in the church leaders.  Weak faith leads to selfish sin, rebellion, and division.  Unfortunately, the attitude of Americans today is: “Prove it!  I’ll believe it when I see it.”

Jesus already has proven his faithfulness, and he answers this demand this way: “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign!  But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah” (Matthew 12:39).  Jesus fulfilled this sign on Easter morning, and he fulfills all his promises to care for us every day (Matthew 6:25-34). The last words of Jesus Matthew records for us as Jesus was ascending into heaven reaffirm this promise one more time: “And surely I am with you always, the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20b).

Stop doubting and believe!