Hebrews 11:30,31 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days. By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace.
The story of how God destroyed the city of Jericho is one of those Bible events that many people have heard. May God give us ears to hear once again, not only the miraculous, but also the practical lessons of the amazing account of the power of God working to destroy His enemies, while at the same time, deliver His people. Have we become so familiar with reading about this mighty work of God, that we have forgotten that He is the same wall-crushing, enemy-defeating God today? There was no difficulty for God to tear down the walls of Jericho. But for the people of God, it was a true step of faith in His command to walk around the city silently for six days, and then only shout on the seventh trip on the seventh day at the sound of the trumpet (Joshua 6:15,16,20). It has been estimated that it would take at least 45 minutes to walk around this huge citadel. Imagine nearly one million people keeping absolute silence while walking around the city. That in and of itself is a miracle! If you don’t think that this command required faith and discipline, when you go home after service today, try keeping silent for this amount of time. This strategy could not but produce ridicule among the enemy. If Israel was going to experience a victory, Israel was going to have to obey God’s instructions, no matter how they felt about it or how foolish the instructions must have seemed.
The same holds true for you and me today, beloved. The Christian life includes facing Jerichos of many shapes and sizes. Just as Israel faced the formidable walls of Jericho, you and I face walls and obstacles in our lives as well. Perhaps it is a lost loved one we would like to see the Lord touch and save, a lost community over which we are burdened, a ministry from the Lord that we feel inadequate about, family trouble that tears at our hearts and leaves us wondering what to do, financial trouble that stresses us to the limits of our patience and faith, a besetting sin that constantly crops up in our life. The Jerichos in our lives loom large in our minds, don’t they? But no Jericho is larger than the wall-crushing power of our God. What is your Jericho this morning? Does God’s word give a command or a promise in how to deal with that Jericho? Chances are His command or promise may seem as farfetched as His command to walk around the city silently for seven days. Proverbs 3:5,6 comes to mind: “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”
Jericho is a picture of the judgment of God on a Christ-rejecting world, as well as a message of deliverance for those who trust Him. Because Rahab knew God, the most dangerous place, Jericho, was a safe place for her and her family. The scarlet thread marked the place where she lived. Because of her faith in God, her home and family were marked as being set apart for God. Beloved, the world that we live in is not a safe place at all. However, when we give our hearts to The Lordship of Jesus Christ and submit to His will, His Name is that strong and mighty tower that we can run into and be safe (Proverbs 18:10). Like Rahab, if you place your faith in The Lord Jesus Christ, you will be spared from the wrath to come. So call upon The Name of The Lord and be saved. He that hath ears to hear, let’s once again hear what God is saying to us today. Selah
