Joshua 5: 13 – 6:21

Joshua and the Battle of Jericho is a familiar story to most of us. It is a nice story that proclaims God’s power and shows how God is with His people but we need to think about how this applies to us?

In the 10^th chapter of 1^st Corinthians we are told that the stories in the Old Testament are given to us as examples. We are to learn from them so that we will not make the same mistakes as the Israelites did.

First let’s set the context for the battle of Jericho. The children of Israel had just miraculously crossed the Jordan River and they were ready to take possession the Promised Land. In the 5^th chapter of Joshua we read these words "when the kings of Canaan heard that the Lord had dried up the waters of the Jordan before the children of Israel their hearts melted and there was no spirit in them anymore" (Joshua 5:1)

As the children of Israel began the conquest of the Promised Land they immediately faced three (3) formidable enemies; Jericho, Ai and the Gibeonites. These 3 enemies of Israel stood in the way of Israel possessing and enjoying the Promised Land. The land was there; God had told them that the land was theirs. Earlier God told Joshua; "Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread, to you I have given it, as I spoke unto Moses" (Joshua 1:3) God was saying to them "It is yours, go in, possess, and enjoy that which you claim"

The land that God gave the Israelites was approximately 300,000 square miles but sadly even in their best days they only occupied about 30, 000 square miles. In Christ we have been given all spiritual blessings (Eph 1:3 ) But, how many of God’s spiritual blessings are you enjoying today? How many of them are really yours? You have been promised them but have you claimed them and are you enjoying them as Jesus intended? So we need to look at the principles we can learn from Jericho so that we will have spiritual victories and so we can enjoy the spiritual blessings God has promised to us. I see 8 principles in this passage

First we must allow God to be in charge of our lives: Look at the last three verses in chapter 5. When Joshua encountered this man with a drawn sword Joshua asked him "Are you for us or for our enemies?" "Neither", the man 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 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 so Joshua did.

When God walks onto the scene God does not come to take sides. God comes to be in charge. We are not to ask if God is on our side, but rather we must determine if we are on God’s side. You see the more appropriate question is, "Am I on the Lord’s side or am I fighting against God?" Today as we face physically, emotionally and spiritual battles we need to make sure that we are on the Lord’s side. The man appearing to Joshua is referred to as a "Christopany." This is Jesus Christ appearing as man 1,400 years before He appears in Bethlehem as a baby. We are confident that the man is Jesus because the man allows himself to be worshipped, angels never do that. Also Joshua was instructed to remove his sandals because he was on holy ground just as Moses had been instructed at the burning bush (Ex. 3:5).

We are not told what the message was about but we can assume that the details of how the battle of Jericho was to be fought were discussed. However, the greatest significance of this meeting with the Commander in Chief of the Lord’s Army is that God will be there and that God will give Israel the victory if they follow His instructions, which is the second principal for us; we must obediently act in faith. Notice in verse 2 the Lord proclaims Israel’s victory over the city of Jericho in the past prefect tense, as if it had already occurred (v.2). God says, See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. The victory was just as sure as if it had already happened. We are to take God’s word and act upon it as if God’s promises have already come true. When Joshua looked at Jericho he saw a city built on a hill fortified with a wall. Faith always sees the victory. Doubt always sees the obstacles. Faith produces a positive attitude and peace. Doubt leads to discontentment and fear which leads to a rebellious attitude. Faith sees with the eyes of God. Doubt sees with the eyes of man.

The next principle is that God’s ways are not man’s ways however God’s ways are away right and God’s ways always lead to victory. The strategy described in verses 3-9 are not in any military strategy book. Marching around the city, priest blowing horns, and the people shouting … Is this any way to fight a battle? Can you imagine the look on the soldiers’ faces when Joshua described the battle plan?

Too many times as Christians we approach our problems the same way the rest of the world does. We need to remember that, God’s ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9) God often has to remind us that He has a very different way of handling the problems in our lives than we could ever imagine.

The next principle is in verse 10. The best way to hear from God is to be quiet. Verse 10 "Do not give a war cry, do not raise your voices, do not say a word until the day I tell you to shout. Then shout!" The trouble with most of our prayers is that we are so busy giving God our wish list that we do not have the time to listen for His voice Throughout The Bible we see that we hear God’s voice best when we remain silent. In Psalm 46 the Psalmist says it this way (46:10-11) "Be still, and know that I am God"

Notice that when Joshua passed on the instructions of the Lord to the people Joshua did not mention that the walls are going to collapse. What do you think was going on in the minds of the Israelites as they marched around the city? I believe the Israelites were thinking we are just sitting ducks and how are we ever going to defeat this city? So I believe the Israelites were doing a lot of praying. Remember there was no talking as they were marching. They only heard their footsteps and the ram’s horns as they were blown. The ram’s horns and the arc of the covenant constantly reminded the Israelites of God’s presence with them. I believe as they were marching they began to focus on The Lord which is the next principle for us to learn. We need to keep focused on The Lord as we go through our day.

