[426 words]
“By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days” (Hebrews 11:30).
Forty years before, twelve spies were sent on a reconnaissance mission to see what the land of Canaan was like. The spies returned with reports of a land flowing with milk and honey, but a land filled with fortified cities, strong peoples, and the descendants of giants. The Israelites had just escaped slavery in the land of Egypt and had witnessed the mighty power of God, but their hearts withered now in fear. Only two men, Joshua and Caleb, had the willingness of faith to obey God’s command and take by force that which God had promised them. In His anger and disappointment, God turned Israel backwards to wander in the wilderness for forty years until all the fearful and faithless individuals had died.
It’s now forty years later and Joshua finds himself standing in the same place once again, only now he has taken Moses’ place as leader. He rallies the people to prepare for war, for the time had come to cross the Jordan. In Joshua chapter 6, an angel of the Lord appears to Joshua on the eve before the battle and gives him very specific instructions from the Lord on how to defeat Jericho. As a part of God’s instructions, the Israelite army was to march around the city once a day for six days; then on the seventh day they were to march around the city seven times, then stop, blow their trumpets and shout. To a military mind, this doesn’t really make much sense. But this was not about Israel’s military prowess, it was about their faith.
The faith that brought down the walls of Jericho is the same faith that David had when Goliath was defeated. The faith that defeated Goliath is the same faith Nehemiah had when the walls of Jerusalem were successfully rebuilt. The faith that rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem is the same faith that early Christians employed in the face of persecution and death.
God’s people have always faced challenges and obstacles. When we have trusted God, a great victory for God’s people is unerringly won. When we have withered and fainted in fear, we have wandered in some wilderness. The truth is, there will always be giants in our path and fortified cities along our road, but none are greater than the Lord God Almighty. So trust Him. March around your Jericho, blow your trumpet and shout, and watch the walls come tumbling down!
Joel Shelton
Commerce Church of Christ
Commerce, TX