By: Dale Weckbacher
Joshua 6:20
So the people shouted,
and the trumpets were blown. As soon as the people heard the sound of the
trumpet, the people shouted a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so
that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they
captured the city.
(ESV)
As a child, I can remember
hearing the Bible account of the fall of the walls of Jericho. My childhood imagination would picture a loud
blast of a trumpet followed by the shout of thousands of warriors standing in
front of the walls and the walls falling in a massive demonstration of
supernatural power. This is probably not
far from a description of what actually occurred and it is sad to think that as
we grow older we lose some of that childhood imagination, and instead focus
only on what can be scientifically proven.
Jesus told the Samaritan woman that true worshippers of God worship in
spirit and truth (John
4:23-24). The Israelites standing in
front of the walls of Jericho worshipped in spirit and truth by obediently
following the instructions of the Lord (truth) and witnessed a demonstration of
God’s power as the walls of Jericho fell flat (spirit) (Joshua
6:20). The world must see a Church
boldly declaring the truth of the Gospel and God’s Word with the power of the
Holy Spirit to reveal the fragile walls of protection the world depends on, so
these walls can fall leaving only Jesus to depend on.
The people living in Jericho were
already fearful of the people of Israel based upon the parting of the Red Sea and
how they defeated the two kings of the Amorites (Joshua
2:8-10). Now they have also
witnessed God’s power with their own eyes as God stopped the Jordan River so
the people could cross on dry ground (Joshua
3:14-17). Each day when the people marched
around the city, the people in Jericho were probably wondering when the attack
would come but each day the people would march around the city once and return
to their camp. On the seventh day when
the people marched around the city seven times, they were probably anticipating
an attack by the army but were probably fearful knowing that the God of Israel
worked powerfully and in a supernatural manner.
When the people shouted and the walls fell flat, the people of Jericho
would have known their defeat was imminent.
Like the Israelites at the walls of Jericho, the Church must,
1) Be
obedient – The Lord gave Joshua clear instructions with the promise that if
they followed the instructions, the daunting walls of Jericho would fall (Joshua
6:1-21). Likewise, before His
ascension to be with God the Father, Jesus gave his followers, the church a
specific mission to take the Gospel to the whole world (Mark
16:15) and make disciples (Matthew
28:19-20). This is to be the
objective of all programs in the Church but sadly Churches and their leaders
can become busy and distracted by pressures to manage Church facilities and
lose sight of the mission. Acts
6:1-7 records this occurring as the early Church experienced growth and how
the Church appointed people full of the Spirit to manage Church affairs so the
Apostles could devote themselves and the ministry of teaching to spread the
Gospel and making disciples (Mark
16:15; Matthew 28:19-20). Church
growth will occur as the Church carries out its mission but Church leaders must
delegate management of the Church to others gifted in the areas of need so they
can focus on the mission of the Church.
2) Allow
God to work – The walls of Jericho fell but not by the power of the army of
Israel, but as the people of God shouted after a long blast of the seven trumpets
(Joshua
6:20). The long blast of the
trumpets, and the shouts of the people, while loud, was not sufficient to bring
down the walls of Jericho but It was the power of God unleashed through the
obedience of God’s people that flattened the walls of Jericho. However, after God’s power brings victory, we
must give God the glory and not become puffed up with pride at what God has
done through us.
3) Not
associate with things devoted to destruction – The only items the Israelites
were to pillage from Jericho were the gold, silver, iron, and bronze and they
were to place them into the treasury of the Lord (Joshua
6:19). As the church experiences
growth, it can experience pressure to compromise with the world so as not to
offend new people attending the church. Any
decline in numbers would be viewed by the world as a defeat for the Church but
it could be due to the church taking a stand for the truth that offends some
people that attend Church to appear holy but live sinful lives like the Church
in Pergamum (Revelation
2:14). Satan was defeated at the
cross and is destined for destruction when Christ returns (Revelation
20:7-10). The Church must not
compromise with Satan by watering down Biblical truth to appease the world but
boldly continue being obedient and standing up for Biblical truth.
The present chaos in the world
with Covid19, racial tensions, and violence appear daunting but by remaining
obedient, allowing God to work, and not compromising on biblical truth, the
walls of chaos will come down. Take a
moment to listen to this video
link from David Crowder as a reminder that the walls will come down as we
minister for the glory of God. Please
pray the Church will thrive during this time of Chaos as it focuses on carrying
out its mission through obedience, letting God work, and avoiding
compromise.
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