Think about the significance of the order of the possession "The ark" was given the place of honor, being made central in the order of the procession. First were the "men of war," then came the seven priests with "trumpets of rams’ horns," next came the arc, and behind the arc was the people. The ark was the recognized symbol of Jehovah’s presence, and its being carried before the congregation was to remind them that the victory was to come from The Lord.

This leads us to the next principle. We are to walk with The Lord and we are to follow Him in obedience. To walk with the Lord is to live in complete subjection to His revealed will. To walk with God is only possible for those who have been reconciled to Him. The prophet Amos asks this question; "Can two walk together except they are agreed?" (Amos 3:2). In 2 Chronicles we read these words "And the king stood in his place and made a covenant before the Lord, to walk after the Lord, and to keep His commandments, and His testimonies, and His statutes, with all his heart and with all his soul" (34:31). In Colossians 2:6, Christians are exhorted "So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him," To walk with Christ signifies union with Him. We are to be one with Him and to be strengthened by Him. Jesus said "I am the vine and you are the branches, if you abide in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit, but apart from me you can do nothing"

Next the victory is ours if we do not quit. Look at verses 16 – 20. What if the Israelites had gotten tired after the first day? Or after the third day they said why should we march, nothing has happened. If you look back you will discover that Joshua did not tell the people how many times they were going to be required to circle the city. Many times people do not realize the answers to their prayers simply because they have stopped one round short in their conquest of their personal Jericho. We may have been doing the right things, but we simply stop doing them.

In verse 20 we read that "When the trumpets sounded, the people shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the people gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so every man charged straight in, and they took the city." Hebrews 11:30 reminds us that "by faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people marched around them for seven days." God gave the Israelites the victory and God will give us the victory over our battles

Look at verse 21 they devoted the city to the Lord. They gave God the credit for the victory. They obeyed the commandment that God had given them in verse 16 & 17. The thing that honors God and God delights in is obedience. The prophet Samuel put it this way "Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams". (1 Sam. 15:22)

In verse 21 we read that God commanded the Israelites to destroy every living thing in Jericho. Some people ask how could a loving God command Joshua to kill all the inhabitants in the land of Canaan. To understand this we need to remember the brutality, idolatry, and immorality of the Canaanites is well documented. They practiced child sacrifices, religious prostitution, and snake worship in their religious rites and ceremonies. God’s judgment on the Canaanites through the Israelites was preceded by a long period of time to repent. Remember the patriarchs lived in the land before they went to Egypt. The patriarchs built altars in numerous places exemplifying the worship of the true living God. God blessed the patriarchs and they were not shy about telling others about their God. When God promised the land of Canaan to Abraham and his descendants (Genesis 15:16), the Bible states that the iniquity of the Amorites was not yet full and that the Israelites would not fully occupy that land for 400 years. During this 400 year period the Canaanites refused to turn to the one true living God. God is not mocked. Judgment will come upon the world one day. All those people who have refused or neglected to accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and made Him the Lord of their life will experience spiritual death and punishment throughout eternity. If you have not accepted Jesus as your personal Savior and made Him the Lord of your life I beg you to do so before you leave here today. Please see me or one of the Elders after the service.

After Joshua come face to face with Jesus he worshiped Him and obeyed with his whole heart.. Once we come face to face with Jesus we will be open God’s plan for our life. If we remain focused on The Lord, … God’s plans for our life will become known to us. God is calling each one of us to be open to His plans for our lives and Jesus gave His life so that we could enjoy all the spiritual and physical blessings He has prepared for us. But it is up to us to claim these blessings and to make them ours.

The last principle we need to learn is that the Israelites were not afraid or ashamed to put their faith in to practice. Imagine what the Army of Jericho thought when the Israelites showed up marching around their city with the priest blowing horns and parading the arc of the covenant. We need to ask ourselves are we afraid or ashamed to practice our faith in front of our neighbors. When was the last time you told someone about Jesus? When was the last time you invited a friend or neighbor to come to Mt Paran with you? If you haven’t invited a neighbor or co-worker to come to Mt Paran then one of the following is true: Your Church does not mean much to you or you are not getting much out of coming to church. or you are ashamed to tell someone how much Jesus means to you and the difference Jesus is making in your life The Apostle Peter warns (2 Peter 3:8-10) The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. The last Sunday in October we will have Bring a Friend Sunday at Mt Paran. Every one of us is being asked to bring a friend with you that does not attend another church on a regular basis. This will be a special Sunday and you will hear more about this later.

As Christians we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in Jesus. However, many Christians are living as spiritual paupers. God has given us every spiritual blessing but, we must claim them and make them ours. There are battles to be fought and victories to be won. AMEN