For us today, we can learn the value of faithful obedience to God, no matter how crazy the instructions sound. By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days Hebrews , ESV. Years later, Solomon would pen these words from God with examples like this Battle of Jericho in mind:. Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths Proverbs We can also learn some valuable lessons on leadership, teamwork, and courage when looking at this story as an allegory to the spiritual warfare that we face every day in our Christian life.
We can be challenged to keep marching no matter how tired we are, no matter how far we have already gone, and no matter how insurmountable the odds seem to be against us.
How in the world does a story of war, destruction, and bloodshed point to grace and mercy? To see this, we must zoom in to the middle of the story and look at one of the obscure players — a woman from Jericho named Rahab the prostitute. This means that God graciously chose to save the life of Rahab, a woman living a sinful lifestyle within an evil city that some people probably even us might assume was un-savable.
God gave hope to this woman who had no hope. If the Israelites had not conquered Jericho, Rahab would have stayed in her broken, painful, and abused lifestyle until the day she died. They show us some of the things faith can accomplish.
No matter how strong and frightening the powers of darkness seem to be, we know that those who trust in God will defeat them in the end. Jesus said that faith in him is the rock on which he builds his church, and even the gates of hell will not prevail against it. Like the walls of Jericho, the strongholds of evil in our culture today seem impossible to destroy but their walls will come tumbling down if we stand united and confront them with the power of the word of God.
And faith can overcome the evil in your life too. It can conquer the strongholds of sin that you face. It can defeat the giants of despair. Faith can save you and make you one of the people of God. Not only is she listed as a hero of faith in Hebrews 11, but according to Matthew she was one of the ancestors of Jesus Matthew Think of that.
That really is amazing. She was also a prostitute; not exactly a shining example of virtue! Whatever she was or had been, when the decisive moment came, Rahab chose faith. By faith she identified with the people of God, and that decision was her salvation. She became one of them. You know, you can too.
Salvation from sin, victory over evil, new life as a child of God, all these can be yours, by faith. But you have to choose. No one else can make the decision to believe for you. You must commit yourself unconditionally to the Lord Jesus.
One day the final victory for the people of God will be won in much the same manner as the victory was won at Jericho. There the people marched and watched and waited. This book contains action-filled conquests of the Israelites defeating the Canaan cities and obtaining the Promised Land.
It also tells of the obedience and faithfulness of the Israelites, and their enjoyment of the Promised Land. Jericho was the gateway city to Canaan that the Israelites came to when they entered the Promised Land. The city of Jericho was surrounded by walls so that no one was able to get in, and the walls served as solid protection against attacks.
The gates had been locked to keep the Israelites out see Joshua This moment is incredibly important because the Israelites have finally entered the land promised to them by God and they go on to successfully conquer the first city along their journey. The fallen walls of Jericho became a key affirmation that God was fulfilling His promise to them, and that God would be with them as they took possession of the Promised Land.
God had given Joshua very specific instructions on what to do to cause the walls of Jericho to collapse, so that the Israelites would defeat Jericho and claim the city. Joshua gathered the army and priests just as God instructed. For the first six days, the armed men marched around the city once while the priests had trumpets and carried the ark of the covenant.
They did this for six days. On the seventh day, as God instructed, they marched around the city seven times, the priests blew their trumpets, and the army gave a loud shout. To Joshua, the army, and the priests, this may have seemed like a very different approach to overthrowing the city of Jericho. However, Joshua led the Israelites to do what God had instructed.
The walls of Jericho should have been impenetrable. What Joshua and the Israelites were up against may have seemed impossible to overcome. But they followed God anyway with full trust and hope in His promise, and faithfulness that He would indeed fight for them to claim the land that was promised to them.
This biblical story reminds us how crucial it is to lean on God and put our trust in Him, because that is when the impossible can happen. A radical component to this biblical narrative is that God spoke to Joshua. And Joshua listened. The instructions Joshua gave to the army of Israel and accompanying priests were very specific. On the seventh, they were to circle seven times, blow trumpets and shout Joshua Knowing the difference may determine whether barriers stand or fall.
Question to ask: If God asked you to do something that looked ridiculous to people, would you do it? Kids Talk About God is designed for families to study the Bible together. Research shows that parents who study the Bible with their children give their character, faith and spiritual life a powerful boost. Visit www.
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